SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

April 27, 2016 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Video Games Weekly: Ratchet and Clank

April 27, 2016 by Karen Jensen, MLS   Leave a Comment

I have to confess right off the bat that I have never played a Ratchet and Clank game before.  Somehow, this game never appeared on my radar!  Therefore, my review and opinions are formulated on this game alone, and may not be the only review you want to read. I highly recommend reading Wired, Kotaku, and IGN if you want to read reviews written by gamers who are more familiarized with the series.  This game is the rebooted version of the very first Ratchet and Clank game that came out 14 years ago on the PS2.

There’s a movie too: Yep, there is a movie with the same title in theaters near you!  The movie and game go hand in hand.  According to Wired’s review, some of the plot and characters were changed in order to adapt to the film, but the overarching story remains the same.  Also, Sylvester Freaking Stallone is one of the voice actors, along with John Goodman.  I haven’t seen the movie yet because I wanted to beat the game first!

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Platform:  PS4

Rated: E10+

Single or Multiplayer:  Single

Storyline:  The storyline is reminiscent of many superhero movies. The protagonist, Ratchet, is a fox-like mechanic who wants to become a Galactic Ranger.  Ratchet attends tryouts to be a Galactic Ranger but he is denied due to his background check.  While going home after tryouts, he witnesses a crash landing and manages to save a robot defect named Clank. Thus the dynamic duo is born.  There is an evil politician who is trying to spark an intergalactic war with warbots, and it’s up to Ratchet and Clank to save the galaxy.  In a weird way, the game reminds me of Guardians of the Galaxy because you have a weapon savvy anthropomorphic character, space battles, and silly overtones.

Gameplay:  The game is a combination of adventure, shooter, and puzzle genres.  Players control Ratchet with a third-person view, while Clank rides on Ratchet’s back.  Ratchet can use a variety of weapons to kill enemies like the “Groovitron”, which distracts enemies with the power of disco (see what I mean about silly overtones?).  The game is full of preposterously named weapons and characters, which makes the game extremely likeable.

As players progress through the story, they can unlock weapon upgrades, armor upgrades, and side-quests.  The story takes place on multiple planets, and players can choose to complete every side-quest on a planet before progressing in the story, or they can leave the side-quests for later.  The main story mode is relatively short, only about 12 hours or so of gameplay.  Usually, games that are storyline focused are about 40 hours long, but there are many, many side-quests to keep players entertained.

Art Style: I just want to point out that the art style is beautiful.  A lot of money was invested in upgrading the game’s artwork and graphic design, and I believe it really paid off.  Take a look at a comparison here: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/abSN25NJa-I/maxresdefault.jpg

Audience:  I think this game is great for all ages.  It is a great selection especially for kids because it’s a shooting game that isn’t overly violent, it’s funny, and players can select their difficulty before playing the game.  As for teens, I think they would enjoy it because it’s one of those “classic” game series that has persevered over the years but doesn’t have a large mainstream presence (that is, until the movie comes out).

The new movie and new game also have programing opportunities, like having a movie night for teen gamers, or playing the movie in the background at Teen Game Night programs.  

Verdict: Primary purchase for circulating collections.

Questions? Comments? Tweet them at me!

By: Alanna Graves
Twitter: @LannaLibrarian

Pricing

$40 on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Clank-PlayStation-4/dp/B00Z9LUDX4/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1461547283&sr=1-1&keywords=ratchet+and+clank

Filed under: Video Games, Video Games Weekly

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

August 2017

Video Games Weekly: Sonic Mania

by Karen Jensen, MLS

August 2017

Video Games Weekly: Slime Rancher

by Karen Jensen, MLS

July 2017

Video Games Weekly: Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

by Karen Jensen, MLS

July 2017

Video Games Weekly: Stardew Valley

by Karen Jensen, MLS

June 2017

Video Games Weekly: Magikarp Jump

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

2023 Caldecott Jump

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Cover Reveal: This Book Is Banned – The Latest from Raj Haldar (With a Helpful Q&A for Spice)

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Recent Graphic Novel Deals, Early Mar 2023 | News

by Johanna

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Love, Family, and Mental Health, a guest post by Rajani LaRocca

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Newbery Medalist Amina Luqman-Dawson visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Three July 2021 YA Debut Authors Open Up About Their Protagonists

YA Authors Recast Their Problematic Faves

Laurie Halse Anderson Won’t Be Silent

Cover Reveal & Interview: UNEQUAL by Michael Eric Dyson and Marc Favreau

January’s YA Debut Authors Share Their Hopes for 2021

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023