Ratchet & Clank was among many phenomenal titles to grace the PlayStation 2. Released by Insomniac Games through Sony Computer Entertainment in 2002, Ratchet & Clank saw swift success and spawned several sequel titles over the last 21 years, including Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters.
With the latest title, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, becoming available on PlayStation Plus this month, newcomers to the series may seek to revisit some of the older titles in the series. With many options to choose from, narrowing down the best one can be challenging, with some gamers potentially jumping straight to the first title. Here is why the best choice is 2004's Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal.
Up Your Arsenal Introduced More Control Options
As opposed to the first two titles in the Ratchet & Clank series, Up Your Arsenal added a new control option called Lock Strafe Mode. Lock Strafe Mode provides a more natural third-person shooter experience, allowing players to use their left thumb to move Ratchet, their right thumb to move the camera, and the R1 button to shoot. While this became a common mode in later games, it is something the first two titles didn't have, and it greatly increases playability, as players are no longer forced to use their right thumb to shoot and move the camera simultaneously.
Up Your Arsenal Offers Players Employee Discounts
Calling back to the first Ratchet & Clank release, Up Your Arsenal includes an employee discount feature allowing players to get cheaper weapons and upgrades. During a cutscene in the first title, Ratchet asks the vendor if he gets a discount, to which the vendor replies that he must be with the company for two years first. With Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal releasing two years after the first game, the developers added this excellent feature to reward fans of the series. For anyone who stopped playing the series after the second release, this feature will be a pleasant discovery upon their return.
The Weapons in Up Your Arsenal Are a Blast
The Ratchet & Clank series is notorious for its fun, sometimes whacky weapon selection and Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is no exception. Players will get to experience fun weapons like the Disc Blade Gun, the RY3NO, and the Flux Rifle that are native to Up Your Arsenal and strong enough to take down most game bosses. For anyone who played the previous title, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, some weapons may seem familiar, as an encounter with Slim Cognito allows the purchasing of former weapons like the Lava Gun, the Miniturret Glove, and the Plasma Coil. Up Your Arsenal really shines with its weapon selection, with guns like the Shock Blaster, which is useful for blasting large quantities of enemies at close range, and the Infector, which deals prolonged damage to enemies while causing them to attack each other.
Up Your Arsenal Is a Fun Story for All Ages
Another prominent feature of all Ratchet & Clank games is the exciting adventure players embark on, meeting several unique characters throughout the galaxy, which caused the series to spawn a movie in 2016. The quirky Captain Qwark makes an appearance in Up Your Arsenal, along with new characters like the evil robot Dr. Nefarious and Klunk -- an evil double of Clank made by Dr. Nefarious to take Clank's place. It also introduces Secret Agent Clank, which ultimately spawned a spin-off game of its own in 2008. In Up Your Arsenal, Ratchet and Clank must stop Nefarious from destroying all organic lifeforms that he calls "squishies." Along the way, players will encounter moments of thrilling combat, plenty of comedy, and an overall fun adventure that not only improves on previous games but also has yet to be reproduced in later releases.
Ratchet & Clank has a plethora of great titles in the series that fans and newcomers can enjoy. However, from the lively story and enticing array of weapons to the addition of a now-standard control layout, Up Your Arsenal takes the cake as the best of them. Anyone looking for more to experience from the series after playing Rift Apart on PlayStation Plus will enjoy Up Your Arsenal.