Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
File:R&C FTD Box Art-RP-thumb.jpg North American boxart
Developer(s)	Insomniac Games
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment
Series	Ratchet & Clank
Engine	Insomniac Engine v.2.0
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3
Genre(s)	Platform, shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (known as Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction in most PAL regions, Tools of Destruction or Ratchet & Clank 6 for short) is a PlayStation 3 video game developed by Insomniac Games, released on October 23, 2007 in North America and on November 9, 2007 in Europe. It is the 6th installment in the official Ratchet & Clank canon (seventh overall) and the first PlayStation 3 installment as well as the first installment for a new saga in the series. It was also one of the first PlayStation 3 games to support Dual Shock 3 rumble straight from the disc.

Plot

This time Ratchet & Clank must embark on an galactic adventure to find an ancient device that is the key to preventing the return of an ancient, evil race of interdimensional aliens called the Cragmites. To make matters worse, for some unknown reason Cragmites hate Lombaxes of which Ratchet is the sole living survivor. Once again, Ratchet & Clank must not only save the galaxy from annihilation, but unravel the mystery of Ratchet’s origin as well.

Gameplay

See also: Common gameplay elements in the Ratchet and Clank series

Tools of Destruction retains much of the basic gameplay found in previous Ratchet & Clank games, the game being primarily a shooter-platformer. The player controls Ratchet most of the time, with some sections using Clank, as they explore various worlds to complete missions, using Ratchet's wrench and other exotic weapons gained during the course of the game. At times, Ratchet may enter free-fall, or with an upgrade to Clank, will be able to fly; during these periods, the player uses the tilt functionality of the SIXAXIS controller to maneuver Ratchet. The tilt-sensing abilities of the SIXAXIS are also used to control some weapons and gadgets, such as steering the path of a mini-tornado fired out from the Tornado Launcher/Tempest Launcher, cutting open walls with the Geo-Laser, or steering a metal ball to override circuitry with the Decrypter. Other exotic weapons include the Nano-Swarmers, similar to Going Commando's Mini-Turret glove, and the Plasma Beasts, which produce single-use synthenoid creatures. More conventional weapons include the Negotiator, a rocket launcher, the Combuster, a standard blaster pistol, and the Alpha Disruptor, an extremely powerful laser cannon, but expensive to upgrade and with low ammunition. Notably, this is a Lombax weapon found in a testing room on Planet Sargasso and not purchased from a vendor. The weapon it upgrades into (the Alpha Canon) is the most powerful in the game's arsenal in terms of single shots with a damage level of over 10,000. The weapons menu information screen claims that because of its power, it was once believed to be the Lombax Secret, although this plays no part in the story. Another weapon of notable origin is the Pyro-Blaster, a flamethrower engineered by the Kerchu, whose Pyroguards use flamethrowers against their enemies. However, a zoom-in sniper rifle was not included in the game's arsenal for the first time since it was introduced. One of the game's cheats allows Ratchet to use pirate swords, axes and similar weapons in place of his wrench, although its use is not affected. On Rykan V, Reepor and Fastoon, Cronk and Zephyr (and Talwyn on the latter two and after breaking her out of Zordoom Prison) accompany Ratchet and fight with him. While immune to damage, their weapons are far less potent than Ratchet's. As with previous games Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal, Deadlocked and Size Matters, there is an arena area. This is called the Imperial Fight Festival, found on planet Mukow, and uses the same elements as previously. Like in Ratchet & Clank, Going Commando and Size Matters, the player will have the ability to pilot a ship against enemy forces, in this case, space pirates.

At times, the player will control Clank in a mode similar to previous games, using robotic creatures called Zoni to fight foes, remove debris or reconstruct bridges, and to power devices in the level. Clank possesses the ability to slow down time as well during these sections, allowing him, for example, to make his way under a rapidly closing door as well as levitate.

Weapons gain experience as previously implemented in the series, but in addition, the player can collect Raritanium crystals and use them to upgrade the weapon in additional ways beyond the experience path; weapon improvements are presented in a tree-like structure and require that all previous upgrades be obtained for that weapon first before later upgrades can be purchased. and some pussy licking.

In addition to weapons are objects known as "devices". While they are selected and used similar to weapons, they may or may not directly damage foes but instead provide an effect beneficial to the player. The "Groovitron", for example, is a disco ball that causes all foes to dance for a brief time, allowing the player to deal with them while distracted. The carrying capacity of such devices are generally very low (2 or 3 units for each). Device vendors in addition to weapon vendors can be found in the game.

Armor can be bought from an armor vendor on certain planets. Each upgrade to the armor decreases the amount of damage the player takes from enemy weapons. These armors cost a large amount of bolts. In Challenge Mode, a bonus set of armor is available- the Trillium Armor, engineered by the Centre for Advanced Lombax Research during the Great War. The final armor in "standard mode" is the Terraflux armor, worn by Cragmite assassins during the same conflict. The other two sets are the Helios armor, designed by the Kerchu. While the actual Kerchu wear no conventional armor, this suit does bear some resemblance to the fire-wielding vehicles used by their Pyroguards. The final armor is named the Blackstar Armor. It is named after Captain Blackstar, who is mentioned in Up Your Arsenal. In the "historical" holovid game "Booty is in the Eye of the Beholder", he is named as the leader of a band of ghost pirate robots who are vanquished by Captain Quark, and would have been the boss at the end of the level. The suit clearly resembles the robotic space pirates who appear during Tools of Destruction.

Beyond the main gameplay, Tools of Destruction features an arena with several challenges, "Gyro-cycle" courses that use a turbo-charged bike, and on-rails space combat. Interestingly, the Gyro-cycle is provided by the Smuggler on Rykan V, who mentions that he bought it from a Lombax pilot. Most interestingly, if questioned after selling the vehicle, he tells Ratchet that the Lombax's ship had been shot down by Emperor Tachyon after the Battle of Fastoon. This and his comment about his appearance- "Say, he even looked like you!"- imply that this pilot may have been the Keeper of the Dimensionator- and Ratchet's father.

Tools of Destruction is the first game where Ratchet, Clank and other characters converse with one another with lipsynced dialogue during gameplay, out of cutscenes. Also, in various scenes, Talwyn, Qwark (self-appointed overseer of Operation Deathwish, the mission to break in and out of Zordoom Prison), the Smuggler, Cronk and Zephyr can all contact Ratchet by comlink. On Sargasso, zephyr provides the initial warning about the Grunthor leviathans and mentions that he once lost a superior to one of the beasts. Captain Slag and the Drophyd Commander can also be heard on levels where Space Pirates and Imperial troops appear, respectively (although pirates appear in Kerchu City, Slag provides no COMs dialogue). The captain broadcasts warnings if Ratchet has been discovered and announces events such as after-dinner entertainment and trips to Zordoom Prison (to visit the pirates' mothers). The Drophyd Commander orders troops to attack Ratchet and keeps tabs on his movements. In addition, when using the Pirate-Guise on the Kreeli comet and in Slag's Fleet in the Ublik Passage, Ratchet can hear conversations between Space Pirates. These include complaints about how Rusty Pete has various benefits from his post as First Mate, while the regular pirates don't even have dental insurance, and rumors about Ratchet's abilities that are circulating among the buccaneers.

There are 13 Gadgetron Holo-Plans (Hidden in Boxes on Various Planets) After getting all thirteen the player can give them to the Smuggler and he will make the R.Y.N.O IV. With every other fragment collected, the Smuggler will provide a new comment on how the weapon functions (for example, it contains a device used to manipulate dark matter) - by the penultimate piece, he is contemplating that the weapon "may be too hot for even me to handle".

Main characters

• Ratchet - The main protagonist of the series. He is the last of his kind in the galaxy and lived a boring life...until he met Clank. Ratchet is voiced by James Arnold Taylor.
• Clank - Ratchet's robotic sidekick. He's much more serious than Ratchet and seems to be the brains of the duo.
• Captain Qwark - A bumbling superhero who aids Ratchet by spying on Tachyon. At first, he starts off as the antagonist, but later on becomes helpful.
• Emperor Percival Tachyon - The only Cragmite that avoided being banished, who wants to kill Ratchet and dominate the universe. He caused Ratchet's race to flee to another dimension and wants to bring the Cragmites back from banishment.
• The Plumber - A recurring character who helps the duo out. His personality is strangely unique, but he proves to be very important, at times.
• Talwyn Apogee - A girl who works with Ratchet and Clank along their way. Her father was last seen searching for the "Lombax secret."
• Cronk and Zephyr - Talwyn's robotic guardians who constantly squabble with one another. They are meant to represent the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 respectively, constantly mocking each other for their technical faults and praising their own abilities. Both were built by the Lombaxes during the Great War- Cronk is a first generation war bot and Zephyr is second generation. for this reason perhaps, Zephyr can be heard sniping at Cronk about his age.
• Captain Romulus Slag and Rusty Pete - The leader of a pirate group and his right hand man, respectively. They were created by Tachyon but have become a separate threat.
• The Smuggler - A sneaky trader who builds Ratchet the RYNO IV- Ratchet has to assemble a complete holo-plan, the parts of which are scattered across planets. Ratchet also sells Leviathan Souls to the Smuggler for bolts.
• Zoni - Ghost-like creature which Clank controls like the Gadgebots from previous games. They travel through time and provide warnings for Clank, so that he and Ratchet can save the future. They start out as helpers of Clank, but then mysteriously abduct Clank away to another dimension calling him "Sire", and ending the game on a cliffhanger. They said to Clank: "We need to ensure that you survive. Now, it is time, you come with us." It is somewhat unclear, but is possibly to be explained, later in the series.
• Grummel - the GrummelNet Weapons, Devices, and Armor Vendor-Salesmen cloned from a single individual; Grummel One, the only survivor of the destruction of his home planet by Chairman Drek. Grummel One uses his clones to staff Grummelnet.
• Aphelion - A talking space ship that was made by the Lombaxes and was seriously damaged on planet Fastoon. Ratchet and Clank repaired her and now have her as their ship and companion on their adventure. It has a sweeping scanner bar in the front, a hint towards KITT from the Knight Rider series. When they are pursued from Ardolis by the Space Pirates, she apparently chastises them for stealing from the pirates.

Production

The game was first announced at the 2006 Game Developers Conference, where a Ratchet & Clank next-gen tech demonstration was shown for the PlayStation 3. Many new worlds and weapons will be introduced into the game like in previous installments of the series. It will also be more of a platform game, as Insomniac wanted to stop the series from becoming the more weapon based combat game it had become in the previous games Up Your Arsenal and Deadlocked.

There are reported to be a total of 31 weapons, gadgets, and combat devices, further divided into 15 weapons, 8 gadgets, and 8 devices. Unlike Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal, the player cannot unlock weapons from previous games using a memory card.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	89/100

Review scores

Publication	Score
1Up.com	A-
Edge	8/10
Electronic Gaming Monthly	9/10
Game Informer	9.25/10
GamePro	5/5
GameRevolution	B
GameSpot	7.5/10
GameSpy	4/5
GameTrailers	9/10
IGN	9.4/10
M! Games	89/100
PlayStation Official Magazine – UK	9/10
Play	10/10
PlayStation: The Official Magazine	9.5/10
PSM3	93/100

The game has been met with mainly positive reviews, and has been largely heralded as one of the greatest games on the PS3 so far. On Metacritic, it has received an aggregate score of 89 from 69 reviews, giving the game a ranking of "generally favorable reviews", and on MobyGames, it has received an aggregate score of 89.

IGN, who gave the game a 9.4 out of 10, said "Not only has it supplanted Going Commando as the best title in the franchise, it's also the best game of any series on the PlayStation 3 thus far -- and that's saying a lot when you're up against Oblivion, Ninja Gaiden, Warhawk and Insomniac's very own previous effort, Resistance: Fall of Man." Also on IGN's weekly PS3 podcast, they called it the best video game they've played on any platform in 2007. GamerNode, who gave the game 9.5 out of 10, said "In Tools of Destruction, Insomniac is back doing what they do best, and they do it better than ever, This is the best Ratchet & Clank adventure to date, and at this point the best game the PS3 has to offer.Cheat Code Central gave the game 5/5 across the board saying it is one of the best games of all time. X-Play gave it 5/5 with its own personal episode. NTSC-uk said "...it never stops being anything less than great fun to play and hugely engaging".

Awards

Tools of Destruction earned the following award nominations and wins:

• Spike TV Awards: Best Action Game.
• Gaming Target: "52 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2007" selection.

It also placed runner-up for various awards in IGN's Best of 2007, including PS3 Game of the Year.

Sales

Tools of Destruction sold nearly 75,000 units during October 2007. While this value is lower than other previous PlayStation 3 titles (such as Warhawk and Heavenly Sword, both which broke 100,000 sales in their first month of release), the game has outsold Ratchet: Deadlocked's first month of sales by nearly 20,000 units. Sony Computer Entertainment of America has stated that they are "very happy" with the initial sales figures.

In an interview with MTV News in March 2008, Ted Price stated that Tools of Destruction has sold over 1 million units so far and compared with the rest of the Ratchet series, it "has sold as many as the other games have at this point in its lifecycle. We were also panicked because we thought, 'Wow, there aren’t that many games on PlayStation 3 this Christmas and Ratchet should really be one of those big ones.' But then we realized that PlayStation 3 still is in the hands of consumers who tend not to be Ratchet fans. They’re the older consumers who are more interested in M-rated games. It hasn’t made its way necessarily to family play. And that’s the kind of game Ratchet is. So what we expect and what we’ve seen in the past is that it will have a long tail. … What’s cool for us is there aren’t that many family-friendly games out there [on the PS3] that provide competition for Ratchet.”

Sequel

During the Sony Conference at E3 2008, a short downloadable sequel was announced titled Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty. After Clank's mysterious abduction by the Zoni, Ratchet sets off to find Captain Darkwater, a Pirate and an apparent expert on Zoni Culture. He discovers Darkwater is dead, but his clues are scattered around Hoolefar Island. Ratchet is helped by Talwyn and together they explore Planet Merdegraw. In the game there are four locations for him to search for clues; the Pirate Fleet, Hoolefar Island, Morrow Caverns and Darkwater Cove. An all new wrench mechanics allows Ratchet to push, pull, and manipulate objects around him. A mix of Light/Dark gameplay, Ratchet must illuminate dark areas with Heliogrubs and use his wits (and wrench) to survive. The Player must solve pirate puzzles- Mix brew, manipulate shadows and play tunes to find hidden booty. The game also welcomes all new enemies and offers up to four hours of gameplay for a smaller price. Quest for Booty is available on the PlayStation Network and on Blu-ray Disc (only in Europe without UK and Asia). After the credits it announces the next game coming fall 09.

External links

• Official website
• Insomniac Games official website
• Template:Dmoz
• Ratchet and Clank wikia