Jak, Dexter, Ratchet & Clank... what is the appeal?

[noiseredux]

hope this helps.

I appreciate the post, but I still have no idea what these games are, how they play, or why I should be interested to try one rather than one of the thousands of other games out there.

I guess that's what I'm looking for. "Oh NR, you like _________ and Jak is just like that!" or "if you're a fan of ________ then Ratchet and Clank is for you."

[Croooow!]

Up Your Arsenal is a 3D platformer/3rd person shooter hybrid. There's some galactic war going on and Ratchet and Clank go to different planets and complete various missions on each planet. The planets aren't levels really but areas where you fulfill the missions, some mandatory and some optional, that range from getting to point A to point B, ground and vehicular combat, and there's even some 2.5D platforming. I really liked the humor in the game; there's no real annoying character like Daxter but it's not as funny as Psychonauts. Given that the games aren't expensive I'd suggest you just pick one up and see for yourself how you like it.

[wootcube]

I've played all of the Ratchet and Jak games (except the spinoffs made by other companies...) and I love both the series.

I would recommend Ratchet over Jak though - if I wasn't a fan of the Jak and Daxter series when I was younger, I feel like I would have a hard time getting into them today.

Anyhoo - about the gameplay.

Ratchet and clank is like a platformer/action rpg type blend. You do a lot of platforming and some puzzles but the majority of the game revolves around the tons of weapons available. You buy them/ find them (I think there's like 20-30 guns in each game) and they level up as you use them. A lot of the weapons do silly things, like turn enemies into chickens, and there isn't really much of a story. It's just a really fun game (great gameplay) in my opinion. There are silly animals, yeah, but it makes sense.

Jak and Daxter is pretty much the same, but with less RPG and more story.

If you decide to try either of the series, the 1st in each series is VERY different than the sequels. The gameplay is improved a lot in the 2nd + games. If you try and start from the beginning in either one try not to judge the entire franchise off of the first game. Personally the 2nd Ratchet and Clank is my favorite.

[CRTGAMER]

All three series are great though the Bandicoot takes a back seat on the PS2 versions. Naughty Dog Crash PS1 versions seemed better. The PS2 Jak series is actually made by the same team. Both Jak and Ratchet are great! Try them out, the PS2 versions are cheap at Gamestop.

PSX Crash Bandicoot - Naughty Dog - A ton of extra mini games.

CTR Racing - a very good Mario Kart style gameplay.


Crash Bash - a party game, Q-Bert Pogo Sticks!


Crash Warped - my favorite Crash, ride that tiger!
Note: There is a ridge plastic 3D cover edition of this one.

[jfrost]

You should really try Crash 3. Really polished game, unlike the first two.

[hashiriya1]

This doesn't answer your question, but I am on the same boat as you. I borrowed R&C: Tools Of Destruction from a friend just to see what the series was about. I played it for a couple hours and just couldn't get into it.

[the King]

well what are the games even like?

They are 3d platformers staring silly looking animals.

The only one I have played is the first Jak and Dexter and I really liked it, but I like 3d platformers staring silly looking animals or plumbers.

Since we are talking about 3D platformers on the PS2, I just played through the first Sly Cooper and that was really fun too.

[Gamerforlife]

The Ratchet and Clank games are a fusion of third person shooter gameplay and platforming. There is also a slight rpg element as your health bar and weapons level up. You also need to acquire enough money to buy new weapons and armor and I think every Ratchet and Clank game features a new game plus mode that adds new weapons and bonus features. The series is known for it's funny and original weaponry and tons of action

The Jack and Daxter series is overrated in my opinion. The first one is a decent find all the hidden items sort of platformer like Spyro the Dragon. The rest of the series is skippable

If you're going to talk about those two series, you have to mention the Sly Cooper series as well. These three series were Sony's big three platform series on the PS2 and there are Easter eggs in the games where each series references the others. The Sly series is a fusion of platforming and stealth gameplay. In fact, the Sly series has some of the fanciest platform moves you'll ever see in a cutesy platformer. Very Princh of Persia like in that way. Though the series features a large amount of missions that go into other genres in the form of mini-games. Sly 3 in particular is a platformer at it's core but over the course of the game juggles a variety of other genres from shmups to beat'em ups to racing to Monkey Island-like insult contests. It handles all of this quite well for the most part

[GSZX1337]

These games are always popping up on lists of Best PS2 games blah blah. But they look so stupid to me.

Before anyone should answer this post, this question needs to be answered:
Have you played any of these games?

no... I thought that was pretty clear by me asking if they were good.

I thought I made myself clear by italicizing played.

[Gamerforlife]

I think noise might like the Sly Cooper games. The series(Sly 2 and 3 in particular)pay a lot of homage to old school games in many of the various missions. The 2D schmup levels I mentioned before in particular are fun. The characters are remarkable well written and I think they can appeal to people of any age. What's impressive is how you see them evolve over the course of the trilogy. Sly also has a cel shaded look to it and tries to pattern itself after old saturday morning cartoon giving it a nice nostalgic quality for me

The platforming is quite intuitive. Sly has various thief moves that allow him to interactive with his environment much in the same way you would see Nathan Drake, Prince of Persia or Lara Croft do in any modern game. In fact, Sly is pretty much the anthropomorphic equivalent to the Prince of Persia in my opinion. Basically, when you see a blue sparkle somewhere you hit circle and he will do a thief move like swinging from something, leaning up against a wall to traverse a narrow ledge, perfectly balance himself on top of a small object, slide down a rail, etc,etc. It''s all very fluid and quite impressive to watch.

Ratchet and Clank is easy to get into. The games are very polished and not especially difficult. You're always gaining experience points even when you die. Some of the weapons you will use are the most epic in gaming, like one that fills a room with a bright white light, disintegrating all of your enemies. The platforming is rather basic, but the game mixes things up by incorporating various gadgets like one that lets you walk on walls and ceilings. The gadgets keep the platforming interesting. Also, I LOVE the battle arenas in these games. You'll take on hordes of enemies under various conditions, all while listening to an announcer calling the action. This is where you really get to have fun with all of your toys. I'd recommend starting with Going Commando, which is the second game and probably still the best I'd say

You mentioned you don't like games with cutesy animals, but it's worth mentioning that both the R&C series and the Sly Cooper series don't seem to be aimed squarely at kids. Jak and Daxter on the other hand.......

There is a ton of humor in the R&C games and the Sly games have some hilarious moments as well...so if you want a good laugh. I have always found the Jak and Daxter games though to be too cheesy to be entertaining. The worst part is Jak himself, who has NO personality in the first game. Then the second game comes along and they basically pulled a Prince of Persia:Warrior Within by making him uber dark and badass so he could be more marketable. I simply can't care about or relate to Jak in any way, shape or form.

The Sly games are dirt cheap now, if you want to try them. Don't about the Ratchet & Clank games though

And just to chime in on the Bandicoot games on the PS1. They are pretty basic by today's standards. I don't know if they would impress you, but if you're going to play one play Crash Bandicoot:Warped