Insomniac Games along with Naughty Dog have proved to be two of Sony’s biggest helpers. Naughty Dog now owned by Sony as 2nd party gave us the stellar Jak and Daxter. However, at the same time Insomniac was at the drawing board putting together ideas for their "Spyro" Replacement. What they have come up with is a very witty game known as Ratchet and Clank. While at first the game looks very much like Naughty Dog’s attempt at a modern day platform game its very different. Unlike Jak and Daxter you will assume control of both characters, and unlike Banjo-Kazooie you will have to work you way through the game to take control of clank.

As mentioned before Insomniac Games are the same people behind Spyro the Dragon. They have finally taken a major step up for the Playstation 2. Insomniac is moving away from the simple platformer genre. Ratchet and Clank is a lot more like a fine mixture of Adventure, RPG, Platformer, as well as shooter Genre’s as you can see from the screen shots.

The story is pretty simple, however, well thought out. In the very beginning Ratchet, the little fuzzy guy, is searching for a way to leave his planet. In order to leave his soon to be doomed planet he needs enough parts to build a ship. Somehow he bumps into Clank, the inquisitive shy robot, who is more worried about running from the race of space aliens who wish to destroy all existence in order to create a completely new one for themselves. The two decide to team up for revenge as well as to stay alive. The team will travel from level to level, or should I say environment, collecting bolts, which by some strange reason happens to be the worlds currency.

Rachet will gather and use many items throughout his quest. He will use these weapons of great power to crush, burn, or shoot any enemies in his path. Insomniac has been working on the title for over two years and I don’t expect them to have left anything out. Clank will have the unique ability to transfer into many forms, one of which includes the helicopter upgrade. He is also a sort of "Mr. Gadget" using many gadgets attached to his limbs. There are many other items he will use, however, at the time of writing I have only seen a few.

Mario has coins, Sonic has rings, Spryo has jewels, Ratchet and Clank have bolts. As you traverse your huge journey you will collect thousands of bolts that will be used as money. Much like in other Action/RPG games you will use the money to buy new weapons, items, etc. You will need to be wise in your purchases not every weapon is good for the job. However, they’re not a primary game objective like stars or jiggies.

Ratchet’s primary weapon is a giant wrench used to smash bad guys over the head, or if your feeling really good you can toss it much like a boomerang. Rumor has it there will be over 30 weapons available for your use. Some of these include a Bolt Blaster, Pyrocitor, and of course an Exploding Bomb Glove. I’m taking a wild guess that the Bolt Blaster will use your very money for bullets, but Mr. not certain on that detail.

Expect the game to be huge during E3 this year. Expect more reports on Insomniac’s Latest game up until its release date. The game is due for release Fall/Winter 2002.