Pros: Game play kids and family will enjoy and love to play.
Cons: Only a single player game. No network play.
The bottom line: Worth adding to a family library of games but not for adult gamers.
Based on the media reviews of this game I had very high expectations. Some of the publications stated things like; "like playing in a Pixar film", "takes full advantage of the PS3", "a must have game", "finally a reason to buy a PS3" and more accolades but the game does not meet my expectations in these areas. This is not a bad game. It is a very good game but it just does not deserve the lofty reviews it is getting. I put mine up for sale on e-Bay the day after I purchased but then my 10 year old threatened to leave home. She loves it.

If you enjoyed previous versions of Ratchet and Clank, you will diffidently enjoy this one. Anyone under the age of 15 will get a kick out of it. However, the adult gamers might want to take a pass on this one with all the other mature games available this season. This is a very good family game that deserves consideration in adding to a family library of games.

This is a combination shooter and role-playing came with mostly being a shooter game but not in a violent or malicious way. Ratchet is a cross between bugs bunny and Sonic the hedgehog. Clank is a mini-robot sidekick strapped onto Ratchet's back, which can add additional skills for Ratchet at later levels of the game.

Ratchet starts out with a hammer and a space gun with the need to save over 30 alien worlds from an evil alien emperor. Defeating evil aliens by smashing them or shooting them accumulates points at the same time spewing nuts and bolts all around to be collected by Ratchet. When collected, these are exchanged for new or improved weapons. There are numerous weapons and each has an advantage depending on the alien Ratchet encounters.

There are the usual game levels, most with simple maps to navigate from beginning to end while encountering enemies and obstacles. Beat the evil minions to advance to the next world. The characters can move about the level using jumps, slides, rockets, trains, flying, and other modes of travel. Each new world has a new map, new obstacles, and new aliens to master and beat. Some of the cool worlds are those with gravity independence. Walk upside down and Ratchet does not fall. The normal up and down do not conform to expectations. You can make Ratchet jump, slide, float, spin, duck, double jump, fly and more using the typical button combinations.

The game only supports 720p resolution; just the same, the graphics used would look just the same in 420p mode. To me if a game is going to "take full advantage of the PS3 platform", it has to be in 1080P with graphics to match. As for the graphics, the 720P does look like a Pixar film, from maybe 10 or more years ago. I just recently watched Roger Rabbit with my 10 year old. This movie produced in 1988 has similar graphics. Although there is about 35 to 40 minutes of entertaining story dialog during and between the levels to move the story and action along.

The public's expectation on graphic content has the bar raised in the past several years and the PS3 and XBOX 360 have added to this expectation. These graphics lack any reality look. You are playing in a child's carton world here with graphics to match. There are other animated beings in the surroundings in each level but the characters Ratchet & Clank cannot interact with them. There are actually a lot of animated alien creatures moving about in the background of each world. However, it is surprising to me how little the character can interact with items in the environment. Sony could have made this much more interesting in the game to find such interaction possible. The characters only interact with the enemy aliens and various challenges the character needs to perform to advance like turning a bolt or opening a door.

On a scale of one to five, with five been the best I give the following ratings:
Game Play - 4
Weapons - 3.5
Graphics - 3.5
Entertainment value - 4.5
Characters - 3.5
Sound - 3
Game Story - 4

Compared to Halo 2 or 3, WORLD OF WAR, RESISTANCE, or the CALL TO DUTY series...this game does not quite measure up in any category (graphics, game play, characters, sound, etc) to these games.