Ratchet and Clank

Although I personally found Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction to be a little disappointing, there's no denying that Insomniac rarely fails to produce a title of respectable workmanship. The action here will completely satisfy anyone looking for the kind of lighthearted, kinetic run-and-gun that was mastered several iterations ago.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Alcohol Reference, Animated Blood, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Language

Since Going Commando was released a mere year after the first game in the series, I had some trepidation about the game prior to playing it. Even though the guys at Insomniac were simply re-using the Naughty Dog game engine from the first title, a one-year hiatus between releases seems incredibly short.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Violence

Game Description: Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando takes the hit gaming characters on wilder ride than before, in a sequel to the hit platformer! Our heroes are unemployed, and spend most of their day playing "Jak and Daxter"—until they're hired by a mega-corporation to track down smugglers & find a stolen product. They have a mission and the hot new hardware to complete it, so prepare for a wild ride!

Gene brings up an interesting question of perspective. But, in contrast to his thoughts, I was trying to justify to myself why I was playing Ratchet & Clank. I had passed up several opportunities to play the game's full version after being unimpressed with the demo handed out at E3. Specifically, I was totally apathetic to the by-the-numbers character design, and the idea of collecting "stuff" while dodging enemies, and jumping pits has lost some appeal over the years.

While playing Ratchet & Clank, I found myself having a difficult time justifying to others why I thought it was a good way to spend my time. What's the point in playing platform games nowadays anyway?

Game Description: Ratchet and Clank is a fantastic new adventure starring the strangest heroes you've ever seen, in the strangest solar system ever!

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Violence