Secret Agent Clank
Our Rating
7.3
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Your Rating
N/A
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The newest title produced by Sony computer Entertainment to hit the portable gaming market is Secret Agent Clank. Ratchet and Clank first debuted on the PlayStation 2 and earned much acclaim and a loyal following. I must admit that I have never played a Ratchet and Clank game before, so this is a completely unbiased review.
The story begins when Clank witnesses his partner Ratchet stealing the largest gem in the universe called they Eye of Infinity. Ratchet is captured and imprisoned. Convinced that his crime fighting partner could not do such a thing, Clank sets out to prove his innocence.
The game begins with Clank breaking into the Boltaire museum to clear his friend’s name. Clank must act like a true secret agent and evade all of the guards, lights, and spy bots. You are rewarded for sneaking by the guards, hiding behind plants, scurrying across ledges without being seen. If the player wants or needs to take out a security guard just sneak up behind the guard and start a stealth takedown. These takedowns are executed by correctly pushing the proper buttons that flash on the screen. My main issue with this initial kind of game play that, it frankly wasn’t fun. While the game play is different than the previous installments, sneaking and hiding just didn’t satisfy me. Perhaps I just needed to destroy a few robot enemies.
Later on in the game, when Clank needs to evade a laser field, another mini game starts. This mini game is similar to a guitar hero rhythm challenge. The player needs to tap the buttons in time with the screen to complete the level. While this was a challenge the first time I played it, I quickly realized that I tapped a few buttons and then had to watch a short animated sequence. As the levels got harder and harder, I found myself straining to keep up, and again I was not having fun.
When it is time for Ratchet to join in the action, he has to fight off hoards of criminals that he has put in jail over the years. I finally found some of the action that I was looking for. Ratchet has to fight several waves of bad guys who get tougher and tougher with every wave. Ratchet gets several weapons to choose from, and the action gets fast and furious. The main problem that I had with this portion of the game was the camera angle. Trying to look left and right for the enemies is a clunky process at best. I often found myself running around and around in a circle because I couldn’t stop to turn around or I would get injured. When I did have the courage to stop and look around, the camera control made it difficult and requires some time to master. I found myself getting more frustrated instead of enjoying the carnage.
As the game progresses, Clank acquires several different weapons to choose from. Clank can use a razor sharp tie-a-rang, a lightening shooting umbrella, cufflink bombs and even a man eating tanglevine carnation. These weapons are fun to choose from, but still take a decent amount of time to get used to. Once I had acquired a variety of weapons to choose from, the game became more interesting, and even a little fun.
As another side mission, Clank has three friends called the Gadgebots. When Clank is in trouble, these three mini robots work together through a side level to save Clank. The Gadgebots can attack enemies, pull levers, stack three high to get over obstacles, and act as a conduit for electricity to solve the level’s puzzle. While playing a Gadgebot gives a nice change from Clank’s action, there was no real effort needed to solve the Gadebot’s level. I feel that a little more difficulty could have been added here. Later on in the game, when the Gadgebots need to make a jump, or use a bomb, the computer prompts you what to do. Easy is not always better in my opinion.
At this point in the game, I was starting to get a little iffy on Secret Agent Clank. I hadn’t seen anything that made me really like the game or have a lot of fun playing it. That is until I had put about 2 hours into it, and started playing as Captain Qwark. His false bravado and outlandish story line had me smirking. His battle levels were quirky fun, and watching him reliving his exaggerated past exploits was just silly.
Fast forward about 15 more minutes, and Clank has to dance for his life. It is another rhythm challenge, and a rather hard one at that. What made me laugh was the different ways that Clank or his partner could get hurt depending on the players rhythm. It was levels like this one, along with a snow boarding side level that made the game a little more fun for me.
The game’s graphics are very good in some points of the game. The cut scene animations are excellent, and the sound was up to par as well. I enjoyed some of the banter in these cut scenes between Clank and the bad guys. Throughout the game, I did not see any major issues in the game’s graphic design or in the game’s audio. The snowboarding level was visually excellent and fun to play.
Secret Agent Clank is a good attempt by Sony to create a different type of Ratchet and Clank game. It is the game’s overall design that makes it fall short. The gameplay in the beginning is just not fun in my opinion. The camera angle during Ratchet’s battles drove me crazy at points, and the Gadgebots play is uninspired. It honestly took me about 2 hours to appreciate the game’s humor, style of play, and variety.
While some of the fun side missions make up for the first 2 hours, I truly feel that this game could have been better if a few of these missions were omitted. I felt that just as I was getting used to playing as Clank another side mission popped up. It was this quirky game design that makes Secret Agent Clank a mediocre game in my opinion.
If you are a fan of the series, then give Secret Agent Clank a try. I feel that the game fell a bit short on multiple levels for a variety of reasons. For the casual gamer interested in a fun action adventure game you should look elsewhere.
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Our Score - Secret Agent Clank
7.3
overall
- Gameplay
- 7.3
- Visuals
- 7.4
- Audio
- 7.4
- Fun Factor
- 7.0
The Good: Quirky funny story line, addittion of stealth takedowns, new and improved weapons for Clank.
The Bad: Clunky camera controls, difficult side missions, lackluster game play.
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