Ah, Insomniac. Every time I hear that name I get goose bumps. Good Goosebumps, because I know that an achievement in video games has been contributed. I'm an Insomniac fan. Insomniac has, in my opinion, made some of the best games and most important in video game history. Ratchet and Clank has been their current "big" series, with good reason. With a game released every year after the first game, which was a great success due to fun characters, a humorous story, and kick-ass weapons, the product better have been top quality, or close to it.

Ratchet: Deadlocked strays away from the previous games formulas, platforming. Sure the previous games had shooting but this game adds another six feet. Insomniac gambled on this game, taking away on of the most beloved characters in the series, and the other half of the games title. Clank. In Ratchet: Deadlocked you play as Ratchet, only. Sure you get skins to play as other characters, but Ratchet is the main focus. Oh, and don't worry, Clank is still alive, in the game, just not as a playable character.

Ratchet is now the piloting the Starship Phoenix with Clank at his side. Ratchet gets a message from an old companion, the old captain of the Phoenix, Sasha. Just before Sasha is finished explaining to Ratchet that heroes are getting kidnapped, two big robots storm into the ship and kidnap Ratchet and Clank. When Ratchet awakes he is in a robotic body suit, constructed by Al, another old companion. Ratchet is now forced to compete in this DreadZone, a violent television reality gladiator show, due to an explosive collar known as a DeadLock collar attached tightly to Ratchet's neck. With the assistance of Al, Clank, and two helpful battle robots, Ratchet has to win the game and defeat Gleeman Vox, the owner of the company Vox, responsible for airing the program, an obvious stab at another rhyming media company.

The big difference in gameplay in the fourth instalment of the series is that Clank is gone. Shooting and strafing is used much more than any platforming, which there is little of. The weapons, as usual, are fun to use, and exciting to level up. Vehicle combat once again returns from Up Your Arsenal and is a fun little addition to the gameplay. Boss battles however aren't as fun as in previous games. It's pretty much the same thing for each boss, strafe and shoot. Not as much as strategy as there was in previous games. The controls remain easy to use and if you're a regular Ratchet and Clank player you'll feel right at home.

The graphics are the same as the previous game, Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal but with a few more lighting effects and flashy weapon explosions thrown in there. The character models also look a tiny bit better. The sound also remains the same. Some recognizable tunes are thrown in there but mostly new, catchy ones have made their way onto your disc. Gun sound effects are fun to listen to and the overall audio/video for this PS2 game is defiantly something that you have come to expect from this series.

The game has definitely has replay value. Playing through the harder difficulties (of which there are quite a few) and unlocking all the skins there are. Collecting the "collectable cards" and unlocking all the skill points will keep you coming back. The game has a multi-player component and online as well as a co-op mode. The multi-player battling is something that I was disappointed in. Up Your Arsenal had much more enjoyable multi-player mode with great game types and if you want a good Ratchet multi-player go and play that games version. The online is basically the same as Up Your Arsenals but with the downside of not being as fun as the last games online. Co-op is very fun and adds to the reliability because there is nothing better than playing Ratchet with friends. Cool thing for player two, you can play as Jak from the Jak and Daxter series in co-op! The skill points and skins are used in co-op and that just makes the game even better!

Although Clank has been shoved to the side in the game, lots of platforming is missing, and combat is a heavy part of the gameplay now, the game is incredibly fun. Dominating all the enemies on screen with your guns and then jumping into a tank and gliding across the battlefield shooting, crushing, and blowing up enemies has never felt so great. The story is not the greatest in the series but it is still funny. Online and multi-player are not as good as the last games but the co-op is a very fun addition. You can beat the game in six hours or less, depending if you are a veteran of the series or not. Now a bargain title, it's a must for fans of the series and something new gamers should defiantly try.

Score - 8.5/10.0

- SmellyDeadHobo