Space: The final frontier. These are the voyages of the universe's biggest heroes. Their continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out escaped space criminals, to boldly go where no man has gone before. Fortunately, Ratchet is no man - he's a Lombax, and his companion Clank a robot.
Hot on the heels of the escaped space witch Vendra Prog and her biologically impossible twin brother, the alien gorilla Neftin, the pair get flung to the far reaches of space, and find themselves deep in the haunted sectors of space. A hero's work is never done though, and with the siblings up to no good, it's up to Ratchet & Clank to put a stop to their antics before they destroy the world. Almost like a playable Pixar film, it's a light-hearted and goofy game with a definite sense of humour that's sure to raise a smile with both fans and newcomers alike.
We suppose their red hair might be hereditary...
The fourth and final instalment of the 'Future' trilogy (because all the best trilogies have more than three parts), Ratchet & Clank: Nexus treads a similar path to the 3D platformer/shooter hybrids that came before it, only this time there's a little less gravity involved, and the addition of a gun that can turn your enemies into snowmen. Tying together platforming, puzzles and some good old bad guy bashing, it's a series that harks back to the good old days, when games weren't all about a load of men shooting each other or kicking a ball around a field. Effectively a more bite-sized epilogue to the previous three games, Nexus is split into five distinct planets, each of which holds a huge, sprawling level to explore, often with multiple objectives to complete, from the first level, which sees you investigating the 'Thugs 4 Less' mercenary outpost before heading into the sewers in search of a specific scientist, to the multi-stage tournament, that sees you facing off against all manner of bad guys and death-dealing contraptions on another planet. There's also hidden collectables to find, in the form of blueprints for the mega powerful RYNO weapons and rare golden bolts spread throughout each level.
Combat is a large part of the Ratchet & Clank games - after all, with a crazy arsenal of weapons up their collective sleeves, it seems a shame to waste them on a couple of inconspicuous crates. A sort of third-person shooter lite, holding the left trigger lets you zoom in whilst the right trigger fires, with the aiming being handled by the right analogue stick. It's a pretty decent introduction to more 'serious' third person control schemes at least, even if we would have preferred some sort of auto-aiming. Snapping your view to baddies when you pull the left trigger would make things a lot easier for those of us with... somewhat sub-par aiming skills. Even so, the weapons you have at hand are far from standard shooter fair - new highlights include 'The Winterizer', which turns enemies into snowmen to the tune of Jingle Bells, while the 'Nightmare Box' spawns what looks to be the demented love child of a Venus fly-trap and The Nightmare Before Christmas' Jack Skellington - it's no wonder it roots the bad guys in place with fear. There's also grenades that spawn a mini black-hole to devour enemies, and the triumphant return of everyone's favourite trash-talking robot turret Mr. Zurkon, who'll follow you through the levels destroying enemies with a combination of bullets, and deadly one liners - and this time he's bought the family along too. With Mrs. Zurkon and Zurkon Jr in tow, the Zurkon troupe are as handy as they are hilarious, with their unusually aggressive put-downs that are made to be quoted - "Mrs zurkon does not cut coupons - SHE CUTS ENEMIES.", "Mr. Zurkon does not require bolts. His currency is PAIN.", "Mrs. Zurkon is going shopping - and death is on sale"
As you defeat enemies and smash the scenery, you'll collect bolts, which act as the game's currency, used for purchasing weapon upgrades and better armour. Whether it's increasing the amount of ammunition each one can hold, upping the number of bolts you get for destroying things or adding extra features to your favourite weapons, it's a handy feature that lets you customise the game a bit and play to your strengths (or cover any weaknesses). For example, we find Mr. Zurkon incredibly useful given our dodgy dual analogue stick skills, as he shoots enemies of his own accord and so doesn't have to rely on our poor aim. And he makes us laugh.
Obligatory rail-riding section: check.
But there's also light puzzles to solve and exploring to do along the way too. Guns aren't the only gadgets the pair have to play with, as jetpacks, anti-gravity boots and a gun that lets you create pink jet streams, that you can jump into to float from one place to another all make appearances. More than just experimental toys, there often form key parts of the levels - for example, where Vendra and her bro manage to escape from the prison ship at the start of the game, it's up to you to leap between debris in space with the help of your special magnetic boots, whilst a later level has you attempting to outrun rising sewer water with your jetpack. Others have a more cerebral approach, perhaps involving switches and timed sections, with many requiring you to combine gadgets, perhaps creating a few jet streams with the Grav-Tether to carry you across a gorge before swinging across to the next platform with your grappling hook before the time runs out.
And while we're on the subject of puzzles, Nexus' new addition is that of the Clank-specific 'Nether' sections, that offer a slightly different type of challenge. Every now and then, you'll come across large, purple barriers in the level, which seem to be impassable. Not so - at the touch of a button, you'll take control of your helpful partner Clank, as he's transported into a parallel dimension known as the Netherworld, where it's up to you to guide your little robot chum through a short, 2D, side-on maze-like level. The goal here is to find the angry pink 'Nether' creature, who'll give chase as soon as you bump into him. All you have to do then is lead him to the exit - although that's easier said than done. Flicking the right analogue stick in a certain direction will move the level's gravitational pull around, so walls become floors, and everything moves around, letting you scoot past pits of painful pink goo, spiky patches and more - as well as shifting around crates and grates to activate pressure pads and open up the next part of the maze.
With only half the usual number of planets to explore, Ratchet & Clank: Nexus may be a shorter adventure than we're used to, taking between eight to ten hours to blast though the story - perhaps longer if you like to locate every collectable and upgrade every weapon, but it does try hard to make up for it. What you get for your money is a well-written and funny send-off for the Playstation 3's favourite furry/ferrous futuristic crime fighters, with new weapons, and a budget price. At the starting price of just £20, which comes complete with a download code for another Ratchet & Clank adventure, Quest for Booty thrown in too, it seems to good a deal to pass up.
Format Reviewed: Playstation 3
