I vividly remember my first time playing this game on the PlayStation Portable, I was 10 and infatuated with the PSP (which I didn't own yet). My cousin lent me hers, and this was the only game she had. I never got past the 1st level at that time - but thanks to today's emulators, I have been able to revisit this game and finally experience it fully.
To be clear, I haven't played any other Ratchet & Clank game to compare this with. This is my first game in the series and hence will be reviewed as such.
First off, the most appealing aspect of the R&C series is the aesthetics. The character and level design, the armors, gadgets and weapons are all really visually attractive. Same goes for this game, with each armor, weapons and levels different from the other, making the game aesthetically wholesome. Even the soundtrack is catchy and goes with the gameplay experience of each level.
Despite the game being made for a portable console, it definitely packs a punch - providing not just a fun story campaign, but also amazing replay value with all its collectables and upgradable armors and weapons.
On the less-positive side, the game becomes occasionally frustrating due to the unforgiving difficulty (especially the final boss) and the awkward camera and controls (especially in confined spaces). However, I feel you can't really blame the developers on the controls, given that the limitations stem from the PSP's lack of dual analog sticks.
In fact, I think the developers really made the best out of the limitations, where the gameplay still manages to be really fun and engaging. I've played other PSP games where the camera and controls were unnecessarily complicated, and this game fares much better in this regard.
Overall, the game is extremely fun for both kids and adults, and easily garners a 9/10. I'd highly recommend playing this, especially since the game's now available for free (along with million other games) due to easy-to-get emulators for both Mac and PC.
