Ratchet: Deadlocked
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| Ratchet: Deadlocked | |
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| Developer(s) | Insomniac Games |
| Publisher(s) | SCEA |
| Release date(s) | NA October 25, 2005 EU November 18, 2005 JP November 23, 2005 AU November 24, 2005 |
| Genre(s) | Action, Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer, co-op |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (13+) USK: 12+ PEGI: 3+ Australia: PG |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Media | DVD |
Ratchet: Deadlocked, known as Ratchet: Gladiator in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, is a platform/shooter video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony. It is the fourth game in the Ratchet & Clank series and is the sequel to Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal. It was released on October 25, 2005 in North America.
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[edit] Story
After saving the galaxy once again, Ratchet and Clank are given the job of running the Starship Phoenix, as well as Al for back-up if need be. When Sasha, the new mayor of Metropolis, phones in and informs the crew of the death of Captain Starshield and the fact that many heroes are being abducted, robots approach the Phoenix and overrun it, taking Ratchet, Clank and Al captive.
They are transported to the Shadow Sector, a lawless region on the fringe of the Solana Galaxy. Here, Ratchet meets Gleeman Vox, the president of Vox Entertainment (a massive media empire within the Shadow Sector), who reveals that Ratchet is now being forced to compete in the reality holovision show, DreadZone. Ratchet is now wearing a "DeadLock" collar that can shock him if he strays into restricted areas or explode if he becomes uncooperative or boring.
Collectively referred to as "Team DarkStar", Al serves as the mechanic for Ratchet's combat bots, Merc and Green, while Clank serves as his "Mission Control", similar to an Operator from the movie series The Matrix. Ratchet and the combat bots (or a second player) compete across a series of Battlecourses, and a series of tournaments in the BattleDome at DreadZone Station, clearing challenge after challenge, with Ratchet becoming one of the most popular contestants in DreadZone's history.
Ratchet's most notable victories are against the DreadZone Exterminators, a squad dedicated to destroying the other competing heroes. He defeats ShellShock on Planet Kronos, then Reactor, The Eviscerator, and Ace Hardlight (the Captain of the Exterminators) in separate BattleDome tournaments.
Following his defeat by Ratchet, Ace, as he lays dying in the BattleDome, says to Ratchet, "Don't...let Vox do to you what he did to me." Ratchet is then taken to see Gleeman Vox. He claims to have been trying to make Ratchet a star; an ironic claim, due to the fact that Vox's reporters Dallas and Juanita have been slandering Ratchet every chance they get. Vox tells Ratchet that it was just "building up his bad boy image", and he offers to make Ratchet the new Captain of the Exterminators, and Ratchet (perhaps obviously) refuses, saying, "You actually think I'd kill other heroes for money? You're not just corrupt, you're stupid."
Stating that Ratchet has signed his own death warrant, Vox has him escorted from the room, and requests that the "Gauntlet of Doom" readied at the Ghost Station battlecourse, despite protests from the workerbot whom he gave the order to that "...it was mathematically proven to be...unbeatable." This was justified to DreadZone fans via a false news report that Ratchet was using banned performance-enhancing drugs.
After Ratchet successfully runs the Gauntlet of Doom and demolishes the Ghost Station, he returns to his DreadZone containment area, and Clank tells him that he has found a way to shut down the containment fields holding the heroes hostage. Al makes his return as a cyborg (he had previously been shot by Ace Hardlight after the third tournament, when he succeeded in deactivating Clank's DeadLock collar), and tells Ratchet what he needs to do; take a reprogrammed shuttle to the BattleDome's control level and destroy the central computer.
After his arrival at the control level, Ratchet fins out that Vox was luring Ratchet into yet another trap. Stating boldly that the BattleDome is wired with "six gigatons of nitroglycerin", Vox says that Ratchet will be responsible for the death of everyone there if he fails.
Running a massive gauntlet of enemies and destroying each of three power generators, Ratchet manages to deactivate the containment fields and simultaneously unlock DreadZone Station's escape shuttles. Ratchet's final battle with Gleeman Vox follows, first against Vox in hoverpod of sorts, then against a giant mech which Vox docks his hoverpod into.
After his defeat, Vox reactivates the self-destruct sequence, stating to Ratchet that "The escape shuttles all left long ago. Now we'll die together, on live holovision. It'll be the best ratings I've ever had!"
However, Ratchet is spared a horrible death when the last shuttle (piloted by Al) swoops in to rescue him. He grabs Vox's pet, Slugga, and leaps aboard, where Clank wastes no time removing his DeadLock collar, which he then tosses out the airlock. The collar explodes, followed shortly by DreadZone Station itself.
After the end credits, Dr. Nefarious and Lawerence (from the previous game) make a cameo appearance still stuck on an asteroid with Dr. Nefarious complaining that they were coming within range of a space station (DreadZone Station), which suddenly exploded.
[edit] Gameplay
The game includes many of the same modes of gameplay as Up Your Arsenal, such as online games with nine other people (ten people max to a game), and many similar weapons. New modes and attributes include co-op gameplay in single player mode (better named, "story mode" now), and newer, more devastating vehicles. Also, the game includes a vastly more RPG style in the form of custom armor and weapons (through the use of "mods").
The single-player campaign also features a co-op mode in which a partner will replace the two combat bots. The story mode is fully playable in co-op much like Halo: Combat Evolved and Doom 3 for the Xbox. The players will be bound to each other within a certain distance by the game's "Deadlock collars" which will detonate if the players become too far apart for 10 seconds (except the Containment Area and 1 challenge). There are unlockable skins that can be chosen as well in co-op mode. The second player can unlock a Jak skin from the Jak and Daxter series.
This game is notable in the series for two reasons. First, Insomniac has removed Ratchet's sidekick, Clank, as a playable character. In addition, many of the platforming elements from the previous games, including gadget-based puzzles, have been removed, as the game became focused more on "shooter" elements than earlier iterations in the series.
[edit] Weapons and Customizing
Weapons gain experience as they did in Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal, the major difference being that they do not change form until level 10 (as opposed to 5 in UYA and 2 in GC.)
(These weapons are available in both single-player/co-op and online/team play.)
- Dual Vipers - A pair of rapidfire pistols; similar in function and power to the Lancer of R&C: Going Commando, and the N60 Storm of R&C: Up Your Arsenal. Becomes the Dual Raptors at level 10, with ricocheting bullets.
- Magma Cannon - Essentially an energy shotgun; similar to the Shock Blaster from R&C: Up Your Arsenal. Becomes the Vulcan Cannon at level 10, firing a homing laser. Well known online for the "v10 glitch."
- B-6 Obliterator - A grenade launcher; similar to the Nitro Launcher from R&C: Up Your Arsenal. Becomes the B-11 Vaporizer at level 10, not changing function all too much.
- Holo-Shield Launcher - Sends out a shield which blocks enemy fire but allows yours through; essentially the same as R&C: Up Your Arsenal's Holoshield Launcher, except that the shield is much larger and can take unlimited damage for a set amount of time. Becomes the Omni-Shield Launcher at level 10, gaining the ability to fire back when hit.
- Hunter Mine Launcher - Fires mines which home in on enemies when they get too close. Similar in function to R&C 1's Mine Glove, except that the mines go much farther, and you can ram enemies with mines instead of shooting them. Becomes the Stalker Mine Launcher at level 10, with smaller mines spawning each time one detonates.
- Fusion Rifle - A sniper rifle with zoom-capable scope, useful for picking foes off from a distance. Similar in Function to Going Commando's Pulse Rifle and Up Your Arsenal's Flux Rifle. Becomes the Anti-Matter Rifle at level 10, gaining the ability to fire through enemies.
- The Arbiter - Launches high powered rockets. Similar in function Annihilator from R&C: Up Your Arsenal. Becomes The Silencer at level 10, firing three rockets instead of one.
- Scorpion Flail - A mace that is attached to a chain. Similar to the Blades of Chaos used in God of War. Becomes the Leviathan Flail at level 10, not changing function all too much
(These weapons are only available in single-player/co-op play.)
- Mini-Turret Launcher: Fires turrets which attack enemies. Before changing form, it is essentially the same as it was in Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal. Becomes the Quasar Turret Launcher at L10, firing much more damaging shots at a much slower rate.
- Harbinger: Paints a large area with target markers, after which a laser bombardment hits those targets. Essentially, this is Deadlocked's "super weapon", like the Zodiac from Going Commando or RYNOCIRATOR from Up Your Arsenal. Becomes the Supernova at level 10, increasing drastically in power, but no change in function.
In Deadlocked, weapons are highly customizable. Each weapon can equip one Omega Mod, which adds a secondary effect, and up to ten Alpha Mods, which further customize the weapon. Each weapon can equip a single Alpha Mod when first bought at L1, and then an extra slot and mod is unlocked each time the weapon levels up until it changes form at level 10. Alpha Mods can also be purchased from weapons vendors in Challenge Mode.
List of Alpha Mods:
- Speed Mod: Increases firing rate
- Ammo Mod: Increases ammo capacity
- Area Mod: Increases explosion radius
- Impact Mod: Increases knockback
- Aiming Mod: Increases auto-aim ability
- Jackpot Mod: Increases bolts gained
- XP Mod : Increaes EXP (both for player and weapon)
- Healing Mod: Spawns NanoTech (health) from destroyed enemies.
List of Omega Mods:
(These mods are compatible with all weapons.)
- Shock Mod: Enemies hit will shock nearby enemies with lightning
- Acid Mod: Enemies hit will continue to take damage over time.
- Brainwash Mod: Enemies hit will attack other enemies
- Morph Mod: Enemies will turn into animals when they would have otherwise been destroyed which then run up and attack enemies by exploding.
- Freeze Mod: Enemies hit will slow down, eventually freezing if hit repeatedly.
(These mods can only be equipped to weapons with explosive projectiles.)
- Mini-Bomb Mod: Spawns miniature bomblets when a round hits.
- Napalm Mod: Spawns pools of napalm when a round hits.
- Time Bomb Mod: Round attaches to enemy, then detonates, also delivering a shock to nearby enemies.
[edit] Trivia
- Clank is a non-playable character in this game, unlike previous ones. He also does not appear on Ratchet's back.
- Captain Quark is never seen in this game, although he is heard briefly at the end.
- Unlike its predecesor, this game has no puzzles such as the hacker.
- In previous games in the series, players often had multiple planets (and thus storylines) being available at once, with each one needing to be completeled at some stage for the story to advance. In this game, all planets must be done one after another.
[edit] External links
- Official game site from SCEA
