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Secret Agent Clank Review
Jon Wilcox
14/07/2008
Ratchet's buddy goes all 007 in this latest adventure to hit Sony's handheld...
Clank's secret agent persona may have only been hinted at during Ratchet & Clank 3 (Up Your Arsenal), but High Impact Games are giving the Bond spoof alter-ego a good airing on PSP with their second title based on Insomniac's sci-fi duo. Set between the events of Size Matters and 2007's PS3 franchise debut Tools of Destruction, Secret Agent Clank is a 007 sci-fi spoof where Clank attempts to prove that an incarcerated Ratchet is innocent of trying to steal an artefact known as 'The Eye'.
So can the suave, bow-tie wearing robot handle the pressure of carrying his own adventure with only a supporting role from his partner? TVG went undercover to see whether the adventure was worthy of super-spy interest...
The Name's Clank - Secret Agent Clank.
Clank isn't a quickly produced adventure, released as a cynical cash-in - far from it. It's clear to see right from the very start of the game, as the 'secret agent' stealthily bypasses the various security systems at the museum where Ratchet was found by the police, that developer High Impact has tried to be innovative with its design. Even though the adventure focuses on Clank, the franchise's bread 'n' butter platforming-action gameplay remains at the heart of Secret Agent Clank, as the little robot travels across the galaxy to exonerate his friend. In fact, the gameplay would feel familiar to anybody that's played a Ratchet & Clank game in the past, even right down to the screws and springs currency.
Despite the emphasis on platforming, Secret Agent Clank's strengths rest with the variety of gameplay on offer as the story unfolds, which takes in Ratchet's experiences in prison and Quark's almost delusional tales of past heroism to help round off the adventure. The nods to 007's modern day adventures, beginning with Clank's clothing of choice (a tuxedo), together with the robot's increasing array of gadgets and weapons, also makes it both endearing and compelling in equal measure.
The inventory for instance is pure Q Branch, with a selection of ingenious inventions from the 'Blackout Pen' (which blinds security lasers) to the Holo-Monocle (which Clank can use as a stealthy disguise), drip-feeding gamers with variety throughout the campaign. Naturally, the items are updated through use, becoming increasingly more potent, with additional gadgets available from drops by the Agency or vendors that dot the various missions. The franchise is somewhat renowned for its creative weapons, and Secret Agent Clank continues this with aplomb, and more than a twist of Bond to boot.
The tangible sense of creativity on offer extends throughout the game, from the occasional (and increasingly mind-boggling) rhythm sequences that help Clank to bypass a series of laser nets, or dance his way to success with the impressively seductive aristocratic robot, Ivana Lottabolts. The very Tetris-like mini-game for unlocking doors and jumping platforms is another example (and perhaps a hint of where the franchise is heading) of High Impact's pre-production brain-storming, and there's lots more like this to be had - the gadgetbots for instance make a timely appearance to free a tied up Clank early in the game, in a nod to Goldfinger. Whilst some Ratchet & Clank fans will no doubt find the new additions somewhat irking, at least Secret Agent Clank is far from the safe bet its predecessors on the PS3 and PSP were.
Motor Oil, Shaken Not Stirred.
Ratchet's role in the game is very much as a supporting character this time around, as he battles seemingly endless rounds of battles against his fellow inmates. These scenarios, side-missions to the main campaign together with a handful of vehicular missions involving Clank and his snowboard, are very much the bite-sized 'pick up and play' strengths of the game. Even though game saving can be done at any point through the adventure, these sequences fit in much closer to the sort of quick fix that handheld players generally expect, and offer the few real areas where replayability can be seen once the story is over. Sure, there's a hunt for 'platinum bolts', which are scattered throughout the story, but that's very much an exercise in padding.
But Ratchet isn't the only playable supporting character in Secret Agent Clank; long-time comic relief and pseudo-nemesis, Quark just happens to be travelling around the galaxy retelling some of the 'great' stories of his past. Taking the form of set-piece boss battles that change according to how Quark 'remembers' the events, once sequence even sees boss Jack of All Trades grow in stature because of his 'memory', the encounters just throw in a little more variety (as if that game actually needed that). The importance of Quark (and more specifically, his 'biographer') in the story becomes more apparent later in the game, but let's just say that that he's not just making up the numbers.
Despite these extras, Secret Agent Clank's only real weakness is its length, with a campaign that won't last longer a handful of hours. Whilst fun and compelling whilst it lasts, it certainly feels like the spin-off that has barely scratched the surface of what could be achieved - though further instalments would undoubtedly explore the idea of Clank's alter-ego to a greater level.
Secret Agent Clank also stands out as a visually impressive PSP game, one to rival Kratos' debut on the system earlier in the year. As the hardware continues to mature, the real gems of the Sony handheld are becoming all the more impressive, and 2008 seems to be the year where the PSP finally stretches its legs properly (no doubt thanks to a patch that's allowed developers to take full advantage of the system's 333MHz processor). In fact, both Clank and Chains of Olympus are sure to suffer from the same fate as the likes of GTA: Liberty City Stories and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, becoming easy retro-ports to Sony's aging warhorse, the PS2. Not that SCE has confirmed that yet, but we'd be surprised if that wasn't the case...expect something this side of Christmas.
Strong variety in the gameplay.
A tad short.
Anonymous
Date Added:Thu 21st Aug 2008 17:13
Anonymous
Date Added:Sat 9th Aug 2008 00:46
ABARAI
Date Added:Wed 6th Aug 2008 00:01
ABARAI
Date Added:Tue 5th Aug 2008 23:59
tikicobra
Date Added:Fri 1st Aug 2008 23:41