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Ratchet and Clank | |
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Ratchet & Clank character | |
First game | Ratchet & Clank (2002) |
Created by | Insomniac Games |
Designed by | David Guertin |
Voiced by | Mikey Kelley (2002) (Ratchet) James Arnold Taylor (2003–present) (Ratchet) David Kaye (Clank) |
Ratchet and Clank are the protagonists of the Ratchet & Clank video game series developed by Insomniac Games, starting with the 2002 Ratchet & Clank . Ratchet is an anthropomorphic alien creature known as a Lombax, while Clank is an escaped robot (real name: XJ-0461 or Defect B5429671) who soon teams up with him.
Both Ratchet and Clank were conceived for inclusion in the original Ratchet & Clank . Ratchet was originally envisioned by Insomniac Games Vice President of Programming Brian Hastings as a space-traveling reptile alien who would collect various weapons as he progressed through the game; [1] [2] Ratchet's final form was decided upon after Insomniac looked at various terrestrial creatures, such as dogs, rats, and feline features stood out to them because of the sense of agility associated with it. [3]
Clank spawned from an early idea involving a number of small robots attached to Ratchet, which would perform different functions. However, Insomniac realized that having the three robots was both complicated and created confusion about Ratchet's appearance, leading them to have only one robot, Clank. [4] Ratchet tends to be headstrong and is usually not afraid to voice his opinion. In response to the negative critical reception of Ratchet's personality, Ratchet's personality was altered in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando to be "less cocky, much more friendly to Clank, and... able to handle himself better in stressful situations without being impetuous." [5]
In the English versions of the games, Ratchet is voiced by Mikey Kelley in the first Ratchet & Clank and by James Arnold Taylor since the second game. [6] [7] [8] Meanwhile, Clank was voiced by David Kaye.[ citation needed ]
Ratchet and Clank first appear in Ratchet & Clank , the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series, where they first meet while on separate missions, both looking for help from Captain Qwark to stop the goals of Chairman Drek. Their goals frequently conflict, with Clank calling Ratchet out for his selfishness and Ratchet ultimately apologizing due to Clank being the only way to pilot his ship. They appear in the sequel, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando , where they are living the lives of heroes and get a call from the CEO of Megacorp, wanting them to help retrieve a dangerous prototype which was stolen. In Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal , Ratchet and Clank help Captain Qwark defeat his past nemesis, Dr. Nefarious. Meanwhile, Clank is shown to be a movie star, acting as "Secret Agent Clank". A great deal of new information regarding Clank's real origins is shown in the Future trilogy. They both appear in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction , where Clank is often visited by mysterious beings known as the Zoni and is warned that he faces some difficult decisions regarding his adventures with Ratchet. Clank is eventually taken away by the Zoni at the end of the game. In Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time , Clank is transported to the Great Clock where he learns that his creator is, in fact, a powerful Zoni named Orvus (his alternate name is also quoted as XJ-0461) and fulfills his intended purpose as Senior Caretaker of the Clock. After the final battle, Clank is left with a hard decision on whether to continue partnering Ratchet or leave him and stay at the Clock, but he ultimately picks Ratchet.
Ratchet and Clank appear in various other games; Ratchet and Clank both appear in Hot Shots Golf Fore! , PlayStation Move Heroes , PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale , Fall Guys , and the PlayStation 4 version of Super Bomberman R , They both cameo in Astro's Playroom . [9] Ratchet appears by himself in Jak X: Combat Racing and Jak II .
Ratchet and Clank have been generally well-received; Ratchet was voted as the sixteenth top character of the 2000s decade by Game Informer's readers, [10] and readers of Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition voted Ratchet as the 15th-top video game character of all time. [11] GamesRadar listed Clank on their list of "The 25 best new characters of the decade", describing him as a "quiet, collected and effortlessly charming robot with cool powers and cooler personality". [12] On Mikey Kelley's vocal performance as Ratchet in Ratchet & Clank, Douglass C. Perry of IGN commented that "while Ratchet strives for that perfect dude-like teenager vibe, the voice actor generally hits the mark." [7] He described David Kaye's performance as Clank as "quite engaging, and in some cases, charming, especially when he finishes a level or gains a weapon." [13] Gavin Frankle of AllGame found it hard to form an emotional bond with Ratchet or Clank, saying that Ratchet is "your typical teenager [...] who desires nothing more than excitement and adventure", and that Clank is "the stereotypical intellectual; stuffy and almost prudish to a fault". [14]
Ratchet's personality has received mixed response, with Benjamin Turner of GameSpy being highly critical of Ratchet in his review of the first game criticizing his design and demeanor, which he called "rude and immoral." He expressed a desire to see Clank as the protagonist instead. [15] Johnny Liu of GameRevolution described Ratchet as having a "blue-collar attitude," appreciating that he's not a "typical goody-goody" though criticizing that he wasn't fleshed out. [16] Ratchet's in-game model in Ratchet & Clank, particularly his facial animations and fur, was praised by Louis Bedigian of GameZone, noting that it is more realistic than the game's NPCss. [17] Critics took note of Ratchet's improved character in subsequent games. Perry appreciated that he became "a little more forgiving and a lot more palatable," [18] while Carlos McElfish of GameZone felt his new voice actor "forc[es] a psychological reset in the minds of players." [19]
Jak and Daxter is an action-adventure video game franchise created by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin and owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series was originally developed by Naughty Dog with a number of installments being outsourced to Ready at Dawn and High Impact Games. The first game, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, released on December 3, 2001, was one of the earliest titles for the PlayStation 2, and is regarded as a defining franchise for the console.
Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California and part of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is most known for developing several early PlayStation mascots, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, as well as the Resistance franchise, 2014's Sunset Overdrive and the Marvel's Spider-Man series with Marvel Games. In 2019, the studio was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment, becoming a part of SIE Worldwide Studios.
Ratchet & Clank 2: Going Commando, known as Ratchet & Clank 2: Locked and Loaded in Australia and most PAL countries, is a 2003 3D platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando is the second game in the Ratchet & Clank franchise, following Ratchet & Clank. David Kaye reprises his role as Clank while James Arnold Taylor replaces Mikey Kelley as Ratchet.
Ratchet & Clank is a platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. It is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series.
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is a 2004 3D platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the third installment in the Ratchet & Clank series and was released in North America on November 2, 2004.
Ratchet: Deadlocked is a 2005 action platformer, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 as the fourth installment of the Ratchet & Clank series.
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters is a 2007 platform game developed by High Impact Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2. A spin-off of the Ratchet & Clank series, it is its first title on the PlayStation Portable. Development company High Impact Games was spawned from the original Ratchet & Clank developer, Insomniac Games. The story follows Ratchet and Clank as they are interrupted from their vacation to search for a kidnapped girl and encounter a forgotten race known as the Technomites.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is a 2007 action-adventure platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the fifth main installment of the Ratchet & Clank series, following spin-off Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. The game was released on October 23, 2007 in North America and on November 9, 2007 in Europe. It is the first PlayStation 3 installment in the Ratchet & Clank franchise, as well as the first installment for the Future saga. It was also one of the first PlayStation 3 games to support DualShock 3 rumble without any accessories.
Ratchet & Clank is a series of action-adventure platform and third-person shooter video games created and developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation consoles, such as PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5, with the exclusion of Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank, which were developed by High Impact Games for the PlayStation Portable. The series was exclusive to Sony platforms until Rift Apart received a Windows port in 2023. Despite this however, the intellectual property is still owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. An animated feature film adaptation was released on April 29, 2016.
Michael "Mike" Stout is an American video game designer best known for his work on Resistance: Fall of Man, as the lead multiplayer designer. Resistance: Fall of Man received significant critical praise, much of which focused on its multiplayer content. From November 2007 to July 2009, he was the Creative Director at Bionic Games working on Spyborgs, an action game for the Nintendo Wii. According to a post on his blog on November 13, 2009, he was employed by Activision in their Central Design group to design several games in the Skylanders franchise.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty is a 2008 platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. The game is the sixth main installment in the Ratchet & Clank series and the second installment in its Future saga. It was released on PlayStation Network in North America and Europe on August 21, 2008 and on Blu-ray Disc in Europe on September 12, 2008 and in Asia on September 25, 2008. The game continues from where Tools of Destruction left off, where Clank was taken by the Zoni, and follows Ratchet's quest to find him. Due to its length of approximately three to four hours of playtime, it was released at a lower price point than most standard retail games.
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is a 2009 platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the seventh main installment in the Ratchet & Clank series and the third in its Future saga. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 in North America on October 27, 2009, in Australia on November 5, 2009 and in Europe on November 6, 2009.
PlayStation Move Heroes, known in Japan as Gachinko Heroes, is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Nihilistic Software and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 video game console utilizing the PlayStation Move. It is a crossover of the Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter, and Sly Cooper franchises to form a total of six main characters.
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One is a platform video game for the PlayStation 3 developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in October 2011. It is the third spin-off from the Ratchet & Clank series.
Ratchet & Clank Collection is a high-definition remastered collection. The collection includes the original 3 PlayStation 2 games: the first game, Going Commando/Locked and Loaded, and Up Your Arsenal, all at 720p in 60 frames per second, and includes stereoscopic 3D support at 30 frames per second. It also includes the multiplayer of Up Your Arsenal over the PlayStation Network. The PlayStation 3 Multiplayer Servers were terminated on February 15, 2018. It includes a Trophy set for each game. All of the games in this collection have been re-rated E10+ by the ESRB; they were originally rated T since the E10+ rating didn't exist at the time these games were released on the PlayStation 2.
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault is a 2012 platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. Part of the Ratchet & Clank series, it was produced in commemoration of the original game's 10th anniversary. Like the previous downloadable game in the series, Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, it was released on Blu-ray Disc as well as the PlayStation Store. The release of the PlayStation Vita version was delayed to May 21, 2013, when it became available for free with the PlayStation 3 version.
Ratchet & Clank is a 2016 animated science fiction comedy film produced by Rainmaker Entertainment and distributed by Gramercy Pictures. Based on Insomniac Games' video game series of the same name, the film was directed by Kevin Munroe, co-directed by Jericca Cleland, and stars the voices of Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Bella Thorne, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Tong, Andrew Cownden and Sylvester Stallone. James Arnold Taylor and David Kaye reprise their roles as the titular characters alongside Jim Ward and Armin Shimerman as their respective characters.
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus is a 2013 third-person shooter platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 in November 2013. The game is the eighth main installment in the Ratchet & Clank series and the fourth and final installment in its Future Saga. The series is noted for the inclusion of exotic and unique locations and over-the-top gadgets, elements of the traditional Ratchet & Clank experience that return in this game.
Ratchet & Clank is a 2016 platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. The game is a tie-in of the 2016 film of the same name, as well as a remake of the first game in the series. The game was originally planned to be released in 2015, but was delayed, along with the film, to April 2016 in order to give the film a better marketing campaign and the game additional polish time.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a 2021 third-person shooter platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game is a sequel to Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus and the ninth main installment in the Ratchet & Clank series. It was released for the PlayStation 5 on June 11, 2021. A Windows port, developed by Nixxes Software, was released on July 26, 2023.
The voice acting is solid, if not familiar, too. While Ratchet strives for that perfect dude-like teenager vibe, the voice actor generally hits the mark. Clank is also quite engaging, and in some cases, charming, especially when he finishes a level or gains a weapon. Many of the supporting characters offer the same kind of commercial quality voices found in Jak and Daxter, and some of the times they're quite funny. Other times they just sound commercial. The quirkier ones are best (such as the weird athletic woman at the end of the stunt course), but few stand above the standard and obvious stereotypes.
The voice acting is solid, if not familiar, too. While Ratchet strives for that perfect dude-like teenager vibe, the voice actor generally hits the mark. Clank is also quite engaging, and in some cases, charming, especially when he finishes a level or gains a weapon. Many of the supporting characters offer the same kind of commercial quality voices found in Jak and Daxter, and some of the times they're quite funny. Other times they just sound commercial. The quirkier ones are best (such as the weird athletic woman at the end of the stunt course), but few stand above the standard and obvious stereotypes.