When you think of Ratchet and Clank games, the word “fun” might be the first word that comes into your mind. The series has been respected as a heavy contender for such traditional platformers like Mario and old-school Crash Bandicoot because it uses all of the conventional gameplay mechanics and yet brings a slew of unique and enjoyable aspects to the genre as well. If you are already a fan of the R&C series then Size Matters is probably going to come off to you as an average game. However, if you are new to the series and can’t decide on which R&C game to start out with, I recommend Locked and Loaded, or at least the original PSP version of Size Matters.
Much of what makes Ratchet and Clank games fun are found in Size Matters, such as the variety of weapons and gadgets you have at your disposal. Once again you will find yourself compulsively trying to get all of the bolts and upgrades found around the map to improve on your character, as well as play multiple mini-games found throughout the game. Multilplayer isn’t all that great, but when did R&C really even focus much on multiplayer? The single-player experience is there, and for a vet to the series it will just be like another go-around with not much else to offer in terms of variability from the other games. That’s about all there is to say about the game in good light because unlike its original PSP version, the PS2 version suffers from many painstaking problems.
In relation to the PSP version, Size Matters for the PS2 is the uglier twin. Essentially the exact single player experience is there, which isn’t bad, but the way that it is presented on the PS2 is a bit shameful. When viewed on the television as opposed to the PSP screen, Size Matters seems stretched and jaggy. The characters on screen all look blocky and the environement seems a bit too bland. I’m not sayin it should live up to the newer game in the series R&C: Future Tools of Destruction for the PS3, but at times you’ll have to double check and see if you’re actually playing a PSOne game.
If that didn’t worry you enough, difficult camera controls might steer you away from the game the most. In the PSP version you would use the shoulder buttons to move the camera around and hope the auto-lock system wouldn’t screw its position, but with a little getting use to the system did work fine. In the PS2 version you would think the extra analog stick would remedy this problem a bit but instead it’s worse. The camera controls are very jerky and sometimes when you are just walking and jumping around, the camera switches to the other side of the screen all by itself, sometimes focusing something on screen that isn’t important at all, like the wall. If that wasn’t bad enough, when you are faces a boss or are in the middle of an intense battle with a bunch of baddies, the camera furiously swtiches sides and makes you guess where you are on the far corner of the screen. It makes a decent game a lot less enjoyable and it is a shame the PS2 version brought on more problems than there were in the PSP version.
If this is your first time trying out a Ratchet and Clank game, then I am sorry. I promise you there are other R&C games that far surpasses this one. Even the four year old Locked and Loaded version plays better than Size Matters. If you have a PSP I highly suggest that version of the this one, and if you have a PS3 then Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction will blow your mind. Just don’t let this game be the end all be all of the beloved series.
3 Reasons Why You Might Play This
1. You want to play this game to say you have played all of the R&C games so far.
2. You want to see how bad the camera control actually is.
3. You saw it at the bargain bin and said “What the hell, I’ll give it a try”.
3 Reasons Why You Will Probably Pass
1. You have a PSP and made the right choice in purchasing that version instead of the PS2 version.
2. After reading this review, you realize that it isn’t worth taking out the PS2 from the closet.
3. You realized you still have R&C: Going Commando and had a sudden urge to play that.
