History YMMV / RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal

* CompleteMonster: [[{{Fembot}} Courtney Gears]], [[EvilDiva pop sensation]] of the Solara Galaxy, doubles as TheDragon to Dr. Nefarious and is the one carrying out his goal of [[FinalSolution destroying all organic life in the galaxy]]. Courtney Gears operates Nefarious's Biobliterator--a device that subjects any organic to UnwillingRoboticization, reducing them to mindless murder-bots--and tests it out on Skidd. Not only intending to use to Biobliterator on a much larger population, Courtney turns her latest hit into a sensation to encourage her loyal fans to kill any "squishies" that Nefarious doesn't convert with the Biobliterator.

* CompleteMonster: [[EvilDiva Courtney Gears]], pop sensation of the Solara Galaxy, doubles as TheDragon to Dr. Nefarious and is the one carrying out his goal of [[OmnicidalManiac destroying all organic life in the galaxy]]. Courtney Gears operates Nefarious's Biobliterator--a device that subjects any organic to UnwillingRoboticization, reducing them to mindless murder-bots--and tests it out on Skidd. Not only intending to use to Biobliterator on a much larger population, Courtney turns her latest hit into a sensation to encourage her loyal fans to kill any "squishies" that Nefarious doesn't convert with the Biobliterator.

* CompleteMonster: [[EvilDiva Courtney Gears]] serves as TheDragon to [[BigBad Dr. Nefarious]], but is far worse then he is. Assisting him in his plan to [[OmnicidalManiac wipe out organic life]] from the galaxy, Gears filmed a music video that'll drive anyone [[UnwillingRoboticisation robotized]] by the Biobliterator into a homicidal frenzy against organics, all while testing the weapon in preparation for the genocidal crusade. Abducting Clank for Nefarious, the two imprison him and replace him with Klunk when he refuses to join them. Bumping into Skidd, Gears abducted him and turned him into a murderous robot, handing the Biobliterator over to Nefarious upon its completion. When Ratchet arrives to save Skidd, Gears tries to turn him into a robot or kill him trying.

** Courtney Gears became a popular minor character of the franchise and appeared in the subsequent game in a few cameos. Her [[VillainSong music video]] and [[EvilIsSexy her]] [[MsFanservice looks]] helps.

** The Warp Pad is a gadget that lets you place a marker atop certain floor pads, which you can then warp to from elsewhere using the Warp Pad's wrist component. There are two of these floor pads in the entirety of the game, which both appear in the same level, and one of the sections you can use it in can just be bypassed with the Charge Boots. The main thing the Warp Pad accomplishes is making it so you have to complete the Galactic Ranger missions on Aridia in order to progress the plot.

** Courtney Gears became a popular minor character of the franchise and appeared in the subsequent game in a few cameos.

** The Galactic Rangers. Not only among the only characters that give Ratchet proper appreciation for his work, they promise to pay him back for all his help. During the final boss fight, they make good on that promise

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Courtney Gears became a popular minor character of the franchise and appeared in the subsequent game in a few cameos.

** The [[ScrappyWeapon widely disliked]] Meteor Gun upgrade for the Lava Gun from ''Going Commando'' is replaced with the Liquid Nitrogen Gun, which keeps the original purpose of the weapon intact while making it both a stronger and [[{{Pun}} cooler]] weapon. And the cherry on the sundae is that [[DiscOneNuke you can get it for]] ''[[DiscOneNuke free]]'' [[DiscOneNuke on Aquatos]] [[OldSaveBonus if you have a completed save file of Going Commando on hand.]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: While Courtney Gears generally comes across as too gratuitously cruel, conceited, and viscerally hateful of "squishies" to qualify as a genuine freedom fighter, she seems to consider herself in that vein, and though robots in the Solana Galaxy are not shown as being victims of oppression outside her and Nefarious' imaginations, the game does offer her a little satirical affirmation. After the Biobliterator is unleashed, what is the Galactic President's response to the seemingly inevitable [[UnwillingRoboticisation Unwilling Roboticisation]] of his entire electorate? He gets himself heavily implanted with cybernetics so that he may claim to be "half-robot" and continue to get their votes, which [[WordOfGod Word of God]] confirms to be a satirical dig at Bill Clinton (and by extension any politician who prioritises image and shallow appeal to a social group over meaningful support of them). Notably, [[spoiler: when Ratchet and Clank have saved the day, stopped the Biobliterator, and the "robot vote" is no longer so desperately urgent to court, the President ditches said implants]].

** The widely reviled {{Cash Gate}}s from the previous two games were finally dropped from the series for good starting with this game, meaning a player doesn't have to waste as much time grinding for bolts just to make progress and can focus on saving up for more weapons instead. It helps that the games bolt economy is noticably more generous here than in previous titles.
** The hotly contested spaceship levels from Going Commando are scrapped altogether, though this was a convienient byproduct of the games rushed development.

** The Gunship may be a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere, but its a memorable fight, pursuing the player for most of the level, and finally ending in a fight that involves both BossArenaUrgency and TeleportSpam.
* [[Awesome/VideoGameLevels Awesome Video Game Levels]]:

** The Obani Draco, because of how different it is from basically any other planet in this and previous games. It looks like ''an artificial moon overloaded with sound equipment'' and even has an enormous disco ball at one point, which you enter. Then the location is topped of by the BossBattle with [[TheDragon Courtney Gears]] right after her MoralEventHorizon.

* DisappointingLastLevel: After the crazy fun Koros, the game caps off with the rather underwhelming Mylon, which is a rather short and straightforward level that consists of a couple Tyhrraguise segments and a basic Reflector puzzle, with a few enemy segments sandwiched in. While tough, its not particularly inspired in design compared to the rest of the game, and the enemy lineup is nowhere as action packed or overwhelming as Sasha makes it out to be on Koros. Fortunately, it caps off with a [[BestBossEver truly awesome final boss]] as a consolation prize.

* EvenBetterSequel: It takes Going Commando, trims the fat, and refines the heck out of everything else. Add the surprisingly good multiplayer, and the result is a game that's usually regarded as the best of the series. The only general complaints are how short and easy it is compared to the previous games.

*** The Mini-Turret glove launches an automated turret to attack, the turrets are powerful, target enemies on their own, are invincible, and you can have several out at once. The only downside is the limited ammo, but it's so good that you'll mostly only need to use one to take out a group of enemies anyway.
*** The Lava Gun can still destroy enemies quickly, and retains its constant stream properties when it upgrades this time, meaning that it remains an excellent crowd controller.
*** The Bouncer retains this status from the previous game, despite having less ammo this time around. It can clear out a group of enemies with the initial bomb, and if another group comes in, they'll be taken out by the bomblets left behind. It also works extremely well on powerful enemies.
*** The Plasma Coil isn't too bad initially, but once it becomes the Plasma Storm, it fires an orb that zaps everything in its path. Little enemies have no chance of reaching you, and one or two more will take care of the rest with ease.

** From the new weapons, the Rift Inducer. It shoots a black hole that [[OneHitKill sucks all small to medium-sized enemies within its reach]] (basically most of them), including Tyrrhanoid Captains who border on DemonicSpiders otherwise.
** Then there's the series annual superweapon, the R.Y.3.N.O. Anything that isn't a boss dies in one hit from its auto-lock on missiles, and each shot fires 8 missiles at once. Its also ridiculously easy to upgrade, and each upgrade ups it to 12, 14 and 16 missiles per shot while increasing the ammo capacity each time, with the final upgrade turning it into the RYNOCIRATOR, which is best described as [[ScrappyWeapon The Zodiac]] from [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando Going Commando]] done right--it fires a flash of light that ''[[NoKillLikeOverkill disintegrates]]'' any mook on screen in a blinding flash of light, and it can be fired at a very rapid rate, can fire 50 shots. There are a few handicaps to it, though--it can't be accessed until [[NewGamePlus Challenge Mode]], its the most expensive weapon in the game at 3,000,000 bolts (2,700,000 if you [[OldSaveBonus have a complete save of the]] [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002 original Ratchet and Clank game]] [[OldSaveBonus on your memory card]]), its ammo is very expensive (1,000 bolts per shot) and can't be found in crates (although the Gadgetron PDA helps mitigates this, the ammo is even more expensive if you buy it that way), and it isn't particularly effective against bosses.

* GoddamnedBoss: [[spoiler:Klunk]]. He is not tough, does not hit that hard, and would be pretty manageable. However, [[spoiler: you don't have Clank, meaning you can't use some mechanics such as gliding that are available for the rest of the game,]] falling right in case of DamnYouMuscleMemory and the fight takes place on a set of moving platforms while the boss is fond of shockwave attacks, screwing with jump timings even more.
* GoodBadBugs: For some reason, on planet Kerwan the boost exhaust from the Charge Boots appears green instead of light blue.

** Before Nefarious starts to battle Ratchet and Clank, he responds [[Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron Fine, I'll do it myself]].

** Ratchet can obtain a [[Franchise/StarWars lightsaber]] with a cheat. Some 15 years later, ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'' would play very similarly to ''Ratchet & Clank'' games, down to similar leads (mechanic and his RobotBuddy), levels taking place on different planets, and AbilityRequiredToProceed gameplay.

* HypeBacklash: The game has started to get this in the years after its release, with some arguing that its reputation as the best game in the series is undeserved and that it has many obvious flaws in hindsight, namely its generic level design and very repetitive enemy roster, [[ItsEasySoItSucks low difficulty]], [[ItsShortSoItSucks relatively short length]] and rather uncohesive story.

** "[[MachineMonotone Yo no. Tengo vertigo. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.]]" These lines from the Galactic Ranger robot during the first HALO jump in Spanish became a meme due to a combination of [[{{Narm}} awkwardness]] and speedrunners formerly running the game in Spanish to save time. Since the line occurred not even a whole minute into every speedrun category for ''Up Your Arsenal'', this came up in chat a lot.

** To a lesser degree, the Disc Blade Gun. Some people complained about its spiritual predecessor in ''Going Commando'', Chopper, because Ratchet couldn't move when throwing stars. The Disc Blade Gun shoots them instead and thus doesn't have that problem.
** The Tyrrhaguise. Unlike [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002 Hologuise]], it allows Ratchet to jump, the movement is way faster, and while dialogue sequences are much longer, they provide quite an amusement.

** The Infector. While brainwashing enemies is a neat idea, the execution is lacking. Enemies are either too tiny to justify using it or too mobile for infected ones to properly attack; Two-eyed and four-eyed Tyrrhannoids are the only real worthwhile targets, and it's worse than the wrench on bosses. Sealing the deal is that the weapon is extremely slow to upgrade, requiring far more nanomites/experience than its peers from the game's first act and ''twice'' as much as the Suck Cannon, which you can get at the same time for cheaper.
** The Plasma Whip. It would make a suitable replacement for the wrench, dealing more damage and having a much wider range and radius, but this is dented by it inexplicably requiring ammo. Its damage doesn't just fall behind, it's never there to begin with--its V5 potency is less than the N60 Storm's V1 power!! You would think a weapon made of burning plasma would be more threatening, but that's not the case...
** The Holoshield Glove. On paper, it sounds good, being a deployable shield that actually heals you after you upgrade it enough. However, its small and awkward shape means it will not block as much as it should, the shields disappear without warning after taking enough damage, and the Shield Charger is superior to it on every way as it creates a shield ''around'' Ratchet and damages nearby enemies on max level.

** While the single player campaign is generally quite well regarded, the game is also known for its surprisingly solid four player multiplayer mode that is considered just as if not more fun than the main game.

** While the Qwark Vid-Comics are mandatory to complete the game, theyre so damn addictive due to their simple side-scrolling nature that you'll find yourself playing them far more often than needed. That Challenge Mode offers big bolt rewards for collecting all the Qwark Tokens in them makes it even better.
* ThatOneSideQuest:
** Getting all of the Sewer Crystals on Aquatos is not hard (its downright easy compared to the [[ThatOneLevel frozen hell that is]] [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando Grelbin]]) and is totally worth the effort due to the big bolt rewards and [[PeninsulaOfPowerLeveling how easy it is to farm for XP due to the sheer abundance of amoeboids]], but it can be very confusing due to the level layout and downright annoying due to some wonky game mechanics. The sewers are cramped and [[CutAndPasteEnvironments have very little distinct visual hallmarks to remind you where you are]], forcing you to constantly pull up the map--and half of the map doesn't even show up until you get the Map-O-Matic. And while getting the Map-O-Matic makes finding all of the crystals easy, you also need the Gravity Boots to access the other half of the sewers, and since the entire maze consists of cylindrical tunnels, you can get easily disoriented by walking around them if you don't consciously try to stay in a straight line. The Charge Boots are all but useless in the lower areas due the auto-equipping Gravity Boots cancelling them out if you step out of the water, forcing you to slog through the long tunnels at a snails pace, and you can't turn off the Gravity Boots at all in the areas without water. And there's also the walls of goop hiding [[KingMook King Amoeboids]] that only break if you find them on the right side, often forcing you to find a long way around to reach the things.
** The Qwark vid-comic time trial skill points can be a pain to get through, as they require precise platforming and dying doesn't restore the lost time, meaning that even one death can fail the challenge. The worst of the bunch is the last one, where you have to contend with [[RiseToTheChallenge raising boiling acid]] and some platforms have moving purple sludge on them, meaning you might have to wait until you can safely jump on them if you don't want to get hit, which you can't really afford.
* ToughActToFollow: ''Up Your Arsenal'' is generally considered to be the best game in the franchise, which is why ''Deadlocked'' and ''Size Matters'' initially didn't do so well (though while ''Deadlocked'' eventually became popular in it's own right, ''Size Matters'' is hated by a lot of fans for being a NarmCharm).

** The Warp Pad is a gadget that lets you place a location to warp to at select points. There are 2 of these select points in the entirety of the game, which both appear in the same level. Even better, one of the sections can also be completed using the Charge Boots instead.

* BestBossEver:

* BestLevelEver:

* HarsherInHindsight: One of the [[AnnouncerChatter announcer's lines]] in Annihilation Nation is "This Lombax clearly had a rough childhood!" [[ThePurge Considering what we learn about Lombaxes in later games]]...

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: While Courtney Gears generally comes across as too gratuitously cruel, conceited, and viscerally hateful of "squishies" to qualify as a genuine freedom fighter, she seems to consider herself in that vein, and though robots in the Solana Galaxy are not shown as being victims of oppression outside her and Nefarious' imaginations, the game does offer her a little satirical affirmation. After the Biobliterator is unleashed, what is the Galactic President's response to the seemingly inevitable [[UnwillingRoboticisation Unwilling Roboticisation]] of his entire electorate? He gets himself heavily implanted with cybernetics so that he may claim to be "half-robot" and continue to get their votes (which [[WordOfGod Word of God]] confirms to be a satirical dig at Bill Clinton, and by extension any politician who prioritises shallow voter appeal to a social group over meaningful representation of them).

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: While Courtney Gears generally comes across as too gratuitously cruel, conceited, and viscerally hateful of "squishies" to qualify as a genuine freedome fighter, she seems to consider herself in that vein, and though robots in the Solana Galaxy are not shown as being victims of oppression outside her and Nefarious' imaginations, the game does offer her a little satirical affirmation. After the Biobliterator is unleashed, what is the Galactic President's response to the seemingly inevitable [[UnwillingRoboticisation Unwilling Roboticisation]] of his entire electorate? He gets himself heavily implanted with cybernetics so that he may claim to be "half-robot" and continue to get their votes (which [[WordOfGod Word of God]] confirms to be a satirical dig at Bill Clinton, and by extension any politician who prioritises shallow voter appeal to a minority over meaningful representation of them).

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: While Courtney Gears generally comes across as too gratuitously cruel, conceited, and viscerally hateful of "squishies" to qualify as a genuine freedome fighter, she seems to consider herself in that vein, and though robots in the Solona Galaxy are not shown as being victims of oppression outside her and Nefarious' imaginations, the game does offer her a little satirical affirmation. After the Biobliterator is unleashed, what is the Galactic President's response to the seemingly inevitable [[UnwillingRoboticisation Unwilling Roboticisation]] of his entire electorate? He gets himself heavily implanted with cybernetics so that he may claim to be "half-robot" and continue to get their votes (which [[WordOfGod Word of God]] confirms to be a satirical dig at Bill Clinton, and by extension any politician who prioritises shallow voter appeal to a minority over meaningful representation of them).

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: While Courtney Gears generally comes across as too gratuitously cruel, conceited, and viscerally hateful of "squishies" to qualify as a genuine freedome fighter, she seems to consider herself in that vein, and though robots in the Solona Galaxy are not shown as being victims of oppression outside her and Nefarious' imaginations, the game does offer her a little satirical affirmation. After the Biobliterator is unleashed, what is the Galactic President's response to the seemingly inevitable [[UnwillingRoboticisation Unwilling Roboticisation]] of his entire electorate? He gets himself heavily implanted with cybernetics so that he may claim to be "half-robot" and continue to get their votes (which [[WordOfGod]] Word of God confirms to be a satirical dig at Bill Clinton, and by extension any politician who prioritises shallow voter appeal to a minority over meaningful representation of them).

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: While Courtney Gears generally comes across as too gratuitously cruel, conceited, and viscerally hateful of "squishies" to qualify as a genuine freedome fighter, she seems to consider herself in that vein, and though robots in the Solona Galaxy are not shown as being victims of oppression outside her and Nefarious' imaginations, the game does offer her a little satirical affirmation. After the Biobliterator is unleashed, what is the Galactic President's response to the seemingly inevitable [[UnwillingRoboticisation Unwilling Roboticisation]] of his entire electorate? He gets himself heavily implanted with cybernetics so that he may claim to be "half-robot" and continue to get their votes (which [[WordOfGod]] confirms to be a satirical dig at Bill Clinton, and by extension any politician who prioritises shallow voter appeal to a minority over meaningful representation of them).

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: While Courtney Gears generally comes across as too gratuitously cruel, conceited, and viscerally hateful of "squishies" to qualify as a genuine freedome fighter, she seems to consider herself in that vein, and though robots in the Solona Galaxy are not shown as being victims of oppression outside her and Nefarious' imaginations, the game does offer her a little satirical affirmation. After the Biobliterator is unleashed, what is the Galactic President's response to the seemingly inevitable [[UnwillingRobotisation Unwilling Robotisation]] of his entire electorate? He gets himself heavily implanted with cybernetics so that he may claim to be "half-robot" and continue to get their votes (which [[WordOfGod]] confirms to be a satirical dig at Bill Clinton, and by extension any politician who prioritises shallow voter appeal to a minority over meaningful representation of them).

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: While Courtney Gears generally comes across as too gratuitously cruel, conceited, and viscerally hateful of "squishies" to qualify as a genuine freedome fighter, she seems to consider herself in that vein, and though robots in the Solona Galaxy are not shown as being victims of oppression outside her and Nefarious' imaginations, the game does offer her a little satirical affirmation. After the Biobliterator is unleashed, what is the Galactic President's response to the seemingly inevitable [[UnwillingRobotisation]] of his entire electorate? He gets himself heavily implanted with cybernetics so that he may claim to be "half-robot" and continue to get their votes (which [[WordOfGod]] confirms to be a satirical dig at Bill Clinton, and by extension any politician who prioritises shallow voter appeal to a minority over meaningful representation of them).

** In a similar vein, Clank's utter bewilderment at Nefarious thinking he's a real secret agent rather than just an actor who plays one. The (non-canon) ''VideoGame/SecretAgentClank'' spin-off would later take the idea of Clank being an ''actual'' secret agent superspy and run with it.

** While nether Dr. Nefarious nor Klunk cross this line [[spoiler:([[VideoGame/SecretAgentClank yet]], in the latter's case)]], Courtney Gears does by betraying the Q-Force, abducting Clank and turning Skidd into a robot. Not only all that, she's a bit too {{sadist}}ic when Ratchet fights her later on.

* ToughActToFollow: ''Up Your Arsenal'' is generally considered to be the best game in the franchise, which is why ''Deadlocked'' and ''Size Matters'' initially didn't do so well (though while ''Deadlocked'' eventually became popular in it's own right, ''Size Matters'' is hated by a lot of fans for being a NarmCharm and is eventually declared non-canon).

* GoddamnedBoss: [[spoilers:Klunk]]. He is not tough, does not hit that hard, and would be pretty manageable. However, [[spoilers: you don't have Clank, meaning you can't use some mechanics such as gliding that are available for the rest of the game,]] falling right in case of DamnYouMuscleMemory and the fight takes place on a set of moving platforms while the boss is fond of shockwave attacks, screwing with jump timings even more.

** It also applies to his [[TheDragon Dragon]], Courtney Gears, notably because of how different the atmosphere of the fight is. The setup to it, the passage through Obani Draco is already cool, basically equaling to entering something akin to ''artificial moon'', with reproductors and sound equipment everywhere, but the fight really takes the cake. In the cutscene before, she [[MoralEventHorizon turns Skidd into a robot]] and captures Ratchet, showing him how much of a sadistic monster she is. He's furious! It takes place on her singing stage, first with her dancers attacking you, then her taking on you, all happening while [[VillainSong Death to]] [[EarWorm Squishies]] plays.

* EarWorm: Just try to get that Courtney Gears song out of your head. It doesn't help that it gets both a Boss Remix and a Groovitron remix in Tools Of Destruction (which is only in the Japanese version, though). It even appeared in a single-player only cutscene of ''VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked'' for a few seconds.

** The Infector. While brainwashing enemies is a neat idea, the execution is lacking. Enemies are either too tiny to justify using it or too mobile for infected ones to properly attack; Two-eyed and four-eyed Tyrrhannoids are the only real worthwhiletargets, and it's worse than the wrench on bosses. Sealing the deal is that the weapon is extremely slow to upgrade, requiring far more nanomites/experience than its peers from the game's first act and ''twice'' as much as the Suck Cannon, which you can get at the same time for cheaper.

** The Infector. While its a neat idea to have a weapon to brainwash enemies, the execution is so-so. It's only consistently useful against small enemies (big enemies are a crapshoot to try it on, and its useless on creatures like Amoeboids) the brainwashing only last about 5 seconds and barely improves with the upgrades, it has low ammo and it is quite difficult to actually kill an enemy with it due to its mediocre damage (also, enemies attacking each other does not cause as much damage to them as it would you). This understandably makes it a tedious weapon to use and upgrade and it is outclassed by many of the game's other weapons. And to add insult to injury, it's useless in boss fights. The Mega weapon upgrade eventually does turn it into a decent weapon, but you don't get access to that until [[NewGamePlus Challenge Mode.]] Sealing the deal is that the weapon is extremely slow to upgrade, requiring far more nanomites/experience than its peers from the game's first act and ''twice'' as much as the Suck Cannon, which you can get at the same time for cheaper.
** The Plasma Whip. It's a borderline JokeWeapon when you start with it, and only becomes remotely practical to use it once its upgraded to the Quantum Whip, and even there its still pales in comparison to the rest of the games arsenal. To begin with, its a melee weapon that inexplicably requires ammo to use, it has a small ammo capacity and chews it up fast, its range is only marginally better than the Omniwrench, and the game is largely designed around ranged combat anyway, making it impractical to use in situations where enemies are fairly spread out and numerous (any mission based level or segment of a level). You'd think it would make a great crowd control weapon, but the animation of swinging the whip leaves Ratchet a sitting duck for any enemy or attack not in front of him. And on top of that, its damage is easily the worst out of all the weapons, even moreso than the Infector (to give an idea of just how pathetic the Whip is, the Infector near fully upgraded can kill a [[EliteMook Mega Bot]] in three hits, while the Whip can unload its ''entire ammo stock'' on it and barely even leave a dent). However, the Mega Weapon upgrade in Challenge Mode fixes the damage issue.