Line #15 YMMV/RatchetAndClank


1	!!Games with their own pages
2	[[index]]
3	[[AC: Mainline games]]
4	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClank2002''
5	** ''YMMV/RatchetAndClank2016''
6	*** ''YMMV/RatchetAndClank2016Game''
7	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando''
8	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal''
9	* ''YMMV/RatchetDeadlocked''
10	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction''
11	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankFutureQuestForBooty''
12	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime''
13	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankIntoTheNexus''
14	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankRiftApart''
15
16	[[AC: Spin-off games]]
17	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankGoingMobile''
18	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankSizeMatters''
19	* ''YMMV/SecretAgentClank''
20	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankAll4One''
21	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankFullFrontalAssault''
22	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankBeforeTheNexus''
23
24	[[AC: Other media]]
25	* ''YMMV/TheAdventuresOfCaptainStarshield''
26	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankComic''
27	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClank2016''
28	** ''YMMV/RatchetAndClank2016Movie''
29	* ''YMMV/RatchetAndClankLifeOfPie''
30	[[/index]]
31
32	!!Franchise and other games
33	* ArcFatigue: Ratchet's quest to find the lombaxes. ''Tools of Destruction'' established that Ratchet is one of the last lombaxes in the universe, with the rest having sought refuge in another dimension. Fourteen years and seven games later, the plotline remains unresolved. [[spoiler: ''Rift Apart'' ends with Ratchet and Rivet getting prepared to travel to the lombaxes' dimension, with the full resolution being saved for a potential sequel.]]
34	* ArchivePanic: So far, there are thirteen console games, which include a remake, two GaidenGames, and two multiplayer-based spin-offs. Even if one chooses to exclude those, that still leaves nine games to play. And that's not even getting into the movie and the comic series. Basically, someone who wants to get into the series will have their work cut out for them.
35	* AudienceAlienatingEra: The latter half of the Platform/PlayStation3 generation. After the beloved ''Ratchet & Clank Future'' saga wrapped up in 2009, the next game in the series was ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankAll4One All 4 One]]'' in 2011, a top-down four player co-op adventure with a vastly de-emphasized story, followed the next year by ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFullFrontalAssault Full Frontal Assault]]'', a smaller digital-focused game with third-person tower defense gameplay and even ''less'' story. Sales and fan attention dwindled to the point that the next traditional game, 2013's ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankIntoTheNexus Into the Nexus]]'', was a shorter-length budget title, which didn't make any sort of splash and relegated the franchise as washed-up with far too many releases that nobody asked for. It wouldn't be until [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2016 the PS4 game based on the movie]] came out in 2016 that the series saw an uptick: the public were reminded of how great a traditional ''Ratchet & Clank'' can play and look despite being a slightly cheaper release, setting the stage for ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankRiftApart'' to knock it out of the park in 2021 at the start of the Platform/PlayStation5's life.
36	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[AwesomeMusic/RatchetAndClank Has its own page]].
37	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
38	** Captain Qwark, particularly in later games where his IdiotHero traits are front and center. Is he a [[PluckyComicRelief genuinely funny]] and [[LargeHam entertaining character]] whose zanier antics and [[SmallNameBigEgo obvious self-delusions]] help play off Ratchet and Clank when it comes to humor, or is he an [[CreatorsPet overused]], [[ItsAllAboutMe obnoxious]] [[TheLoad load]] who gets away with too much when it comes to his more narcissistic tendencies?
39	** Mr. Zurkon. Originating in ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction Tools of Destruction]]'' as one of the Combat Devices, he became a BreakoutCharacter due to his [[HeroicComedicSociopath comedically bloodthirsty nature]] and has appeared in every other game since then. At this point, however, while several fans still revere him for his memorable quotes (especially since he's voiced by [[Creator/MarcGraue the same person]] who voices Mario from ''VideoGame/HotelMario''), about an equal amount of people started to hate him, thinking his quotes have become tired (or weren't even funny to begin with), and wish that Insomniac would just keep him out of a game for once.
40	* BrokenBase:
41	** Whether or not the series shifitng its focus away from satire to dramaedy was for the better or not. Supporters love the addtions to lore and character develoment and feel that the satire was beginning to dry. Detractors however find the stories of the [=PS3=] games onward to be Narm-filled and betrays the series' core by becoming the kind of franchise earlier games mocked.
42	** Speaking of the [=PS3=] titles; many fans felt like the new plot thread of Ratchet being the LastOfHisKind and Clank being TheChosenOne completely cheapened the original game's premise, as it now comes off more as a ContrivedCoincidence rather than Ratchet being TheDragAlong that Clank needed to take with him.
43	** When the [=PS4=] re-imagining came out, fans were divided on whether to celebrate it or worry over a possible reboot of the franchise. This was rendered null and void by ''Rift Apart'', however.
44	** The game's common recycling of weapons in the [=PS3=] and [=PS4=] era, as opposed to how the [=PS2=] games would only bring back a few weapons. [[labelnote:For example]]There are 5 unique rocket launchers in the [=PS2=] generation: the Devastator and Visibomb Gun in ''Ratchet & Clank '02'', the Minirocket Tube/Megarocket Cannon and Visibomb Gun in ''Going Commando'', the Annihilator/Decimator in ''Up Your Arsenal'', and the Arbiter/Silencer in ''Deadlocked''. The [=PS3=] generation, however, only has 2 unique rocket launchers: the Negotiator/Judicator in ''Tools of Destruction'' and ''A Crack in Time'' and the Warmonger in ''All 4 One'' (where it doesn't upgrade into a weapon with a new name), ''Full Frontal Assault'' (where it upgrades into the Alpha Warmonger), and ''Into the Nexus'' (where it upgrades into the Peacemaker).[[/labelnote]] It's either good because fan-favorites have a higher chance to return or bad because the franchise has been using some of these weapons for a while. Also part of the argument is whether or not said weapons are good; for example, is the Warmonger a good rocket launcher? Is the Combuster a bad pistol?
45	* CharacterPerceptionEvolution:
46	** When the original ''Ratchet & Clank'' came out, Ratchet was seen as too much of a [[{{Jerkass}} prick]] to be likeable, coming across as UnintentionallyUnsympathetic and a DesignatedHero at the worst of times, with enough complaints that they [[AuthorsSavingThrow had a direct impact]] on his characterization in subsequent games. When the [=PS4=] reimagining and movie were announced, many hoped they would smooth out the arc and execute it better, making Ratchet still kind of a jerk but not so much that his [[TookALevelInKindness eventual redemption]] didn't feel unearned. These people ended up disappointed when the duology instead made Ratchet into a dorky NiceGuy who doesn't even resemble the character he became in ''Going Commando'', let alone what he was like in the first game. These days, ''[=RAC1=]'' Ratchet is looked upon much more fondly, as a guy with [[{{Revenge}} an obvious character flaw]] who learns the error of his ways and gets on his way to becoming a real hero by the third act.
47	** When Mr. Zurkon debuted in ''Tools of Destruction'' as a Combat Device, he became an immediate EnsembleDarkhorse due to his hammy nature and dialogue being reminiscient of Website/ChuckNorrisFacts at a point when that meme was in its prime. After sitting out ''Quest for Booty'', he would be in all five of the subsequent games over the course of seven years, which included all of the AudienceAlienatingEra (''All 4 One'', ''Full Frontal Assault'', and ''Into the Nexus''). As a result of that, his popularity stagnated and he became more of a BaseBreakingCharacter, with some thinking he's worn out his welcome and [[WelcomeToCorneria dialogue]] and should stop appearing, and others thinking that the attempts to keep him fresh (alternate dialogue when summoned by other characters, introducing his wife and son, introducing Evil Zurkon, etc.) have succeeded and shown he still has life in him.
48	* CompleteMonster: See [[Monster/RatchetAndClank here]].
49	* ContestedSequel: There is a minority of fans who discount ''Deadlocked'', ''Going Mobile'', ''Size Matters'', ''Secret Agent Clank'', ''Quest for Booty'' and ''All 4 One'' as being "real" Ratchet & Clank games, which can become confusing when they insist on referring to the game by [[NumberedSequel numbers]] (e.g. "the fourth game" could variously apply to ''Deadlocked'', ''Size Matters'' or ''Tools of Destruction'' depending on whether you're talking to someone who accepts all the games, only the platformers, or only the main console games). And then we've got ''All 4 One'' and ''Full Frontal Assault'', due to their gaming style.
50	* DemonicSpiders:
51	** The heavily armored, quick, and downright nasty Land Lobsters from the first game qualify, unless you throw the wrench.
52	** The Y.E.T.I.s from ''Going Commando'''s Planet Grelbin; they spawn from out of nowhere (and in large numbers, to boot), have no concept of MookChivalry (often ambushing you in groups of ''ten or more''), and are card-carrying members of the LightningBruiser club. You could try running from them, but they ''love'' spawning ''right in your path'' and often appear around Arctic Leviathans, which must be killed for [[ThatOneSidequest Moonstones]]. That leaves killing them, but there are a few problems with that as well: first, very few of your weapons are effective against them, the ones that are either have low ammo clips or have ammo that ''must'' be bought at a vendor, and for the weapons that don't, you're thwarted again by the fact that there are very few ammo crates lying around the massive ice field you must traverse. As a result, you'll find yourself making frequent trips back to the vendor, which often means running back into the Y.E.T.I. mobs you just fled from.
53	** [[spoiler:Qwark's Hideout]] in ''Up Your Arsenal'' features heavily armed catchphrase-spewing Qwark Bots. They deal ludicrous amounts of damage with a very high rate of fire, have more armor than any other enemy of their size, and can even survive after being reduced to nothing but a skeletal torso with one arm, often lurking in this state until you pass the cover they're hiding behind to swipe at you. They also spawn in dense packs.
54	** ''Up Your Arsenal'' also features Tyhrranoid Missile Stations, which often appear in Galactic Ranger missions. They're not too bad when you're piloting a Hovership, as the missiles can be easily dodged and destroyed. When you're on foot, however, they'll shoot missiles that fly directly into the ground and explode in a shockwave that hurts you unless you jump over it, and they will continue firing even when you're in the middle of fighting other enemies. They're also very tanky, meaning the only way to effectively fight them is with the Flux/Splitter Rifle. They're so bad that they got the second Snowbeast Award.
55	** The beam turrets in ''[[VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked Deadlocked]]''. Tiny little laser turrets that drop in at random points, and are usually overlooked right until you get a laser beam in your back.
56	** The [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot giant flying robot roaches]], aka Laser Backs (also from ''Deadlocked''), are a) infuriatingly hard to kill, b) have a psychotically high [[MoreDakka rate of fire]], and c) are one of the few units that make life difficult for you ''even when you've turned them to your side with the right omega mod''. (Usually, brainwashed enemies are kind enough to try and aim at the enemy; the Laser Backs simply spam ammo everywhere, and God help you if you get in the way.) Pretty much the only way to keep them from reducing you to powder was to wait until they briefly stopped shooting, then spam them with a high-knockback weapon. Oh, and your Combat Bots have no idea that these things are unspeakably annoying and will instantly get mowed down by them.
57	** Their sorta-predecessors, the Guard bots from the third game, are this too. They have the same attack method - that is, two guns that MoreDakka you into the pavement - and take buckets of damage.
58	* DiagnosedByTheAudience: Quark's narcissism, selfishness, lack of empathy for others (in the first two games, at-least) and willingness to do evil things whenever it benefits him (also exclusively in the first two games) suggest signs of antisocial personality disorder.
59	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
60	** Surprisingly, Captain Qwark was brought back in the second game solely because of this; the staff was midway through production of ''Going Commando'' when they realized they missed the big lug, so they came up with the Behind the Hero cutscenes as a way of sneaking him back in, [[spoiler:and then decided to just upgrade him to BigBad status.]]
61	** Courtney Gears as well (mostly because of her [[VillainSong music video]]), even though she didn't make any more appearances since ''Deadlocked'', but was often mentioned throughout the series. But just look at how much fanart she has on Website/DeviantArt...
62	** Ace Hardlight, as well. He's got a whole group dedicated to him in Website/DeviantArt. It's quite a surprise, considering he's a CreatorsPet in-universe.
63	** The Groovitron. It even appeared in ''Playstation Move Heroes''!
64	* EvilIsCool:
65	** There is good reason why Dr. Nefarious is the Franchise's most recurring villain. While he may be [[LaughablyEvil a comical villain]], he balances this out by being [[NotSoHarmlessVillain a legitimate threat]] in nearly all of his appearances and has even come close to achieving his goals [[NearVillainVictory a few times]]. He's almost always prepared for anything, and prior to ''Up Your Arsenal'' Qwark was the only hero to have survived fighting him.
66	** Drek from the first game. Although he's a CorruptCorporateExecutive and an [[HateSink all around scumbag]], the fact he proves to be a legitimately threatening and competent villain (with a [[ThatOneBoss challenge boss fight]] to boot) has made him one of the franchise's most fondly remembered villains. His more bumbling take in the 2016 reboot was a [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks sore spot]] for many fans.
67	** Outside of ''Up Your Arsenal''[='s=] Dr. Nefarious, there's also Courtney Gears, whom in her boss fight does prove she can indeed [[AwesomeBosses/VideoGames fight]] as good as she sings.
68	** From ''Deadlocked'' Gleeman Vox, Ace Hardlight, and the rest of the Exterminators.
69	** In ''A Crack In Time'' [[spoiler:Alister Azimuth becomes this near the end, though only briefly.]]
70	** And as of ''Rift Apart'' [[spoiler:Emperor Nefarious.]]
71	* FanonDiscontinuity: ''All 4 One'' and ''Full Frontal Assault'' are occasionally dismissed by the fandom for their [[{{Sequelitis}} weaker storylines]] compared to the Future trilogy. Thankfully, they were spin-off titles, so plenty of fans are still okay with acknowledging them.
72	* FountainOfMemes: Mr. Zurkon is one of the most quoted characters in the ''Ratchet & Clank'' franchise. The fact that many of his lines are reminiscent of Website/ChuckNorrisFacts has helped this immensely.
73	* FranchiseOriginalSin:
74	** Reuse of weapons throughout the series. The ''Ratchet & Clank'' franchise has been reusing weapons since as early as [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando the second game, released in 2003]], which contained 5 weapons from the first game that could be bought for cheap, or obtained for free [[OldSaveBonus if you had a save from the first game that also owned those weapons]]. However, ''Going Commando'' and later games that did this only brought back a few unique weapons [[note]]the only weapon ''GC'' brought back that has a straight equivalent introduced in this game is the Bomb Glove, which is another regular bomb weapon much like the Gravity Bomb; the others are the Decoy Glove, Tesla Claw, Visibomb Gun, and Walloper[[/note]], while also still introducing their own unique weapons. One of the ''Tools of Destruction'' weapons that returned in ''A Crack in Time'' was the rocket-launching Negotiator, which was one of the first examples of a typical weapon niche being filled by a returning weapon, but ''[=ACiT=]'' still brought back several unique weapons like the Groovitron and Mag-Net Launcher, and still had plenty of its own diverse weapons to its name like the Sonic Eruptor and Spiral of Doom. The 2016 ''Ratchet & Clank'' is where this is generally agreed to have become a noteworthy problem, as almost every weapon in the game is either from an old game or [[CompositeCharacter a combination of an old weapon and elements from other weapons]], with the game only having two wholly original weapons: the Pixelizer and Proton Drum.
75	** The series' slide towards the LighterAndSofter and DenserAndWackier, eventually culminating in TotallyRadical. As early as the second game (''Going Commando''), Ratchet had gone from a brash headstrong teenager to a professional and well-meaning gun-for-hire well on his way to becoming a ScienceHero, while as early as the third game (''Up Your Arsenal'') the game's themes of consumerism and corporate cynism were being replaced by a TuxedoAndMartini plot involving a classical MadScientist, and ''A Crack in Time'' had alien races explicitly [[note]]according to [[WordOfGod a video in the Insomniac Museum]][[/note]] based off high school cliques. The thing is... Ratchet's new character in ''GC'' felt like a natural extension of his CharacterDevelopment, ''UYA''[='s=] villain became an EnsembleDarkhorse with fans and creators alike, and ''[=ACiT=]'' is often considered a high point for the franchise on the basis of its story (and when it's not, ''UYA'' or ''GC'' often are, in its stead). In short, the problems that eventually manifested as {{Sequelitis}} were not only present and not considered problems, but [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools actively applauded]] in the earlier games, and only started irritating fans later once the games started running out of steam.
76	** While ''Tools of Destruction'' planted the seeds for a more serious story, ''A Crack in Time'' was really the point where the series began shedding its satirical roots in favor of a serious, almost Disney-like whimsical style of plot and writing. While the game was and still is well-received today, further attempts to apply this to the series have been met with increasing scorn from fans at best, reaching its apex with the controversial 2016 reimagining of the first game. Even ''[=ACiT=]'''s approach to the series is now greeted with much more scrutiny than it was in its heydey, with many fans accusing it of being a sloppily written and pretentious ClicheStorm that takes itself far too seriously at the expense of the series' comedic identity, basically becoming the kind of over-the-top parody that the original games made fun of in the first place.
77	** The increase in people talking to you during gameplay. In the first two games it was mainly the [=HelpDesk=] and a few unique circumstances (such as the Nebula warship self-destruct sequence or the ship battle against Qwark in the first game, or the AnnouncerChatter in arenas and BossBanter with the Thug Leader in ''GC''). ''UYA'' would be the first game where allies near (like the Galactic Ranger bots) and far (like the Starship Phoenix crew and Slim Cognito) would regularly talk with you, while the ''Future'' games on [=PS3=] would introduce Ratchet and Clank bantering regularly, but this provided everyone involved with more time to show their characters, while the Rangers were outright {{Ensemble Darkhorse}}s with lots of humorous dialogue. ''[=A4O=]'' would introduce callouts done during gameplay, along with a constant MissionControl, but this was still justifiable in that the chaotic nature of multiplayer made the callouts helpful to keep track of everything, while the change in gameplay structure gave lots of time to give exposition during down beats. ''[=ItN=]'' would be the first single-player game to contain the banter of the eponymous duo, the callouts, and multiple people (like Talwyn, the Smuggler and Vendra Prog) in contact with you, but this title was overlooked due to releasing the same day as the [=PS4=]. By the time of ''RAC 2016'', however, all of this came together in the first title to get the series back into the mainstream after its AudienceAlienatingEra. The dialogue had increased to a point where you were unlikely to go even 20 seconds without someone interrupting, while most of the new characters were either {{Annoying Video Game Helper}}s, lacked the charm and/or humor of earlier characters, or had bad line readings -- and in the worst cases (such as Cora Verolux), all of these at once.
78	* FriendlyFandoms: With ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter''. The development teams shared code and assets in the [=PlayStation=] 2 era, leading to multiple CompanyCrossReferences and nods to one another. As such, the fandoms for both series tend to get along very well, and there's quite a lot of overlap between the fandoms as well.
79	* GameBreaker:
80	** [[FunWithAcronyms The R.Y.N.O.]] and its ilk.[[note]][[BadAssBoast It stands for]] '''R'''ip '''Y'''a a '''N'''ew '''O'''ne, after all.[[/note]]
81	** The Mega Supernova (The Harbinger's upgraded form) V99 from Deadlocked. All minor foes are vaporized in one shot, and the bosses take massive damage from it.
82	** A non-InfinityPlusOneSword example: The Rift Inducer of ''Up Your Arsenal'', which one-shots all small to medium-sized mooks. Level it up enough, and you can just sit there while all of the enemies in the area get sucked in and die. The 5000 variation in ''A Crack in Time'' is even more powerful, with the bonus that [[EldritchAbomination Fred]] can deal with larger enemies better.
83	** Groovitrons from ''Tools of Destruction'' onwards. A 100% effective paralysis effect on ''any'' enemy in the game bar two or three, and your NewGamePlus reward in ''[=ToD=]'' gives you an ''infinite'' amount of these. Toxic Swarmers from the same game also break bosses in seconds if placed strategically.
84	** Clank's Time Bombs can be used as these if you knew how to use them the right way. However, if you're playing the hardest parts in hard mode, these become more game fixers than breakers.
85	** The Heavy Bouncer in ''Going Commando'' does massive damage when it hits an enemy, splits into a bajillion smaller parts on contact, all of which do ''equally'' massive damage, and has an absurdly large ammo clip for a weapon that powerful (25) that's replenished by 4 per ammo crate (and buying the ammo is dirt cheap if you can't find any ammo crates). It's so bad that the final boss can be downed easily with just a few shots from this gun, and its BrutalBonusLevel, the Impossible Challenge, becomes a cakewalk with it. The ammo issue was nerfed down to 12 shots at level 5 in its return in ''Up Your Arsenal'', but the weapon itself is just as powerful, if not even more so. Watch in awe as one shot clears a room of mooks in a matter of seconds! [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2016 The remake]] ups the ante even further by giving it to you in Novalis for a meager 100 bolts if you pre-ordered the game. Needless to say, the pre-orderers had a much easier playthrough.
86	** ''Deadlocked's'' Mini-Turret Launcher, especially after maxing it out, which is very easy despite being obtained quite late. It is fast, sprays enemies with bullets and later highly damaging lasers, you can have as much as five active at once and since challenges are now more arena-based, it is easy to have ground covered with them. Put some mods on them and watch the chaos ensue.
87	* GoodBadBugs:
88	** In the first game, if you enter the first Hoverboard race wearing the Hologuise, the other racers and the boards disappear, leaving Ratchet free to walk to a ramp near the end, hit the Taunter, and wait as the boxes above break. And break. And break. It's possible to tape or weigh the Circle button down for a few hours and come back to be able to afford every weapon in the game.
89	** In several of the games, it's possible to clip through walls by using weapons that spawn objects; the Decoy Glove in ''Ratchet & Clank'', the Decoy Glove and Miniturret Glove in ''Going Commando'', the Miniturret Glove in ''Up Your Arsenal'', the Hunter Mine Launcher and Mini Turret Launcher in ''Deadlocked'', the Nano-Swarmers and Visi-Copter Device in ''Tools of Destruction'', and the Nightmare Box in ''Into the Nexus''. While fun to mess around with in general, clipping is also one of many tricks that's ''mercilessly'' abused in {{speedrun}}s to get through levels faster.
90	** In ''Going Commando'', beating the game unlocks a mode where you play in first-person constantly. However, you can climb walls by simply jumping at them and spamming Square to throw the wrench - the throw bounces you upwards slightly, while being next to the wall causes the wrench to return instantly. Interestingly, Insomniac knew about this bug and [[ThrowItIn left it in]] as a sort of EarnYourFun reward, which also explains why it was gone by ''Up Your Arsenal''; that game lets you play in first-person from the get-go.
91	** ''Tools of Destruction'' has a wall-climb bug with the Razor Claws, where doing the aerial attack into a wall allows you to do a high jump off of midair, which can be interrupted by another aerial attack, which allows you to do a high jump... thus allowing you to climb almost any wall in the game as long as the Claws have ammo to use and {{sequence break\|ing}} the game to high hell in [[NewGamePlus Challenge Mode]].
92	** It is possible to encounter a glitch in ''Tools of Destruction'' that can prove useful: in the final level, about midway through, you have to ascend a grav-ramp in order to go inside a nearby building. However, if one approaches the grav-ramp just wrong, Ratchet will wind up falling through the level, and a little adjustment with Clank's hovering abilities can send him right to the outside of the Court of Azimuth, and the location of the final battle. This locks the door behind him and sends him into the final boss battle without requiring him to play the rest of the level. Which would cause you to miss out on a couple of goodies (a Gold Bolt and a RYNO IV holoplan), but if one restarts the level, they will find that the game thinks they've cleared everything; all of the doors are open (including the Gold Bolt one), and all of the enemies are already dead, allowing you to pick up everything in the level at your leisure.
93	* GrowingTheBeard: ''Going Commando'' improved the gameplay by putting much more focus on the guns and put a step in the right direction by making Ratchet more likable, but ''Up Your Arsenal'' simplified a lot of the combat for the better, and while there are less worlds to work with, each are all unique and interesting, and the story firmly establishes Ratchet & Clank's dynamic, the plots become a bit more serious without losing the series' humor, and the writing for the protagonists and villains becomes more interesting.
94	* HarsherInHindsight: In the first game Ratchet was a huge {{Jerkass}}. After playing the Future Saga, and finding out that his father had to leave him on Veldin for the best, [[JerkassWoobie it's kinda hard to blame him]]. Keep in mind that he had no friends, was still a child, and only had a wrench to protect himself.
95	* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Creator/JamesArnoldTaylor was flacked for the infamous "laughing scene" in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', but gets to showcase his acting chops here. Particularly in the climax for ''Tools of Destruction'', when Ratchet [[spoiler:refuses to join the Lombaxes]].
96	* HilariousInHindsight:
97	** Qwark's Personal Hygenator ad at the very end of the first game, which claims it can solve painful itching in the nether regions, becomes this in light of ''Going Commando'' revealing one of its side effects is in fact severe irritations and itching in sensitive body areas.
98	** The following exchange (which is already very funny) becomes even funnier if you have played the ''Secret Agent Clank'' game:
99	---> '''Clank:''' I believe there has been a misunderstanding. Secret Agent Clank is merely a fictional character I play on the holo...
100	---> '''Nefarious:''' LIES! SQUISHY LIIIIIIIEEEEE...jams
101	** Also, the vid-comic's narrator's utter disbelief at the concept of "robotic pirate ghosts" takes on a whole new meaning once you encounter some in ''Quest For Booty''.
102	** Let's see... Ratchet's a guy from a backwater place who builds stuff, whose melee weapon of choice is a wrench, and who is a proud proponent of "[[MoreDakka more gun]]". After looking at it this way, all those [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Engineers]] come off as a bunch of posers.
103	** In ''Up Your Arsenal'', the president has a daughter named Sasha. [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama Remind you of anyone?]]
104	** ''Up Your Arsenal'' had [[CosmeticAward Trophies]] before Playstation 3 had Trophies.
105	** Spaceship battles in the same style as the Gummi Ship missions in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' was planned for ''Up Your Arsenal'', but [[RefittedForSequel instead added]] to ''Tools of Destruction''. When ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' came out in 2019, the Gummi Ship segments play out similar to the space sectors in ''A Crack in Time''.
106	** Lots of nods to ''Ratchet & Clank'' films throughout the series became funnier in light of [[WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank2016 an actual film for the duo being released]]. In the original game, one of the "Epilogue" posters is for "Ratchet & Clank: The Motion Picture", and there's another poster for a film in ''Going Commando''. When Vox tries to start merchandising Ratchet as the new head Exterminator in ''Deadlocked'', one of the things he mentions is that he'll get movie rights.
107	** Nefarious self-identifying as "robot" and his pride of being one become funny if you know that the term originates from the Czech word "robota", which means "work" or "labor". Not so superior after all, are we, Nefarious?
108	** A real life example is that the armor that Ratchet wears throughout ''A Crack in Time'' appears to foreshadow ''Film/TronLegacy''.
109	** The Groovitron, a grenade that makes enemies break out in dance, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Looks like the makers of ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' were taking notes with the Boogie Bomb.
110	* HoYay:
111	** Ratchet and Clank, and to a lesser extent Ratchet and Qwark.
112	---> '''Ratchet:''' Okay, I have to ask, what's with the nurse's outfit?
113	---> '''Qwark:''' All part of my ingenious plan to gain Dr. Nefarious' trust as the lovely nurse Shannon.
114	---> '''Ratchet:''' Well... White's certainly your color.
115	---> '''Qwark:''' Oh, you think so? I've always fancied myself a winter.
116	** All 4 One brings us some spectacular Qwark/Nefarious moments as well.
117	* ItsTheSameSoItSucks: The sequels are often accused of not having enough new gameplay elements.
118	* MemeticBadass: Mr. Zurkon all the way.
119	* MoralEventHorizon: [[MoralEventHorizon/RatchetAndClank Has its own page.]]
120	* {{Narm}}: Pretty much all of ''Size Matters'' falls into this, especially its BigBad Otto Destruct being nothing more than a carbon copy of Chairman Drek and unsuccessfully trying to copy the LargeHam aspect of Dr. Nefarious and Gleeman Vox. Having Clank call his actions "pure evil" only makes him look more ridiculous. He's seen as TheScrappy for this reason.
121	* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: The PSP games done by High Impact Games instead of Creator/InsomniacGames aren't usually as well-liked, with technical issues, bringing some of Ratchet's unlikable characterization from the first game back, narmy villains, and [[{{Sequelitis}} unimpressive stories]] being cited.
122	* PopularWithFurries: Downplayed, but the overall popularity of the series means that furries will occasionally design lombax-based [=OCs=].
123	* PortingDisaster: The [=PS3=] updates of the first four games, done by novice studio Idol Minds, have various glitches and save errors. The first three, however, only had minor issues, numerous as they were. ''Deadlocked'' got the worst of it, however, having serious issues that even someone who never played the original version would make note of.
124	* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Surprisingly, [[TheHero Ratchet]] was disliked by many critics in the first game due to his {{Wangst}} and [[JerkAss Jerkassiness]]. However, from the second game onward, he TookALevelInKindness and [[DeadpanSnarker snarkiness]]. The [[TheOtherDarrin switch]] from Mikey Kelley to Creator/JamesArnoldTaylor certainly helped.
125	* TheScrappy: The villains of ''Size Matters'', [[spoiler:Otto Destruct and Luna]], are considered forgettable villains. The former is a narmy rehash of Chairman Drek with some elements of Gleeman Vox, and the latter is infamous for being ThatOneBoss and a PlotTwist gone wrong.
126	%% 1st game Ratchet and Y.E.T.I.s don't count per https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13598973560A64980100&page=235#comment-5856
127	* ScrappyMechanic:
128	** ''All 4 One'', ''Full Frontal Assault'', ''Into the Nexus'', and ''Ratchet & Clank '16'' don't let you have multiple saves, which can get annoying if you have a completed file you want to keep and also want to start a new game.
129	** Several weapons in the first 3 games cause the screen to flash when used. While the idea is cool as it makes them feel more powerful, it's a pain if you're playing in the dark (especially with others around), your eyes are dry or tired, or even worse, have epilepsy.
130	** Ratchet's complete inability to climb ladders is starting to look pretty silly, and it makes ascending them by jumping over and over a chore.
131	** While Clank's playable segments are often well-integrated to the plot and can be refreshing, they aren't without their detractors; they [[UnexpectedGameplayChange trade Ratchet's fast-paced action to puzzles]] that mostly consist of slowly running around with only 4 health while CheckpointStarvation is in full effect - not to mention the potential {{Backtracking}} if a Gadgebot dies too soon. Fortunately, Insomniac seems to have caught up to this, as many of the games released after ''[=ACIT=]'' not only [[AntiFrustrationFeatures make Clank faster to move around]], but also make the segments more exciting from both [[SceneryPorn visual]] and [[ActionizedSequel gameplay standpoints]].[[note]]''A Crack in Time'' in particular overhauled his entire gameplay style, and made puzzles more about thinking ahead instead of running around and collecting an army of bots to help you do stuff. [[/note]]
132	* ScrappyWeapon: The series was the main inspiration for this trope. [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002 The first game]] had a handful of weapons that were quite useful (e.g., the [[ArrowCam Visibomb Gun]], [[BoringButPractical Devastator]]) and some that were almost useless ([[VideoGameFlamethrowersSuck Pyrocitor]], [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim Taunter]], [[AwesomeButImpractical Walloper]]). [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando The second game]] and onwards introduced leveling up weapons, further polarizing their effectiveness. It was quite easy to level up weapons that were easy to use and fairly powerful (the Negotiator and Constructo Shotgun from ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime A Crack in Time]]'', for instance), and weapons that barely got any use (such as the wimpy [[DeathOfAThousandCuts Buzz Blades]]) would never be able to level up except on the weakest ankle-biter enemies.
133	* {{Sequelitis}}: Most games actually have positive reception among fans and critics, but ''Size Matters'' is often considered to be the worst game of the franchise for it's lackluster production and story and being developed by [[Creator/HighImpactGames a different studio.]] ''All 4 One'' and ''Full Frontal Assault'' are also viewed less favorly because of their multiplayer-orineted style and, in the latter's case, [[TotallyRadical trying to be "hip and modern"]]. ''Into the Nexus'' was an improvement, but still unliked for [[ItsShortSoItSucks being too short]].
134	* ThatOneLevel:
135	** Gorda City ruins, on Planet Oltanis in the first game. In one path, you have to circumnavigate a path covered in ice (why is it covered in ice, again?) while being blown about by heavy wind. In the other, you have to make it past droves of some pretty annoying enemies, including one grenade-launching ship that's tough to dodge. Oh, and you can't use your jetpack. Yeah, Clank got randomly struck by lightning. Ratchet makes him sit this one out. [[DamnYouMuscleMemory Just make sure to remember that before you try making a long jump, like you've been used to for the past few hours...]]
136	** The Hoverboard Races, particularly the second one on Kalebo III.
137	** We also have Planet Grelbin from Going Commando. When you're hunting for crystals, Y.E.T.I.s will pop out from underground and they are TOUGH. They can survive at least one hit from any weapon you use (except the RYNO II), and will take a "bigger than average" percentage of your health if they swipe you. And how about Leviathans that hide under frozen water, then burst out, take forever to kill, can knock you out quickly and can destroy your Shield Charger in one attack? And if you don't knock out those Y.E.T.I.s, they will chase you as hard as possible-and that is by NO means an exaggeration.
138	* ThatOneSidequest:
139	** In ''Going Commando'' there were two huge open areas on Tabora and Grelbin where, for OneHundredPercentCompletion and bolts, you had to collect a vast number of crystals/moonstones scattered across the map. They (initially) don't show up on your in-game map, you're constantly being attacked by infinitely-spawning enemies, and scouring every square inch of the map looking for that last crystal you require is not fun... especially the Grelbin icefield, where you're facing the ridiculously-tough [[DemonicSpiders Y.E.T.I.s]] (see ThatOneLevel above).
140	** ''Up Your Arsenal'' has a much worse take on the style of level described above, in the form of Aquatos's giant sewer-maze. At least ''Going Commando'''s 2 unique levels had variety in the terrain, [[AwesomeMusic/RatchetAndClank some really good music]], and the ability to use your [[SprintShoes Charge Boots]] to get around. On Aquatos, however, the paths are all identical and extremely cramped, the music is very dull and gets repetitive quick, the metal tubes that make up 90% of the area cause you to auto-equip the Gravity Boots, which are ''impossible to take off and override your Charge Boots'', and the literally hundreds of Amoeboids crawling around don't help matters at all. [[AsteroidsMonster Blagh.]] [[GoddamnedBats Blagh!]] ''BLAGH!''
141	** ''Up Your Arsenal'' has also vid-comics and five time-related skill points, one for speedrunning each. The first ones aren't ''that'' hard, but the limit for the last one is so tight it you might want to use a [[ForcedTransformation Quack-O-Ray]] on whoever set the time requirement on it.
142	** "Scoring with the Blarg" in ''Deadlocked'' requires you to get a high score in a Landstalker-mounted target-shooting game while also dealing with the enemies. The problems are that there are a ''lot'' of enemies that can do some large damage to your tank, there's no healing, and the score required is tight enough that you might just end up getting enough within the last few seconds of the challenge. And God help you if you play it on [[HarderThanHard Exterminator]] difficulty. It says something about the difficulty when later planet Maraxus's similar challenge, "Spider on a Wire", manages to be miles easier, with a much more lenient score goal and less mean enemies.
143	** Getting 100% completion in ''Crack in Time'' requires you to [[ScoringPoints Score High]] on a NintendoHard mini-game fraught with StylisticSuck. Plus the downright evil time puzzles required to get the last of the Gold Bolts.
144	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: A sizable portion of the series fanbase has been rather vocally unimpressed with the series gradually going down a LighterAndSofter direction while downplaying the hard-edged satire, BlackComedy and farcical humor of the original [=PS2=] quadriology in favor of what's perceived by them as being needlessly convoluted or cliché, pretentious, and cheesy stories with overly kiddy humor sandwiched in. This reached its apex with the 2016 movie and game having a much more juvenile tone and characterizations from the original 2002 game, which ripped the fanbase in half and led to many older fans accusing Insomniac Games of becoming completely out of touch and trying way too hard to make the series pander to a wider mainstream audience [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis while becoming the kind of shallow, insincere product that the series made fun of in the first place.]]
145	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
146	** Almost all of the female characters who could've turned out to be Ratchet's love interest are PutOnABus in the next game. Although it's probably because the creators don't want a RomanticPlotTumor.
147	** ''Up Your Arsenal'' introduces (or rather [[TheBusCameBack reintroduces]]) the [[TheTeam Q-Force]], a group created by Qwark composed of the main duo, Big Al, Helga, and [=Skidd McMarx=] from the first game, and new characters [[OnlySaneWoman Sasha]] and Skrunch. Yet these characters outright disappear from the franchise after the [=PS2=] era and are largely forgotten about in the Future series outside of some occasional mentions.
148	** One of the biggest complaints in ''Deadlocked'' is that you can't use Clank.
149	* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Ace Hardlight is, InUniverse, a CreatorsPet. He's so heavily hated that Gleeman Vox can't even ''give'' his products away. In real life, however, Ace is surprisingly popular on [=DeviantArt=].
150	* VillainDecay: Captain Qwark. In the first game he was one of the two main villains, and he returned as the ''main'' villain in ''Going Commando''. He showed up as an early boss in ''Up Your Arsenal'', but from that point on Qwark ceased to be a villain so much as a hindrance because he was so inept at trying to help. By the time the Future series starts, no-one can take him seriously.
151	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: The first three games got so many things past the radar, the T rating for them might be more than justified despite the cartoon-like look of the game. The developers admitted that the game was made more for the teenage crowd and older rather than younger kids.
152	** Made stranger by the fact that the European ratings for the series are 3+ (equivalent to an E), but this trend seemed to stop at the start of the Future series.
153	** It should be noted that the T rated games all came out before the E10 rating was introduced. Furthermore, the first four games were re-rated E10 when the HD versions came out.
154	* TheWoobie: Ratchet can be considered one when you learn the depth of his backstory. In the first game, he's an orphan living in a garage, trying to build a ship to go on an adventure, and admires Captain Qwark [[spoiler:until his betrayal on Umbris]]. The third game reveals that the galaxy only sees him as a sidekick to Clank due to a TV show they both star in [[spoiler:until Ratchet was replaced with Skrunch]]. And in ''Tools of Destruction'', we learn that Ratchet is [[spoiler:the last lombax left in the universe (not counting Angela Cross or Alister Azimuth)]]. And as of ''A Crack in Time'' [[spoiler:only Angela. Plus his best friend is missing for most of the game and very nearly abandons him to care for the Great Clock ([[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Luckily he doesn't]])]].

Context YMMV / RatchetAndClank