We all have those games that we miss the first time around. With the busy release schedule of modern gaming, no one has time to play everything. That is why we at WingDamage present to you “Fashionably Late Reviews“. This is our series on games from the current generation of consoles that we may have missed on their initial release, but have gone back to experience now.

Ratchet and Clank is a series that is known for it’s charming characters, odd-ball sense of humor, and over the top weapons. While I was aware of all this going in, I had never experienced it for myself. I think I had always confused them for those other two similarly named mascots, Jak and Daxter (a decent series in it’s own right).

On Dave‘s recommendation, I decided to finally give the series a chance. When I recently finished Uncharted, I realized Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction was the other PS3 exclusive that I was near the end of, but had not yet finished.

The fact that I was able to pick up right back where I had left off several months ago says a lot about how easy this game is to pick up and play. Right out of the gate, you get a good feeling of who these characters are and how visually interesting their world is. I’ve heard the game described as a Pixar film you play and I can’t say that description is far off.

When it comes to storytelling and humor in games, I am a stickler. Most of the time, games that attempt humor fall flat. Not only is the writing in Tools quick witted and genuinely funny in the old Warner Brothers cartoon sort of way, but the voice acting is top notch. To have humor in your dialog work, it’s all about the timing. This is one of the few games to pull that off.

It is also graphically stunning; part two of the Pixar comparison people like to make. Insomniac really used the cartoony style of the series to highlight just how vibrant and imaginative you can be with your games on Sony’s hardware.

Tools of Destruction is a platformer/shooter hybrid which has you exploring strange alien worlds. You, as Ratchet, are trying to discover clues as to what befell his race, the Lombaxes. This is another area where the performances shined through, making the strange alien creatures of the Ratchet and Clank universe come to life in a believable way.

While the platforming is competent, the fall speed on the normal jumps seemed a little faster than I was anticipating. It took a little time for me to get used to, but the jumps were made easy enough that it wasn’t a source of frustration. The game’s main focus is on combat and the platforming works well enough that you can focus on the enemies in front of you. There are no pixel perfect jump requirements here.

Throughout the course of your adventure, you collect an arsenal composed of a wide variety of strange weapons and gadgets that help you defeat your enemies. These range from a simple energy pistol to the much more elaborate nano-swarm (a swarm of nano-robots that attack enemies within a certain radius).

You can purchase upgrades for all your weapons giving them more ammo, higher amounts of damage against enemies, and even increase the radius of attack. They also level up through use, which encourages you to not stick with only one or two of the ridiculously large assortment of firearms. This really made me think differently about which weapons I was using in each situation. I normally play pretty conservatively with my ammo in shooters, but Tools does a great job of rewarding you for breaking out of that shell.

There are also a lot of gadgets that are fun to play around with like the Disco Ball, which makes all the enemies dance (even bosses), and Mr. Zurkon, an ornery robot companion that fights alongside you for a limited time.

There are also a few segments where you use the SIXAXIS to control Ratchet as he freefalls, or Clank as he glides. These worked pretty well and are less offensive that most games’ use of the PS3 motion control scheme. Other gameplay elements include controlling a rocket bike called the “Gyro-cycle” and a space combat rail shooter.

As the story unfolds, you also take control of Clank in special sections of the game designed just for him. Here he is assisted by the Zoni, a mysterious alien race that seems to know a little too much about Clank. These sections focus on the game’s platforming elements and also involve solving puzzles. While I do prefer the regular gameplay, these alternative sections were not completely horrible like they are in many 3D platformers that feel the need to “mix it up”.

The main storyline has you play a few rounds in the Arena, but there are many optional challenges in that section of the game. Completion of the main game also unlocks a special challenge mode. This is a “new game plus” situation where you get to keep all your upgrades and play through again against harder foes. On the second play-through, there is an added combo system so you can earn more bolts (the games currency) and finish maxing out your weapons.

Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is an easy recommendation for any PS3 owner. It is fast paced, funny, and all ages can enjoy the goofy characters and stunning animation.

"Quick, Sora! Summon Simba! He's good with numbers!"

On a very special thirty-forth episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, we are joined by one of the newest WingDamage contributors, Nathan Thunder. Together with the Gregory brothers (not those ones), he discusses how easy it is to spend way too much on iPhone games. Sure they’re only $1 each, but after 4GB of downloads, it starts to add up.

In our talks of what we’ve been playing, Jonah has finished not one, but two games! Giving his PS3 a workout, he has finished both Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and is here to tell you why these exclusives to Sony’s gamebox are still must-plays. Jesse has been keeping busy with the Square-Disnix’s latest in their crossover franchise, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and also checking out the new DSiWare JRPG/Chess-ish hybrid title Dragon Quest Wars.

In “Let’s Play Together”, Nathan and Jonah walk us through the swearsploitation, cursestravaganza that is House of the Dead: Overkill; where it’s not enough to shoot zombies in the face, you have to tell them to eff off first.

While it was a bit of a slow news week, there were a few stories that have the internet’s collective Nerd Rage in full effect. This starts because of the recently announced Super Street Fighter IV and is further fueled by the latest details on Nintendo’s Demo Play. On a more pleasant note, we talk about how much we all want 3D Dot Game Heroes.

Then we talk about stuff in our appropriately titled “Let’s Talk About Stuff” segment. This week’s topic is anticipated games of Q4 2009. This goes hand in hand with the series of articles we’ve been posting over the last few days. You can read more by following the tag. You can even read along at home.

You know kids, reading opens a whole new world of knowledge. Just ask Run DMC.

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Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps
ARMCANNON – Rygar Medley (Song in the Middle of the episode)
Nostalgia trailer
Crystal Bearers Trailer
Bullet Hell Video

"Nice to EAT you!"

Just about every game has a weapon of some kind, most are interchangeable, some are entirely forgettable.  However, there are some weapons that stand out, that people talk about long after the cartridge has gone into the closet and the disc is all scratched up.  These are the weapons that transcend their utility to become works of art.

Sharkgun – Armed and Dangerous (Xbox)

It’s a gun that fires sharks.  Why more people didn’t play this game I’ll never know.

Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator or Gravity Gun– Half Life 2 (PC/Xbox/Xbox360/PS3)

The definitive weapon in the thinking man’s shooter, turns everyday objects into deadly projectiles and will have you scouring the environment for new and creative ways to take out combine troops.

Pistol – Halo (Xbox/PC)

No weapon has generated so much controversy as the pistol in the original Halo.  To some its 2x zoom and powerful bullets are a dream come true.  To others, it is an unfair and unbalanced weapon that can ruin an otherwise fair match. But either way, you have to respect this powerful weapon.

Shotgun – Doom (PC)

Few moments in life are as satisfying as the first time you get the shotgun in the original Doom.  The jump in power from the pistol to the shotgun makes you appreciate and understand just how awesome this weapon is.  It is like a switch goes off and you go from hunted to hunter.

Your Mind – Psi Ops: the Mindgate Conspiracy (Xbox/PS2)

In this highly underrated game your mind is literally the ultimate weapon.  You have all kinds of psychic and telekinetic powers that are at your disposal.  You can use your mind to toss enemies around like rag dolls, or siphon off all their energy and make their heads explode, or you can pick up a crate and smash them in the face with it.  But the cruelest trick is using your psychic powers to take over an enemy soldier where you can make him betray his friends.

Tornado Gun – Ratchet and Clank Tools of Destruction (PS3)

In a series renowned for creative weapons nothing could compare to the destructive power of a maxed out Tornado Gun.  This thing is a trailer park’s worst nightmare come to life.  At the lowest power levels, it shoots out a whirlwind of devastation that you use the sixaxis to control.  By the time this baby is fully upgraded, you have a natural disaster that is shooting out lightning bolts and death.

RCP90 – Goldeneye (N64)

If it were to come out now, everyone would scream about how unbalanced and unfair this gun is.  But back in the day, nothing was more terrifying than peeking over at your buddy’s screen to see he just picked up body armor and the RCP90.  Conversely, nothing was more satisfying than killing him and taking the gun from his bloodied corpse.

Automatic Sniper Rifle – Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)

The point of the game is to be stealthy, but come on, sometimes bad guys need some face shooting.  Even if you are not a crack shot; with a fully automatic sniper rifle somebody is getting shot in the face.

Far Eye – Resistance (PS3)

This awesomely unfair piece of equipment has a secondary function that slows down time to go along with its super zoom in. So, as an enemy tries to frantically run around, you can calmly slow down time and shoot him in the face.  For even more fun, slow down time in the co-op mode as your buddy fires away with the machine gun.

Morpho-Ray – Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2)

Far more than any other series, the Ratchet games have managed to come up with some very creative weapons. None can come close to the sheer insanity that is the Morpho-ray.  This devilish weapon changes your enemies into ducks (or sheep with the sheepinator upgrade).  As you gain experience points, the gun becomes even more awesome.  One of the later upgrades causes those enemies you just turned into ducks to lay eggs… which explode.  I pray NASA is working on this right now.

Spread Gun – Contra (NES)

Everyone remember the stupid code but not everyone remembers just how tough the original Contra could be.  One hit death awaited you everywhere. Nothing helped clear the screen of that alien scum quicker than the spread gun.  Hold down the trigger and you’ll understand why.  It is a requirement to punch your buddy if he hogs the spread shot power ups.

So there they are. The best weapons in gaming.  Did I leave off any of your favorites?  Let me know.