Taking on the Pile of Shame, Ratchet and Clank style

It took far too long, but in the past year or so I finally ended my irrational video game purchasing behavior. No longer do I wander in to my local GameStop on Wednesdays, in search of the latest hot release or AAA title. Nope – one of the "best" things about my current lifestyle (busy job, busy at home with the little man and wife) is that it lends itself to very few hours of game time a week, thereby killing this irrational pattern once and for all.

Instead of fret about it, though, I’ve realized that it’s letting me discover a treasure trove of great games I’ve had sitting in my collection for a long time - a.k.a. my Pile of Shame. Now, months have gone by, and I haven't been remotely tempted to go grab a new game (if it’s for fun, of course – reviews are obviously a different animal altogether).

So, I decided to dig into the PS3 edition of The Pile when I recently gave up playing MLB 09: The Show (too painfully tough to keep playing), and pulled out Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. I forget exactly when it came out, but it was close to 2 years ago near the launch of the PS3 console. I had started playing it and probably put in 4 hours or so before I got distracted with another game or two (a constant symptom of my now-conquered purchasing disease). All I remembered was that it looked pretty awesome, but my lack of experience with the franchise and elements of platforming didn’t help me seize onto it like I had been expecting.

It’s funny how time can change your perspective. I’ve easily spent 10 or more hours the past two weeks re-booting the game and I couldn’t love it much more if I tried. Yes, it’s an amazing graphical feat (not quite a “living Pixar movie”, but not terribly far off either), but there’s much more to it that sets it apart from typical shooters/actioners/platformers.

In a nutshell, here’s why I love ToD:

1) It’s pretty easy, with just enough challenge sprinkled in to keep it interesting. To be frank, I’m at a point in my life where I just don’t have the time and desire to get my ass kicked by a game 20 times in order to finally beat a level (or hit a baseball consistently). So a game that’s moderately friendly to get through without a ton of rote memorization or top-notch twitch skills is very, very welcome.
2) The weapons are simply amazing. One of developer Insomniac’s hallmarks is great weaponry, and ToD doesn’t disappoint. It’s not just the array of power in your arsenal, either – the upgrade paths to turn your guns and devices from popcaps to all-powerful is an addictive experience on its own. Choosing which gun to improve, then seeing its effects in action, is extremely satisfying.
3) The sense of humor. Ratchet and Clank is a silly game, to be sure, but there’s plenty of subtlety in the dialogue, weapons, and level design that makes me chuckle on a regular basis.
4) There’s a ton of variety. While the main focus is on blowing up enemies, collecting bolts (the game’s currency), and bounding across platforms, there are also scads of other experiences tossed into the mix, including Galaga-style spaceship shooting, Tony Hawk-ish rail grinding, and puzzle solving. In other words, it’s a genre-busting “gamer’s game”.
5) It’s huge. I’ve got over 15 hours put into the game clock and I am still going, well into my third galaxy. I don’t know if I’m near the end or not, but there’s no doubt you get your money’s worth of levels and gameplay. Insomniac chose to devote their resources to making a single-player campaign of the highest magnitude and forsaking multiplayer. I for one applaud that decision – it worked.
6) Oh yeah, it’s a gorgeous, gorgeous game. Some of the levels are simply stunning, even to a jaded old gamer like myself. My favorite (among many favorites) is a recently-completed scenario featuring Ratchet and Clank flying their ship through a stunningly beautiful array of planets, comets, and other heavenly bodies that was too good to be believed. Too bad I was fighting off hordes of enemies, otherwise I could have enjoyed the view even more.

Yes, I suppose I am gushing a bit. ToD isn’t perfect – aiming some of the guns is a bit of a pain in the neck, for example, but that’s nitpicking – but it’s easily the most fun I’ve had on my PS3. Even more telling is that once I’m done, I’m heading right to the Playstation store to pick up its episodic sequel, as well as finally putting another Insomniac-built PS3 title I never finished (Resistance: Fall of Man) back in the console.

I’m enjoying my newfound independence from buying new games just because they’re out. Lord knows I’ve got plenty of other titles in my Pile of Shame I’ll be digging through before I pick up anything brand new again.