Developer: High Impact Games Release Date: June 17th, 2008 MSRP: $39.99

Publisher: SCEA Designer: Insomniac Games

I’ll say right off the bat that Secret Agent Clank was far more fun to play than I had originally anticipated. A few problems aside, it fits very well into the Ratchet & Clank Universe.

That being said let’s delve in a bit deeper yeah?

First off, the graphics are vibrant and clean - exactly what you would expect from a game in the Ratchet & Clank series. A couple of jaggies here and there are hardly noticeable. A few muddy textures rear their ugly heads as well. Overall, it looks pretty damn good for a PSP game. The level design ranges from impressive to cookie-cutter-ish (Captain Qwark’s levels are the best in the game). The game’s music and sound bites are par for the course (that is to say they are done well), and the voice acting is up to its usual standard (Captain Qwark’s segments are especially well done and damn funny to boot).

So we can say that the face of the game is as good as the series has ever been. Not too much of a surprise there, I’d say. The real meat and potatoes is in the gameplay anyways. This is where the fun starts.

I’ll get the camera out of the way first since it’s the only real problem with the game. The camera controls like it’s on a PSP. There. What else can I say? Camera controls suck on the PSP and this platformer is no different. So get over it. Other than that, the controls are tight and responsive right when they need to be (the game seems to hold your hand a little too much sometimes but hey, it’s an ‘E’ rated game so what do you want?). The aiming is a little odd at first but you get used to it.

Other than that, the game is a blast. Clank can beef-up and change his fighting techniques with a system not unlike the weapons upgrades from earlier games. Finishing moves become available also…word. The stealth mechanics are a great addition that you can choose to use or not - but let’s be honest, it adds pretty good depth to the usual fanfare. So sneak away. Certain segments ask you to perform a stealth takedown - it’s a timed button pressing minigame that can range from fun to mildly frustrating - but a good thing overall. After you’ve had your fill of the whole hand-to-hand thing you can move on to Clanks impressive arsenal of secret agent weaponry like the Tie-A-Rang, Cuff Link Bombs, Tanglevine Carnation, Blowtorch Briefcase, Thunderstorm Umbrella, and Holo-Knuckles. I don’t want to spoil too much for you so you’ll have to use your imagination until you get them all. Also available are a wide array of other gadgets that are a hoot - but since I’ve already named off all the weapons and ruined that for you I won’t ruin those (*AHEM* dark-matter ink pen…oops). There are also sections where you use little ‘Gadgebots’ to help you through certain trial and error puzzles and mild combat. Half the time you just push a button and they go off and do their thing which make a few moments seem…’pointless’ I think is the word. But they don’t come up too much so screw it.

Aside from the great gameplay there are the segments where you can play as other characters - my favorite aspect of the game. I won’t give away too much of the storyline for those of you that haven’t picked this up yet. But Ratchet finds himself locked up in prison where he does battle with enemies from days past…awesome. And Captain Qwark’s stages are way more exaggerated and action-based revolving mostly around himself - which is fine by me because these stages are funny as hell. The guy is so full of shit, I love it.

Overall I have to say that this game is absolutely worth your time. For fans of the series especially. And even if you’re not, the real deal breaker is the addition of a skill points system. It keeps you playing feverishly and rockets the replay value right up there. Rent first if you must - but I would just bite the bullet and pick up a copy. You’ll be playing through this at least a couple of times.

Overall: 8 out of 10

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