Ratchet: Deadlocked

Ratchet: Deadlocked
Developer(s)	Insomniac Games
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment America
Native resolution	576p, 480p (EDTV) 576i, 480i (SDTV)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release date	JP November 23, 2005 NA October 25, 2005 EU November 18, 2005 AUS November 24, 2005
Genre(s)	Action, Shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer, co-op
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen OFLC: PG PEGI: 3+ USK: 12+
Media	DVD-ROM
Input methods	DualShock 2

Ratchet: Deadlocked, known as Ratchet: Gladiator in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and also known as Ratchet & Clank 4, is a platform/shooter video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony. It is the fourth game in the Ratchet & Clank series and is the sequel to Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal. It was released on October 25, 2005 in North America. Although it was met with generally positive reviews, Ratchet: Deadlocked received some criticism from fans as it is noticeably darker and more combat oriented in terms of gameplay than previous Ratchet & Clank games, and Clank was reduced to a non-playable side character.

Plot

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The beginning of Deadlocked contains a cutscene showing a brutal sport in which contestants try to kill each other, that resembles Battle Royale. Called Dreadzone, it is a very large part of the story. After saving the galaxy once again, Ratchet and Clank are given the job of running the Starship Phoenix, with Al for back-up if need be. When Sasha, the new mayor of Metropolis, phones in and informs the crew of the death of Captain Starshield and the fact that many heroes are being abducted, robots approach the Phoenix and overrun it, taking Ratchet, Clank, and Al captive.

They are transported to the Shadow Sector, a lawless region on the fringe of the Solana Galaxy. Here, Ratchet meets Gleeman Vox, the president/creator of Dreadzone which is shown on Vox Entertainment (a massive media empire within the Shadow Sector and parody of Fox Entertainment), who reveals that Ratchet is now being forced to compete in the reality holovision show, DreadZone. Ratchet is now wearing a "DeadLock" collar that will shock him if he strays into restricted areas or detonate if he becomes uncooperative or boring.

Collectively referred to as "Team DarkStar", Al serves as the mechanic for Ratchet's combat bots, Merc and Green, while Clank serves as his "Mission Control", similar to an Operator from the Matrix film series. Ratchet and the combat bots (or a second player) compete across a series of Battlecourses, and a series of tournaments in the BattleDome at DreadZone Station, clearing challenge after challenge, while Ratchet, already framed of many disturbing attributes, becomes one of the most infamous contestants in DreadZone history. However, Ratchet enjoys great popularity with the viewers.

Ratchet's most notable victories are against the DreadZone Exterminators, a group of contestants who no longer compete normally, but serve as bosses during the tournaments and kill competing heroes. He defeats ShellShock on Planet Kronos, then Reactor, The Eviscerator, and Ace Hardlight (the Captain of the Exterminators) in separate BattleDome tournaments earning higher ranks: Marauder, Avenger, Crusader, Vindicator, and Liberator.

Following his defeat by Ratchet, Ace, as he lays dying in the BattleDome, says to Ratchet, "Don't...let Vox do to you...what he did to me." Ratchet is then taken to see Gleeman Vox. He claims to have been trying to make Ratchet a star; an ironic claim, due to the fact that Vox's reporters Dallas and Juanita have been slandering Ratchet most of the time. Vox tells Ratchet that it was just "building up his bad boy image", and he offers to make Ratchet the new Captain of the Exterminators, and Ratchet (who is disgusted by the idea of making a living by killing other heroes) refuses, saying, "You actually think I'd kill other heroes to get rich? You're not just corrupt, you're stupid."

Stating that Ratchet has signed his own death warrant, Vox has him escorted from the room, and requests that they be sent to the "Gauntlet of Doom" located at the Ghost Station battlecourse, despite protests from the testbot whom he gave the order to that "...it was mathematically proven to be. ..unbeatable." This was justified to DreadZone fans via a hoax news report that Ratchet was using banned performance-enhancing drugs, showing his head on a muscular body,(if you look closer the guy has 3 fingers but Ratchet has 5).

After Ratchet successfully runs the Gauntlet of Doom and demolishes the Ghost Station, he returns to his DreadZone containment area, and Clank tells him that he has found a way to shut down the containment fields holding the heroes hostage. Al makes his return as a cyborg (he had previously been shot by Ace Hardlight after the third tournament, when he succeeded in deactivating Clank's DeadLock collar), and tells Ratchet what he needs to do; take a reprogrammed shuttle to the BattleDome's control level and destroy the central computer, but, as Clank puts it, "it is a one-way ride".

After his arrival at the control level, Ratchet finds out that Vox was luring Ratchet into yet another trap. Stating boldly that the BattleDome is wired with "six gigatons of nitroglycerin", Vox says that Ratchet will be responsible for the death of everyone there if he fails. After Vox announces this atrocity, Ratchet's 'bad boy image' is completely erased, and Ratchet is assured that, as Juanita says, "We're rooting for you, little buddy."

Running a massive gauntlet of enemies and destroying each of three power generators, Ratchet manages to deactivate the containment fields and simultaneously unlocks DreadZone Station's escape shuttles. Ratchet's final battle with Gleeman Vox follows, which as Vox says, "It's a little one-act play I call 'Death of a Lombax'", first against Vox in a hoverpod that represents a Dreadzone Laser Back, then against a giant mech which Vox docks his hoverpod into, giving him more powers.

After his defeat, Vox reactivates the self-destruct sequence via remote control, stating to Ratchet that "The escape shuttles all left long ago. Now we'll die together, on live holovision. It'll be the best ratings I've ever had!"

However, Ratchet is spared a horrible death when the last shuttle (piloted by Al) swoops in to rescue him. He grabs Vox's pet, Slugha, and leaps aboard, where Clank wastes no time removing his DeadLock collar, which he then tosses out the airlock. The collar explodes, followed shortly by DreadZone Station itself.

After the end credits, Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence (from the previous game) make a cameo appearance still stuck on an asteroid with Dr. Nefarious complaining that they were coming within range of a space station (DreadZone Station), which, as Lawrence questioned, suddenly exploded. Nefarious then breaks out into a raging fit, shortly followed by a soap opera audio (See Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal)

Multiplayer/Online Feature

This game also features a multiplayer and an online feature. Players who have a Network Adaptor installed into their PlayStation 2s may play online. Additionally up to four players may play locally much like online. The online mode of this game features an in depth stat tracking system, with tracking of anything from number of deaths, to number kills with a wrench. The online mode of this supports a USB Keyboard and a USB Headset (not included).

Vehicles

There are four playable vehicles throughout Ratchet: Deadlocked.

Hovership - This is a remodeled version of the Hovership from Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal. The new version includes new machine guns of the head of the ship that can be controlled by the driver and a mortar launcher on the rear that the driver can control in Single Player or a second player can pilot in Multiplayer or Co-op, however, the missiles only charge when aimed at one or more enemies.

Hoverbike - Returning from Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, except now used for combat instead of Racing. The Hoverbike fires a quick stream of moderate powered laser bullets into the opponent. It can also Strafe and Jump. If it hits a medium/small sized enemy it will crush it.

Landstalker - The Landstalker is a new addition to vehicles in the game. It is essentially a platform with the cab on top of it. Four hydraulically powered legs extend from the platform. Behind the cab sits two mortar launchers, each able to fire 3 missiles each, though the launchers have to be powered up for a short time first. The movement of the Landstalker could be described as crablike or spiderlike, with alternate legs moving at the same time. it can also perform quick lateral jumps to evade enemy fire.

Puma - The Puma is a re-vamped version of the Turboslider from Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal. This time, instead of having a turret behind the cab there is a single, powerful cannon that the driver can control in Single Player or a second player can pilot. It also boasts twin rapid fire lasers.

External links

• Official Game Site from SCEA