Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus? More like "Cool and Fantastic: Into the Awesomeness"
(Spoiler Warning!) Okay, Gamers, I'm back with another review! We're going to kick it off with a series you all should know and love, Ratchet & Clank! Today I'll be looking at "Into the Nexus", the latest major installment, and the conclusion to the "future" saga, in the R&C series. Now, I have to say, the last time I played a Ratchet & Clank game was back when I was in elementary school! "Up Your Arsenal" was that last game in the series that I had played, and it was fun! After that, I just stopped for some reason; only God knows how long it's been since I've played an R&C game. However, ever since I started playing Into the Nexus I've been shunning myself from the gaze of other video game reviewers, regretting the indifference I've shown towards R&C *sniff*.
Let's start off with the Story. The writers of the Ratchet & Clank series never cease to amaze me; their style is just off the hook! Into the Nexus' plot is packed with all sorts of action, explosions, sci-fi phenomena and, not to mention, some pretty classy humor! Unfortunately, I've decided not to say anything about the plot. Why? Well, I'm not being lazy right now (yes...), but it's just that Into the Nexus has too much of a good story in order to be spoiled in some dude's game review (disregard "Spoiler Warning!" at the top, that's just a bad habit of ours)! I know this sounds frustrating, because some of you guys love to receive the right amount of spoonfuls of Plot before taking control of its whole Pot (tongue twister non-intentional)...if you catch my drift...but you can't because my car will just slam into you :P Other than that, It's a really great Story to be a part of. The writers at Insomniac Studios really focus on the importance of dialogue when it comes to this game. I'm serious, guys, give Into the Nexus a try.
Gameplay! Gameplay! We all love Gameplay! Gameplay! Gameplay! All through the next day!... I came up with that in 2 seconds :3 But despite what would've become a nursery rhyme, let's talk about Gameplay. Overall, Into the Nexus keeps you occupied throughout the entire story. I mean, all the side quests and explorations you can do are really there to demonstrate the game's full potential. You can participate in "Destructopalooza!," collect prehistoric horns and trade them for upgrades, hunt for Raritanium, and last but not least randomly blast other aliens out of existence with your super duper awesome exotic weapons of havoc - testing their capabilities during the process! Who doesn't like that?...Oh yeah, people who don't like to play R&C don't like that...
Old Man Pit: "How 'bout dem Characters Mr. Roman?"
Me: "Why, Old Man Pit, I am so glad you asked!"
The cast of Into the Nexus is so unique compared to those of other games in the series. Ratchet and Clank, #1 on my list of the top 5 dynamic duos in video games (#2-5 being Nathan Drake and Sully, Jak and Daxter, Mario and Luigi, and Link and Navi), look even better than ever! Although Clank still doesn't say much in this game, Ratchet's fur looks way too fuzzy in this game...and that's just the way I like it :3 One thing that I've noticed, is that the characters express way more emotion than the ones in Up Your Arsenal. The game's cinematic sequences are quite astonishing as well. I always get this feeling of watching a PIXAR movie whenever I play this game.
*Cringes* While restraining myself from talking about weapons, since that's a feature this game significantly stresses on, I'll begin my evaluation of Graphics/Visuals. They can both be described with one word: Mesmerizing. The minute I started playing this game, the graphics hit me straight in the brain -after "Kratos-ing" through my eyes- and made me cry out "Blast you, Krist Duro, for cursing me with such an amazing game!" And yes, Into the Nexus' graphics are that intense, go see for yourselves. No, really! Go see for yourselves! Words cannot describe how awesome those graphics are...
FINALLY! I get to talk about Weapons! *Takes out imaginary guns and Makes war noises* Take that, and this! How 'bout some of this?! Boom! Right in the Man-Makers! *Stops and stares into the audience* I'm sorry everybody, are you okay? I didn't mean to shoot you guys, I was just feeling a little hyperactive. No hard feelings, right? Okay! If that's the case, then make sure to pay my bail (if there even is one :P) if I get arrested for manslaughter :D The weapons of Into the Nexus lets the arsenal of the R&C series live up to its title of being one of the most exotic set of weapons any gamer could could get his hands on. I'm telling you, guys, these weapons are some of the greatest things I've ever messed around with in my entire life alongside Interactive Media. Weapons in the game can range from doing destructive damage to just downright random screw attacks, which certainly adds a lot more humor. There are tons of guns to collect, each with its own unique ability. You can upgrade your weapons with Raritanium, the scarce material gained from enemies and from hidden locations as well. As you steadily upgrade your weapons, they become capable of doing tons of more damage. In other words, if you don't upgrade your weapons, you're not playing the game right!
So, in conclusion...there is no conclusion. Just enjoy the image above because I'm very tired right now :P I must go assist my family in the ultimate preparation for Thanksgiving! Thanks for reading, everybody! This concludes my review of Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus.
Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus was reviewed on a PS3 using a promo code provided by Insomniac Games. Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus is available exclusively for the PS3.
