Ratchet: Deadlocked Retrospective - Adapt or Die | The Golden Bolt
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- Опубліковано 19 чер 2024
- Where do you go after achieving everything you'd set out to do with your game? What do you do after releasing three consecutive hits in back to back years? Can you strike gold FOUR times in a row?
Ratchet: Deadlocked (or Ratchet: Gladiator) was a game whose development focused around one motto: Adapt or Die. In a rapidly-evolving, maturing market, with mascot platformers quickly falling out of vogue, Ratchet & Clank was one of the few series that held firm. But, could Insomniac pull it off again without getting stale? Or would their willingness to shake things up come back to bite them on this project? There's no question that Ratchet: Deadlocked adapted, but whether it died in the process may depend on who you ask...
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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:36 The Fourth Game Slump; Early Deadlocked Concepts
7:53 A R&C Story Without R&C
17:41 The PS3 Port Debacle
19:13 100% Combat; Deadlocked's Pacing Struggles
29:30 Is Deadlocked R&C's Black Sheep?
33:40 Co-Op: How Deadlocked Found Its Edge(s)
39:22 The Intangibles 2
44:41 The Missed Opportunities
52:20 Oh, Right, the Story!
59:22 An Uneven Game Rescued by Time
1:02:42 Conclusion
"The Golden Bolt Theme" composed by AllHailBuckets. Show him some love on Spotify or your music service of choice! open.spotify.com/artist/2dWDm...
This video is not intended for viewers under 13 years of age, and may contain content inappropriate for such viewers. Parental guidance suggested.
#Ratchet #Deadlocked #TheGoldenBolt - Ігри
WATCH NEXT: Ratchet & Clank Future Retrospective: ua-cam.com/video/k-TX-UBkskM/v-deo.html
Thanks so much for watching! If you enjoyed the video or discussion, make sure to add to it with your thoughts below - and make sure to subscribe and check out some of my other videos! There's a lot on the backlog here, and there's enough variety that you're sure to find _something_ you'd wanna watch. For example, my deep dive into the forgotten R&C Java Phone game! ua-cam.com/video/lo5sy47bWjQ/v-deo.html
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TGB you absolute legend, thank you so much for this entire retrospective series. the kid in me who's never stopped obsessing over these games is crying out in joy from the light you've shown on these masterpieces of both videogames and the videos you've made talking about them.
now that that's out of the way...
LETS BLOW $%^&* UP!!
Yet again another great Ratchet and clank video. I heard about this one but never did play it though. Gotta say the history behind this title is quite something. Adapt or die is right.
As for next time, Talk about an ironic coincidence that you will be talking about Ghost of Tsushima when just two days ago, we got a trailer that a director's cut is coming out next month. I very much doubt your gonna wait till that releases but either way, I look forward to it.
Yeah, the timing worked out both well and a bit unfortunately on Ghost. But like hell I'm recording a _third_ playthrough of that game now!
I'll stream the DX and finally tackle the one hit death mode that way, but I think Ghost more than stands on its own without a DLC island, so I'm gonna gush about it way sooner than August!
@@TheGoldenBolt oh hell yeah! That game deserves to be analyzed and giving every praise, even with some of it's hiccups. It doesn't matter, love the game, can't wait for the video and the fact that we are getting more next month makes this even more exciting for me.
I love this video I’ve been keeping up with the RAC vids! Do you plan on making retrospectives for the two High Impact games? I know they aren’t as good but I would personally still enjoy the content :)
“There’s even some players that’ll say it’s their favorite game.”
Yes. Me.
no other game will come close to what you get in endzone with a
shock modded harbinger
@@everinghall8622 nah nah nah, Shock modded holoshield paired with Timebomb modded stalker mines will literally give you ten pounds of epilepsy.
It's the best, and probably why my eyes are so bad now as an adult.
Deadlocked was definitely my fav. Hours and hours of endless fun. Watching this makes me want to try and find a copy
@@jakeywakey221 You could play it on PS2 or PS3. There are some people that emulate it on PC too. I've never done that. Even though the PS3 versions isn't perfect. it is the most accessible. At least to me.
_Me too, hell yeah_
I was a Ratchet Deadlocked fan since 2005, and I will die on the hill that it's the most underrated game in the franchise.
Same
100%. I have such a vivid memory of waking up to snow (which was super rare where I lived) and playing Deadlocked
12 year old me must have put around 60 hours maybe 70 hours into Deadlocked. 23 year old me revisited the game last year and put another 30 hours into it. The game is still so much fun. It's for sure my favorite R&C game
Yeah I played this one a million times as a kid
Yea I love all these games just got my steam deck and first thing I did was load pcsx2 and the whole ratchet and clank franchise replaying my childhood on the go I love it!
I would like to highlight my favorite line from this game:
"Don't let Voxx do to you what he did to me."
Ace Hardlight was something before Dreadzone. Most of the unwilling gladiators were heroes or fighters or adventurers before they were conscripted to fight. You conjecture in this video about what we could have seen developed between Ratchet and players like Kid Nova or Hydro Girl, but I think more importantly we had a chance to redeem Ace.
What were his adventures before he was conscripted? What did he do to earn the fame and fighting skills to get the attention of Mr. Voxx? How did he change into a villain? Did Ace Hardlight slowly descend into villainy for the thrill of cheering crowds or did something break him? Ace May have had a choice. A chance to get out, leave, quit, or refuse, but something made him stay. Ace may have itchy feeling because Ratchet is a real hero who has a team of friends who love him. Ratchet saves planets and fights evil. Ace may have done the same and lost his vision along the way. In his dying moments, embarrassed and defeated, coughing out a few last words to someone he sees himself in, he offers us this:
"Don't let Voxx do to you what he did to me."
“Despite all that, this game fucking rules”
🥲
Brought a damn tear to my eye m8 I’m glad there are some who enjoyed this game even for all its faults
"...Maybe it means Ratchet gets cancer one day, but, uh...we'll get there when we get there, I guess."
Can't wait for the Retrospective on Ratchet & Clank: Going Chemo
Holy shit haha
Thats funny lmao
Lmao
Underrated comment
clank: remember that time we got kidnapped by an evil corporation, Ratchet?
Ratchet: yeah, what about it?
Clank: during that campaign you visited that planet bombarded by meteors.
Ratchet: Yeah and towards the end where Merc and Green were activating the fission reactor to... ohhh boy
Clank: you have cancer, Ratchet.
I can't believe that I only realized, 16 years later, that the Deadlocked Puma was a Red vs Blue joke
Do you ever wonder why we are here?
@@SnizelOfficial
"You ever wonder why we’re here?"
"It's one of life's great mysteries isn't it? Why are we here? I mean, are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or is there really a God watching everything? You know, with a plan for us and stuff. I don't know, man, but it keeps me up at night."
"...What?! I mean why are we out here, in this canyon?"
Wait was Red Vs. Blue really a thing before Deadlocked was? I just thought it was a neat little coincidence.
@@diamondwave100 yes, it started in 2003
edit: tony garcia comfirmed that it was indeed a RVB reference (he did it in R&C: developer commentary)
The moment he said "ask your parents about it" I felt so old...
Dallas is the most human-looking slug-alien-thing. Like, he's a perfect caricature of a sleazy sports commentator, I love his character design.
Fun fact: Dallas and Timmy Turner's dad from Fairly Oddparents share the same voice actor
@@einav2102Dinkleblarg...
@@einav2102No WONDER I recognized his voice! Man, learn something new everyday.
They remind me of the two commentators in Pitch Perfect now I look back.
Deadlocked had EASILY my favorite OST of them all. Devid Bergeaud's work on this game was insane.
Second to only the original imo, at least large parts of the original
@@PJOZeus I think Deadlocked and Going Commando are my top 2, the original is good but more for the nostalgia than anything
@@TheFrostHydra 3, 1, Gladiator, Commando - personally, from the ps2 era
Ghost Station Grinding Chase is my #1 favorite song by David Bergeaud, behind Quartu and Metropolis
@@tStevester83 Node Overload is easily my favorite
Not long enough, I need a detailed breakdown of every weapon including the exact EXP required for each level and a deep character analysis on Ace Hardlight’s hairdo
That was all in the 14 hour Bolt Cut, but UA-cam denied my cinematic vision of having it in a 1:9 aspect ratio
@@TheGoldenBolt understandable, I will make sure to let Susan know my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
Thank you shiny bolt man for your service
@@TheGoldenBolt @youtube #ReleaseTheBoltCut
Aurelius Boltus
nut then bolt 😉
"Ratchet: Gladiator" as it was called in the UK was easily one of my favourites because I really enjoyed the combat gameplay loop, the weapons mods are insanely fun. and the sound design is top notch. Also has my favourite ost of any of the games, and the cutscenes are still enjoyable even after dozens of playthroughs.
Even the mission failed track was a banger
@@FlyXcur ikr
Gladiator was the name for all europe
It wasn't the game I expected, but I think it was the game I wanted. Streamlined in a good way and highly repayable.
My most re played R&C game :] loop was good and fun + back then i had 6 friends who played same game
A quick correction: Torval is not Ace Hardlight's homeworld, it's just the site of a toy factory where they made Ace action figures. The game's strategy guide actually included a backstory for Ace that clarified that his homeworld was accidentally destroyed by his old superhero team.
apparently merc and green got a job making burgers then retired and lived happily honestly despite their one game appearance they are amazing characters.
Hey this isn’t the 14 hour retrospective of Ratchet deadlocked...
Part 1 of 14
I think Deadlocked is such a good attempt for something new, also the Exterminator difficulty is so hardcore
Agreed. I definitely didn't like it as much as 3, but i appreciated the attempt to do something different
It was insane to play through as a kid. The Ace Hardlight fight on Exterminator is still one of the hardest fights I've ever beaten in a game. Trying to do that along with the skill point for not taking damage was really trying on my bro's and I's patience and relationship. We pulled through with the Harbinger and prayer lol
It really is interesting to look back and see how the Ratchet games grew with their audience and got darker over time rather than trying to just attract a younger crowd. It’s also funny how Deadlocked got darker and more mature and was compared to Halo, which over time, did the opposite and got less graphic.
Yesh and today we have a younger version of ratchet which design looks not growing up.
Jak and daxter is a much better example.
"Yeah, that's a Red vs. Blue joke. Ask your parents about it." That one hurt. Lol
Imagine how good of the ratchet games would have been on the PS2 if they weren’t pressed for time to meet a deadline epic space battles beautifully crafted secret areas to explore and fantastic boss fights it’s amazing how skilled and committed the insomniac workers must have been to create such masterpieces
Sadly, some if not most of the team that worked on the original quadrilogy have long since left.
@@FMK03 Unfortunately that is true although I would have to think that remaking these games in a collection for the PlayStation five wouldn’t be too hard in today’s landscape but I am not a programmer so I could not say for sure
@@FMK03 and sadly it shows, the newer games feel more cash grabby but they're looking like they're learning slowly but surely
This is easily one of the most quotable games in history.
I don't know what it is about Dallas' one-liners, but they have stuck with me for years.
"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? I have, and it's fantastic!" Is seared into my brain.
RUUUN RATCHET, RUUUUN
If Ratchet was a tough cookie, what kind of cookie would he be? I’m gonna go with snickerdoodle.
“Don’t try this at home kids, do it at a friends place!”
Don't forget tomorrow is kick your best friend in the pants day! Free popcorn for anyone who participates.
Ratchet Deadlocked is one of the ultimate game to come out in 2005. Eat your heart out, Shadow the Hedgehog!
Oh. Better not let the KH2 fans hear that.
@@superlombax1561 you may be right.
Eh, I'm a KH fan and I say both were integral to my childhood, and both were amazing games for their genres. So best of both worlds!
DAMN, not here!
Goldenbolt: It's a Red vs Blue joke, ask your parents about it
Also Goldenbolt: Multiple hour+ vids on PS1 and PS2 era action platformers
even tho i didnt watch it the joke still made me feel old lol
Oof, my liver
the co-op on this game was amazing
I know ay I spent so much time playing this with a friend it's my hope we see a new ratchet and clank game with co op similar to this in the future!
Played the coop with my homie in high school everyday after school the gladiator difficulty made it the most fun out of all ratchet and clank titles it was the hypest experience
It was a thing of beauty !
Searched this.
This is how me and my brother first played through the game originally. It can lag like a mf but was still a bunch of fun.
Dude my favorite is when that little kid ask reactor to slap him some skin and he smacks tf out of him lmao
Sent that mfer to the shadow sector with one hit.
My FAVOURITE part of this game was the Ghost Station. You're so far up the Dreadzone ranks that you're the main source of income and ratings, BUT your employer wants to get rid of you while, at the same time, wants to get the most use of you. They sent you to a place that guarantees your failure, a place where math proved that it is not beatable. Your only objective is to escape this place, theres no planet to save, no bombs to disarm, no machines to fix. Just a prison made to kill you. Personally this place has the BEST soundtrack for me, they defined the current situation so well and added tensity to the story. Along the way Clank helps you to escape, but as you're progressing, Dreadzone personnel are sabotaging you, trying to make sure you don't make it back, going from one sticky situation into another had Clank on the edge and in the thick of it, the two bots that were with you the entire way confessed they would gladly die with you in that hellfire. Finally you make it through everything BUT, before you leave, your last objective is quite literally to destroy this place. Demolish it as much as you can so nobody can ever use it, not Dreadzone, not anyone.
The entire concept of this idea, this situation happening to ANYONE, sends chills down my spine. Deadlocked really had a darker side that nobody really noticed, but once you do, you just have to LOVE IT.
THe game may have been focused on only combat and fighting but IT ONLY MADE SENSE. LOOK AT THE STORY AND THE SITUATION RATCHET IS IN. What was he gonna do?!? PLAY QWARK GAMES!? SEARCH FOR AMEBOID POOP?!
Yeah!! The only option is to go full Megatron gladiator style and murder all enemies in his way, no matter the size or strength! And frankly, I am fully ok with that!
Amen to this! The OST for all of the Ghost Station sections is also just the icing on the cake for this part of the game!
Excellent analysis man! Ratchet was my favorite series growing up and I'm happy to find so many others enjoyed Deadlocked perhaps even more than the Future titles
Eh, except for me.
Deadlocked will always be my favorite, but I enjoy the future series way more, since it was a return to form, R&C game
Oh cool, I didn't know you watched this guy too.
As much as it makes me happy to see Gladiator getting the praise it deserves, this video does make me a tad sad knowing that it could be so much more than it is with a proper development cycle.
Yeah it could have been an 11 outta 10 instead of just a 10
That goes for all the games
10 guns is actually one of the best things about the game. You get ammo you'd like more often. There's less total ammo at your disposal, forcing you to be smart with it (especially at higher difficulties) and each gun (just about) means something and is actually useful. They actually managed to make a shield gun a viable piece of equipment! And none of those ridiculous and silly weapons rear their stupid head.
And yes, the mods make things SO much better. There's so much personality to the arsenal.
The 10 gun system is perfect with guns going to v10 you use them more and longer its perfect that shitty shield in rift apart is the worst gun I've ever used in a ratchet game
The fact that we finally got a useful shotgun was great. In Going Commando, I only ever use the blitz gun for the sake of upgrading it, or as a very last resort if I was out of ammo.
It's great. The Magma cannon is my go to weapon in Gladiator. I usually give it the shock mod for extra crowd control and throw a couple speed and impact in the alpha slots to go with the ammo ones.
ah yes Exterminator difficulty, i make a lot of dumb decisions but that one haunts me to this day
@@TheMooseOnTheLeft Um the charge shot of the shotgun in up your arsenal is literally so goof at crowd clearing it outclasses that game’s super weapon. Though it’s more spinning laser of death at final stage and I suppose up your arsenal had the worst super weapon on the entire series but still the best crowd clearer and it’s literally the first weapon you get is kinda stupid.
38:27
Dear God, I remember that skin.
Me and my friends had a hell of a time playing this back in the day, beating the shit out of each other, and at one point I guess a shot landed perfectly in time with whoever was using that God forsaken skin that they died on landing from a decently high jump.
No one could tell what happened, though, so one of us just made up that he was too fat and landing at that speed shot the bones of his legs into his torso, killing him. We all started dying of laughter.
Those were better days.
Deadlocked was always just a fun game in general. I could see a game like this doing well with modern digital distribution, with additional challenges and levels added over time. Content was really all that was missing here.
god i remember going through this game thinking how different it was. it was nothing like the others, yet it still felt like it was exactly what R&C was at it's core. sure it was different, but that diddnt stop little me from completely leveling up all my weapons to the max rainbow level on the hardest difficulty!
i'll always hold this game in my heart
That air strike one was bonkers fully leveled
It's different, but I thought it was the logical step in the direction that the last 3 games had been trending in, towards more combat and shooting. 2 added the arenas. 3 added a bunch of battlefield missions to that. This game, is that, stretched out and refined into a whole game.
@@takatamiyagawa5688Like how Jak was gearing towards a combat racer
@@IXthCircle Yiiiiiiikes I wouldn't make that comparison cause driving cars was also just side content and not the main goal of the game. They made a seperate game all for it but I would say that was a much lesser known game and not an end goal for the franchise. A lot of the game was built on jak and daxter interacting and them getting into funny/dangerous situations that was entertaining and really developed their characters.
"We have a challenge for Insomniac Games. In Ratchet & Clank 69, create a storyline in which Ratchet's cancer from Stygia finally develops. Imagine the drama of a vulnerable Ratchet, still persisting in his intergalactic adventures despite his illness. It needs fleshing out, but we guarantee the gaming world would be shocked, stunned, and moved at the effort to make Ratchet's character more meaningful. We love Ratchet, but it's about time the industry had a big shock for a change."
I think a game where your character starts really powerful and slowly loses health and stamina and all that shit would be really interesting to play. Struggling with them to remember the old times and keep things moving while trying to accept that you just aren't that young or healthy anymore.
@@isaacgruver7061 spoilers but red dead 2 kinda did that.
Ratchet and Clank 69? On one hand the title could be rejected for the sexual innuendo, but it's also just a number. Too bad they couldn't get away with "4-play".
Oh hey Gaming in the Clinton Years, it's been a while!
@@isaacgruver7061 wasn’t there a game somewhat similar in concept? Like you’d die and you lose abilities or something when you restart? Or like ffxiii-2 where you had only a certain amount of in real life time to complete (that included pause time as well) otherwise it was game over?
I have thoroughly enjoyed these retrospectives. I only wish there was more known about the sound design and music made because, as a musician myself, I've always been fascinated with the sound design and soundtrack of these games. David Bergeaud, specifically the soundtracks he made for R&C, is the very reason I got into music myself!
You and me both - if there's one thing I wish I would be able to dig into that I've come short on so far, it's Bergeaud's headspace when making so much of the early games' scores, and the proper reasoning for the shift away from the earworm style into the more atmospheric and cinematic stuff we've gotten since!
@@TheGoldenBolt It really makes me wonder what that legendary composer is doing these days. It's a shame he's no longer on R&C or any Insomniac titles anymore, but I haven't heard of any new work he's done since the early 2010s.
finally ur reviewing the car combat one
wait shit
car..combat..?
@@maestrofeli4259 I think they were talking about Jak X, the equivalent Jak and Daxter game.
Interesting how you get combat-entertainment sport at the intersection of the Jak and Daxter, and Ratchet and Clank universes.
@@dreye3215 oh yeah, I forgot lol
thx
Back when Gladiator/Deadlocked was new, I genuinely liked it. While it was short and lacked the level exploration of the previous titles, its gameplay was so good that I thought it made up for it. I wasn't a fan of the segmented mission design at all, but again, gameplay was great so what ever.
A lot of people didnt like the story of Deadlocked. I thought it made sense! You are kidnapped and forced to fight for your life in an illegal holo-tvshow. The guns being able to level up to 99, the grindrail battles, the bosses were fun and memorable, and each planet had it's own challenges. Say what you want about deadlocked but it had the most replay value of all the games. And you could easily replay any mission whenever you wanted. Your two friendly bots were amazing and the announcers were a hoot.
I loved how you used the "I'm a little tea-pot" scene as a running gag in these retrospectives!
6:20
"Yeah it's a Red vs Blue joke. Ask your parents about it"
Me at 27 watching this: 😁🔫
Anyways, how about that last episode of Arby and the Chief?
im 21 why they gotta make me feel old lmao.
You feel old. Be 35 and remember those episodes coming out day one. Long before UA-cam was a thing. Yes RvB is that old.
Ah yes Ratchet: Deadlines
Rift Apart's mobility with Deadlocked's combat. Make it happen.
Man I love this game I am one of those people who loves it still. I still remember when my mom surprised me with two games. One being Shadow the Hedgehog and the other ratchet deadlocked. I was so stoked I went crazy on them and played them all night, switching between the two. Great memories playing this with my friends and family. This is for you mom always gave me what I wanted even if I didn't know I'm truly grateful to have been blessed. Great video man
This game was the most badass in the series by far. One of my childhood favorites I even took my PS3 out of retirement last year and had to buy new controllers and certain games digitally to replay the Ratchet trilogy and Deadlocked. All were just as good as they were when I was a kid, impressive
There needs to be a trophy where you get a kill with five different weapons while on low health called "adapt or die."
Man, I think as a kid i finished this game like, 20 odd times in a row. This was an amazing trip down memory lane, for the whole retrospective. Thanks for this my dude! Subbed!
I liked Deadlocked, one of my favorite games in the series it was a nice change to see Clank do something other than being a heli-pack for Ratchet, although the game could have done better, I think with their limited time they did as much as they could and still made a fun game.
Playing this game is what separated the boys from the men
What about playing it on PS3?
@@MrBeastoflegend That's what separated the men from the masochists
@@IXthCircle at least it has audio in the cutscenes now.
Amen to that
Absolutely. The boys got their mindless repetitive arena shooter spinoff experiment while the men relished the success and vibrancy of the true Ratchet and CLANK dynamic, and got to see the series return to that dynamic with continued success
Golden bolt: "Its an rvb joke ask your parents about it"
Me: *beard turns gray*
The gladiator opponents were my favorite bosses in all video gaming till this day design and combat wise.
Btw the robo zombie planet setting scared me as a kid lmao🤣
A friend of mine and I played through this game for 8 hours in one night when we were both like 9 years old. This game was incredible. I will always remember this game fondly and I am so happy to have found your channel today and found this game. Thank you.
Omg Vox News being just a propaganda outlet went wayyyy over my head when I played this back in the day 😂
Now it works two ways.
Absolutely genius lmao love little nuggets of adult humor like that
28:49 Only now I realize Vox News was parodying Fox News 😂
There's also a real left-wing network called "Vox", although it's also just Latin for "voice".
Incidentally, the Vox brand wasn't founded under that name until several years after the game came out! I did that research months ago, anticipating it'd be worth addressing in the video - or once I confirmed it didn't matter, anticipating that somebody might bring it up eventually.
@@TheGoldenBolt Couple of other anachronistic things that come to mind:
In Jak II, Daxter has a line "orange is the new black", which predates the TV series with that name by about a decade.
Also, it's hard to not be reminded of Jak X, by the film Death Race, which came out a few years later (not the one from the 1970s).
Also, not anachronistic, but one contemporary review likened Ratchet Deadlocked to the film Running Man (the one with Arnold Schwarzenegger).
In Running Man's case, Deadlocked was in fact directly inspired by that film! The only reason I didn't mention it in the video was that I only verified this was the right film near the end of the editing process lol
Deadlocked has always been my favorite of the series. I love how it really doesn’t feel like Ratchet, Clank or Al got darker and grittier, they were plunged into a world and scenario with that edgier tone. Even then the darker tone is so over the top and played for laughs. Vox, Dallas and Juanita are fantastic, the comedy in this game is by far the best for me.
As someone whose childhood was Rachet and Clank and Jak amd Daxter, that "IM GOING TO KILL PRAXIS" got me
I always loved Ratchet: Deadlocked. I'm the kind of person that actually enjoys the edgy remakes of classic IP, so when the took the silly fun of Ratchet and Clank, but gave it a story that felt a bit more impactful and harsh, I loved it. Then of course, the gameplay is one of the best in the series; I know it's not exactly the balanced adventure that everyone loved the original games for, but I always felt that the Gadgets of the first few games broke the pacing in a bad way, so their removal here wasn't a bad thing. There's also generally lots of talk about how there's less platforming, but I honestly never noticed.
I would un-ironically love a remake of this game or a spiritual successor, especially with the amazing work Insomniac recently did with Rift Apart, I can't imagine them failing to exceed expectations
This confused me, cause Ratchet & Clank was always edgy so if you had an edgy remake how will it be different? They already had a re-imaginin' and it was kiddish and couldn't hold a candle to the original edgy game.
Yes I’ve been waiting for this for a while, this is easily my favorite game in the series
This was my second venture in the Ratchet "& Clank" series. This game and Star Wars Battlefront 1 (Pandemic) were the reason my dad had bought a PS2 (Slim). We played the hell out of the co-op story mode. My dad never played games except Deer Hunter games on a Windows 98 PC at the time. I have so many memories when I was ten and we played. My dad would always say: "ANF can't be beat" every time we finished a challenge (My name is Andrew and his name is Fred). When I hear the challenge complete music, I think back on those times and I most of the time tear up because it was the most fun I had with my dad.
I really like how Al the nerd came along for the trip. I really liked his character and the fact that a tertiary NPC becomes a secondary character is really cool. Imagine if we got a game with Helga or Sasha as part of a trio with R and C. That'd be a fun twist.
Just watched the other vids like 2 days ago. Just happened across this one. Nice. This game was the first R&C game I owned. Only played the other ones with a buddy of mine. I'm so close to deciding to breaking out the ps3 just to play this.
A solid to the series run on the ps2 and the best spinoff in the franchise.
I honestly don't consider this game a spin off, tbh. Hell, even the R&C wiki calls it a main-line game.
@@michaeldunlap1032 i call it a spin off in terms of gameplay.
My favourite ratchet game, its a masterpiece.
@@BugsyFoga I mean, the gameplay is pretty much still consistent with the previous games.
there really isn't much competition considering the other spinoffs are FFA, A4O and SaC
I love these!!! For someone who can't go back and play these, your retrospectives have showed me what these games are like thank you!!! Can't wait for the next one!!!!
just get an emulator and play then
dude, this game is actually my favorite and honestly its for all the reasons you listed. the weapons, side characters, bots, level design, mods, plus how steadily you leveled up meant that nothing was boring and you constantly had stuff to do. plus the music was amazing so that helped alot
finally the end to the great PS2 saga, can't wait to watch this man, as a lifelong fan of R and C I love your in-depth retrospectives. keep it up
Another amazing retrospective as always, especially when this is my favorite of the series. You went over many of its great qualities while giving some deserved time to its real faults, something I appreciate immensely. One thing I wish you would have covered was the soundtrack as it is yet another set of bangers by David Bergeaud that of which containing my favorite track in the entire series being the, admittedly wordy, marauder tournament advanced qualifier track. I don't know exactly what it is about it, but it speaks to me, much like this game. It is one that I come back to every so often and I love it time and time again. I do hope in the future that Insomniac can go back and do another collection of these games to do them right or better yet touch them up and give them the time they deserved all those years ago. Regardless, besides my rambling I am, as always, looking forward to the next videos (both Ghost of Tsushima and Tools of Destruction) as I love the first and have very little experience with the second leading to a sense of curiosity about the game in general. I thank you again and I hope you have a great rest of your day as I have by watching the video.
Much love, my friend! I actually decided partway through just to see how long the video would be before I even touched the soundtrack. That I can go 65ish minutes says volumes about how hard this game goes! And then by the end, I decided to crank up the background music a smidge more than I usually do, and let it just speak for itself! It'd sure do a better job than I could.
@@TheGoldenBolt Well thank you for doing so, as I agree in the soundtrack's ability to speak for itself. I suppose I simply wanted to hear someone say the words, but I am perfectly content with someone giving the game it's due time. Thank you for responding to my comment as it means a lot when content creators get back to their fans occasionally.
Ratchet and Clank anime, you say...
I haven't been able to piece together if it ever made it anywhere beyond early concepts - but at the very least there are a few R&C mangas, so there's a chance something's out there somewhere!
Best retrospective I've seen of this game, dev quotes/background info and your opinion. The hour length had me unsure at first but was not packed with any filler.
11:42 What's so bad about taking Clank out of the action? I don't think the slower Clank-solo segments match well with this game, nor does inserting Clank as a second lead character into the action. Merc and Green work better as combat side characters.
I know this vid was a bitch to get out so thanks for pushing through to give us another amazing video!
Deadlocked is right there with Going Commando in terms of my second favorite Ratchet game. Obviously, nothing will ever beat the original. Loved it when it came out, still love it today. It's also in competition with Resident Evil 5 for my wife's favorite co-op game, and she has NO nostalgia for it, so there's a pretty good testimonial on its quality.
I've been watching your retrospectives back to back just over the past few days and I've gotta say that you present some damn good points and counterpoints about what the Ratchet and Clank series was and has become. It's been a breath of fresh air in this age of either hyping a game up to the nth degree, or tearing it down into a toxic mess of vitriol and constant naggery. These vids help highlight that while these games and the series have their flaws, they're fun as hell romps through crazy planets with even crazier guns and, to paraphrase Vox, "BLOWING SHIT UP".
And with that bit, that is what I love most about this game: the interactions. Deadlocked was actually my first exposure to the R&C series, along with Up Your Arsenal at a friend's house. My brother and didn't quite play through either of them before we played through the first two games and came back around the latter two. Along our way, my bro and I had an absolute blast fighting through the hoards of enemies in each game. We would laugh, joke, and tell each other when we might've missed a clue to a hidden secret or the next Gold/Platinum bolt. Once Deadlocked was finally in our hands to play, we spent all summer of one year in middle school completing the game from top to bottom. Sure, the game's writing and pace might've been off at times as you pointed out, but it didn't matter to us. The game encouraged us to work together to tear through everything with teamwork: pinpointing enemies for the other to take down with another weapon, blasting through each of the vehicle segments with me in the turrets and him driving, and just in general bantering back and forth with each other. The interactions between the characters were funny and entertaining, but the conversations I had with my bro while playing were even funnier.
We replayed the game so much that we beat and did EVERYTHING the game had to offer. This was well before game guides had been fully established or 100% farming became the norm. We leveled every weapon to 99, maxed out Ratchet's health, got every skill point on Exterminator difficulty (Even the Ace Hardlight one where you need to take no damage. That took a suped up Harbinger + other weapons, patience, and a lot of dodging to take that bastard down between the two of us.), and got every skin except for the ones from the mobile game you mentioned. We did it all and it was still one of my most enjoyable summers as a kid. My bro and I will still quote some of the lines from this game to each other, especially the "EVERYBODY DIES! Ooooh, God why..." from Dallas near the end. We still have a massive love for the Dual Raptors (my bro's fave because he was always Player 1 and he never let me use them lol) and Vulcan Cannon (my fave because of being Player 2 but wound up loving how powerful that gun is), along with the other weapons. I still hold that the Harbinger is the best of the ultimate weapons, especially after you get it to 99 with the rainbow colors and the Disintegrate mod thrown on to just annihilate everything. Hell, having rainbow fire added to each weapon as it was fully maxed was a hell of a nice touch, and my bro and I spent hours grinding experience and money to get each weapon up to that point.
We even found out the best challenge to accomplish all of this on: Endzone. It's insanely easy and the bolts just come flying to you once you start blowing the enemies back into the magma field behind them. Once you're on NG+ and have that bolt multiplayer, you can run through the mission a dozen or so times to really rack in the money for the mods and the experience too.
I mean hell, my bro and I played through the game's single player mode for the heck of it to see how it was after we had pretty much upgraded everything with the above method. We had no idea who Merc and Green were when they popped up in that rescue mission or in the ending for the brief time as Insomniac hadn't changed the story for co-op to accommodate for those two not being there besides flavor text once in the beginning about Player 2 being Alpha Clank. And hearing it in your review and experiencing it ourselves, they are indeed funny characters. But honestly, it was the interactions between me and my bro that really sold the game for us. The camaraderie we have isn't unlike Merc and Green's banter, and we still dig and laugh with each other to this day.
But welp, sorry for the novel! I just love this game, and hearing your thoughts on it compelled me to say something as well. It was a big part of my teenage years along with my bro, so thank you for your retrospective. Onto the Future series I go! Much love dude!
(And PS: love your voice and humor! Really helps me get into the vids.)
I remember this and Going Commando the most fondly because those WEAPONS man.
Maxed Harbinger with those blue rays of doom obliterating your enemies....fun times!
I didnt like Deadlocked because it was kinda dark
finally, ive been waiting for this, tnks for the dedication that you had making those videos
I love how extensive your vids are. They're super informative and fun to watch/listen to and their length makes them prime candidates for me to fall asleep to. Keep up the great work man!
Deadlocked was the first Ratchet game I ever 100%'d. All skill points, all exterminator cards, all challenges on exterminator difficulty 5 stars. It was a massive ordeal, but one I'm still proud of today.
I have so many good memories of playing 4-player deathmatches with my brothers and their friend. There was nothing quite like the frantic scramble of trying to hide seeker mines around corners, dodge sniper fire while climbing the dreadzone tower, ganging up on the one guy who managed to evolve a weapon, or just jumping into a puma and driving right into the enemy camp. It was such a cool experience.
A boss grabbing scenery and throwing it at ratchet happened in going commando
For those unaware, "Vox" is a lesser-known English word that regards the sound of someone's voice. The main villain of the game is underhandedly called a "mouth" for his name, to match his ego and his personality. I love it!
Even better, the original Latin "vox" just straight-up means voice, itself!
this is bringing me lots of memories when i was a kid playing and repeating the game multiple times on the ps2 trying to complete it without the need of going to the internet just to see how to do it faster, i just played the game and did what I did.. still have my ps2 with the memory card but I dont have any place to plug it to an old tv just to play one more time
Nice video, the way things were explained made even more clear to everyone who played the game for a long time and for new people that didnt even know the existance of this game.
Loved the video keep it going
You're making me reliving a lot of memory. Ive loved every single Ratchet and Clank, but Ratchet Gladiators (as it was named in Italy) was my favorire, so different when i tryed it for the first Time, but i had loved the Vehicles, the collaboration with the Bots and the multiplayer. I played a lot with my dad and my friends. Of course, i played a lot more the other Ratchet and Clank because of they were funnier and larger.
The amount of mods for your guns you could manipulate in this game is sick! And I've never seen anything like it since
Deadlock is by far my favorite ratchet game and in the top 5 of my favorite ps2 games.(my ffavorite console). The story and world building were just so good aswell as the insanely customizable weapons. Glad to see someone appreciating this gem.
What an amazing video on my favorite Ratchet game of all time. I know it's not the best in the series, but I have strong nostalgic memories towards this game because it was the first game I ever played on my PS2 that my parents gave me on Christmas in 2005. I think I will never forget how cool and edgy the soundtrack is compared to the other games, how the story had weight to it, how the planets had environmental storytelling to them besides being shown in short missions at times, and how no matter what crazy situations you were put in, Merc and Green were always cracking jokes, not to mention the hilarious commentaries from Dallas and Juanita. I could talk for hours about it.
Man, I love this game so much,
Thank you for making such an amazing video!
This was actually my first R&C game and I loved it and still love the series
Deadlocked is my second favorite game in the franchise, it's only beaten by Up Your Arsenal.
I loved all of these retrospectives i was looking for a video that would give these games some love and praise that they deserve that really scratched that nostalgic itch. I also think it’s awesome to hear someone else talk about a game that i loved and i wasnt the only person who enjoyed them in the same way. Also mad respect for the massive amount of research you put into this video it must have taken a lot of effort. Im hoping in the future i can find more videos like this that will talk about some other games i love that dont have any videos giving the games the love the deserve. Jak and daxter, brutal legend, tak, alice madness returns, oblivion, and gears of war, all games i love that never get any epic hour long videos that talk about these games with the love and respect you did about ratchet and clank. Oh well maybe in the future, thanks again for the epic videos.
I remember this game being great. One of the few games I would replay over and over because of its serious tone, crazy action and subverted humor. Blowing stuff up is fun too.
Holy shit..This is weird timing..I just started replaying this game this week since like 15 years ago..its amazing.
Your excellent retrospectives have made me start replaying the franchise. Thank you for helping me re-discover my childhood love for these games!
Thanks for writing this love letter to a game I actually really enjoy. Even though I have many hours invested in the other games I can say that Ratchet deadlocked is a game that I've not only played for long periods of time but I've replayed it countless times.
I always loved how the titles had numbers hidden in their graphics. The metal background the words “Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando” are in is shaped like a two, and the “&” in Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is backwards like a 3. This one didn’t have a 4 anywhere
Is it biased of me to say I haven't even seen the video yet, and I know it's gonna be great?
Very, it's ok tho. I feel the same way.
Can confirm your theory there is absolutely correct it was brilliant
I cant believe the reason they made deadlock "edgy" both literally and metaphroically is to allow coop
I really think what i loved the most about this game was the banter. I also loved to chill out and listen to the radio in a crack in time. It more than just fills in dead air.
“Gravity boots! Our way of sayin’ ‘Screw you, nature!’ You can walk on metallic walls and ceilings. You can go home and scare your momma! I don’t care!” -Merc
I felt so alone in having this as my favorite game of the series. I could go into detail all day about why I love it so much. Thanks to the comments and this retrospective, I know I’m not the only one that felt this game was underrated.
Easily one of my favorite games
Would seriously give a kidney to have a remastered version, not a port
With more missions and challenges
Cool video
On the note of the exterminator each one represent aspect of what hollywood and their celebrities.
Shellshock is the celeb whose tragedy is used to advertise them.
Reactor is the one who gets the false life story or exaggerated life story.
The Eviserator and I had to look this up is the child star.
Ace is the someone who became famous and become corrupted by it and will do anything to keep it
and Ratchet gets the bad boy image
Shellshock is just Arnold Schwartznegger.
My absolute favorite in the series no contest. Favorite gameplay, story, soundtrack, and too much else to mention. Seeing this review makes me wanna play it again
First video I've seen from you! UA-cam algorithm decided to bless me today, this was a great retrospective. Good to see a more objective take on the game from a fan of the series, pointing both good and bad things about. Liked, subscribed and now I'm on my way to watch the rest of your R&C retrospectives and probably other videos too!
Absolutely love this game so much so that I went out of my way to 100 percent and that's saying something because it's not as easy to do as the other ratchet and clank
Ok...and we should care why?
@@Notconceitedjustbetterthanyou grow up
@@Notconceitedjustbetterthanyou Same reason we should care about your comment. Unless someone's got a gun to your head, you don't have to, and if you don't care, you can try not being a c-word that is only offensive to people outside of Australia.
@@Notconceitedjustbetterthanyou Bait detected.
"It looks like it's wet" lmao
man i wish in this and the uya video u actually deep dived into the multiplayer. I love the in depth work you have done and u present it well. thank you for bringing this to the people. we love it!
This was the first R&C game i ever played and it made me fall in love with the series, great vid btw