PS3 Review: Ratchet and Clank: QForce

Ratchet and Clank meets Tower Defense

The Ratchet and Clank series has had its ups and downs over the years, but mostly ups with the two trilogies. It’s the other games on the side that haven’t been quite as successful, games like Deadlocked and All 4 One were pretty disappointing and it looks like QForce (or Full Frontal Assault in North America) isn’t sticking to the true R&C formula by adding in a strategic tower defense game mixed into the weapon play and platforming of the series.

It’s an interesting idea, you gather bolts to pay for turrets and repairs and hold off waves of enemies from destroying generators at your base, but you also have to advance and take other nodes which will gain you more bolts over time and you have to capture the enemy base. It’s better playing with other people as one person can defend while the other attacks, it does work as a solo experience but it isn’t very much fun on your own.

Capturing nodes unlocks more weapons for you to use and in true Ratchet and Clank style; the weapons are the real stars and pack a real punch against enemies. The plot is a bit thin on the ground, but there are still moments of comic gold from the triple act of Ratchet, Clank and Qwark. The gameplay itself isn’t bad, it still plays like a Ratchet and Clank game, but running back and forth between the bases is a little repetitive and holding off waves of enemies does wear thin after a while.

Multiplayer takes the form that you would expect. Players are divided into teams and try and capture/defend each others bases and nodes, it’s probably the better way to play the game but as with the main game, the lifespan is a bit limited. I had great fun playing, but it just runs out of steam after a while and offers no real surprises. Visually, the game is still pleasing to the eye and the cutscenes look straight out of a Pixar animation, voice-acting is brilliant and hilarious as always.

The Verdict

Ratchet and Clank QForce isn’t a standard game in the series, it has its good and bad points. The good is that it handles like past games and isn’t a 4-player co-op mess like All 4 One was. The bad is that the experience fails to be exciting and everything just becomes samey after a while, the multiplayer is fun for a bit but ultimately becomes routine.