Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal

The multiplayer is rad and becomes better than it could have from the last title since this game improves a lot of the mobility options of previous entries. Some people will crack the game for its more strict linearity and homogeneity in gameplay, but I actually prefer this because the gunplay has always been Ratchet's strong point. If anything the gimmick levels were weaker than the core game - The flying and Qwark sections are fine distractions, but don't really elevate the game.

If you liked the combat from the first game, here you shall find ever more of it, with a bit more polish and some different new weapons in the mix. It's a bit light on the platforming per se, unless you count the little 2D levels you eventually encounter. Annualized sequels often avoid anything too different or elaborate, and that's somewhat the case here; still, a fun, attractive, and amusingly presented game, and a high bar for platformers of the time. (Dumb, ill-fitting subtitles continue.)

OK game. Pretty good for a kids 3D World game as this was better than most 3D Scrollers.

A very slight step down from Going Commando but Up Your Arsenal still has a lot to offer from a franchise as great as this one. The problem is that it lacks the polish of the first two and has evidence of a rushed production in its repetitiveness. Even considering these problems, this is still a classic.