Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, known as Ratchet & Clank 5 in Japan, is the fifth installment in the original Ratchet & Clank series.
Plot[]
While on a vacation on Pokitaru, Ratchet and Clank meet a little girl named Luna who is writing a school report on heroes. Shortly after they meet her, Luna is kidnapped by mysterious robots. Clank then stumbles upon a mysterious artifact from an ancient race, the Technomites. Although Ratchet is initially skeptical about their existence, Clank believes they do exist. Ratchet and Clank set out to save Luna and in the process, encounter Captain Qwark, who is attempting to find his birth parents. Ratchet allows him to use his ship's computer to aid in his search, in order to make him stop following them.
On Kalidon, Ratchet is kidnapped by Luna, and Clank is left in a junkyard on Metalis, however Clank turns into a bigger Clank and sets off to destroy enemies and to save Ratchet. Meanwhile, Ratchet's DNA was taken in order to produce an army of clones. Emperor Otto Destruct, leader of the Technomites, has recognized Ratchet's potential and hopes to use his DNA to produce the ultimate soldier. After being tracked down and defeated on Dayni Moon, Luna reveals the clone plot to Ratchet and Clank and explains the Technomites are bitter for never receiving credit from the general population for their technological advances.
After defeating Luna, Clank tries to get the clone factory co-ordinates from Luna, but is infected with a computer virus and malfunctions, allowing the Technomite soldiers inside Luna to enter Clank. Ratchet uses his shrink ray to go inside Clank, meeting his internal security system, and they collaborate to eliminate the intruders and restart Clank's processor. Clank reveals that he did obtain the factory co-ordinates before being deactivated, and they head to a planet known as Quodrona. After Ratchet kills dozens of clones, Otto reveals that what Luna told them was a "(cheesy story)", and his real plan is to steal the intelligence of every being in the galaxy, using a special machine that transfers the intelligences from one being to another.
Qwark, persuaded by Otto, thinks Otto is his father and temporarily fights on his side. Ratchet and Clank eventually defeat him after a long and hard battle. After beating Otto, they learn from Skrunch that Qwark's real parents were killed by defective equipment made by the Technomites. Qwark tries to use Otto's machine to give Otto the intelligence of himself, Skrunch interferes and Otto then gains the intelligence of Skrunch. Back in Ratchet and Clank's apartment, shrunken Ratchet clones are sold like toys and keep the shrunken Qwark company, while the two heroes watch Holovision (TV).
Gameplay[]
As with Ratchet & Clank and Going Commando, space combat is present. However, this time, the player controls Giant Clank, rather than a ship. Also, there are arena battles, but this time, the player plays as Clank in a variety of vehicles. Clank returns as a playable character, and is again able to control a set of Gadgebots, smaller robots which can perform certain tasks for him, although this only occurs in one section of the game. But the player may still play with Gadgebots in Clank Challenges.
Similar to previous games in the series, this game contains a variety of weapons which can be upgraded. For example, the Lacerator is upgraded to the Dual Lacerators. Mods can be purchased for most weapons from Slim Cognito vendors. Some weapons and gadgets from previous games appear, such as the Hypershot, Bolt Grabber and R.Y.N.O. Nanotech (health) can also be upgraded. The main way to beat enemies is firepower, so bolts (which are used as currency) are an important criteria of the game. Although there is no way to access weapons, etc. from previous games, additional skins can be unlocked on Secret Agent Clank if the player has a Size Matters save.
There is also a new system for acquiring armor. Instead of buying armor from special vendors, as with games such as Going Commando, parts of armor are found in levels, and can be combined to make different suits, each with their own unique advantage, as well as additional protection.
When the player completes the game they can choose to enter "Challenge Mode", but you don't have to. It is easier to get all 25 skill points before challenging Otto (again). Some skill points are harder to achieve because some of them upgrade. For example, the giant clank missions are skill points if you get a high enough score. In normal mode, you only need 600 points. In challenge mode, you need 950 points. While still possible, you can choose to give yourself a challenge with this portion of the game. Challenge mode is a harder version of the game, with tougher enemies. To counter this, all weapons, armor and bolts acquired so far are carried through. New sets of armor are available in Challenge Mode and there is a bolt multiplier feature included. Weapons can also be upgraded further by purchasing "Titan" versions.
There are a total of twenty-five Skill Points in the game, which are gained by performing certain tasks, the only clue to which is the name of the particular Skill Point. These will unlock cheats in the game. There are twenty Titanium Bolts to be found which can be used to buy skins for Ratchet.
Reception[]
The original PlayStation Portable version of the game received overall positive reviews. Game Informer rated 9/10 and awarded it the "Handheld of the Month" for April 2007.IGN gave it 9.0/10.On the other hand, the PlayStation 2 port of the game received lukewarm scores, with IGN giving it a score of 6/10, citing its poor graphics, dull gameplay, and tons of glitches. Metacritic gave the game a 85/100 (PSP).