Ratchet & Clank series

The Ratchet & Clank series are 3D platform/third-person shooter video games developed by Insomniac Games and High Impact Games and published by Sony. As the series grew it became more of a franchise with other releases such as comic books.

The series' two main characters are Ratchet, a Lombax mechanic, and Clank, a robot that was originally designed for destruction, but due to an error, does the opposite of his originally intended purpose.

Ratchet is controlled by the player for the majority of the game series, using a variety of weapons, to eliminate opponents. At times, Clank becomes playable for short sequences.

The currency of the game's worlds are bolts, and the health unit is Nanotech. There are also space combat levels.

The series is incredibly diverse, rocketing from planet to planet, and galaxy to galaxy. The series is incredibly colorful and dramatic, on some planets the sky looks nothing like the sky of the real world as you can see many planets and other features of space from the surface you're on.

The duo's main goals are to defend the universe from evil. In every game, there is an evil mastermind who tries to either dominate or destroy the galaxy.

All of the PlayStation 2 games run on a modified version of the Jak and Daxter engine.

The six Ratchet & Clank games (Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile Ratchet: Deadlocked Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty and Secret Agent Clank does not count) have combined to sell over 23 million copies worldwide.

A new in-universe game is going to be released in Fall 2011, called Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One.

Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank was released on November 4, 2002 in North America and Europe on the PlayStation 2. In the game, Chairman Drek plans to take pieces of different planets across the Solana Galaxy and create one planet for his people, the Blarg. Aside from the two protagonists, the game also introduces Captain Qwark, who appears in most of the following games.

Ratchet & Clank was the first Western game to be bundled in with the PlayStation 2 in Japan.

Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
The sequel, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (Ratchet & Clank: Locked and Loaded or Ratchet & Clank 2 in the UK and Europe), was released on November 11, 2003 in North America on the PlayStation 2. There are many improvements over the first game, in that weapons, and also Ratchet's spaceship, can be modified. Going Commando also introduced strafing to gameplay. The game takes place in a different setting than the first game, this time in the Bogon Galaxy.

Ratchet's personality is drastically different in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, since many people complained about his attitude in the first game.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
The third game in the series, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (Ratchet & Clank 3 in the UK and Europe) was released on November 2, 2004 in North America on the PlayStation 2. UYA improves on Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando by adding more weapons and mods. In UYA, Ratchet and Clank take on Dr. Nefarious in his plan to turn all of the Solana Galaxy population into robots.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is also the first game in the series to offer online competitive multiplayer.

Ratchet: Deadlocked
Released on October 25, 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Ratchet: Deadlocked (Ratchet: Gladiator in the UK and Europe). In Deadlocked, Ratchet and Clank are captured and forced to compete in an underground sport called "DreadZone" in a remote section of the Solana Galaxy known as the "Shadow Sector", run by the media mogul Gleeman Vox. Ratchet: Deadlocked supports online play and a cooperative mode.

In Ratchet: Deadlocked, Clank is reduced to an unplayabale, supporting character, reflecting the game's title.

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Another Ratchet & Clank game, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. Now available for both the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable this time however developed by High Impact Games, a company composed of former Insomniac Games employees. The game picks up where Deadlocked stopped. Ratchet and Clank are having a well-earned vacation on Pokitaru when a little girl named Luna is kidnapped and the duo are lured into a scheme plotted out by an ancient race of Technomites.

Secret Agent Clank
Secret Agent Clank is the first game focused on Clank, who goes on a mission to rescue Ratchet after he is found guilty for a crime he didn't commit. It is then up to Clank to prove his innocence. This game takes place after Size Matters and before Tools of Destruction. It was released on the PlayStation Portable worldwide by High Impact Games and on the PlayStation 2 in America only by Sanzaru Games.

Ratchet &amp; Clank Future series
The Ratchet &amp; Clank Future series consists of three games. Named the "Future" trilogy due to the 3 games being the first Ratchet & Clank titles to be on the PS3 exclusives, the games have a single story arc that is more dramatic and emotional than the plots of previous titles.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
The first Ratchet & Clank game for the PlayStation 3 was released October 23, 2007. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction was developed once again by Insomniac Games for the PlayStation 3. It is also the first game to be set in the Polaris Galaxy. Ratchet learns about the Lombax Secret, and that he is the only Lombax that remains in the universe. Meanwhile, Emperor Percival Tachyon tries to bring back the Cragmites from Banishment, which involves finding the Lombax Secret. There are many gameplay and graphical improvements from PS2 titles and it has been highly praised.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty
Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty is the first game to be downloadable content from the PlayStation Network, in Europe it was released on Blu-Ray disc as well, both for the PS3. It is the eighth installment in the Ratchet & Clank series, and takes place after Tools of Destruction. It sees Ratchet trying to track down Clank, after the Zoni took him away at the end of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. It was released on the PlayStation Network on August 21, 2008.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is the latest game in the Ratchet &amp; Clank Future series. It was released for the PlayStation 3 on October 27, 2009. The game takes place after the events of Quest for Booty and focuses on Dr.Nefarious returning with another master plan. Ratchet and Clank are still separated, but nevertheless co-operate remotely. Ratchet meets another Lombax named Alister Azimuth on his journey who serves as a mentor.

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One includes co-operative multiplayer and it allows up to 4 players to play as either Ratchet, Clank, Qwark and Nefarious together, after one of Nefarious' evil plans backfire and lands the 4 in the snare of an evil machine.

Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile
Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile was released in November 2005 only for mobile phones. A 2D platformer, it was not developed by Insomniac, but by the company Handheld Games. Ratchet & Clank are transported into your mobile phone and have to fight their way back out. There are seven weapons available, and twelve levels (including an Arena). Finally, they have to defeat Maximillian, Secret Agent Clank's nemesis.

Going Mobile is the first 2D Ratchet & Clank installment, specially made for mobile phones.

Ratchet & Clank: Clone Home
Ratchet & Clank: Clone Home, is, so far, the only Ratchet & Clank game that has been cancelled. It was decided to be released only for mobile phones. Ratchet & Clank: Clone Home would have continued where Going Mobile ends, although the storyline of Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters interfered.

PlayStation Move Heroes
PlayStation Move Heroes is an upcoming 2010 Action-adventure video game developed by Nihilistic Software for the PlayStation 3 video game console utilizing the PlayStation Move. In this game participate: Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter and Sly & Bentley franchises to form a total of six main characters.

Ratchet & Clank Manga
Ratchet & Clank Manga is a series of Manga comics released in Japan.

The Adventures of Captain Starshield
The Adventures of Captain Starshield is an online comic released on Insomniac Games website.

Ratchet & Clank comic series
Ratchet & Clank comic series is a comic series of mini-adventures of Ratchet and Clank.

Spyro
The same developer created both of the series, both have similarities. Here they are:
 * Both have Dan Johnson references.
 * Both involve some sort of flame attack (like the Pyrociter from the first Ratchet & Clank game).
 * Both have platforming elements.
 * Robo-Wings work like Spyro flying challenges.
 * Both have things that make them glide for a small amount of time (like Clank's Heli-Pack)
 * Although Spyro had switched developers by now, both series have had a recent trilogy (Ratchet and Clank Future and The Legend of Spyro).

Jak and Daxter
Since two developers (which were friends) made the series, Jak and Daxter have made several appearances and have several similarities (after the first Jak and Daxter). Here they are:
 * Both have weapons.
 * Both games have made an appearance in each other.
 * Both are set in futuristic-looking environments.
 * Both developers have made a fourth game (Ratchet: Deadlocked of the Ratchet & Clank series and Jak X: Combat Racing of the Jak and Daxter games) which was not a platformer, and featured multiplayer.
 * Both have humorous elements.
 * Both have had a game made by High Impact Games.
 * Both have had a whole game featuring the sidekick as the main character (Secret Agent Clank of the Ratchet & Clank series and Daxter of the Jak and Daxter games).

Resistance

 * After earning enough trophies, you can give your soldier a Clank backpack.
 * The series was made by Insomniac Games.
 * They both have skill points.

Sly Cooper

 * Ratchet and Clank appear on a wall in Sly 2.
 * Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal has the Sly 2 demo.
 * They both have a hand held melee weapon

Super Mario Bros
"Plumbers don't just go jumping down strange pipes - that would be crazy!"

- The Plumber


 * Both have space exploration, like Ratchet on the moons in A Crack in Time and Mario on moons in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
 * Both walk up walls, like Ratchet with his gravity boots and Mario running up walls.
 * Both games have some bosses, like Slag and Bowser, that use a shock wave attack.
 * Both include flying like Ratchet on Clank's Robo-wings and Mario using his wing-cap in Super Mario 64, the P-Wing in Super Mario Bros. 3, and the Red Star in Super Mario Galaxy.
 * Both include a wall-jump ability.
 * Both have a whole game featuring the sidekick as the main character (Luigi's Mansion and Secret Agent Clank).
 * When the Plumber was in Clank's memory banks he references the Super Mario Bros. heavily through the use of warp pipes and occupation (i.e. plumber).
 * Orvus is voiced by Charles Martinet who is commonly known for voicing Mario in most of the games.
 * In the end of Super Mario Galaxy a large supernova almost destroys everything. This resembles the time rip that happened in A Crack in Time.
 * In the end of Super Mario Galaxy, the Lumas sacrificed themselves to save the universe from being destroyed by a huge supernova, which was very similar to when Alister Azimuth sacrificed himself to prevent the clock from destroying the universe.