Secret Agent Clank (game)

Secret Agent Clank is an action/shooter developed by High Impact Games exclusively for the PlayStation Portable. The game was released on June 17 2008, and is the sixth game in the series, it stars Clank as the main character, playing the role of a secret agent. It takes place after Size Matters but before Tools of Destruction.

As the title suggests, the theme is a spoof of the 007 series. To fit with this theme, he is wearing a tuxedo throughout the game. Like the original 007, Clank has an array of helpful gadgets and devices on his tuxedo, such as a bow tie that he can use as a boomerang, and a carnation that he can transform into a monster that eats enemies. Clank has at one point or another in the series been on a television show where he was a secret agent.

Gameplay
Secret Agent Clank sticks with the franchise's blend of the shooting and platforming genres, while also delving deeper into stealth and melee to fit Clank's abilities. For example, the game features mini-games where the player must press a sequence of buttons correctly to sneak through an area.

Giant Clank, a staple to some games in the series wherein Clank transforms into a monster-sized fighting machine, will also make an appearance; it's been mentioned that he will soar into the sky, manning a new superweapon.



Weapons & Gadgets
Clank's Arsenal


 * Tie-A-Rang


 * Cufflink Bomb


 * Blowtorch Briefcase


 * Tanglevine Carnation


 * ThunderStorm Umbrella


 * Holo-Knuckles

Confirmed Gadgets:


 * Jet Boots


 * Holomonocle


 * Black Out Pen


 * Hypnowatch


 * PDA


 * Bolt Extractor


 * Bolt Grabber


 * Box Breaker


 * Therm-Optic Shades


 * Omni-Key

While Ratchet is in prison, Clank gives him "Birthday Cakes" including his old weapons for him to escape.


 * Wrench


 * Dual Lacerators


 * Shard Gun


 * Walloper


 * Shock Rocket


 * Bee Mine Mk. II


 * Pork Bomb Gun


 * Plasma Whip


 * Mine Launcher


 * RYNO

Other Playable Characters
Besides Clank, both Captain Qwark and Ratchet are playable in the game. Qwark's gameplay segments are based on dubious accounts of his own exploits and are more action based. Ratchet's segments in prison force him to fight with enemies from previous games.

Story
This game focuses for the first time in the series on the adventures of the beloved robot sidekick, Clank, and his secret alter-ego, Secret Agent Clank. Set after Size Matters, but before the events of Tools of Destruction, the premise behind Secret Agent Clank surrounds Ratchet as he's framed for a crime that he didn't commit. Unfortunately for the hero the trial is skewed against him and he is found guilty. To save his friend, Clank dons his Secret Agent Clank persona and investigates who's behind the accusations. Along the way, he acquires new abilities, such as Clank-Fu. He'll also gain access to new weapons, such as bow tie boomerangs, cuff-link bombs and jet boots. While Clank investigate, Ratchet fights previous henchmen he defeated and Captain Qwark tries to free Ratchet. Ratchet was found guilty because of his "being a hero really doesn't pay" speech. The first area Clank will explore is the Boltaire Museum which is where Ratchet was caught.

As Clank goes to the Boltaire Museum to halt the theft of a priceless jewel known as the "Eye of Infinity", he sees, to his shock, Ratchet fleeing the scene of the crime. Ratchet is promptly found and arrested by local law enforcement. While retinal scans prove that the thief was Ratchet, Clank is convinced of his friend's innocence. While Ratchet is sent to prison, Clank investigates the theft further, traveling to various locales until he comes across an enigmatic figure known only as the "Kingpin". While going through an abandoned space facility, the Kingpin reveals himself to be none other than Klunk, Clank's evil doppelganger first introduced in Up Your Arsenal. Klunk steals Clank's transport, forcing him to enlarge and track the vehicle.

In the meantime, Ratchet confronts some of his old enemies he has placed in prison while Captain Qwark travels around the galaxy to start his autobiography with a less-than-thrilled reporter-bot, Biographical Analysis Robot Neo Eight Yellow or B.A.R.N.E.Y., coming along for the ride. When Clank finally confronts Klunk, the evil mastermind reveals his plan: he had stolen the Eye to use as a refractor for a massive laser system perfectly poised to destroy every planet in the galaxy. Klunk, acting through Ratchet (via a mind-control helmet), would threaten to use the laser for a planet to rule. Just in time, Klunk, posing as Clank, would stop Ratchet from destroying the galaxy, placing the hero in jail forever while Klunk, as Clank, would be idolized by the populace.

Halfway through their battle, Klunk activates the laser, knowing that only he knows the password. Clank knocks out Klunk and manages to deactivate the firing sequence while Qwark accidentally beams himself aboard the satellite, retrieves the Eye, and dismantles the device. Ratchet is exonerated of the crimes filed against him, B.A.R.N.E.Y., secretly working for Klunk, tries to assassinate Qwark, but is stopped by Clank, and Klunk is placed in Ratchet's custody, being turned into a new vacuum cleaner to use in the apartment. Spoilers

Development
The game has been in development since before the release of Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. In July 2007, rumors of the game's existence surfaced when David Bergeaud, who composes music for the Ratchet & Clank series, accidentally revealed the game in his online resume. The actual game was not confirmed by Sony until a pre-TGS 2007 conference

Interconnectivity between other games
A code found in the IRIS Supercomputer in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is included for this game, when the code is typed in on the Secret Agent Clank demo, a voice message appears saying "You've unlocked the Zoni skin."

Developers for the company have also stated that PSP users who have a Size Matters save file will be given special bonuses.

Also, those who pre-order get an action figure.