Up Your Arsenal features a competitive multiplayer mode that supports both offline split-screen for up to four players and online matches for up to eight. The multiplayer includes ten maps, most based on locations from the single-player campaign, alongside three distinct game modes, eight weapons, and two vehicles. Matches are typically team-based, dividing players into Red and Blue teams, though some modes are free-for-all.
Multiplayer is available in the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game but is absent in the PlayStation Vita port. The official servers for both the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 versions have since been shut down.
Game modes[]
Players can join a match via "Quick Play" or host a custom lobby to define the match options, including the game mode, map, and which weapons or vehicles are permitted.
Siege[]
Gameplay of Siege.
The primary objective of Siege is to destroy the opposing team's power core. To do this, teams must first destroy the two gatling turrets defending the enemy base, which then allows them to teleport inside for the final assault. Each base is further protected by missile turrets, AI-controlled troopers, and unique defenses: the Red base spawns fast-moving robotic rollers, while the Blue base deploys a floating machine that constantly generates hostile scout bots.
Nodes are a key strategic element in Siege, providing forward spawn points and access to vehicles, which are often crucial for destroying a base's heavy defenses. In the "Attrition Siege" variation, each captured node also bolsters that team's base defenses, increasing their health, damage, and accuracy.
Siege is supported on the maps Bakisi Isles, Blackwater City, Hoven Gorge, Korgon Outpost, Metropolis, and Outpost X12.
Capture the Flag[]
Capture the Flag.
In Capture the Flag, teams must infiltrate the enemy base, steal their flag, and return it to their own base to score a point. The first team to reach the score limit wins. The mode has two variations: "Normal" mode requires a team's own flag to be at their base to score, while "Chaos" mode only requires capturing the enemy's flag.
All maps support Capture the Flag.
Deathmatch[]
Gameplay of Deathmatch.
The goal in Deathmatch is to be the first to reach a pre-set number of kills. The standard mode is a free-for-all, while Team Deathmatch divides players into Red and Blue teams, with kills contributing to a team score. This mode features no bases or nodes; players respawn at random locations after being killed. Players lose a point for self-inflicted deaths, such as falling off the map.
All maps support Deathmatch.
Maps and nodes[]
| Maps |
|---|
| Aquatos Sewers |
| Bakisi Isles |
| Blackwater City |
| Blackwater Docks |
| Command Center |
| Hoven Gorge |
| Korgon Outpost |
| Marcadia Palace |
| Metropolis |
| Outpost X12 |
Most maps feature strategic nodes that can be captured to gain a tactical advantage. Uncaptured nodes are guarded by neutral troopers and turrets. To capture a node, a player must first defeat its defenders and then turn a nearby bolt crank until the node changes to their team's color. A captured node serves as a forward spawn point and provides access to weapons, ammo, and sometimes vehicles or defensive drone bots. A rare few also have missile turrets that only attack vehicles.
Nodes are a mandatory component of Siege mode but are optional in Capture the Flag. A mini-map in the corner of the screen shows the positions of teammates, enemies, and captured nodes. If killed, players can choose to respawn at their main base or any captured node.
Player arsenal and customization[]
Weapons[]
The multiplayer features a curated arsenal of eight weapons drawn from across the first three games: the N60 Storm, Blitz Gun, Gravity Bomb, Minirocket Tube, Lava Gun, Flux Rifle, Morph-o-Ray, and the Mine Glove. Players start each life with only the N60 Storm and must acquire other weapons from crates scattered across the map. The Holoshield Glove is also available for defense.
Weapons function similarly to their single-player counterparts but typically have less ammo. After a weapon is used to kill three players, it upgrades to a more powerful version. Upon death, a player drops a weapon pack containing their arsenal, which can be collected by any other player.
Vehicles[]
Two vehicles are available on certain maps, both of which can be operated by two players simultaneously. The slow-moving hovership allows a driver to pilot and fire rocket blasters, while a second player operates a bomb launcher. Conversely, the fast turboslider has a forward-facing machine gun for the driver and a rear-mounted turret for a gunner.
Gadgets[]
Several traversal gadgets are enabled by default. The Hypershot allows players to swing across gaps, while the Gravity Boots permit travel along grav-ramps on walls and ceilings. The Charge Boots are an optional toggle in match setup, allowing for faster movement across larger maps. Some maps also feature jump pads or mannable turrets for strategic positioning.
Skins[]
Players can choose from a wide variety of character skins, which are colored red or blue in-game to correspond with their team. A default skin can be set in a player's profile, or it can be changed in a pre-game lobby.
Two special skins, Dan Johnson and Dr. Nefarious, were unlockable through unique cheat codes distributed via the official Insomniac Games website and newsletter. These codes were tied to a player's specific online profile and had to be entered in the 'Edit Profile' menu while holding 
.
Community[]
In the PlayStation 2 version, each player created a unique profile and username for online play. These profiles were used for official leaderboards, and players could add others as "Buddies" and communicate via voice chat. For the PlayStation 3 version, players simply used their PlayStation Network accounts. Locally, any number of profiles could be created and saved to a single Up Your Arsenal save file, each with its own username, control settings, and default skin.
The official Insomniac Games website featured a ranked online leaderboard until the PlayStation 2 servers were shut down on June 26, 2012. Servers for the PlayStation 3 HD remaster were launched on August 28, 2012, but were later shut down on February 15, 2018, alongside those for Ratchet: Deadlocked.
Behind the scenes[]
Insomniac Games saw multiplayer potential in the Ratchet & Clank series from early on, owing to its distinct weapons and gadgets.[1] It was planned as a major component of Up Your Arsenal, a request from Sony that Insomniac was enthusiastic to fulfill.[2] The development required splitting the studio's resources, as Insomniac was committed to making the multiplayer's graphical and animation quality match the single-player campaign.[3][2][1] The inclusion of multiplayer was also a primary motivator for adding the Lock-Strafe control scheme.[4]
The team had difficulty balancing weapons for player-versus-player combat.[1] Since the new single-player weapons were not yet finalized when multiplayer prototyping began, the modes were initially developed using weapons from previous games. As a result, many weapons in the final multiplayer mode are returning classics rather than new additions. To accommodate split-screen play, which required rendering the scene up to four times, the team used lower polygon models for weapons and level geometry compared to the single-player mode.[3]
The cut mini-mech seen in the Insomniac Museum.
One planned feature that was cut was the "Mini-mech". The concept was a large, summonable mech, similar to an AT-AT from Star Wars, that would help a team assault the enemy base.[3] Text for the feature still exists in the game's files,[5] and the model for the mini-mech can be viewed in the Insomniac Museum.[6]
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Eurogamer 2004
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Stout, Garcia May 2012 3:29
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ratchet & Clank Wiki 2019 interview with Mike Stout
- ↑ Stout, Garcia April 2012 3:59
- ↑ Up Your Arsenal, Scrapped Items on The Cutting Room Floor
- ↑ Up Your Arsenal, Insomniac Museum § Multiplayer mini-mech
References[]
- Video games
- Insomniac Games (2004). Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal [Game]. PlayStation 2.
- Websites
- Eurogamer staff (2004, August 3). "Ratchet Ups His Arsenal". From Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 3 2023.
- Ratchet & Clank Wiki (2019). Interview with Mike Stout. Interview conducted by Technobliterator.
- Videos
- Stout, Mike; Garcia, Tony [@uselesspodcasts] (2012, April 4). Ratchet & Clank 3 Dev Commentary: 4 - Marcadia Refractor / Battlefield [Video]. YouTube.
- Stout, Mike; Garcia, Tony [@uselesspodcasts] (2012, May 24). Ratchet & Clank 3 Dev Commentary: 12 - Hate Missiles (Snowbeast Award Winner) [Video]. YouTube.