The Walloper is a weapon manufactured by Gadgetron Corporation that features in Ratchet & Clank (2002 game), Going Commando, and Secret Agent Clank. It appeared in Up Your Arsenal when used by test dummies. It is a melee weapon which does not use any ammunition, making it an economically useful weapon, and while deals more damage than the OmniWrench, is notably less versatile.
The Walloper cannot be upgraded in Ratchet & Clank but could be upgraded to the Mega Walloper in Going Commando. It can be upgraded to the Marauder in Secret Agent Clank, and in challenge mode, to the Titan Marauder.
History[]
The Walloper was Gadgetron's most popular short range weapon.[1] Its popularity meant it was one of the weapons sold by the Help Matron in Barlow on the Bogon Galaxy, before Megacorp drove Gadgetron out of business.
Ratchet first obtained the Walloper during Ratchet & Clank. Additionally, several test dummies fought in the Gadgetron site on Kalebo III had Wallopers equipped to fight Ratchet. When he left the Solana Galaxy in Going Commando, he purchased the weapon again in Going Commando.
Ratchet did not purchase the weapon in Up Your Arsenal, but the test dummies which equipped Wallopers from the original Ratchet & Clank made a return, and he fought them in the VR deck on the Starship Phoenix.
A Walloper with an updated design appeared in Secret Agent Clank, and was used by Ratchet during his stay in the Prison Planet. This Walloper was the only known wearable device capable of sending objects into orbit, and was used for prison-based license-plate stamping after a marketing campaign aimed at the youth model rocket crowd resulted in costly lawsuits.[2] It was also upgradeable to the Marauder, which loosened the plasma coils on the fist spikes of the weapon, allowing rogue streams of plasma to strike nearby opponents.[3]
Characteristics[]
In most of its appearances, the Walloper has the typical appearance of a boxing glove. It has a silver cuff attached to Ratchet's arm, but is otherwise a lighter silver metallic glove. When Ratchet uses the weapon, it produces a blue aura, as Ratchet swiftly moves in the direction he is facing to attack enemies.
In Secret Agent Clank, the Walloper is a mostly blue weapon, with a pinkish-red protrusion at its center. It also features silver marks and small spikes. The Marauder upgrade features a more pronounced metal band with spikes, with the same color scheme.
_render.png "Walloper from R&C (2002) render.png (3.77 MB)")
Gameplay[]
Overview[]
In all games, the Walloper excels in powerful short range propelled bursts, which launch Ratchet directly forward. Aiming the Walloper requires little skill, simply turn Ratchet into the direction of an enemy and use the weapon to strike it. The Walloper has a slightly wider range than Ratchet, meaning it has some use in small clusters and can even block projectiles in mid-air.
Despite the increase in damage and range compared to the OmniWrench, the Walloper has a short time in which Ratchet is vulnerable to damage or flanking attacks. Said moment occurs directly when he finishes striking and he holds his punching pose for a split second. At this point, an unharmed enemy could attack from the side or perhaps shoot Ratchet from a distance.
Ratchet & Clank[]
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Ratchet using the Walloper.
The Walloper was made available for purchase from a vendor on planet Gaspar and onward. It can be bought for 7,500 bolts, or 5,000 bolts with the Persuader. Unlike many other weapons in the game, the Walloper cannot be upgraded to a gold weapon.
In this game, the Walloper is free to use (having no ammo). Because bolts are scarce, it can be very useful as a means of saving bolts compared to other ranged weapons. In combat, the weapon is useful if one manages to easily close in on lone enemies to take out. Out of combat, it has two niche but notable uses, with its punch providing self propulsion on icy surfaces, and its ability to destroy metal crates with its punch, saving explosive weapon ammunition.
Going Commando[]
The Walloper is among many Gadgetron weapons that can be purchased on Barlow from the Help Matron. Depending on whether the player has a Ratchet & Clank save file, the Walloper can be purchased for free, or will cost 8,000 bolts. During challenge mode, the player can purchase an upgraded Mega Walloper from any Megacorp vendor.
The Walloper is far less useful in this game, as bolts are more widely available, and there is no need to save them. Furthermore, enemies have grown stronger, and the Walloper fails to keep up with them as its only upgrade is the Mega version in challenge mode.
Secret Agent Clank[]
The Walloper from Secret Agent Clank.
The Walloper in Secret Agent Clank can be acquired during the "Karmic Beatdown" Max-Security Cells challenge. It is very different, due to its limited ammo, greater power, and being the first version of the Walloper that can level. It upgrades to the Marauder, and in challenge mode, the Marauder can be upgraded to the Titan Marauder. The Marauder upgrade will emit a small discharge of electricity on hit and on nearby enemies, which deals damage over time.
Though the Walloper has limited ammo, it is very powerful, and is strong against other melee enemies. It is somewhat limited in practical use, as precise aiming is hard, even if no ammo is expended if you do not hit an enemy Mods significantly improve on the base weapon. The Lightning Speed Mod speeds up its strike speed, reduces its windup time, and allows Ratchet to travel further. It costs 10,000 bolts. The Earthquake Mod allows it to be engaged mid-air, by pressing 
mid-jump to cause a ground tremor and deal damage in a radius, as well as cancel out ranged attacks. It is obtained by winning the "Past Due" Max-Security Cells challenge.
Behind the scenes[]
In a behind the scenes video in the Goodies menu of the original Ratchet & Clank, an early version of the Walloper is seen, which did not launch the player forward nor have the blue force field effect present in the final game. Original concept art also looked slightly different to the final version. Its original name was the Walloper 3000, which was likely due to simplicity reasons. Early builds of the game also show the Walloper with a red design rather than white, and use a completely different sound effect, though with the force field effect and launch forward.[4]
The animation of Ratchet's use of the Walloper is very similar to the animation used by Jak's punch animation in the Jak and Daxter series, though when executed, Ratchet is more committed to completing a full punching cycle.
A bug in Going Commando made the Walloper invisible if it were equipped while Ratchet was holding onto a ledge or ladder. This bug also occurred with the Seeker Gun and HK22 Gun.
The Walloper appears in the Insomniac Museum in the 2016 reimagining of Ratchet & Clank.
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ↑ The Titan V2 has a pickup of 5.
Citations[]
References[]
- Insomniac Games (2002). Ratchet & Clank [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 2.
- Insomniac Games (2003). Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 2.
- Insomniac Games (2004). Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal [Game]. PlayStation 2.
- High Impact Games (2008). Secret Agent Clank [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation Portable.