This review contains spoilers
"Not Perfect, But A Masterpiece Nonetheless"
"Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal" is not a perfect game, but it manages to provide a tighter combat experience than the previous title while restoring the character development of the first game somewhat in order to present a grand adventure for the duo to end the original trilogy on. While this mastery of the combat mechanics led to some reductions in open-ended level design, the game still manages to be a blast to play, moreso than any other title in the original trilogy.
"Up Your Arsenal" is mechanically the same game as "Going Commando" with a few extra tweaks for gameplay. Health now uses a flat number system rather than the nanotech orb system in order to convey Ratchet's remaining health slightly better. Combat now pauses when switching weapons via the weapon wheel (which itself has two rings for weapons/gadgets now). Weapons as a whole feel a bit less experimental, but are much more useful with only a few duds such as the Plasma Whip and Infector (the former essentially a wrench upgrade, the latter a tool to turn enemies unto each other). However, the design of even the weakest of weapons is still tight and marvelous to look at (especially the Plasma Whip's snake-like animation), and the strongest weapon designs are simply a blast to fight with (the Rift Inducer that sucks all enemies into the singularities of miniature black holes, or the Quack-O-Ray which turns enemies into ducks!). There's even a doubling of weapon levels for upgrading for good measure, though they don't take forever to finish unlike in the previous title.
While this title is stronger in the weapons department as a whole, it doesn't stop there. Vehicles are added in, and this title adds a ground vehicle to use sparingly (which controls surprisingly well) and an air ship that is functional though takes some getting used to during its side sections.
There is the addition of a hub world for Ratchet and Clank to return to in order to purchase some weapons/armor, engage in optional arena training challenges, play Quark vid-comics, and interact with your ship for customization as well as view trophies earned through gameplay. Some neat additions that feel right at home for the series.
However, side content is somewhat different this time around. Gone are the racing and ship-combat sections from "Going Commando", but a more diverse arena mode and Quark vid-comics take their place. Arenas now contain some platforming sections that help diversify gameplay, and the Quark vid-comics are solid 2D-platforming minigames that are much more polished than the racing and ship sections in past titles. Additionally there is one large crystal hunting activity rather than two medium-sized ones, but it is in a more repetitive environment. Thus, side content has less diversity but slightly more quality. Still an improvement, but only marginally.
As for gadgets, the Dynamo and Swingshot of the last title are combined into one tool (the "Hypershot"). The Refractor is about as interesting as the previous title's Tractor Beam, the Hypnomatic is retooled into the more entertaining Tyhrra-Guise, and the Infiltrator is remade into the more engaging Hacker tool. Unfortunately there is the loss of the neat Thermanator, which would have been nice to see added into this title. Overall, a smaller gadget pool, but they see more use and are more interesting to interact with, making this title about par with the previous in that department.
The visuals, voice acting and soundtrack are all great here yet again, and there aren't any major changes to discuss as well.
Lastly, the story is a bit tighter in this title despite lacking a bit of the wackiness of "Going Commando". There is a defined villain in this game (Dr. Nefarious) who is fairly well-written if a bit repetitive with humor at times. Additionally, I had a soft-spot for the reunion of the original games' characters as a part of Q-Force (Helga, Skid, Quark and Al). Seeing these characters yet again helped me feel grounded in the universe, and while the game took a more serious military tone versus the covert ops/corporation focus of the previous title, the plot rarely felt convoluted or half-assed. The only blemishes for this entry were during two moments: destroying two separate Biobliterators for no real reason, and the final cutscene to end the game. The first was just padding story-wise despite still being a fun planet to play through, but the second is something I wish Insomniac Games could get a hang of more often. The only title to contain a good ending to its story was the original "Ratchet & Clank", and the sequels just sort of end on weird notes. A nitpick for sure, but still a blemish on the game.
In conclusion, "Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal" aimed to present a "bigger and better" game than "Going Commando", and delivered on the "better" aspect. While the game is functionally the same length (maybe even a bit shorter), the experience is more focused and tighter in comparison without unpolished filler in the way. While I would have preferred more content in place of the multiplayer component of this title (which I chose not to discuss because it is now dead), I still enjoyed what was presented to me. "Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal" is by no means a perfect game, but I enjoyed it for the masterpiece it is in many aspects, and can ultimately Recommend it to anyone who wants to play a tightly focused, entertaining, hilarious, and memorable action-platforming experience.
Final Verdict: 10/10 (Masterpiece)
"Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal" is not a perfect game, but it manages to provide a tighter combat experience than the previous title while restoring the character development of the first game somewhat in order to present a grand adventure for the duo to end the original trilogy on. While this mastery of the combat mechanics led to some reductions in open-ended level design, the game still manages to be a blast to play, moreso than any other title in the original trilogy.
"Up Your Arsenal" is mechanically the same game as "Going Commando" with a few extra tweaks for gameplay. Health now uses a flat number system rather than the nanotech orb system in order to convey Ratchet's remaining health slightly better. Combat now pauses when switching weapons via the weapon wheel (which itself has two rings for weapons/gadgets now). Weapons as a whole feel a bit less experimental, but are much more useful with only a few duds such as the Plasma Whip and Infector (the former essentially a wrench upgrade, the latter a tool to turn enemies unto each other). However, the design of even the weakest of weapons is still tight and marvelous to look at (especially the Plasma Whip's snake-like animation), and the strongest weapon designs are simply a blast to fight with (the Rift Inducer that sucks all enemies into the singularities of miniature black holes, or the Quack-O-Ray which turns enemies into ducks!). There's even a doubling of weapon levels for upgrading for good measure, though they don't take forever to finish unlike in the previous title.
While this title is stronger in the weapons department as a whole, it doesn't stop there. Vehicles are added in, and this title adds a ground vehicle to use sparingly (which controls surprisingly well) and an air ship that is functional though takes some getting used to during its side sections.
There is the addition of a hub world for Ratchet and Clank to return to in order to purchase some weapons/armor, engage in optional arena training challenges, play Quark vid-comics, and interact with your ship for customization as well as view trophies earned through gameplay. Some neat additions that feel right at home for the series.
However, side content is somewhat different this time around. Gone are the racing and ship-combat sections from "Going Commando", but a more diverse arena mode and Quark vid-comics take their place. Arenas now contain some platforming sections that help diversify gameplay, and the Quark vid-comics are solid 2D-platforming minigames that are much more polished than the racing and ship sections in past titles. Additionally there is one large crystal hunting activity rather than two medium-sized ones, but it is in a more repetitive environment. Thus, side content has less diversity but slightly more quality. Still an improvement, but only marginally.
As for gadgets, the Dynamo and Swingshot of the last title are combined into one tool (the "Hypershot"). The Refractor is about as interesting as the previous title's Tractor Beam, the Hypnomatic is retooled into the more entertaining Tyhrra-Guise, and the Infiltrator is remade into the more engaging Hacker tool. Unfortunately there is the loss of the neat Thermanator, which would have been nice to see added into this title. Overall, a smaller gadget pool, but they see more use and are more interesting to interact with, making this title about par with the previous in that department.
The visuals, voice acting and soundtrack are all great here yet again, and there aren't any major changes to discuss as well.
Lastly, the story is a bit tighter in this title despite lacking a bit of the wackiness of "Going Commando". There is a defined villain in this game (Dr. Nefarious) who is fairly well-written if a bit repetitive with humor at times. Additionally, I had a soft-spot for the reunion of the original games' characters as a part of Q-Force (Helga, Skid, Quark and Al). Seeing these characters yet again helped me feel grounded in the universe, and while the game took a more serious military tone versus the covert ops/corporation focus of the previous title, the plot rarely felt convoluted or half-assed. The only blemishes for this entry were during two moments: destroying two separate Biobliterators for no real reason, and the final cutscene to end the game. The first was just padding story-wise despite still being a fun planet to play through, but the second is something I wish Insomniac Games could get a hang of more often. The only title to contain a good ending to its story was the original "Ratchet & Clank", and the sequels just sort of end on weird notes. A nitpick for sure, but still a blemish on the game.
In conclusion, "Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal" aimed to present a "bigger and better" game than "Going Commando", and delivered on the "better" aspect. While the game is functionally the same length (maybe even a bit shorter), the experience is more focused and tighter in comparison without unpolished filler in the way. While I would have preferred more content in place of the multiplayer component of this title (which I chose not to discuss because it is now dead), I still enjoyed what was presented to me. "Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal" is by no means a perfect game, but I enjoyed it for the masterpiece it is in many aspects, and can ultimately Recommend it to anyone who wants to play a tightly focused, entertaining, hilarious, and memorable action-platforming experience.
Final Verdict: 10/10 (Masterpiece)