Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
Encyclopedia
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One is a four-player cooperative
video game developed by Insomniac Games
and published by Sony Computer Entertainment
exclusively for the PlayStation 3
which was released on October 18, 2011 in North America and October 20–October 21 in Europe and Australia. It is the tenth installment in the Ratchet & Clank series
. It is the first PS3 game in the series that, despite taking place after A Crack in Time
, is not part of the Future trilogy. It was announced by Insomniac CEO
Ted Price
during Sony's press conference at Gamescom 2010.
, Clank
, Captain Qwark and Doctor Nefarious, respectively the protagonist
, deuteragonist
, tritagonist
and antagonist
of the series. The game takes place when an evil plan set in motion by Nefarious to destroy his three archnemeses once and for all backfires, sending the four of them into the snare of a mysterious machine known as the Creature Collector. Now, they are forced to work together and cooperate in order to escape from the machine and get back home.
After fighting Commander Spog at the N.E.S.T, they find out that only the Architect knows how to defeat Ephemeris and head over to Terawatt Forest, beyond Octonok Cay. They also find Dr Croid's first holo-dairy. It shows the happier times on Magnus. While in Octonok Cay, they find Dr. Croid's next two holo-diaries. They show that Dr Nevo Binkelmiyer, Dr Croid's colleague betrayed him, ravaged his laboratory, took Mr Dinkles, Dr Croid's companion and stole the plans to a protomorphic energy extracter and that Dr. Croid sent a smaller version of Ephemeris to rescue his companion, Mr. Dinkles. When they reach Dr Croid's research station, they find Dr Croid's fourth holo-dairy. It shows that Nevo seized control of Ephemeris and modified it into what it is now, and that Nevo is responsible for everything Ephemeris has done. When the team reaches the Hall of Paradoxology in Terawatt Forest, they find that Dr. Croid has moved his laboratory to the Phonica Moon, having expected Nevo to make an assassination attempt on him. When the team reaches Phonica Moon, they realize that Dr. Croid has seemingly gone insane. After accessing the lab's computers, Nefarious discovers that Ephemeris has a charging dock that recharges its power cells, the dock being stationed on the Vilerog Plateau just outside Uzo City. The team takes Dr. Croid's escape pod to the Vilerog Plateau, but on the way, Ephemeris attacks them and they crash land into the Polar Sea, unable to contact Cronk and Zephyr. When they discover a railway station, they find that it is broken. Qwark fakes dying, attempting to make amends with Nefarious. Just then, the plumber appears and fixes the railway platform so the heroes can travel to Uzo City.
When the team reaches the core of Ephemeris, they discover that Nevo is not actually in charge of Ephemeris, having been betrayed by Mr. Dinkles, who is possessed by a Toranux Spirit. He reveals that Nevo did not betray Dr Croid. Mr Dinkles also had done the things Dr Croid thought Nevo had done. Although Nevo tried to stop Mr Dinkles, Mr Dinkles captured Nevo and made him his "pet". He will also use the collected beasts as vessels for the Toranux Spirits so they can destroy the universe. After fighting the heroes, he extracts his spirit into a Rykan V Grivelnox. After a long and fierce final battle, Dr. Croid and Nevo manage to extract the spirit, which is promptly destroyed by Nefarious. Soon afterwards, Cronk and Zephyr arrive, revealing that they finally received help from Lawrence. Nefarious and Lawrence steal Cronk and Zephyr's ship and leave the heroes stranded on Magnus. Thankfully, Ratchet remembers that Ephemeris is still active, and everyone decides to use it so they can return to Luminopolis.
After the credits, Lawrence tells Nefarious of a secret route they can take past the barriers set by the Polaris Defense Force. During this, Nefarious looks at the picture he took with Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark.
, Clank
, Qwark and Doctor Nefarious.
2010 press conference by Ted Price
of Insomniac Games. The game was first rumored on August 6, 2010 when the voice actor for Clank, David Kaye
, revealed that he had been hired by Insomniac Games to do more voice acting for Ratchet & Clank
.
A limited online beta was launched on September 14, 2011 until September 27, 2011. It allows for up to four players to go online and play through two sections of the game: the opening level of Luminopolis, where the players fight a creature called the Z'Grute, and the Vertigus Cliffs, where players are allowed access to a number of weapons, including new weapons like the Frost Cannon, Plasma Bomb Launcher and Warmonger, along with older weapons like the Combuster, among others.
gave the game an 8/10 citing as a step backwards from A Crack in Time
. The most negative review has come from Destructoid who gave the game 4/10 and said "Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One should have been about $15, five hours shorter, and released on the PlayStation Network. It's a game that does a disservice to the high pedigree of the Ratchet & Clank series and takes too far a departure from what made such an excellent series". GameSpot
gave the game a 7 out of 10. Game Informer
gave it an 8.75 out 10, saying "This Is One For All The Fans Of Co-op Platforming." Morgan Webb
of X-Play
, who are the biggest supporters of the Ratchet and Clank series, gave the game a 3 out of 5, praising the variety, story, and saying it will keep fans satisfied for the next game, but criticizing the glitches, easy puzzles, and more kid-friendly tone.
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
video game developed by Insomniac Games
Insomniac Games
Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1994, Insomniac has released titles for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 video game consoles. It created Disruptor, the first three Spyro the Dragon games, and the Ratchet &...
and published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
exclusively for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
which was released on October 18, 2011 in North America and October 20–October 21 in Europe and Australia. It is the tenth installment in the Ratchet & Clank series
Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank is a 3D platformer/shooter video game for the PlayStation 2, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released in 2002, it is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series....
. It is the first PS3 game in the series that, despite taking place after A Crack in Time
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is a platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 video game console...
, is not part of the Future trilogy. It was announced by Insomniac CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Ted Price
Ted Price
Ted Price is the President and CEO of Insomniac Games, Inc. - an independent game developer which he founded in 1994. Since its inception the company has grown to approximately 210 people...
during Sony's press conference at Gamescom 2010.
Synopsis
The game takes place after the events of A Crack in Time, and follows main characters RatchetRatchet (Ratchet & Clank)
Ratchet is the main character of the Ratchet & Clank series of video games. Ratchet is tall, 15 years old and weighs 151 lbs . In the English versions of the games, Ratchet is voiced by Mikey Kelley in the first Ratchet & Clank and by James Arnold Taylor in all the others...
, Clank
Clank (Ratchet & Clank)
Clank is one of the titular protagonist game characters in the Ratchet & Clank video game series by Insomniac Games.-Character design:Co-protagonist of the series, Clank escaped from Chairman Drek's robot plant on planet Quartu—and subsequent arrival on planet Veldin—catalyzes Ratchet's...
, Captain Qwark and Doctor Nefarious, respectively the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, deuteragonist
Deuteragonist
In literature, the deuteragonist is the second most important character, after the protagonist and before the tritagonist. The deuteragonist may switch from being with or against the protagonist depending on the deuteragonist's own conflict/plot.-History:Greek drama began with simply one actor,...
, tritagonist
Tritagonist
In literature, the tritagonist is the third most important character of a narrative, after the protagonist and deuteragonist. In Ancient Greek drama, the tritagonist was the third member of the acting troupe....
and antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the series. The game takes place when an evil plan set in motion by Nefarious to destroy his three archnemeses once and for all backfires, sending the four of them into the snare of a mysterious machine known as the Creature Collector. Now, they are forced to work together and cooperate in order to escape from the machine and get back home.
Plot
The game begins when Galactic President Captain Qwark goes to the city of Luminopolis to receive an "Intergalactic Tool of Justice Award", and he asks Ratchet and Clank to escort him. When the ceremony begins, Dr. Nefarious arrives and awakens a light-eating Z'Grute from cyrosleep, but it immediately turns against him, forcing Dr. Nefarious to join Ratchet, Clank and Qwark to stop it. While the team tracks the Z'Grute, strange unidentified robots follow the Z'Grute that don't seem to belong to Nefarious. After the team defeats the Z'Grute, a massive moon-sized drone appears and captures both the Z'Grute and the four heroes. They then awake in a mysterious facility but are rescued by Susie, a young galactic scout. When the team escapes and arrives at a Tharpod village, they find out that the drone that captured them is known as Ephemeris, the Creature Collector. It takes the universe's most dangerous beasts and brings them to planet Magnus. The team agrees to get rid of Ephemeris and heads through the Deadgrove to the N.E.S.T. (Northern Extraterrestrial Sorting Terminal). After fighting a Wigwump, the team finds the fifth holo-diary of Dr. Frumpus Croid. It shows that whoever is now in control of Ephemeris has plans for the monsters.After fighting Commander Spog at the N.E.S.T, they find out that only the Architect knows how to defeat Ephemeris and head over to Terawatt Forest, beyond Octonok Cay. They also find Dr Croid's first holo-dairy. It shows the happier times on Magnus. While in Octonok Cay, they find Dr. Croid's next two holo-diaries. They show that Dr Nevo Binkelmiyer, Dr Croid's colleague betrayed him, ravaged his laboratory, took Mr Dinkles, Dr Croid's companion and stole the plans to a protomorphic energy extracter and that Dr. Croid sent a smaller version of Ephemeris to rescue his companion, Mr. Dinkles. When they reach Dr Croid's research station, they find Dr Croid's fourth holo-dairy. It shows that Nevo seized control of Ephemeris and modified it into what it is now, and that Nevo is responsible for everything Ephemeris has done. When the team reaches the Hall of Paradoxology in Terawatt Forest, they find that Dr. Croid has moved his laboratory to the Phonica Moon, having expected Nevo to make an assassination attempt on him. When the team reaches Phonica Moon, they realize that Dr. Croid has seemingly gone insane. After accessing the lab's computers, Nefarious discovers that Ephemeris has a charging dock that recharges its power cells, the dock being stationed on the Vilerog Plateau just outside Uzo City. The team takes Dr. Croid's escape pod to the Vilerog Plateau, but on the way, Ephemeris attacks them and they crash land into the Polar Sea, unable to contact Cronk and Zephyr. When they discover a railway station, they find that it is broken. Qwark fakes dying, attempting to make amends with Nefarious. Just then, the plumber appears and fixes the railway platform so the heroes can travel to Uzo City.
When the team reaches the core of Ephemeris, they discover that Nevo is not actually in charge of Ephemeris, having been betrayed by Mr. Dinkles, who is possessed by a Toranux Spirit. He reveals that Nevo did not betray Dr Croid. Mr Dinkles also had done the things Dr Croid thought Nevo had done. Although Nevo tried to stop Mr Dinkles, Mr Dinkles captured Nevo and made him his "pet". He will also use the collected beasts as vessels for the Toranux Spirits so they can destroy the universe. After fighting the heroes, he extracts his spirit into a Rykan V Grivelnox. After a long and fierce final battle, Dr. Croid and Nevo manage to extract the spirit, which is promptly destroyed by Nefarious. Soon afterwards, Cronk and Zephyr arrive, revealing that they finally received help from Lawrence. Nefarious and Lawrence steal Cronk and Zephyr's ship and leave the heroes stranded on Magnus. Thankfully, Ratchet remembers that Ephemeris is still active, and everyone decides to use it so they can return to Luminopolis.
After the credits, Lawrence tells Nefarious of a secret route they can take past the barriers set by the Polaris Defense Force. During this, Nefarious looks at the picture he took with Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark.
Gameplay
Unlike previous games in the series which were mostly single-player-only games, All 4 One focuses on a four-player cooperative multiplayer mode which allows for drop-in and drop-out online as well as offline multiplayer. Players can each take the role of one of the four main characters of the game, namely RatchetRatchet (Ratchet & Clank)
Ratchet is the main character of the Ratchet & Clank series of video games. Ratchet is tall, 15 years old and weighs 151 lbs . In the English versions of the games, Ratchet is voiced by Mikey Kelley in the first Ratchet & Clank and by James Arnold Taylor in all the others...
, Clank
Clank (Ratchet & Clank)
Clank is one of the titular protagonist game characters in the Ratchet & Clank video game series by Insomniac Games.-Character design:Co-protagonist of the series, Clank escaped from Chairman Drek's robot plant on planet Quartu—and subsequent arrival on planet Veldin—catalyzes Ratchet's...
, Qwark and Doctor Nefarious.
Development
The game was first announced at Sony's GamescomGamescom
gamescom is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is organised by the Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware...
2010 press conference by Ted Price
Ted Price
Ted Price is the President and CEO of Insomniac Games, Inc. - an independent game developer which he founded in 1994. Since its inception the company has grown to approximately 210 people...
of Insomniac Games. The game was first rumored on August 6, 2010 when the voice actor for Clank, David Kaye
David Kaye
David V. Hope , known professionally as David Kaye, is a Canadian American actor who is better recognized for his work as a voice actor...
, revealed that he had been hired by Insomniac Games to do more voice acting for Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank is a 3D platformer/shooter video game for the PlayStation 2, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released in 2002, it is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series....
.
A limited online beta was launched on September 14, 2011 until September 27, 2011. It allows for up to four players to go online and play through two sections of the game: the opening level of Luminopolis, where the players fight a creature called the Z'Grute, and the Vertigus Cliffs, where players are allowed access to a number of weapons, including new weapons like the Frost Cannon, Plasma Bomb Launcher and Warmonger, along with older weapons like the Combuster, among others.
Reception
Before the game was released, fan reception was mixed, with the major complaint being the focus of four-player co-op. All 4 One has so far received average reviews, with a current Metacritic score of 70/100 indicating "mixed or average reviews" (as of October 30). IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game an 8/10 citing as a step backwards from A Crack in Time
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is a platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 video game console...
. The most negative review has come from Destructoid who gave the game 4/10 and said "Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One should have been about $15, five hours shorter, and released on the PlayStation Network. It's a game that does a disservice to the high pedigree of the Ratchet & Clank series and takes too far a departure from what made such an excellent series". GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the game a 7 out of 10. Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
gave it an 8.75 out 10, saying "This Is One For All The Fans Of Co-op Platforming." Morgan Webb
Morgan Webb
Morgan Ailis Webb is a co-host and senior segment producer of the G4 show X-Play, and host of the show G4 Underground...
of X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
, who are the biggest supporters of the Ratchet and Clank series, gave the game a 3 out of 5, praising the variety, story, and saying it will keep fans satisfied for the next game, but criticizing the glitches, easy puzzles, and more kid-friendly tone.