After picking up each game when I found them new for $10 or $15 I finally decided to sit down and play these games. I had, a long time ago, played the first game for about an hour to make sure I wanted to commit to the series. I finished the first one this week and while it was good, I didn't think it was "great." First of all, and probably least important (in terms of gameplay), Ratchet was a jackass and reminded me of those over-test-marketed characters that they tried to shove down 8-year-old's throats in the early nineties (see: Bubsy the Cat, Itchy and Scratchy and Poochy). "Dude, let's totally hoverboard to the MAXIMUM!" Again, not a deterrent to the gameplay but annoying all the same. Secondly, most of the weapons seemed a bit, useless. Aiming was a bitch and switching to first-person mode left you stationary. Ammo wasn't as plentiful as it should have been (at least when you consider wanting to save bolts for the expensive items) so I played most of the game melee. Gold Bolt and Skill Points.. you don't even learn what they do until after you've beaten the game once, which was kind of stupid, at least for the Gold Bolts. I mean, you've beaten the game already, so the Gold Weapons seem more like a "for fun" thing. The RYNO cost seems like at least a 6 hour investment, which roughly was a third of the total time to beat the game without bothering with it. Again, seems more like a "for fun" extra rather than something useful in the game. Add in the cost of the Gold Weapons and it seems like you'd have to invest a whole two extra playthoughs to get all the weapons, yikes! All in all, these are minor complaints and I enjoyed the game.

Now, I started the second game last night. I was waiting for it to get dark to watch a movie I had FINALLY tracked down a copy of and figured I could blow a couple of hours on this. Wrong! The movie was forgotten and I ran past my bedtime! Going Commando is a textbook case of how to make the exact same game as a sequel but make enough LITTLE improvements to make the games a LOT better. Right off the bat I knew weapons in this game were useable, the blaster gun has a much needed auto-aiming letting you freely run around while firing. And strafing, oh my God, strafing.. I just can't see how they let the first game go without this. It's such a little thing but it makes the game a hundred times more playable! The weapons also upgrade with use and there's plenty of ammo crates in each level, so the wrench has gone from my primary weapon to only for smashing crates. Plus, all the weapons I've gotten so far seem to be fairly equalized as damage bringers. There were about half of the weapons in the first game where I just though "where would this ever be useful?" Rathcet is also no longer a test-marketed asshat screaming "designed by a business executive." I'm actually more anxious to get the hell out of work than usual so I can get back to the game!

Well, I guess there's not really a point to this thread other than I wanted to lay some praise down for R&C2, but feel free to discuss the series.

I agree : )
I think R&C is pretty much the example of an excellent series.
The difficulty was challenging, but for the most part fair.
Gameplay was reasonably easy to get into, and fun to continue playing.
Game length [for one playthrough] reasonable--long enough to feel worth it, short enough so you don't get bored.
Each game built upon a solid core and added enough little new things so it didn't just seem like a rehash, but kept the gameplay that was so engaging.
Skill Points and the upgraded weapons did seem like an add-on; I started replaying each game, but never got too far into it. I had a few places in each game where I was hurting for ammo, but for the most part I found it plentiful enough I could almost use *a* weapon, even if it wasn't the weapon I wanted to us. And the multiple weapons, for the most part, actually had advantages/disadvantages to them. Even if one weapon wasn't the best for a specific scenario, I would use it sometimes just for the novelty.

Ratchet's attitude was a little annoying/"extreme" at first [though not as annoying, to me, as Daxter], but I thought that was part of the game--as he travels through the game doing important things/saving the world, he grows up and settles down a little bit. And even with that, I thought Clank provided an excellent, dry-wit counterfoil to him.
The characters were great, with differing levels of goofiness, and the overriding storyline was pretty good.

There was a trick you could do to get enough bolts for the RYNO relatively easily and quickly, but I forget what it is.

The R&C series is one of my favorite sets of games on the PS2, and probably one of my favorite platformers/3d action games [or whatever genre you want to call it.]. Disclaimer: I have not played Deadlocked.

I really liked the first one, but for some reason I had hesitated on buying the sequels. After hearing what you just said I now want to run out and buy the sequels. Damn you Pixy!

You can probably get a used Going Commando for $10 online, $15 new at Best Buy with a Gamer Gift Card.. if you liked the first one I couldn't recommended giving the second one a try enough. It really does appear to be a "more of the same" sequel but the improvements made really propel the game into A++ territory.

If you can find Going Commando in stock at circuit city, its on clearance for $3.96. I just picked it up 2 days ago.

The second game is far superior (it was actually my introduction into the series). My main complaint is that there seems to be a point where there is a gigantic jump in difficulty... where you're just overwhelmed with bad guys and you start running out of ammo.

Or maybe I just suck at the game.

Ratchet reminded me of Billy Biggle from "Kidsongs":

I loved Going Commando. Its one of my favorite games off all time. It was the perfect difficulty for me, too. I never got into the later sequels. Especially the last one. I didnt finish either one.

I started with Up Your Arsenal and I loved it. I have been looking to pick up Going Commando for a while since it plays somewhat similar. I will probrably skip the first one though as i think it will be too much of a step back after staring so late in the series.

Wow, I need to find time to fire up the 2nd one. It's been on my shelf for over a year, and sounds like I liked the first one a good deal more than you did!

Yeah, I've had the first two since about when each one hit Greatest Hits. I was picking up Up Your Arsenal for $10 at Circuit City and thought "Why am I buying this when I haven't played the first two yet?!" But, at that price I wasn't going to pass it up but it was incentive to get me to play them. I'd say at least try the first couple levels when you get the chance, the improvements are pretty noticeable right off.

Easily my favorite game series of this generation. Fun, inventive beautiful and genuinely funny. Pixy, you'll love the throwback Captain Quark 2-D levels in Up Your Arsinal. They're really fun for a change of pace.

I've recently beaten the first game, I am stuck on two skill points to finish it 100%... It's not that I don't understand how to do them, I just suck as a gamer...

- Beat a certain time on the second Hoverboard race (either that, or pull off a Twisty McMarks or whatever...) I REALLY REALLY HATE hoverboard races and other things like that in games...

- Swim through the underwater gauntlet without losing any life in the last stage (spaceship fleet or something...) - I can *ALMOST* do this...

=======

I have had the second game for a while, and I will probably throw it in soon (once I finish 007: From Russia with Love.) Last week, I managed to score a non-greatest hits copy of the third one for 10 bucks, price-matched to Circuit City's ad...

I've played all three, and all three are great games IMO, although I think the weapon upgrades is what really improved the series.

I never had a problem with Ratchet's personality, and I really liked Clank as a sidekick. Quark is one of my favorite video game characters.

Oh yeah there is a trick to get lots of money easily. I used it to get the Ryno, which you can use on the second game if you have a saved game from the first game with the Ryno. There is a part on the Hoverboard level where you can use the Horn (I forget what its called) under a jump to get nonstop bolts. I found it on gamefaqs. I just left the game on overnight with the button taped down. Kind of a cheap way to get the bolts, but I am too lazy to do it the legitimate way.

The trick is to use the holo-disguise on the first holoboard race, then you will be walking around instead of hoverboarding.

Then, you can turn on the Taunter and point it up towards the high platform with all the boxes, hold down your button, and reap the bolts....

You can also use Giant Clank in the arena, kill everything, walk off the ledge, and come back to fight them again... Some say this makes you invincible while in the arena...

Yeah. It took me hours but Giant Invincable Clank is how I "earned" enough bolts to buy a RYNO in game 1. After I got that, the rest of the game was over pretty damn quick.

I did the Giant Clank thing too. I bought the RYNO, but I didn't use it all the time.

And I hate timed underwater levels....always have.

Quark is a pretty cool character.

I did the Giant Clank thing, and I think it was faster, but the difference was that I had to actually be there and it got pretty tedious. With the hoverboard race I just put a rubber band around the controller and left the game on.

I love the R&C games...even the first one. In fact, they are probably my favorite PS2 games (barely edging out the GTA series).

It's remarkable how the developers maintained the challenge of the game while still giving remarkably powerful weapons...and there's probably 20 different variations of how to get past most situations depending on your style. I can't say that I strafed all that much, instead taking a more deliberate, long distance approach.

At any rate, it's nice to see Pixy pick up one of my favorites from this generation...and one of the few reasons I don't regret picking up my PS2.

Haven't picked up R&C4 - seemed like too much of a departure from the platforming of R&C2 and 3 - I loved R&C 2 and R&C 3 was amazing as well, as they took out some of the less fun or more tedious parts. The first one was eh...tho once you beat the sequels so many times and you're itching for more, you'll eventually go back to the original just to get a taste

Yeah, I didn't like R&C4 nearly as much as the first 3. It seemed every level was just built for the FPS aspect, with less thought put into the platforming. Apparently R&C5 is going back to it's roots for the next game