This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Sean Kearney.

Ratchet: Deadlocked, the latest installment to the Ratchet and Clank series, is an excitingly different title that is sure to stand out from the rest of the games in the franchise. The way in which this game differs from the other Ratchet and Clank titles extends to almost all areas of the game, from level design to gameplay. Despite all of the differences, the game’s action elements are still present, as well as the humor associated with the series.

The story of the game begins when Ratchet and Clank are kidnapped by a media mogul named Gleeman Vox, who has decided to place Ratchet in an underground combat sport reality show “Dreadzone”, where he must fight robot gladiators called “Exterminators” in tournaments in order to protect his friends.

The level design in Ratchet: Deadlocked has been altered to reflect the more serious tone of the game. Gone are the rounded, cartoon- looking levels of the previous Ratchet and Clank titles. In this game, the world has a little more of a hard edge.

In keeping with the combat sport storyline, the levels in Ratchet: Deadlocked are designed more like the outdoor arenas that you would expect from a first person multi-player game. Instead of moving straight ahead to a goal, you are now sent all over the map in search of multiple goals, in an open arena. As well, instead of enemies coming at you from straight ahead, enemies now come from all sides to attack you, some even jumping at you from cliffs overhead.

With enemies approaching from every angle, the creators of Ratchet: Deadlocked have deemed it necessary to make the “lock-strafe” control setting from previous Ratchet and Clank games the default control setting. This setting resembles that of Halo and other FPS games, and is extremely useful in the wide open settings of the game.

The weapons of Ratchet: Deadlocked have undergone a major overhaul, as now along with the weapon upgrades you are also able to alter any weapon in the game with a combination of modifications that you can either purchase or win as prizes for completing various missions. One of the most attractive mods in the E3 demo was one that froze your opponents with one shot, no matter how large they were, so that you could walk right up and defeat them while they stood frozen. 

One of the techniques that Ratchet: Deadlocked stresses is cooperative gameplay. In the single player mode, two “Combat Bots” assist you in your journey throughout the Dreadzone arenas. The role the bots play in your game is solely up to you, however the game is constructed so that it is much harder if you try to ignore the bots and handle every mission alone.

If you’d rather play through the game with a friend split-screen, there is no need to open a new save file, or start from the beginning of the game to play cooperatively. You can simply replace the two combat bots in the game with a human friend anytime you like, and continue from your current position in the single player mode. When you choose to go off in the campaign on your own again, you can simply pick up from where you had left off in the cooperative game.

Ratchet: Deadlocked also features an online multiplayer mode that is reminiscent of Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, however, there are a few new additions in the multiplayer mode as well. One is a “Conquest” mode, an updated version of the “Siege” mode from the previous Ratchet and Clank, as well as the ability to play online multiplayer matches using maps from every one of the single player levels.

With an incredible assortment of new features and gameplay, Ratchet: Deadlocked is shaping up to a very solid title for the PS2. The demo, one of the most extensive at E3, showed off many of the new enhancements to the Ratchet and Clank series, and demonstrated how a company can take an already solid title and build on to it to make a truly awesome game. With an unbelievable amount of new features and improved gameplay, Ratchet: Deadlocked is aimed to impress a both die-hard fans and newcomers alike when it interrupts your regularly scheduled gaming this Fall 2005.