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Ratchet & Clank is a video game franchise developed for the Sony Playstation series of consoles.

There are currently six released games in the series, which was coded and developed by Insomniac Games for Sony Computer Entertainment.

• Ratchet & Clank
• Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (Locked and Loaded for Europe)
• Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
• Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile (for cellphones under major US carriers)
• Ratchet & Clank: Deadlocked (Gladiator for Europe)
• Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (For the PSP)
• Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction (Under development for the Playstation 3)

Premise of the Game

Ratchet is a anthropomorphic fox-like alien named Lombax from the planet Veldin where he was a mechanic until his robot sidekick Clank literally crashed into view. Ratchet had always dreamed of travelling offworld, and had built a spacecraft out of spare parts. with Clank's aid, they launched and were off on their adventures.

Gameplay

The franchise is primarily a 3rd person shooter where the camera sits somewhere behind Ratchet and you guide him and/or Clank through various levels of mostly destructable environments, blasting anything and everything that gets in your way.

Ratchet's weapons are upgradeable through the use of Bolts which are recovered from any destroyed object and are the in-game currency, and also, in later games, through the use of skill upgrades. By using a weapon it becomes stronger.

Clank is normally affixed to Ratchet's back and gives him limited flight, hovering or rocket assist for movement throughout the levels of the games.

Development

The series was developed by Insomniac Games, the crew behind such blockbusters as Spyro and Disruptor. Insomniac has always exclusively developed for the Playstation and Sony itself. Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile was developed by Sony itself, and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters was developed for Sony by High Impact Games, a company formed by ex-Insomniac employees.

The game engine for Ratchet & Clank is a heavily modified version of the engine developed for the Jak & Daxter series produced by Naughty Dog Productions, famous for the Crash Bandicoot series as well as the Jak franchise.

During early development, both companies shared the same offices, and have always had a close and excellent working arrangement. Both franchises have elements that cross-over.

An Easter egg in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal allows the player to visit the Insomniac offices and see elements and test effects that did not make it into the final game.