Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PlayStation 2, 2004)

First off if you are a fan of action adventure games, shooters, and a fan of puzzle games this one is for you. One minute you are running and gunning (with weapons that vary from a vacuum to a shooting blade), the next minute you have to "hack" into the next level by solving a simple puzzle game. Overall I give this game a 8.8 out of 10. Allow me to explain
First off the good
1. Unlimited lives r great, if you can't get it right, no problem.
2. I liked the destructible environments of each level. While not all items are destructible most are if you use the more powerful weapons. For example, on planet Koros the patio furniture can net you thousands of bolts if you destroy them. Furthermore, all the glass (windows and overhangs on doorways) are destructible for more bolts (remember bolts = cash).
3. I loved the color and depth of each level. For a linear game each environment was very colorful and deep for a PS2 title. I played this on an HD TV (via HDMI cable) at 480p (my PS3 upscaled it). I noticed many differences from playing it on a PS2 with a component out hookup (Clank has a nice shine and the first level green blobs are glass like).
4. I like the difficulty and variation of weapons (it allowed you to keep the game feeling new as you learned how to implement each one)
5. I loved the Vid comic mini games – nice break from the real game and each was frustratingly fun.
6. I like the teleport option after you cleared a level.
7. Importing old save files gets you an advantage – if you have an original R&C save file you get a 10% off discount, a R&C going commando gets you some of the weapons from that game for free (I imported the lava gun and one other)
8. I paid $10 for it (at eBay)
Now the bad
1. Easy Boss fights (cept Nefarious boss battle on _____).
2. The game has several glitches causing Ratchet to plument to his doom when jumping. You must perform each jump deliberately and slowly or else risk falling when coming up short. Mind you there is not a lot of glitches, but I noticed quite a bit (shooting through walls, ratchet being unable to climb a ladder unless he backed off of it, Minigun turrets randomly disappearing and then re-appearing, minigun turrets not launching when I fire them. – One time I fired four mini turrets and they did not appear, after several seconds they all appeared at once, then magically disappeared
3. The enemy has very little AI. In other words if you see an armed enemy they will not shoot at you unless you cross that magic "territorial line" or you shoot at them.
4. Nanotech level is only 100 at max (R&C health unless you beat the game and then do challenge mode)
5. Armor cannot be bought in advance (it is only available as the game progresses) and the last one is PRICEY
With 7 being good and 8 being great I give this game a 88% or an 8/10. It is not worth playing if you want to play the best PS2/PS3 adventure shooter, but if you want to experience R&C this is a good one and can be had on the cheap. It also had ok music and was long enough to provide a challenge, but not long enough to warrant weeks worth of all nighters. :O