Ratchet (Ratchet & Clank)

Ratchet the Lombax
Ratchet & Clank character

First game Ratchet & Clank (2002)
Created by Insomniac Games
Voiced by (English) Mikey Kelley (2002)
James Arnold Taylor (2003–present)
Voiced by (Japanese) Makoto Tsumura

Ratchet is the main character of the Ratchet & Clank video game series. In the English versions of the games, Ratchet is voiced by Mikey Kelley in the first Ratchet & Clank, and by James Arnold Taylor since. In the Japanese versions, he is voiced by Makoto Tsumura.

Appearances

Ratchet is a Lombax, originally born on the Lombax homeworld of Planet Fastoon in the Polaris Galaxy but later sent to Planet Veldin in the Solana Galaxy by his father to protect him from Emperor Tachyon. Growing up on Veldin, Ratchet longed to travel to new worlds and even built his own ship.

Shortly after completing his ship, Ratchet met a diminutive robot fugitive whom he dubbed Clank, who helped him to leave Veldin and fulfil his dream of travelling. From this point on, Ratchet and Clank travelled extensively through the Solana, Bogon and Polaris Galaxies, saving them on several occasions.

Ratchet tends to be quite headstrong and usually is not afraid to voice his opinion. During the first game he had quite a short temper, which he had learned to control in later titles. Yet at the same time, Ratchet can be self-conscious and often appears concerned with how people view him. He is also deeply attached to his friends, although at times this relationship can be strained.

Design

Ratchet was originally envisioned by Insomniac Games Vice President of Programming Brian Hastings as a space-traveling reptile alien who would collect various weapons as he progressed through the game;[1][2] Ratchet's final form was decided upon after Insomniac looked at various terrestrial creatures, such as dogs and rats, and feline features stood out to them because of the sense of agility associated with it.[3] In response to the negative critical reception of Ratchet's design and personality in Ratchet & Clank, Ratchet's personality was altered in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando to be "less cocky, [...] much more friendly to Clank, and [...] able to handle himself better in stressful situations without being impetuous".[4]

Reception

On Mikey Kelley's vocal performance as Ratchet in Ratchet & Clank, Douglass C. Perry of IGN commented that "while Ratchet strives for that perfect dude-like teenager vibe, the voice actor generally hits the mark."[5] Ratchet's in-game model in Ratchet & Clank, particularly his facial animations and fur, was praised by Louis Bedigian of GameZone.[6] Gavin Frankle of Allgame found it hard to form an emotional bond with Ratchet or Clank, saying that Ratchet is "your typical teenager [...] who desires nothing more than excitement and adventure".[7] Benjamin Turner of GameSpy was highly critical of Ratchet, citing his uninteresting aesthetic design and rude, immature and immoral demeanor as reasons for his ire.[8] Johnny Liu of Game Revolution noted that Ratchet "starts out with a blue-collar attitude, but he's mostly there for deft observations and cutting remarks" and appreciated Ratchet not being "pigeonholed as a typical goody-goody", but concluded that he wasn't very fleshed out.[9]

Critics took note of Ratchet's improved character in subsequent games. Perry commented that Ratchet "is no longer an angry, selfish teenage furry creature from outer space. He's a commando, a little wiser, a little more forgiving and a lot more palatable. Though still furry..."[10] Carlos McElfish of GameZone, describing Ratchet's in the previous game as a "laughably confident, smart-alecky hot-shot", commented that Ratchet's new voice forces a psychological reset in the minds of players.[11] Jeremy Dunham of IGN noted that Ratchet's "Why me?" delivery is "spot on."[12] Ratchet was voted as the sixteenth top character of the 2000s decade by Game Informer's readers.[13]

References

  1. ↑ McLaughlin, Rus (October 30, 2007). "IGN Presents The History of Ratchet and Clank". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 24, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2009.Additional pages archived on June 24, 2009: 2, 3, 4.
  2. ↑ "Big Gaz" (December 14, 2002). "Ratchet and Clank Interview". Gameplanet. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  3. ↑ Talon, Durwin S. (2004). "David Guertin on Comics & Video Games". Comics Above Ground: How Sequential Art Affects Mainstream Media. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 80–82. ISBN 1-893905-31-4. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  4. ↑ Turner, Benjamin (May 8, 2003). "Ted Price on Going Commando". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 24, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009. Additional pages archived on June 24, 2009: 2, 3, 4.
  5. ↑ Douglass C. Perry (2002-11-04). "IGN: Ratchet & Clank Review". IGN. Retrieved 21 July 2009. The voice acting is solid, if not familiar, too. While Ratchet strives for that perfect dude-like teenager vibe, the voice actor generally hits the mark. Clank is also quite engaging, and in some cases, charming, especially when he finishes a level or gains a weapon. Many of the supporting characters offer the same kind of commercial quality voices found in Jak and Daxter, and some of the times they're quite funny. Other times they just sound commercial. The quirkier ones are best (such as the weird athletic woman at the end of the stunt course), but few stand above the standard and obvious stereotypes.
  6. ↑ Louis Bedigian (2002-11-12). "Ratchet & Clank Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Retrieved 21 July 2009. When getting up close and personal with Ratchet, you'll be amazed at how smooth his animation is. His facial expressions are top-notch. Like a character from a computer-generated movie, Ratchet's eyebrows raise when he is excited, while his mouth moves perfectly in-sync with what he is saying. Even his eyes move realistically! This is true for the other, non-playable characters as well. However, none of the NPCs are as realistic-looking as Ratchet. Ratchet's skin (if you can call it that -- it looks kind of furry) has nice, vibrant, detailed textures that make him look even better.
  7. ↑ Frankle, Gavin. "Ratchet & Clank". Allgame. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  8. ↑ Benjamin Turner (2002-11-13). "GameSpy.com - Review". GameSpy. Retrieved 21 July 2009. First, Ratchet sucks. Based on design alone, Ratchet is not a very interesting lead character. However, he's even worse when you start to see his personality come out in the cut-scenes. He's rude, immature, and has a decided lack of the moral fiber needed to be a hero. Clank is the complete opposite, and after a bit I began wishing the game was called Clank & Ratchet. Or Clank & Some Other Character Altogether (Who's Also Not Blinx).
  9. ↑ Johnny Liu (2002-11-01). "Ratchet & Clank review for the PS2". Game Revolution. Retrieved 21 July 2009. Ratchet starts out with a blue-collar attitude, but he's mostly there for deft observations and cutting remarks. I appreciate how he hasn't been pigeonholed as the typical goody-goody, but he's not very fleshed out. Clank is somewhere between Gir of Invader Zim in form and chatty C3PO in function. He's the straight man to Ratchet's jokes, offering clueless intellectualism to contrast Ratchet's pissy humor.
  10. ↑ Douglass C. Perry (2003-11-11). "IGN: Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando Review". IGN. Retrieved 21 July 2009. And perhaps what I like best, despite the eccentricity of the comment, is that Ratchet is no longer an angry, selfish teenage furry creature from outer space. He's a commando, a little wiser, a little more forgiving and a lot more palatable. Though still furry…
  11. ↑ Carlos McElfish (2003-11-21). "Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Retrieved 21 July 2009. The many instances of dialogue are excellently voiced, all the trademark inflections and quips that the original game established are successfully carried over to Going Commando, including Clank’s impossibly cute, awkward robot laugh. Ratchet sports an entirely new voice, forcing a psychological reset in the minds of players (He is no longer the laughably confident, smart-alecky hot-shot he was in the original game). Thank God.
  12. ↑ Jeremy Dunham (2004-10-28). "IGN: Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal Review". IGN. Retrieved 22 July 2009. Captain Quark in particular is pretty hysterical, with the Bill Clinton-esque Galactic President one of the more endearing characters. Clank's dry sidekick humor is in great contrast to Jak's own sidekick Daxter (for those of you that play both games), while Ratchet's "Why me?" delivery is spot on.
  13. ↑ Bryan Vore (December 3, 2010). "Readers' Top 30 Characters Results Revealed". Game Informer. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
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