Secret Agent Clank (2008)

The success of Ratchet & Clank games always lay in executing a basic formula (standard gunplay and standard platforming) with a ton of personality and creativity. Trying to recreate that success on the PSP was thus going to be hard. The console's graphical abilities meant developers could emulate the basic 3D form of a R&C game, but its limitations led to smaller areas and fewer design options that prevented the kind of awe each R&C entry elicited as Insomniac tried bigger and newer ideas. Gameplay-wise, the lack of a second joystick also meant a simplification of controls and abilities.

This situation is likely what spurred smaller-scale spin-offs based on franchise sidekicks, namely the excellent Daxter and this game. Clank had a leg-up due to the introduction of his "Secret Agent" persona in the mainline games, handing High Impact Games a stellar idea for them to build upon. And SAC certainly starts strong as it attempts to set up a secret agent game full of James Bond gags. Your weapons as Clank are primarily spy gadgets, such as ink-shooting pens and bowtie boomerangs, and you frequently engage in rhythmic minigames while Clank does something spy-y like dance with a target or play a card game. These are fun at the start, but the game relies on these same tricks over and over again during the story's 6-hour runtime, all while the level design devolves into standard platforming set-ups. By the halfway point, the whole thing feels like a straightforward R&C game rather than a themed spy game, and things such as the rhythmic minigames begin to hinder rather than accentuate the enjoyment.

Fortunately, SAC incorporates a mix of game styles to keep things interesting. You occasionally play as Ratchet, who is locked in prison and must fight waves of enemies in a simple environment. These levels aren't groundbreaking, but they do give you a chance to use firearms to scratch your R&C gunplay itch. There are also more puzzle-heavy sequences playing as a team of minibots and some annoying vehicle levels that help break up the main plot, which would otherwise grow stale given how quickly it loses creative momentum. Finally, the Qwark levels offer some zany and hilarious sequences, although they tend to go on too long.

The gameplay is generally solid and difficulty jumps (a frequent problem for PSP games given the uncomfortable control layout) are thankfully rare. If you've played the mainline PS2 entries, things will handle about as well as you could ask for on the PSP.

The solid gameplay in fairly uninspired settings results in a diverting experience rather than the memorable one you expect to get at the start of the game. Completists of the series with access to a PSP are encouraged to check it out, but all other players are fine skipping this (allegedly) non-canon entry.