History YMMV / RatchetAndClank

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: A sizable portion of the series fanbase has been rather vocally unimpressed with the series gradually going down a LighterAndSofter direction while downplaying the hard-edged satire, BlackComedy and farcical humor of the original PS2 quadriology in favor of whats percieved by them as being needlessly convoluted or cliche, pretentious, and cheesy stories with overly kiddy humor sandwiched in. This reached its apex with the 2016 movie and game having a drastically different tone and characterizations from the original 2002 game, which ripped the fanbase in half and led to many older fans accusing Insomniac Games of becoming completely out of touch and losing sight of what made the series stand out in the first place.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: A sizable portion of the series fanbase has been rather vocally unimpressed with the series gradually going down a LighterAndSofter direction while downplaying the hard-edged satire, BlackComedy and farcical humor of the original PS2 quadriology in favor of whats percieved by them as being needlessly convoluted or pretentious stories with overly kiddy humor sandwiched in. This reached its apex with the 2016 movie and game having a drastically different tone and characterization from the original 2002 game, which ripped the fanbase in half and led to many fans accusing Insomniac Games of becoming completely out of touch and losing sight of what made the series stand out in the first place.

* ArchivePanic: So far, there are thirteen console games, which include a remake and two non-canon titles. Even if one chooses to exclude those, that still leaves ten games to play. And that's not even getting into the movie, and the comic series. Basically, someone who wants to get into the series will have their work cut out for them.

* YMMV/RatchetAndClank2002
* YMMV/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando
* YMMV/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal
* YMMV/RatchetDeadlocked
* YMMV/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction
* YMMV/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime
* YMMV/RatchetAndClankAll4One
* YMMV/RatchetAndClankFullFrontalAssault
* YMMV/RatchetAndClankIntoTheNexus
* YMMV/RatchetAndClank2016
* YMMV/RatchetAndClankSizeMatters
* YMMV/SecretAgentClank
* YMMV/RatchetAndClankGoingMobile

* HarsherInHindsight: In the first game Ratchet was a huge {{Jerkass}}. After playing the Future Saga, and finding out that his father had to leave him on Veldin for the best, [[JerkassWoobie its kinda hard to blame him]]. Keep in mind that he had no friends, was still a child, and only had a wrench to protect himself.

** Qwark's Personal Hygenator ad at the very end of the first game, which claims it can solve painful itching in the nether regions, becomes this in light of ''Going Commando'' revealing one of it's side effects is in fact severe irritations and itching in sensitive body areas.

** While Tools of Destruction planted the seeds for a more serious story, A Crack In Time was really the point where the series began shedding its satirical roots in favor of a serious, almost Disney like whimsical style of plot and writing. While the game was and still is well recieved today, further attempts to apply this to the series have been met with increasing scorn from fans at best, reaching its apex with the controversial 2016 reimagining of the first game. Even ACiT's approach to the series is now greeted with much more scrutiny than it was in its heydey, with many fans accusing it of being a sloppily written and pretentious ClicheStorm that takes itself far too seriously at the expense of the series comedic identity, basically becoming the kind of over the top parody that the original games made fun of in the first place.

* MoralEventHorizon: Surprisingly, Ratchet himself nearly crosses this in the first game, being perfectly willing to leave an abandoned commando for dead on a war-torn planet, as well as become apathetic to Drek destroying other worlds, just because he's become [[SkewedPriorities obsessed with getting revenge with Captain Qwark for stabbing him in the back.]] Fortunately, Clank strongarms him into helping the commando by only agreeing to start his ship if he goes to help him, and Ratchet is ''still'' pissed off about the matter. Ratchet eventually puts things in perspective later in the game.

** A real life example is that the armor that Ratchet wears throughout ''A Crack in Time'' appears to foreshadow ''[[{{Film/Tron}} TRON: Legacy]]''.

* Ratchet's complete inability to climb ladders is starting to look pretty silly, and it makes ascending them by jumping over and over a chore.

** ''Up Your Arsenal'' has a much worse take on the style of level described above, in the form of Aquatos's giant sewer-maze. At least ''Going Commando'''s 2 unique levels had variety in the terrain, [[AwesomeMusic/RatchetAndClank some really good music]], and the ability to use your [[SprintShoes Charge Boots]] to get around. On Aquatos, however, the paths are all identical and extremely cramped, the music is [[MostAnnoyingSound very dull and gets repetitive quick]], the metal tubes that make up 90% of the area cause you to auto-equip the Gravity Boots, which are ''impossible to take off and override your Charge Boots'', and the literally hundreds of Amoeboids crawling around don't help matters at all. [[AsteroidsMonster Blagh.]] [[GoddamnedBats Blagh!]] ''BLAGH!''

* EarWorm: "[[VillainSong This goes out to all you robots 'cross the galaxy...]]"

** The series' slide towards the LighterAndSofter and DenserAndWackier, eventually culminating in WereStillRelevantDammit. As early as the second game (Going Commando), Ratchet had gone from a brash headstrong teenager to a professional and well-meaning gun-for-hire well on his way to becoming a ScienceHero, while as early as the third game (Up Your Arsenal) the game's themes of consumerism and corporate cynism were being replaced by a TuxedoAndMartini plot involving a classical MadScientist, and A Crack in Time had alien races explicitly based off high school cliques. The thing is... Ratchet's new character in GC felt like a natural extension of his CharacterDevelopment, UYA's villain became an EnsembleDarkhorse with fans and creators alike, and [=ACiT=] is often considered a high point for the franchise on the basis of its story (and when it's not, UYA or GC often are, in its stead). In short, the problems that eventually manifested as {{Sequelitis}} were not only present and not considered problems, but [[TropesAreTools actively applauded]] in the earlier games, and only started irritating fans later once the games started running out of steam. An almost textbook example.

** While Tools of Destruction planted the seeds for a more serious story, A Crack In Time was really the point where the series began shedding its satirical roots in favor of a serious, almost Disney like whimsical style of plot and writing. While the game was and still is well recieved today, further attempts to apply this to the series have been met with increasing scorn from fans at best, reaching its apex with the controversial 2016 reimagining of the first game. Even ACiT's approach to the series is now greeted with much more scrutiny than it was in its heydey, with many fans accusing it of being a sloppily written and pretentious ClicheStorm that takes itself far too seriously at the expense of the series comedic identity.

** Qwark never really did put up a good fight when he was a villain. Having twice teamed up with Ratchet and Clank, he's even more inept than ever, GameplayAndStorySegregation notwithstanding for players assuming control of Qwark in ''All 4 One''. His [[ItsAllAboutMe glory-hound attitude]], if it didn't already piss people off, will do so now.

** ''Up Your Arsenal'' also features Tyhrranoid Missile Stations, which often appear in Galactic Ranger missions. They're not too bad when you're piloting a Hovership, as the missiles can be easily dodged and destroyed. When you're on foot, however, they'll shoot missiles that fly directly into the ground and explode in a shockwave that hurts you unless you jump over it, and they will continue firing even when you're in the middle of fighting other enemies. The only way to effectively fight them is with the Flux/Splitter Rifle. They're so bad that they got the second Snowbeast Award.

** Their sorta-predecessors, the Guard bots from the third game, are this too. They have the same attack method---that is, two guns that MoreDakka you into the pavement---and take buckets of damage.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: Reuse of weapons throughout the series. The ''Ratchet & Clank'' franchise has been reusing weapons since as early as [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando the second game, released in 2003]], which contained 5 weapons from the first game that could be bought for cheap, or obtained for free [[OldSaveBonus if you had a save from the first game that also owned those weapons]]. However, ''Going Commando'' and later games that did this only brought back a few unique weapons, while also still introducing their own unique weapons. ''A Crack in Time'' also had a few weapons from ''Tools of Destruction'', including the rocket-launching Negotiator, which was one of the first examples of a typical weapon niche being filled by a returning weapon, but ''[=ACiT=]'' still had plenty of its own unique weapons to its name. Games past ''All 4 One'' began heavily reusing weapons from older games without introducing too many of their own, and returning weapons began to fill standard weapon niches more often, such as the Warmonger as the rocket launcher in 4 games, the Combuster as the slow pistol in 5 games, and the Buzz Blades as the rapid-fire pistol in 5 games. This came to a head in ''RAC '16'', which ended up almost exclusively using weapons from older games, with only a handful of original ones to its name.
** The series' slide towards the LighterAndSofter and DenserAndWackier, eventually culminating in WereStillRelevantDammit. As early as the second game (Going Commando), Ratchet had gone from a brash headstrong teenager to a professional and well-meaning gun-for-hire well on his way to becoming a ScienceHero, while as early as the third game (Up Your Arsenal) the game's themes of consumerism and corporate cynism were being replaced by a TuxedoAndMartini plot involving a classical MadScientist, and A Crack in Time had alien races explicitly based off high school cliques. The thing is... Ratchet's new character in GC felt like a natural extension of his CharacterDevelopment, UYA's villain became an EnsembleDarkHorse with fans and creators alike, and [=ACiT=] is often considered a high point for the franchise on the basis of its story (and when it's not, UYA or GC often are, in its stead). In short, the problems that eventually manifested as {{Sequelitis}} were not only present and not considered problems, but [[TropesAreTools actively applauded]] in the earlier games, and only started irritating fans later once the games started running out of steam. An almost textbook example.

* GoodBadBugs: In the first 3 games, it's possible to wallhack with the Decoy Glove/Miniturret Glove and thus push yourself through walls and get places you aren't supposed to go. This is also possible in ''[[VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked Deadlocked]]'', though it's pointless due to its "arena combat" nature. Insomniac Games appeared to have wised up by the ''Future'' trilogy, as the turret-type weapons will only let you throw two at a time - wallhacking requires three turrets.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Creator/JamesArnoldTaylor was flacked for the infamous "laughing scene" in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', but has significantly improved in this franchise. Particularly in the climax for ''Tools of Destruction'', when Ratchet [[spoiler:refuses to join the lombaxes]].

* HoYay: Ratchet and Clank, and to a lesser extent Ratchet and Qwark.
--> '''Ratchet:''' Okay, I have to ask, what's with the nurse's outfit?
--> '''Qwark:''' All part of my ingenious plan to gain Dr. Nefarious' trust as the lovely nurse Shannon.
--> '''Ratchet:''' Well... White's certainly your color.
--> '''Qwark:''' Oh, you think so? I've always fancied myself a winter.

* ThatOneBoss:
** The battle against the Thugs 4 Less Leader on Snivelak in ''Going Commando'' is this for many people - it's not so much that it's difficult, but [[DamageSpongeBoss it takes forever to go down]]. Your normal weapons aren't very effective, forcing you to run around the city looking for turrets with which to whittle down his health - all the while shooting down his bombs - before he comes and destroys your turret after a certain amount of time has elapsed. Which is why smart players hide around a corner and kill the Thug Leader with spider/tank bots. Or [[GoodBadBugs unload their entire arsenal at him before even triggering the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaqOZbivZy4 fight.]]
** [[spoiler:The Luna puppet]] from ''Size Matters''. It takes a long time to go down and it's attacks are tough to avoid. And if you die, you have to go through the running-through-the-field sequence and cutscene ''again''.
** Before that, there is the [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal Warpship]] {{expy}}, who can summon endless backup to aid it. Ratchet's weapons will target them instead of the boss, making it more frustrating.
* ThatOneLevel: Gorda City ruins, on Planet Oltanis in the first game. In one path, you have to circumnavigate a path covered in ice (why is it covered in ice, again?) while being blown about by heavy wind. In the other, you have to make it past droves of some pretty annoying enemies, including one grenade-launching ship that's tough to dodge. Oh, and you can't use your jetpack. Yeah, Clank got randomly struck by lightning. Ratchet makes him sit this one out. [[DamnYouMuscleMemory Just make sure to remember that before you try making a long jump, like you've been used to for the past few hours...]]

** "Scoring with the Blarg" in ''Deadlocked'' requires you to get a high score in a Landstalker-mounted target-shooting game while also dealing with the enemies. The problems are that there are a ''lot'' of enemies that can do some large damage to your tank, there's no healing, and the score required is tight enough that you might just end up getting enough within the last few seconds of the challenge. There's another challenge later on Maraxus called "Spider on a Wire", but that one is miles easier and has a much more lenient score goal and less mean enemies. And God help you if you play it on [[HarderThanHard Exterminator]] difficulty...

* TheWoobie: Ratchet can be considered one when you learn the depth of his backstory. In the first game, he's an orphan living in a garage, trying to build a ship to go on an adventure, and admires Captain Qwark [[spoiler:until his betrayal on Umbris]]. The third game reveals that the galaxy only sees him as a sidekick to Clank due to a TV show they both star in [[spoiler:until Ratchet was replaced with Skrunch]]. And in ''Tools of Destruction'', we learn that Ratchet is [[spoiler:the last lombax left in the universe (not counting Angela Cross or Alister Azimuth)]]. And as of ''A Crack in Time'' [[spoiler:only Angela. Plus his best friend is missing for most of the game and very nearly abandons him to care for the Great Clock ([[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Luckily he doesn't]])]].
* UncannyValley: Most of the character designs in the [=PS2=]/PSP games look rather creepy compared to the ones used in the newer games, Qwark in particular with his huge teeth and eyes.

* ScrappyMechanic: ''All 4 One'', ''Full Frontal Assault'', ''Into the Nexus'', and ''Ratchet & Clank '16'' don't let you have multiple saves, which can get annoying if you have a completed file you want to keep and also want to start a new game.

** Mr. Zurkon. Being voiced by the actor of Mario from ''VideoGame/HotelMario'' certainly helps.

** [[FunWithAcronyms The R.Y.N.O.]] and its ilk.

* AwesomeMusic: [[AwesomeMusic/RatchetAndClank Has its own page]].

* HeReallyCanAct: Creator/JamesArnoldTaylor was flacked for the infamous "laughing scene" in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', but has significantly improved in this franchise. Particularly in the climax for ''Tools of Destruction'', when Ratchet [[spoiler:refuses to join the lombaxes]].

* TheWoobie: Ratchet can be considered one when you learn the depth of his backstory. In the first game, he's an orphan living in a garage, trying to build a ship to go on an adventure, and admires Captain Qwark [[spoiler:until his betrayal on Umbris]]. The third game reveals that the galaxy only sees him as a sidekick to Clank due to a TV show they both star in [[spoiler:until Ratchet was replaced with Skrunch]]. And in ''Tools of Destruction'', we learn that Ratchet is [[spoiler:the last lombax left in the universe (not counting Angela Cross or Alister Azimuth)]]. And as of ''A Crack in Time'' [[spoiler:only Angela. Plus his best friend is missing for most of the game and very nearly abandons him to care for the Great Clock ([[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming Luckily he doesn't]])]].

* CompleteMonster: [[YMMV/RatchetAndClank2002 Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman Drek]]; [[YMMV/RatchetAndClank2016 Dr. Nefarious]]; [[YMMV/RatchetDeadlocked Gleeman Vox]]; [[YMMV/RatchetAndClankAll4One Loki Master]]. See those pages for details.

* CompleteMonster: [[YMMV/RatchetAndClank2002 Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman Drek]]; [[YMMV/RatchetDeadlocked Gleeman Vox]]; [[YMMV/RatchetAndClank2016 Dr. Nefarious]]. See those pages for details.

** We also have Planet Grelbin from Going Commando. When you're hunting for crystals, polar bears will pop out from underground and they are TOUGH. They can survive at least one hit from any weapon you use (except the RYNO II), and will take a "bigger than average" percentage of your health if they swipe you. And how about those ice serpents that hide under frozen water, then burst out, take forever to kill, can knock you out quickly and can destroy your Shield Charger in one attack? And if you don't knock out those polar bears, they will chase you as hard as possible-and that is by NO means an exaggeration.

** "Scoring with the Blarg" in ''Deadlocked'' requires you to get a high score in a Landstalker-mounted target-shooting game while also dealing with the enemies. The problems are that there are a ''lot'' of enemies that can do some large damage to your tank, there's no healing, and the score required is tight enough that you might just end up getting enough within the last few seconds of the challenge. There's another challenge later on Maraxus called "Spider on a Wire", but that one is miles easier and has a much more lenient score goal and less mean enemies.