History YMMV / RatchetAndClank

** Speaking of the [=PS3=] titles; many fans felt like the new plot thread of Ratchet being the LastOfHisKind and Clank being TheChosenOne completely cheapened the original game's premise, as it now comes off more as a ContrivedConvenience rather than Ratchet being TheDragAlong that Clank needed to take with him.

* NoRomanticResolution: Arguably with every main female character in the series - Ratchet and Clank are both shown to have numerous love interests who vanish between games and are almost never brought up following titles afterwards.

* 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.

** There is good reason why Dr. Nefarious is the Franchise's most recurring villain. As while He may be [[LaughablyEvil A comical villain]] He balances this out by being [[NotSoHarmlessVillain A legitimate threat]] in nearly all of his appearances and even nearly coming close to achieve his goals [[NearVillainVictory A few times.]] and almost always coming back prepared. (Also not even mentioning that before ''Up Your Arsenal'' Qwark was the only hero to have directly survived him.)
** Drek from the first game. Although He is A CorruptCorporateExecutive and an all around scumbag, the fact He proves to be a legitimately threatening and competent villain (with a [[ThatOneBoss challenge boss fight]] to boot.) Has made him, one of the franchise's most fondly remembered villains. His more bumbling take in the 2016 reboot, was a [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks sore spot]] for many fans.
** Outside of ''Up Your Arsenal''[='s=] Dr. Nefarious, there's also Courtney Gears, whom in her boss fight does prove she can indeed [[AwesomeBosses/VideoGames fight]] as good as she sings.
** From ''Deadlocked'' Gleeman Vox, Ace Hardlight, and the rest of the Exterminators.
** In ''A Crack In Time'' [[spoiler: Alister Azimuth becomes this near the end, though only briefly.]]
** And as of ''Rift Apart'' [[spoiler: Emperor Nefarious.]]

** In the first five games, it's possible to clip through walls by using weapons that spawn objects; the Decoy Glove in ''Ratchet & Clank'', the Decoy Glove and Miniturret Glove in ''Going Commando'', the Miniturret Glove in ''Up Your Arsenal'', the Hunter Mine Launcher and Mini Turret Launcher in ''Deadlocked'', and the Nano-Swarmers and Visi-Copter Device in ''Tools of Destruction''. While fun to mess around with in general, clipping is also one of many tricks that's ''mercilessly'' abused in {{speedrun}}s to get through levels faster.

** In the first five games, it's possible to clip through walls by using weapons that spawn objects; the Decoy Glove in ''Ratchet & Clank'', the Decoy Glove and Miniturret Glove in ''Going Commando'', the Miniturret Glove in ''Up Your Arsenal'', the Hunter Mine Launcher and Mini Turret Launcher in ''Deadlocked'', and the Visi-Copter Device in ''Tools of Destruction''. While fun to mess around with in general, clipping is also one of many tricks that's ''mercilessly'' abused in {{speedrun}}s to get through levels faster.

** ''Tools of Destruction'' has a similar bug with the Razor Claws, where doing the aerial attack into a wall allows you to do a high jump off of midair, which can be interrupted by another aerial attack, which allows you to do a high jump... thus allowing you to climb almost any wall in the game as long as the Claws have ammo to use.

** 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 attempted to stop this by ''Tools of Destruction'', as the Nano-Swarmers will only let you deploy two at a time, but it's possible to simply use a Visi-Copter to push Ratchet through corners in this title.

** Whether or not the series shifitng its focus away from satire to dramaedy was for the better or not. Supporters love the addtions to lore and character develoment and feel that the satire well was begging to dry. Detractors however find the stories of the PS3 games onward to be Narm filled and betrays the series' core becoming the kind of franchise earlier games mocked

* EvilIsCool: There is good reason why Dr. Nefarious is the Franchise's most recurring villain. As while He may be [[LaughablyEvil A comical villain]] He balances this out by being [[NotSoHarmlessVillain A legitimate threat]] in nearly all of his appearances and even nearly coming close to achieve his goals [[NearVillainVictory A few times.]] and almost always coming back prepared. (Also not even mentioning that before ''Up Your Arsenal'' Qwark was the only hero to have directly survived him.)

** From ''UpYourArsenal'' Aside from Dr.Nefarious. There is also Courtney Gears, whom in her boss fight does prove she can indeed [[AwesomeBosses fight]] as good as She sings.

** 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, like the Sonic Eruptor and Spiral of Doom. 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 [[Administrivia/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 received 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.
* FriendlyFandoms: With ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter''. The development teams shared code and assets in the [=PlayStation=] 2 era, leading to multiple cross-references and nods to one another. As such, the fandoms for both series tend to get along very well, and there's quite a lot of overlap between the fandoms as well.

** ''Up Your Arsenal'' introduces (or rather [[TheBusCameBack reintroduces]]) the [[TheTeam Q-Force]], a group created by Qwark composed of the main duo, Big Al, Helga, and [=Skidd McMarx=] from the first game, and new characters [[OnlySaneWoman Sasha]] and [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys Skrunch]]. Yet these characters outright disappear from the franchise after the [=PS2=] era and are largely forgotten about in the Future series outside of some occasional mentions.

** The First Game has Drek. Although He is A CorruptCorporateExecutive and an all around scumbag, the fact He proves to be a legitimately threatening and competent villain (with a [[ThatOneBoss challenge boss fight]] to boot.) Has made him, one of the franchise's most fondly remembered villains. His more bumbling take in the 2016 reboot, was a [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks sore spot]] for many fans.

* EvilIsCool: There is good reason why Dr. Nefarious is the Franchise's most recurring villain. As while He may be [[LaughablyEvil A comical villain]] He balances this out by being [[NotSoHarmlessVillain A legitimate threat]] in nearly all of his appearances and even nearly coming close to achieve his goals [[NearVillainVictory A few times.]] and almost always coming back prepared. (Also not even mentioning that before [[VideoGame/Ratchet&ClankUpYourArsenal Up Your Arsenal,]] Qwark was the only hero to have directly survived him.)

** 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.
** In ''Going Commando'', beating the game unlocks a first person mode. The bug is that jumping and throwing your wrench at the wall while in first person makes you jump upwards. Just mash Square and you can climb almost any wall and go out of bounds nearly anywhere your little heart desires!
** ''Tools of Destruction'' has a similar bug with the Razor Claws, where doing the aerial attack into a wall allows you to do a high jump, which can be interrupted by another aerial attack. Just repeat the process and you can climb any wall as long as the claws have ammo!

* 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 much more juvenile 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 trying way too hard to make the series pander to a wider mainstream audience [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis while becoming the kind of shallow, insincere product that the series made fun of in the first place.]]

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

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: The first three games got so many things past the radar, the T rating for them might be more than justified despite the cartoon-like look of the game. The developers admitted that the game was made more for the teenage crowd and older rather the younger kids.

** Mr. Zurkon. Originating in ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction Tools of Destruction]]'' as one of the gadget weapons, he became a BreakoutCharacter due to his [[HeroicComedicSociopath comedically bloodthirsty nature]] and has appeared in every other game since then. At this point, however, while several fans still revere him for his memorable quotes (Especially since he's voiced by [[Creator/MarcGraue the same person]] who voices Mario from VideoGame/HotelMario helps a lot), about an equal amount of people started to hate him, thinking his quotes have become tired (Or weren't even funny to begin with), and wish that Insomniac would just keep him out of a game for once.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Captain Qwark, particularly in later games where his IdiotHero traits are front and center. Is he a [[PluckyComicRelief genuinely funny]] and [[LargeHam entertaining character]] whose zanier antics and [[SmallNameBigEgo obvious self-delusions]] help play off Ratchet and Clank when it comes to humor, or is he an [[CreatorsPet overused]], [[ItsAllAboutMe obnoxious]] [[TheLoad load]] who gets away with too much when it comes to his more narcissistic tendencies?

** Mr. Zurkon. Being voiced by [[Creator/MarcGraue the actor of Mario and Luigi]] from ''VideoGame/HotelMario'' certainly helps.
--->''Mr. Zurkon does NOT come in peace.''

** The film's tie-in game that's on [=PS4=]. Fans are divided on whether to celebrate the remake or worry over a possible reboot of the beloved franchise.

* FanonDiscontinuity: ''All 4 One'' and ''Full Frontal Assault'' are often dismissed by the fandom for their [[{{Sequelitis}} weaker storylines]] compared to the Future trilogy.

** 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 [[Administrivia/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.

* TheScrappy
** 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. And many fans aren't too forgiving of his despicable behavior in the first two games.

* 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 much more juvenile 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 trying way too hard to make the series pander to a wider mainstream audience [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis while becoming the kind of shallow, insincere product that the series made fun of in the first place.]]

* VillainDecay: Captain Qwark - in the first game he was one of the two main villains, and he returned as the ''main'' villain in ''Going Commando''. He showed up as an early boss in ''Up Your Arsenal'', but from that point on Qwark ceased to be a villain so much as a hindrance because he was so inept at trying to help. By the time the Future series starts, no-one can take him seriously.

** While Clank's playable segments are often well-integrated to the plot and can be refreshing, they aren't without their detractors; they [[UnexpectedGameplayChange trade Ratchet's fast-paced action to puzzles]] that mostly consist of slowly running around with only 4 health while CheckpointStarvation is in full effect - not to mention the potential {{Backtracking}} if a Gadgebot dies too soon. Fortunately, Insomniac seems to have caught up to this, as many of the games released after ''[=ACIT=]'' not only [[AntiFrustrationFeatures make Clank faster to move around]], but also make the segments more exciting from both [[SugarWiki/VisualPorn visual]] and [[ActionizedSequel gameplay standpoints]].[[note]]''A Crack in Time'' in particular overhauled his entire gameplay style, and made puzzles more about thinking ahead instead of running around and collecting an army of bots to help you do stuff. [[/note]]

* 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]].

** A non-InfinityPlusOneSword example: The Rift Inducer of ''Up Your Arsenal'', which one-shots all small to medium-sized mooks. Level it up enough, and you can just sit there while all of the enemies in the area get sucked in and die.

* 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 trying way too hard to make the series pander to a wider mainstream audience while losing sight of what made the series stand out in the first place.