Boomstick: Ratchet & Clank, the cosmic commandos.
Wiz: And Jak and Daxter, the masters of Eco.
Season three's third episode brings to the field two gaming icons, teams that are known for their camaraderie that have lasted through various adventures. The hosts will compare an overwhelming amount of firepower against a weapon that shifts its talents as need be, a mix of mortal and cosmic skills against pure godlike energy, for while Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter have overcome many trials and even clashed in an all star battle royale, therein lies a new type of conflict and a new type of victory waiting for them in a death battle.
Wizard and Boomstick kick the episode off with Ratchet and Clank, a duo for whom their story begins with the Cragmite empire, wreaking havoc and destruction across the galaxy, their reign of terror unchecked by all save for the bipedal cat-like species known as the Lombaxes. They would soon put a stop to the Cragmites by banishing them all to another dimension, except for Percival Tachyon, who escaped this fate by hiding him on a comet as a failsafe should the Cragmites lose the ensuing war with the Lombaxes. The Lombaxes would find Tachyon and raise him as one of their own until he discovered the fate of the Cragmites, swearing revenge on the Lombaxes and exiling them to the same dimension the Cragmites themselves were banished to. However, fate has an interesting way of exacting justice; for just as Percival's existence was kept a secret to the Lombaxes, so too was there a Lombax whose identity was not known to Percival and his armies, a Lombax named Ratchet, sent to another galaxy during Tachyon's war. Ratchet spent most of his life from there on the planet Veldin, dreaming of exploring other worlds, but his dreams would fall short thanks to lacking a robot assistant to help ignite his space ship. Thankfully for him, such an aide would come in the form of the robot XJ-0461; originally manufactured in a facility for sentry-bots, the seemingly defective robot escaped his demise and crash-landed on Veldin, where he would introduce himself to the Lombax as XJ-0461, or Clank for short.
The duo's ensuing adventures would teach them vast skills and abilities that would prove invaluable in their travels across the cosmos; with an array of techniques ranging across commando training, martial arts, and even heavy weaponry and stealth, Ratchet is a well-trained and seasoned explored. Clank as well has his share of talents to his name, such as his ability to serve as a personal jetpack and helicopter for Ratchet and even utilizing his true lineage to his advantage; Clank is no ordinary robot, having the soul of an extradimensional being known as a Zoni in him, thus granting him the Zoni's ability to manipulate space and time whilst being immune to their effects. Ratchet and Clank also come equipped with nanotech, micromachines that repair the body from the inside out, though they come with a limited supply of it. However, the pair's true strengths lie in the vast firepower acquired across many years and travels across the galaxy. While they come equipped with Ratchet's omni-wrench and even more relatively standard fare such as rocket launchers, they also possess far more esoteric weaponry, ranging from the Vortex Cannon, which sucks up enemies and uses them as ammunition, the Miniturret Glove, which deploys sentry guns capable of destroying tanks, the Groovitron, a disco ball that forces Ratchet's foes to dance uncontrollably, and even the Sheepinator, a ray gun that turns its foes into sheep, to Shredder Claws made of pure energy, the Mr. Zurkon synthenoid, to the RYNO V, a superweapon akin to a minigun combined with a rocket launcher releasing mass volumes of projectiles set to the 1812 Overture.
Given how astronomically powerful their array of weapons are, not to mention the extra techniques they possess while out on the field, Ratchet and Clank's feats are as memorable as their escapades. With enough skill to take on and survive countless gladiator battles, the speed to dodge point-blank laser blasts, enough durability to survive numerous crashes, some of which involved their own spaceships and even riding an asteroid through the vacuum of space, and even fought off Mr. Eye, a massive alien who could destroy skyscrapers, it would seem that nothing can hold the pair down for long. Sadly, this is not the case; their toughness is entirely dependent on their nanotech, and should they run out, the next blow they take will assuredly be a fatal one. But this flaw has never truly stopped the duo from anything they faced, and together, they can triumph over any obstacle, much as they have done countless times before.
Ratchet: (pointing away, mimicking surprise) Gah, what's that!?
Clank: (looking where Ratchet's pointing) What!?
Ratchet: (smugly) Uh-huh. (Clank angrily waves his fist)
With that, the hosts move on from Ratchet and Clank to their foes, Jak and Daxter, a pair whose destinies are intrinsically tied with the mystical substance filling their planet known as eco. The precursors, ancient godlike beings, left behind six types of eco, the mysteries of which would not be unraveled until the royal House of Mar, located in Haven City bore a child named Jak. Jak, the child of King Damas, ruler of Haven City, would be separated from his father by Baron Praxis, who banished Damas to the Wastelands, forcing Jak to grow up under the tutelage of Samos Hagai, elder of the tropical Sandover Village. Here, Jak would meet his eventual best friend Daxter, and the pair would enjoy their bond as they shared their days together, including travelling to the forbidden Misty Island, where an accident would lead Daxter tumbling into a pool full of dark eco, transforming him into an otter-weasel hybrid known as an ottsel. To reverse this situation, the pair would have to find Gol Acheron, sage of dark eco, and Samos would teach the two to harness the powers of eco to aid them in the journey to come.
No hero would be complete without a signature talent that makes them stand out, and the duo of human and ottsel make no exception. Samos' training taught them to master the four basic types of eco; green, allowing Jak to restore his health and create energy shields; yellow, creating energy projectiles Jak can launch from his hands; blue, doubling Jak's speed and reflexes; and red, which likewise doubles Jak's physical strength. Their tampering with precursor technology led the pair to a dystopian future ruled by Baron Praxis, who captued Jak and began experimenting on him to turn him into a super soldier for two years prior to Daxter's saving of him. The experiments Praxis performed on Jak failed to achieve the desired results, though they did give Jak the ability to harness dark eco and with it, a temporary transformation into a new form known as Dark Jak. Using dark eco, Dark Jak can unleash it as projectile blasts or otherwise triple in size and strength, all while being completely immune to damage. Yet that would prove not to be the end of Jak's skills, for when coming face-to-face with precursors, all of whom turned out to be mere ottsels like Daxter, they granted Jak the power of using light eco to counterbalance the dark. With this new form, christened Light Jak, Jak can soar through the air, produce force field, heal from wounds, and even stem the flow of time. When not having enough eco on standby to access his Dark or Light forms, Jak carries the Morph Gun, a rifle powered by different types of eco that shifts itself to match the given eco; such versatility allows it to be fired like a shotgun, grenade launcher, and a minigun, with ammo just as varied, from ricocheting lasers to homing needles and even lightning. But if all else fails, Jak can use dark eco on the Morph Gun, allowing it to become the rapid-fire Peace Maker, the Mass Inverter capable of defying gravity on those it hits, or even the miniature nuclear weapon known as the Super Nova.
With their eco and their firearm at hand, Jak and Daxter successfully overthrew Baron Praxis from the dystopian future and along the way proved themselves worthy of the feat, tearing through solid metal doors, winning a tournament of combat racing whilst poisoned, and courtesy of Dark Jak, surviving being crushed by a cave-in. Even massive precursor robots and terraforming machines have fallen prey to the pair, but such feats were achievable by the duo covering for their weaknesses. While Daxter helps however he can, mainly by steering missiles at the pair's foes, most of the heavy lifting is done by Jak, who can be brash and reckless at times. Their supply of eco is not infinite, either, regularly needing to be replenished by the environment around them and otherwise being drained while active. However, if these flaws are all that hold the two back, it stands as little surprise that they have saved Haven City and beyond from its otherwise-assured destruction.
Both sides have been given their due, and the time for battle is fast approaching. One advertisement for The Angry Video Game Nerd II: ASSimilation later, and now, it's time for a death battle!
The morning sun sheds its light over the tranquility of Sandover Village, a seagull pecking at the trees overhead. This peaceful image is soon disturbed by a rocket ship careening out of control, soon slamming into the seagull, who bursts into green eco, the ship continuing its trip before crashing into the dirt and slamming into one of the village's abodes. From the downed ship comes Ratchet and Clank, sharing a minor squabble over the faults behind the craft's most recent repairs before the green eco interrupts them. A minor observation is all the eco gets out of them, as Jak absorbs it, Daxter soon hopping onto Jak's shoulder and giving the two strangers a sarcastic greeting. Ratchet's attempted assurance that the damage can be repaired is punctuated by the house promptly exploding; Clank's own comforts fare little better, and if anything, serve to make the problem even worse by mistakenly calling Daxter a weasel. Clearly aggravated, Jak and Daxter prepare to do battle, pumping themselves up for action; it takes little time for their newfound foes to do the same, Clank attaching himself to Ratchet preparing the omni-wrench.
FIGHT!
With no hesitation does Jak lunge at Ratchet, an overhead strike blocked by the omni-wrench. The first few clean hits of the fight are landed shortly afterward, an array of rapid kicks from Jak followed by vaulting over the Lombax and Daxter promptly clinging onto Ratchet's face, bashing him on the head as he does. Thankfully for Ratchet, Clank dismounts from his back, landing a flying kick that sends the ottsel flying back into Jak. Jak ups the ante in the fight, bringing out the Morph Gun and charging it with yellow eco, taking on the assault rifle-like form of the Blaster. Bursts of yellow eco are nimbly evaded by the Lombax, who brings out a pair of Blitz Guns, the two circling each other as they fire their respective guns. Darting behind a tower, Jak brings out his hover board, leaping on it and racing back towards his foes, Daxter raucously cheering all the while. As he nimbly dodges the Blaster fire, Ratchet pulls out the Vortex Cannon, sucking Daxter into it before promptly firing him out at Jak, knocking him off the jetboard and knocking Daxter unconscious for a brief second.
As he leaps towards Ratchet once he comes to, putting out a fire on his tail, Daxter finds himself staring down the Megarocket Cannon, which spews an array of missiles that knock the ottsel away. Ratchet sets his sights back on Jak, but a second barrage of rockets is blocked by Jak's usage of his green eco to establish a shield that knocks the missiles away, soon shifting into channeling his blue eco to enhance his agility. A heated charge leads to an equally-frantic series of punches thrown at Ratchet, who in his state of surprise, fails to notice Jak filling the Morph Gun with dark eco, using the ensuing Mass Inverter to leave the Lombax floating in the air. Knocking him further skyward, Jak lets loose the Super Nova, but Ratchet in turn, uses his Shield Charger to create a protective barrier that, though capable of deflecting the Super Nova's missile, is promptly broken afterward, the once-inhabitand of Veldin tumbling to the ground below.
Clank notices Ratchet's predicament and sprouts a pair of wings on his back and flying to his comrade. As Clank re-attaches himself to Ratchet's back, the Lombax uses the Thruster-Pack to dart towards the son of Damas, whose Morph Gun, now powered by red eco, releases a barrage of shells in its Vulcan Fury mode. To buy themselves a bit more time, Ratchet unveils the Miniturret Glove, firing a series of sentries around Jak. The ensuing horde of rounds seem to overwhelm Ratchet's foe at first, but the turrets are soon destroyed by Jak channeling dark eco into himself, obliterating them as he becomes Dark Jak. Ratchet re-considers his options and prepares the RYNO V, but before he can test it on his foe, Clank alerts his friend that Daxter, riding one of the missiles of the Megarocket Cannon, is barreling towards them. The pair can do little but watch as the rocket blasts the two, sending Ratchet, Clank, and the RYNO V in separate directions, and in the process, releasing the gun's full destructive power.
The 1812 Overture fills the air alongside the missiles and bullets uncontrollably spewing out of the RYNO V as it flails about on the ground. Ratchet takes up the Gold Devastator rocket launcher, a missile barely making Dark Jak flinch as he grows in size, shambling towards the Lombax. Daxter cheers Jak on as he tears into Ratchet, knocking him into a door. Clank, meanwhile, sees the RYNO V hurtling towards him, and kicks it towards Dark Jak, who stumbles upon meeting the gun's firepower, but soon brushes it off before falling to the ground. As he comes to as normal Jak, Ratchet reunites with Clank and lands blow after blow with the omni-wrench. Jak takes a blow to the face and promptly takes a few steps back, channeling his light eco powers and becoming Light Jak, sprouting wings in the process. The Lombax and his robot friend look at each other, seemingly with a plan in mind; Ratchet hefts a blue cannon, which Light Jak meets by slamming his hands together, bringing the flow of time to a crawl with Flash Freeze. Light Jak uses this opportunity to create a massive influx of light eco over his hands, while Clank, thanks to his Zoni lineage, is able to move in the frozen time, touching Ratchet and undoing Light Jak's chronomancy. Barely able to activate the Shield Charger once more, the barrier is able to shove Light Jak's ray aside while Ratchet uses the Liquid Nitrogen Gun to freeze human and ottsel alike solid. The overture reaches its finale while, with omni-wrench in hand, Clank tosses it to Ratchet whom promptly delivers an overhead strike, shattering Haven City's saviors to pieces. The music dies down as the frozen chunks of Jak and Daxter litter the landscape, Ratchet giving an appreciative thumbs up to Clank. The moment lasts briefly as Clank gives a playful chortle at Ratchet's attempted one-liner, the Lombax glaring at his robot companion.
K.O.!
Ratchet and Clank enjoy their hard-earned victory by reclining in some chairs and engaging in a sunbath, another seagull prodding at the remnants of Jak and Daxter. The hosts admit that Jak and Daxter were credible threats to Ratchet and Clank, especially when equipped with eco, but were surpassed in terms of teamwork, defense, and most predominantly firepower. Comparing their methods of healing, Wizard states that Ratchet's nanotech was more reliable than Jak's green eco, able to heal him immediately rather than the green eco's gradual healing. In addition, Ratchet also possessed defensive equipment and weapons that could hinder and disable his foes in addition to outright harming them, able to counteract the more offensively-inclined Dark and Light Jak forms. While the Morph Gun is given admiration for its versatility, it nonetheless pales in comparison to the sheer scope and destructive power of Ratchet and Clank's equipment. The best bet, they conclude, Jak and Daxter had at victory was Dark Jak, but as with all their skills, it relied on a limited amount of dark eco that was quickly drained, compared to Ratchet and Clank's equipment and how they possess both enough firepower and ammunition fueling it to carry the fight on. And capping it all off, Daxter is a far more inferior sidekick to Jak than Clank is to Ratchet, especially considering Clank's own time manipulation powers and the immunity to others' that it provides. Both teams have earned their respect, but Jak and Daxter proved to be the outclassed and not the outclasser in enough fields to keep them from their victory.
Wizard: The winners are Ratchet and Clank!
Ratchet and Clank vs. Jak and Daxter contains examples of:
- Barrier Warrior: Ratchet's Shield Charger/Tesla Barrier and Jak's Green/Light Eco shields.
- BFG: The RYNO V, bigger than Ratchet himself.
- Book Ends: The fight begins and ends with an overhead strike.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Jak and Daxter try to murder Ratchet and Clank because they accidentally destroyed their house and Clank called Daxter a weasel, which was not an insult and instead an honest mistake.
- Fastball Special: Ratchet's Vortex Cannon is a gun version of this when the ammo in question is Daxter.
- Literally Shattered Lives: The ultimate fate of Jak and Daxter; frozen solid by the Liquid Nitrogen Gun and smashed to pieces.
- Magic Versus Science: Downplayed; between Clank's time-control powers being mystical in nature and Jak's Morph Gun and jetboard, both sides have varying amounts of magic and science. However, the point ultimately goes to Ratchet and Clank on the side of science.
- No-Sell: Thanks to having the soul of a Zoni inside of him, Clank was immune to Light Jak's time stopping move allowing him to unfreeze Ratchet and eventually deliver the killing blow.
- Riding the Bomb: Said to be one of Daxter's preferred means of assistance, which he uses in the fight to knock the RYNO V out of Ratchet's hands.
- Sidekick: Clank and Daxter's defining trait is this to their respective partners, although Clank once thought that Ratchet was his sidekick. Between Clank's status being a Hypercompetent Sidekick and Daxter's status being a Bumbling Sidekick, Clank's status is proven superior and is considered better of the two.
- Stealth Pun: Meta example; Torrian shows a gag clip of hundreds of Rambis running all over the place. In the battle itself, the thing moving around the battle wildly is the RYNO.
- Source Music: The RYNO V, firing on its own, plays the entire finale of the 1812 Overture during the last stretch of the fight.
- Tempting Fate: Ratchet commenting that the starship crashed into Jak and Daxter's house "isn't so bad". Right almost after he says it, it explodes, completely destroying the house.
- True Companions: Both duos are close to each other, although Ratchet and Clank were not really close at first.
- Victory by Endurance: Ultimately the reason Ratchet and Clank win. Jak's extremely powerful and decently varied, but his powers all run on limited pools of eco (including his Super Mode forms which were their best chance of winning) that can run dry, while Ratchet has collected literally hundreds of different weapons over his adventures, each of which has it's own individual ammo pool. With so many weapons to spare, Ratchet can keep unloading his arsenal on Jak even if he runs out of ammo for a few weapons holding him off; the fight is in fact over before Ratchet has used a number of weapons equivalent to what he can acquire in a single game of his home series.
- Walking Arsenal: Ratchet and Clank are known for their over-the-top weaponry in their home series, and they bring it with them here. That said, Ratchet only needs a few of them to beat Jak.
