Ratchet: Deadlocked

Ratchet: Deadlocked, the fourth entry in the Ratchet & Clank series, brought a dramatic stylistic shift as Insomniac Games abandoned the traditional platforming elements in favor of a more action-heavy, more mature shooter inspired by reality television and gladiatorial combat. Ratchet is here without his robotic sidekick Clank, forced to fight in the arenas of the broadcast show DreadZone, where a sadistic producer decides his fate, and he's backed up by two combat robots that can be given orders in battle. The whole proceedings are further narrated by a pair of cynical hosts, giving the game a satirical edge.

The emphasis on team tactics, enemy waves, and arena combat set Deadlocked apart from earlier entries focused on exploration and platforming, which drew mixed reactions from part of the fanbase, while others appreciated the fresh change of pace and more intense action. Missions are structured as a series of challenges with optional additional conditions that reward better prizes when completed, letting the player set their own difficulty level. The weapon system remained the core of the fun, offering a wide array of extravagant instruments of destruction that could be upgraded, and the game also featured online cooperative and competitive multiplayer, a fairly ambitious feature for the series at the time.

Visually, the game felt darker and more industrial than previous entries, emphasizing metallic arenas and the technological aesthetic of a futuristic show business, while the engine kept things running smoothly even with large numbers of enemies and explosions on screen. Deadlocked showed the flexibility of the Ratchet & Clank brand, even though the series wouldn't return to its platforming roots until the following generation on PlayStation 3. The game also offered a sophisticated upgrade system for the combat robots, who gained experience and new abilities much like the main hero in previous entries of the series. In retrospect, Deadlocked feels like an interesting dead end in the brand's development, yet also one of the most fast-paced and best-controlling action titles Insomniac released on PlayStation 2.