Many a great
canine have shared their lives and wisdom with us. Who could forget Pluto,
Mickey Mouse’s loyal companion? Who could ignore Tinkerbell, the pocket-sized
Chihuahua packed inside Paris Hilton’s purse? And how could anyone not
recognize the contribution of TV greats like Madison (who plays Vincent on
"Lost")?
These
canines go above and beyond the call of the wild. Isn’t it about time video
games had a dog that did the same?
Ruff
Trigger, a leading bounty hunter en route to the planet Endust, is taking a
shot at being the first mascot game to star a dog. Noted in the manual’s
debriefing, "Ruff isn’t the sort of mutt for mundane missions." As the
galaxy’s top dog, players will go on a space hunt to fetch the missing Piglots
(a strange, dog-like alien species).
That’s job
number-one. Job two is destroy and defend, and you’re going to have to do a
lot of that if Ruff expects to complete his mission. Enemies are not too
common. You’ll have long stretches where only one or two appear, if any.
Sub-bosses are another story. Their bite, unfortunately, is much harsher than
their bark.
Robots hover
smoothly, yet manage to move in a somewhat clunky manner. Mr. Trigger, on the
other hand, is suave, almost sophisticated, and moves as smooth as an animal
trying to impersonate Ratchet’s every action. You know Ratchet – the star of
hits like Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal. His games have a very distinct
type of movement and level design, resulting in a fine mix of third-person
action/adventuring and first-person shooting. Ruff is a big fan, and he wants
every part of Ratchet’s fun.
It Feels
Like…
Ruff
Trigger’s basic controls are very well done. While not wholeheartedly
seamless, the character movement is smooth and comes close to the game it’s
aspiring to be. Camera controls are decent most of the time – choppy the rest
– but always manageable. Double jumps are a breeze to pull off even if you
don’t press the buttons in close succession.
It Looks Like…
"Where’s
Ratchet?" You’ll be asking yourself that as you walk through each spacious,
futuristic building. Aside from parodies, the Mushroom Kingdom has stayed
exclusive to Mario. Sonic’s homeland has also been left alone. Meanwhile, the
newer generation of mascot games is having its intellectual properties
utilized all over the industry.
Fans of
Ratchet & Clank should be intrigued; fans of originality may have another
opinion. The colors, texturing, layout, enemy formation, the way enemies are
encountered, the way sub-bosses are introduced, the way new weapons are
acquired – it’s all taken from the Ratchet handbook.
But It
Doesn’t Taste Like…
The cutesy,
copy-cat-filled world is not surprisingly satisfying. Had I known that
this was going to be a Ratchet clone, I would have expected to enjoy
it. Not knowing that, I expected to enjoy it for other reasons. I love the
genre, always have, and will continue to search for games that take it to new
heights.
The act of
collecting Piglots is simple – perhaps too simple for any child who’s played
through a Crash Bandicoot title – but still fun. Saving Piglots is the key to
opening gates, rising platforms, and triggering other environmental elements
that allow you to progress in the game. This reward system gives players an
extra bit of incentive to continue collecting the tiny creatures. Otherwise
they might’ve gotten caught up in the trigger-happy fun: blasting pesky
robots.
Robots,
whether big or small, look a lot like those featured in Ratchet’s games. Yeah,
you probably saw that coming by now. It’s still a fact worth mentioning, as
they are the reason to be enthused, as well as the reason you’ll be turned
off.
Let’s cut to
the chase: the targeting system doesn’t work. For starters, you have to hold
down two buttons to accomplish the task. One (R1) is used to locate and
temporarily hold on to nearby enemies, which it does ineffectively. Whether
near or far, the enemy will only be recognized by the targeting system if the
camera is pointed in the right direction. That defeats the purpose of having a
targeting system – if I have to adjust the camera first, I’m already in place
to take out the enemy. There’s no need to continue with nonsensical,
unmethodical button-holding.
The second
button (L1) is used to firmly lock-on to the enemy once it has been targeted.
This enables you to stay pointed toward the enemy while moving away, creating
a third-person-style strafe mechanic. In other words, the first button didn’t
really do much, as walking away deletes your target. However, holding both
buttons doesn’t do much either, as walking too far away deletes your target.
The target will also be lost if you turn too much to one side.
Sub-bosses
would be a piece of cake if you could lock-on, strafe, and retaliate.
Ultimately that’s never the case. Players are at the mercy of a control system
that doesn’t let you do things you’re already capable of doing. When kids
start failing because the controls failed them, it’s over. The game just lost
its target market.
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Gameplay: 6.7
Ruff Trigger is
going to have a rough time meeting the needs of its intended users. Piglot-collecting
is fun; enemy encounters are not (due to the faulty targeting system). Since
that makes up the majority of the game, it’s hard to enjoy the game,
regardless of how easy it (technically) is.
Graphics: 3.5
Ugly explosions,
bland characters, boring enemies – Ratchet clone or not, the graphics cannot
compare.
Sound: 6.0
Cheesy, but
moderately fitting to the experience.
Difficulty: Easy
Ruff Trigger’s
targeting system is a big turn-off. The difficulty, however, is not (unless
you’re looking for a challenge).
Concept: 5.0
Ratchet & Clank
with new characters and a targeting system that doesn’t work.
Overall: 6.0
It’s hard to
recommend a game that’s rough on the player. A fierce challenge is
rarely turned away, but how can anyone – kids of all people – overcome the
lack of a steady shooting mechanic? I honestly doubt that gamers of any age
will be accepting of this flaw.
For the kids
who have played the game that Ruff Trigger copies, forget it – move on.
They’re going to expect that same level of quality from this clone.
Unavoidably, they’ll be disappointed.
