Review; Ratchet And Clank (2002)

The original Ratchet and Clank is the perfect midpoint between 3D platformer and third person shooter.

And that's not the greatest thing.

While sequels would refine how to better blend fast paced shooting with clever platforming, this first installment manages to execute on the platforming well enough but drops the ball in the shooter mechanics, with a serious aversion to adopting a twin stick layout. That's not to say all shooter games would benefit from a twin stick layout but Ratchet and Clank 2002 definitely would.

It's hard for me to recommend anyone play the game to completion. There's a stealth section near the end that unceremoniously marks the point where the game stops being fun. Going back to Veldin for the endgame is especially more of a chore than a victory lap. And while the weapon selection is too large to fit inside your quick select, there's very little flow and synergy between Ratchet's arsenal. Your tactical options are severely limited and it leaves you wanting for even the basics of any respectable shooter's weapon selection. If nothing else, just one sniper weapon. Just one.

You'll also find that the bolt requirements will suddenly skyrocket in the mid to end game and you'll go from comfortably growing your arsenal to feeling like you have far too much money for just ammo and far too little to buy anything meaningful, with the best solution being the treasure hunter gadget you can acquire. It left me wishing for some sort of combat arena or a series of platforming gauntlets to play for money, and I'd even accept the asinine Quark minigames from the third game.

And no, hoverboard racing does not count. You make nearly nothing from it.

While the story is actually kind of a highlight and there are gags that are genuinely funny, it's perfectly okay to give this one a miss. Overall it's perhaps the worst of the PS2 games and I'd recommend any game that comes after just before it, but there's still fun to be had if you can grit your teeth through a frustrating end game.

If you must, I would recommend playing it at least for long enough to acquire the employee discount and most of the weapons, sans the more expensive ones.

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Since When Did Fascists Start Liking Harry Potter?

Hey, you know what I love? Harry Potter.

Like, every couple years I watch every movie in a marathon because those were some of my first experiences with the artistry of cinema, rather than the junkfood movies I'd thought were the ceiling. I love the theme song so much it makes me feel a warmth in my chest.

And I still respect the hell out of JK Rowling, for her achievements. She's done a ton of charity work, has given more money to charity than even most millionaires will see and her story as a writer inspires me to try harder with my writing.

However, recently it's been hard. I don't agree with the a lot of the choices she's made lately, and she's disappointed me plenty. And I recognize the tough position she must be in, but I think that power and influence comes with responsibility and one has to try act as ethically as possible.

I don't want this to get too political, and I get that people wanna have a good laugh, but there's this icky feeling I get when I see Rowling criticized for Hermoine's stage play casting with the same fevor as she gets criticized for the queerbaiting stuff. There's an icky feeling I get when I see people call details about Dumbledore's sex life gross, but no one batting an eye about Voldermort's secret daughter. I get an icky feeling when people use a mocked up tweet to criticize JK Rowling when she hasn't actually said anything as egregious as the 'wizard poop' retcon. There's an icky feeling I get when I see criticism for JK Rowling weaponized towards the goal of the radicalization of people who just wanna see themselves represented in the work.

To that end, I just wanna say, be careful when you're disappointed to be a little more scrutinizing? I'm afraid for the future. I'm afraid that there's going to be a co-opting of the discourse by radicalized individuals. I'm afraid that this thing I loved when I was a kid is going to be hard to enjoy because we stopped talking about how we felt when we first read/watched it but instead are caught up in stuff that we know we shouldn't care about, but also can't avoid.

Hey, you know what I like? Harry Potter. You wanna talk about how much you like Harry Potter? I think you should. You wanna talk about what you dislike about Harry Potter? I think you should.

I just don't think you should spend too much time dog piling on JK Rowling. Not accusing you personally of anything, but when you've dog piled on top of someone, sometimes it's hard to see that the people you're dog piling with are radicalized towards rhetoric that you yourself find abhorrent.

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