Video Game reviews

By CIARA COTEY and TRAVIS HARRIS
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 21, 2003

Ratchet and Clank

• System: PlayStation 2
• Company: Insomniac Games
• Price: $39.99
• Rating: T
• Grade: A

Ratchet and Clank is an awesome video game about a guy named Ratchet, who kind of resembles a kangaroo, and his robot friend, Clank. They set out to stop a bad guy's evil scheme to take the best pieces of other planets to build a perfect planet of his own.

As they search for Capt. Quark, a person who Clank thinks can save them, they battle evil robots and encounter strange creatures, only to get a huge surprise. This game is packed with adventure, impossible-but-cool gadgets and some sweet weapons. When you start to play this game, it's difficult to stop.

When you shoot your enemies, they explode into nuts and bolts, which you collect magnetically (they fly to you, which means you don't have to chase around to pick them up). That's a nice touch.

This game will give you different emotions. You'll be scared when the snagglebeast chases you across the bridge -- over boiling lava -- in his lair. You'll be cracking up at your buddies from the Glove of Doom as they charge into your enemies and explode. You'll be angry at Capt. Qwark when he . . . well, I'll let you discover the rest yourself. Check out this game, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

-- CIARA COTEY, Times correspondent

Resident Evil Zero

• System: GameCube
• Company: Capcom
• Price: $49.99
• Rating: M
• Grade: B

There is nothing new here. It's good, but it's not as scary as the previous installments.

Resident Evil Zero starts on a train that crashes, and you have to find a way off. As you walk around the train, you have to kill the zombies and zombie dogs that come after you. When you get to the back of the train, you find an ex-Marine named Billy. You need him in everything you do, which can be a pain sometimes.

It's not easy getting off the train. I had to go to the front of the train to stop it, but the brake is in the back. The game controls are pretty good, but confusing when you start.

-- TRAVIS HARRIS, Times correspondent

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