From our beta-testing, we anticipate around 12 hours of gameplay; each level is enormous. We are also seeing that due to the sandbox nature of our game design, there are numerous ways to play each level. We have full multiplayer support for 360, PS3, and PC so that means you can continue to play the game again and again in Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch with completely different experiences each time. It's just awesome to swing from a chandelier, in slow motion, blasting your buddies down below as they run up banisters or hide behind stuff that's shattering...

"If we're going to craft an epic story we decided we had to divide it into manageable chunks for the consumer," he said, referring to Silicon Knights' proposed Too Human trilogy for Xbox 360, the first installment of which is currently in development. "At the same time we wanted to do a game that it has a chance to evolve and take advantage of development changes.

What do you folks think? Would you rather have a bunch of small yet satisfying game nuggets on a regular basis or one massive, seven course meal of a game? Michael Fahey

Gamers want shorter, better games - Dyack [GamesIndustry.biz]

But how does the experience translate to the PSP in Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters? (And doesn't the title imply it sucks?) Hit the jump for the Frankenreview: the review that sums up all the reviews, along with our 3D bar graph so you can save your reading energy for cock and fanboy jokes.

1up
"...why doesn't it feel like a Ratchet game?...Perhaps it's for technical reasons: the camera, for instance, which seems to have the hardest time doing its...Or maybe it's the awkward controls, which alter their configuration — sometimes strafing, sometimes turning... Maybe it's the level design, which fails to take either of these technical issues into...Or it could be the fairly uninspired weapon and gadget design...

Game Vortex
The analog nub moves while the face buttons are your primary actions like attack, gadget control and jumping...If the PSP has shown anything, it is that trying to work a two-analog stick system into a one-stick system is a difficult task. Size Matters manages to pull off the conversion...though some actions, like doing a super-jump, are a little too complicated and never seem to work all the time.
PSP Fanboy
Size Matters goes above and beyond by delivering even more gameplay variety. You'll play a small segment of the game as Clank, Ratchet's lovable robot companion...These segments can include squad-based gameplay, or...for example, you'll end up in a Battlebots-inspired arena where you'll have to destroy opposing ...Or, you'll be flying in space as Giant Clank in one of PSP's most impressive sequences. These Star Fox-esque space segments are absolutely mind-numbing...they're almost worth the price of admission alone.

I don't know, Crecente..."best title to ever hit the platform"? Maybe you should send me your review copy for a second opinion. Mark Wilson

One of the most consistent game franchises around would have to be Insomniac's Ratchet & Clank series. Each progressive title has managed to add new elements while maintaining an excellent balance of humor and solid gameplay that define the series. Many fans were a bit disappointed that Ratchet: Deadlocked focused on shooting without platforming and puzzle elements, but I'm happy to say after spending quite a bit of time with a preview build that the series has returned to its roots with the upcoming Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters for the PSP.

Ratchet and his robot buddy are taking a much needed vacation, having saved the universe now on multiple occasions. They meet a cute little girl named Luna who is writing a report on heroes and wants to see them in action. It isn't long before Luna is kidnapped, a legendary race of inventors gets involved, and once more R&C are pulled into a dangerous plot that sends them on a universe spanning adventure that the two of them really should come to expect right now. These guys get sent on universe spanning adventures if they stop by a convenience store for a slushie.

Aside from the PSP controls and slightly lower-quality graphics, the game looks and plays almost exactly like its PS2 siblings. Developer High Impact Games has done a great job of capturing the distinctive R&C feel, which isn't really a surprise considering High Impact was spawned from Insomniac. All of the familiar elements are in place here. Upgradeable weapons and gadgets, exciting mini-games, and novelty levels to mix things up a bit. My favorite so far would have to be the space shooter featuring Giant Clank, blasting his way through swarms of enemies to rescue his fuzzy lombax friend.

New to the series is customizeable armor. As you play through the game you'll come across armor pieces. Once you collect a whole set you not only look amazingly cool, you also get to use a special power. Collect the Wildfire set and your wrench attacks set enemies on fire, for instance. While I only managed to collect pieces from three sets and complete one, there sure were a lot of empty armor set slots waiting to be filled. Can't wait to see what they all do!

While some of the levels in the game tread on familiar ground, I've run across a couple that were quite new and different, including one I won't go into too much detail on that completely blew my mind. Flying chainsaws FTW!

The controls are actually pretty tight for a PSP platformer. I miss the second analog stick for camera control, but the shoulder buttons do the job adequately, and there's always a first-person view you can swap to if you want to look around or do some precision shooting. The small screen keeps pretty close to Ratchet as he fights, leading to being shot at off-screen quite a few times, but with the PSP you really are limited with how far away the camera can be in third-person before you start crossing into isometric territory.

Sadly I didn't get to try out the multiplayer options, but honestly I've always enjoyed the series more for the story and the characters than for online skirmishes.

All in all I am pretty excited about Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. It's shaping up to be one of those titles I can point to in order to justify my purchase of a PSP in the first place. Like Ready at Dawn's Daxter before it, this game looks to bring one of Sony's best franchises to the PSP in a big way. Michael Fahey

It's been a long time since I played a Ratchet & Clank game, but I have fond memories of pretty much every title in the series. R & C are a great team; they're funny, witty and everything Jak & Daxter wish they could be. The franchise got me interested in platform style games again and the mix of level styles always gave it that perfect amount of difficulty. It also incorporated lots of great secrets and, of course, it's always awesome arsenal of great weapons.

Sadly, not owning a PSP, I will never get to play this particular game, but watching this trailer makes me want to get one for the first time since Me and My Katamari came out. So many systems, so little money... Flynn De Marco

NoGoJoe Writes:

could you possibly take some comparison pics of the wii sitting next to 3 dvd cases stacked up so these idiots on irc will stfu?

many thanks

Anything for you NGJ, anything for you. Many more after the jump. Print them out and carry them around with you for extra strength STFU powers. Brian Crecente

Let's face it gamers, no matter what gender or sexual orientation, we all want to know one thing about an upcoming game. How big is it? This intimate question was put to two of Nintendo of America's game localization guys, Nate Bihldorff and Bill Trinen about the highly anticipated Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

The boys wasted no time in whipping out a whopping 9 dungeons, 70 hours of gameplay and boasted of a Hyrule field five times as big as the map in Ocarina of Time. They also assure us that there are a lot more side quests so that the game doesn't end up becoming and endless string of dungeons one after the other.

The Zelda franchise has always been known for the size and depth of it's games and it sounds like this one is more than ready to rise to the occasion. Flynn De Marco