Ratchet & Clank (PlayStation 2)

This page details pre-release information and/or media for Ratchet & Clank (PlayStation 2).

To do: Some more information of the game's pre-release prior to the E3 are definitely out there. Info regarding the game's conception. Such as earlier designs and ideas for the game and Ratchet and Clank themselves. Pages for concept art. Some are viewable in the final's 'Goodies' menu. There's some artwork that show earlier/different character designs and might be worth adding as a subpage. Might also be worth adding relevant screencaps/pictures such as the game's original logo and the earlier HUD. Add (or merge) a section regarding the game's making of video as it depicts a similar (if not identical) build of the game seen in the demo trailer.

"The Adventures of Ratchet & Clank" Trailer#

A very early trailer for the game released for the game's 10th anniversary in 2012. It showcases a very primitive build of the game even earlier than the ones shown in the trailers in the game's demos and the making of video.

Watch on YouTube

• The game was initially titled 'The Adventures of Ratchet & Clank' before being simplified to 'Ratchet & Clank'. The logo also is monochromatic and is textured differently.
  • Curiously the flying blimp in Metropolis in slightly later builds of the game uses a lower quality version of this logo well after the name change.
• Ratchet and Clank's textures are more simplistic than how they are in the final game.
  • Ratchet notably lacks his stripes and his fur is more of a brownish tint rather than a bright yellow.
  • Clank's eyes are fully opaque textures and do not subtly glow as they do in the final. His textures are also different.
• The game's HUD is very different and in a much rougher state. The font is an early placeholder which was replaced by a more stylized font by the E3 Demo.
• The currency tally on the top right is a green icon representing the bolts.
• From 0:35 to 0:36, Nanotech is seemingly absent from this build and instead the health bar was depicted by a battery. As seen in the Pre-E3 builds Ratchet originally regained health by collecting batteries, which was replaced by Nanotech in the final game.
• Weapons have differently coloured icons from the final game with most of them being depicted in green like the currency tally.
  • Very curiously, the Devastator's icon is of a golden yellow. Which might be an earlier version of icons for golden weapons.
• Many of the weapon's visual effects are much more simplistic and primitive than the final version.
• Batalia is in a very early state and many of its graphical effects and lighting were changed significantly throughout the course of development.
  • From 0:32 to 0:34 the starting path from the beginning is less saturated and is darker than the final version. Curiously the stage appeared to initially start out with a partially overcast environment before being changed to being midday as per the original concept art and the slightly later Pre-E3 builds.
  • At 0:35 to 0:36, the grind rail section is briefly shown. Notably, the water is much brighter and appears to be textured differently.

Demo Trailer#

Included in the E3 Demo and the EB Games demo, a trailer for the game was included with some notable differences. Watch on YouTube

• The game's HUD, while slightly later than the "Adventures of" trailer, is still in a very early state. With the only difference being the weapon and bolt icons now being blue.
• The Suck Cannon has a different ammo count and is much more stylized than the final version. It's also present in the E3 Demo.
• The battery health bar is still present and at 1:04 can be seen at halfway in a brighter blue.
• Around 0:16, a Blarg heli-commander with an untextured helicopter is seen.
• Batalia looks brighter and more colorful with no rain present, similar to how the stage was depicted in concept art!
  • The rocks and cliffs in the stage have seemingly green algae baked into the model's shading which were removed in the final game.
• At 1:07, The boss health bar is different and is more simplistic than the final game.
• From 0:41-0:46, several renders of mainly weapons can be seen whose designs, if not final already, were either redesigned or the weapon was cut entirely.
  • A weapon featuring a magnet was cut completely.
  • Walloper is red instead of grey.
  • The taunter is blue with a copper-colored barrel(?) instead of shades of grey with a red barrel.
  • The blaster is longer and has a silver, metal surface instead of the black one in the final.
  • Seen after the blaster for a split second is another scrapped weapon with a metal box as the base, a wooden or leather handle(?) and a circular tip.
  • Metal detector's head isn't bent like in the final and its head was also partly red instead of grey
  • An earlier version of the Hydrodisplacer is shown which features a long barrel with a red tip and a blue on it.
  • Another completely cut weapon that looks like a red gun with metal rings surrounding its yellow ball tip.
  • A contraption with a round, green disk, connected to a grey disk with a core via pipes or wires.
  • An earlier design of what was possibly the earlier version of the canisters relating to the gadgetbots. It has three antennas with two small, green ones and one big, red one. It also has an orange top and bottom with silver walls and a glass door.