
I never thought this day would come… Ratchet and Clank is coming to the cinema. So why am I so worried about it? For those of you who don’t know Ratchet and Clank, let me give you a bit of backstory. Ratchet is a Lombax (the last of his kind, but we’ll get to that later) living on the planet Veldin. Clank is a small robot with a high IQ who was created initially, one is led to believe, by accident before later discovering he is to be senior caretaker to the Great Clock in the Exact Centre of the Universe (give or take fifty feet). The duo first met when Clank uncovers a plot to destroy hundreds of planets so a new one can be built. He attempt to enlist the help of Captain Qwark (a notable celebrity) to stop this, but crash lands on Veldin and meets Ratchet who agrees to help him. The two eventually find Qwark who betrays them and leaves them for dead. They survive and eventually find and defeat the big baddie, living a semi-famous life afterwards.

Returning to the characters, the supporting cast are almost certainly the best thing about the whole game. Qwark’s character arc (from corporate sellout/coward to moral hero/coward) over the series has always been a highlight for me and his plans never fail to make me laugh. On the other side of the coin, we have Dr. Nefarious, a robot who wants annihilate all ‘squishies’ (and who can intercept broadcasts of what, one assumes, is the most popular soap opera in the galaxy when he’s sufficiently enraged). His never-ending hatred for Ratchet and Clank is what makes him one of the most endearing antagonists I’ve ever had the fortune to do battle with.

The trailer for the film looks like it might be going back to its original roots, with the story apparently retelling the plot of the original game and the fourth wall breaks that the series liked to throw in. There’s a rumour going round that the film will come out around the same time as a next-gen game for the series (dammit! It looks like I’m going to have to get a new console if this is true). I guess we’ll see how it turns out in 2015, provided the script maintains its sharpness and the characters stay true to form.
Looking back at what I’ve written, maybe I was worrying too much about it. Writing this article has reminded me how much joy the games have given me over the years, recent games notwithstanding. Regardless of what it turns out to be like, I’ll watch it. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to play through the games again… I have a universe to save!