Ever since the PS2 era, the Ratchet and Clank franchise has become synonymous with PlayStation. Insomniac Games has been developing titles following the Lombax and his trusty robot companion since 2002, and shows no signs of stopping. Each title has brought players on wild platforming adventures across the stars, and have introduced a zany cast of characters all vying for their place in the galaxy. While not every title in the Ratchet and Clank franchise has been a hit, the majority of them have provided hours of entertainment for PlayStation owners to enjoy.
Currently, the Ratchet and Clank franchise encompasses nine mainline titles along with six spin-offs and a remake of the original title. The franchise has become iconic as well as expansive. However, with the lack of backwards compatibility on PlayStation consoles, it has become increasingly difficult to play a majority of the games. While some Ratchet and Clank games can be played through PS Plus Premium, many of them can only be played on the original hardware. Ratchet and Clank fans deserve a way to experience their favorite franchise, and the best way to do that would be with a game bundle like the Nathan Drake Collection or The Master Chief Collection.
The Ratchet and Clank Franchise Is Huge
The Ratchet and Clank series has been going strong ever since 2002. During the PS2 era, the series saw four different titles that were branded as the classic series. The PS3 offered Insomniac Games even more power to play with, and it took advantage of that for Ratchet and Clank by crafting the future saga which encompassed four more titles. However, the developers were getting burnt out by the franchise, and the series went on hiatus for a couple of years. The series returned in 2016 with a new version of the original game for PS4 and then a full-fledged new entry for PS5 in 2021 called Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.
Insomniac Games also developed a couple of spin-offs for the Ratchet and Clank series. During the PS3 era, there were two spin-offs created by Insomniac titled Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One and Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault. It was not the only studio that developed games in the universe, as Sony tasked High Impact Games with developing its own spin-offs. The PS2 and PSP saw the release of Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank. There were also a couple of mobile games released that further expanded the franchise.
Out of all the Ratchet and Clank games, only a couple of them are actually playable on modern hardware. Besides the PS4 and PS5 titles, the only way to check out some of these games is through PS Plus Premium. The entirety of the classic series is not available to play unless someone is willing to dust off their PS3 and boot up a copy of the Ratchet and Clank Collection. Players are also not able to play Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction unless they own the physical copy of it for PS3, even though the rest of the Future saga is available through PS Plus Premium. There is also a significant lack of the spin-off titles on the PS5.
Bundling Old Games Gives Them New Life
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The lack of Ratchet and Clank games on the PS5 is a huge disservice to the iconic platforming franchise. Unless players want to dust off old consoles, they will not be able to access a major portion of the series. The future saga's inclusion in PS Plus Premium is a nice touch, but the lack of most of the franchise is not as nice. In the current age of game bundles and remasters, it would only make sense that Ratchet and Clank get a bundle of its own for PS5.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection helped to revitalize the Uncharted games and served as a great way for new players to experience the series. Halo: The Master Chief Collection is more popular than Halo Infinite and has filled the internet with classic Halo gameplay clips, and it proved so successful that allegedly another Xbox franchise will be getting that treatment soon. Kingdom Hearts even got a bundle that included the entire series, and that series is pretty large. Bundles help to revive old school games and give them the attention that they deserve, and a Ratchet and Clank bundle could do the same thing.
A Ratchet and Clank Game Bundle is a Must
Ratchet and Clank is no stranger to game bundles since it received one back during the PS3 era. The Ratchet and Clank Collection bundled the three original titles onto one disc, and it also included some HD remastering. However, It did not include the fourth PS2 title, Deadlocked, for some reason. The bundle also came out in 2012 and only included the three original titles. Since those titles launched, there have been many more mainline titles as well as new spin-offs. That is a lot of Ratchet and Clank that is just waiting for the bundle treatment, and Insomniac Games needs to deliver.
No one really knows when the next Ratchet and Clank will hit store shelves, so in the meantime offering a bundle of the older games would keep the franchise in the limelight. Currently, Insomniac Games is working on Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Marvel's Wolverine which may mean that the next platformer is a long ways off. If Sony were to release a collection, or even release the entire series through PS Plus Premium, then fans of the franchise would have something to play while they wait for the next chapter in the story. It could also serve as a way to honor one of the many franchises that helped build the console, and a perfect way to celebrate the upcoming 20th anniversary of the first game.
Ratchet and Clank is a piece of PlayStation history and not letting players play the entire saga on PS5 is a mistake. Offering a bundle with the entire series, or multiple bundles featuring the different sagas, would go a long way to fixing the problem. Even offering all the titles through PS Plus could help honor the franchise, and Insomniac Games should deliver on one of those fronts.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is available now on PS5.
