Have you ever wanted to be a secret agent? Well here is your chance in Secret Agent Clank, the most recent installment of the popular PSP Ratchet and Clank series. This time you play as Clank, Ratchet, and (slight retch) Captain Qwark.

STORY:  Clank goes to the Boltaire Museum to inspect a theft of the Eye of Infinity. He finds Ratchet there and the police arrest him under the suspicion that he committed the crime. Clank, of course, says that Ratchet could not do such a thing and goes on a quest to prove Ratchet's innocence.  

You play as Ratchet in Colosseum modes during his time in jail, while the usual running and jumping around worlds is done by Clank. Later on in the game, you learn that Qwark is writing a biography and, as usual, is stealing the acclaim from others. Qwark first steals the spotlight after the second area, creating an insane story of how he saved a city.  

GAMEPLAY:  A good spy always has gadgets and this game comes up a bit short on the gadgets for Clank.

There is of course a Blackout Pen that covers up lasers so you can pass by them, a razor bow tie, a lightning generating umbrella, cuff link explosives, a corsage that shoots little plants that eat the enemies and more. But the other, non-battle gadgets leave a bit to be desired. One such gadget is the Holo-monocle. This handy gadget lets you copy another person's look and slip by undetected by others. The problem with this is that if the one you copied sees you, you lose the disguises and get attacked. Another such device is one you receive after beating the game, the Thermal sunglasses. These let you see alien signs in the worlds and, if you get them all, give you coordinates to another planet. The gadgets used in battle do level and can be leveled further after you buy the add-on for them from the Agency. Clank also knows some Kung-Fu moves but they are ultimately useless when compared to the gadgets.

Ratchet is stuck in jail and has to worry about dealing with all the people he put in there. But he is not without his wrench and other weapons. Clank has to either find or buy the weapons for Ratchet. The weapons are then delivered to Ratchet in a cake box. The Colosseum mode is somewhat annoying but in a way it is fun. You get the thrill of completely demolishing your enemies. But it ends too quickly and there isn't enough of it. As usual, the weapons here are devastating; the dual Lacerators, Mine launcher, Shock Rocket, Ice Cannon, and others. The wrench also gets 4 different mods that allow the wrench to deal more damage. One is the Crystal mod that lets each swing create crystals that explode and deal damage to enemies. The Fire mod shoots out fire balls with each swing. There are two other mods that I do not remember.

Qwark [video ] is utterly useless to the story (as usual) and you play as him a total of 4 times, and he even sings a song during one of those 4 times. Qwark does not have a constant weapon set and his stories are just so stupid. The stories are told as you play them, and Qwark can change little aspects in his own little mind. Game play is the same as it was in Size Matters. This game is hard to play, strafing is done by the directional pad and regular movement done by the analog stick. This is an excellent example of why this game should been put on a console or why the PSP needs a second analog stick. Battle is difficult with Clank and you will often find yourself running out of ammo in the middle of a fight and have to use the Clank-Fu moves [video ] that are just so weak. There are stages that require precise button pressing, somewhat like DDR but a lot more annoying(and without the good music). There are also Stealth Take downs when you approach someone from behind. Just hit the four buttons in the right order and you take down the enemy quickly and quietly. One of the fun parts in the game is the problem solving sections that you use the Gadgebots for. These were too short and too simple.

Commentary:  This game could have done without Qwark and focused on Ratchet and Clank. The parts with Ratchet could have been done better, and the Clank parts were a bit difficult at first. I had a lot of difficulty playing because my PSP analog stick is messed up, but despite that the game still worked fine. This game was one that could have done so many things so much better. It is truly a pity that they couldn't do more with this game.

[rant] Ratchet and Clank is a series known for its weapons and fun game play. Putting the games onto the PSP does let them become portable but still it is an annoyance to have someone behind you yelling “DROP A CLUSTER-BOMB!” like in those PSP commercials. But I kid, the series is known for gun fights and explosions. Putting the stealth aspect into the game slows it down a decent amount and when you get to the fun parts with Ratchet but those modes are over almost as soon as they began. I hope someone from Insomniac games or High Impact reads this so they can HIRE ME TO BE A CONSULTANT! PLEASE I NEED A JOB![/rant]

This game is mediocre at best (not good, not terrible, worthy of a rental)  and gets 6 bolts out of 10.