Secret Agent Clank ~ Sony PlayStation PSP game review

Secret Agent Clank ~ Sony PlayStation PSP game review

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: High Impact Games
Platform: PlayStation Portable (PSP)
Rating: PG
actv8 star rating: ****.5 (out of a possible 5)

Secret Agent Clank is an action-packed and hilarious PSP game that everyone can enjoy. With Clank's best friend Ratchet framed for a crime he didn't commit, it's up to the secret agent to unmask the evildoer and put him behind bars.
This game's packaging is very clever as it has gadgets and weapons hidden inside it, just as a secret agent would hide these from the unsuspecting.
My favourite level on Secret Agent Clank is playing in the High Stakes Room. The sections where you have to match the buttons on a line and push them in sequence to take the lead is both challenging and fun. The High Stakes Room also lets you play as gadget bots and destroy the robots helping the other players win and trying to make Clank lose.
The levels ranged in difficulty but they all started out easy and became more challenging the further I got. I found Fort Sprocket challenging, as I regularly ran out of ammunition and my health was always low.

Clank-fu
The martial arts moves were very realistic. He does smooth kicks and punches and deals a very strong karate chop. It's very ninja-like how Clank can go up behind an enemy and take them out by pressing the buttons in sequence.
The weapons are unique. I like the way the Tie-a-rang is hidden in the bow-tie, but I think after it reaches V4 it becomes too bulky. But the weapon I would really like to own is the Blackout Pen, as it can stop lasers and some robots right in their tracks. The Holo-monicle is also another weapon I would like to own, as I'd be able to hide as anyone I chose to be as long as they didn't figure out it was me.
The transports were quite different from each other. The snowboarding was fun, as was the jet-boat on the planet Venantonio. When you first go to Venantonio, the spaceship you fly in is silver, slim and techno. Owned by a villain in the story, it soon becomes our player's chaperone.
Being Ratchet is fun, as you're battling against the villains in stages, but you get a lot of bolts for completing the eight harsh rounds with enemies you have to put in prison.
Being Captain Quark is also fun, but the level where he sings a musical and you have to fight Clam Ninjas and the aliens becomes quite annoying, as there are four long levels.
The PSP graphics are very good - almost up to the high standard of the PS3 platform, in fact - and all the movements are very realistic. The martial arts moves on this game are just like real movies and not at all fake.
I would recommend this game to everyone who enjoys an action and adventure game. For example, my brother - he really liked this game and has played it more than me. His favourite levels are the Ratchet mini games.

About the reviewer
Name: Conor Hermann Schaumkell
Age: 14
Favourite games: Mainly adventure and action; enjoys racing and stealth games like MGS and sports
School: Rutherford High School, Year 9
Hobbies: Soccer, bass and guitar