As one of the most marketed games ever released for the PSP, Ratchet and Clank (R&C) Size Matters launched to an audience with high expectations and does not disappoint. This rendition of R&C is not a port from one of the previous PS2 titles but was developed by High Impact Games from the ground up specifically for the PSP. Size Matters sports online multiplayer action, crisp graphics, awesome sound, no lag time during intense action, and surprisingly low loading times. A game this big on the tiny PSP shows that, unlike its namesake will have you believe; Size Doesn't Really Seem to Matter. Take that Freud!

Gamers were first introduced to Ratchet (an alien known as a Lombax) and Clank (Ratchet's multi-functional robot side-kick) on the PS2 with four titles (Ratchet and Clank, Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal & Deadlocked). The franchise became known for their wise-cracking characters and off-the-wall imagination you'd expect from an acid-tripping crowd-floating hippy. Size Matters is the first R&C game I've had the opportunity to play and consequently I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I'd seen the television advertisements (which had people using the various inventive weapons found in the game with hilarious consequences) and seen the print adverts but really didn't get what the whole thing was about. Size Matters takes up where the previous games left off with Ratchet and Clank taking a vacation after their PS2 adventures. While on the beach they are interrupted by a little girl named Luna who is a little overcommitted to writing a report about her hero who just happens to be Ratchet. Ratchet and Clank agree to fight a few robots so that she can get some good photos for her report. Luna ends up getting herself kidnapped which is when the non-stop shooting and racing adventure begins all the way from Pokitaru to Quodrona. No, really!

The R&C franchise has been defined by its off-the-wall creativity and whacky weapons. Size Matters carries on the same tradition and as a first time player I was surprised to see such a diverse spread of enemies and firearms. As you make your way through the game defeating enemies, you collect bolts which can be used to buy upgraded weapons and ammunition at various kiosks located conveniently throughout the game. During your adventures you acquire new armor that you can switch at will depending on what enemies you're up against. I'm far too neurotic to play around with different armor combinations; I'd be so convinced that any change I made would actually put me at a disadvantage so it's safe to say this part of the gameplay is a definite plus for the interested gamer but not a big deal for gamers like myself.

During my first hour of gameplay I admittedly found R&C kind of repetitive and boring. I was reminded of the old Crash Bandicoot games as I continually jumped over this, shot at that, and if I got hit too many times just started from my previous load point to try it all over again. The wackiness in the game took a little getting used to as well because there's a fine line between being original and adding filler just for the sake of it (and just when you think you're used to the game they put you in this weird dream sequence... definitely watch for that one). As I pushed on through the game and made it to the next world I found there was thankfully far more to the game than I had originally perceived. As it turns out, what R&C does right is offer various different types of gameplay. From the generic jump and shoot sequences you are also treated to battles in vehicles, races on a rocketboard, and my favorite sequence of flying through space as a gigantic Clank. Variety is definitely the spice of life and being given the freedom within the game to attempt various challenges to gain extra armor and weapons was a lot of fun. The quality of the game development was most noticeable during the short loading times and absolute lack of lag as enemy after enemy was hurled into the chaos. The loading takes place with a brilliant screen of R&C's ship flying through space to whichever planet you're currently on (definitely much better than the old school loading screens who, while telling me how much loading is left, are always boring to watch). The multiplayer offers a wide variety of games from the must-have Deathmatch modes to others where you work in a team to complete various tasks before the opposing team. There are 7 different online game modes you can play which really are quite fun and extend the replay factor of R&C.