The fourth game in the Ratchet & Clank saga is the first time the series introduced multiplayer. The online servers - allowing for up to 8 players to duke it out in a variety of online modes - have long since shut down, but let's face it, online gaming isn't the reason you've held onto your beloved PS2. Deadlocked features a competitive local multiplayer mode supporting up to four players. There are eleven maps and five game modes in total, including a Battlefield-esque Conquest mode (except sillier and on a much smaller scale). The colourful assortment of characters, weapons and special abilities make it a veritable PS2 gem. The real fun, however, lies in the cooperative mode, in which a second player can jump into the single-player campaign and blast through the whole thing together with you. True to all Ratchet games, Deadlocked is as much a shooter as it is a platformer, and the two of you will get embroiled in big, explosive set-pieces pitting you against dozens of enemies. The second player replaces the combat bots in the game, ensuring that the difficulty remains well balanced and challenging. It's so rare to see a platform-shooter in this vein feature a full split-screen campaign, and Deadlocked on the PS2 remains one of the best ways to go about it.
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
