Honestly, the PS2 version of Ratchet & Clank Size Matters shouldn't really exist. That sounds harsh, I know. But if you were there in 2007 and 2008, you remember the weird transition period where Sony was trying to keep the PlayStation 2 alive while everyone was moving to the PS3. This game was the poster child for that awkward phase. Developed by High Impact Games—a studio founded by former Insomniac and Naughty Dog employees—it started life as a technical marvel on the PSP. Then, someone decided to port it back to the home console.
It’s a bizarre artifact.
When you boot up Ratchet & Clank Size Matters PS2, the first thing you notice is the scale. It feels claustrophobic. On a small handheld screen, the tight corridors and simplified geometry made sense. On a 32-inch CRT or an early flat-screen, it felt like looking at a miniature world through a magnifying glass. The textures are muddy. The frame rate is... well, it’s a choice. Yet, despite the technical compromises, there is something inherently "Ratchet" about it that kept people playing. It captures that PS2-era snark that the modern 2016 remake and even Rift Apart sometimes trade for Pixar-style polish.
The Technical Struggle of High Impact Games
High Impact Games had a massive mountain to climb. They were using a different engine than the one Insomniac used for the original trilogy. You can feel it in the physics. Ratchet feels lighter, almost floaty, which makes the platforming in levels like Pokitaru feel slightly disconnected from the ground. It isn't bad. It's just different.
The PS2 port was handled differently than the PSP original. While the PSP version was celebrated for pushing the handheld to its absolute limits, the PS2 version was often criticized for not taking advantage of the hardware. It was essentially a "straight port." This meant the assets weren't significantly upgraded. If you compare it to Up Your Arsenal, which came out years earlier, Ratchet & Clank Size Matters PS2 looks significantly older. It's a reverse evolution.
But here is the thing: the armor system was actually ahead of its time.
Most Ratchet games give you linear armor upgrades. You buy the Durasteel, then the Electroshock, then the Carbonox. In Size Matters, you find individual pieces—helmets, gloves, boots, and chest plates—hidden in the levels. If you mix and match specific sets, you get "Set Bonuses." Wearing a full set of Crystallix armor gives your wrench a freezing effect. Combining Wildfire and Sludge creates a toxic fire trail. It’s a level of customization that the main series didn't really revisit with this much depth until much later. It encouraged exploration in a way that felt rewarding rather than just a chore for completionists.
Why the Controls Feel "Off" Compared to the Trilogy
If you grew up playing the original three games, your muscle memory is tuned to a specific rhythm. The strafing in Size Matters on the PS2 feels twitchy. On the PSP, you had to use the L and R buttons to rotate the camera because there was no second analog stick. When they ported it to the PS2, they mapped the camera to the right stick, but the dead zones are huge.
It makes aiming the Lacerator—the game’s basic blaster—feel like trying to steer a shopping cart with one broken wheel. You get used to it after an hour, but that first hour is rough. The game relies heavily on auto-aim to compensate for this.
The Story: A Return to the "Greedy" Ratchet?
One of the most interesting aspects of the narrative is the characterization. By Deadlocked, Ratchet had become a galactic hero, a bit more mature, a bit more stoic. In Size Matters, he feels a bit more like his PS1 self—grumpy, easily annoyed, and just wanting a vacation.
The plot kicks off on Pokitaru, where the duo is trying to relax. They meet a young girl named Luna who is writing a school report on heroes. She gets kidnapped by mysterious robots, leading Ratchet and Clank into a conspiracy involving a forgotten race called the Technomites.
It’s a smaller, more personal story. No universe-ending stakes for the first half of the game. Just a guy trying to find a kidnapped fan. The twist involving the Technomites is actually pretty clever, playing on the idea that the smallest beings in the universe are the ones who actually build all the giant technology everyone else takes for granted. It fits the "Size Matters" theme perfectly.
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The Mini-Games: A Mixed Bag
Because it was a handheld game first, it's packed with "bite-sized" content. You have:
- Giant Clank Space Battles: These are surprisingly fun but feel very basic on a PS2 controller.
- Clank Puzzles: These involve commanding "Gadge-bots" to step on switches. They are significantly harder than the puzzles in Going Commando.
- Skyboarding: This is the game's version of hoverboarding. The physics are stiff. Honestly, the racing feels like a step back from the Rilgar races in the first game.
- Shrinking Levels: There are segments where Ratchet shrinks down to enter locks or machinery. These are the visual highlights of the game, even if the PS2's resolution makes the tiny details hard to see.
Is the PS2 Version Worth Playing Today?
This is the golden question. If you have a choice between the PSP version and the PS2 version, most veterans will tell you to stick with the PSP (or play it via the recent PS4/PS5 emulation). Why? Because the PS2 port has some nasty bugs that were never patched. There are certain areas where the collision detection just fails, and you'll fall through the floor.
However, if you are a collector or a die-hard fan of the series' "feel," the Ratchet & Clank Size Matters PS2 version has a weird charm. It represents the end of an era. It was one of the last "big" titles for the console. It’s the "lost" game for many who didn't own a handheld.
The Weapon Evolution Problem
The weapons in this game are... weird. You have the Acid Bomb Glove, which is a classic, and the Shock Cannon, which is basically a shotgun. But then you have the Bee Mine Glove. It shoots out robotic bees. In theory, it’s cool. In practice, the AI for the bees is terrible on the PS2. Half the time they just fly into a wall and explode.
Upgrading them to their "Titan" forms in Challenge Mode is where the real fun starts. The power scaling in Size Matters is exponential. Once you hit the later stages of Challenge Mode, the screen is just a constant explosion of bolts and effects. The PS2 chugs during these moments, dropping frames like it's 1995, but there’s a visceral satisfaction to seeing the hardware struggle under the weight of your firepower.
Comparing Size Matters to Secret Agent Clank
You can't talk about the High Impact era without mentioning Secret Agent Clank. Both were ported to the PS2. Both suffered from the same technical "shrinkage." But Size Matters feels more like a core Ratchet experience. It doesn't force as many forced stealth segments on you. It's 70% shooting, 20% platforming, and 10% weird mini-games.
The boss fights are actually a highlight. The final encounter with Otto Destruct is notoriously difficult—arguably harder than any boss in the Insomniac trilogy. He has multiple phases, massive area-of-effect attacks, and a health bar that seems to go on forever. On the PS2, with the slightly clunky strafing, this fight becomes a test of absolute patience.
Practical Steps for Modern Players
If you’re looking to revisit this specific version of the game, don't just plug your PS2 into a modern 4K TV and hope for the best. It will look like a blurry mess of pixels.
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- Use Component Cables: At the very least, use the Red/Green/Blue component cables. This allows the PS2 to output a cleaner signal.
- Toggle the 16:9 Mode: The game supports widescreen, but it's "anamorphic," meaning it just stretches the image. Some people prefer playing in 4:4 to keep the pixel density higher.
- Check the Save Bug: There is a known issue on some Slim PS2 models where the game can hang while saving to a third-party memory card. Always use an official Sony 8MB MagicGate card.
- Emulation via PCSX2: If you're playing on PC, the PS2 version actually scales up quite well to 1080p, though you'll still see the low-poly models.
Ratchet & Clank Size Matters PS2 isn't the best game in the franchise. It isn't even the best port. But it is a fascinating piece of gaming history. It shows what happens when a developer tries to squeeze a "big" console experience into a "small" handheld, only to have that "small" version expanded back onto the "big" console. It’s a game of compromises, but the core loop of blowing stuff up and collecting bolts remains as addictive as ever.
If you can forgive the technical hiccups and the muddy graphics, there is a solid 6-to-8-hour adventure here that captures a specific flavor of the series that we just don't see anymore. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s unapologetically PS2.
Actionable Insights for Collectors and Players
- Check the Disc Condition: The PS2 version was printed in smaller quantities than the main trilogy, making it slightly harder to find in mint condition. Look for the "Greatest Hits" red label if you just want to play, as they often have minor bug fixes not found in the "Black Label" release.
- Focus on the Armor: Don't just buy the most expensive armor. Experiment with the hidden pieces. The "Stalker" and "Chameleon" sets offer unique gameplay advantages that make the difficult end-game much more manageable.
- Wrench Only Runs: Because of the lighter physics, the wrench-only gameplay in Size Matters is surprisingly viable and offers a fresh challenge for veterans who find the auto-aim too intrusive.
- Titan Weapons: Save your bolts for the Titan versions of the Lacerator and the Sniper Mine. These are the only weapons that truly hold up in the higher tiers of Challenge Mode.