Ratchet Gets Multiplayer, Jak Trilogy Wrapped Up

Thanks to GameSpot for its preview of Insomniac's PS2 title Ratchet And Clank: Up Your Arsenal and a similar hands-on look at Naughty Dog's PS2 game Jak 3, as Sony's big platform-action titles for Xmas 2004 get shown in detail for the first time. Notable changes for Ratchet And Clank 3 include "a fully loaded multiplayer game as well, for online or offline play. The broadband-only mode will support up to eight players, with voice support via the PlayStation 2's USB headset" - the preview calls it "a nice bit of addictive madness that had some surprising echoes of Battlefield 1942." Contrastingly, Jak 3 apparently "does a lot of what Jak II did in terms of gameplay, in that it takes the bulk of its predecessor's mechanics and builds out" although we're assured the title "is being tweaked to address player concerns with Jak II's gameplay."