Ratchet Deadlocked first shots

The fourth instalment in the delightful Ratchet & Clank series finds the pointy-eared hero as a reluctant contestant on intergalactic reality show DreadZone, and he must blast his way through a series of interplanetary arenas.

As well as the obligatory addition of more vehicles and even more customisable weapons (of which there are apparently thousands of possible mod combinations), Ratchet Deadlocked also introduces cooperative and squad-based play.

A second player will be able to join the fray at any time, while a team of customisable allied bots, each with their own unique skills and attributes, can be used to assist Ratchet on the battlefield.

Check out the shots on the right to see how the nuts and bolts of Ratchet Deadlocked are coming together.

Ratchet Deadlocked will be released for PS2 in winter 2005