Ratchet: Deadlocked

Ratchet: Deadlocked (known as Ratchet: Gladiator in PAL countries and Ratchet & Clank 4 in Japan) is a platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. An advert for this game appears in the back of the Jak X: Combat Racing manual as well as the Greatest Hits version of Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal.

The game's story begins as Ratchet, Clank, and Al are abducted and forced to compete in "Dreadzone", a violent game show in which heroes are forced to kill each other. Ratchet is given a "DeadLock" collar, which will explode if he becomes uncooperative. Ratchet defeats Dreadzone's most successful gladiators, the Exterminators, and becomes one of Dreadzone's most popular contestants. The three must find a way to deactivate the collars, and free the other heroes being held prisoner. This was also the last Ratchet and Clank game to be released on the PlayStation 2 by Insomniac Games. It is the last Ratchet & Clank game to be rated T. It is also the only Ratchet & Clank game to keep its original T rating; all of the previous games had their rating changed to E10+ when they were released together as Ratchet & Clank Collection on the PlayStation 3.

The gameplay is similar to that of other games in the series, but focuses more on shooter aspects rather than platforming. The player, as Ratchet, fights in Dreadzone tournaments across the "Shadow Sector" in the "Solana" Galaxy, with a large variety of weapons. This game was the first in the series to feature cooperative gameplay in a story mode, and also includes an online multiplayer mode. Some vehicles return from previous games, and new ones are introduced. For the first time, Clank was not a playable character. Deadlocked was met with generally favorable reviews, although slightly lower than its predecessors, with some criticism being aimed at its darker tone, repetitive gameplay and level design, and the removal of Clank as a playable character.