Do you have a moment? Can we have a talk, dear reader, just you and I?

See, here's the problem. Usually, in these reviews, I tell you what's good and bad about a game, throw in some funny lines, make an obscure reference or two and then sum it all up in some paragraph that coincides with the grade I've given the game. Most of the time this works wonderfully. Most of the time.

Not this time.

This time, I don't know how to sum everything up, and here's why: I can't put my finger on it, but this game bugs me. There it is. That's it. Critical thinking at its best.

On paper, if you were to compare this game with all of the other Ratchet and Clank games, they would match up pretty well. Good visuals? Check. Funny writing and excellent voice acting? Check. Running around blowing things up? Check. So why do I love the other R&C games with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns, yet feel nothing but lukewarm tolerance for Secret Agent Clank?

Maybe it's because this go-round has you relying more on stealth than straight up blasting? As Clank, you can sneak up on enemies and perform a sneak attack to gain bonuses to your health. You can also use gadgetry such as holo-monocles to mimic enemies, or your blackout pen to goop up laser trip wires. It seems like a good idea, and it is, during the first level, but eventually you'll make a misstep, trigger an alert and end up blasting your way through, which would be fine if your weapons packed the same punch as in earlier games, or you weren't on a level that returns you to the beginning if you alert a guard's presence.