team of approximately 35 people. The game went into production in November 2001, and by the end of the project, the team had grown to 45. The game was first released in North America on November 4, 2002, and then in Australia on November 6, 2002. It was later released in PAL regions on November 8, 2002, and in Japan on December 3, 2002. In November 2003, Sony added Ratchet & Clank to their Greatest hits series of games for the PlayStation 2 when Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando was released at that time, and the game was similarly added to Sony's Platinum Range used in the PAL region on August 22, 2003. The game was added to Japan's The Best range on July 3, 2003; it was also the only game to be bundled with the PlayStation 2 in Japan. Reception By July 2006, Ratchet & Clank had sold 1.1 million copies and earned $31 million in the United States. Next Generation ranked it as the 49th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined sales of the Ratchet & Clank series reached 4 million units in the United States by July 2006. As of June 30, 2007, the game sold more than 3.7 million copies worldwide. Ratchet & Clank was met with positive reviews from critics upon release. After playing a preview of the game, GameSpot described it as having "excellent graphics, varied gameplay, and tight control[s]". The game's use of weapons, rather than simple melee attacks, was cited as one of the main features that made it stand out from other platform games; Computer and Video Games said that "Going berserk with your giant ratchet ... is seriously satisfying ... Every time you thump an enemy with the hefty tool, it looks, sounds and feels remarkably solid. ... What's more, the same can be said for all the other weapons you collect and use over the course of your intergalactic adventure". GameSpot noted that the player does not need to follow the same paths multiple times, as was common in platformers at the time. GameSpot named Ratchet & Clank the best PlayStation 2 game of November 2002; it later won the publication's annual "Best Graphics (Technical) on PlayStation 2" award, and a nomination for "Best Graphics (Artistic) on PlayStation 2". Gameplanet said that it was