Developer: Insomniac

Publisher: SCEA

Platforms: PS3

Played on: PS3

Rating: 9 out of 10

Rated: E (for Everyone)

The Deal:

Platforming returns to the Playstation 3 with A Crack in Time, the final installment of the Ratchet and Clank Future trilogy (put in motion by Tools of Destruction back in 2005). Picking up where the series left off, the separated fur-meets-metal best-buddy duo of Ratchet (a feline-like adventurer) and Clank (a robot genius) are racing against space and time to reunite and take down their arch-nemesis Dr. Nefarious, who has an evil plan to destroy space and time.

Players control Ratchet and Clank individually throughout the game. As Ratchet, you have a wide array of unique-but-deadly weapons at your disposable that are continually upgraded and can be modified by finding “Constructo” mod kits throughout your travels across the galaxy. Ratchet also has a nifty new pair of high-speed Hover Boots that increase your movement and are super fun for navigating some of the game’s dipsy-doodle levels.

As Clank, you are taking your father’s place maintaining a massive time-controlling device called The Great Clock. While your action is much more limited, Clank must use his newfound time-manipulative skills and items to complete challenging, but achievable, puzzles.

The Good:

- A Crack in Time looks great on the Playstation 3. The game is bright and colourful, the characters are dynamic, and even the cut scenes – though riddled with cheesy, family-friendly dialogue – are of impressive quality.

-The weapons make the game – and there are a few new ones, such as the Sonic Eruptor, which is a frog-like alien attached to a gun that sends out sonic shockwaves. The promotional videos from Grummelnet (the in-game weapons supply store) are especially well done and cheeky.

-Clank’s time-based puzzles require you to create time recordings of your actions that basically create hologram-like copies of yourself repeating the same action over and over. While these puzzles aren’t too hard, they require you to think and time your actions using multiple copies of yourself.

- In A Crack in Time, Insomniac has added new gameplay that allows Ratchet to fly his ship from galaxy to galaxy, visiting planets along the way and collecting items. The planets offer players a number of minigames to collect extra items or “Constructo” mods for their weapons. Some of the levels require some expert Hover Boot handling, so it’s a great way to practice your Hover Boot skills for later levels in the game.

The Bad:

-The flying gameplay between planets is almost too basic. Enemy ships oftentimes approach only to be easily shot down with a few pulls of your trigger. Sometimes you need to pull a stalled ship to safety, but generally, flying through the galaxy is pretty boring and repetitive.

The Final Word:

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time will give fans a satisfying ending to the Future series, all the while putting fun at the forefront for any type of player.

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