Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time Review




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Developer: Insomniac Games Publisher: SCEA
Release Date: October 27, 2009 Available On: PS3

Ratchet and Clank is one of the most under-appreciated franchises out there. Having been around since 2002, Ratchet and Clank has established itself as the pre-eminent platforming powerhouse of the decade. Each November I look forward to a new Ratchet and Clank game and this year was no different. Having played the game at E3, I already had a taste of what was in store this time around. Thankfully my positive impressions of the game have held up since that first brief demo.

The game begins where Quest for Boot left off. If you aren’t familiar with Quest for Booty, it was a downloadable expansion to Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, so basically the storyline is linked between all three games. Ratchet and Clank are still separated from each other. Throughout the game you will spend most of your time playing as Ratchet, with brief levels featuring Clank, although the two of them are apart for nearly the entire game.

The game starts off in a rather ingenious way. Instead of sitting back and watching an install screen, Insomniac treats players to a video of Captain Qwark briefing them on the storyline going back to Quest for Boot. Qwark is a wanna-be super hero in the game that likes to take credit for things that he doesn’t do, yet is a funny and likable character with good intentions. Dr. Nefarious is back and he’s looking for some revenge.

Most of the platforming in Ratchet and Clank games has become fairly standard over the years. This is still mostly the case, requiring players to collect bolts to buy items such as weapons and armor upgrades from destroying crates and killing enemies, solving puzzles and completing missions. One new noteworthy gameplay element is the manipulation of time. This is used more frequently with Clank, but Ratchet can manipulate time as well by going through a time portal.

In the Clank levels you will end up solving some rather intricate puzzles that will definitely get you thinking. Multiple pads will allow you to record time and replay it again when you stand on another pad, only this time your recorded self does exactly what you just did. Sometimes you will need your recorded self to press a button or jump for an elevator at a certain time. When you get four different Clanks going at once, it gets somewhat confusing. That said, it’s a good brain exercise that changes the pace of the game a bit.



Probably the top concern of most people familiar with Ratchet and Clank games is that they have a good variety of innovative weapons. While some of these have been used in past games (it’s hard not to when you’ve been releasing a new game about every year since 2002), a few are new. One of them is the Rift Inducer 5000, which basically opens an interdimensional creature that feeds on nearby enemies. The Sonic Eruptor is a genetically mutated organic weapon that burps as his attack. Mr. Zurkon is basically a small computer sidekick that floats alongside you when you summon him, attacking any enemies that come nearby. Two of my favorites are the Constructo Bomb and Negotiator, which together make for explosive sweetness.

For the first time in a Ratchet and Clank game, you can traverse the galaxy in your spaceship from one planet to the next. This was previously limited to a few space missions, but nothing as expansive as this one. Along with this new openness between game worlds, you have a number of enemy ship encounters, missions and tiny moons to visit. All of it is done on a 2D plane as your ship can only move left or right. A galactic map provides you with navigation tools so that you can jump to new sectors or planets that you’ve been to before.

While these side missions are optional, they add to the game’s length, provide needed Zoni and bolts, and offer the spherical platforming that the franchise popularized in Going Commando. Many people don’t realize that Super Mario Galaxy is heavily influenced by Ratchet and Clank. It was Insomniac, not Nintendo, that introduced the concept of literally platforming around a world as opposed to a flat 3D game space (like Super Mario 64).

Like other Ratchet and Clank games, A Crack in Time has an arena deathmatch in the story mode. Basically this is a gladiator style arena with robots and monsters from the game world spawning in swarms across multiple waves that you have to survive. Some are more challenging than others and most of them require you to simply kill all of the enemies, but there are a few that change up the formula. One gives you no weapons at all, forcing you to throw back bombs at the enemies that toss them towards you. The arena is a good way to rack up a ton of bolts, collect Zoni, upgrades to your weapons and the like.

A Crack in Time will probably take you a good ten to twelve hours to beat. It isn’t the longest game in the world, but there are a number of replay options for you to explore once you are done. For one, you can go back in time to collect all of the remaining Zoni or you could enter Challenge Mode, which allows you to keep all of the weapons, armor, and bolts carried over from your cleared game file. If you choose to collect all 40 Zoni, you unlock a new final boss fight with Lord Vorselon. Certainly playing through all of the moons and the arena are worth it, adding several hours of gameplay.

If you like a good laugh, excellent platforming and a number of creative weapons to play around with, Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time is a game that you will not want to pass up. It sticks to a very familiar formula, only straying away from past games in the time manipulation, a few weapons and the new open galaxy spaceship. There are a ton of different things to do and the story itself is fairly long compared to competing products. While it has been hinted that we may not see a new Ratchet and Clank for a while, A Crack in Time proves once again why this is the strongest platforming franchise of the decade.

Graphics: 9.5
Sound: 10
Gameplay: 9.5
Creativity: 9
Replay Value/Game Length: 8
Final: 9.3 out of 10
Written by Kyle Bell Write a User Review

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