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Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time is a great conclusion to the series, but the beautiful part about it is that you can play it without having played any of the other games before it. When you first pop in the disc you're greeted with a short movie that explains all of the events leading up to this game. Once that's over, you're up to speed and ready to roll.
The story is quite interesting, it's loaded with laugh-out-loud humor, and the characters are voiced to perfection. This rivals any of the Hollywood CGI movies that have come out in recent memory in terms of animation, story, humor, and the acting performances.
The game is loaded with variety. As Ratchet, you'll be flying around in your spaceship, in kind of an open-world setting, where you can visit various planets and moons in each space sector and accomplish side-tasks. The moons are spherical and come in two really fun varieties: platforming segments which will you remind you of Super Mario Galaxy, and shooting segments which will you remind you of Super Stardust HD. The planets are where the story actually takes place and you will explore much larger environments and meet new characters. In space, you can get into dog-fights with Dr. Nefarious' minion space-ship fighters, or you can meet up with various other space-travelers and help them with their requests. Your ship is upgradable, you just have to find little creatures called Zoni. There are 40 of them hidden throughout the game's universe, many of them are found by completing the optional moons. While roving around in your ship, there are also 4 fictitious radio stations to choose from. They all feature wonderful music of different varieties for different tastes, and DJs that will make you laugh out loud with their banter.
The weapons are ingeniously conceived, and you'll find yourself laughing when you see what some of them do. Humor is a big part of this game. But it's not all about humor. There is some serious gameplay here, too. Fun platforming, creative puzzles, RPG-like systems where your character levels up as he gains experience, granting him more hit points, and all of your weapons level-up with use, as well. Also, the weapons can be upgraded with parts that you find hidden around the universe, and some of the weapons can even be custom-painted.
Some of the best gameplay in this package comes from Clank and the new time-based puzzles. There will time-pads placed around the Clock at the Center of the Universe (the area that Clank traverses throughout the game), and you can record yourself doing things on these time-pads, then play back the action simultaneously while doing something else with your present self. In other words, you can set up recordings of past-selves to help your present-self accomplish tasks that would otherwise be impossible alone. The mechanics may remind you of a game called Braid. It's all very-well implements and often ingenious, always fun.
The game itself is rather easy to get through on the lower difficulties, it will be appropriate for children and adults alike who may not have much experience gaming. You'll get to see the whole game without much difficulty. But there are also Normal and Hard difficulties, which amp up the challenge, and seasoned gamers will find them more than sufficient to give them a fun time that's not too easy or too frustrating. This game is perfect for all-ages, it's appropriate for kids as well as adults, and I recommend it highly!
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First let me start off by saying if you liked Tools of Destruction (I loved it), stop reading and buy this game, it's quite a bit better, really the same game with a bunch of noticeable improvements! The story is great and the writing is quite clever as usual. This is definitely the funniest Ratchet game yet, getting to play with Quark is worth it on its own! They have a lot of cool new puzzles (During Clank's play time) and some great action with Ratchet. The weapons are brilliant again, you get some of your old favorites (with minor alterations) and some great new additions. Not to mention the voice acting is great yet again.
Now in the interest of keeping this spoiler free, I won't go into Clank's story/gameplay because it will give away some of the fun, but just know that his new abilities and his new responsibilities are tied to the game title and they are very cool!
Ratchet plays the same as usual except for a few new gadgets (hover boots being my favorite) and some awesome new tools! They've also added a bit of a space shooter into the game which is a blast and introduces many "side quests"(Not to mention a great little Quark mini-game). Lots to do in this one guys, tons to collect, it's quite long and the replay is immense as usual!
My advice, add this one to your collection if you've played Tools of Destruction, if you haven't you may not get the story right off the bat and you'll really miss out on a lot, although the gameplay will still be fun as usual. I do suggest playing Tools of Destruction first.
Well that's about it, this game is just what you would expect from the Insomniac team, a very polished, fun, pixar-like experience that will excite and compel you to play forward.
Buy Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time Now
As someone who has played every Ratchet & Clank game (except for the PSP games) and loved them all, I was quite disappointed by this latest game.
-Is it bad? Definitely not! The voice crew, plot, and dialogue are all, as usual, top notch.
-Is it not fun to play? Again, definitely not! The game is short, but is thoroughly enjoyable throughout.
-Is it ugly? Nope, absolutely beautiful in 1080P.
-Are the controls difficult? As usual, they're amazing.
-Are you confused, unless you bought Quest for Booty? Nope, the important parts are described at the opening then.
So, what IS the problem then?
-Gameplay is short. Clank's time puzzles with multiple selves are interesting little brain teasers. Other mini games for clank are dull. Ratchet is in full force again. The hoverboots are fun, it feels like Deadlocked again without Clank on your back for a good part of the game.
-The plot is way too obvious from the start. About a quarter into the game I immediately guessed who the "surprise" final boss would beand I was right. There are some small, minor twists I didn't see coming, but overall, it was easy to discern most of the plot.
-Without spoiling anything, the ending feels half baked. A big question/issue isn't resolved.
-The game feels unfinished. Ratchet was practically amphibious in previous games, he can't swim at all in this one. Where are the Leviathan souls? This game never mentions them. There are numerous aspects of this game that feel unfinished. And the worst part is they created a planet (the Insomniac Museum) to show you all of the amazing stuff they cut out. Pretty much every description is followed by "But we had to rush to get the game out, so we cut it out".
Overall?
If you're a die hard fan and you haven't bought it already, you're going to crack anyways. Just buy it. You'll enjoy it.
If you can wait, I would wait for the price to go downfor the length of the game, it's hard to recommend.
If you've never played Ratchet & Clank before, buy Tools of Destruction first (if you own a PS3) or Going Commando/Up Your Arsenal for the PS2. All of them are greatest hits games and should retail for under $30.
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Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time is a phenomenal game which is leaps and bounds above Tools Of Destruction...which is quite impressive because the first in the "Future" trilogy of Ratchet & Clank was no slouch of a game.
The controls are easy, the camera (although sometimes having a mind of its own)complements and follows play smoothly, and the sound (my biggest gripe with ToD and QfB) is fantastic.
The graphics are much improved (may sound odd...seeing as the graphics are purposely cartoony) to the point you can see individual Lombax hairs and subtle changes in the shape of faces for expression. So far (two stages in) I'm missing the comedy bad guys that were present (yet still effectively tyrannical) in the prior two episodes. I will, however, admit to one giggle-worthy moment from Dr. Nefarious.
The weapons and gadgets (still have a TON to get) are truly original all over again and massively fun to use in the creation of explosions and wanton destruction around Ratchet. What is there not to love about a genetically enhanced belching reptile with a hair trigger?
Side missions with Clank still feel a little...meh...but it's good to follow his side of the story and is a welcome break after joining Ratchet in narrowly avoiding death 62 and 1/3 times. Clank has his own brand of humor that works...but works better when combined with a certain wrench-wielding, sarcastic Lombax.
There has been an element of...almost non-linear gameplay added which I have fallen absolutely in love with. I can get to the story when I want and have fun things to do on the side (with very pleasurable rewards) to build me up for story missions.
The radio is a rather creative addition. I keep going back to the techno-trance station while cracking heads and cooking threads with 'ol Mr. Zircon and his smack-talking self while jetting around moons and asteroids in search of bonuses on my jet boots.
I'm rambling now so I will end here by saying that Insomniac has, once again, produced a real gem. Hilarious, action-packed, and a welcome addition to any gamer's library. I wouldn't rent this one or wait for it used, folks...there's fun to be had RIGHT NOW and you shouldn't be missing out.
I'm already hoping for the next R&C game that will have to work to make it above an even higher bar set by Crack In Time.
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I wasn't honestly excited about this game when I picked it up. How many Ratchet and Clank experiences can a person be expected to take in, after all? While I love the series, the last thing I wanted was more of the same. Luckily this entry introduces some ingenious elements into the gameplay. If you played any earlier R&C games, you probably loathe the idea of playing as Clank, with no Ratchet. And it looks as though the developers have grown wise to that bit of truth. Clank may be a great addition to Ratchet's back, but he's just a bore on his own. At least he was before this game. Here you have a Clank who can use bombs to slow time and use recorded clones of himself to progress through challenges. This gives the title a great amount of real puzzle action. Clank also has some great shooter-type challenges here as well. You will look forward to playing with him in this game. The ability to travel through open space and take on side challenges was a great addition too. Even Ratchet has been given new abilities that make this a truly original platforming experience. The numerous ways in which you can customize weapons almost makes this game too good to be true. The series has always been focused on great platforming, wicked weapons, and the best stories you'll find in the gaming world. A Crack In Time is no exception. My only real complaint here is that a few of the weapons aren't as memorable and don't control as well as they did in Up Your Arsenal. But Insomniac doesn't seem interested in making carbon copies of its older games, so we may never see weapon control capabilities that strong again. Regardless, it's a very minor complaint. The combat still controls ages better than other platforming games I've played. There's lots of replay value here, the game is enjoyable for people of all ages, and the platinum trophy wasn't that difficult to obtain. This is one of the best games available on any system.
