Ratchet & Clank Have Returned and are Set to Face Off with their Arch Nemesis Dr. Nefarious.
The Story
For those of you die hard R&C fans, this game needs no introduction. If you’re new to the series, not knowing the back story isn’t necessary, but there’s alot of fun you’ve missed. While the game is installing, a video begins playing of Ratchet’s old friend Captain Quark being interviewed and it gives you enough of the previous games’ story lines to make you well informed, and entertained in the process.
A Crack in Time continues the story from where Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty ended. Clank has been taken by the Zonis to The Great Clock, which a Zoni named Orvus had created to stabilize the rift in the space-time continuum , and Ratchet will now have to go find him.
- The Great Clock
The Zoni had previously been duped into working with Dr. Nefarious but of course the good Doctor turned on them once he realized he couldn’t get what he wanted. Dr. N wanted access to the Orvus chamber of The Great Clock, since that is where he could travel through time and make the good guys always lose and the bad guys always win.
- Dr. Nefarious
While Clank waits at the clock, Ratchet jumps into the action with Captain Quark and Ratchet has his always awesome arsenal of weapons. Insomniac Games seems to have the most creative teams when it comes to the weapons in all of the R&C games, and this game is no exception.
- Ratchet & Captain Quark fight a Battle Grok
Ratchet was always assumed to be the last of his kind in the universe (he’s a Lombax), but we soon find out that there is at least one more Lombax, and his name is General Azimuth. The General believes that The Great Clock can be used to save the entire Lombax race, by traveling back in time and saving them all, and he employs Ratchet to help him get there. Little does he know that using the clock for time travel could possibly destroy the entire Universe.
- General Azimuth
Meanwhile, back at the clock, Clank is introduced to his adventure as the new caretaker of The Great Clock and is tasked with using the clock to maintain the temporal balance of the Universe. He is given the ability to manipulate time itself, and the puzzles require him to record copies of himself in order to complete tasks in unison with his recorded copies of himself. This is by far the most challenging part of the game, but also unique in its game play. Insomniac created entirely new puzzle styles that force you to think.
- Clank at The Great Clock
While Clank learns the ins and outs of The Great Clock, Ratchet begins his journey through space on his rocketship.
The Gameplay
R&C has always been known for fun platforming, awesome puzzles, and great shooting with unique weapons you won’t find in any Call of Duty game. The Clank puzzles are really unique and I can’t recall ever seeing or playing anything like them before. Ratchet’s game play is standard for R&C games, with weapons that upgrade as you use them, and several Destructo weapons that have hidden upgrade packages lying around for you to find.
Ratchet’s spaceship is pretty straightforward for flying and the fighting in it is a little basic. The ship is upgraded by finding Zonis as you travel to different planetary systems with Zonis hidden on the planets and the moons. The moon gameplay gives a good impression of the smallness and roundness of the moons, while planetary gameplay uses a much larger area.
The characters in the game each have their own, well developed, personality.
The Graphics
R&C: Tools of Destruction introduced the R&C series to the next generation of gaming and brought Pixar quality graphics along with it. A Crack in Time isn’t a step up in graphics, but it is hard to improve on near perfection from ToD.
These aren’t realistic visuals, and R&C has never been about realisism. Instead, they are some of the best looking, and smoothest graphics possible with this generation.
The character models are finely detailed, and the different planets range from lush jungles to snowy mountainous regions with beautiful detail.
The Final Word
Insomniac Games has always gone out of their way to create a complete gaming experience, and they didn’t disappoint with A Crack in Time. The unique Clank gameplay was not only fun, but challenging as well. Ratchet and his incredibly awesome arsenal of weapons was a blast to play with, and the enemies were fun to destroy. With all of the hidden items spread out all over the universe, you’ll find yourself spending hours trying to find them all.
The Scorecard
10
+ Entertaining storyline
+ Well developed and finely detailed characters
+ Smooth and unique gameplay
+ Unique and creative weapons and enemies
+ Finely detailed planets and environments
– Spaceship battles are pretty basic
