The Skinny:

• Developed by Insomniac Games
• Published by Sony Computer Entertainment
• Playstation 3-exclusive platforming/action-adventure game
• Singleplayer Mode
• ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
• Estimated sticker price at launch: $59.99
• Release Date: October 27, 2009

How do you make a world from scratch? Where do you even start? Insomniac Games created its beloved Ratchet & Clank universe from the ground up, throwing in a space-faring adventure with cute protagonists in the form of Ratchet and his sidekick Clank. Add a generous helping of humor and a pinch of puzzle-solving and you have a video game duo worthy of several successful games. Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time is the alleged finale of the franchise, or at the very least this particular storyline, so before release a lot depended on properly structuring the story while satisfying all the expectant urges fans of the series call for.

The storyline from the previous games (Quest for Booty followed by Tools of Destruction) continues in this installment, with Ratchet on a mission to save his box of bolts buddy Clank. Evildoer Dr. Nefarious is holding the second title character captive in the mystical Great Clock, a locale that controls matters of time and space. The reunion of the duo is vital to the storyline, determining whether their bonds are meant to last or die, and whether or not in the grand scheme of things they are meant to emerge the victors. The time aspect comes into the gameplay heavy-handedily as the classic components of storytelling, platforming, and energized adventure return. Throughout the game, the space adventures are divided in the environment into five sectors, which Ratchet will navigate in his ship the Aphelion. Completing missions on each planet or moon he lands on is how the story advances including the collection of cute little Zoni upon defeating enemies which you’ll need to get to Clank.

There’s a consistent theme of quality when it comes to platforming in the Ratchet & Clank series, and here the element remains unchanged. Whether you’re running and gunning from place to place or using the jet pack to bound from platform to platform, it renews a toyishly fun sense of speed that keeps the high-action parts of the game flowing. Ratchet’s new anti-gravity boots give you the extra boost to bounce from platform to platform at will, like having an awesome and more advanced pair of those ridiculous Moon Shoes they sell at Toys ‘R Us. Unlike most modern platformers (yeah I know, there aren’t very many dedicated ones), R&CA Crack in Time. The most important part of the series is to keep things lively as indicated by its crazy weapons and even crazier humor, and here the magic stays strong and steady. really depends on the success of the platforms in determining how good the overall level design is. Luckily for Insomniac, they’ve done a pretty good job here with

Combined with the great platforming pieces, A Crack in Time boasts some really great puzzles—probably the best I’ve seen in the series yet. Because the time-keeping piece of the game is so relevant in the story, there’s a lot to be done here involving Clank rewinding and duplicating past/present/future versions of yourself to get the job done. You play Ratchet and Clank at different points in the game, and each holds his own during the puzzles. The more significant puzzles are done as Clank playing with time while Ratchet commands the arsenal of weapons at his disposal in the outside world.

While I’m the kind of person who usually just masters a couple of weapons to use throughout a particular game, to do so in A Crack in Time is to ignore a polished detail. They’re a bit crazy in their conception like the Frog Gun, but it’s amazing how much fun it is to let loose on a group of enemies—the more the merrier! Using the aforementioned Frog Gun, you’re able to charge up the gun before unleashing a powerful ribbit in the direction of one or more enemies, and as usual, the longer you charge it up, the more powerful the blast. Beyond that personal favorite comes other weapons like the Cryomine Glove, which freezes your foes into ice cubes so you can blast them to smithereens. Ratchet’s expansive arsenal and spaceship is upgradeable through the add-on of special parts and leveling them up to enhance their use while the ship can be improved with pieces like armor plating you’ll happen across throughout the game.

While this isn’t a graphically important game, the presentation of A Crack in Time is very worthy of mention. Although western gaming keeps demanding for dark, moody themes of war and carnage, Ratchet & Clank has been a constant companion of jovial themes which it relays into its graphics. The environments are candy sweet in their rainbow sprinkle variety of colors and lighting up the screen with a brilliant weapon blast is an incredible display of beauty. The game runs at a strong, 60 non-clippy frames per second whether you’re wandering through space, surrounded by enemies in an urbanscape or hiking through lush jungle.

Despite personal promises from Insomniac that A Crack in Time was their trump card in visuals and storytelling, while I can say this game did really well with both features I wouldn’t call it my personal favorite. The visuals are indeed awe-inspiring and the classic humor remains intact, but I don’t find it outperforming a game like Quest for Booty, the first game of this plot line. By no means am I harping on A Crack in Time, a great game, but to say it’s the best one of the lot is to do an injustice to its older brothers. Fans of the series of all ages will be happy with A Crack in Time and the continuously imaginative universe of Ratchet & Clank. Saying here that the third time’s the charm feels like you’re overshooting the target.