Ratchet And Clank: A Crack In Time Review [PS3]

18 Nov 2009 at 15:34:21 by Andy Alderson
Systems used to review this title: (PS3)

Consistency is a rare commodity in the gaming world. Rarely do you see a game series which doesn’t slip into a lull at one point or another, but Insomniac’s excellent Ratchet and Clank series is one such exception. Defined by high production values, great presentation and a compelling mix of platform and shooter gameplay, the Ratchet and Clank universe has always been a pleasure to visit. Fans of the franchise will be glad to know that A Crack in Time continues in the same tradition and, while it doesn’t offer much in the way of innovation, it is yet another quality title in the series.

The story in A Crack in Time picks up where the last two games, Quest for Booty and Tools of Destruction left off, following Ratchet as he attempts to find his robot buddy Clank who has been kidnapped by the mysterious, but benevolent, Zoni. Clank, it seems, has an important role to play in the survival of the universe and it is soon revealed he is destined to become the senior caretaker of the Great Clock, a giant Zoni-built device designed to prevent the universe from ripping apart. Meanwhile, Ratchet must follow the trail of the evil Dr Nefarious to re-establish contact with Clank. Along the way, Ratchet encounters fellow Lombax General Alister Azimuth, long exiled from his kind and desperate to use the Great Clock to change the past.

As is to be expected from the series, the story is presented beautifully through some gorgeous cutscenes and excellent voice acting. There’s always been a Pixar-like charm at the heart of Ratchet and Clank and A Crack in Time accordingly includes some very well-judged and genuinely funny cutscenes. The brilliant General Qwark makes a typically amusing return in the game, providing a good deal of the game’s comedy with his unfortunate combination of cowardice and utter incompetence. Other nice touches include Ratchet’s other robot companion, Mr Zurkon who can be called on in combat situations to lend a hand while trash talking the enemy with phrases like “Yoo-hoo, Mr. Zurkon is looking to kill you.” It all feels very well-produced and Insomniac deserves credit for maintaining the excellent level of presentation in A Crack in Time.

The gameplay in this latest outing is also consistent with the rest of the series. For the majority of the game you will play as Ratchet, taking on levels which offer a mix of platforming and combat action. The main new addition to Ratchet’s arsenal are the rather fantastic hover boots which can be equipped at any time, allowing Ratchet to traverse the often-huge levels much more quickly. Many Ratchet levels feature hover-boot ‘courses’ stringing together boost pads, jumps and rails to create some nice fast moving platform gameplay which provides a welcome respite from the combat sections and ample opportunity to hunt out some of the game’s many collectables which range from the usual nuts and bolts, to catchable Zoni and holo-plans for the devastating RYNO (Rip You A New One) V. 

Ratchet also has a few new weapons at his disposal although they don’t quite reach the same heights of imagination as some other favourites from the series like the boogie-inducing Groovitron which makes a welcome return in A Crack in Time. The Sonic Eruptor allows Ratchet to direct a powerful, but short-ranged, frog burp at the enemy, while the new Dynamo of Doom unleashes a ball of energy which can be directed towards foes by tilting the Sixaxis. While the new weapons don’t add much to the combat gameplay, the good news is that the combat gameplay is as great as ever with Ratchet and his friends often finding themselves face to face with large numbers of enemies and some occasionally fearsome bosses.

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