Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3)

Has Insomniac's dynamic duo worn out its welcome? Jones has the verdict below.
10/22/2009 12:35 PM | 18 Comments | Page 1 of 2

What's Hot: Terrific third-person action gameplay; Genuinely funny at times; Hover boots = fun; Clank's time-recording puzzles are as good as anything found in Portal; Mr. Zurkon = awesome.

What's Not: Plot occasionally makes little sense ("Let's rush to this planet!!!!!!"); The humor, as always with R & C games, is hit-and-miss.
Buy It!
Scott Jones
Scott Jones
Status: Coffee makes me feel 4-percent sexier.
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is the ninth R&C game in seven years. We're all more than happy to give Madden the raspberries for coming out every 12 months. Yet since 2002, R&C games, counting their forays onto the PSP, have been even more ubiquitous than Madden.

That's saying something.

I thought 2007's Tools of Destruction was the saturation point for the series. After finishing the game, I was ready to exile Ratchet the Lombax and Clank the robot to a sunny little vacation spot in the Pacific that I call Tony Hawk Island. It's where all series go to get some much-needed downtime. (I'm picturing Sandals crossed with a rehab center.)

Tools of Destruction wasn't terrible, but it also wasn't remarkable. Then along came the Clank-free Quest for Booty in 2008 -- a downloadable continuation of Tools. When I discovered that the game's big calling card was a new wrench for Ratchet -- oooooh! -- I was ready to send the entire Insomniac R&C team, including the terrific Ted Price (hi, Ted!) to Tony Hawk Island.

Which brings us to A Crack in Time.

The narrative picks up where Booty left off. Clank is still being held captive by a bunch of floating robots called the Zoni and Ratchet is still trying to figure out how to find him.

Feels like these two have been apart for ages now. And they kind of have been. A Crack in Time is their chance to Simon-and-Garfunkle up again. Which, I came to find out, I was looking forward to far more than I had thought.

The game opens with an eerie shot of the cosmos, coupled with a William Shatner-like voiceover: "Space. It's huuuuge." I laughed. If I'm laughing, things can't be all that bad, right? So far, so good.

Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
Big scaly alien thing? Check. Bonfire in background? Check. Alien ship flying in through smoke cloud? Check.
The game splits time between Ratchet's levels and Clank's levels. Ratchet finds himself on the typical assortment of Ratchet & Clank-style planets. You know, weird alien vegetation; brightly colorful, vaguely bug-type enemies; the occasional series of moving platforms and/or lava canyons to navigate; etc. These are offset with cityscapes inhabited by colorful, vaguely bug-type robots; weird alien structures; the occasional series of moving platforms; bottomless canyons to explore; etc.

Everything feels very familiar. In the same way that Game Truster David Thomas slips into his pair of Crocs -- ahhhhh! -- I slipped back into the milieu of Ratchet & Clank. I was surprised by 1) how easy it was, and 2) how comfortable I felt in this world again. I was -- dare I say it? -- happy to be back. Maybe Insomniac knows what I need better than I know what I need. Who knows.

Early on in the game, Ratchet receives a pair of hover boots. These things are awesome. (More awesome than your Crocs, Dave, but only slightly so.) Press the d-pad right to equip the boots. Use R2 to give yourself a boost. The hover boots quicken the overall pace of the game: Levels feel more expansive than before, but with the boots on, they also feel smaller, because you can traverse them so quickly.

Also: Mr. Zurkon for president. Mr. Zurkon is a cute, tiny robot that you can summon. He will fly over your shoulder and target nearby enemies as he says things that make you laugh. Example: MR. ZURKON EATS FEAR FOR BREAKFAST.

Like I said, funny.

Clank, meanwhile, somehow winds up at a place called the Great Clock, which is located at the center of the universe (give or take 50 feet; a joke that's repeated one time too many). Clank begins his training as the Great Clock's caretaker. He's given a scepter, which he can use to bash enemies, or more interestingly, reconstitute broken machinery.

See something broken? Walk up to it, swing the scepter at it, and voilà, like a film being reversed, the busted object automatically begins reassembling itself. Sometimes you'll need to do this to solve puzzles, but there are many broken things scattered around the Great Clock in need of repair. For some reason, I never got tired of repairing things, not unlike the way that I never got bored with healing people in Infamous. Maybe I really am a good person after all. Who knows.

More importantly -- and pay attention here, because this is kind of tricky -- Clank learns how to record versions of himself to accomplish various tasks. Example: He can stand on a "record switch," hit the Start Recording button in his radial menu, walk over and stand on another switch to open a door at the far end of the room, then end the recording.

After that, he can stand on a second switch, press Start Recording, and when his recorded self opens the door, Clank can walk through.

« Prev  1  2  Next »  

Share This

  • Stumbleupon Share Button
  • Delicious Share Button
  • Reddit Share Button
  • Slashdot Share Button
  • Fark Share Button
  • Yahoo Buzz Share Button

Comments

  • girlgamer21
    girlgamer21

    11/6/2009 5:21:53 PM

    why do i have a feeling the scott jones is married??

    Reply »
  • Razor1978
    Razor1978

    11/3/2009 4:59:05 PM

    Scott if you like time puzzle check out this flash game Chronotron:
    http://armorgames.com/play/1567/chronotron

    Reply »
  • Mechwarrior 2
    Mechwarrior 2

    10/24/2009 2:33:19 AM

    @ScottJones:

    Glad to be here, sir.

    Reply »
  • girlgamer21
    girlgamer21

    10/23/2009 10:13:01 PM

    @ScottJones:

    yeah i do you crack me up. no need to be sad

    Reply »
  • girlgamer21
    girlgamer21

    10/23/2009 10:12:11 PM

    @ScottJones:

    i love both.

    Reply »
  • DiTrent
    DiTrent

    10/23/2009 9:23:45 PM

    @ScottJones:

    "My love tank is so very empty"

    Awwww. Don't be sad Jonesy. I still love you!

    HUGS & KISSES!

    Reply »
  • mmclennan
    mmclennan

    10/23/2009 9:04:06 AM

    Wow I thought ToD was a good game. I mean yeah the story was predictable and toony, but that was to be expected. But the graphics were amazing and the gameplay has improved so much since the first. I am really happy with the series for the PS3 and if you liked this one better I can just assume it will consume a weekend of my life as well. Hurray for Ratchet and Clank!

    Reply »
  • ScottJones
    ScottJones

    10/23/2009 4:18:57 AM

    @girlgamer21:

    Aw. I thought you were in love with me. My love tank is so very empty. Boo. :( xo!

    Reply »
  • ScottJones
    ScottJones

    10/23/2009 3:59:40 AM

    @Mechwarrior 2:

    Mechwarrior 2: Glad you're here, sir.

    -jones

    Reply »
  • Mechwarrior 2
    Mechwarrior 2

    10/22/2009 11:42:22 PM

    Boy, sounds like this one's at the same level as Up Your Arsenal, if Captain Quark (who I learned to tune out 3 games ago) and the plot (seriously, you were expecting a stirring, epic plot of something other than "rush to this planet" in an R&C title?) are the biggest complaints. Huzzah!

    Reply »
  • DiTrent
    DiTrent

    10/22/2009 10:36:48 PM

    I can't wait to play this game! I'm such a sucker for R&C. Clank's little giggle always makes me smile. I'm also looking forward to the Jak & Daxter game for the PSP. What I would really love, though, is another Sly Cooper. Anyone know if there is one in the works?

    Reply »
  • girlgamer21
    girlgamer21

    10/22/2009 4:41:52 PM

    i love ratchet and clank :)

    Reply »
  • girlgamer21
    girlgamer21

    10/22/2009 4:39:37 PM

    @RyanKuo:

    hahaha. is it to explicit to put on here?

    Reply »
  • RyanKuo

    10/22/2009 4:37:50 PM

    @girlgamer21:

    Oh, I dunno!



    '-'

    Reply »
  • girlgamer21
    girlgamer21

    10/22/2009 4:33:26 PM

    @RyanKuo:

    wait what were you thinking of? lol

    Reply »
  • girlgamer21
    girlgamer21

    10/22/2009 4:29:55 PM

    @RyanKuo: umm yes lol




    Reply »
  • RyanKuo

    10/22/2009 4:27:22 PM

    @girlgamer21:

    You mean the game, right...?

    Reply »
  • girlgamer21
    girlgamer21

    10/22/2009 4:24:59 PM

    i want it.

    Reply »

Want a new look on the discussion?
» Take It to the Forums

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post.
0 / 2000 used

Log In and Post

Log In and Post

The Chatter Box

  • Recent
  • Active
  • Status
ChknKitty

ChknKitty Says

Wow, people win every day in the Chicken Out contest! Sign up and win.

Xbox 360 | PS3 | Wii | PSP | DS | PC
The Games That Time Forgot

The Games That Time Forgot


The games we're pulling together in this feature won't appear on any of those best-of lists and get confused looks when you mention them in conversation. Just because time has forgotten these titles, though, doesn't mean you should forget them, too.

» Read On

Expand Box

© Crispy Gamer, Inc. All rights reserved.

By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site,
you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.

Log In or Register with Crispy Gamer

  • Register
  • Log In
  • Facebook
Register
Log In

Use your Facebook account to log in to Crispy Gamer

You'll also be able to add your Facebook friends to Crispy Gamer and post your Crispy Gamer activity in your Facebook feed.

Reasons to Join Crispy Gamer

  • It's Free
  • Leave Comments on Crispy Articles and Blogs
  • Enter Contests and Win Great Prizes
  • Converse With Other Gamers in Our Forums
  • Share What’s Up With Custom Status Text
  • Track Your Activity on Your Personal User Page
  • Chat with Friends in Real-Time