If you haven't played Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction and/or it's PSN follow-up Quest for Booty, then all you reall need to know is that Ratchet & Clank have been separated and the troublesome Dr. Nefarious is to blame. In his thirst for power, Nefarious is attempting to control time itself, and in order to do just that he needs Clank's help. Clank, who is obviously not keen on cooperating, gets an opportunity to slip away from his captors and ends up beginning a rather surreal journey in his effort to reunite with Ratchet. Conversely, Ratchet finally gets organized and sets out to locate his best friend Clank and ultimately save the world. Along the way, both of them meet up with a cast of new and returning characters and find out much more about their own surprising origins. The series may be wrapped up in a veil of humor usually, but A Crack in Time definitely takes on a sometimes more serious tone in comparison. In terms of story though, it's a really enjoyable ride and one certainly not worth spoilering.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (ACiT) alternates between controlling Ratchet and Clank almost throughout the entire game. In past R&C installments that offered the ability to play as Clank, the gameplay was decidedly simple and brief compared to Ratchet's. There's still more of a focus on Ratchet overall with about 2/3rds of the game following the more traditional R&C gameplay. The other 1/3rd, however, puts you in control of Clank and his new time control powers, and in these segments he's utilized in a much more interesting way. In addition to standard running and jumping controls, Clank can control time through the use of time pads and time bombs. Time pads allow Clank to record a sequence of events, then replay it along with a live instance of himself in order to navigate certain obstacles within the game. To open a door, solve a puzzle or make it through a particularly tough platforming section, for example. There may even be times where multiple recordings of Clank need to be running simultaneously. He is also equipped with a time bomb which can be thrown at certain objects and enemies to slow them down to a virtual crawl in an effort to make progress through a situation. Clank also has a handy, dandy staff that can deliver a swift thwack to an enemy and even send back a projectile if timed correctly. There's a little more puzzle solving than when playing as Ratchet, though it's paced in such a way that it's never boring.

Even with the increased attention given to Clank, Ratchet is still the star of the game. His running, jumping, shooting, gadget-using actions are the most important to master, and like all games in the series, he controls beautifully. Most of the familiar gameplay elements from other R&C Future titles return in ACiT, with a few differences here and there. Ratchet can jump, double jump, grab ledges, shimmy, grind, use a grapple beam, and swing/throw his wrench to smash crates. Along the way he can collect bolts (money to buy weapons/armor/ammo), Zoni (creatures used to upgrade Ratchet's ship), Gold Bolts (used to unlock bonus items) and Constructo weapon mods (used to alter certain aspects of weapons). The latter 3 are usually hidden about the stages and may take a little effort to acquire.

Ratchet has a few new tricks up his sleeve in A Crack in Time. Most importantly, he can now throw his wrench while running and jumping, and doing just about anything. This might seem like a minor change, except it's really not. Having to stand still and crouch and precisely aim the wrench to hit far away objects or enemies was a little bit of a hassle in previous games. Being able to do it at any time makes it a formidable tool in Ratchet's arsenal. Even the wrench swinging combo packs more punch, so up close, it's definitely a go-to weapon.

The basic platforming is good and all, but real fans of the Ratchet & Clank series keep coming back for the unique shooting action, weapons and gadgets. As in earlier titles, weapons are usually bought with bolts collected from crates, defeated enemies and side-missions, and gadgets are traditionally found/provided to you at certain points in the game. A majority of the weapons are new, and as always, well designed, sometimes humorous, and quite effective. With a large, powerful cone-shaped blast, the belching Sonic Eruptor is among the obvious new favorites. Ratchet even gets a more traditional sniper-style weapon finally with the Plasma Striker. Mr. Zurkon, the pissed-off robotic helper packed with weapons, is hands-down one of the best returning "weapons" in the game. He's worth constantly equipping just to hear his murderous comments and one-liners.

As before, the more a weapon or gadget is used, the better it gets, so it's actually worth using them all. Constructo-branded weapons like the standard blaster and bomb glove are customizable to an extent, including color-scheme and when a mod is found, the basic functionality. For example, the bomb glove can be altered to deliver a timed-fuse, long distance bomb or a shrapnel-filled proximity mine, and the blaster can fire a concentrated, charged laser blast with fire effect or a fully automatic stream of shots. It all depends on the situation, your preference, and the specific weapons mods that are found.

The most useful new gadget is Ratchet's Hoverboots. Not only can they be turned on or off at will to provide Ratchet with a much faster, more maneuverable pace on foot (while exploring or fighting), they can also be used to jump further and blast off of certain speed pads to reach usually inaccessible areas. Like the new wrench throwing mechanics, this kicks the game's pace up a bit.

Also new in Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is the new space exploration game hub that connects the various sectors, planets, moons and other important areas within the game. You get to pilot Ratchet's ship Aphelion among the galaxy within these small areas, and jump from sector to sector while playing through the game. While the game is actually very linear, you can optionally explore these areas to access side-missions to collect Zoni, weapon mods, bolts and gold bolts. These short missions can range from towing a damaged freighter to an outpost for some bolts, or exploring a small moon for useful items. There are also times where you'll have to fight it out in space, shooter style. While these sequences look 3D, they are strictly locked down to one plane so there's no way to climb, dive or change elevation. One great little touch is the ability to change radio stations while cruising in your ship or working on side-missions. Jazz, rock, techno stations are available, and they even have some funny GTA style commercial interruptions. The hub, while simple and somewhat repetitive, is a nice addition to break up the action and add structure to various playable missions scattered about.

In terms of visuals, Insomniac really has that CG animated movie-style down pat in A Crack in Time. In fact, I can't think of any other game out there that can come close in terms of design, animation, and characters. I'm not saying that the game itself looks as good as a CG movie, just that the whole package resembles one. The game is bright and colorful and wonderfully animated, with fantastically realized alien environments. The focus of Insomniac's engines for the Ratchet & Clank series keeping a smooth framerate for all that crazy on-screen action. It's hard enough to have a detailed HD game run at 60 frames per second in general, and R&C does a great job even under some intense situations. Sure, it flutters a bit randomly, though when it counts, it's extremely smooth. The shading has changed slightly and provides for a more cartoony look for the characters and enemies, and the overall texture quality, lighting and effects don't seem to have changed much. There are more details in the environments however, and there are plenty of impressive weapon effects, explosions and screen-filling particles. Insomniac's trademark snow, rain and water effects make an appearance as well. There are definitely times when there's more chaos on-screen than I remember in either Tools of Destruction or Quest for Booty, so visual upgrades aren't at first readily apparent. My only real knock on the visuals is the fact that there isn't as many "wow!" moments as expected from the game. Basically, ACiT is a fine looking game and Uncharted 2 has spoiled us all.

The music and voicework in A Crack in Time are of high quality, as is to be expected from the series. The humor is actually funny and used only where appropriate. The BGM and sound effects definitely can resemble Star Wars at times, which definitely works for the game. The 5.1 surround sound mix is especially well done, so crank that home theater if you have one.

If you have been playing the series from the beginning then you'll definitely have no problem breezing through the game rather easily on the default Normal difficulty. In fact, I'd suggest playing on Hard for a little more challenge (as I did for the purpose of this review). That's not to say the game is short, it's actually around 10-12+ long (on Hard) depending on how much you explore the environments and how many side-missions you take on. The pattern-based boss encounters are memorable and fun, and not overly difficult. There's maybe only 2 or 3 intense fights that will take a few tries, and even then, thanks to the generous checkpoints there shouldn't be much frustration. There's also a healthy dose of Trophies, skill points and challenges to keep you busy on top of the missions and story, so there's a good amount of replay in the game.

October is a busy month for PlayStation 3 owners for sure. Launching right after the stellar Uncharted 2, and the surprise hit of 2009, Demon's Souls, is not probably the best position to be in. If you're a PS3 owner, don't let Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time get lost in the shuffle... besides being the best R&C adventure yet, it's definitely one of those rare games that puts a smile on your face from the second it begins. It also may be the sendoff game for one of the most popular gaming duos of the past 2 generations.

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