Insomniac Games has managed to deliver a great deal of quality to the Playstation 3, and oddly they do so relatively under the radar. Resistance is clearly a big title to Sony, and they promote the heck out of it, luckily it’s also a quality series. But I’d argue that Ratchet & Clank is a far superior franchise, which makes me wonder why it never seems to get the hype it deserves. But lack of expectation can do wonders for a game when you find one you don’t expect to be good. That happened with Tools of Destruction for me; I expected little and was pleasantly surprised. This go around I expected to be impressed, and l must say I wasn’t let down.
A Crack in Time continues Ratchets quest to find Clank who was taken by the Zoni race near the end of Tool’s of Destruction and ultimately leads to a showdown with Dr. Nefarious. It’s pretty standard narrative for R&C, but that isn’t a bad thing. The comedic writing and mature undertones are all carried well by superb voice over work, even when it gets on the cheesy side there’s still enough chuckle worthy moments.
As much as this series has its staples for plotting, it’s probably better known for its weaponry. There are sixteen in total if you spend enough time getting the bolts required, and they offer an absurd amount fun without any of them feeling too similar. The most impressive thing with the arsenal though is the ease with which you can shift from one to the other while still seeing the effects of the last fired weapon. As the game gets more chaotic, and it will, you’ll find yourself switching back and forth which will leave all sorts of eye candy on screen.
One of the other addictive aspects of the combat is just simply leveling up your guns. Sometimes the improvements form level to level feel extremely subtle, other times you practically feel the kick from the new power. The incentive to use different weapons is something that not a lot of games do, and it’s not really required here either but it makes the game infinitely more enjoyable to have each weapon maxed.
R&C is also well known for its platforming, and this was also my biggest issue with the game. Invisible barriers hamper the experience at moments, a fidgety camera during rail sections becomes annoying, and it gets even worse during hover boot sections of the game, especially one segment near the end. The side worlds of the game have a distinct Mario Galaxy feel to a lot of them, which isn’t bad. But some of the worlds have sections that prove to be too much trial and error and too little skill I found. There are some really wonderful spots, but too often it just doesn’t feel as smooth as one would want, though if anyone hated the ample amounts of rail sections in Tool’s, you’ll find less here for sure.
One of the best steps in my view from the previous games is the broader feel from start to finish. The different planets and moons you travel off a lot of things to see and help extend the experience in terms of hours played if you explore it all. The item collection gets a little old, but it’s balanced by incentive to level up weapons to make them more powerful. Something that was crucial toward the end of the game while I was playing on Hard. The arena is also back, and it feels more challenging that before, which is great.
The puzzles in the game are fairly simple, and shouldn’t give anyone too much trouble. But there’s paced well and never so heavy handed as to get in the way of fun. While playing as Clank these tasks are also separated by little cannon shooting sequences that last only a couple minutes but work well as a minimal distraction. Insomniac knows how to pace a game, and that’s something most people will see. Nothing ever feels cumbersome or overlong, and because of that all of these different game elements work in perfect harmony.
There are some other grievances with the game, however. The boss battles lack any sense of challenge. Strife, shoot, hop, or just stand still is often all you need to do. When juxtaposed against the hectic arena battles toward the end of the championships the bosses just feel lame. Even the final boss is just a test of patience since it takes the longest, but there’s no evolution in strategy required.
And the last one is sort of a strange qualm to have with the game. It’s pretty, there’s lots going on at all times and it makes for some good imagery, but I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed by the graphical oomph of this game compared to my initial reaction with Tools of Destruction. If there were any improvements, I missed them. And some of the top-down side planet missions actually don’t look great. Still, this is minor, and I was probably just expecting more.
Ratchet & Clank continue to impress, and while some of the story becomes too easy to predict as the series goes on, it never stops being fun. There’s a lot of content here, and a great challenge mode to accompany the array of offerings of the initial play through once you’re done. If you’re a fan of the series you won’t be let down, and if you’re unfamiliar you can definitely do a lot worse than picking up A Crack in Time.
The Story: It’s become a lot of the same, but there’s an exuberant charisma that shines through the characters that often makes it impossible not to at least smirk. It plays like a cartoon, and usually acts like one too, but I’d be remiss not to respect some of the more mature themes it deals with. 8/10
The Combat: Ridiculous fun from start to finish derived from a boatload of weapons that never fail to give you at least one or two favorites. There’s a good amount of different enemies too, but the bosses battles are a big let down – and by the time you make it to the end there’s little in the way of careful planning need. 9/10
The Universe: It’s big, and there’s a lot to see. Some of it is far more interesting than the rest, but the main mission planets are all realized in the quality you’d expect. An intuitive system also helps negotiate where to go, and what you’re missing if you’re going for collectibles. 8/10
The Presentation: It’s a fine looking game, better than most. The battles can get huge and I never saw a single hitch no matter what was happening on screen. Music is serviceable but voice work shines. 8/10
The Length: You can probably finish in 10 hours if you follow only the story, but it’s hard not to get caught up with leveling guns or searching out upgrades for your ship and customizable weapons. The arena alone can take up a lot of time, and it’s a blast. All told you could plunk down close to 20 hours and not get bored. Well worth it if you’re looking to buy. 9/10
SCORE: 84%