Decker

Well, for six or seven years, I've started the annual thread about whatever the next game in the series is (except last year's Quest For Booty DLC, where the thread was started by someone else). I guess I should start this one as well. I'll include previews and such, starting with this E3. I'll admit even I am getting a little burned out on the sameness of the gameplay; addictive and fun as it is.

Here's the IGN preview:
E3 2009: Hands-on with Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Your favorite weapon-wielding fuzzball returns.
by Ryan Clements
June 3, 2009 - I'll cut straight to the chase: I was a huge fan of Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, so I was more than pumped to get my hands on the next Ratchet game coming from the renowned Insomniac Studios. Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time puts you back into the metallic boots of Ratchet, the Lombax hero with a knack for fantastic weapons. Here at E3 in Los Angeles, I had the pleasure of playing through some Crack in Time and testing out some of the new gadgets Ratchet would use in his upcoming adventure. Let's just say that I'm ready to play more.

The story takes place after Clank was abducted by the Zoni at the end of Tools of Destruction. Although you'll play as Clank throughout the game, most of A Crack in Time will feature Ratchet and Clank as separate characters, as opposed to having Clank strapped to Ratchet's back as has been the case in the past.

During my demo yesterday, I was only allowed to play as Ratchet (I should be able to see Clank in action later today), but it's hard to complain when he has so many awesome weapons at his disposal. And what better enemies to test those weapons on than the savage Agorians on planet Lumos.

A Crack in Time plays very much like Tools of Destruction and gameplay elements from the downloadable Quest for Booty are also integrated into the experience. A Crack in Time is still the classic mix of platforming and shooting that fans of the series have come to love and I really appreciate how you can shoot while free running, strafing or in a locked first-person perspective. This flexibility makes A Crack in Time a very smooth game to play and the platforming elements only accentuate the fun.

Ratchet has a pair of hover boots now, which he can use to supplement his double jump or to scoot about the environment quickly. But the real pleasure comes from using the various weapons that Insomniac is known for. The first new item on display was the Sonic Eruptor, which is actually a gun handle with a small alien frog creature attached. A meter is displayed at the top of the screen and the meter continuously fills and empties in a rhythmic fashion. If you pull the trigger when the meter is full, the creature will belt out a mating call that sounds an awful lot like an epic belch. The more accurate your timing, the more powerful the blast. Wicked.

The next weapon for my viewing pleasure was the CryoMine, which (as one might imagine) is a small explosive that freezes enemies in place. But perhaps more vicious is the Plasma Striker, which is a high-powered weapon that reveals enemies weak points. If you nail a weak point with a direct shot, you get an instant kill.

Most of my demo with A Crack in Time was very enjoyable and I also got to see Alister in action. Alister is a fellow Lombax (Gasp!) that uses a double-sided energy wrench to fantastic effect. Alister will work alongside Ratchet to stop the villainous forces at work in the galaxy. He sounds like a swell guy. Perhaps we'll play as him in some bonus levels?

All in all, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time plays well. I was a little disappointed with the visuals (I feel like it didn't look quite as nice as when Tools of Destruction was first released), but as the demo build is only at 85 percent completion, I'll happily wait for more

Images:



Videos:
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tlwizard

[Lost] Can't wait! [/Lost]

TheBigDave

That was me.

I'll be pre-ordering this one. R&C is one of those games where I'll drop everything and play-through start to finish as soon as it arrives.

mhg83

I really hope the game lets you eventually play with Clank. Quest for Booty just didn't feel right without him.

mndtrp

Yeah, the entire game I was hitting the double-jump, but no hover. I can't count how many times I forgot I didn't have clank, and fell to my death expecting to hover oh-so-gently to the other side of a gap.

Decker

Ding-Ding-Ding. I had the same problem. I'm so used to my little buddy, the game sorta sucked without him.

This will be R&C's "Search For Spock" -- he'll be absent for a large chunk, but you know you'll HAVE to meet up with him eventually.

RocShemp

I'm really looking forward to this.

msdmoney

The gameplay videos didn't really show me much that was different from what I played in Future/QFB. I've enjoyed the Ratchet and Clank games, and I like the characters and story, but I would really like to see them deviate a little more from the formula.

RichC2

I am seriously hoping for some newness this time around. It's a quality series, but playing through R&CF was just painfully familiar.

Michael Corvin

Looks like the same game I played two years ago... but that's okay. I loved Future. It was my first R&C game so the franchise hasn't worn out its welcome with me yet.

With that on the table, I hated Clank when I played Future. I was glad I didn't have to deal with him in Quest for Booty. I certainly wouldn't be upset if you don't save him until the end of this game.

XavierMike

I loved Future. I'm really looking forward to this. I'm going to have to download QFB before then.

Walker Boh

I just played through Tools of Destruction for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and am now going through it a second time. What a great game. I don't think I'll get Quest for Booty based on the reviews, but will definitely get Crack in Time.

slop101

Booo!!!

The sections in the previous games where you had to play them separately were the weakest sections of those games, and also why Quest for Booty was such a disappointment. And now they're saying they'll be separated for a majority of the game? Boooo!!!!!

RocShemp

At least they gave Ratchet a pair of hover boots to make up for the lack of Clank. I wonder what they'll do to compensate during the Clank-centric levels.

RockyMtnBri

A must buy for me - I love the games!

starseed1981

Must buy here too. I've loved everything in the series, with the expection of "Deadlocked".

mhg83

You should pick up the ps2 trilogy. The first one is very different compared to the sequels but they're all still fun games. "Up your arsenal" Is still my favorite R&C game.

RickWJ324

I love Ratchet and Clank. Bought all of the PS2 games and it was the main reason for me buying the PS3. I bought Tools of Destruction before I got my PS3 and also imported the Quest for Booty disc (not available in the US).

Will definitely be picking up A Crack In Time when it's out! Those and the God of War games are 'must haves' for me.

--Rick

mattysemo247

If anyone is looking for a cheap R&C:FTOD, Amazon has it for $30 now.

Decker

Game Informer has a detailed preview in the new issue. By far the most interesting stuff is about using time as a gameplay element for the first time.

They also reveal that there is new space combat and exploration sections that are freely explored with hidden collectables and upgrades. Also they say that ground levels are far more open than before allowing players to choose their own path in less linear gmaeplay, like the Sargasso level in "Tools" or the Merdegraw area in "Booty", with a goal of having larger levels that encourage exploration and experimentation.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed. We'll see how those Clank levels play out, but if they're ending up like Braid puzzles, they could be a cool change of pace for the series.

slop101

Ugh, sounds much more like that horrible fucking Blinx game than Braid.

Decker

Oh god, I hope not. I can't imagine Insomniac putting out anything that bad. I think the Clank levels needed more variety - the Lemmings thing only goes so far. I hope this new gameplay style will be interesting and fun, but I guess we'll see soon enough...

TheBigDave

I always hated the space combat levels. Never felt like they belonged in the game. It's like a FPS with driving levels.

tlwizard

Pre-order bonuses:

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/...order-goodies/

RocShemp

So do you get all that stuff if you pre-order or do you have to pick one? It's not exactly clear.