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Name: Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time

A Crack in Time is the latest instalment in the PlayStation 3 exclusive Ratchet & Clank franchise from Insomniac Games, it's the conclusion to the Future trilogy of games with Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty as the fore runners. In the Tools of Destruction game we were introduced to a race of robots known as the Zoni, who seemed very interested in Clank, appearing only to him and giving him an upgrade to help Ratchet out with his current quest, they also warned him that he would have to face a difficult decision in the near future. At the end of the game the Zoni finally appeared to everyone and told Clank they were returning him "home" now that his mission had been successfully completed, they weren't taking no for an answer and took him away before he could protest to much, leaving Ratchet reeling at the sudden loss of his friend. The second game, Quest for Booty was released as a PlayStation Network game as well as a limited Blu-Ray release in some countries and saw Ratchet searching for a his friend where he eventually learned that the Zoni have taken him to another galaxy. Ratchet learns of a problem with Clank which has caused him to malfunction, the Zoni however have seen fit to employ a Doctor to help fix him, unfortunately, that Doctor turns out to be none other than Doctor Nefarious, the villain from the third game in the original PlayStation 2 series which doesn't bode well for Clank in Ratchet's eyes.

Don't worry if you've yet to play the previous titles, all of the above is explained to you before the game starts. In a novel twist Insomniac Games have side stepped the boredom of the installation process of the game (a relatively small 346mb) by having series regular Captain Qwark explain all you need to know about the events in previous games in an interview fashion, this sets the tone for the games humour right from the very start. (Don't worry if you step out to make a cup of tea right as the installation process starts and return half way through his monologue to realise you missed it as I did, the movie is available to watch from the in game menus at your own convenience.)

A Crack in Time features Ratchet still in search for his friend, who has been placed in suspended animation by Doctor Nefarious in a mysterious place known as the Great Clock. Nefarious has been trying to get access to a part of Clanks brain which will allow him to gain entry to something known as the Orvus Chamber, however when the Zoni learn of this they take steps to thwart his efforts. Nefarious ceases his alliance with the Zoni and sets about creating chaos in the Great Clock with a Hypersonic Brainwave Scrambler which meddles with the internal workings of the Clock. During this chaos, Clank awakens and uses the distraction to escape from the Doctors clutches. Clank's escape forms the first level of the game and introduces some basic controls for the game and Clank himself.

Meanwhile Ratchet has reached the Breegus Nebula with Captain Qwark as a companion, unfortunately the area is awash with mercenaries and Ratchet's ship is hit with a wave of energy which causes him to crash land on jungle planet. This is where Ratchet's game begins; Finding himself in a region known as the Zolar Forest, Ratchet finds some of the local children in a spot of bother and being the hero that he is immediately saves them, but no sooner has he done that when there world comes under attack and Ratchet soon finds himself taking on the army of invaders. So grateful are the inhabitants of the world (known as The Fongoids) they give Ratchet a gadget known as a Zoni Vessel which will help Ratchet capture lost Zoni. After capturing some Zoni with the device they will repair his ship and Ratchet can resume his quest for Clank. Ratchet keeps this Vessel with him and is able to collect more Zoni throughout the game to keep improving upon his ship, trapping the Zoni is a case of grabbing them with his trusty wrench

With the two heroes being separated we obviously see some gameplay changes in this new title, the two have been separated before in previous adventures but never for very long. While Ratchet pretty much retains his usual skill set and trademark devices to help him out including the traditional Swing Shot, Magnetic Boots and of course his trademark Wrench (or OmniWrench Millennium 12 to give the Wrench it's proper title). He's also able to avail himself with the use of various types of weaponry, provided by the Constructo company, the weapons steal the show once again with their levels of ingenuity and sheer variance. There are three special types of Constructo company weapons; The Constructo Pistol, The Constructo Bomb Glove and The Constructo Shotgun, these weapons can be modified by collecting upgrades which modify things like the rate of fire and the type of ammunition used. Other weapons are naturally also available and vary in both type and usefulness; new weapons such as the Plasma Striker which allows Ratchet to zoom in on enemies and highlight their weak points. Of course some old favourites return such as the Negotiator, the Rift Inducer and a personal favourite of the GamesRelay staff, the always impressive (and slightly psychotic) Mr. Zurkon. As per usual the weapons upgrade as they are used, becoming more powerful as they do, with each upgrade you can expect more bang for your buck from each weapon and the ability to hold more ammo. And, yes, the Groovitron does make a re-appearance in this game, although this time it's no longer a gadget and instead a weapon launched from a glove, but the hilarity that can ensue from watching the enemies strut their funky disco stuff still prevails and no doubt you'll have endless fun with it again and again.

Clank himself has a range of new abilities such as his helicopter ability which can now be repeated up to three times to give him extra flight time and height. Another upgrade to Clank was given to him while he was unconscious and is known as a Quantum Actuator which allows him to use special Time Pods to duplicate his actions with holographic versions of himself repeating actions he's performed and recorded, actions of up to one minute can be recorded and he can record up to four actions at a time, this can get quite mind bending at times especially when you've to record over yourself performing actions for yourself, but, it's a fun game addition once you get your head round it. Clank is also given a staff known as Chronocepter which grants him additional abilities such as being able to throw a Time Bomb which will slow down time in a local area, or if he swings it to hit a broken object then it will revert back to a time when it was in a useable condition. The Chronocepter also acts in a similar way to Ratchets Wrench and allows you to swing at nearby enemies and "bonk them on the head" as you're so delicately instructed.