Archive for category Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time

New Greatest Hits Added for PS3

Posted by EdEN in Call of Duty 5, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Demons Souls, Greatest Hits, MAG - Massive Action Game, MotorStorm 2, PS3, QuickNews, Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time, Tekken 6 on September 28th, 2010

If  you only have $29.99 at the moment and want to get a new game for your PS3 then here’s a great deal: seven new games have been added to the Greatest Hits line and are now available at half of their original launch price. Follow the link for the full list.

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Ratchet & Clank PS2 Collection to PS3: Hummm, maybe…

Posted by Demerson in Featured, PS3 software, R, Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time, Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, Rumors on July 8th, 2010

… but not from Insomniac Games. They could support Sony, if there is enough interest, though. That’s what the Burbank-based independent studio twitted a couple days ago, in response to a possibility of a compilation of R&C PS2 games:

“We won’t make it, but we’d support Sony if they decided to do it!”

At first, I thought it should be a good idea playing with my favorite lombax and his fellow robot in high definition. Then, I just realized that I already played with the duo in glorious high definition, and three times! First, in R&C: Tools of Destruction. Then, the PSN title R&C: Quest for Booty (disc-based in Europe), and finally R&C: A Crack in Time.

What do you think? Should it be a good idea to bring back those PS2 titles? Or we should just move along and wait for a brand new adventure from Insomniac?

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Crack in Time Impressions

Posted by Darrin in Game Impressions, Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time on November 27th, 2009

CiT1

Improvements from Tools of Destruction

  • Challenge: One of the big problems with Ratchet ToD was the lack of challenge. CiT definitely nailed this one. I felt that completing the main campaign on the “hard” setting was on the easy side, but there is tons of challenge in getting the skill points and PSN trophies, doing the optional moon side-quests, collecting the Zoni/bolts, and most importantly, improved arena battles. I still prefer the approach of the older Ratchet games that spread the arena style challenges over the ends of different campaign missions in different non-arena environments.
  • Visuals: Compared with ToD, CiT adds tons of new graphical effects, filters, and brings back spherical levels. Overall it simply makes more skillful use of the same general technology.
  • Space Mission Hub: The space combat was pretty simple, but the big improvement was the easy to navigate mission and mini-moon hub.
  • Tons of Small Changes: The core game design is the same as ever, but there are tons of small tweaks and changes to everything about the game, which make the game feel fresh and improved.
  • Fun New Mini-Mechanics: Mini-Moon Side Missions are the big standout. Hover boots and time puzzles were also fun.
  • Aesthetic Improvement: Some of the levels really showed some artistic flair beyond the standard high production values that are expected from the series.

    • CiT2

    Positives that aren’t new to the series

  • Core Diverse Action/Platforming Gameplay
  • 60 FPS
  • Production Values: Animation, voice work, 3D graphics, colorful environments that feel alive, and the cut scene quality are all great.
  • Diversity and Level Design
  • Arena Battles: These challenges are often some of the best parts of the game.
  • Great Level Design + Well Balanced Battles

    • CiT3

    Negatives

  • No Flying: I loved the tilt wing flying segments (not the outer space stuff) in Tools of Destruction and was really hoping that they were going to take that to the next level. Instead, it was completely removed.
  • No Racing: Mario Galaxy had highly entertaining water race levels, Jak 2 + 3 had the best racing segments in the genre. I’m disappointed that the new Ratchet title doesn’t have anything similar. The hover-boots and rail grinding segments were nice, but weren’t fleshed out into full racing gameplay.
  • Father/Son Issues: There were many horribly awkward father-son dialog that made me want to slink out of the room. Whoever wrote this game had weird parenting issues and they felt wildly uncomfortable in a game.
  • Story: It’s extremely well voiced and animated, but the story and characters were unengaging.
  • Simple puzzles: Many of the puzzles such as the battery-bots and the omni-soaker felt almost like simplified chores.

    • CiT4

    Conclusion

    If you aren’t familiar with the series, it’s really fun: The core fun is the combat and managing all your different weapons and powers and figuring out how to tackle all the different zany and very well balanced levels and battle scenes and then getting awesome Pixar-like production values on top of that.

    If you are familiar with the series this is definitely a high point: lots of little improvements and enhancements and polishes to the Ratchet experience. Also, this is a full blown sequel with all new levels, monsters, story, gameplay adjustments, etc.

    8 Comments

    No more 60FPS games from Insomniac.

    Posted by Trev in Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time on October 30th, 2009

    irc60

    Insomniac Games conducted some interesting research into the correlation of Game’s graphics/frame rate and review scores/sales and came up with these two interesting results;

    • A higher framerate does not significantly affect the reviews of a game.

    • A higher framerate does not significantly affect sales of a game.

    You can look at Uncharted 2 (and even Halo 3) as a good example of a great game well recieved with a frame frate of 30FPS. The difference between the frame rates affects how smooth the gameplay is and more importantly how responsive the controls are. Insomniac have decided after this research that gamers/critics are not needing games to be at 60FPS and have decided that in the future they are willing to make the sacrifice in frame rate to make a game look better. Its a shame as I always thought the Resistence games could have been improved greatly with 60 FPS rate like the Call of Duty series.

    You can read the full research with all the answers over at the Insomniac Blog.

    7 Comments

    A Couple More Kevin Butler PS3 Ads!

    Posted by Jay in Commercials, PS3, PS3 software, Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time, Talk on October 23rd, 2009

    This is definitely Sony’s greatest ad campaign! The first video is for Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time. And I’ve got 2 words for the second commercial. Mon-Tage!

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    5 Comments

    Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time Update

    Posted by Jay in Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time, Sales on October 20th, 2009

    Turns out, IGN has the first review up for the game, giving it a 9/10. Though I feel it will be largely overlooked due to the release of Uncharted 2 last week (and the fact that, really, only people who are familiar with Sony’s systems and games, would be able to recognize who Ratchet and Clank are). I hope people will pick this game up because it’s another one of those great looking and great playing franchises that folks should pick up. Here’s what IGN had said about the game:

    Insomniac has created a visually appealing game with enough personality to match its good looks. With so much to level-up and enjoy, there’s enough to keep even hardcore Ratchet fans coming back for more — especially with the new Clank sections that feature some enthralling puzzles. Now that the awkward space sections from Tools of Destruction have been replaced, there’s almost nothing I don’t like about Crack in Time. Unfortunately, as Crack in Time still relies heavily on the tried and true Ratchet Formula, gamers that were satisfied with old Ratchet games might not have enough reasons to come back.

    To keep you all in the loop of information, this Friday is Insomniac’s Community Day (10AM to 4:30PM), so if you live around their HQ, be sure to stop by and pick up some swag, get some autographs, eat food and drink drinks! If it’s like the Resistance 2 Community Day, expect a panel discussion as well!

    Beyond that, be sure to check out the Ratchet and Clank space in PlayStation Home. Quest for Booty is also on sale in the Store as well, if you’re inclined to check that out as well, all for the release of A Crack in Time.

    As a final bit of news, there will be two demos released on the PlayStation Store, the first of which will appear this Thursday, featuring Clank. Here’s a few details concering that:

    In this demo, you’ll take get to take control of Clank as he explores the Great Clock learning more about his past and his new time-based abilities that you’ll need to utilize to solve puzzles and defeat some of Dr. Nefarious’ minions. This is some brand new gameplay that Insomniac Games is introducing to the series and we all hope you enjoy it!

    Details on the Ratchet demo will come up in a couple days or so, so be sure to check back often for Ratchet and Clank, as well as other PS3 related, news.

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    Ratchet & Clank: CiT Gameplay Footage

    Posted by Darrin in Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time on September 10th, 2009

    Wow, this really looks amazing! Sounds like they are really integrating all the major wishlist items from the last game:

    • Selectable Difficulty Level (ToD was too easy for veteran players).
    • On-screen control indicators for younger or new players.
    • Replayability Perks
    • Much Better Graphics + Tech (and the last game looked gorgeous already)
    • Tons of new content, creatures, special items, etc.
    • More Focus on Creative Platforming Elements. Still tons of great shooting action.

    2 Comments

    Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time on October 27th

    Posted by Jay in Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time on September 2nd, 2009

    Yeah, it’s been officially announced on the Official Blog. Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time will be released on October 27th. Also, you can get a peek at what new PS3 covers look like above.

    There’s also a bunch of pre-order goodies if you get them from participating retailers, and these include:

    ‘Discovery Package’ – Explore the Insomniac Moon with a special level that resembles the layout of Insomniac Games’ studio offices. A fan favorite, the Moon is filled with content that didn’t quite make the final game, sort of like deleted scenes on DVDs. You can earn this unlockable on your own, but Insomniac certainly won’t make it easy for ya! Gamestop

    ‘Power Package’ – Up your arsenal with an exclusive weapon skin for one of Ratchet’s weapons along with extra hit points and Ratchet’s brand new Cryo Mine Glove. Best Buy

    ‘Bolt Package’ – Bolster your bolt count with 5,000 free bolts care of Ratchet’s most bolt-centric power-ups, the Bolt Magnetizer and Box Basher. Amazon

    ‘Space Package’ – Drift off into space with an exclusive hot rod skin for Ratchet’s ship, the Aphelion, along with 5,000 free bolts and an exclusive Ratchet & Clank PlayStation Home Avatar skin. Game Crazy

    No word on whether those are going to be retail-specific or if they’re going to be available for all pre-orders. As for other news, at PAX this week (Friday, to be exact), Insomniac Games will be holding a little presentation at the Unicorn Theatre from 1:30 to 2:30PM, where Creative Director Brian Allgeier will show off the history of Ratchet and Clank weapons, as well as unveil some new ones, so if you’re in the area, check it out!

    Also, as a side note, at 12:30AM on Spike TV (during GameTrailers TV) this Thursday, they will be airing a “special” cinematic that will be available on GameTrailers.com this weekend in case you missed it. There will be more news in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for that as well.

    UPDATE
    I updated the list as to what retailer gets which bonus pack. Thanks to Kicks for pointing out that they are, indeed, retail specific.

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