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Ratchet & Clank: ToD focus on storyline, not weaponry
Insomniac has once again impressed the world with the amount of imaginative detail in their games. Those who saw Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction in action recently would agree. We've got some more details on the game you may find interesting, so please, read on.A few new weapons have been revealed for the title. In addition to the Groovitron (shoots out a disco ball and forces all enemies to dance like crazy ... each enemy with a unique set of dance moves), there is something called the Gelinator. This gun shoots out large jell-o-esque cubes that you use for platforms, or stack them onto each other to reach higher areas. The beauty comes in their wobbly form, something that was just too darn pretty to pull off on the PS2. Finally, there's a Visicopter: a portable RC helicopter you control with the Sixaxis once launched. Use it to scout ahead or kamikaze the heck out of an unsuspecting enemy.This installment is focusing on the story, instead of the weaponry (although they've got some brilliant stuff there anyway). Moving the characters forward and developing them will be a big part of this game, but more importantly, Insomniac wants skeptics to see that they're moving forward when developing for the PS3 (pretty smooth segue way, huh?). Skeptics thought that in the released trailer, the actual game couldn't have so much going on at once. After the presentation given for the game, however, many now believe that it's very possible.
SGD '07: New Ratchet & Clank gallery proves very promising
When we first saw the screenshots for Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction a while ago, we were giddy because it seemed like the best graphics ever for a cartoony-art style game. We didn't think there could be much improvement on the game itself as well as the genre. We stand corrected. The latest batch of screens for Tools of Destruction show the PS3 in its prime. The game looks stunning and we're very excited to get our hands on this game. Look for it this November -- if all goes well. A video of the game is also available, after the break.%Gallery-3204%
Deal of the Day: Ratchet and Clank only $20
While Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters won't even be out in Europe for another week, those of you in America can pick up the game for a very modest $20 over at GameExpress.com. In fact, we Europeans should take advantage of the PSP being region free and nab us a great bargain too. To be honest, I'm surprised if any self respecting PSP owner hasn't bought it by now. You owe it to yourself to save yourself a bit of money on this great game.[Via CAG]
Here are a few more Ratchet and Clank screenshots
Now, we're not going to say "whoa, check out all these brand new screenshots" or anything. There are a few. One or two aren't new. But some of them aren't ringing any bells in my memory... then again, little does. Not because I don't have a memory, but because I don't have any bells on my person.We're looking forward to Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction -- due out in Fall, most likely. The zany weapons Insomniac comes up with are always a joy to fiddle around with and the story is generally wacky enough to keep our interest the whole way through. Did I mention how much I love the fuzzy ears and tail of Ratchet? Well whatever, check out the screens and give us your favorite weapon from the franchise so far!
Ratchet and Clank help out on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Though they're better known for instilling galactic peace via the use of unnecessarily large weapons, Sony's Ratchet and Clank are about to try their hands at construction on this week's episode of American heartstring puller, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Specifically, Insomniac Games is constructing a digital replica of one of the show's subjects inside its upcoming PlayStation 3 title, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction.9-year-old youngster and game designer hopeful, James Westbrook, will find himself free of his wheelchair and in the cockpit of a spaceship, a craft all owners of the game will presumably be able unlock when the game releases towards the end of the year. Even the team at Insomniac must have been pining for sleep after completing the project within a week -- under normal circumstances, it would have taken a month. You can see the whole story of the Westbrook family on ABC this Sunday, April 22 at 8PM EDT.While some may label this as nothing more than a product's grab for television airtime, the end result will far outweigh any coincidental marketing benefits. See, if it makes a little boy happy, not even the snarkastic bunch at Joystiq have anything nasty to say. Good show, Insomniac.
Ratchet and Clank show they do indeed have hearts of gold
Insomniac Games is making headlines in the most unexpected places! They've recently been featured on the ABC show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" where good stuff happens to people who don't generally experience good stuff happening to them. We're not being facetious -- it's true. It's a nice show. Watch it on April 22nd at 8pm central time (time zones are terrible) to see what's up.Basically, Insomniac created a replica of a 9-year old paralyzed boy named James and will put him into their upcoming Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction because the boy said his greatest passions included designing and playing video games. Go Insomniac, reaching out and stuff! Sony even did their part and equipped James with a PS3, PSP, PS2 and a harem of sexy games. Go Sony! Reaching out and stuff.If you want to hear about James and his family, we're going to go ahead and tell you to watch the episode. It'll be cool. Again, April 22nd and 8pm central. This post deserves our patented giant fuzzy-armed thumbs up.
Insomniac launches podcast, listen to sleep-deprived developers [update 1]
With Insomniac Games launching its podcast today, It now seems like everybody has an online audio show. But the Insomniac approach intends to be different than most because gamers get to hear what goes on inside a developer; the twice-monthly show should could be a great marketing and community-building move.Insomniac plans several regular segments, including interviews with members of its staff and even gaming personalities outside of the Resistance and Ratchet developer. The show will cover basics like gamers' mail and Insomniac product updates as, but we'll be regular listeners if it pulls off its fly-on-the-wall aspirations.[Update 1: Insomniac let us know that it changed its mind and won't have a "/podcast.html" URL for the audio show. Instead, the main page will be updated when the podcast goes live in the next few hours.]
Next Ratchet & Clank officially titled
1UP informs us that the forthcoming Ratchet & Clank adventure is featured on the cover of April's Electronic Gaming Monthly, complete with its full title, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. Brian Allgeier, design director for Insomniac Games, notes that the name "works on many levels. It signals a new era for the franchise, ties into the game's story, and includes one of our signature subtitle double entendres."Tools of Destruction might even mark the first time that Insomniac's playful choice of words survives the trip to Europe. You might recall the PlayStation 2 titles, Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal, being respectively changed to the more polite Locked & Loaded and Ratchet & Clank 3. It's just as well Insomniac didn't go for their original and somewhat less subtle choice, Ratchet and Clank To Come: Implements of Ravaging.
Top 100 selling games of 2006
Next Generation has the top 100 selling games for 2006 and the only PSP exclusive game on the list is Daxter coming in at number 92 with 240,000 copies sold. That sounds quite bad on paper until you realize that multi-system games make up most of the list and the vast majority had a PSP iteration (like Family Guy and NFL Street 3). So while there may not be many PSP exclusives on the list, it did undoubtedly help several titles on the list reach their respective positions. I would be very curious to see the overall year's worth of just PSP games. I also can't help but hope that this week's Ratchet & Clank fairs as well as Daxter. What PSP game that didn't make the list do you wish was a top 100 seller?
Ratchet & Clank online beta test
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters is one of the few titles from Sony that will future Infrastructure multiplayer in the future. Gamer Advisory Panel members just received an e-mail inviting them to a beta test, with registrations limited to the first 2000 entrants. (We're not allowed to link to the application form, sorry!) With a beta test happening in the coming weeks, Ratchet & Clank is probably pretty far along in development. The game's supposedly going to come out in March, but wouldn't it be awesome if it came out just a little bit earlier?If any of our readers are GAP members and partake in the beta test, shoot us a comment. We'll try to make you famous.
TGS 06: Every PSP game previewed
There are way too many PSP games at this year's Tokyo Game Show. Because not all of us have time to read all the impressions and previews of all the games coming out, PSP Fanboy has created this nifty guide for all the games that were previewed. You'll get a thumbs up or a thumbs down from the major video game news sites. If a game looks like it might be a real winner, we'll award it "The Official PSP Fanboy Entranced Korean Award." These are the games that'll end up in Korea on giant PSPs, luring people to their eventual doom. And, that's pretty cool. Read on to see all the previews!
Sony reveals partial TGS lineup
The Games Convention is Germany has just begun, but that doesn't mean we can't look towards the next big gaming event: Tokyo Game Show. Sony will have a huge presence there, ready to show off the bleeding edge PlayStation 3 and maturing PlayStation Portable lineup of games. Here's what PSP fans can expect from the show:PSP Boxer's Road 2: The RealMonster Hunter Portable 2Jan Sangoku MusouMetal Gear Solid: Bande Dessinee (Graphic Novel)Metal Gear Solid: Portable OpsJeanne D'ArcSarugetchu Piposaru RacerTenchi No Mon 2 (Kingdom of Paradise 2)Ratchet and Clank PortableAce Combat X: Skies of DeceptionGundam Battle RoyaleTales of World: Radiant Mythology PSP GPS Software Navigation Software (temporary title)Metal Gear Solid: Portable OpsHomestar PortableMinna no Golf (temporary title) I can't wait to see Metal Gear Solid and its newly announced GPS support in action. Jeanne D'Arc, Monster Hunter, Ratchet and Clank, and Tales are all pretty high-profile, and as you should know, Gundam will eat Japan. Go to Siliconera to see PS3's lineup. [Via Siliconera]
