ratchet-and-clank-future-a-crack-in-time
Latest
Amazon selling three PS3 Greatest Hits for the price of two
Let's face it -- cases from the PS3 Greatest Hits collection just look great on a shelf. That tiny, elegant package. That deep, crimson hue. Today, Amazon's offering a pretty efficient way to spruce up your library: Purchase any three Greatest Hits titles, and you only have to pay for two of them.
CoD: Modern Warfare, Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time and more added to PS3 Greatest Hits
Sony has added seven more titles to its North American "Greatest Hits" collection, each with a suggested price of $30. We knew about a couple of these already, but check out the official list after the break.
Unlockable Bancho Ratchet is one bad mother... shut your mouth!
We're just talkin' about Ratchet. Insomniac is sending some pre-Valentine's love by giving players the unlock code for the Bancho Ratchet skin. Already hidden inside A Crack in Time, the bad boy costume can be unlocked by inputting this elaborate series of buttons and directions on the pause screen: Up, Right, Down, Left, Triangle, Square, X, Circle, R3. It's called a "cheat." Bancho Ratchet was the winning entry in a Japan-only contest for CoroCoro Magazine. As for what a Bancho is, the best explanation we can figure is a "delinquent," especially with Ratchet's resemblance to John Travolta's character in Grease. Well, if you ignore the flippin' huge ears. [Thanks, Solace]
Best of the Rest: Alexander's Picks of 2009
Valkyria Chronicles "BUT THAT GAME WAS 2008!!11one!1!" Well, yes, in the strictest sense. Sega's strategy role-playing game, an epic tale chronicling the hardships and victories of Gallian militia Squad 7, was sent out to die by the publisher when it released in November 2008. However, word-of-mouth, critical praise and some discounted pricing helped the saga find a place in many people's lives (and hearts) by mid-2009. One of the most endearing mechanics implemented in the game was giving all the playable members of Squad 7 bonuses (or flaws) based on their neuroses, relationships and desires. Also, every character had a different personality that shined during their turn through little quips and order recognition comments. It gave the entire cast more depth of character, even as the player only saw a handful of the troops during cutscenes. Despite the requisite Japanese RPG flair and melodrama, there was a simple beauty and charm in the storytelling, while the gameplay introduced a great basis for iteration. Valkyria Chronicles is a series that, with love and attention, could become so much more. I look forward to returning to Gallia and hope future installments recognize that the delightful characters are as important to the series as the strategic gameplay.
Five features you may have missed in Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
Ratchet and Clank games usually have a little extra for true series fans who want to dig deeper, and A Crack in Time isn't looking to break that trend. Developer Insomniac wants to make sure that those who have played the game are getting out of it all that's in there, pointing out five things for fans not to miss: Space Radio Dynamo of Doom Community Profile Insomniac Museum Return to the Great Clock What does it all mean? Check out the video after the break for the full details.
European PSN releases for October 29
Don't call it a comeback! Well, okay, call it a comeback if you must -- after last week's sorry showing, the European PSN releases from this week are fairly phenomenal. There's a pair of demos for Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, new content for DJ Hero, EyePet and PAIN, as well as the full version of LocoRoco Midnight Carnival. Check after the jump for the full list! Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Previous Ratchet & Clank saves unlock bonuses in A Crack in Time
For dedicated Ratchet & Clank fans, playing the previous two entries in the series is going to reward your devotion with a couple of unlocked bonuses in upcoming Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. Folks who played Tools of Destruction will receive discounts with weapons merchants and those who played Quest for Booty will be rewarded with a pirate hat, ThatVideoGame Blog reports. [Image Credit: PS Nation]A representative for Insomniac Games clarified for us that "You receive discounts on the returning weapons (Negotiator, Buzz Blades, Mag-Net Launcher, Mr. Zurkon, Groovitron Glove) for a Tools of Destruction save, and the pirate hat for Ratchet on the Community screen for the Quest for Booty save." Though neither bonus will dramatically affect time spent with A Crack in Time, it's always nice to see developers rewarding franchise loyalty.%Gallery-68684%
Metareview: Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3)
Not everyone is brave enough to venture through the cracks in time -- well, Ratchet and Clank are. The duo has found no reason to retire and have once again set out for adventure within your PS3. The latest entry in the series -- Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time -- promised to bring an epic story and non-stop chimpin' action this time around. Has it delivered? 1UP (A): "I'm a casual fan of the series and I still found myself excited to get home and play the game each night the past week. It may be a lot of more of the same, but more of the same has never been so darn addicting." IGN (90/100): "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." GameTrailers (89/100): "If A Crack in Time is indeed the final Ratchet & Clank game, then the series has been finished the right way-with a solid game that doesn't stray from what fans love while giving them plenty of service in the process. And in this way, it's also guilty of playing it a bit safe, but when expectations are that high, and are met, it's a sure sign of a quality game." Videogamer (80/100): "Fans of Ratchet and Clank will find A Crack in Time to be more of the same, with a few twists here and there. It's a fine end to the current storyline and packs in loads of content that will see you playing well beyond the closing credits. The lack of fresh ideas, especially during Ratchet's sections, will be seen by many as a negative, but there are so few games that nail the action platforming genre that it's easily forgivable. If you're looking for a fun, imaginative, family friendly PS3 game, A Crack in Time fits the bill perfectly." Eurogamer (70/100): "But I've been playing R&C games for years now, and I was hoping for something extra. That doesn't mean radical change - goodness knows no one wants Ratchet to "go dark" or start running round sandbox environments. I still want a meat feast pizza, I just want it to have a stuffed crust. And maybe some dips. Or in other words, a proper selection of exciting new weapons, original puzzles and a bit of innovation. It's not that A Crack in Time is all fur coat and no knickers. The problem is, it's all fur coat and the same knickers it's been wearing for seven years. Time for a change." %Gallery-68684%
Insomniac Games launching new site with R&C: A Crack in Time stat-tracking
Our own Kevin Kelly attended a panel at Insomniac Games' Community Event today, where Insomniac community architect Corey Garnett dropped word that the Insomniac Games site is getting a bit of an overhaul planned to go into effect later today.The update will add stat-tracking for the upcoming Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. The new site will cull data from 30-40 different categories, including how long you've played the game, how many times you've died, your favorite weapon and how many enemies you've turned into monkeys with the Chimp-O-Matic -- the only stat anybody really cares about.
Ratchet & Clank, Deadquarters spaces headed Home
Sony has announced that two new spaces are coming to Playstation Home. The first is dedicated to the upcoming Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, and features a handful of mini-games for Home dwellers to enjoy. Playstation Home director Jack Buser seems particularly excited by the tower defense game, which has three different levels, one for the past, present and future. The space also includes plenty of rewards, including a Ratchet costume. The second Home space has been created in anticipation of Halloween. Called Deadquarters, the space turns all those who enter into a zombie. Sony has set up a website dedicated to the space -- undeadyourself.com -- which suggests there will be some zombie-related Home in the near future. Dare we hope for full-on zombie war? Deadquarters and the Ratchet & Clank space will be available this Thursday.
Ratchet & Clank & Uncharted getting their own Home spaces
Tired of waiting in unbearable queues while trying to access the games embedded in PlayStation Home's virtual territories? A couple of new additions may reduce your abeyance -- according to 1UP, the social platform will receive new areas based on Uncharted 2 and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, both of which will include fairly robust minigames. The Ratchet space will include a four-player Tower Defense game, while the Uncharted space introduces "Fortunate Thieves," a competitive game that pits two players against one another in a hectic treasure hunt. Okay, so you'll still probably have to wait in line to try these games out -- however, there'll be plenty of diversions in these two areas to keep you busy in the interim. For instance, the Ratchet space allows you to travel in time, changing the landscape of the zone, as well as the enemies featured in the aforementioned Tower Defense game. No release date has been given on the arrival of these new territories, but with Uncharted 2 hitting stores tomorrow, and A Crack in Time releasing later this month, we're guessing they'll appear in a soon-ish manner.
It's like you're playing Ratchet & Clank's Axiom City level
Many of you are eagerly awaiting the upcoming A Crack in Time -- and for good reason too, it's pretty fantastic (from what we've played so far). With a game's release still a month away, this new video walkthrough from the PlayStation.blog may be the closest thing to playing the game yourself. Insomniac's James Stevenson talks about the many returning (and new) weapons featured in this final part of the R&C Future trilogy. Which is your favorite?%Gallery-68684%
Rumor: Handful of 250GB PS3 bundles heading to Europe
This morning, Joystiq received two images, from an alleged Norwegian GameStop employee, in which multiple PlayStation 3 250GB game bundle SKUs are visibly on display. In one image, claimed to be an internal email to all Norwegian GameStop employees, instructions on the difference between the rumored 250GB PS3 bundles and the current 120GB PS3 are found. The email "there is no difference" aside from storage space and posits four possible "PS3 250GB" bundles: One paired with "NFS" (presumably Need for Speed: Shift); another with "FIFA" (presumably FIFA 10); a third with Uncharted 2; and the final one with Assassin's Creed 2. In the second image, our anonymous tipster supposedly snapped what looks to be the familiar GameStop clerk inventory screen, albeit with commands in Norwegian. It suggests yet another 250GB PS3 bundle, this time with "Ratchet" (presumably Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time) attached. If we're to trust these images, the bundles will be priced at 3799 kr ($644.16), a 500 kr ($84.78) increase from the current price of a 120GB PS3 Slim at Norwegian GameStops. No release dates are given.We were told last week by Sony of America that an image of an Uncharted 2 PS3 250GB bundle was a "complete fabrication," and as such we've contacted Sony of America as well as Sony of Europe for comment on these images. We'll update this post as we hear more.%Gallery-73638%
PAX: Two new Ratchet and Clank Future: Crack in Time weapons revealed
Insomniac Games' "Weapons 101" PAX panel had a pair of treats for Ratchet and Clank fans. After giving attendees a look at Crack in Time's expansive list of armaments, the game's director, Brian Allgeier, revealed two brand new guns: The Chimp-O-Matic, which turns enemies into adorable monkeys (and changes robotic enemies into robotic monkey toys with cymbals), and the Rift Inducer 5000, a weapon which summons tentacles from an interdimensional portal, which in turn grasp enemies and abscond with them through the vortex.Man, that seems kinda unfair, doesn't it? "You, enemy, will be turned into an adorable monkey. However, your friend is going to be abducted to a Hell dimension, where he'll be defiled by Cthulhu forever."
Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time arrives no later than Oct. 27
The mechanically savvy Lombax and his just-plain-mechanical companion -- the duo known as Ratchet and Clank -- begin their latest adventure, A Crack in Time, on October 27. The Ratchet and Clank series continues its familiar (yet enjoyable) gameplay in the latest incarnation: exploring strange new worlds, solving some puzzles and blasting everything that moves with an array of kooky weaponry. There's still time to get in on the various pre-order bonuses available from retailers -- it's just all about picking the one that's right for you. %Gallery-70397%
Insomniac not backing down from crowded pre-holiday release
If we were game developers, we'd be appropriately terrified of dropping our precious labors of love into the pre-holiday retail arena -- a battlefield filled with two-ton gorillas like Assassin's Creed 2 and Modern Warfare 2. Still, Insomniac Games hasn't thought twice about the late 2009 release date of Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time -- nearly all of the company's titles hit store shelves in late fall, after all.In an interview with GamesIndustry, Insomniac director of marketing and communications Ryan Schneider explained the company has "had a lot of success" dropping its games around November. He went on to declare, "The Holiday season is still a great time to release a title." You know what else is a great time to release a title? Right now. The dust on our gaming consoles has actually started to collect its own dust.
Meet the characters of Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
Click to embiggen. Did you know that Ratchet & Clank, like Madden, is an annual franchise -- having only missed the year 2006? The third Ratchet & Clank Future game on PS3 in as many years is coming this fall as A Crack in Time.A Crack in Time promises to deliver more story than ever before. We'll find out more about Ratchet and the Lombax race thanks to the revelation of Alister Azimuth, another member of what was thought to be an extinct species. We'll finally find out what happened to Clank -- and we'll probably discover how he got that badass staff. See all the major players of the upcoming R&C by browsing our gallery here:%Gallery-66523%
