Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time

[mithriltabby]

The creative minds at Insomniac Games are keeping up the quality in the Rachet & Clank series with A Crack in Time. They have plenty of over-the-top ultra-tech action with a variety of weapons: the basic pistol/bomb/shotgun set are heavily customizable (and, like all the weapons, evolve with experience); the sniper rifle is very satisfying for my own play style; and, of course, there are utterly gonzo weapons like the Chimp-o-matic (like the original Morph-O-Ray, but turns opponents into chimpanzees), the psychopathic killbot Mr. Zurkon (“Ha-ha! Mr. Zurkon does not need nanotech to survive. Mr. Zurkon lives on fear!”), and my personal favorite, the Rift Inducer 5000 (which causes an interdimensional rift to open and green tentacles, belonging to an entity named “Fred”, to emerge looking for snacks). As always, they provide an over-the-top RYNO weapon; the RYNO V shows gratifying levels of overkill, shooting hundreds of rockets at the enemy while shooting off gratuitous fireworks and playing the 1812 Overture. The plot is entertaining, though straightforward— the big twist was apparent early on— but morally wholesome without being oppressive.

The game’s platformer aspects are challenging to my 38-year-old reflexes, particularly early in the game when Ratchet has neither Clank to provide gliding capability nor hoverboots to slow his descent. The hoverboot racecourses were frustrating, as they require both the timing of the grindrail and keeping the character on track with the joystick; the final combat in the game involves hoverboot segments and took me quite a while to get through.

Comments

[strollerman.livejournal.com]

I maded a Yeti icon. He looks confused, but it's from the recent comic, so it's intended.