Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time

The final instalment in the (current) Ratchet and Clank Future series finally reunites everyone's favourite Lombax-and-Robot duo after too long apart. In the first game of the series, Tools of Destruction, Ratchet discovered the fate of his species: they were sent into an alternative dimension by the dastardly Tachyon and his Dimensionator. However, just when things look like they're going to be sorted out, the Dimensionator is destroyed and Ratchet's sidekick Clank has been taken away by strange mysterious technologically advanced creatures, the Zoni. In Quest for Booty Ratchet discovered that Clank had been captured by Dr Nefarious, the antogonist from 2004's PS2 game Up Your Arsenal. So off he goes to rescue him, but rips are appearing in time, which has its roots in Clank's own murky past – and what are these rumours of another Lombax?

Gameplay is much like previous instalments: it's a 3D platformer where you venture through a fairly linear world, gradually levelling up your weapons as you go, and you can return to previous worlds to search of bonus items. The biggest change is the time-manipulating aspects, with Clank's multiple-timeline puzzles being a joy to solve. And of course, the weapons are elaborate and superb, and the dialogue often hilarious – especially one deliciously snide broadside at Mario. If there are criticisms it's that the R&C universe is so dense at this point that a newcomer would struggle to understand what's going on, and it's not quite the addictive pleasure that Tools of Destruction was, but it's still a whole lot of fun. 

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