Superhero Media: Ratchet & Clank - A Crack in Time

Until I sat down to re-play this game, I really didn't care for it at all. I remembered it being too much of a departure from the previous games to really engage me, and a quick look at the fan reaction online confirms that this was the majority opinion. What I found this time was a really interesting game that took a few risks with only a few real flaws. Yes, I now think I prefer A Crack in Time over Tools of Destruction, come at me fanboys. Probably the most distracting issue with A Crack in Time is all the weird little bugs and faults; it's possible to fall to the centre of a moon or get jammed between ferns far more often than it should be for a 'finished' game. The parts that most internet critics tend to focus on, the expanded mythos and new control schemes, I found myself really enjoying. After Clank's sudden disappearance at the end of Tools of Destruction, Ratchet is searing the far reaches of the galaxy for his old friend, and, for some reason, has brought Captain Quark with him. 

I really feel the saturation point for comic relief characters comes in the "Future" games, as well as Quark, there's Cronk, Zephyr and Sigmund, plus most of the characters make jokes anyway. I'm not saying that the Ratchet and Clank series needed more serious dialogue, but there was often overtones of importance or threat to the PS2 games that seem missing from the Future series. Clank wakes up at The Great Clock, a massive machine keeping the universe intact and safe from paradoxes, being pursued by Doctor Nefarious. Both Ratchet and Clank get a more expanded background in this game, with Ratchet being mentored by Alister Azimuth, an exiled Lombax General and Clank's true origins revealed. I know some fans were disappointed that Clank turned out to be a deliberate creation rather than an accidental genius, but having to play very different adventures with each character before they come back together to defeat the villain not only makes for an interesting game, but a compelling story.

 

What A Crack in Time feels like to play is a transition; like Insomniac were moving from the PS2 era games to something bigger and grander. Flying from planet to planet and undertaking missions for the inhabitants is a lot of fun, but the dialogue options are never as fun as the old cut-scenes. A Crack in Time could have been the "tipping point" for the franchise, from level-based exploration platformer into a grand space opera with a well defined universe and rich cast of characters. Sadly, this wouldn't be, and we were left only with our dreams of what could have been. I still stand by my contention that Up Your Arsenal is the best Ratchet & Clank game, but A Crack in Time is probably my second pick, despite it's flaws. It's really fun to play and easy to get your hands on, especially as a second-hand PS3 is all of $50AUD these days and is also a Blu-ray player. Doing a retrospective on these games only really makes me want to get my hands on some miniatures to at least include the title characters in my Ultimate Alliance games.