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Continuing the trend seen so far this holiday season, another hit game from 2007 is back for a full sequel. Ratchet may have had a brief excursion on the Playstation Network last year, but A Crack in Time closes the Future trilogy in two distinct styles of play. Ratchet and Clank may be separated here, but it makes for a much needed twist on the formula. Is variety the thing that makes this yet another must have for PS3 owners, or is it a case of quantity over quality?

If you are at all familiar with the series then the fundamentals here will come as no surprise to you. As Ratchet you explore various planets on the search for your robot counterpart, blowing up anything in your way with the heavy artillery on offer throughout the adventure. You upgrade your weapons by using them repeatedly, and purchase new equipment with bolts you collect from everywhere imaginable.

The bolts are in much greater supply here than they have been previously too, so you always have new gadgets to play around with, forgoing the usual difficulty spikes that forced you to grind to the next bolt threshold. If you enjoyed the shooting in any of the now 6 games that precede this, then prepare to have a wail of time here too.

That said, there is a wealth of new content here for the picking, the most obvious of which is the Clank sections. For the first time, these sections are just as fun, if not more impressive than Ratchet’s areas, thanks to a strong emphasis on puzzling. Clank finds himself being able to record himself in time, and replay these events in order to navigate complicated landscapes. These ‘past selves’ are susceptible to the same enemies as you, and can die if you don’t react in the way they expect you to. Puzzles that utilise this to have you rewriting selves multiple times are fantastic throughout the adventure, with some brainteasers truly testing the grey matter. Add in the ability to slow down time by using the all new Chronoscepter, and Clank has gone from being the most frustrating and boring sections of the game to the most innovative.

Ratchet has his fair share of new styles of gameplay though, the best of these being the open world flying sections of the game. Replacing the loading screen usually seen between worlds, Ratchet can pilot his spacecraft across the galaxy, shooting down enemy ships; traversing mini stages and carrying out missions for wayfarers you find along the way. Nearly all of the content in these sections is optional, though completing them can boost your ships arsenal of manoeuvres and allow you to upgrade it using the Zoni you find.

Zoni-the small creatures last seen abducting Clank in Tools of Destruction-are now one of the many collectibles in A Crack in Time. Along with different flavours of Bolt and upgrades to your Constructo weaponry, you always have something that needs collecting. The flying sections really do feel good, although the lack of vertical control can get troublesome as you attempt to shoot down enemies. It’s a change to the formula that works much more effectively than I expected.

Ratchet still has all the weapons that he’s famous for though, with his trusty blaster and bombs being fully customisable, right down to their colour. The new weapons in A Crack in Time extend the range of Ratchet’s abilities too, the best of the selection being the Sonic Eruptor, a giant alien creature that damages enemies through burps. Jokes aside, it adds a tactical edge to the gunplay, as to make the most of each attack, timing your shots to the intakes of breath the creature takes is essential.

It’s the subtle touches to what at first seem like purely comic additions to the game which proves just how well implemented the weaponry is in A Crack in Time. It’s incredibly fun, and is rewarding enough to warrant the same level of replay value as previous entries in the series.

A full two years after Tools of Destruction, it wouldn’t be wrong to expect a slight graphical improvement. Unlike its cousin Uncharted 2 which has gone on to be the best example of visuals on PS3, Ratchet seems to have hit a wall in tech. Perhaps it’s just a testament to how well the first game did in 2007, but the lack of improvement is a tad disappointing. It still looks fantastic, with the overall presentation consisting of some fantastic dialogue between interesting characters, and a score fit for any big budget Pixar movie. The fact there’s little to no slowdown makes it one of the console’s premier presentations, which should be good enough for any PS3 owner.

If this really is the final Ratchet and Clank game, then it’s great to see such an innovative and yet still familiar end to a fantastic series. The variety here is simply outstanding, and the overall sheen the game has is permeated by set piece after set piece. It’s a breathtaking ride from start to finish, and proves how you don’t need to be serious to make a AAA game. Pure fun throughout, Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time should be on the Christmas lists of every PS3 owner.

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