Top 10 Games of 2009: Part 3

8. Ratchet & Clank: A Crank in Time

yet another brilliant platforming game from insomniac and the now iconic R&C series.

continuing with the future aspect (time travel, etc) we see more of a clank plot-driven game, after his capture at the end of the last game.

gameplay wise, although its the same sort of thing you got in the last 6 games, its still as fresh and brilliant as the first time you got to use the RYNO.

Half of what makes R&C fun is the messed up weaponry you get to hurt stuff with, and new weapons include The Rift Inducer 5000, the big daddy of the Rift Inducer from Up Your Arsenal (think a black hole opening over your enemies with tentacles coming out); The Spiral of Death, which fires a spiral at the enemy, causing... death; and the RYNO V, the motherfucker of all RYNO's, its now twice as large, about 4 times more rapid, about twice as destructive (it kills the second final boss in one shot), and it plays classical music as you shoot it. Also of note is the Chimp-O-Matic, much in the same vein as the Quack-O-Ray of old, which if you didn't guess turned enemys into ducks.

Reoccuring items of fun include the Grooveitron (if you know what it is you know how awesome it is, google it if you dont), and Mr. Zurkon, the personal floating bodyguard of death.

graphics in the game have improved (its hard these days for a game in a seires to go backwards in this area, but it has happened), its alot shinier than previous installments and the worlds you visit take advantage of the PS3 with huge amounts of roaming and great backgrounds.

the other half of R&C fun is the plot. Those who have played this series before know what i mean. Plumber makes his return, along with lots of older inside gags such as Rusty Pete and Dr. Nefarious. Sadly Qwarks crayon-drawn plans do not make an appearance, but the man himself does have a few scenes, including being mauled by a giant dog-type thing, which he names Bubbles.

Overall its another fantastic Ratchet and Clank edition, and we're seeing with each installment that its getting better and better. Hopefully Insomniac makes another series, as this game was the last in the Future Trilogy.

Score: 9/10