Thanks to Machina for the permission.
I will be updating this post over time, so don't worry if you see "Coming Soon".
The opening post will not contain any Crack in Time spoilers, though the Backstory section obviously contains spoilers for the games mentioned. Character profiles may also contain spoilers.
Basic Information
Genre: Platformer/Third Person Shooter
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Console: PlayStation 3
Box Art
America
Europe
Release Date
North America: 27th October 2009 (E10+)
Europe: 4th November 2009 (7)
Australia: 5th November 2009 (PG)
UK: 6th November 2009 (U)
Japan: TBA (TBC)
Backstory
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal (brief):
Ratchet and Clank must defeat the evil Dr. Nefarious, with the help of Captain Qwark and the rest of the crew of the Starship Phoenix. Dr. Nefarious was once a human, but was defeated by Captain Qwark, who destroyed his body. He had his brain implanted in a robot's body. He hates all organic lifeforms, and creates a superweapon called the Biobliterator to turn them all into robots. However, Ratchet and Clank thwart him, and his Biobliterator self destructs, trapping him and his butler Lawrence on a chunk of rock floating through space.
Ratchet: Deadlocked (brief):
The crew of the Starship Phoenix is captured by Gleeman Vox, and trapped in DreadZone station. Ratchet is forced to fight in a reality game show against other heroes, with the help of Clank. However, he defeats Gleeman Vox and has the station blown up just as they leave the planet. Meanwhile, Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence float by- they were hoping to land on the station, but it no longer exists.
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction:
Ratchet and Clank are on Kerwan when they receive a cry for help from Captain Qwark at the Planetary Defence Centre. The planet has been invaded by "Several thousand heavily armed robotic commandos". The duo fight their way through the planet and meet their new enemy- self-proclaimed Emperor Percival Tachyon, "Crown Prince of the Cragmites". Ratchet and Clank ridicule him before escaping to Cobalia on one of his ships.
On Cobalia, they meet a smuggler who tells them Tachyon is the last of the Cragmites, a race of stupid, violent beasts who conquered nearly the entire galaxy. However, the Lombaxes destroyed them, using the Lombax Secret. Nobody knows what or where this secret is. After Ratchet and Clank re-activate the Gelatonium factory, the smuggler agrees to give them a ride. He later drops them out of the ship to escape capture, and they land safely on Kortog. Clank meets the Zoni, who only he can see. They give him special powers, such as wings to glide with.
With the knowledge from Kortog's Hall of Knowledge, Ratchet finds an abandoned Lombax planet named Fastoon, and repairs a talking ship. They receive a message from Captain Qwark telling them to come to Mukow for the Imperial Fight Festival.
While Ratchet and Clank are competing in the Imperial Fight Festival, the announcer, Captain Qwark (who was captured by Tachyon) says "Could a Dr. Nefarious please report to the concession stand?". This suggests that Nefarious has made his way back to civilization.
Ratchet and Clank make their way to the Nundac Asteroid Ring, location of the Apogee Space Station. They meet Sally Apogee and her two "deathbots", Cronk and Zephyr. They learn that pirates on Ardolis may have the Lombax Secret, so they travel there and defeat the pirate captain. However, Tachyon escapes with the secret, which turns out to be a Dimensionator- it can move people between dimensions. The Cragmites were not destroyed, just banished. The Lombaxes later "banished" themselves.
Tachyon uses the dimensionator to bring back the Cragmites, and establishes a stronghold on Fastoon. Ratchet and Clank defeat his armies with the help of Sally, Cronk and Zephyr, and then use the dimensionator to banish him. Just as everyone is celebrating, the Zoni become visible to everyone and abduct Clank.
Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty:
Ratchet and Talwyn Apogee land on Planet Merdegraw, which is infested with robo-pirates, while searching for Captain Darkwater, an expert on the Zoni who captured Clank. They learn that he was the former pirate captain, before being defeated by Slag, and he fled many years ago.They attack a pirate ship and encounter their old friend Rusty Pete, before being catapulted to Hoolefar Island, a small community which was once the home of Darkwater. The mayor agrees to help them out if they do him a favour and get the island's power working again.
Ratchet fixes the island's wind turbines, and in his gratitude, the mayor of Merdegraw shows Ratchet and Talwyn the Obsidian Eye, an extremely powerful telescope that can view any part of the universe. It was powered by a Fulcrum Star, which Darkwater took with him when he left Hoolefar Island. Naturally, the duo decide to go and find Darkwater, or what remains of him.
Rusty Pete arrives on the island, promising to help them achieve their goal- he says he has a map to the cave where Darkwater fled, and he has a map to find the Fulcrum Star. They journey there, and find Darkwater's body. Most robots keep their soul in their head when they die, but Darkwater, wanting to protect the Star, kept his in his body, unable to move for many years. Pete turns on Ratchet and Talwyn, attaching Slag's (still living) head to Darkwater's body. Ratchet escapes with the Map, and returns to Hoolefar Island.
After defending the island against Slag-Darkwater (both personalities take it in turn to speak, as both are now alive), Ratchet and Talwyn, with the help of the Smuggler, use the map to travel to the cave where Darkwater hid the star. After many puzzles, they reach the Star. However, Pete and Slag-Darkwater have set a trap. Ratchet is captured, and the pirates take the Fulcrum Star and kidnap Talwyn.
Ratchet escapes, and together with the smuggler, they attack the pirate fleet in the Azorean Sea. They free Talwyn. Together, Ratchet and Talwyn fight and defeat Slag-Darkwater, taking the Fulcrum Star. They return to Hoolefar Island.
Inserting the Fulcrum Star into the Obsidian Eye activates the massive telescope. They see a terrible sight- the one who has captured Clank is none other than... Dr. Nefarious.
The game ends with Rusty Pete rowing across the sea in a crate, while the detached head of Captain Slag gives him orders.
Characters
Coming Soon.
Previews/News
This section will only contain IGN previews unless somebody brings a good one from another site to my attention.
PlayStation Blog
Information Blowout: 2nd September
IGN
Progress Report: San Diego Comic Convention: 22nd July
Clank Preview: E3 2009: 4th June
Ratchet Preview: E3 2009: 3rd June
Brian Allgeier (Insomniac Creative Director) Interview: 29th May
Images
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Trailers and Videos
PAX 2009 Space Exploration Demo
Space Exploration
GamesCom 2009 Trailer:
Spiral of Death:
E3 2009 Teaser:
Factory Gameplay 1
Factory Gameplay 2
Reviews
IGN: 9.0/10 (0.4 below Tools of Destruction)
| Rating | Description |  |
|---|---|---|
| out of 10 | click here for ratings guide |
|
| 9.0 | Presentation The folks an Insomniac once again deliver a polished experience with a charming story. Plenty of extras, like animated advertisements, only sweeten the deal. |
|
| 8.5 | Graphics Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is a very pretty game with a nice art style. It might not be as mind-blowing as its photo-realistic peers like Uncharted 2, but it sure is easy on the eyes. |
|
| 9.0 | Sound Some excellent voice work complements an appropriately themed soundtrack. Radio stations that play during space exploration are sweet. |
|
| 9.0 | Gameplay Another fine addition to the Ratchet & Clank series. Enjoyable mix of platforming, shooting and puzzle-solving with awesome weapons to use and level-up. Clank sections get a thumbs up. |
|
| 9.0 | Lasting Appeal Although you can get through A Crack in Time in about 12 hours, there's way more beyond that to enjoy. Leveling up all your guns is enough to keep me satisfied. |
|
| 9.0 |
OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average) |
 |
Metascore: 85
1UP
I'm a casual fan of the series and I still found myself excited to get home and play the game each night the past week. It may be a lot of more of the same, but more of the same has never been so darn addicting.
Read Full Review >Giant Bomb
I really couldn't ask for a better embodiment of everything I've come to enjoy from the series. The constant satisfaction from upgrading creative weaponry, item collection which feels rewarding rather than trivial, and the over-the-top action are all here, and better than they've ever been. With the addition of some interesting puzzles, even more flexibility with your weapons, and a great presentation, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time is not only the best game in the series, but one that will certainly stand the test of, well, time.
Read Full Review >GamePro
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time has just enough new content to justify its existence as a standalone title, and the fact that it looks, sounds, and plays like a dream only helps its case.
Read Full Review >GameSpy
It's all about balance, you see. And pacing. And A Crack in Time does as good a job of maintaining both as any Ratchet game we've seen in years.
Read Full Review >Destructoid
For those of you who've never embarked on an adventure with the furry-faced hero and his brainy metal friend, you've got a lot of catching up to do, but it'll be worth it -- Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time is easily one of the best in the series.
Read Full Review >Level7.nu
The usual Ratchet & Clank mixture of platform elements, problem solving and shooting, but the best game in the series so far. Insomniac gives us a large universe to explore freely with smarter problems, a well-needed higher difficulty setting and lots of things to collect.
Read Full Review >PSM3 Magazine UK
Massive, rewarding, funny - all you'd expect, plus some cute new twists. [Nov 2009, p.66]
IGN
Being a huge fan of Tools of Destruction, I had a sneaking suspicion that I would love Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. I was right. Insomniac has created a visually appealing game with enough personality to match its good looks.
Read Full Review >GameTrailers
If A Crack in Time is indeed the final Ratchet & Clank game, then the series has been finished the right way - with a solid game that doesn't stray from what fans love while giving them plenty of service in the process. And in this way, it's also guilty of playing it a bit safe, but when expectations are that high, and are met, it's a sure sign of a quality game.
Read Full Review >9Lives
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time adds new bits and pieces to the good old gameplay, but mainly excels with its fantastic and addictive adventure, amazing graphics and insane humour. On top of that, there's a lot more to do and to collect in this title than the previous installments. Sony was probably hoping for a successful tag team in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time this fall. There's only one reply to that: Mission accomplished.
Read Full Review >Everyeye.it
Nice sequel for the Ratchet & Clank Series. Free roaming elements and puzzle solving sessions upgrade the main formula and results in a nice twist to the original structure.
Read Full Review >Computer and Video Games
This is a solid game with solid platforming, fun gunplay and well thought-out puzzle design, with bags of character. But it suffers, we think, mainly from the progression that games have made over the past two years.
Read Full Review >VideoGamer
The lack of fresh ideas, especially during Ratchet's sections, will be seen by many as a negative, but there are so few games that nail the action platforming genre that it's easily forgivable. If you're looking for a fun, imaginative, family friendly PS3 game, A Crack in Time fits the bill perfectly.
Read Full Review >Meristation
Insomniac closes the plot of the Future sub-saga with a tittle where most of the time, Ratchet is without Clank, and Clank without Ratchet. Nice visuals, incredibly fun as usual and packed with an arsenal of mass destruction that never disappoints, the only complaints about the game come from the few additions added to the gameplay mechanics -although Clank and his puzzles add a brief and fresh touch-, the same technical aspect we have been watching in PS3 since Tools of Destruction, and the lack of a multiplayer what would have totally fit here.
Read Full Review >Eurogamer Spain
It's a solid product that mixes platforming, action, puzzles and even interludes of space combat. And this is not only a game for kids, as it's one of Sony's best exclusive offerings for the rest of the year.
Read Full Review >Gameplayer Sweden
A well crafted and entertaining addition to the series. Nothing more, nothing less.
Read Full Review >PS3bloggen.se
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time is a good game, and sometimes a very good one at that, but apart from a few new time-centric puzzles on Clank's behalf it doesn't bring very much new material to the table. The titular Crack in Time mainly seems to lead to the previous PS3 games in the series. And all the PS2 versions before that. It's fun, but hardly inspiring.
Read Full Review >Eurogamer
It's not that A Crack in Time is all fur coat and no knickers. The problem is, it's all fur coat and the same knickers it's been wearing for seven years. Time for a change.
Read Full Review >
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