Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
Zoni computer entertainment.
In any case, the puzzles are rather enjoyable. The record-playback mechanic allows you to work them out through trial and error, and they're complex enough to make you feel all smug and clever when you solve them. All the same, if you've played many action-adventure games you've probably completed plenty of puzzles like these before - there's nothing which really makes you think in a new way.
In between the Clank levels and the Ratchet missions, you get to pilot a spaceship around a free-roaming galaxy. You can visit tiny planets which are almost like mini-levels themselves, where you'll find special items such as Zoni to collect. You can accept sub-quests, such as shooting down a certain number of ships, to earn extra bolts. Occasionally you'll have to engage in obligatory special missions, such as a dogfight with ships guarding the planet you're trying to reach.
These intergalactic interludes aren't all that interesting. Your ship moves rather slowly, even with the thrusters on, and you can only direct it on a horizontal axis. The tiny planets are just like the regular missions, only on a smaller scale - chop up some crates, jump over some platforms, blast some enemies, collect your reward and move on. Even the dogfights lack drama, being pretty easy to win and familiar to anyone who's ever played a videogame with space in before.
Many of the other elements designed to break up the pace are instantly recognisable. Remember shooting down waves of ships from a fixed gun turret in all those other R&C games? You will when you've played this one. How about battling waves of baddies in combat arenas, then finishing up with a giant boss fight? Tick. That's not to say all the shooting and fighting isn't fun - it's just very familiar.
Which just about sums it all up. There's no question that Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time is a quality platformer, complete with a superb combat system, decent puzzles, fun weapons, pretty visuals and plenty of variation. If you've never played a R&C game before, you should, and this is a great place to start. If you're a fan who just wants more of the same, you won't be disappointed.
But I've been playing R&C games for years now, and I was hoping for something extra. That doesn't mean radical change - goodness knows no one wants Ratchet to "go dark" or start running round sandbox environments. I still want a meat feast pizza, I just want it to have a stuffed crust. And maybe some dips. Or in other words, a proper selection of exciting new weapons, original puzzles and a bit of innovation. 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.