Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (European title Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time) is the upcoming sequel to the game Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty and the next, and possibly final, installment in the Future series. It will be released in North America on September 30, 2009 and by December 31, 2009 in Europe and Australia. It was stated that this will conclude the story that starting in Tools of Destruction and continued in Quest of Booty, therefore hinting it may be the last of the series, however it is likely that it would just be finishing the Future sub-series. Insomniac Games will release more information at the nect E3 gaming event.

Concluding the events that began in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time will answer some of the franchise fans’ biggest questions. After discovering that Clank’s disappearance was engineered by Dr. Nefarious, Ratchet races to save his best friend. Along the way both will finally uncover the hidden truth behind their origins, and discover their ultimate destinies. As the duo come closer to reuniting they will decide if their destinies lie together. Why Clank was taken by the Zoni is another question that will be answered in A Crack in Time.

thumb|280px|left|Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time teaser trailer.

According to the end scene in Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, Ratchet will be fighting Dr. Nefarious and his butler, Lawrence, who both somehow managed to get off of the abandoned asteroid they were stuck on. The Zoni have also hired Nefarious to 'repair' Clank, although it is unknown how much connections they have to him. The story's start will probably take place in Breegus Nebula. The game will possibly show more details and information about Max Apogee, what happened to the Lombaxes, the Zoni, and other background information about the Ratchet & Clank galaxy. Ratchet will discover that Clank’s capture is just the beginning of Nefarious’s latest diabolical plot. .

Gameplay

 * "[A Crack in Time] should feature a good balance of both platforming, puzzle gameplay, and shooting without leaning toward  any one type  too heavily."
 * &mdash;Bryan Bernal[src ]

The game will offer space action gameplay, allowing the player to take part in space combat and exploring star systems in order to gain items. Clank will have a larger role and Clank gameplay will allow the player to manipulate time in new ways. . The new levels will allow the player to explore more, and will have hidden areas. Boss battles in the game will be larger than in previous games.

Weaponry
The new Weaponry in A Crack in Time will be brand new to the series, and will allow the player to customize and modify their weapons, perhaps expanding on the Raritanium upgrades seen in Tools of Destruction. The new weaponry will apparently offer a "much more engaging player experience".

The Lava Gun will not appear in A Crack in Time, but weapons with a lava effect will be used, some "classic" weapons from previous games will also be returning.

Different uses for the wrench will be seen in the game, expanding on what was seen in Quest for Booty.

Trophies
James Stevenson from Insomniac Games has confirmed that there will be trophies in A Crack in Time, however this was to be expected with Sony making an announcement stating that all game releases for the PS3 in 2009 onwards will contain trophies. .

Characters

 * Ratchet
 * Clank
 * Qwark
 * Unnamed Lombax warrior

Species

 * Lombax
 * Robots

Organizations

 * The Elders

Weapons

 * Double-ended wrench
 * Wrench

Gadgets

 * Hoverboots

Behind the scenes
The title for the game was released in late March 2009. A teaser trailer was released a few days after the title was announced. The game will feature new weapons and gadgets, including one weapon designed by a fan.

In a temporary box art image used by the US PlayStation website, the PlayStation network tag is included in the corner of the box, this could mean that the game includes online PlayStation network (PSN) multiplayer. Alternatively it could just be a standard pre-release box art image with the A Crack in Time logos on it.

The same voice cast from Tools of Destruction will be returning for A Crack in Time.

Title

 * "I don't know if I should really explain the "Crack" part though it does have something to do with the story..."
 * &mdash;Brian Allgeier[src ]

The title for the game was chosen through a poll of Insomniac employees after narrowing down a list of titles. As time is a part of the storyline it was seen as appropriate for the title.