Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time

Ratchet and Clank is probably one of Sony's best selling game series with "A Crack In Time" being the ninth game to be released. (5 PS2 games, 2 PSP game and 3 PS3 games, with Size Matters being ported from the PSP to the PS2) Lets face it if you have ever owned a Sony system then you will have at played one of the Ratchet and Clank games at some time or another. Some of you will be glad to know that "A Crack In Time" is yet more of the same great 3D platforming slash shooting action that the series is best known and loved for. (Even better now though as the annoying underwater sections don't make an appearence in the game)


If however you have yet to play a Ratchet & Clank game due to being in a Siberian prison for the last 15 years, surviving on gruel and water for crimes against the state. Then you are in for a treat as not only has the world has changed so much but gaming has moved forward so much since when you were locked away in your cold damp cell. (Games now come on a thing called Disks instead of cartridges, amazing or what) Basically think Mario 64 with big ass and crazy weapons with humour a bit similar to Conker and you will be heading somewhere in the right direction.

EVIL GENIUS RETURNS!!..with butler

The evil (highley amusing) Dr Nefarious and his mechanical butler Lawrence make a welcome return as the bad guys in the game. (I just couldn't warm to Emperor Percival Tachyon as the bad guy in the last two games, he just to entertain when compared to the ultimate bad guy Dr Nefarious) Captain Quark also makes his usual prescence felt through the game again (The classic village idiot/cowardly hero) upon completing the game there is a part after the credits with him that really cracked me up, so just don't wander off when the credits start rolling.

One thing that make the Ratchet and Clank series enjoyable is the imagination that goes into the script and the weapons featured in the game. (All of which can be levelled up to cause even more death and destruction) These really need to be seen in action, with the Rhino V5 being completely mental to say the least.

The Ratchet & Clank series will always have parts that you enjoy more than others, for example I hated the underwater sections in the previous games that don't appear in "A Crack In Time", yet I also still don't enjoy the Clank only sections either that much, sure it does add more of a puzzling element to the game but I am happy with the death and destruction that Ratchet brings. This time however I did enjoy the Clank sections than I have done in previous games as the new puzzles were quite enjoyable to play through, with the ones needing completing for the last few gold bolts being a particular pain in the ass. (In a good way though)

HE REALLY IS A DUMBASS!

Once completing the game you also get given the chance to play through the game again on the harder Challenge Mode. (This gives you the chance to get your hands on even more powerful versions of your weapons, and everything you got in your first playthrough carries over just like in the previous games) The game demands to be played through again on this mode, this is what gaming is all about, not Trophies and Achievements as so many gamers seem preoccupied with nowdays. Gaming should be about fun and enjoyment and Ratchet & Clank is the embodiment of this, seeking little more than to entertain you from start to finish, so much so that you will want to play it again upon completion.

A Crack In Time is another Ratchet & Clank game that does everything right, and so little wrong. If you have never played a Ratchet & Clank game before then this could be the game that makes you want to pick up the previous games in the series, and play through the back story of Ratchet & Clank. (Ratchet & Clank 1-3 on the PS2 are amazing games which are still as playable today as they were upon first release)

Wild Arms 5 Piracy

I really want to own Wild Arms 5, I have all the other games in the series and even imported Wild Arms: Alter Code F. There is just one problem though and that is the price, ever since the game got released in April 2008 I have been trying to purchase it. The only problem is that it only got a very limited release in Europe, as such the only ones I have managed to find are on ebay.

So why don't I just buy it from ebay? Last time I checked it was on sale at £100 new and it has been this price since about a month after it came out. £100 for a game that is supposed to sell for £25 is just bullshit, and it's the normal case of some asshole wanting to make money from people that want a game in short supply.



So why don't I buy a second hand copy of the game? Well the main reason is the ones I see all have French game manuals and sell for £60 or so. While the American versions sell for £40 second hand. I think it's great that after buying all five of the other games in the series, Media Vision and 505 games decided to screw over the fans of the Wild Arms series buy not making more copies of the game available, and having a system where some game stores don't even know the game exists, let alone recieved copies of the game for sale.

I guess I only have 3 options open to me.

1) Pay through the nose for a second hand copy with French game manuals.

2) Pay for a second hand copy from America I may not be able to play with my import boot disk.

3) Get a pirated version of the game that I would have bought if 505 games made more copies available in the first place.

Looks like I am going to be taking option 3, so thanks for the free game Media Vision and 505 games, I guess I deserve it for being a loyal fan of the Wild Arms series. It's nice to see your into rewarding your fanbase with free games, and also encouraging people to get them by pirating the games you spent so much time and money developing.

Stumble It!