Acton says Insomniac's community team took a look at the reviews of 47 top-notch games and found that while "there was a clear correlation between graphics scores in reviews and the final scores," there's no correlation between framerate and the graphics scores. In other words, good graphics make the game feel more fun to play, but whether it's 30 fps or 60 fps doesn't matter.

Take a look at his entire post; Acton gets into the studio's philosophy of what is and what isn't important, visually. And it's clear that 60 fps, despite the fact "one of the long-standing sacred cows here at Insomniac is framerate," is not going to be the holy grail of their development. In fact, it'll probably be 30 fps from now on.

How Much Does Framerate Matter? [Insomniac Games Blog]

We've been following the star-spanning adventures of Ratchet and Clank since 2002. In this 9th game in the series, developer Insomniac brings everything to a head, answering questions players have had since they first stepping into Ratchet's little space boots. Dr. Nefarious from Up Your Arsenal returns, Ratchet continues the search for Clank he started in PSN release Quest for Booty, and Clank learns a little something about himself while screwing about with time.

One of the most consistently solid platforming franchises in gaming history, with each iteration the chances of Insomniac screwing something up rises. Does Crack in Time continue the fine tradition, or have they finally made some sort of horrible mistake?

Eurogamer
Ratchet & Clank fans who just want more of the same won't be disappointed with A Crack in Time. It's pretty, polished, funny, expansive, satisfying and rewarding, just like all the previous instalments in the series. There are hordes of enemies to batter and bolts to collect. There are puzzles to solve, doors to open, rails to grind on and jump pads to bounce off. Despite the global economic meltdown, business at the crate factory must be booming as there are endless piles of boxes to smash open - wooden ones, metal ones, exploding ones, more wooden ones.

Videogamer
By far the biggest change from previous games in the series is how Clank now has more or less equal game time to Ratchet. One level blasting away aliens as the furry Lombax (Ratchet's species) is followed by a slower, puzzle-laden sequence as Clank. Ratchet is once again extremely nimble, and has access to loads of weapons that are upgraded as they're used and modifiable through collectables. There are numerous control set-ups, with gamers able to choose to play through with a fairly traditional platforming control scheme or with a dual stick third-person shooter setup. I've always opted to play it as a shooter, as the combat is such a core part of the experience, but the choice is yours.

GameTrailers
As you might expect, the weapons and gadgets are the real show-stoppers. Some of the classics return along with recent favorites like the negotiator and your flying friend, Mr. Zurkon. New weapons are plentiful as well including a fan-made armament called the spiral of death, a huge bullfrog called the sonic eruptor, and many more that we don't want to spoil. The pistol, shotgun, and bomb glove can be upgraded in a number of categories with cases you find around the universe. The number of guns and gadgets is certainly vast, but the imagination seems to have run a little dry this time around. We didn't feel compelled to spend bolts just to try out some of the weapons like we have in the past, and like prior games in the series, you can find a few that you like and lean on them. This is only exacerbated by the weapons that level as you use them.

Destructoid
Insomniac also added an all new space exploration element to A Crack in Time, which Ratchet can board his upgradable ship and zip around the galaxy...Controlling the ship is pretty basic, moving left and right with the right analog stick, and the buttons used to "pew pew" various enemy ships along the way. While there's nothing particular wrong with the flying sections (they're actually a good bit of fun, and a nice break from the standard action), they can get a bit repetitive. It's a whole lot of "pew pew" and "pow pow" in a vast space that mostly looks the same, which one can only take so much of. There are a few story-related battles that take place during the sections to switch things up a bit, they really take a back-seat to the more traditional style of Ratchet and Clank gameplay.

Giant Bomb
While Ratchet is tearing about the universe, Clank will be engaging in his own subtler methods of world saving. He'll be using his newly acquired time-shifting abilities to navigate and solve puzzles within the Great Clock. The most devious of these time-and-mind-bending obstacles are the ones that require you to record multiple versions of yourself as you race to trigger different events around the room...The complexity quickly ramps up and you'll eventually have up to four versions of yourself all running around performing tasks that somehow aid the other recordings. If that sounds complicated, it is, but it's also extremely rewarding and once you've completed a puzzle you will not only be showered with bolts, the currency of this universe, but you'll also feel like the smartest human on the planet. If you truly are not feeling up to the task, you can opt to bypass the puzzle entirely, but will miss out on the monetary rewards as well as the boost to your ego.

Kotaku
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time retains a lot of what was good about the previous games. But it also continues one of the best traditions of its developers - to compress past accomplishments, quickly give players a lot of the old stuff in the game's early going and then try new things. Earlier games' experiments with dialogue systems and multiplayer didn't thrill me. But, the new game's more dynamic physical movement (hooray for hoverboots), more interesting mission flow, amazing graphics and smart system of relatively easy main missions that branch off to more challenging moon challenges, are good innovations. The Ratchet gameplay is improved. The Clank gameplay is a revelation. Two years ago, Ratchet & Clank Future showed how good Insomniac could make this series look on PS3. A year ago, Ratchet & Clank: A Quest For Booty showed that Insomniac was still prepared to innovate with gameplay. A Crack In time, the space case notwithstanding, finally shows the series leaping forward.

Sounds good to me.

Insomniac Games has kept to the Ratchet series' tradition by making the newest installment on the PlayStation 3 aware of players' activity in the older ones. Having played — and reviewed — the new Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time using a final retail copy, I was able to see how my save files for the last two games, 2007's Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and 2008's Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty, affect the new game.

I had completed both previous PS3 Ratchets and had the following perks activated automatically when I started the new game:

-My Tools of Destruction save file classified me as a returning customer when I visited A Crack In Time's weapons-vending kiosks. I was given a discount. Thanks to the lower prices and my collection of new bolt money throughout the new game, I found myself lacking money to buy the next available item in the game only once.

-My Quest For Booty save unlocked the pirate hat you see my Ratchet avatar wearing atop this post. The avatar appear in the game's community section, which displays a variety of player accomplishments and stats, shows leaderboards for many of those accomplishments. Players can customize their Ratchet avatar or look up the records and avatars of their friends. The avatar is essentially a visual shorthand for some of the things you've accomplished. For example, the pistol that Ratchet is holding in that shot looks as it does in the game, where I attached mods and selected its paint job.

Those are the unlocks I found so far that relate to the earlier Ratchet games, confirmed by a Sony representative. If I find any more I'll let you know.

Last year, the developer threw a similar Community Day to celebrate Resistance 2. Apparently, it was such a success that they've decided to give Ratchet & Clank the same treatment with rare swag giveaways and free food. There will probably be less crazy-fragging in multiplayer, given that it's not Resistance, but you still probably get to play the game.

Only the first 120 people are getting in, so be sure to hit up Insomniac's Facebook event page to make your intent-to-arrive known. Then it's only a simple matter of showing up and boom! Ratchet & Clank party for you!

Insomniac Games Community Day to Celebrate the Launch of Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time! [PlayStation Blog]

Exploration and discovery have always been a large part of the Ratchet & Clank experience, but space travel has generally been handled by a quick cut scene or the odd random shooter moment. In A Crack in Time, Insomniac is putting a big emphasis on space explorations, with Ratchet flying about the universe in search of the missing Clank, listening to space radio, and even landing on random planets for the odd side mission. It should have a massive effect on fans of science fiction games, no?

Ratchet's Rocket: A Crack in Time's New Space Gameplay [PlayStation Blog]

October 27, if you need the exact day. Note that's only the US release date; European dates are still to come. So far this game's been gliding along under most people's radars, which is a shame; hopefully over the next month or two Sony can remind people that there are quality games coming for the PS3 later this year that don't involve fortunes, modern warfare or British rock groups.

What Is It?
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is the continuation of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. At the end of the previous game, Clank had been kidnapped by strange alien Zoni, and Ratchet was about to set off on an epic adventure to find his friend, after fulfilling contractual obligations for a semi-side story in the PSN downloadable title Quest for Booty.

What We Saw
For the first time at Comic-Con 2009, Insomniac was showing off some of the unique Clank gameplay. It was revealed that this entry in the series would feature more Clank time than any other, and they introduced a new twist on the time manipulation mechanic that so many games like to fool around with these days.

At the beginning of the game, Clank finds himself trapped in the Great Clock, a huge construct in the center of the universe that serves as a sort of Galactic CMOS battery. To help solve the various puzzles and riddles hidden within the Great Clock, Clank must use every ounce of his wits. Oh, and the time-stopping powers of the Chronoscepter. Those will come in handy as well.

Using the Chronoscepter, Clank can hurl balls that slow down time, neutralizing traps and making enemies far less of a threat than they normally would be. A neat trick that we've seen before.

No, the meat of the Chronoscepter's powers lie in the ability for Clank to record and playback his own actions, essentially creating duplicates of himself in order to overcome the various obstacles in his path.

For example, the first room of the Clank demo had a simple button to stand on to unlock a door. I stood on a special platform and used to the Chronoscepter to record myself running and standing on the button, played it back, and ran through the open door.

The next room was a little trickier, with two recording platforms, a button to open a cage, and another button in said cage used to unlock the door. I recorded stepping on the first button, then recorded myself entering the cage to unlock the door. Since only one recording can be active at any given time, I then had to perform the initial act of opening the cage myself, allowing the recording to get in and unlock the door, which I then ran through.

Timing is very important with this mechanic. You have to make sure you are recording yourself for the correct amount of time. The final room, which sees you jumping across a series of platforms while your recorded self sits on the door-opening button, can be frustrating if you don't record long enough, maneuvering the tricky jumps only to be faced with a locked door on the other side.

How Far Along Is It?
It's hard to tell with an Insomniac title, especially with Ratchet & Clank. The high level of polish we've come to expect is certainly intact, and the game is aiming at a 3rd or 4th quarter 2009 release. If I had to ballpark it, I'd say pretty far along.

What Needs Improvement?
More Clank?: Perhaps I am in the minority here, but I'm really not a big fan of the Clank gameplay bits in the series. I feel they take you too far away from the core gameplay that I fell in love with earlier in the series. This is purely a matter of opinion, so if you are a giant Clank fan, feel free to pretend this is listed under What Should Stay The Same, or perhaps buy Secret Agent Clank and leave us Lombax purists alone.

Perhaps A Bit Too Convoluted: If drunk grown men stuffed with complimentary cupcakes have trouble grasping the rather intricate time-based gameplay concepts I was introduced to during the demo, what hope does our nation's youth have? After all, they're the drunk, cupcake-stuffed men of the future.

What Should Stay The Same?
It's Ratchet & Clank: The R&C series has been one of the most consistently excellent platforming series since the first installment showed up on the PlayStation 2 back in 2002. At this point I'm not sure Insomniac could make a bad Ratchet & Clank game, and they've tried.

Final Thoughts
Once again, it all comes down to opinion. If you love Clank and Clank-related gameplay, then this is going to be the best Ratchet & Clank ever. If you aren't such a big fan, the promise of the most Clank-filled outing to date might leave you a little cold, but let's be honest...if you've played enough R&C to form an opinion either way, you aren't going to stop now.

Insomniac's swank Hard Rock Hotel soiree had plenty of free drinks and enough cupcakes for everyone, but I did manage to pull myself away from the red velvet/cream cheese frosting goodness long enough to snap a picture of the winner and his mighty fine prize. Behold the Spiral of Death, in the plastic flesh! The Spiral of Death, or SoD as we will eventually affectionately come to know it, shoots buzz saw blades out in a spiral sweeping maneuver, eventually returning to Ratchet like a yo-yo performing a very deadly version of around-the-world.

The proud creator, whose name probably isn't cupcake, gets to bring that monstrosity home and display it on his monstrosity displaying shelf, eventually selling it on eBay to buy himself a house. Congratulations, not-cupcake!

Hyokenseisou, who makes a tidy living on the side producing cosplay costumes and accessories, has built this Marksman rifle. While it won't kill aliens, it will do just about everything else, as it features a working laser pointer, ammo counter and even scope.

Amazing Resistance 2 Marksman Recreated by Fan [GamingUnion]

Lombax fans who put their money down on Ratchet & Clank's latest PlayStation 3 adventure at GameStop will gain exclusive access to the Insomniac Moon, a special planet laid out to resemble the Insomniac offices, chock-full of extra content that didn't make it into the game. They're calling the planet the Discovery Package. And then there's the Power Package, that lets players start off with extra hit points, an exclusive weapon skin, and the Cryo Mine Glove, which ejects mines that freeze enemies in their place.

Now how much would you pay? But wait! There's more. Also up for grabs is the Space Package, with a hot rod spaceship skin, 5,000 free bolts, and a custom PlayStation Home avatar! Or perhaps you'd prefer Amazon's Bolt Package, which includes 5,000 bolts, the Bolt Magnetizer, and a handy Box Basher?

So we've got GameStop, Amazon, and the other two will end up at Game Crazy and Best Buy. Considering the options in my area, looks like the Discovery Package for me. I suppose I could have done worse.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time should be in stores this fall.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time Pre-Order Goodies [PlayStation Blog]

Insomniac's little robot buddy is the co-star of one of the most consistently excellent platforming game series ever to grace a PlayStation console. Clank manages to kick ass in any situation, whether he's transformed into a giant-sized version of himself or relegated to helicopter backpack duty. He's got more than enough personality to carry his own solo title, Secret Agent Clank, and on top of all that, he's voiced by Beast Wars Megatron David Kaye. If we tried to stuff any more awesome into Clank he'd explode, taking out every living creature in a five mile radius.

The ruined cityscapes of Resistance comes to life tomorrow, when it will be filled with countless lifeless avatars running about, eager to win Resistance-themed prizes via the "Four Barrels of Fury" mini-game. The game lets you take control of a turret, blasting Chimeran ships out of the sky for a position on the global leaderboards and a chance at fabulous prizes.

PlayStation Home community managers will be on-hand tomorrow to do battle with players, and the folks from Insomniac will be making an appearance next Thursday, from 5:00-6:00pm Pacific to do the same. They're also holding "Resistance 2: SRPA Siege" nights every Friday from 6:00pm-12am, giving players good reason to wander about the rubble of our once-proud planet.

Hit the jump for the second two videos and remember, jerky talks at Insomniac.

Or make them jump up and down and chant "Ratchet and Clank!" and do the peepee dance, like Fahey did this morning when he brought this to my attention.

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time Exclusive Debut Teaser [Gametrailers]

The map pack is called "Aftermath", and offers three new maps: Aftermath, Pit Stop and Outpost. All three support 20-player Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, while Outpost goes the extra mile by offering 20-player Core Control. Those three maps will cost you $6.

In addition to this, six new multiplayer skins are up for grabs: Rachael Parker, Female Soldier, Ravager, Cloven (Retribution model), Ranger Variation, and Black Ops Variation. They'll cost you $0.99 each.

Oh, and one more thing. There will also be a patch for the game, bringing it to v1.50. And it's a big one (as it suggests a PS3 firmware update is imminent, if you look at the third option down). In fact, it's so big it's probably best to let Insomniac tell you about it in their own words:

Meltdown Mode: We've read the message-board comments. We've seen the online petition. You want it? You got it! Patch 1.50 brings back Meltdown, the popular Resistance: Fall of Man multiplayer mode in which each team attempts to gain control of the map by capturing beacons.

Superhuman Co-op Mode: Does your eight-man Specter squad possess the skills to survive this all-new difficulty? It features stronger enemies and disables auto-respawning (only another squadmate can revive you), but dishes out bigger rewards (double the Grey Tech and XP per round).

Second PSN Login Support: Your fellow couch potato can now save their character's multiplayer progress, thanks to the added option to log in with two unique PSN accounts.

* XP balance adjustments for competitive mode
* Announcements screen
* Failsafe save support
* Password protected custom games
* Added ability to "Report" player
* Teams switch sides between Core Control rounds
* Players now automatically go to staging after every competitive or cooperative game (regame)
* Localization updates
* Various stat fixes
* Collision fixes on Bryce Canyon and Holar Tower cooperative levels
* New leaderboards
* Map fixes for competitive Chicago level
* Games with Friends and Clan members in them are now highlighted in the "Find Game" screen
* Limited late joining has been added to ranked games
* Deathmatch spawning has been improved
* Players can't earn progress towards Berserks when they are dead
* Reduced sprint speed of core carrier in Core Control games
* Cooperative XP bonuses have been increased by 30%
* Cooperative games respawn time is now 20 seconds
* Players keep their grenades if they get revived in a cooperative game
* Players now have a "Join Game" option for players on their friends list
* A player's own name is now in white in the obituary text

New Medals:

* Savant – Come in first place 30 times in ranked matches (Comp)
* Hero – Come in first place 60 times in ranked matches (Comp)
* Legend – Come in first place 100 times in ranked matches (Comp)
* Tools of Destruction – Score 100 kills with every single weapon (Comp)
* Master Strategist – Score 100 kills with full health (Comp)
* Arch Rival – Kill 500 rival squad members (Comp)
* Full Honors – Take each class to max level (Coop)
* Prophet – Revive 500 players (Coop)
* Secret Agent – Obtain all spec ops upgrades (Coop)
* Surgeon General – Obtain all medic upgrades (Coop)
* Specter Elite – Obtain all soldier upgrades (Coop)
* Like a Surgeon - 100 Splicer Kills (Comp)
* Shake N' Bake - 100 Pulse Cannon Kills (Comp)

New Ribbons:

* Quickdraw – Get the first kill of the round (Comp)
* Manic Medic – Heal for 1000 points within 3 seconds (Coop)
* Solid Solider – Absorb 500 points of damage within a few seconds with your force barrier (Global)
* Specter Survivor – Survive an objective without dying (Coop)
* Specter Medic – Revive 2 or more allies within a few seconds (Coop)
* Hail Mary – Throw ammo and hit your target from at least 10 meters away (Coop)
* Quick and Painless – Score 3 headshots kills in a row (Global)

Resistance 2 DLC and Patch 1.50 Available for Download on March 26 [PlayStation]

Some of the franchise's biggest questions will be answered in A Crack in Time, as Ratchet and Clank discover the truth behind their origins and their ultimate destinies as they struggle to reunite following Clank's kidnapping be the nefarious Dr. Nefarious. The official announcement teases us with the question: "Do Ratchet and Clank's destinies lie with each other? Or is it finally time for the universe's greatest duo to separate for good?" Chilling!

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time will be powered by the same engine that Insomniac used to craft Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty, so whatever happens to the dynamic duo we can at least be sure they'll look fabulous as they travel through time in order to save the future.

The development team behind Ratchet & Clank and the main Resistance games has been named the "fifth best place to work in California" following Employers Group's "California's Best Places to Work" survey.

We'd say this sure makes a pleasant change from all the horror stories you normally hear about from games developers, what with job insecurity and long hours seemingly the norm these days, but you should already know this since Insomniac win these awards on what seems like a daily basis.

The God of War III developers at Sony's Santa Monica studio have roped in a little help.

According to French magazine PSM3, developers Naughty Dog (Uncharted) and Insomniac (Resistance) are helping with the game's development by sharing PS3 know-how and tips.

Directors of the previous two God of War titles — David Jaffe and Cory Balrog — are not returning for this installment. However, sixty people of the people who worked on the previous games comprise the God of War III team.

PSM3 Scans [Gametrailers Forums via PS3center]