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]

The full employee gift set includes Qwark, Clank and Ratchet. To give you an idea of scale, Qwark is a whopping 15 inches wide.

CreatureBox says of their creations:

We're huge fans of vinyl toys and wanted to do our own take on the characters we have come to know all too well. [...] Not sure if these will ever be released to the public, for now they are just for employees.

Bummer. But maybe by next San Diego Comic Con, that'll change.

Ratchet, Clank & Qwark Vinyls! [CreatureBox]

Thanks for the tip, John!

That Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time demo should hit alongside the weekly PlayStation Store update, offering a taste of the all-new Clank-centric gameplay that Insomniac is introducing in the game. A second is planned, with details on what that will entail coming soon.

Keep an eye peeled for the upcoming Kotaku review, also due very soon.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time First Review, Demos and New Videos [PlayStation.blog]

Far from being concerned by the fact that not all PlayStation 3 owners make use of Home, Buser was excited that so many people have even tried it at all. "We came so close to setting a concurrency record," he gushed. "The media is not groking how amazing the usage level is [on Home.]"

For those of you who don't know much about computer science or Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, what Buser is going on about has to do with the potential that Home has to interact with other software — the PlayStation Network, Twitter, you name it. For example, the Home team recently rolled out an update that enables game launching of all PS3 titles from directly within Home. Also, they've developed connections between the PSN, the PSP Go and Home that have the ability to talk to each other.

So while Buser declined to announce any plans to somehow integrate the PSP Go directly into Home, he very enthusiastically said that the potential is there.

Potential, he said, is what drives Home's expansion. The potential is there for developers to build spaces that connect with the fans. The potential is there for fans to demand things from developers. To that end, says Buser, if you want to see something in Home… ask for it.

Right now there are over 50 spaces in Home, public and private. There are 1000 virtual items to be bought or earned and the service has hosted over 200 community events where you can win real things like collectors editions of video games. All it takes to enjoy any of that is a PSN account and maybe a little tolerance for updates and evolving content distribution systems. Home is still technically in open beta, after all.

I for one would like to see a Valkyria Chronicles space and a Tales of Vesperia space. I also want some soft of transmogrifier that will turn my realistic-looking avatar into something more appropriately anime for those spaces. That was the one thing I didn't like about the Ratchet & Clank space — it didn't look like you belonged there because you weren't cartoon-y enough.

Also, I really wish they'd open up the building editor to users instead of just developers. If I could build a palace that was just mine, I might form a stronger attachment to my virtual identity in Home than I do from walking around a cookie-cutter-made living space that every other user could easily have. But that's just me.

What do you want to see in Home?

Ratchet looks a little ripped in his theme — which apparently was done by a Japanese artist, or perhaps just by somebody who knows their katakana. Monkey Ball looks a little more licensed and lot more orange. And either I've become warped by video game expectations, or Bayonetta's chest is looking a little flat.

If you happen to have Google Chrome, go check it out. And if you don't, I'm only half-okay with recommending it. On the one hand, I like the panel view of your commonly-visited pages. On the other hand, I'm keenly aware of the embarrassment you might suffer if four out of your right panels happen to be porn sites.

This PAL exclusive package for Insomniac Games' upcoming PS3 adventure offers more than just a manual and Blu-ray disc. It offers a fancy slipcase with a lenticular cover, giving Ratchet & Clank fans an opportunity to say the word "lenticular."

There are a handful of other goodies thrown in, like the obligatory art book and a free voucher for the downloadable "Discovery Package" level. You'll have to hit up the official European PlayStation blog for additional details.

Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time Collector's Edition [PlayStation.blog]

Journalists were given about 20 minutes with Mr. Taylor (pictured, left) during the junket for a roundtable Q&A. Naturally, I had to let the TV critics get their questions in and most of the roundtable was really Taylor performing for us – going back and forth between the various celebrity voices he doubles for in animated series and movie trailers.

But eventually I got to ask a few video-game related questions. The first being, "Who's your favorite video game character you've voiced?"

This turned out to be a tough question for Taylor. Unlike dubbing for cartoons and movies where you either get to act out the lines with other actors like a radio play (Clone Wars), or only have a few lines at a time to cover for a movie trailer (Batman Begins, I think), video game dubbing is long and lonely work. Taylor said the script for Final Fantasy X was as thick as a phonebook and he'd do six hour sessions completely by himself in a recording studio.

It's pretty grueling work – but it also makes you bond with your character the way you would with a child. So it was hard for Taylor to choose just one video game character as his favorite.

"I love the Ratchet & Clank series," he said, referencing the upcoming Crack In Time that he just voiced. "But Tidus from the Final Fantasy series really put me on the map." Even now, almost 10 years since that performance, he's still getting fan mail for it.

For my part, I prefer him as Ratchet. Maybe I say that, though, because I first bonded to his voice as a QA tester on Size Matters. I spent almost three months listening to his every line over and over again, making sure the subtitles were accurate.

You can catch Taylor's most recent video game performance when Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes hits shelves October 6, or wait a few weeks and pick up Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time.

P.S. He voices the Fox Animation Domination TV bit and I never would have believed that if I hadn't heard him say the lines right in front of me.

Image Cred

I got my hands on the outer-space portion of next month's Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time this week in Seattle. The trailer for the space stuff already explained the basics, but here's the Kotaku take.

In a Crack in Time, the levels Ratchet can explore are set on planets and moons to which the player can and must manually fly. He has no hub world, but rather a hub galaxy. Fly it, explore it, use it as a hallway with doorways to the game's levels and side challenges.

Ratchet travels through his hub in armed space-ship that can be upgraded with weapons, a speed boost and tow cable. The ship can be flown through several star systems, all accessed from the game's Galactic Map. The PlayStation 3 controller's left stick steers the ship. The right stick does barrel rolls and flip stunts. Buttons fire guns or land the ship.

The space zone I saw was grand and packed with floating space rock, a streaking comet, and colorful clusters of friendly and hostile spaceships. Navigating all of that was simpler than it looked, because flight is possible only on a flat plane. The developers at Ratchet studio Insomniac Games had toyed with letting Ratchet fly in all directions, but user feedback indicated that it was too disorienting.

I sampled the richness of the one demo outer space zone. My version of Ratchet's ship had a pair of weapons, both infinite in ammo and capable of blowing up enemy craft. Of course, I tested them. I saw a beacon in the tail of a comet and flew to where it would have triggered a mission. I engaged hostile satellites and suddenly had to fight an attacking satellite that was so formidable it had its own health bar. I flew over some small moons upon which I had watched an Insomniac rep land Ratchet's ship. One of those landings seamlessly segued into an on-foot challenge on a spherical planetoid. I saw a much larger heavenly body, a planet protected by security satellites that repelled my approach. The planet represented a full level of the game but I would only be able to get past its defenses if I collected enough Zoni, the aliens in the game obtainable in both story levels and through some of these outer-space optional challenges.

I was told there would be boss battles in space, including some sort of ultimate fight that is accessible only on a second playthrough of the game. But even in the first playthrough, exploration of the star systems can lead the player to some fun diversions. The moon areas — the new game's take on the spherical world levels presented in earlier Ratchet games — serve as increasingly tricky platforming areas. They come in three variations, I was told, though I only witnessed the first of the following: Hover-boot challenges that involve fast movement over ramps and jumps; Platforming challenges that are more about the gymnastics of the genre; Battle challenges that present the series-staple goals of clearing out waves of enemies in confined arenas.

There are some less conventional elements to the space game. Ratchet's ship has several radio stations. The tow cable he can obtain is used to haul space rock and rescue troubled ships. You can be destroyed out in the not-quite-blackness of this colorfully-populated cosmos but in the demo I played, it didn't seem all that dangerous and likely to happen.

The space game in this new Ratchet was fun. As with everything else I've seen in the new game, it's visually spectacular and a joy to move through. The closest equivalent in terms of scale and in opportunity to encounter interesting things is the ocean in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. I'm not sure Ratchet's stellar range is, proportionately that vast but the positive similarities are there.

The one open question is whether travel will be mandatory, something I'm checking with Insomniac about. Traveling to a moon for a challenge once is fine. Having to fly back there later in the game would be less alluring.

There may be an efficiency in menu-based games that allow the player to hop from level to level with the click of a button. But this year I am enjoying the new grander takes on what a decade ago was presented as Princess Peach's castle or the caves of Spiral Mountain. I like these new hubs and the places they reach.

And not a bad piece of art, eh? At least made easier to appreciate with the condensed look of the new PlayStation 3 art template. Not interested in judging a game by its cover? Head to the official PlayStation.blog for further Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time details, including all those pre-order "incentives" that one can throw good money at and Insomniac's PAX plans.

Oh, and for those of us interested in picking apart box art minutiae, the back of the PS3 game case is also available for ogling at the blog. Even the spine!! It's branding heaven.

Update: Looks like the PlayStation.blog has removed the full box art for the game, possibly because of the features revealed on the back of said box. That includes things like multiplayer, lobbies, matchmaking, leaderboards, PlayStation Home integration and Trophies.

Keep in mind that some portions of the back of the Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time box are "for presentation only" and not necessarily a guarantee of what the final game will offer. But we're checking in with SCEA to find out what's happenin'.

It's Official: Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time Available in the U.S. on October 27 [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.

Not only does it show off the helpful narration of Insomniac's creative director Brian Allgeier, it highlights the game-changing Chronocepter and Time Pads, the latter of which lets Clank record and replay segments of time. The addition of that mechanic should make for some fascinating puzzles. See it in action after this.

A handy recap of the Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time panel is available at the official PlayStation.blog, should have you been unable to attend.

Ratchet & Clank Comic-Con Recap (with Videos!) [PlayStation.blog]

That fan-submitted addition to the already deep Ratchet & Clank arsenal was revealed at an event earlier this week, with Insomniac's Brian Allgeier describing the device as a "deadly yo-yo." You can see how deadly that is in the video above, which also shows the triple saw blade upgraded version, the Spiral of Carnage.

Insomniac also revealed the Constructo line of weapons.

That comes in two parts, the Constructo Pistol and Constructo Bomb glove, each a highly customizable weapon.

The pistol features multiple stocks, barrels and ammo types, including single shots, auto shots, charge shots, ricocheting bullets, and rounds explode on contact. The look of the Constructo Pistol varies wildly from upgrade to upgrade, with one clearly showing a flamethrower type barrel.

The Constructo Bomb Glove is similarly varied, with napalm, shrapnel, and explosive bombs adding variety to the wearable weapons, as does an option to alter the area of explosive effect. Mods for both Constructo weapons can be found throughout the galaxy, rewarding exploration of the Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time universe.

The third Ratchet & Clank game on the PS3 in as many years was on display at E3 to a pack of reporters curious if there was going to be anything new this time around.

The first Ratchet on PS3, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, was visually impressive but conservatively similar to most of the Ratchets before it. The second was a more puzzle-driven short that lasted just a few hours.

The third PS3 Ratchet? It could present the fundamental change the series hasn't had in some time.

What Is It?
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is the third Ratchet & Clank third-person shooter/platformer from Insomniac Games for the PS3 and the studio's seventh overall. (Two portable spin-offs were made by High Impact.) This time, Ratchet is separated from Clank, as the pair was sundered at the end of the first Ratchet PS3 game, Tools of Destruction. Ratchet gets jet boots to compensate; Clank gets puzzle levels that involve time manipulation. Captain Quark's back, but we don't know how.

What We Saw
Behind closed doors, Insomniac developers let us play a part of a new enemy-filled Monument Valley-inspired Ratchet level and watch one of their team play through some brain-hurting Clank puzzle levels locked in metal rooms.

How Far Along Is It?
The game is pretty far along as it moves toward a fall release. The levels we played had all the sights and sounds you'd expect from a finished game, though Ratchet's arsenal was limited to just a few weapons, for demo purposes.

What Needs Improvement?
The Clank Levels: Several indie games, Sony's own upcoming Echochrono and even — sort of — the Xbox Live Arcade game Cloning Clyde, executed in 2D what Insomniac is attempting to implement in 3D. That would be the ability for the player to walk their character (Clank) through one path in a locked room, step onto a switch or ride an elevator… then rewind time, and do a second thing with that character while a "recording" of the first attempt plays through. The idea is that the player might have four versions of Clank running through a puzzle and that that will be necessary to solve it. This seems like the kind of idea that could be fun but also aggravatingly pace-halting. The jury's out, but, please Insomniac, make sure that the music that plays while Clank is in the metallic locked rooms loops a little less frequently than it seemed to at E3. The only thing worse than being stumped is being stumped while the music repeats.

What Should Stay The Same?
The Ratchet Levels: Explosions now appear to be cel-shaded. Enemies can now be frozen and shattered or yelled at with a belching animal/gun called the Sonic Eruptor (Insomniac claims it's a mating call; we maintain it's a belch). Best of all, Ratchet's boots are now jet-powered and, with a press of the d-pad, and a push of R2, they can be used like a high-tech skateboard to propel our hero up ramps, through crates, into enemies. In other words, they can be used to increase the tempo and cacophony of the standard Ratchet & Clank level to Sonic-style brisk commotion. Without the boots, the Ratchet level I played would have looked like the same-old, same-old with a couple of new guns. With the boots, the pace is altogether changed, in a promising way.

Final Thoughts
Insomniac says this Ratchet game will have more re-play value than previous ones, and that's even after I remarked that that previous ones had high replay value because of the score-attack mode that activated during a second playthrough. More importantly, Insomniac would be served to worry about getting people excited about their first playthrough, because what I heard from lots of fellow E3 attendees to whom I mentioned that I saw the game that they were tired of the franchise.

My response to the Ratchet-weary people around me was that, not only does this one have a sharp new graphical style, but it felt in my hands like it would play differently from the recent games in the franchise. And it played well, with an energy that wasn't in Deadlocked, the final PS2 Ratchet game which previously provided the biggest tweak (one since abandoned) to the series' formula. I got more than I was expecting from Ratchet this time. I haven't been able to write that in years.

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.

While we're normally slightly sceptical of any and all messages blurted out across this season's social networking weapon of choice, this message couldn't be clearer:

replies from @mmalex, lbp levells coming, r&c content done, coming soon hopefully, up next for mm, big pack, bigger than mgs even.

Bigger than MGS? Lovely.

[insomniacgames @ twitter]

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]

At the moment, we've got a single picture to go off, which reveals that there'll be at least three figures (Ratchet, Doctor Nefarious and Captain Quark), with each also including a bonus midget figure as well. Ratchet looks great, but what's wrong with Clank? Last time I checked, he had legs between his feet and his shiny metal ass...

DC Direct: A Little of What's to Come [Newsarama, via Joystiq]

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.

First up is “Characters you never knew had the same voiceover” from GamesRadar. Charlie Barrat lays out 21 examples of voice actors doubling up dubbing duties. Most of them I knew about – Princess Peach & Cortana, Marcus Fenix & Bender, etc. – but a few of them really surprised me. Like Princess Daphne and Smurfette being voiced by the lady that plays evil stepsister Anastasia in in Disney’s Cinderella. Who’d’ve thunk?

Charlie’s piece points out a similar feature run by Gameplayer, which lists the voices behind a ton of video game characters. “70 Great Game Characters Unmasked” makes for heavy reading at six pages of lists a pop, but I’m pretty sure it covers every video game voice I’ve ever heard in my life. Not counting games that let you play with the original Japanese audio.

My all-time favorite voice-over actor, though, has got to be Cam Clarke. Trite, I know – but he was both Leonardo the Ninja Turtle and He-Man Kaneda in the original Akira dub, very huge heroes of my childhood. When I hear his voice, it fills me with love even when he’s playing Solid Snake’s evil twin brother.

ETA: Whoops, wrong He-Man. John Erwin was the He-Man from my childhood. Cheers to James for pointing that out, and please don't ask me why I was watching Akira when I was six.

Characters you never knew had the same voice actor

70 Great Game Characters Unmasked