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Kill some time with Ratchet & Clank 'Race Through Time' photo

If for whatever reason you haven't played Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, there are only two acceptable reasons - you're broke or you don't have a PlayStation 3. "I'm not interested" is not acceptable; the game is good, I say. 

But there really are no reasons you shouldn't check on the Clank "Race Through Time" mini-game that Isnomniac has up online. It's a timed side-scrolling affair that has Clank racing through obstacles to a finish line, with the ability to slow down and speed up time. The game is played with the keyboard, and I'll admit I'm terrible at it. The game features Facebook Connect support which I opted not to do, since putting up my miserable times online would reveal to the world how bad at videogames I am. 

However, if you think you can do better than I did, give it a go. Do well enough, and you can unlock some neat Ratchet & Clank wallpapers for your troubles. Good luck with that!








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15 comments | showing # 1 to 15
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DinnertimeNinja's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 14:49
DinnertimeNinja
Game's busted for me.

Even though the site's already set to English the game pops up with a "select country" screen with NO United States option, and no matter what I select the game just loops back to that same screen.
mackie junior's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 14:50
mackie junior
@ DinnertimeNinja
You're not missing out on much. This game is pretty terrible, haha.
jackburnt's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 14:50
jackburnt
Horrible controls make the game unplayable. So you're not as bad as you thought. The game is just unplayable.

Interesting concept, just horribly implemented.
AlexBebop's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 14:57
AlexBebop
@DinnertimeNinja
Same problem here. Even though you guys are saying it's not all the great, I still would like to check it out.
EternalDeathSlayer's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 15:09
EternalDeathSlayer
I know you're obviously joking, but "I'm just not interested" is a perfectly good response, especially when talking about a Ratchet and Clank game.

I cannot imagine how this game could possibly be much better than the last game, Tools of Destruction.

And that game was the same as the one before that, and the one before that.

The new weapons just don't get me excited. Every game feels the same.
craigbezzle's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 15:42
craigbezzle
Every Ratchet and Clank game has absolutely been a re-hash. I enjoyed the hell out of the first 2 on PS2, but I found the PS3 version terribly contrived, boring, and done-to-death. Time for a new franchise, Insomniac--Resistance and Ratchet are both dead to me.
Nick Chester's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 15:51
Nick Chester
@EternalDeathSlayer:

Your Kratos avatar shall make me point out that all three God of War games released so far have played nearly identical. And the third doesn't look THAT much different. That doesn't mean they're not some of my favorite games ever. They're just three good games. That's how I feel about the Ratchet games. Besides, they're NOT identical -- they play the same, but I think Insomniac brings enough creative stuff to the table each time that they're always fun to play.
Sustenance's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 16:11
Sustenance
"Race Through Time" was certainly one of the most thrilling, if not the prettiest, interactive slideshows I've played on the web recently.
teke367's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 16:12
teke367
I liked Crack in Time, but I hated the controls. I can't recall how many times on the holoboots my character would randomly face to the right or left and plunge off the ledge.

Seemed like the slingshot didn't work as well either.

Overall a good game though, but I though Tools of Destruction was overall better.
Zeik56's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 19:10
Zeik56
"Overall a good game though, but I though Tools of Destruction was overall better."

IMHO, I thought Tools of Destruction was the worst game in the series so far, not counting side games like Deadlocked or Size Matters. It's not that it was necessarily "bad", but it did absolutely nothing special. People complain that Ratchet and Clank is the same thing over and over, and to an extent that's true, however they do make noticeable improvements each iteration that make the overall experience better. ToD did not, the only thing that was improved was the graphics. (Of course it certainly didn't help that things like the characters, weapons, enemy and level designs, etc, were all pretty boring as well.)

In comparison, A Crack in Time made some fantastic additions to the series. Personally I thought the Hover Boots were awesome, never had trouble using them, and made traversing through the levels so much quicker and more enjoyable. On top of that there were the new Clank puzzles, which were some of the best puzzles the series has seen (and certainly the best use of Clank on his own the series has seen), as well as the new Constructo weapons, which from my point of view is one of the best additions to the weapon system since the leveling mechanic was added. Not to mention so many fantastic little additions that made the experience great, from the radio on your ship to Mr. Zurkon's hilarious lines.

If they can keep up the quality of ACiT then the series still has a lot of life left in it IMO.
wutang4ever's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 20:08
wutang4ever
I think all your controls comments can be fixed by changing the default controls themselves... With the default controls, I get around the game fine but its awkward, thats why I choose the shooter control scheme. And guess what? it controls like your typical shooter so you can aim and shoot at enemies with ease.

I also don't get the games feel the same. A game like this is hard to come buy this gen. This generation has been plagued with FPS but I don't hear many people complaining about COD or Halo... Crack in time is platforming at its finest and the shooting is top notch. I believe Insomniac has added a lot of things to this game to differentiate it from the rest. The new puzzles are actually fun and hover boots are a nice addition. Just remember to change the controls if it feels awkward to you.
HijackedFlavor's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 22:31
HijackedFlavor
I'm broke.
Solid Squirrel's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 22:42
Solid Squirrel
I'd have to see what these wallpapers look like first. If I have to fight a broken game to earn them, they better be spiffy. Of course with Insomniac art it probably would be...
lewness's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/13/2009 23:30
lewness
I'm not broke, just disciplined. :)

At least, until I finish one more PS3 title.
Mummified Circuitry's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/14/2009 10:10
Mummified Circuitry
Alas, "I'm not interested" is totally the reason I'm not playing it. The Ratchet & Clank series just never did anything for me. I tried to get into it with the first few games but I just thought they fell flat. I was always more into Jak & Daxter.
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