Okay, y'all weren't kidding, this is the best one in the series.

I know it's still a bit early to call it that, but come on. You don't even need to be a Ratchet & Clank fan to see how truly fantastic this game is in every conceivable way. From what I've read, this was supposed to be the finale for the whole series, not just the Future trilogy, but stellar sales figures caused Sony to pressure Insomniac to continue the series, a decision that would go on to benefit them anyway, at least from what I hear of Rift Apart specifically.

You can really tell this is their magnum opus too since pretty much every individual aspect of this game has been fine-tuned to such an impressive extent—it's the smoothest and most enjoyable to play that this series has ever felt.

Having said that, there are some qualms that hold it back a bit. Namely, the camera can be a real bastard to control correctly whenever you really need it. I'm mainly referring to the little platforming gauntlets on the spherical planets that you can attempt now and then. Usually these challenges involve heavy use of Ratchet's hoverboots, a new addition to the series, at least in this form, and an incredibly satisfying method of traversal. However, when you're moving fast and jumping between platforms on a spherical planet that's constantly rotating as you're moving across it, the camera can get a bit lost, resulting in quite a few retries.

It's not a huge deal, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the spaceflight segments themselves. They get the job done, and granted, they're one of the better iterations of it in the series, but I felt that only being able to move your ship on a horizontal axis made some boss fights more frustrating than appropriately challenging. Granted, you can get upgrades for your ship to make these parts smoother to handle, but it never really feels as worthwhile to play as the Ratchet and Clank sections of the game, respectively.

Problems aside, this game really delivers. Most impressive of all is its story. These games have dabbled in mature themes and storytelling before, but A Crack in Time's narrative takes it to the next level, delivering some truly compelling drama and emotional stakes alongside the standard wacky hijinks you've come to expect from the series. Both characters are set on their own odysseys built on themes of legacy and destiny in their own separate, equally engaging ways. These characters have never been written or portrayed better than they are here, and Insomniac's efforts have really paid off.

I was understandably starting to get a little burned out on these games before A Crack in Time came along and perfected the Ratchet & Clank formula. The combat is tight and satisfying, with a surprisingly deep customization system for select weapons that puts an exciting spin on the combat loop just as it was starting to get a bit stale. Clank's gameplay, in particular the timeloop puzzles, is really inspired, and I'd honestly take an entire game of just those sections. In fact, I kind of wish there were more, but I understand they probably didn't want to alienate people who weren't super into them.

So, yes, A Crack in Time delivered on the monumental hype going into it that, for once, wasn't rooted in nostalgia biases or hyperbole. It really is peak Ratchet & Clank.

9/10

Actual peak Ratchet and Clank. The storytelling is at its best here as well as the art direction and gameplay. The space travel is great and overall everything combat wise is much more balanced and fun versus the past Future titles. The space radios are great and full of amazing music. I also love the simplification of gadgets and the new ones presented here with the Hover Boots.

Really my only complaints is that the arsenal doesn't feel as developed as previous titles and that the turret sections are as usual the weakest point. Also a severe lack of Talwyn but I think it was on purpose to have the partner character Azimuth have a deeper connection to both Ratchet and the player.

A Crack in Time follows on from the first R&C Future Game Tools of Destruction's story having gameplay elements that evolves the franchise. You may want to read up on Quest for Booty to fill in a plot hole between the two games.
The first major change is the space piloting. It is done in an open world setting where you can land on mini planets to complete challenges rewarding you upgrades. This was vastly improved from ToD even making the spaceship more manageable. This is a good idea as it makes the whole R&C playable areas far more interactive.
The main 'gimmick weapons' to traverse the stages have changed, showing real innovation of the franchise. However, there was less focus on platforming and removed gliding, but added hover boots to increase mobility and speed in the larger levels.
There are slightly fewer levels but they larger giving more depth to each world. The levels using Clank have been greatly expanded upon with more engaging puzzles which was welcomed. The graphics took a small yet noticeable upgrade once again which felt like playing a low budget Pixar short film in the 2000's.
I really enjoyed the game but slightly prefer ToD. It could be the charm but also likely due to upgrade system in weapons and weapon variety. As A Crack in Time I felt the weapons, although diverse, were limited in how practical they can be. Both are amazing games and worth 20 hours of your time.

Story wise, it's really the most touching one in the series. Putting the relation of the duo in the center of the story was clearly a good choice because it made it feel really emotionnal and I for the first time in the serie I felt moved during some of the cutscenes.

But I have a major complain about the game and it is making it half of the playtime in the ship. I'm the kind of player that HATES spaceship and plane missions in videogames because they almost all the time kill the pacing of the game and ACiT is no exception. I think the game would have benefited a LOT of being more story focused than trying to fill in playtime with terrible spaceship gameplay. For the rest, it's juste like TOD so it's really good and they finally made Clank gameplay interesting and enjoyable after all those terrible moments in the previous games.

Mechanically, this is the best game in the entire franchise. The amount of creativity on display with the levels, characters, and the time-based game mechanics, really give this game an air of wonder. It doesn't hurt that the trademark of the series, the weapons, are firing on all cylinders here, with a solid selection to choose from, all balanced nicely to complement each other.

There's a pretty good story in here too, one that explores the 2 leads in a way that the franchise hasn't really attempted to do before, and arguably since. The dichotomy between playing as Ratchet and playing as Clank really keeps the game paced to never allow any one style of gameplay to become too repetitive too quickly.

This game is just pure fun, a game that looks great, plays great, and is written to keep things light and comedic while still telling an engaging narrative. Games like this are just cozy, and fun no matter when you play it. It may not be my personal favourite in the series, but I can't deny that this is the best Ratchet & Clank game made so far.

The pinnacle of Ratchet & Clank. Witty storytelling, genuinely fun and challenging time-based puzzles for Clank gameplay, an all-around excellent arsenal with new and returning weapons to utilize, great character development, a surprising twist ending, there is so much to love about this game. Only knock off a few points for the space exploration, which is really fun for 80% of the game, but definitely overstays its welcome by the end. Right up there with UYA, the best in the future franchise, and the last truly amazing Ratchet & Clank game.

Oh, man, this is the Future series at its peak. It's got so much to do, so much to see, the story does a far better job counterbalancing comedy and gravitas than Tools did, it even takes fun jabs on the plotholes espoused in the previous entry if you know where to look. It has its problems: namely the removal of gadgets in favor of converting two of them into real weapons, which creates some balancing issues, and sometimes the hoverboot controls can get a little wonky, but Crack in Time does so much with what it's given. The Insomniac Museum even returns in this one.

....The elephant in the room is of course, Nefarious. The primary antagonist of UYA is back and he's out for blood. This is certainly great as; as of yet, no villain has been reintroduced in this way. (Later games in the series however will stop at nothing to shove him back on screen, unfortunately...) Excellently portrayed as out for revenge and power-hungry, Nefarious and his butler steal the show of every scene they're in. They're not even the "primary" antagonists this time, but they sure feel like it.

Pirate Radio is the best station, by the way.

Insomniac brought their A-game during the darkest and most desperate era of PlayStation history - the early lifecycle of the PS3. Of all the R&C games I've played (which admittedly isn't close to all of them), this is the pinnacle. In terms of gameplay it hits all the familiar and dependable beats, but what sets A Crack in Time apart is that it's the funniest, the most epic and (story wise) the most engrossing entry in the franchise.

A shame that it's practically lost to time now. No pun intended.