Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time

With its fantastic mix of platforming and shooting gameplay, the Ratchet & Clank series has always struck me as a sort of modern day Mega Man. I mean, there are obviously plenty of differences between the two series, but on a fundamental level the two share a perfection and balance of their core mechanics. What attracted us to one series two decades ago still enthralls us today -- though Ratchet & Clank has the benefit of several gameplay lessons developers have learned along the way, from the appeal of item collection to weapon upgrades.
But let's be honest, in the Ratchet & Clank series Insomniac found itself a fantastic formula that's remained consistently fun and entertaining, and has been easy to replicate -- we've seen nine Ratchet games in the past eight years (counting the PSP titles). Because of this, if you're burnt out on the series, I'll completely understand if you plan to skip out on this latest installment. I'll understand, sure, but I'll still try to convince you otherwise.