Sony has today released brand spanking new screenshots from forthcoming PS3 Ratchet and Clank game, A Crack in Time. If these beauties are anything to go by fans of the dynamic duo are in for a real treat. Fans can also expect to have lots of loose ends tied up in the course of the game, as A Crack in Time is set to conclude the story arc of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Ratchet & Clank Future®: Quest for Booty.

Players will be able to control both Ratchet and Clank on yet another quest to save the universe. Both will have new powers to draw on, including Ratchet’s self-explanatory Hoverboots, and Clank’s new time-manipulation abilities, which should help when dealing with the dastardly Dr. Nefarious who turns up again like a bad penny. It turns out that it was Dr. Nefarious all along who was behind Clank’s disappearance, so it’s up to Ratchet to try and rescue his best buddy before things turn really nasty. Which they do anyway, of course.

As well as exploring huge non-linear levels and experiencing all-new space-battle gameplay, players will be able to get their hands on lots of new weapons, including the Cryo-Bomb Glove, Plasma Striker and Sonic Erupter, alongside old favourites such as the Negotiator and Buzz Blades.

Currently the game has no firm release date, but it is expected to appear before the end of the year.