Ratchet & Clank fans should be dancing in the streets in North America today as the beloved duo’s latest adventure is finally released exclusively for the PlayStation®3. The plot of this latest instalment in their epic saga is told from the perspective of both Ratchet and his robot buddy Clank as they learn the real truth about their origins. Prepare for shocks aplenty!

“We’re excited to finally answer the questions that fans have had about Ratchet & Clank’s origins ever since we began the Ratchet & Clank Future series on the PS3,” said Brian Allgeier, creative director, Insomniac Games. “We wanted to give something back to our dedicated fan base, so we developed the story with them in mind, bringing back some old favourite characters, such as Dr. Nefarious, one of the franchise’s most beloved villains, as well as introducing new characters that reveal more about Ratchet & Clank’s pasts.”

The game environments range from verdant forests to snow-covered landscapes and players will get to explore them as both Ratchet & Clank, utilising lots of new moves and abilities. Ratchet has new hoverboots enabling him to blast off into the sky and rocket his way around each new planet visited, while Clank’s levels will involve the player in solving time-based puzzles designed to stretch the mind.

“Insomniac Games continues to raise the bar with Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time utilising fourth-generation PS3 technology to deliver a rich and vibrant universe that brings the experience of playing a CG-animated movie to PS3 fans,” said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, Product Marketing, SCEA. “With a heartfelt storyline, sophisticated humour and series-renowned arsenal of new and classic weapons, including the fan-submitted Spiral of Death, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time offers fun and accessible gameplay that fans of all ages will enjoy.”

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time has been rated E10+ by the ESRB.

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.