Ratchet and Clank

PS3 owners rejoice! Insomniac Games (creators of Resistance: Fall of Man) has once again delivered unto us a small oasis in the lackluster desert of PS3 exclusives. Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction, the sixth iteration of the popular franchise, delivers the same tried and true game play and quirky storytelling fans of the series have been enjoying for the last five years.

This time Ratchet and Clank are pitted against the nefarious Emperor Tachyon, the evil Cragmite overlord of the Polaris galaxy. As the last of the Lombax, the species responsible for the downfall of the Cragmites, Ratchet has been made public enemy number one. He must race Tachyon across the galaxy to find the Lombax's secret weapon, while fighting robotic space pirates with a penchant for yoga, collecting souls for a morally ambiguous smuggler (and his talking parrot), surviving the "help" of the bumbling Captain Qwark and following the directions of the mysterious Zoni (a race of flying robots that only Clank can see). Interspersed with cheesy jokes and ridiculous situations, the storyline is engaging, though it is the game play that will keep you coming back for more.

Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, Insomniac leaves the shooter-platformer hybrid largely unchanged. You still collect a variety of increasingly powerful, quirky and often whimsical weapons and devices, ranging from a trusty sidearm to the "Groovitron," a floating disco ball that enthralls nearby foes and forces them to "get jiggy with it."

However, the PS3 has allowed Tools of Destruction a few notable differences. Graphically, the game is on the receiving end of a significant facelift, taking full advantage of the system's unique capabilities.

Insomniac has made extensive use of the Sixaxis controller to glide, skydive, control rampaging tornadoes and, in a surprisingly fun hacking mini-game, roll a marble around a circuit board, while retaining controls that feel natural and unforced-unlike the many notable failures of the Sixaxis system (Lair, anyone?).

While RaC:TOD won't be winning any awards for innovation, this solid title delivers 12 to 15 hours of genuine fun. Finally... a reason to dust off the PS3.