Hey guys and gals! How we all doing? Me? Well a couple of days ago, I went on my e-mail where I haven't read many of the free IGN and Gamespot newsletters for a while... if at all but on Wednesday night while scouting through all my messages from Disqus and stuff, something caught my eye. Something about Ratchet and Clank not only returning with a major game but going back to it's roots. First of all, we have the celebration...
... and so now I'm gonna write about many things about this announcement including an analysis of the trailer by moi but also why there may be some form of skepticism but before we go down that road, we must know, what is this game and what part does it have to play in the Ratchet and Clank story?
Well for starters (no I'm not ordering a meal), this game is known as Ratchet and Clank: In to the Nexus and even though Insomniac Games said they wouldn't continue with the Future sub-series as they wished on keeping it a trilogy with Tools of Destruction, Quest for Booty (I know what you're thinking, AC4, yeah, yeah) and finally A Crack in Time, it seems that the latest criticism of their latest games, All 4 One and the latest Full Frontal Assault which were mostly based on linear coop was enough to convince them to deliver a game with a more traditional style set after the events of A Crack in Time and maybe possibly incorporating the latest story or even creating a brand new one about the fate of the Lombaxes.
However what is this so-called traditional style of this unique series? Hmm... If I could sum it up in a few words, I would say that a definite non-linear game at least for the PS2 games. No doubt about that since as you progress through the game, you will be able to unlock more planets and locations to visit all over the galaxy with all kinds of unique environments and many cases aliens where you could have a farming planet full of people to a planet full of radio speakers and such. Who knows? Maybe for this new game, we could get to visit Galaxy Burger!
Now, the non-linear part comes from the fact that you can return to these planets and locations and it never felt like levels, never felt like games like Crash Bandicoot where you never returned to them for a main mission. No! With R&C, you really are going wherever the adventure takes you but you were revisiting many with new areas and many times with new gadgets to reach somewhat impassible areas before and maybe just to try out the gun that turns enemies in to chickens, The Quaker.
Although it's not entirely an open world game, the series had so much to offer, weapons that could be upgraded up to 10 and in some cases, even 100 depending on whether you playing the game again or which game, many races to win and many collectibles to search for maybe by the use of using a puzzler gadget which all changed in each game to provide puzzles more focused on reaction timing as opposed or even including thinking.
These variable gadgets, amazing weapons that really pushed you on further through the game, making it more replayablility and a sense of... I don't know... space awe? It felt something that could be compared with other successful franchises such as Star Wars and Mass Effect.
Future
I'm not surprised about why the PS3 sub series was known as Future. It's basically the future of gaming with stunning graphics, very close to Uncharted in my opinion. Once again, they were even able to create a much more backround story to the characters and mystery to the universe which was odd for an Insomniac Game since usually they made R&C games where villains and stories don't return (you know, apart from the comical few (coughs) Captain Qwark (coughs)) making it more standalone in nature and even though the PS2 versions were becoming much more darker and Tools of Destruction remained at the level before the fourth game, the story itself was much more serious and made me think that the R&C series doesn't need to have a darker tone. With the pace it's going, it's a 10/10 series in my books! Now I won't go in to Quest for Booty since it was just to add some new weapons and conclude the pirate story, it changed with A Crack in Time where it was made to look more like a cartoon which wasn't was so disappointing but was with the later sequels. Many R&C fans remained open about and many of us loved it with the more open world sections within Space systems and systems which is meant to inspire a similar theme for R&C: In to the Nexus... but this isn't without it's skepticism...
...But before we go in to that, we need to understand this next game for the info we have so far... which includes Space Monkeys so prepare yourselves! 
Analysis
Villain(s)
So from the trailer just then, we can see that it takes place sometime after A Crack in Time (unless they tripped on a time machine or something) and appears introduce a possible new villainess with a Space Monkey and what appears to be a Space Dinosaur-oid of some sort. Very likely a new alien species to replace the secondary villains Romulus Slag and Rusty Pete and what better way to replace them with my favourite species (Dinosaurs) and what I was like as a child (Monkeys)... what I possibly still am today! 0_0
Although hold on there! We can't just call her a villainess all of a sudden. Her voice may have just been used for dramatic affect. However I do think that it could be Angela Cross from R&C2 and it would make sense to carry on her story since many R&C fans felt a little dumb founded that neither did we know about the true fate of all the Lombaxes, but what about the other Lombax that we only know about in Ratchet's Universe... so far. I mean there could still be a planet full with an entire civilization. Maybe they even made their own consoles and handhelds! 
Something that supports my claim is the part at 0:20 where a Lombax-oid is seen within a forcefield. Maybe she became evil and tried to use her own robots to defend herself after Percival Tachyon's rise to evil. To be honest, she always felt like a shady character since we never really knew much about her. A kiss with Ratchet doesn't mean she's not thinking of world domination or rather galaxy domination... universal domination... dimensional domination? Maybe I'm just getting a bit ahead of myself. Maybe she is the character in the forcefield but another villainess tries to stop the Lombaxes or there's a different races within the Lombax race. Maybe that's what she means by brothers. It could even be a guy impersonating a woman. I know that sounds crazy but it wouldn't be the first time in the series. For all we know, it could even be Qwark!
Nonetheless, this sounds like a serious villain, possibly connected to Ratchet's past. I'm not saying it's his mother come back from the dead but it could be someone who knows about the Lombaxes in the Universe but I'm sure there will be some sort of comedy mixed in. 
Gameplay
With the traditional style returning, it looks like it's heading more to A Crack in Time non-linear style, I mean at 0:40 it looks like there is a huge fun world to traverse around where gadgets can make you fly (0:46) and even the space open world environment which may even be used without a Space ship. Hmm... Maybe not completely. I couldn't see any faster than light Lombaxes flying just outside the Starship Enterprise anytime soon but it looks like they'll be plenty of zero gravity traversal which allows you to fly around to all those small moons to collect all those bolts for easy pickings... but don't forget those trusty magneboots! Don't want to fly in world full of Lombax killers would you?
There are also many weapons that have been shown from the trailer including a weapon which can turn enemies in to friendly snowman (1:07) and another which can turn them in to their worst nightmares! Although on't worry! I'm sure they're all upgraded to become your next No.1 R&C weapon.
Story
At the moment, we do know that Captain Qwark, Talwyn, Cronk and Zephyr will be returning which is great because who couldn't forgot Zephyr. As well as introducing some others including a lot of aliens, robots and of course many planets and the graphics for the planet, the Quasar and the characters look stunning even though it's still kinda part cartoon. However what's the overall narrative about? It's unclear about from a bit of speculation from me. However the wallpaper released to promote the game makes me think that there will be a story searching for Lombaxes in to other dimensions and the universe since it looks like there will be wormholes to be used for teleporting through space. The opposite of time travel in A Crack in Time.
This is the wallpaper and feel free to use the full pic for your own wallpaper if you wish.
Skepticism
So now that we've sorted out what will be featured in the game, lets go back to what gamers may think could be a problem. OK here we go...
First off, it's still not going back to the more mature theme with the PS2 games and for many, A Crack in Time was really a point where the series was turning in to a series more focused on younger audiences but also with the Future series, it means that after ending the sub series, continuing it again would mean that all of a sudden, the story hasn't been concluded and may have meant less, therefore making it a non-permanent conclusion where many would just want to move on. Personally I don't mind. I would have preferred the series to head to a theme like the PS2 versions or maybe even Tools of Destruction where we could see the return of the Q-Force and the Solana Galaxy. Soon to become the new Justice League and Avengers. Aside from the one in Full Frontal Assault.
However no matter how cartoon like the series will become, it's going back to it's traditional style of non-linear gameplay and exploration when many thought the series would be ditched for games like Fuse like what they did with Resistance. I think Insomniac Games has a special place for their list of video games developed since it really built their company up in the popular sixth generation with the PS2 selling the highest amount of consoles ever recorded and so even if the games are still developed within a 1 year window, they still manage to attract many R&C gamers, maybe not as much with the coop games but with the PS2 and Future games, I stand by my point. Which is a plus for me since I love Space and the game is likely to provide more answers to the Lombax race and fate which would be cool if we could visit these dimensions and meet a Lombax version of me! Afterall, even if does have a cartoon feel to the game, doesn't mean the story will. I mean the entire Universe is at threat, not just a galaxy.
Ratchet and Clank: In to the Nexus will be released sometime around the Christmas holiday this year and with both blu-ray and digital versions, exclusively to the PS3. So if you're buying the blu-ray version, be sure to look for this cover in your local store...
However don't threat that this won't be released for the PS4 but then again GT6 may have a next gen release sometime after it's own PS3 release and who knows? This is said to be an epilogue to the Future series so anything could happen! Including a brand new series for the PS4 which could see the return to the to the more mature theme. I mean there was rumoured game known as Ratchet and Clank: Nexus which was meant to take place just after R&C3 to be released for 2006 but was cancelled for Ratchet: Deadlocked where Naughty Dog also cancelled Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier for Jak X. This is shown by the concept art below...
As well as a quote from Insomniac Games themselves, "Following Up Your Arsenal, we entertained the idea of putting our heroes on a singular planet. The design revolved around a global conflict between two alien races and we thought it could be interesting if Ratchet and Clank had differing ideas about the war. Eventually the project changed direction to become Ratchet: Deadlocked, although the idea of one planet stayed with us and reemerged in All 4 One."
If this is legit and became true, we may have seen a much darker version for the Ratchet and Clank and also the Jak and Daxter for the PS3.
So in the end, are you exited with this new game? Do you think that the PS2 R&C: Nexus would have been a better path to the series? If you have something to say, please don't hesitate to write in the comments.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.