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Ratchet and Clank games usually have a little extra for true series fans who want to dig deeper, and A Crack in Time isn't looking to break that trend. Developer Insomniac wants to make sure that those who have played the game are getting out of it all that's in there, pointing out five things for fans not to miss:

• Space Radio
• Dynamo of Doom
• Community Profile
• Insomniac Museum
• Return to the Great Clock

What does it all mean? Check out the video after the break for the full details.

If you're impressed by the works of artist Ben Mauro -- featured on his blog, "Perpetual Motion" -- you may soon be seeing more of it in the next game from Resistance developer Insomniac Games. According to Mauro's LinkedIn profile, he spent three sleepless months from March until May 2009 crafting content for several projects, including "RCF2" (presumably Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time), "R3" and some unannounced items. [Note: Mentions of "R3" and "unannounced projects" have mysteriously vanished since we contacted the parties concerned.]

Though Insomniac's PlayStation 3 release pattern -- oh, and a massive billboard -- would seem to unfurl "R3" as Resistance 3, a third outing for Chimera crusher Nathan Hale has not been officially announced. A bigger, better sequel would undoubtedly provide a good opportunity to counter the negative feedback that the previous game incurred in hardcore fans.

[Via Game Guru]

It probably comes as no surprise to you -- our well-informed and educated audience -- but the Ratchet & Clank series isn't just designed for the kids. Edge spoke with Insomniac writer TJ Fixman, who expressed that the primary audience for the weapon-indulgent platformer is the "male 18-34" demographic. He notes that teens who played the first game back in 2002 are now in their twenties and stayed fans of the series.

Fixman notes that males under 18 could be the "interchangeable primary-secondary market," but that the PS3 user base skews older. He compares the Ratchet style to the Shrek series, explaining that Insomniac tries to find the right blend of humor that'll appeal to a large audience. Now the question remains: When will we see Ratchet & Clank again?

"We want to give you guys, our fans and players, the best looking games you can buy on a console," Insomniac developer Mike Acton wrote on his company's blog. There's certainly no doubt that the team's latest release, A Crack in Time, is a very good looking game. But how much better could it have looked if Insomniac was willing to sacrifice its 60fps rate?

Consoles only offer a finite amount of resources, and developers utilize various tricks to get the results they want. For example, Bungie noted that a drop in vertical resolution in Halo 3 offered them increased bandwidth for improved lighting effects. Dropping the framerate would allow Insomniac -- and other developers -- to increase the amount of detail in each frame, something the studio is seriously considering. "There is virtually no advantage in sales or reviews of a 60 fps game versus a 30 fps game," Acton notes.

In fact, in some cases, a lowered framerate actually makes a game look better, Acton explains. "A drop in framerate is interestingly seen by some players as a reward for creating or forcing a complex setup in which a lot of things must happen on the screen at once." We nickname that phenomenon the "Otogi 2 effect." With all of these aspects considered, it seems the studio will no longer focus on locking a 60 fps rate. "It means that framerate is still important to us here at Insomniac, but it's not on the same pedestal it was before. And that Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time will probably be Insomniac's last 60fps game."

[Thanks, Marius!]

According to Insomniac's James Stevenson, the developer might not begin maxing out the PlayStation 3's power for at least two or three years. The senior community manager's comments (via CVG) are directed towards how efficient developers have become at using Sony's platform to develop its titles. Since it launched, the PlayStation 3 has been notoriously -- and perhaps erroneously -- described as difficult to develop for, but Stevenson applauds Sony for creating hardware with "really long life spans."

"We're using all of the PS3 right now," Stevenson says. "But you can always be more efficient in the way you use it." Insomniac's latest, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time arrives in stores Stateside today and will no doubt include some of the wackiest weaponry gamers have ever been privy to, regardless of how much of the Cell processor is needed to render 'em.

For dedicated Ratchet & Clank fans, playing the previous two entries in the series is going to reward your devotion with a couple of unlocked bonuses in upcoming Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. Folks who played Tools of Destruction will receive discounts with weapons merchants and those who played Quest for Booty will be rewarded with a pirate hat, ThatVideoGame Blog reports. [Image Credit: PS Nation]

A representative for Insomniac Games clarified for us that "You receive discounts on the returning weapons (Negotiator, Buzz Blades, Mag-Net Launcher, Mr. Zurkon, Groovitron Glove) for a Tools of Destruction save, and the pirate hat for Ratchet on the Community screen for the Quest for Booty save." Though neither bonus will dramatically affect time spent with A Crack in Time, it's always nice to see developers rewarding franchise loyalty.

Insomniac Games noted on its official Twitter page that Ratchet and Clank will get a little help from their PALs when A Crack in Time makes its way to European territories on November 4th . It lands on British shores shortly afterward on November 6th.

It also appears that the R&C demo will not be available this week in the EU -- hopefully that'll arrive soon. A Crack in Time launches next week in North America, with one of two demos available later today when the PlayStation Network updates.

Sony's Playstation Blog announced today that the two expected Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time demos will hit the PSN over the next couple weeks. The first one, releasing this Thursday, is the Clank demo (he's the robot). Players will take the bucket of bolts with a destiny through the Great Clock, as he learns some "time-based abilities" for puzzle solving.

Next week will be Ratchet's turn to shake his money maker so you'll buy the game. Although the details are scarce as to what players will do in the demo, if we know anything about that lombax -- and after seven games, we certainly know plenty -- it'll involve blowing stuff up with crazy weaponry.

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time may be the titular duo's last adventure -- at least, for a while. Speaking with CNN, Insomniac's creative director for the game, Brian Allgeier, stated, "Never say never, but people need that closure. ... We hope to be wrapping things up with a bow."

It seems unclear, from the comments Allgeier gave to CNN, whether he's referring to the franchise or just the storyline started in the Ratchet and Clank Future series. With 16 million copies of R&C games sold across seven installments since 2002, sales obviously have a lot to say when it comes to sequels. If A Crack in Time does well, we wouldn't be surprised to see the Lombax and his metal companion return within a couple years -- well rested and with some fresh ideas.

We've never really understood the attraction of adding a middleman to the digital distribution sales model. Why would anyone want to purchase a download code for a PSN or XBLA title through a third party, when they could just as easily purchase the same title directly through those services? Now we know the answer to that question -- because occasionally, those vendors will undercut the price of those services' first-party offerings. (Does this qualify as a scenario deserving of an "oh, snap?" We believe so. Oh, snap.)

Amazon recently lowered the price of a download code for Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty to $10 -- which is a $5 discount off the game's current price on PSN. We're sure Sony doesn't appreciate being undersold, but Amazon's cheapening of one of the PSN's most robust titles -- and the predecessor to the swiftly approaching A Crack in Time -- is definitely okay in our book.

[Via Cheap College Gamers]

A keen-eyed NeoGAF user by the name of goldsoundz noticed a startling billboard in his home town of Shreveport, Louisiana -- splayed out on the massive overhead placard is the logo for the heretofore unannounced next installment in Insomniac Games' PS3 shooter franchise, Resistance 3. Goldsoundz explained that Shreveport is a popular spot for film shoots, and that the ad was to be incorporated in a film titled Battle: Los Angeles, which is due out in early 2011.

By that timeline, it makes sense that Insomniac could slap another game together by the film's theatrical debut -- still, seeing gargantuan promotions for a game that hasn't been formally announced (or discussed) is a bit surprising. Certainly more surprising than a potential announcement for Resistance 3, because, come on, of course there's gonna be a Resistance 3.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Insomniac Games has a winning formula with its Ratchet & Clank franchise. Problem is? They're almost too reliably good. The franchise has been known for its mix of platforming and sci-fi gunplay, and the latest, A Crack in Time, is no different. The requisite improvements necessary for a sequel are all in play: better (and more stylized) graphics, more explosions, and even more powerful weapons. However, A Crack in Time has a genuine chance of being the best Ratchet & Clank ever, thanks to its increased focus on challenging platform stages.

The weapons have always been the stars of the franchise, but A Crack in Time's time-bending theme makes for some interesting and ingenious moments that are, put simply, fun. You've already read about the unique Clank stages, in which players must record copies of themselves to solve puzzles. These interludes make for a far more thoughtful game than previous iterations in the franchise and emphasize the kind of depth Insomniac is trying to add to the experience.

The PlayStation.Blog has announced the release date for Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. But wait -- isn't that, as commenters like to point out, old news? Thankfully, more can be gleamed from the box art included with the post.

In addition to touting the redesigned PS3 logo, the box art for A Crack in Time features the now-standard PlayStation Network banner on the back. The various PSN features include Trophies, PlayStation Home support, leaderboards and ... multiplayer? That's certainly new to us.

Unfortunately, a SCEA representative confirmed to us that the box art posted on the web was constructed from a template and that all information listed in the PSN banner is simply placeholder. That doesn't mean A Crack in Time won't have multiplayer -- but it means that this is far from the "omg confirmationz!!!!1" that many have been hoping for. Update: SCEA's Jefferson Dong puts it more directly: "There is no multiplayer."

[Thanks, tmacairjordan87]

It's time for the dynamic duo to go into space! No, we're not talking about Batman and Robin. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time will expand the space exploration elements of Tools of Destruction by replacing the on-rails shooter sequences with an open universe to traverse through. Players will be able to stop on various moons and small planets and partake in spherical platforming sequences inspired by Super Mario Galaxy er, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando.

We're not entirely sure how big the explorable galaxy will be, but we're sure platforming freaks are excited of the prospect of a universe's worth of fetch quests. With battles scattered throughout space, we're hopeful that Insomniac has the insight to make the universe a tad more exciting than the oceans of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.

The mechanically savvy Lombax and his just-plain-mechanical companion -- the duo known as Ratchet and Clank -- begin their latest adventure, A Crack in Time, on October 27. The Ratchet and Clank series continues its familiar (yet enjoyable) gameplay in the latest incarnation: exploring strange new worlds, solving some puzzles and blasting everything that moves with an array of kooky weaponry.

There's still time to get in on the various pre-order bonuses available from retailers -- it's just all about picking the one that's right for you.