As a fan and having played the series since 2002 when it hit the PS2 I was a bit letdown with Tools of Destruction not that its a bad game its actually quiet excellent but it felt like the same as last time. Also A Quest for Booty its follow up I would like to forget that game. So A Crack in Time my early impressions so far.

Well you get a recap of the previous 2 installments story by Captain Qwark of the dissappearence of Clank. You realise that Dr Nefarious brought him there because he's a robot. Clank does manage to escape and from what I have played of him. I actually like playing as Clank much more now that he has a weapon called the Hypersonic Brainwave Scrambler. He can throw time bombs to slow enemies down and make platforms able to jump on because they are full of electricity to begin with. Another puzzle is he has to creat copys of himself for most puzzles and they can be quiet tricky at first but once you master it which won't take long it becomes really clever. Some are challeneging and fun puzzles. So I actually like playing as Clank thanks to his new weapon and new abilities. His adventure takes place in a place called the Great Clock.

Now onto Ratchet well simple if you have played previous installments. You buy weapons to blow up bad guys. When you purchase weapons though this time you see a small indroduction on how to use them well. You can modify them too by changing the way you want to fire them for example if you have a bomb type weapon you can have them timed and bullets can be much stronger too. You still have to upgrade armour or else furtue enemies will wipe the floor with you. Some of the guns are quiet cool but maybe Insominiac is running low on crazy weapons but there are some good weapons there.

Also as Ratchet you have to called creatures called Zoni to power up your ship for either more firepower,speed orthe way you want it to look. In space unlike the previous games you can search around for small planets and land on them and do certain tasks like getting Zoni or bolts or maybe a skill point. You have dogfights against ships as well so its nice to know your not just wandering about in space doing nothing by just going to the next planet. I guess you could say they tried to make it like Zelda making you have to wander around the Galaxy looking for places and i like that more variation. Yolu can fire missiles or bullets and other weapons too. Also you can do barrell rolls and U Turns toget back too where you want to go. The action doesn't seem slow in Ratchet games on foot and this is no exception.

Unlike its predesscors there are 3 difficult settings to choose from I went for the normal mode. So it gives me a reason to come back and try a harder mode when I eventually finish the game. Also this game has trophies as well unlike the last Ratchet game so that adds more replayability. The graphics aren't the big step up from its predesscor but so far I am really liking this game and I shall give you my overall thoughts on the game overall sometime next week.

Since I have owned 3 Playstation consoles I felt why not do a top 5 countdown of Playstation characters. Now the rule is they don't have to be an exclusive Playstation character its they just have to have had an exclusive title on the Playstation system so here is my list. Hope you enjoy the list.

5.The old Spyro the Dragon: I put the old Spyro of the dragon from the PS1 days pon the list because I thought he had such a good personality. What I loved about the old Spyro was he was strong for such a short dragon and while he always got picked on he took down formidable foes like Gnasty Gnorc,Ripto and the Sorceress.His old style PS1 games were fun and felt close to the style of Mario 64. It was free roaming unlike the early Crash games. So while no match for Mario 64 his games were fun. You played mini games had cool moves and awesome bosses. Shame the purple flaming dragon has fallen apart since Insominac left him for Ratchet and Clank.

The old Spyro from the PS1 days

4.Doctor Nefarious:Ratchet and Clank series:If you are a Ratchet and Clank fan you know who this guy is. Dr Nefarious is a villain who ated allnon robotic lifeforms and wanted them turned into Robots using a weapon called the Boblitorator. While he hates all living life forms he wasone himself. During an epsiode of the Captain Quark series. He had a history with Captain Quark and ended on being picked on by in school. He ended up falling into a pit and becoming a robot. What makes such an awesome villain is he is evil but he also has a bit of comedy to him as well. He yells at his assistance and sometimes his headgear gets stuck with the lines Janice and Lance which was an old soap oprea which his butler Lawerance has to whack to get him back to normal it usually happens when he goes Qwarrrrrrk. His defeat left him on an asteroid after the 3rd Ratchet and Clank game. When I heard he was the villain in a Crack in Time I just knew this game was gonna be good because he's the best villain in the series and most occurring one as well. He had a rivalry with Captain Qwark but his rivalry with Ratcht and Clank is much more fierce than than his old rivalry with Qwark and he is Secret Agent Clanks number 1 fan.

Dr Nefarious from Ratchet and Clank

3.Solid Snake: He isn't an exclusive character but his 4 biggest games were on the Playstation. He is a hero who uses stealth and awesome weapons. He hides in places and is basically one guy you don't want to mess with. He certainly does have help from his assistant Otacon and rivalrly with Liquid Snake. He always seems to get into danger but he always manages to find his way out of it thanks to his skills. He basically has used a rocket launchers,sniper rifles and battled tanks so what more can more say.

Snake from Metal Gear Solid

2.Nathan Drake: Nathan Drake has become one of my personal fan favourites. He has all the attributes of a hero. He is quiet possibly a descendant of Sir Francis Drake is always looking for adventure. He climbs up vines and onto bricks and he also seems to have a bitof charm to him. He has had 2 females over. Elena and Chloe. He has a long friendship with a man named Victor Sullivan. he guy does seem to have a bit of bad luck with certain situations like falling from ropes and getting in trouble with people. He is though an all out action hero. He has handled a tanked and fired from cars and jumped from them too. He has used weapons like renades,rocket launchers,shotguns,magnums and machine guns. He has used stealth as well. He comes out with some good lines as well. He is just looks like an ordinary hero but if you have payed through Uncharted you know he is anything but because the guy basically has all the attribute Heavyweaponry,love intrest and getting himself into trouble.

Nathan Darke

MY FAVOURITE PLAYSTATION CHARACTER OF ALL TIME IS

1.Ratchet and Clank: I couldn't say which one I perfer more because technically these 2 together are an awesome duo so its basically a joint first place and for good reason. Ratchet and Clank meet on Veldin when Clank crash lands there. The duo basically build a friendship during the game and help each other out. What I like about Ratchet is he has quiet some awesome weapons to use from the series like Suck Cannon,The RYNO,Annihlator,Miniturret Glove,Groovitron and more. He does tease Clank but Clank is use to it. I like Clank because while short he is useful. He has had his own TV showing Secret Agent Clank in Ratchet and Clank 3. He can basically hover and also control other robots. Basically one is without the other. The series has grown on humour,awesome weapons,cool gadgets and action. While on Ratchets back Clank can hover use a Thruster pack and also make hm swim faster. Ratchet has piloted ships,hoverboarded and grinded down rails. Ratchet and Clank are virtually made for each other alone they are good but together they are awesome because they have built a great friendship for each other and hopefully it continues because Ratchet and Clank together make a great partnership.

Ratchet and Clank

So there you go my top 5 Playstation characters. I couldn't quiet manage 10 so I hope you like the list.

These are some of the titles I am getting in the next year you could say and some that I might get. It's quiet a long list so enjoy.

Games I will be getting

Ratchet and Clank A Crack in Time: It has virtually just come out in the UK so I have to wait till morning to get it but boy am I looking forward to this.

New Super Mario Bros Wii: 2D Mario sidescroller plus 4 players maximum equals must get in my book. New power ups and challenging levels. Something new and fun that should entertain me in single player and multiplayer.

Zelda Spirit Tracks: It's Zelda what else needs to be said. Zelda games are always good and I am including Phantom Hourglass as well.

God of War Collection: Never played God of War 1 or 2 so I need to play them masterpieces.

God of War 3: It is virtually on every PS3 owners list.

Super Street Fighter 4: At a lower price than a standard game and by how good number 4 was I can't say I aren't looking forward to this and with more moves and characters it should rock.

Gran Turismo 5: A racer I have my eye on. Not a big fan of racing games but the graphics sure do look nice and the game looks amazingly realistic.

Metroid Other M: Samus is been taken in a new direction. We all know Prime was fantastic so why can't this be too.

Mario Galaxy 2: The game I have wanted since I first saw it. If you know by now that its predesscor was the best title on the Wii by far but can the sequel out do it.

Maybes

Tatsunoko vs Capcom: With Tekken 6 letting me down will this please me and the reason I have it as a maybe is because Super Street Fighter 4 will probably be much better and I might not play it that much.

Bayonetta: A game that scored well in Famitsu magazine. I have heard the PS3 version isn't anywhere near as good as the 360 version so maybe that might put me off but should still be good. I just love action packed games.

Sonic and SEGA All Star Racing: One I am on the fence about. It looks to lack the magic of the Mario Kart games.

Project Needlemouse working title: 2D Sonic games normally don't dissapoint but with no footage yet and recent console failures this is anohter maybe.

Zelda Wii working title: It might not come out in 2010 so its a maybe if it was it would be a must get. We have seen nothing just heard a few rumours about it when will Nintendo unevil Links next big adventure through Hyrule.

I aren't 100% sure I will get all the must haves I listed but those I have high expectations for and the maybes while they look promising they might no be able to keep me occupied for hours or a rival title in that gnere is coming out that i will perfer or the fact that it might not even come out yes I am talking about Zelda Wii being a possible 2011.

After the hope I thought Tekken 6 would be good sadly it feels slow and so last gen and virtually just plain boring from what I can say. I have even tried my hardest to like it but it just doesn't have the spark of Street Fighter 4. It feels old and nowhere near as fun.

The main areas that hurt the game are online and single player. Even Dark Resurrection on the PSP was miles better than it and I got that game at a budget price. The single player campaign makes the Subspace Emissary look great. At least with certain single player expereinecs in fighters you get rewards. Here are a few examples.

In Tekken Dark Resurrection you get unlockable mini games and fighting opponents is fun because they get stronger as you play them.

Street Fighter 4 well you complete the Arcade Mode you get unlockable characters. Soul Calibur 2 a game I recently bought even rewards you and has a excellent single player experience called weapons master where you can purchase new weapons and more characters. Even though the Subspace Emiassry in SSBB does suck at least you have an easier way to get characters like Falco,Sonic,Snake,Ganon,Lucario,Luigi,Game and Watch and so on. Tekken 6 basically gives you no reward for its single player.You do get to change your characters outfit but why would I want that it doesn't affect the gameplay or make your character better.

Fighting games aren't about single player but at least some of them do have fun single player. I played World Tour in Street Fighter Alpha 3 which was worth it. Tekken Dojo in Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection and Weapons Master in Soul Calibur 2 and they were all fun and rewarding. Maybe its a good idea SEGA haven't made a Streets of Rage in 3D because thats what it would look like yes Tekken 6. Also the game has one of the cheapest final bosses ever which is about 3 times your size. It makes Seth look like a pushover.

Anyway I have had enough with the game and aren't playing it. I am gonna trade it in on Friday for Ratchet and Clank A Crack in Time which isn't out in the UK yet. Can I say I am really looking forward to playing Ratchet and Clank after playing the demo. The game shall keep me busy for about 4 or 5 days when I have it. Tekken 6 is boring and flat and lacks any spark compared to its predesscors and most importantly its rivals. Street Fighter 4,Virtual Fighter 5,Dead or Alive 4,Soul Calibur 4,BlazeBlue Calamity Trigger.

I gave the game a 7.6 and while its not normally a bad score you could say for a series like Tekken it certainly is. The only real reason to play this is if your a die hard fan of the series which I aren't. So I shall be trading it in for Ratchet and Clank which hits the store on Friday in the UK.

These are the reasons why Tekken 6 was dissapointing in my opinion. I am stating facts from fighting games that had fun single player expereinces that were fun to play and not all about multiplayer but Tekken 6 virtually does suck. I aren't being biased towards the series I am being completely honest that against its fighting game counterparts it is trailing well behind them.

I am gonna conclude this by enjoyment in terms of how the game plays and by its online so please respect my opinions. I think I shall also give you links to all my reviews of all 4 titles seeing if you think I was a little harsh or a bit soft on one of them.

Gameplay

Super Smash Bros virtually brings more items and more characters to the table and basically what it has as an advantage is you can use 4 different control combinations. Wii mote and Nunchuck,Classic Controller,Wii mote or standard Gamecube pad. Not the massive leap forward people expected after Melee but it does seem different and it plays well. Also Smash Balls make the matches as mad as ever when trying to unleash the Final Smash.

Soul Calibur 4 well basically the same as before the only new feature I have come across is critical finishes but I never managed to pull one off. The game doesn't seem to have changed much but the Critical finishes are nice.

Street Fighter 4 Well the game can be played with 3 types of controls. The standard PS3 or 360 controller,A Madcatz fightstick and they have some sort of retro fighting stick as well. They all work well. In terms of features some have critcised the Focus attack but I like it and the Ultra combos lead to character animation like their faces which brings out the expression of them getting beat by a Ken,Akuma or Balrog Ultra combo finish. The Ultra combo is used when you have enough revenge gauge to deal damage but if you miss you are screwed. EX attacks are used by a super bar at the bottom and are very effective unless you want to use a Super Combo.

Tekken 6 okay so you can break through the floor in certain areas but that is hardly something we didn't see in Mortal Kombat 3. You can play using the standard PS3 or 360 pad and that Madcatz conmtroller like Street Fighter 4. The only real new feature I have come across is the Rage feature that s a more powerful attack but it seems to be ripping off Street Fighter 4 Ultra combo finish.

So results for gameplay 1st Street Fighter 4,2nd SSBB,3rd Soul Calibur 4, 4th Tekken 6

Online

Super Smash Bros Brawl has Basica Brawl and Team battle which I won't defend sucks. You can watch matches by betting coins to get more trophies. The best place is you friends because you can set the rules but its very poor. No win and loss statistics unacceptable Nintendo. You could be searching for ages to find matches.

Soul Calibur 4 It online is alright but matches do tend to be over quiet quickly. Some might play dirty and try and try and ring you out if they are running low on health. There's Standard battle and Custom Battle which it can take a whil to find but it eventually does run quiet smooth. You can even as a bonus pick a character you created to use so thats a bonus. You move up levels by certain matches.

Street Fighter 4 has one of the best online modes of any fighting game ever. The Ranked mode is solid but you can lose alot of points if you go down to a very low scoring opponent. The connection is good find a good connection even 3 bars for a match runs well. Player matches you can play someone endless times there and it could be a good place to master new characters and you can even invite friends as well. Finally there is a mode that was added a few months after release as a free download. Championship mode. You start in the G3 league and you have to score a certain amount of points to rank up. 2000 gets you in the G2 league and 15,000 gets you in G1 and 70,000 gets you in the SG. You play a certain amount of matches so in G3 you play a minimum of 3 matches if you make it to the final,4 for G2 and 5 for G1 and you get points based on how far you progressed so if you made it to the final expect a good 50 points added and if you win you get 100 points. Also you can sometimes download replays and vote for how good the matches in the final were.

Tekken 6 You can join match rooms basically like Super Street Fighter 2 HD Remix. You can also play ranked matches and have fun in them giving you a win loss ratio with the character you have played as in ranked mode. The game also lets you download ghost data but it doesn't nesscarily make it to exciting. With long loading screens to wait for matches it hurts it but some matches can be enjoyable.

Results for online: 1st Street Fighter 4,2nd Tekken 6,3rd Soul Calibur 4, 4th SSBB

Fianl results

1st Street Fighter 4 and SSBB are a tie for first on 22 points but I do perfer Street Fighter 4 just that little bit more.

3rd Soul Calibur 4 14 points

4.Tekken 6 12 points

My overall opinion on them. I had high hope for Tekken 6 after playing Dark Resurrection but it was a massive letdown. Street Fighter 4 virtually exceeded my expectations. Soul Calibur 4 I was fairly new to but after playing number 2 I was dissapointed with number 4. Finally SSBB I loved Melee to pieces the only real negative thing that could be faced at the game is the online is very poor silly friend codes. The gameplay was excellent it felt more balanced but so did Street Fighter 4. I was satisfied with the game in the end it met my expectations just about but Street Fighter 4 felt fresh and played smoothly and its online was a real winner. With its success there's little wonder why they are making Super Street Fighter 4.

If you want to see my reviews for each game I can give you the link to all 4 to see if you agree with my points of view. In terms of opinion these were my overall scores for each but with the new scoring system 2 are virtually the same score. If it was the old system the scores would have been this

Super Smash Bros Brawl I would have scored it 9.6

Soul Calibur 4 I would have it scored it 8.2

Street Fighter 4 I would have scored it 9.7

Tekken 6 I would scored it 7.6

Check out my reviews for each game and see for yourself if I was to harsh on the game or a bit nice to one of them.