June2021
Review Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) - Intergalactic Stunner Puts PS5's Power on Display
Lombax for good
If the Earth was in peril from intergalactic invaders and needed a game developer to save its ass, governments across the globe would turn to Insomniac Games. You can practically bank on the Burbank-based developer to deliver top-notch titles these days, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is no exception. TL;DR: this PlayStation 5...
November2020
Review Marvel's Spider-Man: Remastered (PS5) - Next-Gen Makes Insomniac's Superhero Romp Even Better
(Be) greater than ever before
It has been just two years since the original launch of Marvel's Spider-Man on the PlayStation 4, yet Insomniac Games has been hard at work improving the core game. Since then we’ve had three DLC packs, a Game of the Year edition, and a brand new console launch, which explains why Insomniac Games felt this was the...
Review Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5) - A Sublime Superhero Spin-Off
Be greater. Be Yuleself
Insomniac Games came out swinging with its first foray into the world of Marvel’s iconic wall-crawler, but this spin-off has even more vigour and verve than its PlayStation 4 predecessor. Booting – in less than 10 seconds, we’re eager to add – with a shot of protagonist Miles Morales on the subway, the release takes...
December2018
Review Marvel's Spider-Man: Silver Lining - A Lukewarm End to the City That Never Sleeps Story
Every cloud
The release of Silver Lining marks the conclusion of the City That Never Sleeps expansion for Marvel's Spider-Man, and as a finale, it's a slight letdown. It's clearer now more than ever that a sequel is coming, but leaving so many narrative threads dangling makes for quite an unsatisfying ending to this extra story. Even so, this still...
November2018
Review Marvel's Spider-Man: Turf Wars - Another Helping of Spidey Goodness
War never changes
You probably know what to expect from Turf Wars, the second chapter in Marvel's Spider-Man's City That Never Sleeps expansion. As with The Heist, this DLC pack for Insomniac's immensely popular superhero action game sticks with the established formula, providing a good excuse to get back into the swing of things. Yes, it's more of...
Review Spyro the Dragon - The Classic Collectathon That Put Insomniac on the Map
Don't Gnorc it
While Insomniac Games has become one of PlayStation's most recognised developers, it cut its teeth with the little known PSone first-person shooter Disruptor, which launched in 1996. It was a DOOM clone among many others that populated the gaming landscape at the time, but there were aspects to it that made it stand out among the...
October2018
Review Marvel's Spider-Man: The Heist - More of the Same
With great power comes great repetition?
Publishers are pretty risk-averse when it comes to a major new release – and for good reason. Video games are expensive, and you don't want anything getting in the way of a return on that lofty sum of cash you've put forward just to make your game happen. But surely DLC gives you a chance to tear up the...
September2018
Review Marvel's Spider-Man (PS4)
The (actually) Amazing Spider-Man
There are three reasons why Marvel's Spider-Man feels important. First, it offers a chance at some form of redemption for Sony, after The Amazing Spider-Man movies turned out to be, well, not all that amazing. Second, since Batman: Arkham Knight brought that incredible franchise to a close, we're sorely...
February2018
Everything old is new again
Republished on Wednesday 28th February 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of March's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. With the release of Ratchet & Clank on the PlayStation 4, this long time Sony series has amazingly managed to go full...
July2016
Water wonderful world
Insomniac Games has certainly been keeping itself busy lately. The studio has been launching game after game over the last couple of years, all of them of the quality you'd expect, and it seems it's prepared to tackle almost anything – big or small. Nestled in-between its successful re-imagining of the first Ratchet &...
July2014
Review The Ratchet & Clank Trilogy (PlayStation Vita)
Screw loose
If the well of original PlayStation Vita content is drying up, then its fountain of high-definition re-releases is overflowing. The Ratchet & Clank Trilogy is the latest in a long line of PlayStation 2 compilations to nonchalantly sidle onto Sony’s struggling handheld system, following closely in the slipstream of the God of War...
November2013
Review Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus (PlayStation 3)
Nether say nether
Ratchet & Clank have been phoning it in harder than washed up talk show hosts on a regional radio station of late. Sony’s seasoned double-act seemed to stop trying after the franchise defining Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, with its more recent multiplayer-focused excursions stumbling harder than Captain Qwark in an IQ...
June2013
Blown it
For a game named Fuse, the latest title from Insomniac Games does fittingly merge a plethora of ideas to create a satisfactory experience – but we're not sure that such meek praise was on the developer's agenda when it embarked on its first multiplatform project. This is a competent third-person shooter that ticks every box in the...
November2012
Review Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault (PlayStation 3)
Zurgo rush
Insomniac Games has never shied away from experimenting with its premium platforming franchise, but Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault represents the series’ biggest departure yet. Designed to celebrate the brand’s tenth anniversary, the downloadable mini-adventure blends the property’s traditional twitch-based gunplay with...
July2012
Review Ratchet & Clank Collection (PlayStation 3)
Nuts and bolts
Few video game franchises have greater pedigree than PlayStation’s most dependable crime-fighters, Ratchet & Clank. Armed with a plethora of imaginative gadgetry and a never-ending inventory of wisecracks, the Insomniac's series has been a staple of any self-prophesised PlayStation enthusiast’s diet for the past decade. That...
February2012
Review Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (PlayStation 3)
And one 4 all
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One does a great job of transforming Insomniac's slapstick shooter series into an enjoyable co-operative ride. Stunning presentation and accessible multiplayer implementation provide the game with an engaging campaign, though it is somewhat let down by disappointing combat and an uninspired final-third. As...
Review Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (PlayStation 3)
Tick tock
The conclusion of the Ratchet & Clank Future arc, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time focuses on Ratchet's continuing rescue mission of Clank and the dastardly deeds of antagonist Dr Nefarious. Building upon much familiarity from previous Ratchet & Clank games, A Crack In Time introduces numerous new mechanics including Clank's...
September2011
Review Resistance 3 (PlayStation 3)
How far would you go to save your family?
It’s been four long years since the dramatic events of Resistance 2 came to a close, and the war is over. Chimeran terraformers hover in the skies, transforming Earth into an icy wasteland reminiscent of the alien invaders' home world. Like enslaved prisoners, the few remaining survivors have taken refuge...
