Gameplay aside, it's the presentation of Ratchet & Clank Future that really floored us. The game looks amazing, with huge, busy environments and fluidly animated characters, and everything - from the lowliest enemy to Ratchet himself - comes with wildly expressive faces and behavioral tics. It's not just the visuals, either, as the game's plot is pulled rapidly along by tight writing, excellent voice acting and a genuinely funny script. That said, when viewed on a decent HDTV, this is easily one of the PS3's most stunning games, as well as  one of its most colorful; looks like there's more to next-gen visuals than bloom lighting and a million shades of brown, after all. 

For all its next-gen brilliance, however, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction doesn't really tamper much with the formula that made its PS2 predecessors great, and that's at once a relief and a disappointment. Ratchet & Clank Future isn't a revolution, but it is a marvelously kickass game that'll keep you entertained for hours as you plumb the depths of its huge levels, find creative ways to blow up its monsters and try to ferret out all its dozens of cleverly hidden items. This is the best the series has to offer, and that makes it a must-buy.