Critical Reception: Sony's/Insomniac's Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

This week's edition of the regular Critical Reception column examines online reaction to Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction a PS3 franchise debut that has been praised as "the best game in the Ratchet & Clank series thus far."

The Insomniac-developed Ratchet & Clank series has earned high marks from the gaming press since its inception in 2002, with the franchise reaching a high point with the 2004 sequel Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, which earned an average review score of 91 out of 100 from all critics surveyed at Metacritic.com. The series' PlayStation 3 debut, Tools of Destruction, seems to be meeting with similar success thus far, and currently averages a Metacritic rating of 89 out of 100.

Though the last console entry in the series may have met with a mixed reception, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, by many accounts, appears to offer much of the same familiar action seen in the acclaimed Up Your Arsenal. Some critics even feel that the title alone warrants a purchase of a PlayStation 3 -- a recommendation that indicates that a purchase should be a safe bet for current PS3 owners.