Ready for another adventure with a certain Lombax and his robotic best friend? Insomniac's next title in the R&C series: Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One takes on a different perspective, giving gamers a chance to play with up to four other teammates.

More quirky weapons; Co-op gameplay and teamwork; Catching chubby critters

Non-engaging story; Lack of character development; Repeated puzzles

Despite the fact that the Ratchet & Clank series has focused, as its name suggests, on two major character, Ratchet, the small yet agile Lombax, and Clank, his robot buddy, all the games, whether they arrived on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable or PlayStation 3, have only had a single-player...

+Great Ratchet & Clank experience; +Good cooperative focus; +Lots of new weapons; gadgets and enemies; +Hilarious dialog

-Bad camera system; -Unbalanced difficulty curve; -AI can be a bit dumb

(continued from previous page) ...on the environment. The game shines in two key areas: boss battles and environment. Each level is crafted extremely well, and the gameplay will vary from riding rails or killing fish, to fighting massive mechanical bosses.

Best experienced with a friend; Stellar graphics and witty dialogue; Great boss encounters

Lack of co-op depth, A.I; controlled co-op occasionally faulty, A bit too basic for the R&C series

Every now and then a beloved videogame franchise will take a step back. The latest example of this is Ratchet & Clank with its newest entry. Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One shifts the focus to cooperative multiplayer, providing some fun moments when playing with a few friends.

Drop-in/drop-out co-op is simple to use; Co-op mechanics are executed well

Ineffective lock-on system hinders gunplay; Camera becomes an obstacle; Downgraded visuals compared to previous entries in the franchise

The Ratchet and Clank series has become one of the most prominent platformers of this generation. When Sony and Insomniac announced that All 4 One would not be a traditional sequel for the series...

+ Co-op play is a blast; + Wonderful environments; + Trademarked humor

Fixed camera issues; Playing alone; Frantic action distorts view

If you're looking for a gift for a kid, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One could be a good choice. If you are a hardcore fan of this series, you may find this a satisfying snack until the next title comes out, but proceed with caution.

There are enough classic Ratchet elements to hold fans over until the; next Ratchet title; Varied gameplay keeps you interested; Full length story and the desire to level all the characters makes it replayable

Kid-friendly tone will disappoint fans of the series and turn off newcomers; There are some single player framerate issues and some minor online; multiplayer glitches; Puzzles are so easy they barely warrant being called puzzles

SkyDrift is one of those games that just feels like it belongs in an arcade with an extravagant, ground-shaking cabinet. Instead, developer Digital Reality took a more financially responsible route by tossing it up on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

Sony is one of those companies who will try different things. I was not sold on Ratchet & Clank All 4 One when I was playing the demo. However I have gotten some quality time with this Playstation 3 (PS3) game, and found some fascinating things. There is an offline mode, and I am pleased as punch.

If you've ever played an arcade or kart racer before, then you have a good idea of what to expect from SkyDrift. It does nothing that hasn't been done in the past, nor does it outperform any of its contemporaries in any meaningful way.

Online play is a lot of fun; Pleasing visuals; Tight controls

Only six different tracks to race on; No local multiplayer

At the end of Mario Kart 7 - well, when you've finished all of the grand prix events for the first time, which is hardly the "end" - the credits roll. Fair enough. I liked the game enough that I'll let them roll for a few names. But not the entire thing.