Way back in March of 2008, we reported on a pretty impressive Bioshock 2 fan art collection by then student Ben Mauro. The art was so well done that it caught the attention of 2K Games Community Manager Elizabeth Tobey. That was just the beginning for a kid who “never expected anything to come” from his school assignment.

Shortly after discovering our post, Elizabeth contacted us asking how she and 2K could “track down the artist, and thank him for his work”. We happily helped out and suggested they thank him by offering him a job. In fact, my exact words were:

“I’d love to be able to report that this talented kid was able to land something with your team. Even if it is just an internship. He is very talented and humble as well.

When I told him you were looking to contact him he seemed shocked and said he never expected anything to come out of his assignment.”

A few months later I shot an email over to Elizabeth asking if they ever pulled the trigger on hiring Ben. She responded letting me know that they “didn’t hire him or anything but he did get some big kudos from [the team].”

Unfortunately, kudos don’t pay the bills. As it turns out though, Ben got his break anyway. According to his updated blog, portfolio site, LinkedIn profile, and countless other social networking interweb devices sure to be monitored from this point forward by news hungry bloggers, Ben is working on some pretty exciting game related projects.

Two projects under the client “Insomniac Games” titled “RCF2″ (most likely likely Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time) and “R3″ (guessing Resistance 3 on this one), recently caught the attention of Joystiq’s Ludwig Kietzmann. Ludwig then proceeded to contact “the parties concerned” at which point Ben wisely removed the info from his personal blog.

Well, I’m happy to say that I finally got to report on the successful hiring of Ben Mauro. Sure, it wasn’t for 2K as I had originally hoped, but as the title says, 2k’s loss is Insomniac’s gain. On that note, I look forward to the possibility of stomping around in a Ratchet & Clank Future 2 or Resistance 3 Ben Mauro inspired level with weapons blazing.

Congratulations Ben, you deserve it.

There are some games that have an aura (subtle field of luminous multicolored radiation) about them, and from the moment the title screen appears before your eyes, you will believe that Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is one of those games.

You see it in the attention to detail, and we’re not talking about detail found in the places you expect to see it, like in game animation and cinematic cut scenes — no, we’re referring to the detail we found in places that are often overlooked in lesser quality games, such as the menu system, loading screen, and in game audio.

Ratchet and Clank’s use of color is breathtaking, character personalities are instantly believable and compelling to say the least. The title screams “well thought out and imaginative” from beginning to end. While some have commented on the games slight departure from its comedic roots, we found the storyline (a bit more serious this time around) to be highly entertaining and funny in its own right. In fact, if Captain Qwark doesn’t make you laugh out loud at least once, we suggest you seek immediate counseling for whatever ails you.

Graphics, while never an issue in the PS2 versions of the game, are simply stunning on the PS3. On par with what you would expect to see in a Disney Pixar film. Enemies lash out in packs, bolts litter the air, and vehicles constantly buzz overhead. The foreground and background in Ratchet & Clank are almost always in a constant state of motion, yet the frame rate is near perfect at all times. Insomniac dishes out, and the PS3 responds beautifully.

Cutscenes are well done, and showcase the amount of time and talent spent developing the much anticipated sequel. If this is a glimpse into the future of both the series and the capabilities of the PS3, we want more!

Weapons, which have always been a mainstay in series, are back with a vengeance, as Tools of Destruction offers a selection that is second to none. From classics like the Shock Ravager to new additions like the Mag-Net Launcher, gamers will find endless ways to devastate (and even levitate) would be attackers that get in their way.

Destroying enemies sends bolts flying through the air along with pieces of Raritanium (the rare crystal which appeared in previous iterations of the game), and in addition to being highly addictive, collecting these remnants is extremely beneficial. The items act as a form of in game currency, allowing you to purchase weapon upgrades throughout the game. Upgrades take place automatically based on a particular weapons use.

While the arsenal in Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction make for spectacular on-screen entertainment, some of the weapon controls may be a bit tricker to master than others, so bust out your disco ball and start testing that Transmorpher. Here kitty kitty….

Gameplay controls are fluid, responsive, and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to grasp. The camera system, while free of glitches for the most part, lacks a reset button, making it a tad bit difficult to get your bearings straight when you are being attacked from multiple directions. Switching over to “lock-strafe” mode remedies the issue somewhat, however there is an instance in the game where strafe mode gets overridden, and you will be forced to adapt to the change in game play controls on the fly.

Overall, Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction will open the eyes of Playstation 3 critics, as it delivers a colorful and upbeat gaming experience that newcomers and die hard fans will both thoroughly enjoy. From its adrenaline pumping high speed chase sequences, to its intergalactic slugfests, Insomniac’s latest and greatest has a little something for everyone.

You want to see the future? Understandable, heck time travel has been an obsession of many for a very long time. When you stop and think about it, what is there not to love? Apron wearing robots named Rosie and cars powered by twigs that soar high above the city streets.

Well, while a time machine may be a ways off still, we can get a taste of the future through Insomniac games and our buddies Ratchet & Clank. The latest in the series titled Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction pits the fan favorite duo in a futuristic setting full of wonder and plenty of blunder.

Our preview took place soley in the games Metropolis and as the game starts off you will find that it is hard to focus on the enemies as you begin to take in the stunning surroundings pieced together by the games amazing design team. The world loosely resembles Twentieth Century Fox’s movie Robots and we mean that in the best way possible.

As you make your way through the city streets you are ambushed by Drophoyd a graceful yet surprisingly annoying aqua critter who has nothing but the worst intentions in mind. At this point you will notice that the games animation is extremely fluid and just flat out fun.

Each surge of would be attackers can be dismantled in a multitude of ways … would you expect any less from an R&C game titled “future tools of destruction”? When you get tired of tossing regular grenades, give heave to a transmorpher and watch your enemy turn into a a rabbit or a penguin upon impact.

Aim in the direction of an enemy, take your shot, and send them spiraling into the air piece by piece, literally. The detail in the destructive animations is astounding, and you can actually make out the individual pieces of the enemy you just destroyed if you look closely.

The games disco ball attack is pure genius and adds a touch of comic relief to a game that is entertaining with or without it. Is there anything more fun then blasting away a dancing an enemy in mid stride under a gleaming disco ball? No, there simply is not.

Insomniac has just raised the bar yet again, as this itteration of Ratchet & Clank gives gamers more than they could have possibly hoped for. Colorful yet far from cartoonish, Future Tools of Destruction packs enough futuristic punch to satisfy hardcore fans and newcomers alike

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Game Trailer

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E3 07 Gameplay Video