Beyond the above three sections, the Insomniac team had a good number of the game's 23 weapons and combat devices on display. Of them, my favorite was probably the tornado launcher, which provides control of the tornado by tilting the Sixaxis while still allowing complete control of Ratchet via the analog stick. Unlike the seemingly-forced implementation of Sixaxis functionality in other games, I immediately took to controlling the tornado and running around at the same time. Coming in at a close second were the Death Springs, a combat device that Moo described as a "Slinky minion army that will go out, seek enemies, and destroy them for you."

Of particular note is Insomniac's implementation of aspiring game developer James Westbrook into the game, announced when the company appeared on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition earlier this year. Via an unlockable cheat, Captain James will replace the Mr. Zurkon device--a robotic assistant that automatically destroys foes and exclaims "Mr. Zurkon is only to kill"-- and temporarily fight alongside Ratchet as one of the game's most helpful characters.

Other weapons, devices, and gadgets in the game including the blaster-esque Combuster, the ultra-powerful but slow to charge Alpha Disruptor, the saw blade-tossing Buzz Blades, the Sixaxis-controlled remote Visi-Copter drone and the the Gelatonium-fueled Gelanator, which creates platforms of varying height. Much like past Ratchet titles, weapons gain experience and become more powerful with use. Weapon-specific upgrades can also be purchased using Raritanium, adding more incentive for exploration and replay.

As for the frame rate, the game currently runs at 45 to 50 frames per second. Insomniac is optimistic it will hit its target of a constant 60 frames per second before the game ships in October. Much like Resistance: Fall of Man before it, the cinematics of Ratchet & Clank Future use the actual in-game models, a telling statement of just how detailed and animated the in-game assets have become.

"We really believe we're on par with a computer-animated movie in terms of our animation visual quality," claimed creative director Brian Allgeier.

It's hard to disagree with Allgeier. Simply put, the game looks amazing. There were multiple points during the presentation that I found myself blown away by the game's numerous small touches, from the heat wave distortion on a missile trail to way that Mr. Zurkon's rocket booster gently pushed away a helmet that was rolling towards the robot. It wasn't until later in the day that I noticed the numerous subtle details on Ratchet's model, including scraggly tufts of facial hair.

With the game both looking and playing great, not to mention featuring a host of amusing weapons--it's tough to argue with an army of murderous Slinkys--Ratchet & Clank Future certainly looks like it may just exceed the already-high expectations of current and future PlayStation 3 owners. Look for it October 23.

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