Loaded’s Chris Burke gets hands on with Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction for an afternoon. Here’s his thoughts.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction

The latest installment in the popular Ratchet & Clank series comes to the PS3 this November, with a hefty sheen of next-gen polish and a whole load of new and innovative touches, and Three Speech got some quality hands-on time with developers Insomniac’s latest game. Those familiar with the series will know that Ratchet is a sort of big-eared space squirrel called a Lombax, who’s rather good with machinery. He spends much of his time battling mutant robot aliens across the galaxy accompanied by his trusty robot sidekick, Clank.

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According to a report from Next-Gen.biz, despite what Hideo Kojima has said in the past, Konami believe he’ll be involved in many MGS projects to come after the upcoming MGS4. Here’s what Anthony Crouts, Marketing VP of Konami had to say in a phone interview:

“I’m sure he’s never going to let go of Metal Gear Solid — trust me. [Snake's] a big character, so as a franchise I think he’ll always hold it near and dear to his heart.”

“In one capacity or another, he will always be involved in the Metal Gear franchise.”

Kojima has previously said he would be stopping work on MGS, saying that his last game would be Metal Gear Solid 3 back in 2004. He has said that MGS4 will be the last in the series – however they will “continue to evaluate” ways to keep it going.

[Next-Gen]

Starting this week, the PlayStation 3 will be touring around various places in the UK – visiting major venues such as the O2 Arena in London, as well as shopping centres, train stations and universities. Here’s what SCE UK Trade Marketing Manager Rosemary Buahin had to say.

“The main aim of the PS3 UK Tour is to showcase those capabilities which stretch beyond the realms of gaming to include HD pictures, music, photography, PlayStation Network and PSP compatibility”

“PlayStation 3 is a super-computer that fits naturally in the living room environment. With this in mind, we have created demonstration units which will allow consumers to freely experience the PS3 throughout the tour.”

[MCV]

Chris Hatherill, contributing technology editor for London’s Dazed & Confused magazine, joins Three Speech to offer his opinions on gaming and the industry in general. First up, he and Vice Magazine’s Piers Martin look at the history and future of in-game music. Kraftwerk and Wipeout sounds like a match made in heaven to us.

As gaming goes mainstream, music is providing a cultural crossover point between gamers and music fans – with the boundaries becoming ever more blurred. Beyond SingStar, PaRappa the Rapper and other music-based games, the industry itself has become far more sound-savvy. The news that the song “Breed” by Nirvana turned up on the soundtrack Major League Baseball 2K7 raised more than a few eyebrows. This was the first time a track composed by grunge deity Kurt Cobain had appeared in a game, a move seen by some die-hard fans as bordering on sacrilege, especially after Cobain’s widow Courtney Love told Rolling Stone magazine that when it came to exploiting Nirvana’s publishing catalogue, “We’re going to remain very tasteful”. Perhaps the most surprising aspect is that anyone even cared about this at all.

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