It's better to give than to receive - this was the point of the new initiative set up by Ratchet & Clank developers Insomniac Games as it introduced a new technology sharing program entitled "Nocturnal" for other video game developers in the industry. Its aim is basically to create a central information hub which different devs can share with one another. You can find out more about the Nocturnal initiative by reading our full article after the jump.

In a follow up to an interview first conducted during DICE 2008, MTV Multiplayer talked with Insomniac Games' Ted Price about the upcoming FPS sequel Resistance 2. In the full article, you can read all about what Price had to say regarding the game's development as well as a possible future for the series. What are you waiting for? Click on the full article for more details.

Curious to find out why Clank was able to star in his very own game in Secret Agent Clank? Design director Lesley Mathieson was able to provide some interesting details into it and as well as a few screenshots. Check it out after the jump!

PlayStation 3 title Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction from Insomniac Games has just been released recently. As you all know, another entry in the franchise will be coming in 2008 to PlayStation Portable gamers in the form of Secret Agent Clank.

The Sony handheld title is being developed by Ratchet&Clank for PSP">High Impact Games. Now, we know fans of the franchise have dreamed hundreds of times before if the two titles will have some sort of connectivity or "talk to each other", as Sony lovingly calls it.

Well, you're dreams will be coming true according to Insomniac Games Creative Director Brian Allgeier. MTV reported on Allgeier's statements, "There are some less apparent bullet points to note about Tools of Destruction. It will connect to the 2008 PSP spinoff Secret Agent Clank in some secret, undisclosed way".

While no other information was revealed, sometimes a confirmation is just what fans need. Keep checking back here at QJ.NET for official statements from the developers and Sony regarding the matter.



Buy: [Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction]

 

In its pre-Tokyo Game Show Press Conference, Sony confirmed the existence of a not-so-secret project and showed it off for a bit. The video game turns out to be the rumored Secret Agent Clank which has been hinted at twice before. Surprised or not, you'll probably be happy to see this one.

If you're not very familiar with Insomniac's Ratchet and Clank series (highly doubtful), Clank is the little robot sidekick to the space-cruisin' lombax hero Ratchet. Clank gets his own game this time around, and it's at par visually with High Impact's February release Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters for the Sony PSP.

The gameplay doesn't seem to be a direct rip-off of the earlier games in the franchise, but the feel seems to be familiar. Series characters will also do cameo appearances - the hilarious Captain Quark, among others, will be playable in a level. We'll keep you posted about this fresh prospect for your PSP.

You won't be seeing those quirky dustballs in this video. Instead, you'll find Insomniac Games' life-sized Ratchet and life-sized Clank helping out a hapless Japanese friend. Well of course the kid's gotta be Japanese. This is, after all, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters' Japanese TV spot.

Anyway, we don't really understand the dialogue that transpired in this clip, but it's probably safe to say that they're trying to send across the message that their duo is big, and they'll be rocking your world. Oh, and that they can destroy classrooms, too? Maybe not. Oh well. Just enjoy getting lost in the translation.

For the high school seniors out there, you've already come to that point where you can look forward to college. In hope or in dread, we can't help you there. Alistair Wallis of GameCareerGuide.com could, though. Although addressed to college seniors rather than high school seniors, "What Game Companies Want From Graduates" helps the shiny-faced, wet-ears high school senior, too. After all, you've got four years to prep yourself to be the kind of guy that Ubisoft wants, right?

The article features interviews with gaming industry recruitment people from Electronic Arts, Insomniac Games, and THQ, and demands the Read link below. Long story short, however:

• (At least EA) encourages the traditional educational route: the hard work through a regular collegiate degree. "Game schools" are nice, too - although the idea is so new as its impact in the industry is, well, "unclear." (We can presume that the first batch of graduates from these courses have more than their merits and skills to prove, but their alma maters, too).
• (Hey, just be glad Harvard won't be on the top of the most wanted list in this department anytime soon - but don't tell Harvard.)
  
• The industry loves people with a passion for the industry (duh): make sure this is reflected in your course work (as much as you could) and internships.
• Flexibility is key, Kim - not to mention good interpersonal skills, diligence in the work, creativity and talent (not to mention endurance). But, as Insomniac's recruitment/staffing chief puts it, they've got no "cookie cutter" in their recruitment office (at least for Insomniac). There really is no mold of sorts to fit - it comes back to the passion and the talent, really.
• Individual companies often have individual requirements (depending on shortages of personnel in key areas, key projects in the pipeline, etc.).
• When you finally decide to submit that application, or sit down for that interview: do your research, bring your "A" game. Demonstrate how you can  stand out of the crowd - you know, like making your own games, for example. Well, the PSP, NDS, and XNA homebrew communities down here have that one nailed.

It's been once said by a wise philosopher that nothing can escape the grasp of a hardworking man. Well, I'm neither wise nor hardworking (and I probably made up that philosopher thingy) so I go do what most guys like me do - look for free stuff! And that's exactly what QJ's department of parsimony have for us penny-pinchers, a free Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters demo.

Well actually, it's not directly coming from us; we just found out that over at the game's official website, Insomniac Game's holding a special gimmick paving the way for dibs on the said demo. Be one of the first 3, 500 people to visit the game's website and you'll receive an email notifying you that the free UMD will be sent your home. Be sure to click on the rolling UMD icon on the site with a message saying "Get a FREE UMD demo" so you'd be prompted to the info page. Trust us, it's hard to miss.

Go ahead, click on the read link below. It doesn't hurt to get free stuff. Don't be surprised to see QJ bloggers there, though. Which made me wonder what they're doing there when we have the game UMD here at the office in the first place...

Considering that the buzz surrounding a probable sequel to Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man has yet to really go full blast, here's yet another rumor that is sure to keep those tongues busy waggin'.

According to the Dutch site PSP Only, not only will Insomniac Games be busy with the sequel of Resistance, which is yet to be released still for Australia and Europe, but that they are also working on bringing the game to Sony's precious handheld. Now, as nothing is basically confirmed for now, there still is no word as to how much of an exact replica the PSP version will be from the PS3 one.

It is not difficult to imagine, though, that the PSP version could have an entirely different storyline or gameplay. While some believe that shooters and the PSP do not necessarily go together, it still would be sweet to see for ourselves how they could ultimately pull this one off. That's all the word we have for you right now, but we'll be sure to keep you posted on more details as they come trickling in.

Despite their battle cries of "Smaller Government!", neo-conservative legislators are stepping up attempts to regulate the behavior of private citizens while removing all restrictions on corporate behavior. This is almost comic in a way, because, inevitably, these two issues collide.

Take, for example, the recent crusade against "violent" video games. A recent law in Louisiana would have prohibited the sale of such games in the state, but was temporarily blocked by U.S. District Judge James Brady. 

A 21 page amicus brief was filed with Baday by the website GamePolitics, on behalf of developer Ted Price of Insomniac Games. Price, who has worked extensively with the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, argues that games are "a means of expression," no less than literature, film and other arts, and therefore is protected speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution. In the brief, Price criticizes the use of the word "violence" in the Louisiana statute. He writes, " ...'violence' is an incredibly broad term... Does the 'violence' referenced in the Act include... a boxing game, a football game, a World War II game, a game featuring contact between cartoon characters... game creators (are) given the impossible task of guessing the intent of the Act's creators."

His fear is that many - if not most - games could be criminalized under this law's "definition" of "violence" - even his own topselling Ratchet and Crank, in which the "violence" takes the form cartoon-style slapstick. "The main characters in Ratchet & Clank are not human and resemble cartoon characters. The characters 'kill' each other, are 'killed' by the main character and occasional 'dismembered' in comedic ways... a retailer fearing possible fines, imprisonment and/or hard labor... may refuse to sell this game to minors."

Given the current political climate of unrestrained, no-holds-barred capitalism, it might also be appropriate to point out that Insomniac Games is indeed a Corporation, with not only the right, but the responsibility to make profits. The Louisiana law would clearly interfere with the Corporation's ability to do so - and it should be pointed out that, under the terms of the PATRIOT Act, interference with commerce is considered an act of terrorism...

At this point, I cannot help but remember a quote by the great philosopher cowboy humorist Will Rogers: "Congress! Every time they make a joke, it's a law...and every time they make a law, it's a joke."