The game engine: This is all tech that developer Insomniac created themselves (which they adapted/refined from working on Resistance). So the folks who thought this was an engine that Insomniac borrowed from Naughty Dog (of Jak fame)--you're dead wrong.
The frame rate: In the demo we saw, the game ran at 45 frames per second (most next-gen games are still only doing 30), but Insomniac is shooting for the super-smooth 60. I suspect they'll make it since the game isn't due until this fall (the fact that Tools of Destruction is already running at 45 is pretty damn impressive).
The space combat: I mentioned this a bit in our cover story, but I really didn't go into much detail. Tools of Destruction will see the return of space combat, which to me felt very much like a Star Fox level. You're on rails, yet the backdrops were pretty damn amazing, as one section had Ratchet navigating through this enormous asteroid field (think Star Wars Episode II) while dodging enemy fire. I suspect you'll encounter this type of gameplay whenever you travel from planet to planet.
Ratchet's love interest: Well, maybe he has one. See, along the way Ratchet and Clank team up with a female lombax named Talwyn who's searching for her papa.
The environments: The screenshots in our cover story were all taken from the Kerchu City level (and just to reiterate--yes, the game really does look as good as those screenshots). But we also got to check out some other interesting backdrops, including:
