"We are delighted to continue our relationship with two of the most talented and imaginative development teams in the industry," said Ami Blaire, director, product marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Consumers want more from traditional platform games and Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games have made strides to implement technology innovation in order to raise the industry standard and invigorate the genre. The upcoming sequels will continue to push the boundaries as both teams incorporate revolutionary gameplay elements."
'Ratchet & Clank 3'
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The announcement follows a successful retail season as Jak II and Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, last year's sequels to the "Greatest Hits" titles Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacyand Ratchet & Clank, continue to flourish as top selling titles since their launch.
"Both Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog continue to push the envelope with each game that they bring to the market," said Andy Reiner, Executive Editor of Game Informer, the world's largest multi-platform gaming magazine on the market today. "The level of craftsmanship that goes into each project truly is remarkable. I can't wait to see what they have up their sleeves this time!"
As both franchises have sold through to consumers more than one million units internationally since their inception, Sony Computer Entertainment America has proven that the platform genre continues to prosper. Demonstrating this, Jak II was chosen by PlayStation Magazine (PSM) for Game of the Year, Best Character Design and Best Story, it was awarded Action Game of the Year as well as tied for Game of the Year by PSE2 and it received PLAY Magazine's Hybrid Game of the Year. Jak II also was honored with an IGN Editors Choice Award for 2003, as well as IGN's pick for Best Graphics.
'Jak & Daxter 3'
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Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, was honored by IGN, Cinescape and Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) as the Best PlayStation 2 Game of 2003. The game was included in PSM's Top 10 Games of 2003, was chosen by TechTV's "X-Play," GameSpot and the Dallas Morning News as Best Platformer of the Year, received an IGN Editors Choice Award for 2003 from IGN and was nominated by 1up.com for Game of the Year. PLAY Magazine labeled the title as both PlayStation 2 Game of the Year and Action-Shooting Game of the Year, and the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News included Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando among its Top 10 Best Games of 2003.
The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando and Jak II "T" for Teen. For more information about the ESRB visit www.esrb.org.