Jak 3 and Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal are just around the corner, just about four weeks from shipping. There's been a lot of hype in the gaming world about each of them, and I don't know who'll be better. Neither seemed to be advertised much to the public, both claim to be making strides to an already innovative series, and the two are in such a close race for sales it makes me wonder: which will come out on top?

I own the demos to both games, and I've played through both of them. I have to say that I'm impressed by both. As far as technology. Both make some updates to sound and graphics, which I liked, and the whole feel of the games is just better. However, one makes a better jump than the other, I think. That's Jak 3.

Ratchet and Clank has always been relatively the same for gameplay. Number 3 feels no different. You get weapons, upgrade them, and shoot the crap out of enemies. Sound familiar? Of course, because it's the same thing! I didn't care that much for R&C3 because it felt so much the same. There were few updates to gameplay, but not much. Yeah, there are a new set of weapons and gadgets, the upgrade system is different, and you have different enemies. Still though, there is little to break up what I've seen. It's still all relentless combat.

Jak 3 seems to become different than it's prequel. No more are the tight streets and hovercrafts of Jak 2, perhaps it's biggest fault, and we now have an open wasteland with fast and fun dune buggies, with endless possibilities. The wasteland is literally 5 times bigger than Haven City, and you can basically make a beeline across the whole thing. Not only that is different, but you now have new weapons and Light Jak powers. This sets a balance and adds to the already solid gameplay. What do I like? VARIETY. Jak 3 delivers in that category, and I don't Ratchet and Clank does as well there.