My “Trigger Happy” column In this week’s Georgia Straight is a look at Bellevue, Washington developer Valve, the publisher of such games franchises as Half-Life, Counter-Strike, and Left 4 Dead.

Doug Lombardi was informing and interesting as he explained how he thinks the company has been so successful in the business. I mean, if you look at the games they’ve released, Valve hasn’t ever shipped a stinker.

The developer and publisher Valve has made itself one of the video-game industry’s success stories by doing the opposite of what might have been expected of it.

Also this week is my review of Left 4 Dead 2, which expands on what I revealed after spending the day playing the game with the likes of designer Kim Swift.

If you’ve been feeling like high concept platformers have been failing you in the last couple of years, A Crack in Time will remind you of why you used to love them. It’s simple to pick up and play, is filled with clever writing, and adds new features to the game play to keep things fresh without making them overwhelming.

Clank has been kidnapped by the cryptic and faerie-like Zoni and finds himself at the center of the universe and caretaker of the Great Clock.

In playing the game, you’ll alternate between becoming Clank, who learns where he came from and what his job is at the Great Clock, and playing as Ratchet, who is searching for Clank. The trail takes Ratchet from system to system, from planet to planet, where he assists the locals. In a first for the series, Ratchet can actually pilot his space ship between the planets, moons, and other astral bodies in the systems he’s exploring. In completing these side missions Ratchet collects stray Zoni who, he’s been told, can help him in his rescue attempt.

Along the way, Ratchet picks up new sidekicks, including the so-called superhero Captain Qwark and Azimuth, another lombax. Seems like Ratchet’s not the last of his species after all.

With crisp and responsive controls, finely-tuned level design, and hilarious characters, A Crack in Time is a welcome return to fun and playable platformers.

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time (Sony; PS3; rated everyone 10+)

Cross-posted at the Georgia Straight

It’s a great idea for a video game designed for handheld systems: missions must be completed in 30 seconds or less.

There are six modes to this top-down adventure game, three of which are available immediately, and three which are unlocked as you play.

Hero 30 has you moving from location to location on a world map, trying to take down an evil lord hellbent on destroying the world.

Evil Lord 30 is a real-time strategy game that has you summoning monsters to overcome your enemies.

Princess 30 is a quick and dirty shooter in which you zip around, shooting at enemies with a crossbow.

The three unlockable modes are Knight 30, Wizard 30, and multiplayer.

None of the games are particularly difficult, although the controls are occasionally a bit unresponsive. The point, recall, is to provide gamers with quick pick up and play gaming.

The problem with Half-Minute Hero is that to get to the actual playing you have to navigate through dozens of dialogue screens, and while the writing is halfway clever, you’ll be spending more time trying to get to playing than you actually play.

It’s the very definition of “defeating the purpose”.

Half-Minute Hero (XSeed Games; PSP; rated everyone 10+)

Cross-posted at the Georgia Straight

Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which humanity dwells underground, the Armored Core series of video games put players in “mecha”, massive, humanoid-looking vehicles that are piloted by a single person.

These games are fun for two reasons. You’ll enjoy taking your personal mecha out on missions which will have you fighting against other mechanoids. You’ll have as much fun configuring your ride with different arms, legs, heads, jet upgrades, weapon attachments, you name it.

In Armored Core, the mecha are military machines, and in Armored Core 3 you belong to a private military group called the Ravens, who hire themselves out to any of the corporations struggling for control of territory.

This PSP version is a port of the game developed in 2002 for the PS2. Added to the game is an Arena, so you can battle up to four friends over a wireless connection, or you can connect your PSP to your PS3 and challenge other players anywhere in the world.

But the controls for the handheld version are a bit twitchy and can lead to some frustration in trying to orient your mecha. You might be more satisfied waiting for an Armored Core game that has been designed for the PSP.

Armored Core 3 Portable (FromSoftware; PSP; rated teen)

Cross-posted at the Georgia Straight

Among my writing for the Globe & Mail this fall is my review of Lucidity, developed and published by Lucasarts. It’s quite an affecting and emotional game, inspired and informed by Little Red Riding Hood.

I was weeping by the time I got to the end of Lucidity. I hadn’t expected the video game, available on PC and Xbox Live Arcade, to be so affecting, but this finely designed game, which tells the story of a young girl searching for her grandmother, snuck up on me.