What do you get when you take a popular game series, and strip it down to its bare essentials? The ignorant answer would be Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty. But upon closer inspection of this 'episodic' sequel, Insomniac have instead put more focus on the often light platforming side of the series. To calm down the overly excited fans for the upcoming 2009 sequel to Tools Of Destruction, the budget bit of entertainment just might do the job.
Taking off the heels of the 2007 release, Quest For Booty continues Ratchets journey to track down his friend Clank. The absence of the robotic companion takes away quite a bit from the series strengths, not only in gameplay functions but also in the humour often found in this series writing. Along with the laughs, the weapons from the last game have returned in a more limited form. With so many past elements removed, it is hard for the new kinetic wrench to stand out in the frequent platforming sections.
One thing that has not changed in the game is the high level of presentation. Despite less epic environments, the visuals still pack the same punch that were first used in 2007. And even with weaker writing the voice acting still manages a solid performance from all round. For its short length, Quest For Booty is pleasing to look at and listen too.
So in the end there mechanics are stripped down, the laughs are weak unless you have some sort of pirate fetish and the whole thing comes to an immediate halt after 3-4 hours with no closure in order to get people in line for the upcoming release in 2009. If not for the budget release at retail it would be hard to recommend to fans of the series. But for $30, hardened Ratchet fans won't mind jumping in and setting sail on a semi-grand adventure.
Presentation – 4/5
Gameplay – 3/5
Value – 2/5
Overall – 3/5
Reviewed by Steven Janjic
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