Ratchet's new outing is a fun but rather short experience. If you are a fan, get it now!
Now I've promised myself that I wouldn't mention how absurd calling a game Quest for booty is but I just can't hold it back. How high must you be to think calling a game "Quest for booty" is a good idea? I mean come on. Sure it catches your attention, but I can see many young fans of the series having a hard time convincing their mother to buy them a game with "Quest for Booty" plastered all over it…
Stupid names a side, Quest for Booty picks up the story pretty much right after the end of Tool of Destruction (see, now that's a good title!). Clank has been kidnapped by a mysterious bunch of aliens known as the Zoni and it's up to Ratchet and his friend to track them down. Unfortunately, the only person that knows where to find Clank is one very dead, very angry pirate called Captain Darkwater. The story is pretty entertaining, sticking to the franchise's high standards and manages to keep the pace of the game going along nicely. Unfortunately the experience is rather short lived with most gamers being able to finish the game within three hours, which makes the game feel as though it ended before it really started.
Visuals are rather impressive considering the nature of the title. Environments are rich and vibrant, with every scene popping with tons of colour. The many locations come to life as Ratchet interacts with them. Plants sway as he runs past, characters make comments about what Ratchet has been doing, every little detail just adds to the overall feel. The characters are well modelled with Ratchets animations looking impressively natural and fluid.
Voice work has always been a strong point of the series and this iteration is no exception. The actors bring most scenes to life with there comical pirate accents and in some cases the voice work is what saves the day. The sounds of the many islands are in tune with the on screen action and keep the pace of the game at the sweet spot.
The puzzle elements this time round range from simple to well, simple. In most cases puzzle solving comes down to jumping on a few levers or switching platforms round and does nothing more than extend the game's length. Platforming is still the bulk of the experience with bits and pieces of fire fights thrown in between all the gravity boot walking, ledge jumping actions that is the game.
Overall Quest for Booty is much of the same. Series veterans will feel right at home, but new comers might have a hard time getting use to the platforming. Being such a short game, it's nice to see that it's priced low and that both a Blu-ray and PSN version are available for those that like downloading there games. If you are a fan of the series, this will most likely be the most polished edition you've played. If you are a new comer, get Tools of Destructions first, its easier to get into and at least has a reasonable name.