What a fun little diversion this game is. Quest for Booty does the Ratchet and Clank name well. Here's why:
As usual, I will start with the graphics. To put it plainly, they are JAW DROPPING. Insomniac took everything that was great looking about 2007's Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, and added some of the best lighting I have ever had the pleasure to look at, meticulously detailed textures, and a flawless framerate. When you get on the game's first rail-grinding section, you will know what I mean. The vibrant view of the world goes on for miles. Plus, the later, more pirate themed sections are DRIPPING with atmosphere.
The gameplay is also as "Ratchet and Clank" as you can get, minus the Clank only sections considering Clank is the one you are trying to save. But beyond that, you have some fantastic, challenging platforming, excellent combat with some crazy weapons, and some funny, interesting puzzles. Plus, you get one of those traditional, incredibly fun grind rail sections that are always some of the highlights of a Ratchet and Clank game. The pacing is also perfect, and the games two boss fights are fantastic.
Unfortunately, you did read my last sentence correctly. The game has only 2 boss fights. Obviously, this being downloadble title means you are in for a shorter, slightly less epic affair. What you are playing is a 3-6 hour game, dependent on your skill level, with only a few weapons that are all from the last Ratchet and Clank Future game. Sure the weapons only level up twice, but this is basically remedied by the fact that the second level up comes with an upgrade that significantly powers up the weapon. There is another upgrade for each weapon that require a bit of exploring to do, but the change is insignificant and does not affect weapon effectiveness, making them not worth the hunt.
The game's other problem also is a result of the game's length. You can't really have a fleshed-out story in a game this short. Quest for Booty tries really hard to fix this, and they do end up with a likeable, funny tale, narrated by the dim-witted pirate Rusty Pete, but in the end, some things are just, well, missing. Quark, arguably the funniest character in the series, is not present. Zephyr and Chronk (I think that is his name) from the last game are no where to be found, and their insulting each other that parodied the Xbox 360 versus PS3 fanboy war was probably the funniest thing in the latter half of that game.
But minor quirks aside, Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty is an outstanding game. The platforming and graphics are better than they were in the first game, and the price is low. Of course, the short length and slight story issues do hurt the game a bit, but they are no more than a small scratch than an otherwise, perfect product. If you like platformers, cool weapons, superb production values, and Ratchet and Clank, you shouldn't think twice about buying this downloadable title. For anyone who hasn't played a Ratchet game yet and at least knows what happenned at the end of the last game, this is a great place to start.