Although fun-to-play, this brief platformer with almost no replay value probably isn't worth your time.
Thankfully, the gameplay remains of almost the same quality that we have experienced from R&C games in the past, which means good platforming gameplay, a little bit of challenge in some areas of the game (even whilst playing it on the easiest difficulty), interesting and inventive weapon types and exciting combat. It's a shame then that it's all here, but there's so little of it. There are only eight weapons available to the player (when compared to the massive arsenals of the previous games in the series, this is highly disappointing), none of the weapons can be upgraded and there's a shortage of varied enemy types and environments.
However the biggest of the game's flaws is, in my opinion, its length. When playing for the first time, Quest for Booty can be completed in a maximum of around four hours. Of course, this would be shocking if we were charged with the full price of a new release for it, but after all, this game was originally just a PSN title and is much cheaper than longer games - offering us little gameplay and replayability for little money. The game's length only goes further to show that its only real purpose is to create a short bridge between the stories of 'Tools of Destruction' and Quest for Booty's superior sequel, "A Crack in Time".
Perhaps this is why Quest for Booty feels so well-paced, never going too slow but not speeding through the whole game either… obviously, it does feel short because… well - it is short! But that doesn't make it feel rushed and neither does it go too fast through the story. Considering the stated facts about this game's length and content, it makes sense that there's only eight weapons to use and little to none environment/enemy variety, because the game's so short that it would be just dumb to put in loads of weapons that we couldn't even upgrade to the max and we don't get bored of fighting the same looking enemies or strolling through similar environments, because the game only lasts around three-to-four hours.
Fortunately for everyone, the atmosphere and charm of the Ratchet and Clank series remains intact and there's some fun to be had in Quest for Booty's recycled style of gameplay from the previous titles. This can also count as another of the game's flaws - its similarity to the games that came before it. It's basically a shorter, smaller and cheaper (in terms of cost, not quality) version of a full-length Ratchet and Clank video game, so there's an almost impossible chance that you'll like Quest for Booty if, for example, you hated Tools of Destruction. On the other hand, if you love the R&C mix of platforming and shooting formula, then you'll without a doubt enjoy this brief return to the universe of Ratchet and Clank.
The Good:
+ Atmosphere and charm of the series remain intact
+ Weapons, although few in number, are still inventive
+ Main theme is fantastic, original and simply epic
+ Controls are good throughout the whole game
+ Impressive visuals for a platformer of 2008
+ Terrific voice acting delivered from each character
+ Feels very well-paced and not rushed, even if short
+ A few interesting new mechanics introduced
+ Lovers of the series will love the gameplay
The Bad:
- Doesn't do much at all to appeal to non-fans/haters
- Lacks the depth and size of the other Ratchet games
- Extremely short, even on hard it is surprisingly brief
- Lacks enemy and environment variety
- There's no reason to play it again, other than that to experience it again
- Although cheap, is it really worth the money considering its length?
- Not much of the humour that the series is known for
- No suits of armour or any sort of armour progression
- No Clank or Quark… nooooooo!
Overall, it is really up to you if you think it's worth the money; I'm just here to help you make your mind up. If you're a fan of the awesome Ratchet and Clank series then you should enjoy this fun, albeit brief, adventure set in its universe. Though if you disliked the previous R&C games, then there's pretty much nothing here to appeal to you and you will probably dislike it again. Whoever you may be, fan or hater, you will be disappointed in the game's short duration and no collectibles, rewards or trophies to keep you replaying it. Still, the game's fun and it managed to hook me in for its brief singleplayer quite effectively - but mostly because I'm a fan of the series.