Review: Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty (PS3)

 

As an appetizer leads perfectly into a meal (if cooked properly), so too does Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty serve as a small taste of what's to come. For those unfamiliar with the series, I cannot recommend it enough. Through all the failed attempts at radical animal mascots, Ratchet perseveres for a reason. Booty is small slice of what he and his robot partner are capable of, but is an excellent introduction into the series. But for those who've played Tools of Destruction, the duos last full-length game, this won't feel so much like an appetizer as it does a sampling of the main course. Two noodles and a meatball pulled out of your bowl and given to you a year in advance.

But no matter which direction you're coming from, Booty is a very exciting game. Even though the game takes place in only three environments, they're so diverse that Insomniac might as well have hd you blasting off to various planets like previous installments. Like the Metroid series, Booty kicks things off with you decked out with a collection of the series's best weapons to date. But as the story progress, like Nintendo manages to do, you find yourself cleverly stripped of these weapons. It's for a good one third of your adventure that you find yourself lacking in offensive devices, instead relying on your ability to jump about to get yourself out of hot water. It's here that Booty's bullet-point makes its appearance. Enter the object-moving wrench, I forget it's actual name. An ability Ratchet pulls out as if he forgot about it during his entire Tools of Destruction outing, the wrench allows Ratchet to move particular objects in the environment. Don't expect much of this though, as you'll use it sparingly, and when you do, each puzzle is reminiscent of the last. On top of this, the detection of what you can grapple on to is spotty. When you duck, icons appear to display what your wrench can interact with. But when predict what that item is, you sometimes have to nuzzle the stick into just the right position to bring up the icon. I found the platforming in the early stages to remind me of Super Mario Galaxy, but for the oddest of reasons. Previous Ratchets can be compared to Super Mario Sunshine, in that you have a device (in Ratchet's case, Clank, and in Sunshine's, Fludd) that aids you. If you're jumping is a little off, Clank can stall your fall with his helicopter spin. But due to his absence in Booty, you're on your own. Not that I'd like to see this trend continue, Clank's role as the straight man in Ratchets prior is missed in Booty. Having the cocky yet bumbling hero all by himself left much to be desired as far as dialog goes.

When you earn your weapons back, you receive them at a slightly accelerated level than normal. If you've played previous Ratchets, upgrading the weapons through use usually yields in stronger attacks. You receive the weapons with a ranking of Level 3, so at this point they already have some interesting perks associated with them. The shooting portion of the Ratchet series is as strong as ever in Booty, as you'll often use different weapons not to take advantage of an enemy's weakness, but instead to just toy around with them. The combat system is put to great use, as the enemies are all gluttons for punishment. A plot point later in the game revives the dead, but unfortunately, these enemies are no different from the live ones you face off against. Using the wrench to remove their re-animated robotic hearts would have been a nice touch to distinguish them.

The game's story is as important as you'd imagine a side story's to be. Not in the sense of quality, but how it fits into the game's canon. Because of this, don't expect any closure to Tools of Destruction's ending. And if you choose to miss out on this adventure, I doubt the next Ratchet proper will make any major mention of Booty's tale. But, as a standalone story, Booty is just as goofy as you'd expect. New characters will leave their mark on you, and the returning characters may even surprise. On top of this, it's going to be a long time before another robotic pirate reminds you of Metal Gear Solid's antagonist in the most bizarre of ways.

In the end, Booty is another installment of the Ratchet series. Which, despite it's wording, is saying a lot. Because of it's size and length, Booty could have easily been mishandled as a Ratchet game. In lacking the game's RPG like qualities, a huge portion of Ratchet's appeal is lost. Obtaining new weapons is nothing more than a conversation away, while they must be earned through hard work in previous entries. For these reasons, you lack a sense of ownership in Booty. However, this isn't the end of the world (or any in Ratchet's broad universe), as you're still on the receiving end of Ratchet's core experience. For those seeking that shot of gleefulness during Insomniac's other more gritty release, or those looking for a solid action-platformer, Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty will most definitely please.

Comments

[cheap ps3]

Thanks for the review. I'm going to buy this game tomorrow. This is very helpful.