Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty - End Frust
With Insomniac’s busy schedule, it’s astonishing that Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty looks slightly better than it’s previous installment, thanks to some new lighting techniques and better enhanced textures to make for better gameplay. The core gameplay involves a variety of techniques that are left to be discovered as you uncover different parts of the island. While some are preordained, there is a differing contrast in not using Clank anymore. This time around, Ratchet can manipulate shadows, mix brew, and play tunes to find hidden booty in the latest of the series. As a welcome advancement in gameplay, the overall play mechanics remain the same. You can jump, glide on rails, use familiar weapons and what not. Lighting plays a interesting role in this episodic content but it’s obvious that Insomniac was experimenting on these. Using glow in the dark critters to navigate through dark caves is an interesting concept, but it seems uneeded for an island where there are so many resources to simply grab something as simple as a torch.
The complexity that arises as being the first game where Ratchet and Clank aren’t paired up is really one to look into for realms of differing gameplay. The wrench has an increased amount of importance for Ratchet without Clank. He can now use his wrench to do things he never could before in the previous iterations such as pulling objects or plainly manipulating them. The landscape is vast this time around with four exotic locations on Planet Merdegraw: Pirate Fleet, Hoolefar Island, Morrow Caverns and Darkwater Cove, so it’s essential for him to be at his best. The only real problem here comes in the fact that Ratchet is magically given these powers in a short amount of time in comparison to Tools of Destruction with no explanation as to how he suddenly got these. Most of these abilities and mechanics could definitely have made the obstacles easier in Tools of Destruction so it ends up becoming a big mystery that leaves players confused than anything.
As any seasoned Ratchet player would know, a huge draw to the series is the great mix of gameplay fundamentals supported by some clever humorous dialogue, and some of the most wacky and destructive weapons ever created. Here, is where Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty doesn’t quite have the same impact it did in previous incarnations. The weapon upgrades are not as expansive, other than the kinetic thether ability given to your wrench. Obviously, this is due to the bit size episodic content, which also leaves fewer opportunities to expand on some of the more crucial plotlines that fans are yearning towards. Still, it would have been nice to see Ratchet take newer weapons for a newer unknown Pirate named Darkwater who seems to have a connection with the Zoni, and the hard obstacles that lay ahead.
Sure wanting newer weapons is the easiest part, but there’s a big fundamental flaw: The Fusion Grenade, Lightning Ravager, Tornado Launcher, Predator Launcher, Bee Hives are all back as usual, but utterly devoid when there are barely newer types of enemies. The types of enemies you’ll face are limited to robot pirates and ghost pirates almost exclusively, with a boss added in for special touch. It’s upsetting to see a Ratchet & Clank game deliver so less in terms of value and variety when it comes to weapons and enemy types even if the locations are amazing.
With all these new mechanics, Ratchet needs his wit to succeed in his quest of finding his beloved friend somewhere with the Zoni. Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty is primarily a four-hour experience for Ratchet & Clank fans to answer some questions. Somewhere in the midst of a game looking to be something different for such a quick release, it ends up missing some key things that make it seem less than the game it already is. Quest for Booty definitely delivers a respectable gameplay experience for a great price tag, but in trying to use his own wits to survive the island, Ratchet just ends up getting on our wits.
I expected as much honestly.
This blows.
I’ll still probably get it though
This totally blows bal#@s
JoshDargie replied on August 22, 2008 2:06 AM:
Indeed
S#$t
I wanted to buy it too…damn
I use to love Ratchet and clank.. 1, 2, and first ps3 version. but they just milk it to death.
PSN: Now
BluRay: September 12, if I’m not mistaken.
giving it a hard review because it is in peices instead of a full game? I like this method, it allows the story to continue, get a little extra fun out of the series tell the next full game comes out.
I can’t see how anyone will be feeling let down by $15 for another 4 hours of new gameplay, if they’re a Rachet fan anyway.
Maybe it would have been better to tack this addition onto the retail game and allow the use of save data to keep using the old weapons as well as the new?
Sounds like one of the main reasons why it was reviewed fairly low is that it’s short. Well, it is a $15 downloadable game. I supose that Insomnac meant this to hold us over, though I would have gladly paid $30 for double the content.
am def buying this next Thursday it looks pretty good and I don’t mind about the reduced content (Enemies, Guns and extras) because for starters it is only $15 (probably around £7) which is pretty cheap for 3-4 hours of gameplay with the high standard Insomniac have always had
Usman Ihtsham replied on August 22, 2008 6:46 AM:
If you’re a fan, go for it.
Wow, I’m very confused here, and rather disappointed by the review, and what message it sends, especially when you consider all of the hype leading up to it’s release. I really hope that all titles, regardless of their price are now judged by the ‘new’ 4 hour hour long game standard…
this is easily the best psn game out, it blows my mind why they have reviewed it as a full game when for other reviews such as flow and pixel junk they did no such thing
ah well it’s well worth the 15 bucks anyway in my opinion
I think that “for the money” points need to be made in this review. I mean come on, a $15 PS3 game with 4 hours of game play! Well worth the money in my opinion, any Ratchet game is a good game.
Well I can understand it’s a dissapointment in size compared to the last, but some small games really can be quite awesome *coughPortalcough*
Usman, I been a reader here for a long time and I just have to say : F@#k you. Seriously. You deserve to be f#%king stabbed for this piece of sh!t you call a review
F#%k way to get stupid like GamePro, GameDaily, GameSpy, IG…f#@k themand all those other cunts for this review guys.
VERY dissapointed. I thought this game was good. I see some people here agree and disagree, but W/E. This is my opinion.
David Jeffers replied on August 22, 2008 2:05 AM:
bro calm down lol
I weep for this review.
No offense, it’s written ingeniously, but it just fails because of ..BECAUSE IT’S A GOOD GAME! WTF
Check this again you guys…jeeze
F&*k you David. You calm down. Admit to this review being utter crap. Screw this
David Jeffers replied on August 22, 2008 2:10 AM:
im not admitting anything i personally would have given it the same but this is a very good review
two thumbs up Usman
You all need to relax seriously.
What’s the big deal? Their points were ABSOLUTELY justifies, so stop flaming WhatIfGaming for no reason. Go check your BP guys
Ridiculous.
Good review. Rest of you..stop liking this Lombax so much
I think his points are justified.
I mean, yes it’s short, but he doesn’t really allude to that, mostly he just writes that the gameplay is kinda the same. Same monsters, same weapons, and a kind of shallow plotline. But if you really like it, than it’s still worth getting.
Wow what a suprise, that pretty much sums up this game exactly does it not? I think your summary was spot on.