Graphics

At almost 2.5GB, Quest for Booty is a massive download. Once the game starts up though you'll be glad you watched that downloading bar slowly make its way to 100%. Developer Insomniac has created the most graphically impressive downloadable game and arguably one of the most beautiful games available on the PS3. If this is what downloadable games can achieve graphically, we're in for some amazing work in the future.

Ratchet will traverse through a few locales all centered on one water-filled planet. Insomniac has done a great job of creating unique environments without relying on the old standbys such as lava world and ice caverns. Some notable highlights in Quest for Booty include dank caverns with a clever twist on lighting effects. The outdoor environments are lush and tropical with foliage that responds to Ratchet's tromping and massive metal towers that break up the natural beauty of the levels.

The character models are for the most part impressive. Many people threw around the "P" word to describe the last game, and as much as I want to avoid the cliché I'll agree that during cut scenes, Ratchet and the rest of the cast do attain a Pixar level of detail. This translates well into the actual game, where character animations are both fluid and dynamic, with the robot pirates all displaying an over the top quality in their movements that downplays the very real danger they pose. The only complaint I had with the visuals was that in some of the in-game dialogue sequences mouths were moving like Muppets instead of actually syncing to the dialogue.

Story (slight spoilers for Tools of Destructions)

Since Clank was abducted by the mysterious Zoni at the end of Tools of Destruction, one would be right in assuming that this tale is about Ratchet's search for his missing partner. Those of you looking for a resolution to that storyline will find yourself unfulfilled as this tale pits Ratchet against Captain Slag, whose first mate Rusty Pete narrates the tale through the use of a storybook-like sequences. In order to locate Clank, Ratchet is searching for the treasure of the long deceased Captain Darkwater, but Slag and Pete have other plans, sinister plans.

Aside from the underlying tension of Clank's whereabouts the rest of the story is lighthearted with enough one liners to keep fans amused without turning the game into a parody of itself. Rusty Pete makes about as reliable a narrator as Moby Dick's Ishmael which adds to the general zaniness of the story. Sadly though there is no mention of series favorite Captain Qwark, not that his presence would even makes sense, but then, has it ever?

As for the ending, I'm not spoiling anything, but longtime fans of the series will see a familiar face.

Gameplay

Now we come to the most difficult part of the review. Ratchet and Clank is a series that has been known for its impressive gameplay, deftly combining shooting and platforming into one overflowing package of fun. Quest for Booty takes the same formula as the previous games and tries to fit it into a very small game; this is where we run into some issues.

Because Quest for Booty is a short game, advertising puts it at 3-4 hours but I finished it in just over 2, the game wastes no time in throwing you into the adventure. Ratchet begins the game with a full arsenal of weapons, which only amount to about half the firepower from Tools of Destruction. After a few minutes the game pulls a Metroid of Ratchet is left with naught but his wrench. Starting with every weapon seemed like it was meant to be a tease, but instead I was left wondering why I didn't have to work to purchase weapons as in past games. After an extended plat forming level the game rewards Ratchet with the return of his weapons, all of which are already powered to their third upgrade. Fans of the series know that half the fun is upgrading the weapons and seeing just what insane form their guns will take once fully powered up. Sadly, Quest for Booty takes the fun out of upgrades and within a short time of regaining my weapons they were maxed out at level 5. So much for steady progression.

The most fun I had in the game actually occurred when Ratchet was weaponless and the game became a strict platformer. Without Clank, Ratchet had to rely on a new feature of his melee weapon, a electric beam which could be used to lower platforms, pull bridges across chasms and prep catapults. There is nothing quite like the thrill of trying to pull down a platform while you're standing on a continuously sinking chunk of metal, that's some fine tension. Much of the platforming involved the scaling of several towers all of which were different enough to never grow stale and also served to highlight just how well the Ratchet series has worked as a hybrid of genres.

So I was having fun leaping across levels and though my guns loss their customizability, shooting pirates was a blast. Then the game was over, and that became the biggest problem. 3-4 hours is a short game, but when 3-4 hours boils down to half that, we're looking at a bit of a problem. Quest for Booty is simply too short of a game.

Sometimes short games work though, I played through Portal in one sitting and was left satisfied at the end of the game. Yet when I played through Ratchet's adventure in one sitting I felt strangely empty inside. Whereas Portal told a complete story, Quest for Booty took an established story with established characters and then let them run around for a bit before putting them back in their toy box. Was their goal to introduce new people to the series? If it was, then perhaps calling a game Ratchet and Clank and removing half the of the titular duo was a strategic mistake. Perhaps Insomniac was providing longtime fans a love letter while we wait for the next installment in the series. Why not then have the game as additional content for Tools, instead of a fully separate experience? I think I am just as confused as Insomniac as to who the target audience of this game is.

The Final Word

Most readers of this review will fall into two camps, those that have played and loved this series from the beginning, and those that are unfamiliar with the series and looking for a jumping on point. If you're part of the former group, like me, you've already downloaded and enjoyed this game and are itching for 2009 and the next installment of the series. If you fall into the second group and you're wondering what all the fuss is about, then I'm going to encourage you to either pick up Tools of Destruction or go back and pick up one of the earlier games in the series on PS2 (all of which can be purchased for under twenty dollars). At $14.99, the price of entry is simply too high to recommend this game to newcomers. Quest for Booty is an expensive, albeit impressive, appetizer. I'm recommending you skip ahead to the main course.