Booty Looks Nice, But Feels a Bit Thin: Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty Reviewed

As the latest example of both episodic gaming and digital delivery, Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty, is a harbinger of the future of the gaming industry. Unlike recent efforts, such as Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Quest for Booty plays like a fully realized next-gen title, albeit significantly shorter. All the luxuries of an Insomniac-developed title are in place- a fluid game engine, witty dialogue, and a steady flow of devices to maintain the player’s interest.

Graphically, the game improves upon the greatness of its predecessor. A beautiful texture palette makes rocks looks sufficiently craggy and mossy, foliage is both leafy and full, while metallic items have a glowing luster around them. Water ranges from dark and foreboding to bright and splashy. The developers have made an excellent use of perspective, inducing a faint sense of vertigo as the player traverses vertical walls with a set of magnetic gravity boots.

                                                Ratchet is either moving a platform, or stealing DirectTV
Sadly, Quest for Booty ends just as the game hits its stride. With a relaxed play through time of slightly less than three hours, the title takes marginally longer to complete than to download. After finishing the title we endured a slight pang of disappointment. Although his name was prominently featured in the title, Clank’s omission was heartfelt. Although the ending credits promise a full Ratchet and Clank game in the Fall of 2009, this DLC morsel didn’t have enough substance to achieve the since of closure that a full disk-based game typically gives. Still, as one of the best examples of digital distribution currently available, we recommend the title to all PS3 owners.

Final Grade: B

                                  Paying homage to GTA, Ratchet locks on to the least threatening enemy