Ratchet and Clank Quest For Booty Review : Bootilicious

Ratchet and Clank Quest For Booty

Platforms : PS3: PSN download and Blu-Ray Release date: 21st August (PSN), 12th September (Blu-Ray)

When you first start Booty, it’s not some long epic cut scene, or something that maybe acknowledges the ending to Tools of Destruction, instead it just thrusts you on a big robot pirate ship with 6 weapons and says “PIRAAAAAATE BATTTLEEEEE”. It’s not exactly the best start to such a quite long and dragging experience. After battling and spending all your lazars and tornadoes on the pirates, you eventually get flown out of cannon and end up on some tropical island… which you will revisit 3 times.

There’s never a dull moment in booty, it’s always dull. Either your climbing some wind turbine tower thing to switch it back on… or your talking about crotchitizers to the Mayor of Hoosleoofhurahar Island. It just seems to get away from the series trademark addictive shot, gun, upgrade, buy, fly and die, that was sweet in TOD. But it seems that this 3 hour chunk has degenerated to the point of pointless platforming and ‘pirate mini-games’.

The whole of the R&C series has a kiddish theme to it, but it’s always got something for it’s mature adult audience to laugh about, it’s just in this, there is no venturing out of the platforming and pointless things. There is one or two moments with Ratchet and his Ladyfriend (I can’t godamn remember her godamn alien godamn name godamnit!), but other than that, it’s WRENCH TIME AND HAPPY HAPPY RUNNING ON WALLS AND CEILINGS.

I’ve been a bit negative so far haven’t I? But seriously, it just seems like it’s running up walls, carrying lights around and occasionally getting to shoot things… for only 3 hours. I am being very honest with everything I’ve said, but for what it’s worth, the reason you buy something in the R&C series, is for the addictive gunning and running. Although I must say, some of the dialogue with Rusty Pete and the duel-transformation of Captain Darkwater is pure gold and made me go ‘Woah’ for a couple of minutes

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The new wrench gameplay element works well, I have to say that, you simply crouch, throw the wrench on the thing you want to move, and use the right stick to move it up, down, left, right, slide to the right… slide to the left CRISSCROSS! You can still move around while doing it, and it is done very well. Another new gameplay thing was the ‘light and dark’ caverns, you have to pick up these bugs called Heliogrubs which light up when their scared. It does work nice and you do really have to use them, not some cheap knockoff selling point too.

For all it’s worth - £9.99 or $14.99, it is a good size chunk of the ratchet universe. The ending is a good lead up till the next one and there is some good fresh gameplay to keep it going. Invest in it if you want some more Ratchet, and want answers about the next one and Clank. Or if your new to the universe, the next one will surely be more complex and this’ll be a good start for you.

+ Some bold new gameplay movements

+ Pure moments of pure gold in the some cutscenes and dialogue

+ Still has the same Ratchet flavour in there

- NEEDS MOAR RATCHET FLAVOUR

- Becomes repetitive during most of the 3 hours

- Doesn’t really open up well