In Progress: Ratchet & Clank Future - Quest for Booty
This is a short game, but I've been taking my time playing it. I'd say I'm about halfway through the game. There's gonna be spoilers, if not for this game then at least for the previous game in the series, Tools of Destruction. So, behind the cut I go again!
So... Quest for Booty takes place about a year after Tools of Destruction. Ratchet has been looking for a way to reach the Zoni dimension so he can find Clank. I'll probably replay Tools of Destruction at a later date and give a proper review on that, but let's just leave it at I was one of the people who reacted rather negatively when the Zoni kidnapped Clank. I didn't break down in tears or throw my controller, but it was darn close.
Well... maybe there was a few tears. Damn you Zoni! How could you do this to poor Ratchet? And I thought you were cute too.
Now, since I haven't finished Quest for Booty, I'm going to focus on a few things and not give my bullet point "Yay!/Bah/WTF" list like I did in Prince of Persia. Mainly I'm gonna talk about the length and how that translated to the feel of the game.
When I said this game is short, I mean really short. If ToD had came out even a few years later, this would have been a DLC instead of a standalone game. The way I play, I'm gonna be lucky to get 10 hours out of my first run through since I really love taking my time, exploring everything, dying multiple times, and whacking everything I can with my wrench or blowing it up with a fusion bomb. (For comparison, I usually clock somewhere in the 30-40 hour range my first time with a typical Ratchet & Clank game.) Right now, I'm maybe 3 hours into the game and it doesn't feel like there's gonna be much more to it.
Also, the flow, while still very much a Ratchet & Clank game, just feels a tad unpolished. For example, there are few proper cutscenes in the game, at least so far, and even fewer where Ratchet actually interacts with anyone and it's not Rusty Pete giving a bit of exposition. Most cutscenes have been replaced with the dialogue option question and answer gameplay from ToD. While I appreciate the ability to interact with other characters, I miss hearing Ratchet's voice, especially for the more outrageous options.
Admittedly, the few cut scenes that are in the game are awesome if just for Rusty Pete's narration.
Weapons appear to be identical to their ToD versions, but not all of them return including my all time favorite weapon: razor claws. You start out with them already at level 3 and they upgrade fairly quickly. There isn't any collectables - no gold bolts or skill points or action figures or raritanium. Bolts barely matter, other than to be handed to the Smuggler to continue the storyline or purchase the probably unnecessary replacement of the RYNO. (The Alpha Distruptor, already at max level, from ToD. If there is an actual RYNO weapon in this game, I haven't heard whisper of it yet, and frankly, rather doubt it.) Every other weapon has been handed to Ratchet. Ammo is provided by quickly repopulating ammo boxes placed near any major battle. The only thing you have to go out of your way to find is the weapon mods - one per weapon to give it a little extra zing. I'll need to go back to compare to ToD, but at least the combuster has the same special mod it did in the previous game - the ability to start little fires on the ground. I suspect it's the same for all the other weapons.
Once you finish up an area's missions and leave, you have no way to return to that area. So far, the one exception is Hoolefar Island, which the story brings you back and even still, you're limited to maybe about a fifth of what you previously could access. A bit disappointing, considering how friendly Ratchet & Clank games are usually to exploring, and it does mean I spend a lot more time than I normally would in an area just to make sure I didn't miss anything before I move on.
Okay, so the Dan Johnson action figure isn't a real collectable nor was it hard to find, but it's still awesome. It, more than the weapon upgrades, made me glad I spent the thirty minutes exploring the bottom of the sea around Hoolefar Island.
With the lack of collectables, serious weapon upgrades, or any sort of unlockable, I don't think I'm going to see a New Game+ option when I do finish the game. Without it, other than trying a few other dialogue options and trying out hard mode, there won't be much incentive for playing it a second or third time. Not to say I won't, just I probably won't finish the game and jump right back into it like I normally do.
Yet... I really don't think of any of these things as actual problems with the game. Just limitations and like I said, it really feels more like a DLC than a full game. Wiki says that the game came out in August 2008 as a downloadable only title and ToD was released in October 2007 - so that's less than a year. In addition, Crack in Time was released in October 2009. So, all three games were released in a space of two years. Even without considering QfB, two years from ToD to CiT is impressive for most current-gen game series of the depth of Ratchet & Clank.
And it's not like the gameplay was copied from ToD - there are several new elements or updates to old PS2 elements, especially with the wrench. Monsters that fear light, being able to pick up objects, and manipulate platforms. I would say, if anything, this game feels like it was experimenting with some new ideas in a familiar environment without having to commit to them for a full game. I'm really hoping they did well enough to be used in Crank in Time.
Finally! The wrench finally does more than turn the occasional bolt and whack things really well - even it's just acting like a fancier version of the Dynamo and Tractor Beam from Going Commando. However, none of it could take the place of hitting everything as my favorite thing to do in a Ratchet & Clank game.
So yes, I love this game. Even if I'm going to finish it with only another hour or two of game play, it's a great follow-up to the ending of Tools of Destruction and it's getting me chomping at the bit to play Crack in Time. And just maybe... very maybe... (not likely at all, but a girl can hope), I will find Clank at the end at this game.
His purpose is to be Ratchet's best friend and companion on their madcap adventures saving the universe, you insane time-manipulative twits! That's where he belongs, not with you! GIVE HIM BACK!
Screenshots were either taken from the Ratchet & Clank wiki or made from Let's Plays I found on Youtube.