| Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty | |
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European Art Cover |
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| Developer(s) | Insomniac Games |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Composer(s) | David Bergeaud |
| Series | Ratchet & Clank |
| Engine | Insomniac Engine v.2.0 |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
| Release date(s) | PlayStation Network[1] August 21, 2008
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| Genre(s) | Platform[3] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | [4] |
| Media/distribution | Download, Blu-ray Disc |
Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty (known as Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty in most PAL regions) is the second in the Ratchet & Clank Future trilogy. It was released on PlayStation Network in Japan, North America and Europe on August 21, 2008[1] and on Blu-ray Disc in Europe on September 12, 2008[2] and in Asia on September 25, 2008.[5] The game continues from where Tools of Destruction left off, where Clank was kidnapped by the Zoni, and follows Ratchet's quest to find him. Due to its length of approximately three to four hours of playtime, it was released at a lower price point than most standard retail games. [6]
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Gameplay was first shown at E3 2008. This game features more puzzle solving and platforming than previous games in the series and introduces new features, such as the ability to pick things up with the Omniwrench Millennium 12. There are also sections where Ratchet must pick up creatures called Heliogrubs in order to light up a dark area. The Omniwrench Millennium 12 also has a tether ability, which can be used to manipulate objects and move obstacles. The Combuster, Fusion Grenade, Nano Swarmers, Predator Launcher, Tornado Launcher, Shock Ravager and Alpha Disrupter make their return from Tools of Destruction.
After defeating Emperor Tachyon, Clank has been kidnapped by the mysterious Zoni, and Ratchet and Talwyn are on the hunt for Captain Darkwater, who was considered an expert on Zoni culture. However, his crew reveal that Darkwater is dead. After a bit of gameplay involving fighting pirates and rogues, along with launching Ratchet from catapults, Ratchet and Talwyn are captured and placed in a cannon. Rusty Pete is talking for Slag who is unable to talk due to the fight in TOD, Pete then attaches Slag's head on his body, and takes command of the pirates. He banishes Ratchet and Talwyn to Hoolefar Island, hinting that they will find "exactly what they are looking for" over there. Ratchet washes up on the shore of Hoolefar Island without any weapons except his wrench. Together, Talwyn and Ratchet traverse the island and eventually reach the main settlement on the Island, where Talwyn hopes to contact Pete, but the supply beacon on Hoolefar has been turned off. The first large puzzle in the game requires Ratchet's gadgets and platforming skills to activate five wind turbines. When they are all activated, Ratchet is reintroduced to the Smuggler, from whom he must buy a Versabolt to repair the supply beacon.
After activating the supply beacon, the island leader shows Ratchet the Obsidian Eye, a device Darkwater used to contact the Zoni. However, Darkwater had removed the power source, a Fulcrum Star. Rusty Pete makes his return, and tells Ratchet that Darkwater kept a map with him, leading to the Fulcrum Star's hiding place. At the hiding place of Darkwater's body, Ratchet and Talwyn are separated, leaving Ratchet and Pete to continue on to Darkwater's ship, where the map is hidden. Here, Pete turns on Ratchet, and puts Slag's head in Darkwater's body which resurrects Darkwater, unleashing a curse that sets the undead crew of Darkwater at Slag's command. Ratchet escapes and returns to Hoolefar Island, where he defends the island (with the help of Talwyn if you saved her in the last level before it) from the attack of Slagwater (a portmanteau of Slag and Darkwater).
When the attack is over, Talwyn makes her return (unless you saved her when escaping Slag and Darkwater), and she and Ratchet head to Darkwater's treasure cove with the aid of the Smuggler. Ratchet must then complete different puzzles that prove his claim that he is Darkwater to the island's defenses. Some of the puzzles include combat, making drinks, and moving pieces of metal to form a shadow that has the appearance of a skull. At the island's main vault, Ratchet falls into one of the island's traps, and Slagwater and Pete appear, taking the Star and Talwyn.
Ratchet escapes from the caves beneath the island, and he and the Smuggler make their way back to the Azorean Sea, where the game began. Ratchet frees Talwyn, and the pair fight Darkwater, defeating him and taking the Fulcrum Star. Back on Hoolefar Island, Ratchet activates the Obsidian Eye, and learns Clank's fate: the Zoni have him in another galaxy, where he is malfunctioning and in suspended animation. The Zoni reveal that they have hired a doctor to repair Clank. Unfortunately it is none other than Doctor Nefarious, the villain of Up Your Arsenal. Ratchet and Talwyn set off to help Clank, and the story ends with Rusty Pete narrating to Slag who is now able to speak, who survived the destruction of Darkwater. The game comically ends with Pete and Slag arguing, while Slag commands Pete to row them across the sea on a crate.
The next title in the series was announced as Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time in March 2009. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time was released for the PlayStation 3 in North America on October 27, 2009[7], in Europe on November 4, 2009[8], Australia on November 5, 2009[9] and in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2009.[8]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | B[10] |
| Edge | 8/10 |
| Eurogamer | 7.0/10[11] |
| GameSpot | 7.5/10[12] |
| IGN | 7.4/10[13] |
1UP.com's Nick Suttner described the game as "a rollicking few hours, polished to a sheen and even better-paced than its full-length predecessors, although Booty tromps off with its own side story, ending on the same cliffhanger with little more resolved." Suttner also expressed that the game looks slightly better than Tools of Destruction due to improved lighting and better textures.[10]
IGN reviewer Jeremy Dunham says "Quest for Booty has been designed as a quick four-hour experience and it feels shortchanged because of it. Though its shooting and platforming sequences are fun and of high production, it still seems like there's something missing," but said that "there are some really cool puzzles and new gameplay elements."[13]
Ratchet & Clank QFB has been announced as one of the free games being given by Sony as part of their 'Welcome Back' package because of the PlayStation intrusion, which left users offline for over 3 weeks. (This will be available in Europe and Australia only replacing the game Super Stardust HD being offered in North America).[14] It is the only one of the five games on offer which doesn't support the trophy feature.
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