We have to applaud the fine folks at Insomniac for trying something new on the PSN. Somehow, they've managed to bring out a brand new Ratchet game, just one year after the release of the first PS3 incarnation, Tools of Destruction. Quest for Booty is a direct continuation of the previous game, but can be played without any experience with the franchise at all. The developers have promised 3-4 hours of gameplay, at a budget price of $15. However, is Quest for Booty worth your hard earned cash? Depends on how much you like the Ratchet franchise.
Although it may have a budget price, the presentation easily matches any full-priced console game. The visuals of Quest for Booty are actually superior to the ones found in last year's game. The water, for example, looks far more captivating in this installment. The lighting seems to be enhanced, and the lush color palette found for most of the game really looks quite stunning in HD. The voice actors all make their return, and Ratchet and friends are animated just as sharply as they always have been.
Gallery: Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty
Sony has announced details on when we can expect to see Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty released in Europe, along with a price for the game. The Ratchet & Clank mini-sequel will be on the European PlayStation Network on the same day as it hits the US Store. That's this coming Thursday, August 21st. You'll need to part with £9.99 (no confirmed Euro price yet, but we expect somewhere in the region of €15 to €18) in order to grab it, but considering the game will be between 3 to 5 hours and continues the story from Tools of Destruction, that's not so much to ask.
A Blu-ray version will also be made available on September 12th and will also retail for only £9.99. Even better value, considering you get a box and a manual. We're looking forward to getting back in touch with Ratchet in a few days. We may be in the midst of a Blu-ray game drought, but with all the excellent recent PSN content, like Bionic Commando Rearmed, Siren and PixelJunk Monsters, we're swamped with stuff to play.
So, what happens after you beat the 3-4 hours of adventuring to be found in the upcoming Quest for Booty? Well, you'll get a tease for yet another Ratchet & Clank adventure in Fall 2009! The series looks to be turning into an annual affair -- but will it be yet another small taste of R&C, or will it be a full-length feature, a la Tools of Destruction?
Stay tuned for our full review of Quest for Booty next week.
The upcoming PSN-exclusive follow-up to the successful Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction will be available for the masses soon: August 21st, to be exact. Many have been wondering how large the download would be, considering Tools of Destruction took advantage of the incredible space offered by Blu-ray. Those interested in downloading the upcoming game should know that Quest for Booty clocks in at slightly over 2GB, or 2.3GB to be precise.
While that's a large download, that's only slightly larger than most episodes of Qore and a few demos. Hopefully, it'll take longer to play the game (about 3-4 hours) than it does to download it.
Gallery: Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty
Posted Aug 1st 2008 10:20AM by Alan Tsang Filed under: News
On Playstation.Blog, the precise release date of Rachet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty was announced: August 21st via the PS Store. And guess what, Europe? You are getting it the same day too! Our Japanese friends will have to wait until August 22nd, but with the time-zone difference, it is virtually the same day.
As unveiled before, the price will be $14.99 for an "action-packed 3-4 hour experience for almost the same price as a movie ticket." No word yet on whether the Blu-ray release of the PAL territories will be released the same day. For more info on this upcoming stand-alone mini-sequel, check out our hands-on impression.
Gallery: Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty
"So the engine had to be cut back to make it work as a downloadable title, right?" I asked, seeing no evidence that this was the case, but assuming the worst. "Actually," the Sony rep replied, "Quest For Booty looks slightly better in places than Tools of Destruction. We've improved the lighting engine since then." My mind boggled, I continue playing the upcoming downloadable "sequel" to Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction.
It's clear from the start that the emphasis is placed more firmly on exploration in Quest For Booty. There are plenty of characters milling around with which you can chat and as you perform the necessary tasks, a larger and larger area will open up to you. After a Metroid-style "oh noes, I lost all my weapons!" opening, your wrench is your only friend. You'll collect a few weapons as you progress, but much of the game's emphasis is on using the wrench's new ability.
Your wrench is infused with electromagnetic energy, which allows it to manipulate objects from afar. There are plenty of puzzles that utilize this in order to open your path as you try to find your pal Clank. It's not a huge addition, but it does the job of breaking up the usual rail-grinding, platforming and energy-tether swinging.
Gallery: Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty
Posted Jul 17th 2008 12:00PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
Click for high-resolution image.
Many European gamers have been frustrated by the inexplicable delays of games in Europe. Yes, there are localization issues, but when a title like echochrome, which features very little text, releases weeks after its American counterpart, people seemingly have the right to complain.
Grilled at a recent E3 cocktail, SCEE boss David Reeves told Eurogamer that "every relevant title that SCEA announced for America will also be introduced to the PAL territories - most of them day and date." Even newly revealed titles like Ratchet & Clank: The Quest for Booty (pictured, above) will arrive in Europe ... although a Blu-ray version of that game will be available in PAL regions as well.
MotorStorm Pacific Rift, LittleBigPlanet, Siren: Blood Curse, Resistance 2 are all promised to show up on European PS3 systems before the end of March 2009.
Gallery: Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty
Another great PS3 game is available for a bargain price in the UK today. Argos, the high street catalog shop, has Ratchet and Clank up on its website for the excellent price of £14.99 -- a saving of £25. Our tipster assures us that this is less than you'd expect to pay on ebay, so definitely make sure you grab this one. Unfortunately, R&C won't be supporting trophies until at least after Resistance 2 gets released. Even then, it's not a certainty, but don't let that put you off. Ratchet & Clank is easily our second favorite PS3 exclusive from 2007 and at this price, it's well worth a punt.
Posted Jul 7th 2008 5:30PM by Alan Tsang Filed under: News
One of our sharp-eyed readers spotted an interesting listing on the ESRB website: a listing for Rachet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, which has been an open secret since we have found previousevidence suggesting its existence. All signs point to it being a PSN download, but it is still unclear whether this will just an add-on for Ratchet & Clank Future or it can be played as a stand-alone game. With this ESRB listing, it shouldn't be long before we hear official word from Insomniac.
Months ago, a rumored PSN release list showed a game called Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty. Since then, we haven't heard much about this potential game, but a recently uncovered Spanish logo suggests that this is the real deal. En Busca Del Tesoro also refers to treasure, and may expand upon the fun pirate themes of Tools of Destruction. According to the Spanish release, this PSN downloadable will provide new adventures for our favorite robot-lombax duo.
From the looks of things, this content may be playable without a copy of Ratchet & Clank Future. Now, all we have to do is wait for Insomniac to officially spill the beans. Check out a Spanish-language clip of Ratchet & Clank, after the cut.
Not content with creating two million selling franchises in quick succession, Insomniac's president, Ted Price, isn't ruling out any new IPs coming along in the future. When asked about their plans to keep alternating between Resistance and Ratchet in the years to come by MTV's Stephen Totilo, Price responded by saying that Insomniac will "continue to produce new IP, there's no question about that. So that means that pattern won't necessarily continue as you stated."
Considering how different Ratchet & Clank and Resistance are, our mind boggles at what else Insomniac have in mind. Price also notes that Insomniac were experiencing consumer fatigue while they were developing a new Ratchet game every year. Now they have two-year cycles, still with one game releasing per year, with multiple franchises. We agree that this keeps the series' fresh and, with Price teasing about new IPs appearing in the future, we're intrigued to see what they're going to come up with next. Having said that, let's keep focused on Resistance 2 for now, shall we? We haven't even seen any gameplay footage yet!
Who doesn't love Wal-Mart? A lot of people, apparently, but their influence in most things consumer-related is undeniable despite your personal beliefs. This is why we took note of their latest advertisements for the PlayStation 3. They're obsessed. We've got one video above for Heavenly Sword and we've got three more waiting for you after the jump. We know the heart of Wal-Mart is in us all, but by the power of Grayskull, we just can't pass up those deals.
Despite Ratchet & Clank: Future being one of the very best games currently available on the PS3, it's certainly not without a few quirks. Courtesy of Project Mod Gaming, we're shown a few in particular. Pretty silly video with some decent tunes to back it up.
And before anyone says so, yes, it's been a pretty slow news day.
Remember back when Insomniac's Ryan Schneider created controversy by saying they were "extremely flattered" by Super Mario Galaxy's supposed borrowing of the spherical world design that Insomniac first created with Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal?
Well, Miyamoto has finally found the opportunity to weigh in on Schneider's claim, and apparently, the Mario creator hasn't even heard of the series at all, including the PS3's newly released Tools of Destruction. When asked his thought's on Schneider's comment, Miyamoto said, "I'm sorry, but I have to admit that I've never seen the game in question. Is it a PC game?" Ooooh, burn!
Continuing, Miyamoto expressed his surprise by the claim and even said "In terms of the spherical worlds and anti-gravity, we had the original idea as soon as we finished the development of Mario 64 and had been experimenting with it for many years, even on the N64." So there you have it. If Miyamoto is to be believed, and why shouldn't he be, Nintendo didn't borrow anything from Insomniac. Both companies make brilliant games, and we see no reason to think that both couldn't have come up with such a design concept entirely on their own.
