Ratchet and Clank: Q-Force Review

This may be the last Ratchet and Clank I'll review, not because I haven't played the other games. It's just I don't want to repeat myself and basic gameplay is the same throughout the series. My advice, try the first game and if you like that, get the rest of the series if you want. However, this game is probably the only one I suggest you skip because it's not that good.

Story
It's a quiet day for our trio of heros and Captain Qwark is dying for some action when a masked super-villain calls them and says he's disabled the defense system on THREE planets and has lured invaders to attack. Now it's up to the Q-Force to save the day again.
The one good thing I can say about this story is that the villain felt betrayed for Qwarks actions in the original trilogy and no longer believes there's no such thing as heroes. Other than that, there's nothing here. No character arcs, no emotional scenes or drama, heck, Ratchet and Clank aren't that important to the plot. Though I wouldn't mind it if it was a Qwark story.

GameplayWhile this is still a third-person platform shooter, it's also a tower defense game. You have to get money to but defenses for your base and you have to hack point no the map to get weapons. And every so often, an invasion will occur that you'll have to deal with before you can continue the mission. And I don't like.
Not only that I don't like weapons and money aren't kept for every level, but the constant need to go back to you base to deal with some goons can get annoying real fast. Especially if you were almost at a node and you had to go back and deal with the goons on the other side of the map and then the enemies guarding that node respawn. Also, I would've like a RYNO or any ultimate weapon to deal with the big enemies easier.
While I don't mind length, this game is way too short, with only five levels and 3 maps(I'm not counting the last level as that felt like a real level). And all the levels are the same: get key nodes, restore defense system,  defend base. Rinse and repeat. Also, there's no real penalty for death. You only lose if the base is destroyed.

PresentationThe R&C games have fared quite well graphicly on the PS3, although this game has a noticeable frame-rate drop. The enviroments are nice as always and the voice work is great as always. Still doesn't help it. I don't care for the music either.

Verdict
This game is pointless filler. If you skip it, you won't be missing out.
4/10