Daxter sports some of the greatest mini games and platforming ever grace the PSP to make up for some very minor issues.
The story centers around the Weasel/Otter hybrid called Daxter who, in previous games, served only as a sidekick and comic relief to Jak, his larger counterpart. The story begins right at the beginning of Jak II when Jak is arrested by the Haven City police and Daxter runs off to save him later. In the meantime, Daxter finds some work as a pest exterminator for a dying business and tries to bring it back to life while also trying to bust Jak out of prison.
Graphically, Daxter sports the same graphics as Jak II and doesn't sacrifice much (other than a few lag issues) to create a dast-moving experience with very few loads. In fact, with the exception of cutscenes, the entire game only needs a single load and there's no waiting between transferring between locations. Honestly, there are no technical issues that stick out.
The only portion that's minorly flawed is the gameplay. Although Daxter is easy to control on the ground, there are a few issues with trying to control his path of flight when he gets a certain upgrade. Trying to fly in a straight line is such a pain that it caused a few deaths but getting used to the sensitivity of the steering only takes a few tries. Other than that, all the vehicles, combat controls, and the rest of the platforming controls are so solid that dying is your own fault most of the time. Thankfully, there are plenty of check points where you can instantly start again from the ledge you last jumped off.
Combat itself is a little hard to get through, though. Even though the enemies are easy to kill, controlling the direction in which Daxter attacks can get tricky at times. In addition, the camera is a little tough to control when Daxter's surrounded by a few enemies and there's plenty of cheap shots as a result. However, getting a knack for whenever the enemy's going to pull a sneak attack surfaces around the first few fights and it ceases to become a problem.
Vehicle missions are some of the hardest objectives to complete in Daxter. There are a couple vehicles to ride, such as a zoomer and a scooter, that each have the same basic controls. However, the zoomer missions are timed, so it becomes a frenzy when its down to the last few seconds and there's only a few bugs standing in your way to victory. Come to think of it, the zoomer missions seem to draw from the same ideas as the other timed zoomer missions in the first and second games where the same basic objective was presented. Anyway, the scooter (which can also be used to quickly navigate the map) is used for missions mainly about trying to save Jak by chasing around a large vehicle for a bit. To be truthful, the scooter missions are some of the hardest and frustrating objectives but they're a little fun.
By far, the best part of the game is the dream sequences Daxter can access by collecting a certain number of Precursor Orbs. Each of these mini games is a test-your-reflexes quick time event that upgrades Daxter upon completion and offers other bonuses with a successful replay. The difficulty of these sequences increases by adding extra controls, traps, or faster enemies. What's even better is the variety of subject matter each spoofs, such as The Matrix, Braveheart, and Indiana Jones. Even after getting all the possible bonuses from a sequence, they're all too much fun to resist playing them again and again.
Another mini game is Bug Combat. In the main game, Daxter can collect some vials and cages that can be used to acquire bugs and bug upgrades that can be applied using a special game. In this mini game, a rock-paper-scissors formula is followed and whoever has their health all the way down is the loser. To be honest, there wasn't much to the combat and I gave up on playing it completely after the first few fights. There is a multiplayer option, but the mini game was so boring as a whole that I decided not to give a multiplayer match a go.
Overall, the few issues that Daxter has are easily tucked away by the charming design, fluid gameplay, and stunning variety that breathe plenty of life into the PSP. Fans of the series must give this amazing addition to the franchise a go but even if you're playing the series for the first time, Daxter will be an experience that will not disappoint. If there ever was an essential PSP game, Daxter fits the bill perfectly.