An improvement over the 2nd edition of the franchise and a satisfying end to a trilogy, but it could use more platfoming

User Rating: 8.1 | Jak 3 PS2
By jekyll | Review Date:
After playing the disappointment that was Jak II, I was hoping that Jak3 would be an improvement. I am happy to report that it is. Though it strays a little much from the platforming, it lacks the total darkness of story that drug down Jak II and the game is all the better for it. The game starts off with Jak and Daxter being exiled from Haven City to a desert wasteland, his being an "eco-freak" used as a scapegoat for the war with the metalheads. It is from here that you will enter the walled city of Spargus, a city of outcasts, to start your journey back to Haven City and resuce the planet from an advancing threat. Those raring to get platforming will be somewhat disappointed, as the first ΒΌ of the game is nearly devoid of any platforming levels, usually focusing on driving sand buggies or using some large implement of destruction. And there is lots of driving in a total of 8 vehicles: from races, rescuing people, and recovering artifacts, the Wastelands are full of both story-advancing quests and chances to gain precursor orbs, which can be used to buy secrets from the pause menu. You will also be spending a lot of time on the hover board and zoomers. Eventually you will make it back to Haven City, though parts of it are now greatly a destroyed shell of it's former self. Here the platforming comes back, with numerous levels in sewers and catacombs. Old favorites like the gun course make a return appearance, and plenty more "find the spot" and ring challenges await. Eventually you will uncover the dastardly plot, reawaken your Dark Jak powers, gains new Light Jak powers, and unravel the secrets of the Precursors themselves in a neat surprise towards the ending. The banter between Jak and Daxter still keeps things lively, and Daxter is even randier than ever, including one double entendre that I was actually surprised made it into the game. The graphics, sound, and game engine are pretty much the same as the previous two titles, though one noticeable and unfortunate glitch is the unreliability of the "grind" function of the hover board. Falling to your death or down to where you need to spend a minute climbing to get to where you were over and over can get frustrating. A few times the exact goal of a mission is a little poorly defined, but this is a less severe quirk of the game. Also, the ability to use X instead of R1 to fire during the turret games would have been great appreciated. Still, if you liked the first Jak and Daxter, you will like this game. It's a notch below Ratchet and Clank, a notch above Sly Cooper, and that's pretty good company.

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