Jak and Daxter is a very solid game, but it's also a bit derivative of other platformers.
User Rating: 8.4 | Jak and Daxter: the Precursor Legacy PS2
Jak and Daxter is a very solid game. It manages to add some new features to the platforming genre that haven't really been seen before. But at the same time, it can be a bit repetitive and derivative of other games. But that's not really worth complaining about that much. It's still a very good game that is worth anyone's time. The game begins when Jak and his loudmouth pal Daxter sneak on to an island populated by "Lurkers," the evil presence in their world. However, Daxter accidentally falls into a vat of Dark Eco, a sort of substance that can be found all over where they live. It immediately changes him into a weird fuzzy Muskrat or something. He's obviously not happy about this, and so the two set out to change him back. The game plays a lot like most action-platformers. The catch is, the game always stays in one continuous world. And I mean, ALWAYS. You never have to see a load screen or go through some sort of magic portal to take yourself to the next level, although there are a few places where you can take a shortcut by warping to a previously explored area. You can reach each world just by walking to it, and you can usually see other levels from the one that you're currently in. As a matter of fact, it could be a bit difficult to distinguish when you've gone from one world to another if it wasn't for the name that pops up the first time you enter a new area. This all makes for a cohesive world that actually seems to be alive. But there's another side to the gameplay. A lot of it simply revolves around collecting things. To get to most areas, you need a certain number of "power cells". Usually a halfway plausible reason is given for why you need to pick them up, but it still kind of feels like you're not doing much other than playing fetch. You can even get more power cells by collecting even more stuff. By getting "Precursor Orbs", the little egg-shaped things scattered throughout the land, you can trade them to different characters and get even more power cells. All of this doesn't hurt the game that much, as you still get to do some cool things like ride in vehicles or defeat a boss, but things like that aren't as common as you'd like them to be. It can be a bit of a drag that most of the game just focuses on collecting the same things over and over again. The game looks great. Each level is an exquisitely detailed sight to see, as every character and object has been drawn and colored in a very attractive manner. You can even see other worlds from what would be miles away in the game's world, and you can easily make out different locations in them. Also, everything animates in a smooth and exciting fashion. Pretty much everything looks spectacular, and there aren't any flaws to speak of at all. The sound is also excellent, for it's part. The music sounds great, and most of the sound effects work very well. The voice acting on the other hand, can be a wee bit annoying. It's all done very well, but a certain furry character can become incredibly annoying with some jokes that just get repetitive and aggravating after a while. Sure, sometimes Daxter can be funny, but usually he just won't be quiet. This will probably get on your nerves eventually, and you may find yourself wanting to find a way to turn him off. Still, the rest of the voice acting works very well, and it all helps to make the game's world feel a lot more complete. So overall, Jak and Daxter is a very worthy purchase. It may feel a bit repetitive at times, and you may get annoyed with the fact that a lot of the game involves nothing but collecting different items over and over again, but it still manages to be a very fun and worthwhile experience. I would definitely recommend picking it up, especially to people who like action/platforming games.
