A game that almost perfectly combines the action and platforming genres.
Let's start with the technical stuff. The sound is great. Voice acting is superb and sound effects really bring the world to life. The graphics are great too. This game shows off some of the best graphics of any PS2 game. Haven City (the city most of the game takes place in) is brought to life by the great graphics. It feels very alive with tons of pedestrians and vehicles moving throughout, the city leader, Baron Praxis, addressing the people over speakers, and more. The world is also completely seamless, with almost no load times throughout the game.
The gameplay is excellent. The game obviously took a lot of elements from Grand Theft Auto. The story progresses through a mission system, where you roam freely through the city and choose from available missions marked on your minimap to accomplish. To aid you in the missions, the game supplies you with 4 different guns which you earn as you progress through the missions. The guns include a gun that resembles a shotgun, a rifle, a machine gun, and a weapon called the Peacemaker, which fires a charged shot that can take down multiple enemies at once. You earn upgrades for your weapons as you continue, which range from increased ammo capacity to increased rate of fire.
The missions guide you through many environments and are very varied. The game's environment changes after certain missions are completed. Missions will have you doing escorts, delivering packages, destroying enemy weaponry and robots, escaping buildings before they explode, and even racing in an arena or on the streets. One problem with the missions: they are EXTREMELY hard. You will find yourself constantly repeating the same mission until you get it right. While sometimes it can be fun trying to figure out new strategies to accomplish your goal, it usually is just frustrating. A few missions took me well over an hour to complete. Sometimes i was so frustrated i actually stopped playing for a few days.
The game contains standard platforming but mixes it with gunplay. The system works very well and makes combat a usually fun experience. Boss fights are well thought out and introduce some puzzle elements. The boss fights can be extremely difficult as well, and may take you a long time to complete.
What makes the game worth going through the difficulty is the excellent story. You don't have to play the original game to follow the story, but it helps. Jak II introduces darker and more mature elements to the series, making it easier to reccommend to older audiences, unlike its predeccessor. The story progresses at a good rate, and is very compelling. The ending is somewhat satisfying, but it clearly sets up the series to continue into Jak 3. You also get to learn more about Jak's personality throughout the game, now that he can actually talk.
Jak II is an excellent action/platforming game that is a must-play for anyone who owns a PS2. While it has its frustrating moments, it tells a great story and fuses the elements of action games and platforming games nearly to perfection. Head to the store and pick up this game NOW.