A great collection of action platformers.
Jak and Daxter: The first game in the series is very similar to Banjo-Kazooie and for me, that's not a bad thing. The story goes a young pointy eared kid named Jak travels to a mysterious island with his annoying friend, Daxter. Daxter trips and falls into a vat of black goo called Dark Ico which turns him into an Otsell, a small weasel like creature. The two of them set out to find a way to change Daxter back. Much like Banjo Kazooie the duo traverses a variety of colorful levels collecting orbs (notes), Scout Flies (Jinjos) and Power Cells (Jiggys). The flies and orbs can be exchanged for the power cells which open new areas. As with the Mario Stars or Jiggys collecting all Power cells will unlock a final ending. You run, jump, attack foes, solve puzzles and fight bosses using ico energy as well as a few vehicle sections to mix up things. Daxter doesn't do much other than mug the camera and talk for Jak. But I had a blast with this and sometimes I wish the series had stuck to this format but that's just me.
Jak II: This was when the series decided to go towards a more "edgy" tone. The story begins where Jak and his friends find a giant Precursor portal and blast through it only to end up in a place called Haven City which turns out is their land many years in the future. Jak is captured, imprisioned and tortured for 2 years before Daxter finds him. His 2 year imprisionment gives Jak the ability to speak as well as all the Dark Ico experiments done to him gives him the ability to transform into a sort of purple rage monster. Where the first game was borrowing from Banjo Kazooie, this one goes for a GTA feel. This annoys me. Jak has to drive all over a crowded city full of hover cars that have wonky steering and if you so much as tap a city guard you'll get chased and shot at when all you want to do is get to the next mission level. The levels themselves are the best. It's full of platforming and the implementation of weapons adds something new and despite the darker tone, Daxter's wisecracking and the use of primary colors keeps it somewhat lighthearted still. My biggest gripe with Jak II is that it is insanely hard at times. I don't mind a challenge but the game is extremely stingy with health and checkpoints. I would spent longer than needed in a mission because I died due to little to no health packs and no mid stage checkpoint. It's worse if you have a driving/shooting mission in the city where there is no health and guards bum rush you at every moment. Dark Jak would be great if it worked when you needed it but guards don't drop dark ico juice so all you can do is shoot and hope you don't run out of ammo.
Jak III: Jak 3 finds the happy medium. It's challenging without being frustrating and makes better use of Dark Jak. After defeating Evil Barron Praxis in Jak II, Jak is banished to the wasteland because of fear of his dark form. He wanders into a desert village in what could be described as "Pixar Presents Mad Max" Instead of driving through a cluttered city with cops constantly chasing you get a big open desert with cars that can shoot and the city area gives you fun leaper (giant lizards) creatures to ride around. Much like #2 it's a mix of driving, platforming and shooting missions and it much more balanced. The game is easier being more generous with the health, allowing you to turn Dark Jak on and off as well as a new light form.
Overall it's a good collection redone in HD complete with trophies though it would've been nice to include Daxter's PSP solo outing. I also wish Naughty Dog would've considered toning down #2's difficulty or at least tossed a few more health packs but these are good platformers with a lot of variety and great visuals that hold up well. Looking at the 2nd and 3rd installments I can't help but wonder if that was what Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts aspired to be but wasn't.