With colorful visuals and a fun-loving cast of characters, this game creates an example of how platformers should play.
Date: March 8th, 2010
Background:
Naughty Dog has struck gold with this incredibly entertaining adventure, the first of three in a trilogy on the PS2. Their previous work had consisted of a fun loving marsupial named Crash Bandicoot in the PS1 era, giving roots and a base engine to how their future projects had developed. Many similarities exist between the two games, however it's how the developers present and create Jak and Daxter that truly makes it stand out in the crowd. Not only is it fun to play and the humor involved keeps you laughing throughout the process, there's also a certain depth to the story which makes you crave more.
[The Good]
Characters – Presented from the get-go the main characters are easily distinguished, giving rise to a cast that is both fun-loving and great to watch develop. Their actions revolve around each other and the dialogue makes sense. While not overly complicated, the game doesn't try and push itself, making it simple for the cast to be memorable. The main villains aren't presented until the latter half of the game, however you start getting a good idea as to who you will be fighting. Secondary characters present themselves in the 3 towns that you'll be familiarizing yourself with soon enough, giving you jobs to do in exchange for power cells; magical objects that you'll be collecting to get 100%. There will also be the sages, a driving force in the game that you will soon discover need your help.
Story – Excellent mechanics tell a riveting background tale and a follow-up, allowing everything to have fluidity in the storytelling. The motivation is clear: help your friend return back to a human or face a guilty conscience. Again, simple and easy to understand, yet it proves that the game doesn't need to have much in order to be great. It also has a back story, about the great precursors of their day. How they created the precursor orbs, monetary objects that NPCS in town will need in order to trade you power cells, and how the mystery around them has strengthened, seeing as how no one alive knows anything about them.
Graphics – While in today's view the game's graphics aren't really pushing the PS2 to what it could be, back in the day it was exceptional and I have to agree. It has a certain artwork to it and while there are a few tears and slashes in the design, it more than makes up for it with the colorful visuals.
Gameplay – It is fun just to watch Jak run. Seriously. You might spend a few minutes just running around, watching him drift from side to side as he goes up a hill. Naughty Dog did a great job in the gameplay, making the characters fun to move. Battle sequences are fast and fun, allowing you to exert a number of your moves such as a running punch, or a diving head slam. Nothing is ever slowed down as along the way, you'll need to jump to reach higher locations. Machines will help you across the lava-infested terrain as well as a friendly, daxter-loving bird that will jump to great heights for you to progress.
Humor – Daxter is probably one of the best characters ever created. His anecdotes follow the entire storyline, giving you a good laugh. You even hear his humor when you die and there are thousands, mostly from cheesy lines yet the way he says it is what delivers the punch.
Areas – Each location in the game is both un-repetitive and huge, giving lots of time to explore at whim. Nothing is ever closed off so you can always return to collect something that you might have missed, or simply for nostalgia.
[The Bad]
Length – Normally platformers are meant to be a quick run through, never meaning to be overly long and extended. And probably for its time Jak and Daxter has a solid length of around 10 hours, however I feel as though the journey ended way too quickly. An example is the final location. While it is supposed to be the end-all of the game and it is a stunningly great way to use smart gameplay mechanics, it also seems to be a small place to be called a "citadel".
Number of Bosses – Meh. While the boss fights were a joy to explore and find a strategy, the conclusion is that there simply wasn't enough. The first one is optional unless you're attempting 100%, the 2nd is the most fun of all and the most hard, while the final boss is far too easy. It's fun to fight, but even for the game, it's overly simplified and it comes to an end way too quickly.
Difficulty - The game renders itself really easy. I mean in the last location, all it takes is one hit to kill any of the mobs. The main focus however is the platforming elements and the story that drives the game, however it would have been nice to implore a more deepening strategy in how to defeat some of the enemies. The only time where it was a real joy to kill something was at the second boss Klaw, the game's best encounter.
[The Ugly]
Not Keira – Nothing ugly about her. Nope.
[Overall: 9.0]
TL;DR version: Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is a game that is truly a classic, taking elements from both its predecessor, Crash Bandicoot, and from Nintendo's brand game, Super Mario 64. It presents itself in a quirky, humoristic approach that allows you to never get bored of its fast and easy-to-understand gameplay. It's unique and original in its own right, yet at the same time the familiarity of a run-of-the-mill platformer might turn you away. Jak and Daxter is a great opener in a series of games that anyone should look forward to in playing.