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Jak and Daxter Platinum (PS2)
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| Description:
The PS2 is finally getting its fair share of platform games, and Jak & Daxter is a corker. Following the adventures of the yellow-barnetted Jak and his wisecracking sidekick Daxter (newly transformed into a rodent, and not happy about it), it's a free-roaming 3-D adventure very much along the lines of the N64's Banjo Kazooie--only less irritating. The gameplay, while not breaking any new ground, is perfectly polished and diverse enough to keep the interest up throughout; the main body of the game involves running, jumping, and spinning around the world collecting orbs and power cells and bashing enemies, but there are also racing, fishing and sliding bits, and all are very well done. The game world is seamless and you can move between areas and missions pretty much at will; there are no loading times whatsoever--a lesson which the latest Crash Bandicoot would have done well to learn. What's more, the irritation of having to restart levels and collect everything again if you lose all your energy is mercifully absent here. The graphics are truly scrumptious and the sound lush--and, shock horror, the script's decent and the characterisation and voice acting not half bad. It's not quite as amusing and cleverly thought out as Rare's aforementioned N64 stalwart--or their more recent Conker's Bad Fur Day--but it's pretty close. The downsides? It's maybe a bit too easy for seasoned gamers--though by no means a cinch--and the magnificent graphics have eaten up memory that might have been used to make the game longer; as trade-offs go, though, that's pretty reasonable. Bring on the sequel! --Rikki Price
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4/5 |
Brilliant platformer
(April 16, 2007) |
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Many moons ago, this is the very first game I ever completed 100% and it brought such a sense of a brillance it makes you return and return and return back to it when your bored and want a fun game to play.
You play Jak and a village teenager set for destiny and futher things helping him is his best friend Daxter turned into a ..welll it seems a sort of talking ferret by the villianous black ooze that is littering the home world.
This game was a developement from the people that brought you Crash Bandicoot - i.e Naughty Dog. The Jax games now are far more enjoyable and playable than their earlier creation.
You collect orbs to unlock further power orbs from the residents of the area your currently playing in. Each level will have between 50-200 orbs in each level, So you can complete this game without getting every single orb in each area.
Yet this game makes you want get a 100% it really gives you that sense of achievement. Theres driving/race levels to mix things up as well as a good mix of leaping jumping as most platformers have, But in Jak... it really does it very very well.
The graphics are superb as is the humour in the game. Playabilty wise you can complete this 100% in under 15hrs so its quite a big game for a platformer.
With so many sub-average platformers out there, its nice to see Jak and Daxter sit along side Sly Raccoon/Ratcher and Clank these games as must haves. |
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5/5 |
pure class
(March 18, 2007) |
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this is a superbly done game which followed on to be a superb series of 3.
this game is fun and its humerous. the graphics are expertly animated and its got a great story line.
this is a must have with garanteed fun and value. one of the best things about it is that even when you've completed it you still can play on it every day and have fun. |
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5/5 |
Platforming nirvana
(November 13, 2006) |
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If this game had Nintendo written on the box it would regularly feature in best games of all time lists. Sadly, the simple fact that it was a Sony game and not a beloved "Ninty" title or "Shigsy" masterpiece has denied it the classic status it so richly deserves. This is platforming paradise, distilled to absolute perfection.
Where sequels spoiled the blend with darker storylines and unwieldy, sprawling GTA influences, the original got everything that makes a joyous 3D platform absolutely spot on. The lure to collect all 100 orbs not only stirs the kleptomaniac inside us all but also lures you on for the sheer joy of each challenge. It sticks to the platforming staples but does it all with such flair and imagination that you can't help but revel in every single delightful task. It looks truly breathtaking throughout and never once fails to delight with its imagination and all pervading sense of fun, or shatters the illusion with anything that even hints at annoyance or frustration.
A truly outstanding example of first class design and creativity combined with a genuine mastery of the PS2 innards that only very few developers can aspire to. Like an Oasis album back in the days when they were good, it borrows influences from the best in the business and infuses the whole creation with a panache and brilliance that makes you want to complete it all over again while other newer games continue to gather dust on your shelves.
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5/5 |
Funny, silly and entertaining
(August 05, 2006) |
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This was a game which I bought because I had a demonstration of it on the free demo disk you get when you buy a PS2. I'm not really a fan of platform games, as I have a rather short temper and they always seem to just anger and irritate me. I saw this game really cheap in the shop, and I got an offer on the game I actually wanted if I bought Jak and Daxter with it, so I did.
The general storyline, although it isn't much, is to change Daxter back into a human, as he has fallen into a substance known as `dark eco', which has changed him into an orange rodent known as an `ottsel'. First, the aim is to change Daxter back, but after a while you discover that the sage who is meant to turn him back is actually evil, and has plans to use a precursor robot to cover the world in dark eco. To advance in the game, you need to collect `power cells' to power various transportation devices; mostly the `zoomer'.
I love the graphics, for a start. Although they aren't an example of the latest realistic effects, and they weren't even that great for it's time, because of the simplicity it means that the game runs so much smoother- none of those jolts you get in modern games. The colours are so bright and attractive and immediately you fall in love with this cartoon-like world.
The game play IS challenging, but somehow it isn't annoying. When I don't jump a ledge, or can't quite reach a pole, I just sigh and try again, as opposed to the usual throwing of the joypad in anger. The aim of the game is to complete the small challenges so that you can earn power cells to advance further. Most of the tasks involve leaping from moving platforms, swinging from poles and killing a certain enemies. I love this game play, and it's great in the long run because no matter how many times you play this game, stuff like platform-jumping doesn't get easier.
The basic controls are jump, punch and spin-attack. However, there are more complicated controls such as the dive roll. These controls are made more interesting once you obtain various kinds of eco. Blue eco will make you run faster and can open doors, green eco heals you, yellow eco allows you to shoot fireballs, and red eco makes you stronger. These eco `charges' run out after a while, so you have to use them to do what you need to quickly. I think the eco system is a great idea, because it makes the game more puzzle-like. When a task needs to be done and you can't do it with Jak alone, you begin thinking and looking for eco vents. It's challenging too because the eco runs out; and so not only do you have to complete a task, you have to do it in a time limit, too.
There are about fifteen levels overall. A few of them have to be completed whilst riding the `zoomer'- a sort of hovering bike, which overheats if you aren't careful. A couple of the levels are towns- with no bad guys to defeat, but the ALL of levels involve exploring and completing the tasks. To be honest, I found the zoomer levels tedious as it is so easy to crash and explode. There are also a few `chasing' tasks with the zoomer, which I hated because it's really difficult to steer. Like most games, the levels get harder as you venture further, as do the enemies and tasks.
In the game, there are three `boss' levels. In this game, the bosses are quite hard, but can be beaten by a routine. Normally you have to dodge things or attack things and wait until there's an opportunity to attack the boss. Then, you go ahead and attack it, and it starts over again but this time it's a little harder to do. You usually have to do this about three or four times to kill the boss.
I thought the voice-acting was very good (especially for a child's game), even if Jak never talks! Daxter is comical and the green sage does a good job as a bad-tempered old man. Keira is a great mechanic-chick, whom Daxter and Jak both have a crush on. The lip sync is really, really good also. This is a pretty old game, but the character's mouths actually move to the words they're saying, rather than just opening and closing.
Overall, this is a great game, which is one of those classics aimed at young children, but it is actually played mostly by adults. It's fun, non-serious and really entertaining. Just one word of advice- do NOT buy the second game as it is an awful sequel, but the third isn't so bad.
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5/5 |
Beats Mr Do
(June 03, 2006) |
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I cut my gaming teeth on Defender, Galaxians and the odd RPG MUD (most people under 40 might struggle to remember those) and my recent PS2 has been mostly playing Colin McRae 04 so I thought I'd expand my tastes and see what a "platformer" might be and try to find something that isn't a gore fest so I could take on my nephews when I next see them.
Jax and Daxter is a diverse game where you spend a lot of time exploring and vast game area to figure out the puzzles and when you do they are usually require a fairly challenging amount on hand to eye coordination to solve. What kept me playing was the diversity of the areas that I was exploring and the the diversity of the puzzles that required solving. I don't remember anywhere where I arrived in a section and thought that it looked similar to anything I'd already done.
For me this brings together puzzle solving and dexterity with a very engaging story. I found it quite a challenge and took about a month to complete the entire game when playing for a few hours a night on a few days a week.
Very good value for money and well worth buying. |
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