Rating:
- Everything just right
You really can see the quality with Jak and Daxter: it's fun to play, it's paced really well, and it allows you about as much freedom as a "quest-based" platforming game can. I loved it from one end to the other, and even went out of my way to beat it completely.
You can see plenty of reviews that will give you the story--let's instead take a look at the gameplay. Jak & Daxter is a "platformer", meaning you spend a lot of time jumping up and down on various stair-step parts of each level. The monotony is broken up by side quests: for example, helping a farmer herd cattle, or shooing pigeons away from a series of monuments.
There are also changes to gameplay: "end bosses" that require you to crack the pattern to beat them. There are "riding" stages where you're on a small skimmer, and even these have diversity: sometimes you're racing some bad guys, sometimes you're racing the clock. Last, you collect "Precursor Orbs" as you go, which you can trade for Power Cells, the core collectable of the game. Precursor Orbs are hidden all over the place, as are Power Cells that don't need to be bartered for--they're just waiting to be discovered. It's not easy, but the important part is, when you fail, you know why, and you feel driven to try again, just one more time. A good game makes you really feel like you've earned something that's hard-to-get, not like you had to wrestle it out of the programmer's hands. You don't have to collect every Precursor Orb, nor do you have to find every Power Cell...but if you do, you get a special ending to the game.
Probably the most important point to Jak and Daxter is that little "E" on the package: the game is rated "E" for "Everyone", and it truly does live up to that claim. It's hard for me to find games that I can enjoy, and still share with my 8 year old daughter, but she loves this game, too. It's unfortunate that the second game went in the "T" (Teen) direction--it just doesn't seem right for Jak to start using shotguns and rocket launchers--but at least we have this one, and I would recommend it for the whole family.
For the record, I played Jak & Daxter on a PS3. It ran extremely well and has no glitches or hangups.
- Very fun game!
- jak and daxter (the precursor legacy)
- There's nothing like the original.
- Not as much fun as Sly
Credit Cards - Free Ringtone - Wester Union - Credit Card - Loans ![]()