PS2 Game Review: Jak & Daxter

Fans of the Crash Bandicoot series now have a new franchise to play. Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is an adventure game from Naughty Dog that gamers of all ages will enjoy. J&D realizes a full, living world where there are no sectioned levels or loading times. Jak & Daxter is an evolution in platform adventure games. It plays similar to Naughty Dog’s famous Crash Bandicoot series of platform adventure games, yet it breaks free from Crash’s linear mold. The 3D world in J&D is totally connected: there are no breaks or loading times between areas.

“Levels” do not exist in this game; if you need to go to an area, you travel to it. The full, living, breathing world of J&D makes the experience far more immersive and believable than traditional games where everything is broken up into sections on a map.

The adventure begins when Jak and his friend Daxter are eavesdropping on a mysterious cult meeting on an island. Daxter accidentally stumbles into a pool of Dark Eco, which transforms him into a small weasel-like creature. After escaping, the two head back to the grumpy village elder, who sends the two on a quest to restore Daxter’s original form and to stop the cult who is preparing a devious scheme. To travel through the world and to defeat the enemies, Jak has several different moves, including a diving slam, Crash Bandicoot style spin, dashing punch, double jump and uppercuts. The controls feel completely natural and respond immediately, often making it hard to believe you are playing a game. There are unlimited continues in J&D, allowing the player to fully explore and experiment without worrying about being punished severely for mistakes. Additionally, you can save the game at any point.

Former Disney animators worked on the animation in Jak & Daxter, and it shows. The animations are the smoothest I have ever seen in any game to date. The animations are blended together using a programming technique, meaning there are absolutely no “jerky” looking transitions when a character suddenly changes moves. The game runs at a smooth 60 frames per second without stuttering. High resolution textures decorate the landscape.

The most impressive feature of J&D is the enormous draw distance. You can literally see miles into the distance without any artificial “fogging” hiding the terrain pop-up which has always plagued other games. In fact, the distant horizons are more than just pre-fabricated backdrops, they are the real thing. You can actually travel to any part of the world you see in the distance: if you simply start going towards it, eventually you will be there without experiencing loading times or “level changes” at all.

The color palette is incredibly diverse and filled with bright, vibrant colors. The days progress from morning to sunset to night, each having its own set of lighting conditions. Islands with ambient torches are beautiful to view at night while the green jungle areas are breathtaking during the daytime.

Jak & Daxter’s sound effects are clear and well done. The voice acting is on a professional level, featuring some popular actors. Nathan Lane, known for his performance as Timon in Disney’s The Lion King, steals the show as Daxter, the annoying yet hilarious sidekick. The voice acting is complemented by outrageous animations and expressions on the characters’ faces, at times it almost seems like you are playing a Disney film.

Jak & Daxter is a long game, usually lasting about 20 hours the first time through. The replay value is high as well because the game is simply a lot of fun. Never since Super Mario 64 have I felt the desire to just wander around the game world interacting with the environments. With Universal Interactive now in charge of the Crash series, Naughty Dog has secured a new franchise of their own, one with enjoyable, seamless gameplay and spectacular visuals.

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