|
|
|
JAK AND DAXTER: THE PRECURSOR LEGACY (PS2)
|
Publisher: Sony.
Developer: Naughty Dog. Released: December 2001. Genre: 3D Platformer. Posted 25th August 2012. By Shane Battams © 2012 |
Anyone fond of 3D platformers during the PSone era will
remember two key players in the scene, Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. The
guys behind the Crash series were Naughty Dog, and when the turn of the Playstation
2 came, they started work on a brand new I.P. – which would become one of the
key exclusives on Sony’s cards – Jak and Daxter. The Precursor Legacy is the
first in the series, and it had a lot going for it. New technology meant ND
could push their gaming to the next level, but did Precursor deliver?
Players step into the shoes of Jak, a mute hero whose companion, Daxter, is quite the opposite. As they are traversing an area off-limits, they find ancient tech, only to be attacked by a giant. In the struggle, Daxter is knocked into a pool of Dark Eco, which turns him into an Ottsel (part weasel, part otter). After a scathing lecture from the Green Sage, they are told to go north and find a guy who can turn Daxter back. As the plot unravels, however, things take a different direction. It’s pretty light, but the story is made interesting by intriguing characters you meet along the way, as well as the general charms of the three main characters – Daxter, the Green Sage and Keira.
After the brief introduction, players are sent on their way into a large world. The game covers abound 16 different areas, including Jungle, Snowy and Underground locations. Each level seamlessly links to the next, with zero loading times between them. This maintains a great flow, and the player rarely feels removed from the game world. The main objective of each level is to collect Power Cells, usually in order to open new stages, through multiple methods. This includes paying greedy civilians in the hub levels, collecting them manually in the action stages or through objectives, or finding all 7 crates containing special bugs in every level. The game contains 100 Power Cells, but only about 80 of those are necessary to complete the main story. You could probably blow through the story segment of Jak in around 10 hours. It’ll take a little bit longer, of course, to collect everything the game has to offer.
Players step into the shoes of Jak, a mute hero whose companion, Daxter, is quite the opposite. As they are traversing an area off-limits, they find ancient tech, only to be attacked by a giant. In the struggle, Daxter is knocked into a pool of Dark Eco, which turns him into an Ottsel (part weasel, part otter). After a scathing lecture from the Green Sage, they are told to go north and find a guy who can turn Daxter back. As the plot unravels, however, things take a different direction. It’s pretty light, but the story is made interesting by intriguing characters you meet along the way, as well as the general charms of the three main characters – Daxter, the Green Sage and Keira.
After the brief introduction, players are sent on their way into a large world. The game covers abound 16 different areas, including Jungle, Snowy and Underground locations. Each level seamlessly links to the next, with zero loading times between them. This maintains a great flow, and the player rarely feels removed from the game world. The main objective of each level is to collect Power Cells, usually in order to open new stages, through multiple methods. This includes paying greedy civilians in the hub levels, collecting them manually in the action stages or through objectives, or finding all 7 crates containing special bugs in every level. The game contains 100 Power Cells, but only about 80 of those are necessary to complete the main story. You could probably blow through the story segment of Jak in around 10 hours. It’ll take a little bit longer, of course, to collect everything the game has to offer.
Opting for the beef-jerky underwear was, in retrospect, a poor move for Jak
|
Daxter's admirers queue up for a big hug. Possibly.
|
Jak can also use special Eco powers, which can be utilised
during both platforming and combat sections. There are 3 different types, each
coming with their own special colour. Blue Eco speeds Jak up, as well as
turning him into a magnet for collectables and nearby objects, Yellow Eco lets
Jak shoot powerful fireballs and Red increases the strength of his moves. You
can also collect Green Eco to restore his health, which comes in three segments
plus an extra life not visible on the meter. Though not as prevalent, Dark Eco
also makes appearances in the game’s pitfalls, and these can kill Jak pretty
quickly if the player isn’t careful. Eco Powers add a unique touch to the game,
and definitely spice up the action.
Navigating the levels is bliss, thanks to Naughty Dog’s expertise in platforming, even if the game doesn’t stray too far from established platform conventions. Jak comes with several moves, including the standard jump, as well as a roll and jump move which helps him cover longer distances, and two main attacks – a punch and spin move. The levels are very well designed, with a great mxi of platforming and combat. The game isn’t too difficult, but death can occur pretty easily, though they rarely feel unfair or cheap. The game’s camera system works pretty well, with full control given to the right analog stick. It can be troublesome, however, in tight areas where the camera can’t decide whether to focus on Jak or the area around him.
You can also navigate through some areas using a special vehicle and mountable bird. The vehicle sections mainly help Jak traverse hot lava, all the while monitoring a heat gauge which will cause the vehicle to explode if too hot, while the bird sections help Jak ascend high areas. Both are fun, if not exactly groundbreaking. There are also several boss fights in the game, though these tend to follow a familiar formula of repetition, whereby you’ll most likely dodge attacks until a weak point becomes exposed, strike it and then repeat ad nausea. That’s probably the one complaint I have with Jak; it lacks originality, sticking very closely to the moulds set by the likes of Super Mario 64. However, Naughty Dog are the champs at creating this kind of game, and while it’s not original, it’s damn well made.
Navigating the levels is bliss, thanks to Naughty Dog’s expertise in platforming, even if the game doesn’t stray too far from established platform conventions. Jak comes with several moves, including the standard jump, as well as a roll and jump move which helps him cover longer distances, and two main attacks – a punch and spin move. The levels are very well designed, with a great mxi of platforming and combat. The game isn’t too difficult, but death can occur pretty easily, though they rarely feel unfair or cheap. The game’s camera system works pretty well, with full control given to the right analog stick. It can be troublesome, however, in tight areas where the camera can’t decide whether to focus on Jak or the area around him.
You can also navigate through some areas using a special vehicle and mountable bird. The vehicle sections mainly help Jak traverse hot lava, all the while monitoring a heat gauge which will cause the vehicle to explode if too hot, while the bird sections help Jak ascend high areas. Both are fun, if not exactly groundbreaking. There are also several boss fights in the game, though these tend to follow a familiar formula of repetition, whereby you’ll most likely dodge attacks until a weak point becomes exposed, strike it and then repeat ad nausea. That’s probably the one complaint I have with Jak; it lacks originality, sticking very closely to the moulds set by the likes of Super Mario 64. However, Naughty Dog are the champs at creating this kind of game, and while it’s not original, it’s damn well made.
When surrounded, find the nearest convenient cliff to jump off
|
Jak stumbles into a scene from Sonic Adventure
|
One area the game does advance the genre is in its
graphics. Like a cartoon brought to life, the game is vibrant with beautiful
colours, beautiful lighting and expressive characters which animate flawlessly.
The game is a technical marvel – the draw distance stretches for literally
miles, the game’s frame rate always runs at a smooth 60 frames-per-second and
levels come packed with a lot of details and movement. It’s also pretty
charming to see Daxter move almost completely in-sync with Jak, as you move and
punch your way through the game. The sound is also pretty good, with decent
acting which doesn’t grate too much, and catchy music which will have your feet
tapping. There are also some nice little details such as the changing sounds of
footsteps as you change to different types of surfaces.
One of the first platformers to grace the PS2, Jak and Daxter will charm players with its vibrant world and wacky characters. Though Naughty Dog don’t push the envelope with this instalment, they stick to what they do best, and the result is an accomplished, well -made platformer. It has some minor frustrations, but there’s little to complain about here, aside from the fact it doesn’t really do anything new. But gamers with a soft-spot for platforming will find themselves in heaven as their collecting itch kicks into gear.
One of the first platformers to grace the PS2, Jak and Daxter will charm players with its vibrant world and wacky characters. Though Naughty Dog don’t push the envelope with this instalment, they stick to what they do best, and the result is an accomplished, well -made platformer. It has some minor frustrations, but there’s little to complain about here, aside from the fact it doesn’t really do anything new. But gamers with a soft-spot for platforming will find themselves in heaven as their collecting itch kicks into gear.
|
Similar to...
Visual: 10/10
Audio: 9/10 Gameplay: 8/10 Longevity: 8/10 OVERALL: 8/10 |
PIXEL SECONDS: JAK AND DAXTER: THE PRECURSOR LEGACY (PS2)
Naughty Dog’s first foray post-Crash Bandicoot is a decent platformer and a beautiful showcase of the PS2 hardware. The linear nature of Crash’s worlds have been cast aside in favour of some occasionally sparse though nevertheless extremely attractive islands, linked together with the bare minimum of load times. Humour is at the forefront of J&D, adding real warmth to the experience, as sidekick Daxter steals the show with the hilarious barbs he comes out with when you die. Controls are nippy and responsive, and though sometimes jumps are rather less than perfect, there are few flaws to speak of, with the camera posing comparatively few problems by 3D platformer standards. Naughty Dog have learned a few things their last platform outing; namely that the difficulty level didn’t need to be quite so punishing, and there’s little evidence of the pixel-perfect jumping nightmares that threatened to unhinge their platformers of old. Happily, bosses aren’t likely to see you shed 30 or 40 lives here either. You can’t hardly blame Naughty Dog’s occasional lapse into self-indulgence, as the game is remarkably pretty. There’s a cartoon-like vibrancy to it all; super-colourful without appearing gaudy. Ideas start to flag a little during the latter part of the adventure, and The Precursor Legacy isn’t quite the ground-breaking title some touted it as being, but it’s an entertaining title that shows what the genre is capable of in the right hands. [8] – Tom Clare © 2012
Naughty Dog’s first foray post-Crash Bandicoot is a decent platformer and a beautiful showcase of the PS2 hardware. The linear nature of Crash’s worlds have been cast aside in favour of some occasionally sparse though nevertheless extremely attractive islands, linked together with the bare minimum of load times. Humour is at the forefront of J&D, adding real warmth to the experience, as sidekick Daxter steals the show with the hilarious barbs he comes out with when you die. Controls are nippy and responsive, and though sometimes jumps are rather less than perfect, there are few flaws to speak of, with the camera posing comparatively few problems by 3D platformer standards. Naughty Dog have learned a few things their last platform outing; namely that the difficulty level didn’t need to be quite so punishing, and there’s little evidence of the pixel-perfect jumping nightmares that threatened to unhinge their platformers of old. Happily, bosses aren’t likely to see you shed 30 or 40 lives here either. You can’t hardly blame Naughty Dog’s occasional lapse into self-indulgence, as the game is remarkably pretty. There’s a cartoon-like vibrancy to it all; super-colourful without appearing gaudy. Ideas start to flag a little during the latter part of the adventure, and The Precursor Legacy isn’t quite the ground-breaking title some touted it as being, but it’s an entertaining title that shows what the genre is capable of in the right hands. [8] – Tom Clare © 2012