|
|
|
JAK 3 (PS2)
|
Publisher: Sony.
Developer: Naughty Dog. Released: November 2004. Genre: 3D Platformer. Posted 1st September 2012. By Shane Battams © 2012 |
Referring back to the analogy of the moody teenager that is
Jak II, Naughty Dog’s Jak and Daxter series really does resemble a human
growing up. The series began with youthful innocence with The Precursor Legacy,
but grew into an adolescent pain for Renegade.
Now, Jak 3 emerges with a greater maturity, featuring improved, refined
gameplay and neatly tying up the series’ story. It has its moments of
frustration, and is incredibly short, but fans of the series will be pleased
that Jak 3 is a success.
Taking place after the events of Jak II, the game opens with Jak, Daxter and Pecker being banished to the wasteland by Count Veger. This is because, despite the events of the previous game, Haven City is at war. Metal Heads rise up despite their leader being put down and K.G. Robots, previously under the control of Praxis, have gone rouge under the control of Erol, an antagonist of the last game. Jak and the crew pass out in the desert, but thanks to a homing device are picked up by nearby desert dwellers. Taken into Spargus, they are immediately put to work to aid the dwellers. All the while, Jak must fulfil his destiny as a dark force approaches the planet. Jak 3 satisfyingly ties up the story moulded in the first two games, featuring many of the likeable characters from Renegade as well as several new ones. The humour is at its sharpest, with many hilarious moments throughout the game.
After learning the ropes in a combat area, you are allowed access to roam Spargus the desert surrounding it, as well as a destroyed Haven City. Like Renegade, you complete missions in a GTA-style fashion, which become available as icons on your mini-map. There are also side-missions around each city, including Egg Hunts with super-brief times. You can also collect 600 Precursor Orbs, which unlock special cheats including big-head mode and invulnerability. If none of the extras tickle your fancy, however, you’ll be looking at no more than 10 hours of gameplay, which is pretty brisk especially considering the kind of game it is.
Taking place after the events of Jak II, the game opens with Jak, Daxter and Pecker being banished to the wasteland by Count Veger. This is because, despite the events of the previous game, Haven City is at war. Metal Heads rise up despite their leader being put down and K.G. Robots, previously under the control of Praxis, have gone rouge under the control of Erol, an antagonist of the last game. Jak and the crew pass out in the desert, but thanks to a homing device are picked up by nearby desert dwellers. Taken into Spargus, they are immediately put to work to aid the dwellers. All the while, Jak must fulfil his destiny as a dark force approaches the planet. Jak 3 satisfyingly ties up the story moulded in the first two games, featuring many of the likeable characters from Renegade as well as several new ones. The humour is at its sharpest, with many hilarious moments throughout the game.
After learning the ropes in a combat area, you are allowed access to roam Spargus the desert surrounding it, as well as a destroyed Haven City. Like Renegade, you complete missions in a GTA-style fashion, which become available as icons on your mini-map. There are also side-missions around each city, including Egg Hunts with super-brief times. You can also collect 600 Precursor Orbs, which unlock special cheats including big-head mode and invulnerability. If none of the extras tickle your fancy, however, you’ll be looking at no more than 10 hours of gameplay, which is pretty brisk especially considering the kind of game it is.
Jak's mid-life crisis stretches to buying big red hovercrafts
|
It's a wonder he can see where he's shooting given where Daxter's sat...
|
Jak 3 makes many improvements over its disappointing
predecessor, perhaps most importantly the difficulty curve. Jak II was
frustrating mainly due to quick deaths and shoddy checkpoints, but Jak 3 fixes
this in multiple ways. The most noticeable of these is health, which gradually
increases as you pick up armour pieces. It’s much more forgiving with more room
for damage taken, and health packs seem more prevalent in tougher situations.
Checkpoints are also far more forgiving this time around. Renegade would throw you
back to the beginning of an area, with all enemies respawned. Here, checkpoints
are sprinkled through each mission, and though enemies respawn at checkpoints,
it’s far less cheap an experience. It’s no cakewalk though, and several
missions are incredibly challenging, especially a couple as you near the
endgame, but the smoother difficulty curve means Jak 3 is more enjoyable than
it is frustrating.
The four weapons from Renegade remain; including the shotgun, mini-gun, sniper and peacemaker, but this time each weapon comes with extra upgrades. These definitely shake up combat, including a radius-blast upgrade, a deployable spinning disc that shoots any nearby enemies and even a nuke-style attachment which wipes all enemies out. Having said that, combat still suffer some problems, such as the lack of manual aim causing some minor frustrations. As well as punch and spin attacks useful for both platforming and combat, Jak also returns with his Dark Eco powers, most of which are identical to the previous game. Jak also, however, comes with Light Eco powers, such as a shield, the ability to pause time and wings to glide. Though it is a bit daunting coming to grips with all the abilities and weaponry, Jak 3 definitely offers more powers and challenges.
And that’s possibly one of the best things about Jak 3 – it’s incredibly variety. Unlike Renegade, Naughty Dog has ensured that players are never bored, with each mission shaking up the gameplay. Every mission feels different from the next, with one mission tasking you with destroying large Metal Head creatures using vehicular combat, while another has you making your way up a tower using newly-acquired Light Eco powers in an old-school platformer section. A couple of missions even take digs at older games, such as a Tempest-inspired shooting gallery and even a Pac-Man style mini-game. And platforming hasn’t been forgotten this time and is just as smooth as its predecessors. This, combined with its fairer difficulty, make for an engrossing game that will captivate you for its brief runtime.
The four weapons from Renegade remain; including the shotgun, mini-gun, sniper and peacemaker, but this time each weapon comes with extra upgrades. These definitely shake up combat, including a radius-blast upgrade, a deployable spinning disc that shoots any nearby enemies and even a nuke-style attachment which wipes all enemies out. Having said that, combat still suffer some problems, such as the lack of manual aim causing some minor frustrations. As well as punch and spin attacks useful for both platforming and combat, Jak also returns with his Dark Eco powers, most of which are identical to the previous game. Jak also, however, comes with Light Eco powers, such as a shield, the ability to pause time and wings to glide. Though it is a bit daunting coming to grips with all the abilities and weaponry, Jak 3 definitely offers more powers and challenges.
And that’s possibly one of the best things about Jak 3 – it’s incredibly variety. Unlike Renegade, Naughty Dog has ensured that players are never bored, with each mission shaking up the gameplay. Every mission feels different from the next, with one mission tasking you with destroying large Metal Head creatures using vehicular combat, while another has you making your way up a tower using newly-acquired Light Eco powers in an old-school platformer section. A couple of missions even take digs at older games, such as a Tempest-inspired shooting gallery and even a Pac-Man style mini-game. And platforming hasn’t been forgotten this time and is just as smooth as its predecessors. This, combined with its fairer difficulty, make for an engrossing game that will captivate you for its brief runtime.
The pair react grumpily to TPE's criticism of Jak II...
|
Jak doesn't fall for the old "pull my finger" routine. Not this time.
|
This variety is also aided by one of the new elements
introduced in the wasteland: driving. You can still hijack hover-jets in Haven
City, but on top of that you also gain access to several desert vehicles while
in Spargus which will aid you during missions in that area. You gain access to
vehicles such as a dune-buggy, complete with attached gun, and a vehicle which at
the press of a button can jump large gaps with ease. The driving is a success
thanks to its accessibility, with arcade-style handling that any action fan can
pick up and drive. It’s a shame there aren’t too many vehicle races, but there’s
plenty of vehicular missions, whether that’s taking out other bandits or speeding
to checkpoints around the desert before a sandstorm rips your skin off.
As with the previous games, Jak 3 is an aesthetic masterpiece. Naughty Dog has created two large areas of great detail and colour, and they contrast really well, as the sandy and sunny Spargas pales next to the ruined city of Haven. The animation is top notch yet again, with charming expressions in each cut-scene helping players become attached to the game’s characters. Some frame-rate troubles aside, and the fact that it mostly looks similar to Jak II, Jak 3 looks great. Audio is excellent as well. While the music is fitting, and the sound effects are good despite seeing some recycling from Renegade, the voice-work really stands out. The dialogue is simply hilarious, and combined with the expressive facial animation, really draws out some genuine laughs.
Jak 3 is a satisfying conclusion to the series, and a close contender for top dog amongst the trilogy of platformers. It fixes many of Jak II’s issues, and all the while adds a ton of variety to keep players engaged throughout. The game will easily charm its players, with both graphics and sound combining to really immerse players into the story. It has some minor quirks, and it’s a shame that it’s pretty short, but the phrase “short and sweet” definitely applies here. If you were disappointed with Jak II, but saw its potential, then Jak 3 will restore your faith in the series and all the while closing the franchise in great fashion.
As with the previous games, Jak 3 is an aesthetic masterpiece. Naughty Dog has created two large areas of great detail and colour, and they contrast really well, as the sandy and sunny Spargas pales next to the ruined city of Haven. The animation is top notch yet again, with charming expressions in each cut-scene helping players become attached to the game’s characters. Some frame-rate troubles aside, and the fact that it mostly looks similar to Jak II, Jak 3 looks great. Audio is excellent as well. While the music is fitting, and the sound effects are good despite seeing some recycling from Renegade, the voice-work really stands out. The dialogue is simply hilarious, and combined with the expressive facial animation, really draws out some genuine laughs.
Jak 3 is a satisfying conclusion to the series, and a close contender for top dog amongst the trilogy of platformers. It fixes many of Jak II’s issues, and all the while adds a ton of variety to keep players engaged throughout. The game will easily charm its players, with both graphics and sound combining to really immerse players into the story. It has some minor quirks, and it’s a shame that it’s pretty short, but the phrase “short and sweet” definitely applies here. If you were disappointed with Jak II, but saw its potential, then Jak 3 will restore your faith in the series and all the while closing the franchise in great fashion.
|
VERDICT
Visual: 9/10
Audio: 9/10 Gameplay: 8/10 Longevity: 6/10 OVERALL: 8/10 |