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JAK AND DAXTER: THE LOST FRONTIER (PSP)
Publisher: Sony.
Developer: High Impact Games. Released: November 2009. Genre: 3D Platformer. Posted 2nd September 2012. By Tom Clare © 2012 |
Certain parts of the press
were eager to put Jak and Daxter out to pasture with The Lost
Frontier, as disinterested reviews appeared to signal the end of the series
time as a big-hitter. Despite sharing many qualities that earned its predecessors
distinction, the departure of original developer Naughty Dog was all it took
for some to deride it’s suddenly no-longer-brilliant gameplay mechanics and a
perceived lack of invention. In fairness, the passing of the reigns to new
developers has often symbolised the beginnings of their decline, and fans of Spyro
the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot and Silent Hill will recognise
this warning sign all too well. But if Jak and Daxter is in the autumn
of its life now, this isn’t the game that begins the slide. Quite the opposite
in fact; it is by all accounts a bit of a delight.
Notable as the duo’s first outing on PSP (although Daxter had already featured in his an excellent spin-off of his own), The Lost Frontier’s disappointing retail performance was as a result of bare marketing and the ill-advised move to simultaneously release it on the PS2. Somewhat inevitably, it was buried in the winter rush of 2009. Still, it did mean you could pick up a great adventure for under £10 just a few short weeks after its release.
In the main, it plays a lot like its predecessors. It’s not ashamed of this though, as Daxter quips early on “If there’s one thing we’re good at, it’s arbitrary platform challenges mixed with heavy gunplay.” And credit to the ottsel, he’s pretty much hit the nail on the head. But High Impact Games weren’t content at just following the blueprint. They’ve added a whole new flying element which is absolutely brilliant, upstaging even the sure-footed platforming, and there are times when it evokes favourable comparisons with Beyond Good & Evil.
Notable as the duo’s first outing on PSP (although Daxter had already featured in his an excellent spin-off of his own), The Lost Frontier’s disappointing retail performance was as a result of bare marketing and the ill-advised move to simultaneously release it on the PS2. Somewhat inevitably, it was buried in the winter rush of 2009. Still, it did mean you could pick up a great adventure for under £10 just a few short weeks after its release.
In the main, it plays a lot like its predecessors. It’s not ashamed of this though, as Daxter quips early on “If there’s one thing we’re good at, it’s arbitrary platform challenges mixed with heavy gunplay.” And credit to the ottsel, he’s pretty much hit the nail on the head. But High Impact Games weren’t content at just following the blueprint. They’ve added a whole new flying element which is absolutely brilliant, upstaging even the sure-footed platforming, and there are times when it evokes favourable comparisons with Beyond Good & Evil.
Despite an obvious lack of subtlety, Daxter's a surprisingly good mechanic
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Jak is surprised to find foes using Marie Rose sauce as a projectile weapon
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Though Jak is, as always, as
hopelessly generic as a hero can reasonably be, the story he’s involved with fares
rather better. He’s become something of a Sky Pirate, travelling to the end of
the world (the Brink) to find new ‘eco’ power sources to help sustain the
energy of the planet. This means for some familiar 3D platforming mixed in with
some new third-person flying/shooting in the surrounding islands. They’re not
here as an after-thought either; indeed, if anything, the flying sections are the
game’s crowning achievement and offer some fantastic gameplay.
Flight controls are pin-point accurate and make for some fun dogfights. Enemies hunt in packs and are quite capable of tailing you, but this is where a host of nifty evasive manoeuvres come in handy; you can employ barrel-rolls, abrupt turns and corkscrews, throwing enemies off course with some cute timing. It’s not all about playing the moving-target however; you can compete in shooting contests, hunt out hidden crystals, and tackle side-missions that see you tasked with blowing up freighters within a time limit. It’s the exemplary customisation options that deserve the most kudos though.
And in this respect, they’ve really gone to town. There are numerous weapons such as missiles, lasers, machine-guns and electric bolts, all of which can be bought with scrap currency from the destruction of foes and completion of challenges, assigned and upgraded. Then there are a mountain of specific attributes that can be used to enhance the ships mobility, repair potency, various armour sections and the damage your weapons deal. Because each plane acquired allows for a different number of weapons and attributes to be assigned, each is distinctive, and you can tinker away sampling the different combinations for ages. The flying also brings with it the amusing ‘Daxterjacking’ mini-game, which sees Daxter launch himself at an enemy plane and then, through a series of QTEs, steal a new piece of equipment. Good fun and particularly useful, with lots of cool kit up for grabs by using this.
Flight controls are pin-point accurate and make for some fun dogfights. Enemies hunt in packs and are quite capable of tailing you, but this is where a host of nifty evasive manoeuvres come in handy; you can employ barrel-rolls, abrupt turns and corkscrews, throwing enemies off course with some cute timing. It’s not all about playing the moving-target however; you can compete in shooting contests, hunt out hidden crystals, and tackle side-missions that see you tasked with blowing up freighters within a time limit. It’s the exemplary customisation options that deserve the most kudos though.
And in this respect, they’ve really gone to town. There are numerous weapons such as missiles, lasers, machine-guns and electric bolts, all of which can be bought with scrap currency from the destruction of foes and completion of challenges, assigned and upgraded. Then there are a mountain of specific attributes that can be used to enhance the ships mobility, repair potency, various armour sections and the damage your weapons deal. Because each plane acquired allows for a different number of weapons and attributes to be assigned, each is distinctive, and you can tinker away sampling the different combinations for ages. The flying also brings with it the amusing ‘Daxterjacking’ mini-game, which sees Daxter launch himself at an enemy plane and then, through a series of QTEs, steal a new piece of equipment. Good fun and particularly useful, with lots of cool kit up for grabs by using this.
What platformer would be complete without a mass of lava?
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Dark Daxter works fine, but it isn't distinctive enough an experience
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Pure platforming has never
been the primary strength of the Jak and Daxter series, usually erring more
towards exploration than challenge. However, the PSP’s inability to sustain the
sizable landscapes typical of the series has proven a blessing in disguise.
High Impact Games have learned from the mistakes they made with the technically-strong
but dull Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters; there are far fewer empty
locations, less filler, and more of an emphasis on platforming nous.
Jak’s eco powers help here. He can attain abilities that lend him super-fast reflexes (essentially slowing platforms for a period to allow easy passage); he can create shield-ball defences against projectile fire; make pillars shoot out from the ground so as to halt a foe or, in specific circumstances, to bridge a gap or walkway. These are a mostly positive inclusion, and the full repertoire of Jak’s eco powers are called upon on numerous times throughout the game. Inevitably though, the need to switch between them, particularly on a couple of tricky boss-fights, isn’t especially intuitive. The powers require the use of the D-Pad buttons to switch between and then use them – tricky when you’re trying to move with the analogue nub.
The developers have made great strides since their last platforming venture, though The Lost Frontier is still troubled by annoying checkpoint placement that may see you save and quit after travelling far into a level, only to find yourself back at the very start next time you load up. The Dark Daxter sections are the least successful of the games new tricks, even if they serve to add extra variety. A demonic version of Daxter can use a whirlwind attack as he crashes through levels which pose some switch-flicking logic tests, bashing the scenery up and beating up creepy crawlies. They’re fine, but in the schemes of things, nothing memorable. The use of Everybody’s Golf’s theme tune as elevator music at the end of these sections raises a smile though.
Jak’s eco powers help here. He can attain abilities that lend him super-fast reflexes (essentially slowing platforms for a period to allow easy passage); he can create shield-ball defences against projectile fire; make pillars shoot out from the ground so as to halt a foe or, in specific circumstances, to bridge a gap or walkway. These are a mostly positive inclusion, and the full repertoire of Jak’s eco powers are called upon on numerous times throughout the game. Inevitably though, the need to switch between them, particularly on a couple of tricky boss-fights, isn’t especially intuitive. The powers require the use of the D-Pad buttons to switch between and then use them – tricky when you’re trying to move with the analogue nub.
The developers have made great strides since their last platforming venture, though The Lost Frontier is still troubled by annoying checkpoint placement that may see you save and quit after travelling far into a level, only to find yourself back at the very start next time you load up. The Dark Daxter sections are the least successful of the games new tricks, even if they serve to add extra variety. A demonic version of Daxter can use a whirlwind attack as he crashes through levels which pose some switch-flicking logic tests, bashing the scenery up and beating up creepy crawlies. They’re fine, but in the schemes of things, nothing memorable. The use of Everybody’s Golf’s theme tune as elevator music at the end of these sections raises a smile though.
It’s a bit of a looker.
Whilst the character detail and FMV’s are perhaps a shade less impressive than
those seen in Daxter, they’re still good quality and the flying sections
once again bring the best out of the game with some beautiful vistas and good-looking
crafts. Smooth visual update and a huge amount of on-screen activity aids some
tremendous battles, where destroying giant ships is made to feel rather more
spectacular than you’d think possible on the small screen.
The music is suitably rousing, whilst Max Casello’s typically enigmatic delivery as Daxter once again steals the show voice-acting wise amongst a sea of other competent though less-standout performances. The one letdown on the audio side is that in many locations, there’s a complete lack of ambience, meaning such locations as a bustling pirate ship and a bar end up sounding more like a library, with the lone echo of Jak’s footsteps worsening an already-inescapable sensation.
The story will take around 12 hours, which isn’t too shabby for a PSP platformer, and then there’s hours of play to be found unlocking everything for the planes, as well as scrounging together precursor eggs hidden amongst the platform levels. These allow you to unlock a series of ‘secrets’, which range from the humorous (big head Jak; a moustache for Daxter), to graphical filter effects, and some playback features for previously attained cinematics. Enough to keep you busy for a while, in other words.
The Lost Frontier is a fun, varied and engaging adventure which is raised to a level of distinction thanks to some marvellously enjoyable flying sections and a general willingness to be more proactive with its platform challenges. Daxter remains the PSP benchmark and is therefore still preferable, but for those looking for more quality platforming from their portable, it’s absolutely essential.
The music is suitably rousing, whilst Max Casello’s typically enigmatic delivery as Daxter once again steals the show voice-acting wise amongst a sea of other competent though less-standout performances. The one letdown on the audio side is that in many locations, there’s a complete lack of ambience, meaning such locations as a bustling pirate ship and a bar end up sounding more like a library, with the lone echo of Jak’s footsteps worsening an already-inescapable sensation.
The story will take around 12 hours, which isn’t too shabby for a PSP platformer, and then there’s hours of play to be found unlocking everything for the planes, as well as scrounging together precursor eggs hidden amongst the platform levels. These allow you to unlock a series of ‘secrets’, which range from the humorous (big head Jak; a moustache for Daxter), to graphical filter effects, and some playback features for previously attained cinematics. Enough to keep you busy for a while, in other words.
The Lost Frontier is a fun, varied and engaging adventure which is raised to a level of distinction thanks to some marvellously enjoyable flying sections and a general willingness to be more proactive with its platform challenges. Daxter remains the PSP benchmark and is therefore still preferable, but for those looking for more quality platforming from their portable, it’s absolutely essential.
