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| Dark Jak! |
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| Ouch Daxter! |
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| Big guns! |
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| | Jak II: Renegade |
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| Number Of Players: | 1 |
| I-link/Internet: | No |
| Publisher: | Sony |
| Developer: | Naughty Dog |
| Genre: | Platformer |
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| | Full Review: |
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Run, bounce, run, run, bounce, run etc... The good old days? Forget that, this is Jak II: Renegade the latest and most advanced platform adventure game on the planet, and it contains some of the most enjoyable gaming ideas on Playstation 2. Naughty Dog haven't just tweaked a few moves to improve over the original Jak and Daxter, they've expanded the game to massive proportions, and injected really flare into every component of the game.
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| | Gameplay |
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The game's structure is based around a massive central city, Haven, where you are allowed to explore in a similar way to Grand Theft Auto. Whilst Haven may not quite have the level of interactivity that say Vice City has, it does have one big advantage. You can leave. The central core, whilst massive, is only a small part of the game, and as you progress you will constantly find new exits from the city, allowing you to explore huge extensions with whole new sets of enemies to beat and puzzles to solve.
As with the first Jak and Daxter game, the control system is as tight as possible, giving you an unrivalled level of control over Jak. This time though, its not just spinning and bouncing, as you are given access to a nice array of powerful weapons, collected as you progress. More importantly though are the new Dark Eco powers. Jak was captured by the ruler of Haven City, Baron Praxis, and due to his resistance to Dark Eco, Jak was experimented on. When Daxter finally rescued Jak, our hero is not the man he used to be.
With weapons and dark eco powers, the gameplay is already more varied, but this doesn't even take into account the wide array of vehicles (including the famous hover scooter) that Jak can pilot. New inclusions are hoverboards as well as public vehicles on the street that you can simply jump into and "borrow" GTA style, and many more. Thanks to a new Hollywood style script, and the addition of a voice for Jak, the plot unfolds at a pleasant rate, allowing you to enjoy the story rather than just aimlessly bashing up enemy 60348C.
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| | Graphics |
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Perhaps the smallest improvement over the original is the appearence of the game. Working with the same engine means that obviously things are going to be difficult to change, but when you look closer, you realise just how much effort has gone into improving the game's looks. Jak and Daxter was already colourful and smooth, but Jak II manages to do this with a million things going on at once. Everywhere you look there is something going on, making this a living breathing city. Hundreds of residents walk around in the streets, with hovercars flying around them, and despite this, the graphics engine doesn't blink.
As you delve deeper into the game, the little details also become apparent, such as the rather impressive water effects, the lighting inside small rooms casting flickery shadows all around you, and the new range of character animations given to Jak and Daxter. Its almost as if things start springing out of your tv screen as the world inside comes to life. Daxter in particular (with a newly improved sense of humour) is a little enery ball waiting to burst from the screen.
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| | Sound |
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As I mentioned earlier, Jak now has a voice, and thankfully not a bad one. With the influence of Dark Eco, he seems to be a hero with attitude, and this is reflected in his voice. Its not just voices that do it though, and this is where the script writers come into play again. Every line flows as it should, avoiding silly breakages or needless repetitions, respecting the fact that the audience is likely to be a little older this time. Additionally, Daxter is actually quite funny on many occasions, a rarity for computer games, where comedy is normally based around action rather than clever lines.
On top of this, the music plays along nicely, despite some slightly repetitive tunes in the main city (they can get to you eventually, but it does take a while). The general ambient noise is impressive too, with guards chattering into their radios, animal life adding many interesting noises, and other effects all coming together to form another component of the most lively city ever to feature in a platform game.
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| | Overall |
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Quite probably the best platform adventure game ever, not just on Playstation 2. The level of interaction throughout the huge city is astounding, giving the Jak and Daxter series a massive new lease of life. Whether you've played the original or not, this is almost certainly a safe purchase, I highly recommend it.
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| Score |
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| | Gameplay
Perfectly tuned, and very enjoyable.
| 9.4 | |
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Graphics
Beautiful colours, and fantastic environments.
| 9.8 |
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Lastability
Lots bigger, but still not quite Final Fantasy.
| 9.4 |
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Sound
Excellent voice acting, and decent sound effects.
| 9.4 |
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Overall
Jak II takes over as the king of platform games.
| 9.5 |
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| | Alternatively: |
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You could also check out Prince Of Persia, for a more eccentric platformer. Take on the role of the Prince, and wield the sands of time as your greatest power.
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