Jak II Review

Developer	Naughty Dog
Publisher	SCEA
Genre	Action

Jak and Daxter, I’d like to introduce you to Grand Theft Auto III. Oh, by the way, have you met George Orwell?

Ok, a rather simplistic way of describing the “all new” Jak and Daxter, but you get the idea. Jak II actually takes the concept of your typical “platform” game and attempts to meld it with nearly every other genre under the sun. Sometimes it succeeds and sometimes it fails quite miserably. The bottom line is that while it’s hard not to appreciate Naughty Dog’s grand vision, a grand vision does not necessarily guarantee a grand game.

Gameplay - So you played the first Jak and Daxter game to death and are pretty sure what to expect? After all, platformers are generally cookie-cutter affairs; fetch quests with absurd characters hopping around in primary colored landscapes, right? Not anymore. Obviously, Naughty Dog’s mission with this game was to up the ante and change this perception by mixing elements of various genres, dropping many of the aforementioned stereotypes, and creating a world that on the surface seems very open-ended.

This time around, Jak’s not the happy, mute little pre-teen you’ve grew to love in the first game. After being warped through a Rift Gate, Jak’s taken prisoner by the evil Baron Praxis who then performs Dark Eco (remember Eco?) experiments on him for two years. Apparently, this has pissed Jak off as lovable Jak has turned into goatee-wearing, gun-toting, vengeance-minded Jak. Also, the Eco experiments have left Jak somewhat of a mutant freak with a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing going on. The game’s plot revolves roughly around Jak’s quest to seek revenge on the Baron no matter what the cost while dealing with his newfound dark powers. Fortunately, Daxter is back to provide comic relief from the somewhat dark and melodramatic theme. Even more fortunate is that Daxter’s dialogue is genuinely funny, and not yet another lame sidekick with an eye-rolling sense of humor. The result is a smart, though somewhat over the top, storyline, which does a great job in motivating the player to press on through the game despite the problems in gameplay.

Starting off, the game plays surprisingly similar to Grand Theft Auto III. Jak’s busted out of jail by Daxter and then, in order to fulfill his lust for revenge, starts taking on jobs from various members of the underground movement to overthrow the Baron. It seems the Baron has created a police state quite similar to that of George Orwell’s 1984 (Big Brother is watching you) and while nobody is happy with the current situation, only a select secret few are brave enough to do something about it. In doing so, you’ll need to explore an amazingly huge overworld by either walking or jacking vehicles. The overworld (Haven City), is populated by a vibrant and ever moving populace, although interaction with your surroundings is somewhat limited.

The jobs require Jak to perform a wide range of tasks from wandering through standard platforming levels to driving a hover vehicle from one point to another to blasting through guarded fortresses and much, much more. It’s true that this is one game that tries to be a Jak of all trades (clever, eh?). Unfortunately, like the old saying, it really is a master of none.

First, what the game does right. Naughty Dog has handily mastered the platforming portions of the game. The levels are laid out well and smartly designed. They’ve also taken a cue from last year’s Ratchet and Clank and added a nice bit of gunplay to the game. Nothing’s quite as satisfying as clearing out a room full of metal heads with your gun and this feature is a welcome addition. The overworld is also quite impressive, despite its massive size. Sure, it’ll seem like a year to get from one end to the next if you go on foot, but the sheer scale of it is mind blowing and unlike anything ever seen in a platform game.

Now for the bad. While the scope of the overworld is impressive, it also makes for some very tedious gaming. Traveling to new levels can be a chore both on foot and on the hover vehicles. The vehicles are not at all easy to control and making the slightest wrong move in front of a patrolling guard will provoke a hail of bullets. It’s extremely irritating. Furthermore, unlike sprawling city hubs in other games, there’s really nothing of interest beyond the specific set destinations in Haven City. Citizens walk back and forth in fixed paths and do not talk and there are no shops or buildings to go into and explore unless they have a set purpose with the immediate story.

Next, the game is completely unforgiving and many levels could cause you to throw your controller down and never return. A game that requires near perfection from the player had better provide near perfection from the controls, and sadly Jak II doesn’t provide that courtesy. Any mission that involves the vehicles is sure to frustrate as most of these levels are timed and require you to take a very precise route. And controlling the vehicles can be a bitch, especially when you have to constantly dodge kamikaze drivers. Your only relief comes when you hit a level that doesn’t involve navigating around Haven City.

It’s a shame that the game often comes off as a “me too” experiment, because the ideas are all there. Unfortunately, instead of being one solid gaming experience, Jak II plays like a handful of mediocre ones.

Graphics - Many have said that Jak II is an ugly game, and while that point of view is certainly valid, perhaps calling it a “wonderfully ugly” game is more accurate. The industrial imagery is pulled of convincingly as the repressive environment that the Baron has instilled is quite apparent. And it must be noted that ditching the stereotypical Sesame Street platform game look is much welcomed. Jak’s new world is gritty, mean, and the visuals represent that quite superbly.

Even more impressive is the look of the overworld. While its practicality is debatable, there’s no denying that the draw distance is beyond impressive and the variety between the different sectors is amazing. The outerworld levels are more of what you’d expect from playing Jak and Daxter, with wonderfully lush environments mixed with the imposing industrial world of the Baron. Only seldom will you see the screen flutter, a sign of it pushing the power of the PS2.

The character models are also top notch. Jak’s new look is drastically improved – even with that goofy goatee – and the characters you meet along the way are convincing and well thought out.

Sound - The dialogue and voice acting is by far the best feature in Jak II. Just Daxter’s sly comments and wacky-in-a-good-way sense of humor will keep you rolling through the game. While the scripting tends to borderline on cheesy, the quality of the voice acting rescues the subject matter from what could have been a groan-inducing story.

While the voice acting overachieves, the soundtrack itself is about as mediocre and forgettable as possible. While the music will change with the action on the screen, there’s nothing here that’s going to impress.

Overall Value - There’s nothing about Jak II that is necessarily “bad”. It delivers some fine platforming action and proves that more can be done with a platform game than simply collecting baubles and bouncing on enemies. There is also nothing wrong with its blatant similarity to GTAIII and a handful of other games. The problems lie in its execution. The game tries to please everyone by heavily borrowing these elements, but unfortunately does none exceptionally well.

The nuisance of the overworld and the poorly controlled vehicles are the biggest drawbacks, causing a good deal of headache. And yes, the game is much more difficult than the original. Unfortunately, much of that difficulty lies in cheap and overly demanding objectives, rather than well thought-out level design.

Again, Naughty Dog’s vision is an impressive one. Unfortunately, the execution is a bit off. That being said, I can’t wait for Jak III. Maybe by then they’ll have it all sorted out.

Review by John Luedtke