Jak and Daxter (PS2)

[Retro STrife]

I've been hard on 3D Mario games for two decades and always assumed the problem was just me.. that I can't appreciate 3D platformers. Then a game like Jak and Daxter comes along and has me completely and utterly addicted. Now this is a quality 3D platformer in my book. On it's face it doesn't look all that special, and the camera and controls are vintage 2001, but something makes me want to keep playing. And I really appreciate that it doesn't have "levels" in the traditional sense, but instead it feels like one big interconnected world. I played like 5 hours straight today and that's basically unheard of for me with a 3D platformer.

The PS2 is known for some great platformers and, for awhile now, I've wanted to try out one game each from the series Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, and Jak and Daxter. I picked Jak 1 for the latter and think it was the right choice. I haven't played the other two series yet. I feel like Ratchet & Clank became the frontrunner for Sony, but I don't know, Jak is going to be tough to beat. (BTW, I also played Psychonauts in 2020, and would definitely rank Jak over that.)

I just read the VGC review too, and agree with the A score and thoughts. (Always nice to check the VGC review and see it match up, to verify I'm not going crazy.) Anyone else played this one? Or have any thoughts on ranking the platformers of that era?

[P.S. For convenience, I played the download version of this game on the PS4, rather than playing the PS2 original.]

[Retro STrife]

Beat Jak and Daxter this past weekend, and got 100% completion of all collectibles. For me to beat a 3D platformer that fast says a lot about the game. I was ready to be finished by the end, but it was a good time up until then. The free-form mission structure really kept me plugging along. Since I'll only play one game from the Jak trilogy, I think Jak 1 was the right call.

This game is made by Naughty Dog, which speaks to the quality of it. It feels like they took what they learned from Crash Bandicoot on PS1, took it off the rails, and expanded it into a fully 3D world. There's obvious similarities between Crash and Jak in so many aspects of the characters, worlds, vehicles, and moves. The Jak characters are mostly crap (except Daxter, who is ok) and the villains are virtually non-existent, and the story is pointless.. but all of that can't bring this solid platformer down.

It'll probably be awhile before I cross the next PS2 platformer off my list. But I think next up will be Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, which I hear is considered the best game of that series. Any thoughts on Jak, Ratchet, or any other favorite PS2/GC/Xbox platformers?

[Gentlegamer]

Nothing substantive to add, except that I have the Ratchet and Clank series and Jak and Daxter series incoming for PS2, so I'll be doing some heavy PS2 gaming soon. I initially wanted the PS3 HD collections for each, but research revealed there's major graphical and control issues with them, particularly with the Ratchet and Crank trilogy.

[Retro STrife]

Nothing substantive to add, except that I have the Ratchet and Clank series and Jak and Daxter series incoming for PS2, so I'll be doing some heavy PS2 gaming soon. I initially wanted the PS3 HD collections for each, but research revealed there's major graphical and control issues with them, particularly with the Ratchet and Crank trilogy.

Well, chances are you’ll play them before I get around to Ratchet, so let us know what you think! Good to know about the PS3 issues. I have a PS2 copy of Jak, but it’s a hassle playing my PS2, so I paid like $5 to download it on PS4. As far as I can tell, it has no issues. I wonder if Ratchet has a PS4 download too. My current plan is just to play the best game of each series to get the overall gist. Sly Cooper will be up next after Ratchet.