Jak and Daxter provides an enjoyable adventure experience with some of the best graphics on the Playstation 2.
User Rating: 8.9 | Jak and Daxter: the Precursor Legacy PS2
We have all seen platform games before. The Playstation had Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, and Nintendo had Banjo-Kazooie and Mario. Well, Crash Bandicoot creator, Naughty Dog has created a new franchise, one of the most anticipated titles for the Playstation 2 launch. It is Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. The game starts when the two main characters, Jak and Daxter (how did you guess?) are exploring a baron island. Unfortunately during their exploration, Daxter falls into a pool of a dangerous substance known as Dark Eco, and Daxter is transformed into a small orange muskrat. Since Jak takes partial blame for what happened to his friend, he decides to help Daxter change himself back to normal, thus the adventure begins. You control Jak throughout the entire game, which is a disappointment because it would have been nicer to control Daxter for at least some part of the game. Jak has a small variety of abilities to use including a punch, kick-spin, and butt-stomp attack. Aside from the Dark Eco, Jak will have to use other forms of Eco to solve different puzzles. These types of Eco range from increasing Jak’s attacking abilities, to increasing his speed. Basically you go around the world collecting objects known as Power Cells, which are similar to the Jiggy’s in Banjo-Kazooie, or the Stars in Mario. You use these Power Cells to complete obstacles in the game to proceed even further. You also collect gold colored egg shaped objects called Precursor Orbs, which can be traded for Power Cells. Jak will collect these items not only on foot, but in two different vehicles as well, one of which being a hovercraft, and the other being a large bird. Unfortunately the adventure isn’t very long; you will get through most of the game in a weekend, and you will only need a week at most to finish the entire game. However you can embark on a side quest once you finish the story portion the game to draw a few more hours out of it. The graphics in the game are what steal the show; everything looks phenomenal, from the particle effects to the large-scale environments that you will encounter. Character animations are also absolutely beautiful, especially in the cutscenes. The sound is very good as well; the voiceovers sound great and really bring out the characters emotions, and the sounds in the environments are good too, from the bubbling of a lava pit, to the water at a beach, everything sounds great. Jak and Daxter is right up your alley for adventure fans, and even if you just want a game to play with for your new Playstation 2, it is still a great choice. Jak and Daxter is just a great game and its beautiful graphics make up for its relatively short length. 
