This is a fascinating mess of a game. It's supposed to be a platforming title, much like Mario 64, but it attempts to be more action driven, giving the main character guns and a bunch of attitude. The problem is Jak and Daxter 2 has no true focus, no real aim, no real purpose to exist other than to stretch out a franchise that was dead and buried from jump. Seriously, who was so impressed with the sweet and unassuming, yet supremely lame J&D 1 to actually buy into all this garbage that this game attempts to present as a bad attitude-driven alternative? If the game was squarely focused on being a decent platformer, it perhaps would have been one of the PS2's best, even with the boring story. As it stands, this game tries too hard to be too many games at once - Grand Theft Auto, Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk, Legend of Zelda, and Earthworm Jim, just to name a few. That's not the big problem, however - what gets me is that for every game this game attempts to rip off (to put it in blunt words), the game programmers have found a way to ruin what made the ripped off game great. Take the platforming sections for instance: with this being a three-dimensional platforming game, a proper, fully functional camera would be neat, but apparently the people behind the game don't think so. One can only move the camera left to right, not up or down - this instance is sloppy and makes the game overly difficult, as areas tend to be very tight, especially concerning the actual platforming areas. Couple that with the fact that the camera considers the walls surrounding the main character solid, so if you attempt to line up a jump, and there's a wall to your left or right, it'll stop short unless you pull it into the main character extremely tight; however the camera never sticks to the Jak's back as it should. The game is filled with instances where it seems the programmers thought to make the game more difficult than it really ought to be. It's pathetic how hard this easy game is, if you get where I'm going when I'm saying that. The game is needlessly difficult. The Hub Area is another example: WHY IS IT HERE? Well, other than conjuring up memories of a superior Grand Theft Auto game, why? I mentioned only a quarter of the given gameplay mechanics work within the game's given conventions, making for a very sloppy feeling, and ultimately unfulfilling game, in my humble opinion. On a sidenote: I still own this game at the time I'm writing this, but I do not think I'll be keeping it for much longer - it's much too annoying, and quite frankly, embarrassing to watch this game tank right before my eyes. This game is the most blatant example of franchise resuscitation. It's a good thing this franchise was meant to be a trilogy. Also, the game isn't above cheating to make levels and tasks harder. Enemies can hurt you on and off-screen, the game sometimes disregards presses of particular buttons, and graphical inefficiencies can sometimes affect gameplay negatively. There are so many instances where this game could've used a bit more polish and a proper balance to the challenge - instead, the makers of this game decided to make the game infamous by polishing the graphics and sounds (the game has an excellent graphical presentation), and left the gameplay disgustingly unfinished (or is it that ‘unique’ bull hardcore Jak fans spin). This is one of the clumsiest playing titles I've ever sat down and attempted to take seriously. The clumsiness makes the game extremely pointless at the end of it all. Try the game out if you must, and don't take my words as gospel - This is a very popular game that I'd recommend playing to see if you'd ever grow to like it. I just don't like playing a game like this anymore - it feels too much like a waste of my precious time. Jak II could have been a fantastic game for all who play it – instead it ends up being a cult favorite, cultists sometime support articles that may have been great, but are ultimately inferior. Updated Impression: I mentioned that I owned this game, Jak II. I also aluded to the fact that I'd played it a great deal to eventually feel the way I'd felt about it. My view of the game has changed. I'll let the first part of this review stand as an example of my first impressions after a couple of weeks of owning the game, but this latter part will be my final opinion... Jak II is an inspired game. It's very hard to pinpoint exactly what may have inspired it, but the evidence is contained within every section of the city hub area (a blatant GTA rip-off), each upgrade to Jak's gun, each goofy moment you realize you're going to fail a mission a minute before you actually do... Is this game inspired by the old NES/Genesis/SNES games that offered this familiar challenge? How did the game's developers create a game that actually drives one to play through their frustrations? I tell you the truth: as corny as this game's story may be, as imbalanced as the challenges are, as overly-frustrating an experience as the entire game exists as, I beat the thing and came away overjoyed that I decided to keep, after contemplating selling it. This game has touched me in a very serious way. There's not another game like it in this generation (of PS2) - the game has everything. I just can't say anymore...but... Pick the game up, expect to be frustrated...but prepare for the rewards after you've persevered and defeated (yes, DEFEATED, not beaten...the game is made to be conquered, not just played) the game.
If you liked the first jak and daxter game, you'll absolutely love the smash hit sequel and positively the best in the series! The gameplay is bit similar with the different styles of attacks and movement to the first... Read Full Review
The success of The Precursor Legacy was huge back then, and one of the reasons why I got into platformer games in the first place. Its light-hearted story and quirky characters were very amusing to interact with, making ... Read Full Review
