Jak II

Review - Brad gets to grips with this imaginative sequel.

There is something about the twilight days of winter that has publishers clamouring to release platform games by the bucket. Which is fine because on the Playstation 2, a decent platform game has been missing since its release all those years ago. Admittedly it has seen its fair share of platform games, some of which have been pretty decent if the old noggin here isn't letting me down, but nothing to set the world on fire. Jak and Daxter was decent enough, but lacked a certain something to make it one to remember, as was Ratchet and Clank although admittedly Ratchet and his little robot chum had a lot less going for them. But I digress. I sit here with fresh memories of playing too much Jak II, a keyboard in front of me and the desire to tell people about it using the internet as my mouthpiece.

I had a great distaste for the first Jak and Daxter. Twee, formulaic and a little bit too floaty for my liking. It just lacked that certain 'something' that is needed to keep my attention for more than a few hours. Enter Jak II. The Daxter has been dropped from the title, but the wisecracking weasel-thing still features heavily in the game. This would be enough for most sequels as well as some new levels and perhaps a new mini-game or mechanic, but Jak II goes above and beyond what is commonly expected from a sequel not making the jump from old to new hardware. The game starts with Daxter rescuing Jak from a high-tech compound two years after stepping through a trans-dimensional rift. It appears that Jak has been subject to some hideous experiments thanks to his relationship with Dark Eco, a substance rife in Jak's world. Understandably this has upset Jak just a little and the reunited pair begin their adventure hell-bent on revenge.

After a short refresher in controls Jak is let loose on the streets of the metropolis, where the gameplay takes a trip to GTA land. It seems free roaming cities, carjacking and mission based gameplay are the new stealth. In most cases this would be a bad thing, especially in the realms of the platform game. Somehow Jak II does it with great success however. To get to each level Jak and Daxter must either walk through the city or steal a (hover)car and drive there. This is by no means as detailed or complete as something like Grand Theft Auto, and indeed why should it be? Most importantly it is fun and works very well. Where before Jak had to walk everywhere to my great pain, now he zips through the beautifully rendered streets avoiding traffic and more importantly the cops who really pose little threat if riled. To be honest you are more likely to avoid the cops because of the annoying music played than to avoid the minimal threat they pose.

Once Jak finally arrives at a destination, the platform shenanigans begin in earnest. At first glance the game seems to have changed little from Jak's first outing. All his previous jumping trickery is present and accounted for but progress a few levels and Jak is soon given an upgradeable gun, hoverboard and access to a racing mini-game. But wait! Don't groan and click away! These are actually really nicely implemented additions to the game and actually add to the gameplay rather than just proving tackily added-on to give it sequel status. This time around levels are handed out as missions, GTA style, and usually involve a reasonable drive to somewhere on the large map, which gets even larger as you progress further. Things are tied together with an overwhelming number of better-than-Pixar quality cut-scenes. Please don't be put off by this. It is only overwhelming because of their sheer quality. Each one is an incredible piece of animation as well as boasting great scripting and voice acting. They are chock full of good humour, both verbal and visual, and quite how the now underpowered PS2 pumps these out is beyond me. And all without visible loading breaks too. Something that I have come to appreciate more and more.

Naughty Dog has really pulled out all the stops for Jak II, and it really shows. All the new mechanics are truly excellent and add to the game rather than being a misplaced effort to call the game a sequel. The game has a couple of drawbacks, the most obvious and annoying being the totally unfair continue points within levels. Usually having to redo large sections of any given level would have me in a blind fury taking out my angst on my controller, but somehow Jak II did not bring the foam to my mouth or the anger to my fingers. It just makes the game a little tougher, which is all good; I would have hated for the experience to end sooner than it did. The other niggle presents itself in the form of the city radar. The system employed for navigating the vast city is a little confusing and doesn't always point you in the right direction, which can be a little annoying, but on the whole these are two quite minor niggles in an otherwise polished and well thought out game. If platformers are your bag, then I suggest you pick this up.

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