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Jak and Daxter

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Jak and Daxter franchise
File:Jakanddaxterlogo.gif
The logo for the franchise
Genre(s)Platform, third-person shooter, vehicular combat
Developer(s)Naughty Dog
High Impact Games
Ready at Dawn
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
First releaseJak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
December 4, 2001[1]
Latest releaseJak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier
November 3, 2009[2]

Jak and Daxter is a video game franchise originally developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation 2. There are three games in the main series (with three spin-offs) that have been released, with Jak as the primary playable character in all except Daxter for the PlayStation Portable.

Games

Main series

Title Details
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

Original release date(s):
 Release years by system:
2001—PlayStation 2
Notes:
  • The first game
Jak II

Original release date(s):
 Release years by system:
2003—PlayStation 2
Notes:
  • The second game
  • Known as Jak II: Renegade in Europe and Australia
Jak 3

Original release date(s):
 Release years by system:
2004—PlayStation 2
Notes:
  • The third game
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier

Original release date(s):
 Release years by system:
2009—PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2
Notes:
  • Was created by High Impact Games instead of Naughty Dog. Taking place after Jak X

Spin-offs

Title Details
Jak X: Combat Racing

Original release date(s):
 Release years by system:
2005—PlayStation 2
Notes:
  • A spin-off racing game, set following the events of Jak 3.
Daxter

Original release date(s):
 Release years by system:
2006—PlayStation Portable
Notes:
  • A spin-off platformer taking place in the two-year gap in the opening of Jak 2.
Title Details
PlayStation Move Heroes

Original release date(s):
 Release years by system:
2011—PlayStation 3
Notes:

Common gameplay features

While there was a significant change in gameplay between the first and subsequent games of the series, and a noticeable deviation with both Jak X: Combat Racing and Daxter, much of the series shares common gaming elements.

The Jak series is primarily a platformer, requiring the player to control Jak or Daxter in jumping puzzles to reach a final goal while avoiding enemy attacks. The controlled character can only take a few hits before he is down, though health can be recovered using Green Eco. Both characters can double-jump to cross large gaps or reach higher platforms and Jak can perform several melee attacks in combination with his jumping skills. In The Precursor Legacy Jak could use four different colors of "Eco" which would provide him with improved abilities, such as speed and more powerful melee attacks. In Jak II only Dark Eco and Green Eco can be used outside of weaponry, and Jak 3 allows the player to use Light Eco and Dark Eco. Jak II introduced shooting elements to the series, using the "Morph Gun Mod" which can transform into four different guns (twelve in Jak 3) and receive upgrades. Jak II also made driving a core ingredient in the series, with the new and improved Zoomers.

Major characters

File:Jak and Daxter.jpg
The two main characters of the series, Jak and Daxter.
Main article: List of Jak and Daxter characters
  • Jak - Jak is the main protagonist of the Jak and Daxter series. He is the main character of all the games except Daxter, although he does make cameos in that game. He accidentally turns his best friend, Daxter into an ottsel (a fictional hybrid of otter and weasel). In Jak II, he is infused with Dark Eco due to being a test subject in Baron Praxis's experiments. In Jak 3, he gets blessed with Light Eco abilities by the Precursors.
  • Daxter - Daxter is the secondary character from the Jak & Daxter video game series. He is Jak's sidekick, and is always getting into trouble. In the first game he gets turned into an ottsel. He rescues Jak at the beginning of Jak II, and becomes playable intermitently for the first time in the series (Daxter is also playable in 2 missions in Jak 3). In Jak 3 his role grows, and he gets a pair of pants as a reward for his efforts. His self-titled game details his adventures before he breaks Jak out of prison.
  • Samos the Sage - Samos the Sage, most prominent in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, serves as a guide throughout the series. He first appears in The Precursor Legacy as the sage of Green Eco and acts as a rough fatherly figure to the two heroes. In later games, he still serves as a mentor and a source of advice.
  • Keira - Keira is Samos' daughter and Jak's main love interest in the series. She appears in every game, acting as a mechanic and inventor (with the exception of Daxter, where she has a non-speaking cameo). In Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier, she travels with Jak and Daxter in a flying vehicle in a quest to save the world by finding more eco.[3]

Universe

  • Eco - One of the trademarks of the series is being able to manipulate Light & Dark Eco.[4] The main plot of The Lost Frontier is that the world is running out of Eco.[4]
  • Vehicles - Given the enormity and variance in terrain of the Wasteland, vehicles play a large role as off-road transportation is introduced, fueled by a true-to-life physics engine.[5] GameSpy said the vehicles had "sluggish control systems" and thought "a specialized dune buggy wouldn't keep on flipping on its side as much as Jak's vehicles tend to."[6]
  • Weapons - Jak II introduced the "Morph Gun," a weapon with four main "mods": the Red Eco-powered shotgun called the Scatter Gun, a Yellow Eco rifle called the Blaster, a Blue Eco machine gun called the Vulcan Fury, and a Dark Eco-powered lightning gun called the Peace Maker. Jak 3 adds two mods for each gun, giving the gun a total of twelve forms. In The Lost Frontier the player wields a customizable Gunstaff,[4] which makes use of the same basic mods as the Morph Gun.

Locations

  • The Old World - A fictional planet, which was the setting for the first game, The Precursor Legacy. It contains a multitude of very different locales for the player to explore, ranging from jungles to volcanoes.
  • Haven City - A dystopia ruled by Baron Praxis and his Krimzon Guard law enforcers. Haven City often serves as a hub, where the player is given tasks that must often be fulfilled outside of the city in places that are separated via airlocks. In Jak 3 the city is engulfed in war for control of the streets.[5] This city is the successor of Sandover Village.
  • The Wasteland- A desert environment five times the size of Haven City with multiple areas including mines and a volcano.[5] Given the enormity and variance in terrain, vehicles play a large role as off-road transportation is introduced, fueled by a true-to-life physics engine.[5] It ranked 8th place on IGN's "The Wednesday 10: Gaming Dystopias."[7] The city Spargus is also located in the Wasteland, which is one of the main hub worlds in Jak 3.
  • The Brink- The brink is the edge of the world and is found in the Lost Frontier. The eco here is highly unstable, and there are a lot of eco-pirates. There is also a race called the Aeropans here. The most common form of transportation appears to be aircraft.
  • Kras City- Kras is located near to Haven City. It is featured only in Jak X: Combat Racing. Racing is a huge sport in the city, and Kras seems to be completely made up of race tracks.

Awards

Aggregate review score
Game Game Rankings Metacritic IGN Gamespot
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
90.29%[1]
90[8]
9.4
8.8
Jak II
87.98%[9]
87[10]
9.5
9.1
Jak 3
85.16%[11]
84[12]
9.6
8.6
Jak X: Combat Racing
77.06%[13]
76[14]
8
7.9
Daxter
86.18%[15]
85[16]
9
9.1
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier
73.95%
75
7.4
7.5

The success of the Jak and Daxter series resulted in Guinness World Records awarding the series 7 world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. These records include, "First Seamless 3D World in a Console Game", "Most Successful Single Format Platform Series", and "Largest Number of Cutscenes in a Platform Game" for Jak II, in which there are 131 cutscenes, 51 in the first act alone. In Jak 3, there are 213 cutscenes, with 20 in the first act alone.

See also

Template:Wikipedia-Books

References

  1. ^ a b "Game Rankings's collection of Jak and Daxter reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2009-09-08. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  2. ^ "Jak And Daxter: The Lost Frontier Release Date Confirmed News Item". inc-gamers. Retrieved 2009-10-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  3. ^ Randy Nelson (2009-08-19). "See Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier's high drama, hijinks". Joystiq. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  4. ^ a b c "Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier - PlayStation Portable". GameSpy. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  5. ^ a b c d "Video Game News - Highly Anticipated Sequel, Jak 3, Arrives This Fall Only on PlayStation(R)2". GameZone. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  6. ^ Bryn Williams. "GameSpy: Jak 3 - Page 1". GameSpy. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  7. ^ IGN Staff (April 8, 2009). "IGN: The Wednesday 10: Gaming Dystopias". IGN. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  8. ^ "Metacritic's collection of Jak and Daxter reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-09-08. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  9. ^ "Game Rankings's collection of Jak II reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2009-09-08. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  10. ^ "Metacritic's collection of Jak II reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-09-08. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  11. ^ "Game Rankings's collection of Jak 3 reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2009-09-08. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  12. ^ "Metacritic's collection of Jak 3 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-09-08. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  13. ^ "Game Rankings's collection of Jak X: Combat Racing reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2009-09-08. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  14. ^ "Metacritic's collection of Jak X: Combat Racing reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-09-08. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  15. ^ "Game Rankings's collection of Daxter reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2009-09-08. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  16. ^ "Metacritic's collection of Daxter reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-09-08. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
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