Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier

Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier
North American PlayStation Portable box art
Developer(s)	High Impact Games
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment
Designer(s)	Dave Goodrich
Artist(s)	Atsuko Kubota
Writer(s)	Richard Lemarchand Neil Druckmann
Composer(s)	James Dooley
Series	Jak and Daxter
Engine	Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters engine
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable
Release	NA: November 3, 2009
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player

Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier is a platform game developed by High Impact Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was announced on April 1, 2009 and was released on November 3, 2009 for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The player assumes the role of Jak, the angst-ridden hero enhanced by his exposure to Light and Dark Eco. The game received a generally positive response, with critics praising the game's graphics, gameplay and aerial fights.

Gameplay

Similar to other games in the series, The Lost Frontier features a Hero Mode where players are able to replay the game. Weapons, armor, powers, secrets, and unspent Precursor orbs are retained through each playthrough.

Development

Following the release of Jak X: Combat Racing in 2005, Naughty Dog began development of The Lost Frontier under the working title Jak PSP.

The Lost Frontier was originally planned as a PlayStation Portable exclusive and was in the process of being developed by Naughty Dog when it was cancelled. Evan Wells revealed that they were unable to sustain the game's development alongside Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and made the decision to pass the project onto High Impact Games.

Plot

The game begins with Jak and Daxter, escorting Keira on her journey to become a Sage and help to find the reason for a worldwide Eco shortage. After an encounter with Captain Phoenix, an Eco-seeking Sky Pirate, Jak crash-lands on an island at the Brink (the edge of their world) and sets off in search of Eco with which to repair his Hellcat. After a successful take-off, Jak must fight off Sky Pirates attacking the ACS Behemoth, an aerial warship captained by Duke Skyheed of Aeropa. Jak is given an instrument called the Eco Seeker. He is unable to power it because the Eco instability prevents him from using his own Eco powers (along with preventing him from turning into Dark Jak), but Keira is granted permission to study it for a week if Jak proves himself in a test of his fighting skills in the Danger course. Daxter falls into the sewers of Aeropa on the way back, where he becomes tainted further by Dark Eco and is temporarily transformed into "Dark Daxter". He becomes black, spiky, and in no mood for "soft underpants."

Then, Captain Phoenix attacks the building and steals both the Eco Seeker and Keira. Jak and Daxter chase Phoenix but are led into a trap, resulting in them crash-landing back on the Island again. On the Island the duo meet a Castaway, who knows that Jak has been touched by Dark Eco but can't remember who he was or why he was on the island. He mentions that he built the Robots on the Island. He also offers to fix Jak's Hellcat, but requires a Velonium Power Pod from the most dangerous robot he created, the Uber-bot 888. After Jak and Daxter get the Power Pod, The Castaway fixes his ship, and later sneaks on board. When Jak and Daxter take off they manage to disable Phoenix's ship and land. On board Jak and Phoenix argue and tip the Eco Seeker overboard accidentally, so both return to the island once more to retrieve it from a volcanic crater. Keira intervenes and makes them call a truce and shake hands. The Eco Seeker needs more Light Eco to work and they travel to an old research rig used by the Aeropans. At the rig, Jak comes across a testing table. He realizes from the memory of his own experience with it in Jak II that someone has been experimenting with Dark Eco, vowing to destroy those responsible. After finding the Light Eco, Daxter is transformed again when Dark Eco is poured into the container he was in.

After the Light Eco is inserted into the Seeker, Jak finds out that it is missing three parts, and they travel to the pirate town Fardrop to get the first piece from a pirate. When they travel to an Old Aeropan Barracks, where they find one of the Coordinates, the Castaway reveals that he is (or once was) a Dark Eco Sage, that he built the facility for the Aeropans. Phoenix reveals that he was once the commander of the Aeropan Air Forces. He was put in charge of a secret weapons program to make a new kind of warrior. When he found out what they were doing, he refused and tried to stop the program, but Skyheed wouldn't hear of it. So, he took the only option left and kidnapped the program's chief scientist, the Castaway. In the scuffle, the Castaway took a blow to his head and suffered amnesia. He was marooned on Brink Island to hide his work from the Aeropans. Phoenix further explains that Skyheed spread the dark power to all the Aeropans, who declared him an outlaw and he vowed to destroy all dark warriors, including Jak. Keira protests; saying that Jak isn't a monster, even though Phoenix had seen what Jak was, and she says that if he care for her at all, he would spare Jak. The Castaway says that Jak can be used to undo the damage that was done, by being "a warrior who proves that Dark Eco can be controlled, or at least managed." They agree to take on the Aeropans, who plan on using Dark Eco to make themselves the dominant people of the world.

When the location of the third coordinate sphere is found, the duo flies the Phantom Blade to Sector Zero, a mysterious location beyond the edge of the world. Jak and Daxter get the third sphere, but the Behemoth attacks their ship and Jak has to defend it. Back on board, Jak, Daxter, Keira, Phoenix and the crew fix the Eco Seeker, which points to the abandoned research rig. Phoenix recalls that the rig was built over strange formations, later revealed to be an ancient Precursor facility. When they reach the Eco Core, Keira tries to fix it. Shortly after, Phoenix's right-hand man, Klout, arrives with Skyheed and reveals he was paid off by Skyheed in exchange for the location of the Core. Skyheed orders everyone killed except Jak, because he wants to study his control over Dark Eco. However, Keira activates an energy discharge from the Eco Core. The Eco Radiation kills Klout and stuns Skyheed while Jak, Daxter, Keira, and Phoenix escape.

They receive a message stating that the Aeropans have laid siege to Far Drop. Jak and Daxter are sent to defeat the Aeropan Shock Troops at Far Drop, but the Behemoth appears to destroy it. Jak and Daxter successfully cause the Aeropans to retreat by destroying their weapons. Phoenix wants revenge on Skyheed for the attack. Then another message is transmitted anonymously, telling them to use the old Barracks warp gate. Jak, Daxter, and Keira get through the warp gate and Jak's Gunstaff weapons are disabled. Jak has to destroy the Weapons Control System to get them to work again, then head up to the palace to defeat Skyheed. But when Jak encounters Duke Skyheed, Skyheed begins absorbing massive amounts of Dark Eco which transform him into a giant Dark Eco monster. Jak tries to defeat him but Skyheed escapes on an Airship and retreats to the Behemoth with the intention of using the Eco Core to make sure Aeropans are the dominant species.

Jak then has to stop the Behemoth from absorbing the power from the core. The Phantom Blade disables the shields surrounding the Behemoth, while Jak destroys the weapon systems and Eco Crystals. Phoenix then flies the Phantom Blade between the Eco Core and Behemoth to prevent them from using the Eco, sacrificing himself in the process. Cutting off the Eco flow leaves the Behemoth vulnerable to attacks. A forlorn Keira then installs a Light Eco Beam in the Hellcat to finish the Behemoth off, destroying Skyheed and the Aeropans.

When Duke Skyheed and the Behemoth are finally destroyed, the balance of Eco is restored. Keira then activates the Eco Core which channels energy which travels to Eco Vents around the world, ending the Eco shortage and reduces the storm and quake activity in all directions. In the process, Keira finds she is now able to channel Eco, with Tym (the Castaway) informing her that she may be turning into a Sage. She also sees that one vent flows out beyond the Brink and she, Jak and Daxter decide to investigate.

Soundtrack

Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Jim Dooley
Released	November 3, 2009
Genre	Video game soundtrack
Length	38:44
Label	Sony Computer Entertainment

Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Original Soundtrack, composed by Jim Dooley, was released for digital download by Sony Computer Entertainment on November 2, 2009.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hellcat to the Rescue"	2:04
2.	"The Brink"	3:23
3.	"Galleon Conflict"	2:06
4.	"Laser Defense"	3:31
5.	"Sounds of Fardrop"	3:24
6.	"Dark Eco Warrior Training Camp"	3:18
7.	"Super-Dark-Daxter Rampage, Go!"	3:19
8.	"Behemoth Air Battle"	2:39
9.	"Parallel Universe"	4:18
10.	"Voices of Aeropa"	2:38
11.	"Ambushed"	2:40
12.	"A Captain's Sacrifice"	2:11
13.	"Daxterball"	3:40
14.	"Jak vs. the Arborcider"	1:33
Total length:		38:44

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	72.84% (PSP) 69.50% (PS2)
Metacritic	72% (PS2) 71% (PSP)

Review scores

Publication	Score
1Up.com	B (PSP)
Eurogamer	8/10 (PSP)
G4	4/5 (PSP)
Game Informer	7.75/10 (PSP)
GameSpot	7.5/10 (PSP)
IGN	7.4/10 (PS2) 7.4/10 (PSP)

The game received generally positive reviews upon release. GameSpot gave the game 7.5/10, calling it "a good addition to Sony's much-loved series" and went on to praise the "solid gameplay, challenging platform puzzles and wacky humour" though felt that the "Dark Daxter levels feel tacked on." IGN said, "There's fun to be had here, but it could've been polished a bit more to bring out the value" and awarded it 7.4/10. Eurogamer felt "Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier is one of the best platformers available for PSP/PS2" and continued "It also stands as evidence that there's life in the old Naughty Dog series yet."