Chickaroo Reviews - Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2 / PS3)

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Chickaroo Reviews - Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2 / PS3)

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After Naughty Dog left the Crash Bandicoot franchise, they were working on their next project for the upcoming PlayStation 2. And here is what Naughty Dog presented to the world.

Game: Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Systems: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita
Release Dates: PS2: 12/3/01 (NA), 12/7/01 (EU + AUS), 12/20/01 (JP)
PS3: 2/7/12 (NA), 2/24/12 (EU) 3/8/12 (AUS)
PS Vita: 6/18/13 (NA), 6/19/13 (AUS), 6/21/13 (EU)
Developers: Naughty Dog
The Legend of the Dark Eco
Story: Friends Jak and Daxter hear about an island called Misty Island that they had heard about. Samos the Sage warns the two not to go there for it could be dangerous. Once they get there, they see some mysterious figures and decide to head on back but they get attacked. Just as Daxter is trying to kill the creature that attacked them, he gets thrown into a pool of Dark Eco. As he comes out, he gets transformed into an ottsel (a mix between an otter and a weasel). Panicked by this, the two head back to the village of Sandover and ask Samos if he can change Daxter back. And he tells the boys that only Gol Acheron can make Daxter back into his normal self. So the two head off on an adventure to change Daxter back.
Free Roaming
Gameplay: The gameplay here is almost in a free roaming state. There’s really no levels or straightforward path. You just roam around and talk to nearby people and see if they have a task for you. With that said, there are many collectibles in this game.
You can collect many things such as precursor orbs, power cells, firefly creatures and many other things. As you can tell by all this, this game has some similarities to other collect-a-thon games such as Banjo-Kazooie, Super Mario 64 and others at the time.
Jak has his basic attacks such as a spin kick, punches and more. Around the area are boxes that give Jak a boost in his attacks and it makes him run faster. The health system in this game is weird but okay. There is no lives system but you get three hits. Three strikes and you’re out. When you get hit, Daxter will make some comment about your death (which can be funny and annoying). Now if you get hit once, you can get back to full health by collecting 50 power cells. There is always a punishment for death and hits.
I feel that there’s a few problems with the whole “free roaming” style of gameplay in these types of collecting / platforming games. First off, it’s easy to get lost. It might be easy to lose track of what you’re supposed to do and when and how. And if there’s a certain order to do it in. That’s just me.
Early PS2 Days, Man
Graphics: The game did come out in 2001 almost 2002. It looks a little flat and not as detailed. By flatness I mean with the models and environment. It’s a little easier to notice in the HD remake. But it was early. Who’s to blame?
Tropical
Music: The music sounds very nice here. It sounds breezy, tropical, very island-y. And I like it a lot.
Music is composed by Mark Mothersbaugh and Josh Mancell.
The Start of a New Era?
Overall: Jak and Daxter 1 is a pretty good start to the series. Sure you may get a little lost but hey, it was fun. It’s nice, kid-friendly, and colorful. Just you wait until Jak 2
3/5
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