Well with a PlayStation game, you’d expect a sequel. And guess what? We got a sequel! But man, things got real dark here. What’s going on…?Game:Jak II / Jak II: Renegade Systems: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita Release Dates:PS2: 10/14/03 (NA), 10/15/03 (AUS), 10/17/03 (EU), 3/11/04 (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
A Rather Dark Turn
Story:After the end of Jak and Daxter, the gang starts to study the precursor orbs. When they open a portal with a precursor orbs, they end up in a dystopian city called Haven City, a depressing looking city ruled under Baron Praxis. Jak and Daxter are separated when they arrive in Haven City. Jak is eventually captured and imprisoned for 2 years and experiment on him with Dark Eco. After those 2 years, Daxter finds him and sets him free. They both join an underground rebel group to stop the evil happening in Haven City.
Guns and Hover Cars and Dark Powers, Oh My!
Gameplay: The gameplay is very different from the previous game. Though the free-roaming style is still around, just a little bit different. Jak has most of the same moves he had in the last game, but now has some new abilities. If Jak collects enough purple orbs, he can become a dark version of himself and do stronger attacks for a limited time. Later in the game, Jak gets a gun he can use too. Very different from the last game right? As for running around, Haven City serves as a hub world. There are a few stray hovercars you can use, though be careful, some areas are “no-hover zones”, and you may get hunted down by some patrol officers walking around the city. Levels are just areas that are off from the hub world. You will always have an objective to do. You mostly get missions from various people around Haven City. You can also upgrade Jak’s dark powers. You may notice some yellow stone-looking things around areas outside the city. There’s a building in the city you go to to upgrade your powers. It’s the same machine that appears in the first game where you can get more orbs.
Cleaner and Darker
Graphics: The graphics look a lot better than the last game. Like, a lot better. But it’s not as colorful as the last game since you’re in a dark and gloomy city. But all in all, it looks a lot better.
Pretty Quiet
Music: Honestly, the music is not very memorable. It’s just there to be ominous. Which is an okay thing, but it’s still not worth talking about. Music is composed by Josh Mancell and Larry Hopkins.
Going Dark for Good?
Overall:Jak 2 is still an alright game. It does a lot different and goes in a different direction. Is it a good direction? Kind of. It’s pretty confusing going from a colorful island area to a grim, gritty city. But it's still a pretty good game. 3 / 5
Jak II took a far longer time to finish than Jak 3, and it's not even the difficulty between the two that's it. Also, it's much more mission-based than its sequel more linear structure.
TheChaosBlue wrote:Jak II took a far longer time to finish than Jak 3, and it's not even the difficulty between the two that's it. Also, it's much more mission-based than its sequel more linear structure.
So it's a lot like Shadow the Hedgehog then, including the darkness and edginess?
"If the world chooses to become my enemy...I will fight like I always have!" -Shadow, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
I actually spotted the Jak Series collection at a local retailer. Surprised that copies still show up. But I remember playing the first game, but not the rest. They were always sold out back then.