Jak and Daxter

Jak and Daxter Series
The logo for the series
Genres	Platform Vehicular Combat
Developers	Naughty Dog (2001-2005) Ready at Dawn (2006) High Impact Games (2009) Nihilistic Software (2011)
Publishers	Sony Computer Entertainment
Creators	Andy Gavin Jason Rubin
Platforms	PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable
Platform of origin	PlayStation 2
First release	Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy December 3, 2001
Latest release	PlayStation Move Heroes March 22, 2011

Jak and Daxter is a critically acclaimed video game franchise created by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation 2.The series consists of four main games and two spin-offs,though they are also considered to be part of the main series.The series has been commercially successful.

Games

Main series

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Original release date(s): NA December 3, 2001 EU December 7, 2001 JP December 20, 2001	Release years by system: 2001—PlayStation 2
Jak II Original release date(s): NA October 14, 2003 EU October 17, 2003 JP March 11, 2004	Release years by system: 2003—PlayStation 2
Jak 3 Original release date(s): NA November 9, 2004 AUS November, 2004 EU November 26, 2004	Release years by system: 2004—PlayStation 2
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Original release date(s): NA November 3, 2009 JP November 19, 2009 AUS November 19, 2009 EU November 20, 2009	Release years by system: 2009—PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable

Spin-offs

Jak X: Combat Racing Original release date(s): NA October 18, 2005 AUS October 26, 2005 EU November 4, 2005	Release years by system: 2005—PlayStation 2
Daxter Original release date(s): NA March 14, 2006 EU April 13, 2006 AUS April 28, 2006	Release years by system: 2006—PlayStation Portable

Related games

PlayStation Move Heroes Original release date(s): NA March 22, 2011 JP March 24, 2011 EU March 25, 2011 AUS April 14, 2011	Release years by system: 2011—PlayStation 3
Jak and Daxter HD Collection[1] Original release date(s): TBA 2012[2]	Release years by system: 2012—PlayStation 3

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

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 intermittently 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 enormousness 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.
• Spargus City- A desert environment five times the size of Haven City with multiple areas including mines and a volcano.^[5] Given the enormousness 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.
• 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.
• 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 people called the Aeropans here. The most common form of transportation appears to be aircraft.

Awards

The success of the Jak and Daxer 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.

Reception

Aggregate review scores
As of April 18, 2011.

Game	GameRankings	Metacritic
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy	90.22%[8]	90[9]
Jak II	87.90%[10]	87[11]
Jak 3	85.42%[12]	84[13]
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier	(PSP) 72.49%[14] (PS2) 69.50%[15]	(PS2) 72[16] (PSP) 71[17]

The series as a whole has received very positive reviews from gaming critics.

See also

• List of Jak and Daxter cast members
• Naughty Dog
• Ready at Dawn
• High Impact Games
• Sly Cooper
• Sanzaru Games
• Ratchet & Clank
• PlayStation Move Heroes

References

1. ^ http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/881287-jak-and-daxter-hd-collection-confirmed-by-sony
2. ^ http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/121/1212038p1.html?RSSwhen2011-11-09_133000&RSSid=1212038
3. ^ Randy Nelson (2009-08-19). "See Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier's high drama, hijinks". Joystiq. http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/19/see-jak-and-daxter-the-lost-frontiers-high-drama-hijinks/. Retrieved 2009-09-04. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier - PlayStation Portable". GameSpy. http://psp.gamespy.com/playstation-portable/jak-and-daxter-the-lost-frontier/. 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. http://www.gamezone.com/news/item/highly_anticipated_sequel_jak_3_arrives_this_fall_only_on_playstation_r_2. Retrieved 2009-10-05. 
6. ^ Bryn Williams. "GameSpy: Jak 3 - Page 1". GameSpy. http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/jak-iii/552114p1.html. Retrieved 2009-10-05. 
7. ^ IGN Staff (April 8, 2009). "IGN: The Wednesday 10: Gaming Dystopias". IGN. http://retro.ign.com/articles/971/971298p1.html. Retrieved 2009-09-06. 
8. ^ "Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/516509-jak-and-daxter-the-precursor-legacy/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
9. ^ "Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/jak-and-daxter-the-precursor-legacy. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
10. ^ "Jak II Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/914535-jak-ii/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
11. ^ "Jak II Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/jak-ii. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
12. ^ "Jak 3 Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/919901-jak-3/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
13. ^ "Jak 3 Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/jak-3. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
14. ^ "Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/psp/959185-jak-and-daxter-the-lost-frontier/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
15. ^ "Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/959184-jak-and-daxter-the-lost-frontier/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
16. ^ "Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/jak-and-daxter-the-lost-frontier. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
17. ^ "Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/psp/jak-and-daxter-the-lost-frontier. Retrieved April 18, 2011.