I loved the Jak and Daxter series on
the PlayStation 2. The series has such a great storyline, beautiful graphics,
and severe lack of major loading times that made this game a blast to play. I
loved the series from the minute I booted up the first game until I saw the
ending credits of the last one. I was sad to see the trilogy compete, but
curious to know what lay ahead for it. Thankfully I was not alone in wanting to
see this series live, so the developers at Ready at Dawn Studios decided to make
another game, this time exclusively featuring Daxter, the wise-cracking Ottsel.
Read on to find out why you need to purchase this game for your PlayStation
Portable immediately.
Unlike the other games in the
series, Daxter’s storyline isn’t one of the game’s strong suits. The game takes
place between the first and the second game. As you all know by the ending of
the first game Jak has been captured and they are performing wild experiments on
him. Right before Jak was captured Daxter went away and promised that he would
save Jak. Now two years have passed and Daxter has finally gained the courage to
go rescue his friend. Daxter was boasting in bar one night and he is “tricked”
into becoming a bug exterminator. The story really doesn’t get that much deeper
then this and it basically leads up to how Daxter finally rescued Jak, as in the
beginning scenes of Jak II.
If you have played all three Jak and
Daxter games on the PlayStation 2 you will recall that the first game relied
heavily on platforming elements, but as the games progressed they had more
action elements in them – such as shooting, driving cars, and various other
tasks. The developers of Daxter wanted to return the game back to its roots by
making it more of a platform game, though you do get bug spray, a flamethrower
add-on, and even the fun electric flyswatter. The game tends to revolve more
heavily on platforming action and solving various environmental puzzle elements
to continue.
Just like the console Jak games,
Daxter also features a streaming game world. There are very few loading screens,
and most of them are covered up by going on an elevator or a door opening. This
is very impressive for developers to use this technology on a portable system,
and makes the game feel much like the PlayStation 2 games.
The graphics for Daxter are some of
the best that I have seen for any game on the PlayStation Portable. The game
looks so close to the games on the PlayStation 2 that it is almost identical.
Everything in this game is so detailed that it is amazing to see these kind of
graphics on a portable game. You will see detailed tress, various types of
grass, running water, and just various other effects that will have your mouth
open in amazement that developers got this much detail in a system this small.
What makes the graphics even better
looking is the fact that the developers have given Daxter such a great animation
set. The way that Dexter moves around is truly a sight to behold. The way he
slinks around, climbs up various things, and even sucks to get into air vents is
a trip to see. It really shows that if a developer is truly dedicated to making
a game, they can give you a top-notch product, no matter what the subject
material is.
Not only do the graphics look
outstanding, but the developers went even further by having some of the best
audio I have heard for a PSP game. The voice acting is top notch just like the
console counterparts, including all of Daxter’s great one-liners. What gets me
is how good the sound effects are for this game, from the electric flyswatter to
hearing Daxter in the metal air ducts. Then this is complemented by the great
sound track that will keep players pumped up to continue playing the game.
Everything about the audio is just great and brings a smile to my face as I play
it.
If all of this wasn’t good enough,
then the developers at Ready at Dawn have included a mini game called Bug Combat
(also available to play multiplayer). As you progress through the game, you will
find hidden bugs that you can use in this mode, as well as various upgrades to
the bug. The premise of the game is a glorified rock/paper/scissors using the
bugs you find. There are claw attacks, spit, and traps. Traps beat claw, claw
beats spit, and spit beats traps. While it is simplistic in nature it is very
addictive.
Daxter is rated everyone.
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Gameplay: 8.1
The controls for this game are tight and
extremely responsive. While many developers complain that the PSP lacks a second
analog stick for controls, the developers at Ready At Dawn found a great way to
control everything in the game perfectly with the PSP’s configuration.
Graphics: 9.6
The graphics for this game are some of the best graphics I have seen produced
for a PlayStation Portable game. What makes the graphics even better looking are
the various animations that Daxter has. It is hilarious seeing the “idle”
animations and to see him sleek around a level. The designers put forth a lot of
effort to make Daxter look like this and it is completely worth it.
Sound: 9.2
Just like the console games, Daxter features a top-notch voice acting
talent. Then there are the great sound effects that you will hear throughout
each level and the music that inspires you to continue on your journey.
Difficulty: Easy
One of the more disappointing aspects of this game is that it is on the
easy side. If you have ever played a platforming game then you will know exactly
what to expect in this game. Plus the fact that Daxter has unlimited lives and
auto-saves all the time (which is good since this is a portable game) it is just
sad that the difficulty isn’t ramped up just slightly. Even though this is the
case you will enjoy every minute of this game.
Concept: 8.5
Daxter really doesn’t expand upon the genre in any new form or fashion
like its console brethren, but that really doesn’t make a difference, because
this is a great game to play.
Multiplayer: N/A
As of this review I didn’t get to test out the multiplayer features of
Daxter.
Overall: 9.3
Go purchase this game immediately. If you are a fan of the series or
someone who enjoys good games, then this is the game for you. Daxter is one of
the best games that I have played on my PlayStation Portable and one of the most
original (i.e. non port) of a game either. So if you are hankering for a good
game then look no further than Daxter, as you will not regret this purchase.
