Beat Jak 3.
Okay, I'll review 2 and 3 in this post. 1 is next.
Jak 2
+ Excellent art direction
+ Good Music
+ Amazing platforming. One Problem I have with 3d platformers in general is that they feel like they lack the precision that 2d platformers require. I'm usually able to forgive this because some 3d platformers rely on figuring out how to get a specific location, rather than the actual platforming itself. Jak 2 stands as one of the few, if not the first 3d platformer I've played that required the timing and precision of a 2d platformer.
An example of this is the roll move. By pressing the jump button while rolling Jak can pull off a long jump move. Thing is, this move is a specific distance when pulled off. It can be long and some sections of the game require exact precision to be able to make it. You'll see an extremely thin log floating in lava that's a good distance away. This is your clue to long jump, but if your position is off just a bit you'll fall into the lava. When you do hit that log, it immediately sinks into the lava, requiring you to jump to the next log. Whhops, that log is far as hell away so you're going to long jump off a thin ass log while it submerges into lava!
Jak 2's platforming is balls against the wall. I never thought I would ever play a 3d platformer this good. Although the Mario Sunshine warp levels are certainly close, there's always something missing when I play a 3d platformer. Sly is too brain dead and easy, it almost impossible to miss a jump. Ratchet implies too much emphasis on blowing crap up, Spyro is too easy, Crash is great fun but not what I'm looking for, Mario 64 is okay, Mario Sunshine isn't exactly a high benchmark for 3d platforming either. Mirror's Edge, Jak 2, Jumping Flash, Jet Set Radio, Jet Set Radio Future, and arguably Portal stand as the few 3d platformers to ever impress me on a core level.
+ Excellent level design. Every level is designed from the ground up to be gone through repeatedly, you just need certain abilities to get through them. Each and every time you do an old level in Jak 2, you're going to be doing something new or going to a new place you haven't been before. This gives each of the levels a feeling that they're deep, vast labyrinths, and usually...they are. Unlike Mario 64, which requires players to go through the same level repeatedly to get stars without really switching it up, Jak 2 constantly adds something new to its levels so not to leave the player bored with repetition.
+ Great action. There are only 4 weapons, and each weapon has its use. Unlike Ratchet games, which have mostly filler weapons you will use 2-3 times in the game, Jak 2 employs the quality > quantity rule. Further more, the actual shooting is strategic. Due to the general lack of checkpoints and sometimes ammo, you're going to need to make every shot count. This is where Jak 2 succeeds; melee is just as productive as weapons. This gives almost each and every encounter multiple ways to complete them. The people who feel it is a shooter are dead wrong. I love how even fights with small time enemies can be interesting. One of my favorite enemies in the game is a Metal head in the Haven Forest (I think?) that uses a shield. Your guns will not do any damage to this guy when his shield is up, but he'll pop his head out when he goes on the offensive. You have to time a roll, roll out of the way of his shots, and stick an energy beam up his ass to kill him without getting hit.
Ultimately I find the action to be far more satisfying than Ratchet games or other 3d action platformers I've played. For me it's about as satisfying as whacking enemies in Rocket Knight Adventures or managing to clear a Mega Man stage without getting hit once. The way Jak 2 manages to blend its shooting elements with the platforming should be praised.
+ High difficulty, low checkpoint ratio. The game almost feels oldschool in nature. More 3d platformers should be like Jak 2. I hate being babied. I hate that 3d platformers are so dull and easy. Timing is rarely important in 3d platformers, they don't require precision either, and the few 3d action platformers out there pale compared to the best of their 2d counterparts. Jak 2 is an exception.
+ I like the story. It's not great or memorable or anything, but boy howdy it's fun. As someone who likes time travel stories I definitely got some enjoyment out of Jak 2's story. What helps the story is the writing and humor. Daxter is definitely the star of the show, whereas in Jak 1 he's just annoying all the time and never funny like, ever.
- Big open world environment that detracts from the game. It's easily the worst thing about the game and it adds nothing of value to the game at all. You have to travel 5-10 minutes out of your to a mission when it should be just 30 seconds or 1 minute at most. I understand that ND wanted to make it immersive and stuff, but they failed hard.
- The vehicles all suck. Even the hoverboard can be annoying since you lose health if you run into someone (which will happen a lot).
- The Krimson Guard are balls. Accidentally run into their car? Accidentally hit one? Accidentally BUMP into one? WELP, LET'S CHASE THE PLAYER FOR 10 MINUTES. Terrible. Awful. Dreadful.
Honestly, the only bad things about the game are GTA influences like the overworld. These things do not add to the game at all and take more away from than they do anything to improve it.
It's a shame because I feel that a more streamlined hub world (the one thing I think 3d platformers *do* do right) would have made it a more high quality game. However, it's not so much of a negative that it takes away from the fact Jak 2 is the best 3d action platformer I've played.
Rating: A-minus, definitely ps2 top 10 material. Shame I didn't play it until recently.
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Jak 3
+ Great art direction. AGAIN.
+ Good music.
+ An insane amount of secrets and unlockables. If I didn't have Jak 1 and the Final Fantasy games on my plate I'd try to get them all.
+ The inclusion of light Jak is something I really enjoyed. Giving the player defense skills like healing powers, the ability to slow down time, or even fly went extremely well with me, the last two in particular since they make for some fun platforming sections.
+ The vehicles don't control like ass anymore, the dune buggies at least. While in town of the wastelands you can also control these dragon things that make travel less bothersome than it already is.
+ Roller-coaster like pacing due to the fact you're not traveling from one mission to the next anymore. If there's one thing that Jak 3 does better than Jak 2, this is it.
+ Good platforming, when there is platforming.
+ Good balance in difficulty. It's not hard or easy but it's right in the middle. It's a nice spot.
+ I laughed out loud for serious many a time playing this game. Daxter's obsession with pants, the ending, a bunch of crap. It's a funny, cleverly written game.
+/- I liked the new characters like Damus. He was a good character, shame he was under used. This brings me to the story. In Jak 2 the story was simple but it was cohesive: you're infused with dark eco so you join a rebellion to help get the current ruler out off the royale seat while taking on Metalheads that threaten the city. In there somewhere is a time travel story, betrayals, and awesome. Jak 3's story is not nearly as cohesive. I don't know what it is, but one moment I'm exiled from Haven City only to scrounge in the Wasteland, the next I'm saving Haven City's ass, and then all of a sudden I'm in the Wasteland again. It entirely lacked focus. I would have preferred if the entire game took place in the Wasteland as it's such an awesome setting and Mad Max rocks.
Furthermore, it's really hard to care about the situation. In 2 you had a goal right from the beginning of the game and you knew who the villain was. You WANTED to kick his ass. I personally formed a rivalry with the villains in Jak 2, I thought they were assholes. In Jak 3 it's like,"Yeah, let's resurrect that one small fry from 2 that everyone thought died and make him the main villain." Okayyyyy.
+/- The game has more weapons. Oh wait, one of the best things about Jak 2 was that there were no throwaway weapons, there was something useful for any situation. Just like Ratchet games there were a lot of cool weapons, but they weren't particularly useful. They were useful, but they used a ridiculous amount of ammo in order to be used so I ran with the default choices.
- Overly emphasis on shooting in general. Jak 2 struck a beautiful balance between action and platforming. The actual platforming in Jak 3 makes up maybe 25% of the game. It has considerably less platforming.
- While the vehicles control better in Jak 3, it feels like vehicle missions, on rails missions, and shooting missions make up at least 75% of the game.
- The level design is a big step down from Jak 2. You no longer have to utilize every single move in your roster to get by, the levels lack that large feeling they had before, and and the game's overly emphasis on shooting in almost all situations make things less interesting to me. The mission design in particular is considerably worse than 2's. One example is the fight against the giant laser thing at the end of the game. You're chasing it on a dingy buggy, on terrain that is clearly not designed for such a battle. The game suddenly thinks it's Shadow of the fucking Colossus.
Filler mission and bad levels in general fill up the game such as the Pac Man stage, or the on rails stages with a cursor that is far too slow. That said, the variety is high. It's just that the actual level designs aren't that good to begin with for the most part.
- The platforming no longer requires precision or even timing now. It now feels like a generic 3d platformer. Instead of feeling like a 3d action platformer with racing elements or anything like Jak 2 did, it feels more like an action adventure with platforming elements just like Ratchet does.
Ultimately Jak 3 pales compared to 2 for me. I don't understand why or how some think it's better than 2, but different strokes I guess. I think the only things it does better than 2 are the streamlined overworld and vehicles. It feels like naughty Dog read the negative remarks about 2's difficulty and stuff and dropped their balls, because the game feels inferior in almost every way to Jak 2 for me and the final result is a game that feels more like Jak 2-lite than a true sequel.
Then again, the game feels rushed. I wonder if the game would be higher quality if ND had it in the oven a little bit longer. It's not surprising though, as Sly 3 and Ratchet 3 are my least favorite games in their respective series too (Deadlocked aside).
Good game, just not what I'm looking for.
Rating: B-minus
