Jak II is an example of fine platform gaming. Though not perfect, it does plenty of things very well, and with excellent gameplay and refined graphics this is defiantly one to look out for this fall.
Graphics are smooth, with a nice frame rate, great level designs and inventive character models that make for some sweet eye candy. The limited cut scenes in the demo showed some key points in the story. Suffice it to say that even if the story isn't written well, the game looks pretty.
The music is pretty standard, but the superb voice acting stands out. I can't say much for the script, but the mildly humorous one-liners are given with all the heart one could ask for. Such acting in a video game is rarely seen. I only hope that as the industry continues to grow, gamers will begin to see more quality acting like this.
The game is set many years before the first game. Jak is all grown-up and looking like a regular antihero, and Daxter is, well, he's still Daxter. It appears there is some evil force creating monsters that are ravaging the lands and threatening everyone, which is simply a good excuse to have many things available to explode. The writing of the game's storyline is a little bit confusing, since it splits into two directions. The good-natured, buddy-cop feel between the frontmen Jak and Dexter contrasts with the undeniable feeling I got that the developers are trying to make the game more serious. Some levels are completely without humor, their designs seeming a bit post-apocalyptic. The last thing we need is another preachy science fiction world to dampen the spirits of an otherwise passable storyline.
Controls are nice and tight, but the cameras are all wrong. The same problem plaguing 3D platformers of our time invades the world of Jak II as well, as I found myself constantly having to manually control the camera just to see what I was being attacked by. And when the slow camera finally panned around, all I got to see was a dead Jak and a parading monster.
All of this is easily overlooked, however, because Jak II gets the important part of and platformer right: the gameplay. Jak II walks the fine line between a shooting and a fighting game, giving Jak the ability to take swings and fire rounds with style and simplicity. Guns come in all shapes and sizes, and after a certain amount of enemies are taken care of, Jak can pull a muscle-bound transformation. For a short period of time, he can rampage fiends with powerful blows and strikes. Jak can also go faster, jump farther, and even pull a few tricks on his hoverboard. This makes everything in the game challenging, inventive and addictive.
Though inhibited with a poor storyline and a janky camera, Jak II has the smooth gameplay and sweet visuals to make this one of the better platforms of the season. Expect Jak II in stores Oct. 14.
