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Late to the Edge: Jak II

P

purseowner

Member
Prepare to never trust my opinion on anything on this site again.

I have played an hour of Jak II (so far) and love it (so far).

It's also a mess, albeit a beautiful one.

A rundown of things I like, dislike, and am amused and bemused by:

- No, it's nothing like the charming collectathon original and so far doesn't hold a candle to it.
- Jesus christ the framerate on Vita is all over the shop
- Mission based gameplay is a nice change of pace, and like other things in this game is strongly reminiscent of the highly underrated Ty 2 (I wonder how far into development that was upon Jak II's release...)
- The open world traversal is awful
- Some of the platforming feels proto-Uncharted
- Daxter's dry dialogue is fantastic, reminding me of Murphy in Rayman 3
- The dark Jak stuff is hilariously terrible
- The attempts at emulating GTA are hilariously terrible
- Those small green creatures are adorable
- Environments seem very empty
- Where are the copious collectibles?

So an intriguing mess, but one that reminds me of two of my favourite platformers. Is Jak III similar to this? Will I hate this game in a few hours time?
 
Falchion

Falchion

Member
I enjoyed Jak II and 3 far more than the original. They weren't cookie cutter platformers like the first. They did their own thing and were really tough in a lot of spots which I enjoyed.
 
Okami Haundo

Okami Haundo

Member
Jak 2 felt goddamn impossible when I first played it, and definitely didn't have any of the charm from the first game. That being said, my friend and I still played a ton of it and took turns trying to beat various missions. Jak 3 was wayyyyy better but I'll always miss the cartoony look and overall playfulness of the original game.

I can't be the only one who thought Jak 2 was hard as hell right? Not every mission was tough but there were more than a few that were.
 
F

Flachmatuch

Member
Iirc 2 has more and much more challenging platforming than 1, and the story was pretty funny imo. I like this a lot better than the first one, despite the jank. And there's lots of that. 2 and 3 are awesome.

1 was super easy, 2 can be quite difficult, sometimes for the right reason, sometimes not. 3 was easier imo. But these two are my favourite ND games by far.
 
N

Nev

Banned
One of the worst games I've had the displeasure of completing. Not so much because of the game being bad (it's just mediocre) but because of what it means.

Going from a fantastic platformer to an edgy wannabe grimdark subpar GTA clone under the look and feel of a platformer.

I couldn't believe what I was playing the first time I went through it. What complete rubbish.

I actively hate this garbage game and everything it stands for; killing off tight, fun, cheerful platformers to create edgy open world trash.

I made the mistake of giving Jak 3 a chance. Took me 20 minutes to shelve it forever. No thanks.
 
B

BlackLagoon

Member
Never played these before so I got the HD trilogy a while back, had a decent time with the first one in spite of the camera, but I hit a complete wall in this one when I came to an escort mission.

You had to defend a suicidal madman while he runs around the beach, never giving you a moment to catch your breath and simply runs straight for the next batch of enemies the moment you're done with the current batch. It was aggravating to say the least, and of course no checkpoints so you have to restart the entire mission when you fail. After banging my head against it for a while I decided I'd had enough and moved on to a different game.
 
T

Tribes of Trusty

Member
When I was a teenager Jak II was one of my mostly anticipated games EVER. Likewise with Jak 3.

Jak and Daxter was my first PS2 game (I trusted Naughty Dog, as I bought Crash Bandicoot 3 with my PS1) and I found it mindblowing at the time.

Jak II was awesome and its edginess really appealed to the 14 years old me.
Plus it was hard but it was a nice change of pace compared to the other piss easy games.

Only thing I hated was the driving sections.

I'd say keep up with it, its platform segments are brilliant imho.

The PS2 had a lot of awesome platformers. Jak and Daxter, Ratchet And Clank, Rayman 3, Kya Dark Lineage, Ape Escape...
 
SolVanderlyn

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
Was upset with the direction of the game but still ended up loving it nearly as much as the first one.

The dissonance between the first and second was so unexpected and weird that I ended up appreciating it for what it was. Haven City is one of my most nostalgic video game locations.
 
M

MegaSackman

Member
I found the first Jak to be a really boring game but well, I'm not a fan of 2 and 3 either but at least they were more entertaining for a while.

I found the world of 2 really interesting and full of life but maybe it's because I played it at that time and never again. I also loved using flying vehicles to traverse.
 
Tizoc

Tizoc

Member
Off topic but ty 2 is available on steam
You fan try it out to see if ur pc can run it, but them team working on i did a great job with ty 1 on steam and its gonna have some graphical enhancements.

Fyi while the vita ver is t able to run the game proplery, the ps3 version should have a far stable fps
 
B

black070

Member
The series peaked at the first one, the direction they took the second in and doubled down on with the third wasn't just disappointing, it was horribly misguided.
 
TissueBox

TissueBox

Member
Jak 3 is my favorite, strikes a good balance. Jak II's atmosphere is still on another level imo.

Also I thought the Dark Jak mechanics were pretty fun. :p

But yeah it's quite an infamous game, for plenty of justified reasons, but it has some great moments and serves well as a story-driven character action game.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I adored the first game. I rented the second one back in the day and my interest just fell off a cliff.

Every GTA clone of the early 2000s was some kind of garbage or another. It wasn't until PS360 that anyone but Rockstar could make a good open world city.
 
A

AmayaPapaya

Banned
Absolutely loved all the Jak games. They were super fun to play, and had a great story. Younger version of me loved the edge, but now I would find it ridiculous if it was a new game. My rose-tinted glasses still make me adore the tone and dark characters, though, and the series has an underrated lore and story. I would love to see a new one. So many places they could go after how Jak 3 ended. Still salty we were never able to explore more of what happened.
 
T

TMaakkonen

Member
Honestly, I always find the first one surprisingly boring. Even if it is technically polished well.

I found Daxter being wisecracker fit the darker tone better. It felt more annoying in whimsical world of first game. It makes more sense in other games.

However in Jak 2, Jak himself is probably one of worst characters in the game.
 
B

big fake

Member
Jak II is one my favorite games of that generation, I'll stand by that till the end. Jak 3 was a lower in quality for me personally.
 
J

jayu26

Member
I will never understand the hate of Jak II. It is very different from first game but I think it is better than first game as well.
 
N

NESpowerhouse

Perhaps he's wondering why someone would shoot a man before throwing him out of a plane.
OP, if you hate yourself, try 100 percenting it like I did.
 
SolVanderlyn

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
The bizarre thing about this game is how much of a love/hate relationship I have with the story.

Loved seeing the more serious storytelling elements. The war against the Hora-Quan (Metal Heads), the resistance movement, the shady dealings with Krew, the Wasteland outside the city walls, it was all really, REALLY unique for a platformer, especially at the time. Platformers weren't, and still aren't, really, known for telling real stories. Seeing Jak develop a personality was interesting too. And the environments were also full of personality - the pumping station, Haven Forest, Mountain Sanctuary (Jak 1 vibes!), the sewers, Praxis' palace, they were all amazing.

At the same time, the forced edge was overbearing. Some of the lines are, and I dare to use this word, absolutely cringeworthy. It's like they focus tested their audience and tried to force it to be as rough and dark as it could be at every moment, like a 90's edge commercial made by a bunch of suits with a complete lack of self awareness. Somehow, somehow, the story they wrote around this wound up being entertaining.

I realize it for what it is, but I still like it.
 
W

Waddle Dee

Member
Jak II is sort of bad. It had pretty great presentation for it's time but in retrospect it was a poor effort on mixing a 3D platformer with GTA's open world and tone. The game is rather embarrassing at times but I still kind of like it. Jak 3 is certainly better but it has even less platforming so it's still a missed opportunity.

It's kind of funny/sad that my favorite Crash and Jak games are the racing spin-offs. Where's Unkarted?

Also:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF5aHYD1FcE

Found this guy's videos a year ago and they're really good in-depth looks at the Jak games, with this video being about the first one (he did videos of the later games as well).
 
S

Shift Breaker

Member
You're playing it on the Vita?

You have my condolences. Jak 1 is one of my favourite platformers of all time, and I struggled to play through that on the Vita, to the point where I'm just ignoring an easy platinum it's that bad. Jak 2 is a game I don't like and it runs even worse. Good luck.
 
B

big fake

Member
jayu26 said:
I will never understand the hate of Jak II. It is very different from first game but I think it is better than first game as well.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. The combat alone was so much more varied, characters, world was more vast. Found it a wonderful mix of the first game and the GTA open world formula.
 
R

Rodney McKay

Member
I really liked the game, until the open world stuff got to be unbearable.

The actual platforming levels were fantastic, and I even liked the story and characters, even with the over-the-top "edge."

I eventually beat the game with the PS3 HD collection and it probably is my second favorite Jak and Daxter game next to the PSP one Daxter.

I played the first one in the HD collection and thought it didn't really hold up graphically and I didn't really enjoy the levels of the platforming itself.

Jak 3... Eh. I don't know why I didn't like it as much as Jak 2, but it just felt bland. The driving and open world was way less tedious than 2, but I just got bored with it.
 
L

LordofPwn

Member
vita has to be rough. I'm so sorry for you.

Jak II was my fav in the series, but I didn't come into it until after 2 was out, still played the first game first though. The first game is good, it's just a completely separate experience from II & 3. Jak 3 was more polished and "easier" for me but the driving parts felt boring and there was too much of it. I'm excited to play through all of these games soon though. Would love to see a reboot like with what they did with R&C. maybe give more open world exploration and npcs to the 1st game, make it seem more full of life.
 
L

Lijik

Member
I like Jak 3 better than 2 because I think its pacing is a lot better which makes the game feel more cohesive despite the grabbag of playstyles, but 2 has some really standout platforming sequences that are better than anything in 3. As a teen I thought the tone was handled better in 3 but after a replay 2 summers back I think theyre on par with each other aside from the scenes of Jak and his dad which feel a step above in terms of writing.

The structure in 2 is just really messy, Haven City is a bad hub that seems designed specifically to waste your time with its messy layout and bottom of the barrel missions. Every mission requires trekking halfway across the city to watch a cutscene and then halfway back to get to the actually fun part. Although that being said I love how the drums fill into the music whenever you get into a vehicle, it evokes the same feeling as the bongos that play when you ride on Yoshi in a mario game

Neither hold a candle to 1 imo
 
DJ_Lae

DJ_Lae

Member
purseowner said:
- The open world traversal is awful
Click to expand...

That's what killed the game for me, because the decent platforming bits were sprinkled in and around the single worst open world I have ever played in a game. It's convoluted in design, peppered with incredibly anal cops, and sucks up a huge percentage of gameplay.

I have never been able to replay the game because of that.
 
D

DrD

Member
Jak II is my favorite in the series. Much better platforming than the original and I liked how challenging it was. I even liked Haven City as a dystopian city. My biggest problem with it was that I wanted even more platforming and less mini games.
 
R

Rapscallion

Member
Nev said:
One of the worst games I've had the displeasure of completing. Not so much because of the game being bad (it's just mediocre) but because of what it means.

Going from a fantastic platformer to an edgy wannabe grimdark subpar GTA clone under the look and feel of a platformer.

I couldn't believe what I was playing the first time I went through it. What complete rubbish.

I actively hate this garbage game and everything it stands for; killing off tight, fun, cheerful platformers to create edgy open world trash.

I made the mistake of giving Jak 3 a chance. Took me 20 minutes to shelve it forever. No thanks.
Click to expand...

Yep, those are my same thoughts. Might be one of my least favorite games of all time. It's not ostensibly as bad as other games quality wise, it just ruins any sort of redeeming value the franchise had to cash in ( and poorly) on a popular trend in the industry at the time. I never gave 3 a chance because of it. It's the Man of Steel of platforming games.

The PS2 has some great platformer snd Jak 2 is not one of them. Pick up Sly 1-3, Ratchet series, Klonoa 2, or Psychonauts.
 
M

maxcriden

Member
The Ty games are faves of yours, right? I think I've seen you mention them before. I only have the third but haven't played it. Are they all good games? I think I played a demo of the first one years ago.
 
V

VeeP

Member
Falchion said:
I enjoyed Jak II and 3 far more than the original. They weren't cookie cutter platformers like the first. They did their own thing and were really tough in a lot of spots which I enjoyed.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I also thought Jak II had some of the best platforming in the series. The story was also more enjoyable. I don't wanna spoil it though.
 
R

rjc571

Banned
Eww, you're playing the busted Vita port? You should really play the PS2 or PS3 versions so you can actually appreciate the game's brilliant platforming level design without wanting to throw up from the framerate.
 
S

SpaceWolf

Banned
I'M GONNA KILL PRAXIS!!!!

cwTtbmUwzPqx2.webp
 
L

Lijik

Member
maxcriden said:
The Ty games are faves of yours, right? I think I've seen you mention them before. I only have the third but haven't played it. Are they all good games? I think I played a demo of the first one years ago.
Click to expand...
Not the op but-
I havent played 3 but if you like the rareware style of collectathons, the first game is one of those with some loosely spyro esque mechanics (Tys glide feels like Spyros and he tends to deal with enemies from a distance) and a unique australian setting. 2 is an open world game where some of the missions are platforming. It has a lot of side content like kart racing and stuff. I dont like either lmao (neither are my cup of tea) but the setting/music is fantastic and 2 is pretty ambitious for a third party platformer of the era which makes it worth checking out to see if its your bag. Theyre both on steam for cheap
 
P

purseowner

Member
maxcriden said:
The Ty games are faves of yours, right? I think I've seen you mention them before. I only have the third but haven't played it. Are they all good games? I think I played a demo of the first one years ago.
Click to expand...

By far my favourite non-Nintendo platformer series.

The HD remasters on Steam are a real labour of love. The 1st one is the purest in terms of design, a collectathon very much akin to Jak 1
but better
- the OST is faultless and the whole thing has such a unique Australian vibe richly woven into the game's every facet.

The 2nd goes full-on hub, introduces a town a la Jak II and driving sections similar to Crash 3. Mission based rather than pure collectathon. Still great, albeit in different ways.

The 3rd is more action-based and takes the focus on mechs introduced in 2 a bit too far. Also does similar 'edgy' pandering to Jak II, but is actually enjoyably so. Still open, but levels are more linear than the other two.

They're all masterpieces, but 1 > 2 > 3. Definitely don't start with the 3rd one.

SpaceWolf said:
I'M GONNA KILL PRAXIS!!!!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've eyerolled a lot of times at this bollocks already.
 
T

truly101

I got grudge sucked!
Bubbins said:
Just wait until the slum escape level...Jak 3 is more of a cross between 1 and 2 but with more vehicles.
Click to expand...

Oh god....the cursing and profanity that I spewed during my countless retries. I remember my wife storming in the game room, looking at me with a most unpleasant scowl, stating "Maybe you don't need to play this anymore" and slammed the door. I cannot think of a modern game that has made me anywhere as near as mad as that. There was a racing level that was supposed to be real hard IIRC, but I think I got it in a couple of tries. I still can't believe I finished Jak II. I heard Jak III was much better but I never got very far in it.
 
B

Big Nikus

Member
Jak II is stupidly hard because of stupidly placed checkpoints. To me Jak 3 was way more enjoyable.
Also, this series yelled "fuck naming conventions" to our faces.
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Jak II
Jak 3

CYxcu1TWEAEb-O8.jpg
 
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