[ajf009]

And the fact that if you even breathe on the patrolling guards wrong they start attacking you. Pretty annoying.

I get why they did it.. but I agree it is more annoying than practical

[krae_man]

And the fact that if you even breathe on the patrolling guards wrong they start attacking you. Pretty annoying.

Guards respawning and instantly knowing where you are is really annoying too. It's almost impossible get your wanted meter or whatever to go down unless you leave the city or enter a building, then it suddenly goes away. However there are often times where you are not near an exit.

[JohngPR]

Beat Jak II!!

Holy shit was this game hard and annoying at times. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of the fun was semi-ruined by taking too much damage, an open world with very little to do, and poor vehicle control. All of that could have easily been forgiven it wasn't for the terrible checkpoint system.

Ultimately that was the thing with the difficulty, it was hard in artificial ways that wasn't fun. The lack of any type of targeting system made the shooting in the game a pain in the ass because you had to hope the auto aim targeted who you wanted and the lack of strafing made it even worse. You couldn't walk backwards and shoot so you had to be running towards a bad guy to shoot them. It made bad guys that chased you harder than they needed to be.

There were some good parts too, LOL.

The hoverboard is pretty sweet, the animations are still better than some games that come out now, and the platforming was a shit load of fun when it was at its best. Not only that, but I did enjoy the story and characters.

The game holds up...but just barely and only in certain ways.

[vazel]

Finally bought the first Jak since it's one of my favorites from the PS2 and I'm bummed to see the game has TERRIBLE aliasing. I have never seen aliasing this bad on an HD console. The game must be rendering at some weird resolution to get aliasing that bad. It's like how games rendered at 960x1080 get awful aliasing on diagonal lines, only this is worse.

The 3D is bad too, no good sense of depth in the game world. Only thing that has good depth are the HUD/menu elements.

A real shame this port couldn't do the game justice in HD as it has some really good art and animations.

[Costcosaurus]

I bought the collection a while ago, and I was playing the first game and still haven't finished it yet. I'm going to get back into it soon during the summer most likely.

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Wow...forgot what a chore Jak 2 becomes to finish in the later stages. Protect this person, race this person, etc....these later missions really are made much more difficult by the nuisance camera that seems to get in the way at the worst times, not to mention the inconsistent checkpoints that force you to repeat alot of things you shouldn't have to.

[krae_man]

Wow...forgot what a chore Jak 2 becomes to finish in the later stages. Protect this person, race this person, etc....these later missions really are made much more difficult by the nuisance camera that seems to get in the way at the worst times, not to mention the inconsistent checkpoints that force you to repeat alot of things you shouldn't have to.

That annoyed me as well. There are 3 sandworm chasing sequences and I have to replay all 3 if I die on the last one due to the BS camera? Thanks game, thanks.

Managed to finish it however. Not sure if I want to collect all 286 orbs or not. My race times where nowhere near the gold record and I don't know if I want to replay them for an hour or two each to do it.

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Close to finishing Jak 2....does anyone know if once i do i can go back to my game save and collect the remaining missing orbs that i need or do i need to get them all before fighting the last boss?

[nincompoop]

You can still go around and collect the orbs you missed after you finish the game. However, there are some orbs which can't be collected after a certain point because the area they're in becomes inaccessible.

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

You can still go around and collect the orbs you missed after you finish the game. However, there are some orbs which can't be collected after a certain point because the area they're in becomes inaccessible.

These areas become inaccessible after you beat the game or before? Because if they become inaccessible before you even beat the game thats pretty messed up.

[nincompoop]

Actually reading Gamefaqs, it seems the only missable orbs are in the final area of the game (there are 7 of them). I thought there were a few areas from earlier in the game that you couldn't return to, but I guess I was wrong.

[krae_man]

Couldn't you just use the mission select to get them?

[nincompoop]

Couldn't you just use the mission select to get them?

No, mission select mode is separate from your save file.

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Whoever thought the whack a mole game in jak 2 would be fun, mandatory to advance, and as a bonus make it harder the more you fuck up needs to have their sack stapled to a wall.

EDIT-- Many tries later and i got through it barely...what a pain. Im getting near the end of the game i think. Absolutely HATE the camera in this game....gets in the way so much during hectic times when you need it stable the most.

[krae_man]

I forgot how long some of the buggy objectives in Jak 3 are. Really annoying having to replay the entire thing when you blow up right before you make it back to tue city or a randomly spawning enemy spins you out at the last second making you not get there in time.

[Pennybags]

I forgot how long some of the buggy objectives in Jak 3 are. Really annoying having to replay the entire thing when you blow up right before you make it back to tue city or a randomly spawning enemy spins you out at the last second making you not get there in time.

The mission where you have to escort the demolitions guy through the infested city...

I had to quit playing for a while.


Still, nothing in Jak 3 beats the Water Slums siege mission in Jak 2.

[krae_man]

The mission where you have to escort the demolitions guy through the infested city... I had to quit playing for a while.

That one wasn't too hard all you have to do is spam the wastelander move with the bouncing shots mod on and you can kill everything easily. The only problem I had was that guy liked to jump out the car on the wrong side and hurt himself trying to walk through the car to get to the place he was planting the bomb. He almost died from that alone.

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Now have Jak and Daxter and Jak 2 platinumed. Started Jak 3 earlier today.

[Crewnh]

Just got the platinum in Jak & Daxter. Was a lot of fun replaying it.

Going to play through Jak II next but I'll most likely not bother with the platinum since the precursor orbs are all over the place and the game no longer tallies it by area, which really sucks.

[wouwie]

I just finished Jak 1 for the first time. I'm new to the franchise and was pleasantly surprised by the game. It's light hearted and fun to play and the controls are great. Graphics looked surprisingly nice. Pity there wasn't an option to show subtitles. Lot's of converstation got lost in translation or rather in the voices being not always easy to understand.

I was eager so i immediately started Jak 2 but i'm not liking it as much as Jak 1. I have a feeling that Jak 2 is going to be the same as Sly Cooper 2. The hub/city system is taking out the enjoyment i had with this game. Going from one mission to the other and the need to always return is becoming very tedious already. A pity as the missions themselves are quite fun and the controls/animations are nice. Also, not that fond of the darker tone in this game. Thank god Daxter is there to lighten up the atmosphere.

I'm going to give it another go and see but i have a feeling this is going to be like the Sly Cooper series: great first game, nice second game until half way, giving up and not bothering with the 3rd game at all.

[KevinCow]

I just finished Jak 1 for the first time. I'm new to the franchise and was pleasantly surprised by the game. It's light hearted and fun to play and the controls are great. Graphics looked surprisingly nice. Pity there wasn't an option to show subtitles. Lot's of converstation got lost in translation or rather in the voices being not always easy to understand. I was eager so i immediately started Jak 2 but i'm not liking it as much as Jak 1. I have a feeling that Jak 2 is going to be the same as Sly Cooper 2. The hub/city system is taking out the enjoyment i had with this game. Going from one mission to the other and the need to always return is becoming very tedious already. A pity as the missions themselves are quite fun and the controls/animations are nice. Also, not that fond of the darker tone in this game. Thank god Daxter is there to lighten up the atmosphere. I'm going to give it another go and see but i have a feeling this is going to be like the Sly Cooper series: great first game, nice second game until half way, giving up and not bothering with the 3rd game at all.

I'd recommend giving Jak 3 a shot even if you give up on Jak 2. I felt pretty much the same as you and gave up on Jak 2 at some point, but Jak 3 is my favorite in the series and honestly one of my favorite games period.

It fixes a bunch of things that turned me off about Jak 2:

- Toned down the dark 'n' gritty thing.
- The hubs aren't nearly as tedious to navigate.
- No Krimzon Guard freaking the fuck out and chasing you if you bump into them while navigating the hubs.
- No frustrating, bullshit, progress-killing racing missions.
- Far fewer escort missions... I actually don't remember any, now that I think of it. Versus at least three awful ones I can remember off the top of my head in Jak 2.
- Much nicer checkpoint placement.

Some people swear by Jak 2, but I honestly think it's full of some pretty poor design decisions. And I think Naughty Dog agreed with me, seeing how Jak 3 turned out.

[wouwie]

@KevinCow: i gave Jak 2 another go tonight but i'm not a fan. However, your description of Jak 3 sounds great and it seems a lot of things that annoy me in Jak 2 were fixed :)

Think i'm going to skip Jak 2 for now and see if i like 3 more. I hope i do since i really enjoyed Jak 1.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback.

[Ranger X]

So? anybody pulling their hair out for the "shiny thing" mission in Jak 2? That mission in the slumps was like the hardest of the series if not of all platformers ever.

:P

[Steve McQueen]

Just started this. There are no subs? I remember playing these games on PS2 with subs ..
My son is playing these games too, so yes I do miss them :/

[Crewnh]

So? anybody pulling their hair out for the "shiny thing" mission in Jak 2? That mission in the slumps was like the hardest of the series if not of all platformers ever. :P

Is that the one where brutter leaves a mar artifact at the slums and guards start showing up? theres an easy trick to it, jump into the water as Dar jak and dark bomb it. Thatll kill the sentry bot, then you can just hover board on the water avoiding all the guards and get to the end.

Just started this. There are no subs? I remember playing these games on PSN with subs .. My son is playing these games too, so yes I do miss them :/

Only the first jak doesnt have subs. Yeah, it sucks that there arent any.

[ajf009]

Is that the one where brutter leaves a mar artifact at the slums and guards start showing up? theres an easy trick to it, jump into the water as Dar jak and dark bomb it. Thatll kill the sentry bot, then you can just hover board on the water avoiding all the guards and get to the end.

I wish I had known about this before.. it took me so long to do that damn mission.. ugh

[catabarez]

I just platinumed the first game the other day. Now to work on Jak 2. Should I get all the precursor orbs as I go or get them all at once?

[Apdiddy]

Playing through Jak & Daxter: TPL and got to the Rock Village. I really really really hate the Precursor Basin section. It's like the only remotely shitty section of the whole game so far. The Zoomer loves to have horrible collision detection and just knocks into everything (it's made for tracks, not to do platforming).

The Lost Precursor City looks gorgeous in HD.

[Steve McQueen]

Only the first jak doesnt have subs. Yeah, it sucks that there arent any.

Thanks! Pity...but still enjoying these games.

[fernoca]

Just got this since I just noticed the (new?) MSRP is $20.
Spent the last hour and a half playing the first game. Great memories! :)
And it looks way better and clean than I thought it was going to look; based on the original pics and impressions.

[Rated-Rsuperstar]

Just got this since I just noticed the (new?) MSRP is $20. Spent the last hour and a half playing the first game. Great memories! :) And it looks way better and clean than I thought it was going to look; based on the original pics and impressions.

Jak 1 looks good for it's age but 2 and 3 have really stood the test of time. Especially the character models.

[Bladenic]

As much as I want this collection, thinking about Jak 2 is just painful. That game was ridiculous. I do wanna replay 1 and actually beat 3. Well, I never 2 for that matter either.

[BruiserBear]

As much as I want this collection, thinking about Jak 2 is just painful. That game was ridiculous. I do wanna replay 1 and actually beat 3. Well, I never 2 for that matter either.

That's exactly why I just bought the first game on the PSN. The franchise took a wrong turn after that.

[RPGCrazied]

Just ordered this along with Ratchet and Clank collection. I vaguely remember playing the first game of each series, so this should be a treat. :)

I got this for $19.99 new. I had to spend $30 on Ratchet though. ;/ Still, 6 games for under 60? Yes, please.

[Canis lupus]

The last boss! And then platinum trophy for Jak 1. ^_^

[RPGCrazied]

Loving Jak 1 so far, looks great... except for the hideous pop in detail. You could be 2 inches from a house and it renders in front of you. Does 2 & 3 have this problem?

[teiresias]

Got this for Christmas and ate up Jak 1 - still an amazing game.

However, Jak 2 is such an utter piece of tripe that I'm thinking of just ditching it. I'm on the mission where you have to pick up four operatives and drop them off at different points. Now for some reason the guards are alerted to this, so they're chasing you the whole time, on top of that the AI for the people you're picking up is ridiculous when they have to get in and out of the vehicles for pick up and drop off, and the last drop off point is in the area with the walkways over the water, so it's nearly impossible to position the damn cruiser properly so that you don't fall off the walkway with the vehicle and the guy can get out - all the while crimson guards are shooting at you. Add to this the horrid vehicle handling in all of the Jak games and it's a recipe for disaster. Why anyone at Naughty Dog thought their vehicle handling was worth a damn and up to snuff to base missions on them is a complete mystery. They honestly must have threatened play testers with death or withheld pay if they gave any negative feedback on the driving in this game for it to have remained in the game.

I've tried to finish this mission for the past half hour and just turned the game off in frustration. Funnily enough I don't even remember this mission from playing the game on the PS2 at release, so I must not have had any issues with it then (or was just lucky). I'll try again tomorrow, but I think I'm going to just move on to Jak 3 (after reading a Jak 2 story FAQ so I remember what happened) if I can't get past this mission quickly tomorrow on a fresh try. I always felt the buggies in Jak 3 were better than the hover-vehicles in Jak 2.

[RatskyWatsky]

I'm trying to get all the precursor orbs in Jak 2 and it's such a colossal pain in the ass. >__< I really don't want to do the races, gun range, Onin mini game, ring challenge, and the fucking awful hoverboard challenges to get the remaining orbs. I don't know how/why I did it on the PS2 version. Ughhhh

[teiresias]

I'm trying to get all the precursor orbs in Jak 2 and it's such a colossal pain in the ass. >__< I really don't want to do the races, gun range, Onin mini game, ring challenge, and the fucking awful hoverboard challenges to get the remaining orbs. I don't know how/why I did it on the PS2 version. Ughhhh

Speaking of this, does the game tell you WHERE your missing orbs are? I can't seem to find a listing by area or by orb that tells you where you need to look like in the first game.

[RatskyWatsky]

Speaking of this, does the game tell you WHERE your missing orbs are? I can't seem to find a listing by area or by orb that tells you where you need to look like in the first game.

Haha, nope. Before I started the game I printed off a checklist to help me keep track of everything. I think your only option is to look at a guide and go to each location one by one.

[BHZ Mayor]

Speaking of this, does the game tell you WHERE your missing orbs are? I can't seem to find a listing by area or by orb that tells you where you need to look like in the first game.

Also, know that the ones in the last level are missable. You can't go back there after beating the final boss.

[Mixmasterchief]

I miss these games so very much. Other than Halo, it was the only franchise I got excited about when a sequel came out.
IMO:

Jak 3 > Jak and Daxter > Jak 2 > Jak X > Daxter > Jak and Daxter TLF Is this game canon?