[ScOULaris]

Okay i just popped in Sly 1. Jak 1 does not look as good, but still looks great. It has a much larger open world.

The weirdest thing about Sly Cooper is how low-quality its audio design is/was. All of the sound effects and music sound like they're extremely low bitrate, and half of the SFX strike me as the public domain ones you'd find online.

[Yuterald]

Got my Platinum in Jak 1 last night. So much fun. Still a classic in my books. It's only down hill from here, lol!

To be honest though, I remember disliking Jak II a lot back in the day, but replaying it now it's not THAT bad. It's still got some mega questionable design choices though. I generally dislike games with that GTA style mini map and riding around, bumping into guards when you don't want to still sucks shit. I still consider it a disappointment, but there is some fun to be had on the areas outside of the city walls.

[JohngPR]

Okay i just popped in Sly 1. Jak 1 does not look as good, but still looks great. It has a much larger open world.

One thing to keep in mind is that J&D 1 was a first generation effort on the PS2 and came out a year before Sly Cooper did.

Like you said, they both still look great, but Sly Cooper looked better even back then.

[ScOULaris]

Fun fact: Jak 1 was a CD format game on the PS2. Jak 2 and 3 were DVD.

[brain_stew]

Fun fact: Jak 1 was a CD format game on the PS2. Jak 2 and 3 were DVD.

The PAL release wasn't.

[injurai]

Fun fact: Jak 1 was a CD format game on the PS2. Jak 2 and 3 were DVD.

Probably the reason my PS3 can't emulate the first game much past the first level.

[nincompoop]

Fun fact: Jak 1 was a CD format game on the PS2. Jak 2 and 3 were DVD.

No it wasn't. Unless the original release was and they switched to DVD for the Greatest Hits version.

Okay i just popped in Sly 1. Jak 1 does not look as good, but still looks great. It has a much larger open world.

Sly Cooper you could maybe argue looked better artistically, but technically it was no contest. Jak 1's polygon counts were unheard of at the time and it was also doing effects that noone thought the PS2 was capable of, and unlike Sly it never dropped below 60 fps.

[ascii42]

No it wasn't. Unless the original release was and they switched to DVD for the Greatest Hits version.

My original release copy is on DVD.

[RedSwirl]

Okay so what am I to expect here? The only ND games I've played have been Uncharted. I went a little ways into Jak 1. I'm still in the first area exploring and it's honestly not that exciting yet. Is there a particular game or games in the set that are preferable over the others?

[ascii42]

Okay so what am I to expect here? The only ND games I've played have been Uncharted. I went a little ways into Jak 1. I'm still in the first area exploring and it's honestly not that exciting yet. Is there a particular game or games in the set that are preferable over the others?

Well, it's a platformer. The platforming does get more interesting and more tricky as you go along.

[ScOULaris]

My original release copy is on DVD.

Ah, shit. Just checked my PS2 copy and it is DVD. I must have been thinking of another game.

[LiquidMetal14]

My original release copy is on DVD.

As was mine. I've never seen but a few post launch games on the blue discs. Jak was definitely not one of those in the US.

I played this a little today, beautiful and runs just as good as the original minus an odd hitch that is very brief. Worth the 15 I spent on it.

[Trevelyan]

Ah, shit. Just checked my PS2 copy and it is DVD. I must have been thinking of another game.

ICO maybe? That was on a CD.

[ascii42]

As was mine. I've never seen but a few post launch games on the blue discs. Jak was definitely not one of those in the US. I played this a little today, beautiful and runs just as good as the original minus an odd hitch that is very brief. Worth the 15 I spent on it.

I am curious what the last PS2 game to come out on a CD was. I think the last one I have is Lego Star Wars, which came out in 2005.

Edit: According to wikipedia, the Coraline PS2 game came out on CD in 2009. Wow.

[Acrylic7]

I will be pissed if there is no Jak 4 trailer at the end of all this.

[ismaboof]

This thread has inspired me to play Jak X. Looks surprising good on an HDTV with 16:9, progressive scan and 480i. Love this game.

[JohngPR]

Playing Jak and Daxter 1, I'm at the forbidden jungle and am absolutely loving this game all over again.

As far as the graphics, they don't seem sub-HD to me. The sun is missing which is a weird omission. I kind of wish I didn't hear that on here because I probably wouldn't have noticed on my own. LOL

The framerate is rock solid so far. I haven't had one dip in the framerate during gameplay yet and the only time I've noticed the slightest of dips is when you grab a power core and the game saves while you dance. Not only did it not affect gameplay, but it was like the difference between 50 and 60 fps...barely noticeable.

One thing I am disappointed that they took out was the cool copper sheen that the temple in the forbidden jungle had in the PS2 version. For those that don't know what I'm talking about look here.

It was a pretty impressive effect at the time which is why it stood out enough for me to remember it and notice it omitted. Now you just get a flat copperish color, which is a little disappointing. Nothing major...just something I noticed.

Other than that, it's been a blast to play this again.

[Duffyside]

What's everyone's favorite level from a Jak and Daxter game?

[Smurf Yetti]

What's everyone's favorite level from a Jak and Daxter game?

Sentinel Beach

[Shancake]

WTF. I never even knew that the Lost Frontier Existed.. The first 3 Jaks were my favourite games from last gen. Why wasn't this included :(

[V_Ben]

WTF. I never even knew that the Lost Frontier Existed.. The first 3 Jaks were my favourite games from last gen. Why wasn't this included :(

1. It wasn't made by Naughty Dog, so it isn't part of the story trilogy

2. It isn't very good.

[Zen]

Majorly dissapointed at how shoddy the port apparently is. Guess I'll be waiting for it to get cheap.

[ScOULaris]

One thing I am disappointed that they took out was the cool copper sheen that the temple in the forbidden jungle had in the PS2 version. It was a pretty impressive effect at the time which is why it stood out enough for me to remember it and notice it omitted. Now you just get a flat copperish color, which is a little disappointing. Nothing major...just something I noticed.

Between this missing effect and the sun/green star being omitted, I'm starting to worry about this collection. I might wait for the price to drop on this.

[Derrick01]

Majorly dissapointed at how shoddy the port apparently is. Guess I'll be waiting for it to get cheap.

It plays and runs fine.

[JohngPR]

It plays and runs fine.

I have to agree. There are a few minor things that are missing, but overall it still plays and runs great.

[Callibretto]

Between this missing effect and the sun/green star being omitted, I'm starting to worry about this collection. I might wait for the price to drop on this.

I'd take missing effect over framerate drop. sure ideally we get both. but few missing effect wont stop me from enjoying is as long as thr gameplay remain smooth.

[dark10x]

I'm surprised to hear that so many effects have gone missing. Would love to hear from the developers on this one to understand why they had to make these changes. Seems like they ran into issues porting the code across.

Ah, shit. Just checked my PS2 copy and it is DVD. I must have been thinking of another game.

The demo? I remember receiving the demo version on a CD while the final game was on DVD.

[Derrick01]

I have to agree. There are a few minor things that are missing, but overall it still plays and runs great.

Yeah I mean I can't talk about how Jak 1 might run since I don't have it, but 2 and 3 run pretty damn well and they look much better than I expected it to look. One because those early screenshots were really bad and two because I thought the actual games were much jaggier and uglier when they came out, and they're not in the collection.

[ScOULaris]

I'm surprised to hear that so many effects have gone missing. Would love to hear from the developers on this one to understand why they had to make these changes. Seems like they ran into issues porting the code across.

Me too. It seems like we hardly ever hear anything from the developers of these HD remasters to know whether or not they're aware of the missing effects. I'd love to learn more about the porting process and the troubles faced therein.

The reason why I'm so bothered by missing effects is because these HD-remastered games have the potential to be much more than just quick cash-ins on previously successful series. They could be the definitive versions of these classic games if given the proper treatment, but missing effects and other performance issues detract from that.

[jigglywiggly]

I platinumed Jak & Daxter last night. Here are some thoughts:

- First of all, easiest platinum ever. I naturally don't move on from an area until I've collected everything I can see, and I can only think of 4 orbs, 1 fly and 2 power cells in the whole game that are actually hidden, so the last 10 minutes just popped all the collection trophies at once, then the final boss and the plat.

- I never noticed any effects missing or anything. But I didn't stop and stare at the sky like I did on PS2, so I don't know if I would have noticed the sun missing until I saw someone point it out here. The game looks solid. It's not particularly gorgeous (the modelling and animation are nowhere NEAR the standard in the sequels, and look more like an advanced Crash Bandicoot), but it does the job and stays consistent throughout the entire game, with a solid framerate. There are some bugs with the scenes where you free the sages, but they're a 2 second annoyance at most. I completely forgot it was in 3D until the last hour, so I never tried that out. Without 3D, though, the port is pretty average. It doesn't make the game any worse.

- The game feels like a true classic. The gameplay and visuals hold a kind of timeless quality, and it's always throwing neat little touches in that it's easy to tell were mindblowing at the time. The weighty "oomph" as Jak lands on a rope bridge, the erradication of loading times, the day/night cycle and the minigames are all impressive in an "I can't believe this thing is over 10 years old" way. It feels like playing a game from a Golden Age of gaming. Compare Crash 3 to J&D and you'll get a real appreciation for the advances Naughty Dog made when moving to PS2.

- However, gaming has moved on a lot since this came out, and there's a lot of really frustrating things about this that have since been killed off in modern game design. Only really being able to move the camera left and right is fucking criminal, and the FOV is so small you can barely see anything. Jak's momentum is all kinds of wrong when on a moving platform, and the checkpointing can be brutal. Those 4 issues made Gol's Citadel a real pain in the dick. Up until then, I was in love all over again, but the frustration I had getting through that dampened the whole experience for me.

- There's not much to the game at all. I think I played for 8 hours total and everything's done. There's no reason for me to go back, except maybe to do it all in 3D, but I don't think that's a big enough draw.

Mixed feelings, then. After grinning and feeling like I was 13 again for the first 3/4, the endgame annoyed the shit out of me, and I've no reason or desire to go back.

[Callibretto]

Me too. It seems like we hardly ever hear anything from the developers of these HD remasters to know whether or not they're aware of the missing effects. I'd love to learn more about the porting process and the troubles faced therein. The reason why I'm so bothered by missing effects is because these HD-remastered games have the potential to be much more than just quick cash-ins on previously successful series. They could be the definitive versions of these classic games if given the proper treatment, but missing effects and other performance issues detract from that.

I'd probably still say this is the definitive version to play nowadays. I mean, if I'm recommending this game to a friend, I'll never told him to play the PS2 version due to more visual effect. I think the higher resolution more than make up for the missing effect.

[ScOULaris]

I'd probably still say this is the definitive version to play nowadays. I mean, if I'm recommending this game to a friend, I'll never told him to play the PS2 version due to more visual effect. I think the higher resolution more than make up for the missing effect.

It probably is the best version to play overall, but missing effects and other differences from the original prevent it from being "definitive" as I define it.

Take the original Star Wars trilogy, for example. Would anyone consider the altered versions of the films "definitive?" I think a lot of fans would only consider something like a Blu-Ray release of the theatrical versions with a high-quality transfer to be the new definitive versions of those movies.

[Hispanicguy]

Loved these games on the PS2. Don't have a PS3 but if I did, I would definitely have picked this game up.

If you live in NYC, you know about a place called VideoGamesNewYork. I decided to randomly check their website and I noticed this:



Awesome.

[Acquiescence]

This is hilarious. From what I can tell the platinum difficultly for Jak & Daxter is about 2/10, whereas the platinum difficulty for Jak II is going to be about 9/10. Any trophy whores playing this collection who are new to the series are going to be in for the shock of their lives when they start up the second game.

[JohngPR]

I'm getting a platinum on Jak and Daxter 1 because I basically did that 10 years ago when I originally played the game (collecting everything). Luckily, I have no personal goals of doing the same with the other two games. :P

[Shadow2222]

Aw, and I thought I did good getting every trophy except the 2000 Precursor Orbs one. I sped through the game and missed about 200 orbs.

[anddo0]

I'm getting a platinum on Jak and Daxter 1 because I basically did that 10 years ago when I originally played the game (collecting everything). Luckily, I have no personal goals of doing the same with the other two games. :P

damn, sounds daunting.
If it's as frustratingly difficult as some claim. I doubt I'll be aiming for the plat.

[Deepo]

Groan. Why did they stop thinking when putting in the invert camera options in Jak 2?

"Ok, so you want your view to go right when pushing the stick right in third person view? Well, then you'll have to accept that right is left in first person view!"

Seriously, who in the entire world has ever willingly used inverted horizontal axis in first person view?

It's a similar problem to Beyond Good and Evil HD. Why can't these ports correct things like that? I guess it's probably hard to change stuff like that, but it makes me sad.

Edit: Just to be clear, I'm enjoying the games immensely. I just platinumed Jak 1, and I'm having a ball. These are just minor annoyances really.

[JohngPR]

Groan. Why did they stop thinking when putting in the invert camera options in Jak 2? "Ok, so you want your view to go right when pushing the stick right in third person view? Well, then you'll have to accept that right is left in first person view!" Seriously, who in the entire world has ever willingly used inverted horizontal axis in first person view? It's a similar problem to Beyond Good and Evil HD. Why can't these ports correct things like that? I guess it's probably hard to change stuff like that, but it makes me sad.

I'm just grateful that they changed it for the proper game. That trend (horizontal inverted camera as default) really annoyed me in that era. Sly, Jak and Daxter, and Ratchet all had it.

damn, sounds daunting. If it's as frustratingly difficult as some claim. I doubt I'll be aiming for the plat.

For Jak and Daxter 1, I think it's just a matter of collecting everything, which if so isn't too bad. The two sequels on the other hand...LOL

[Anticitizen One]

The music in the first few areas of Jak 1 sound an awful lot like rehashed music from Crash Bandicoot

[Takao]

Loved these games on the PS2. Don't have a PS3 but if I did, I would definitely have picked this game up. If you live in NYC, you know about a place called VideoGamesNewYork. I decided to randomly check their website and I noticed this: Awesome.

Jack and Dexter? Oh my.

[Ninja Scooter]

Never played the first Jak on PS2 but Brad on the latest Bombcast saying it's very similar to Mario 64 piqued my interest. Is that the case?

[TripOpt55]

I'm about 40% into Jak II and really loving it. Even more than I remember. I forgot how good some of these missions are.

[Blu_LED]

Never played the first Jak on PS2 but Brad on the latest Bombcast saying it's very similar to Mario 64 piqued my interest. Is that the case?

If by "very similar to Mario 64" you mean "better than Mario 64", yes, yes it is.

[TripOpt55]

Never played the first Jak on PS2 but Brad on the latest Bombcast saying it's very similar to Mario 64 piqued my interest. Is that the case?

Yeah, it is like Mario 64 except much better.

[Gillian Seed]

Never played the first Jak on PS2 but Brad on the latest Bombcast saying it's very similar to Mario 64 piqued my interest. Is that the case?

I still like Mario 64 better, but only because it has that Big N Magic that nothing else out there has. IMHO But this is easily one of the best 3D platformers of all time!

[nincompoop]

Never played the first Jak on PS2 but Brad on the latest Bombcast saying it's very similar to Mario 64 piqued my interest. Is that the case?

No, the basic setup is similar but Jak 1's levels require actual platforming skills in order to traverse.

[Takao]

Never played the first Jak on PS2 but Brad on the latest Bombcast saying it's very similar to Mario 64 piqued my interest. Is that the case?

Mario 64 is the prototype for the 3D platformer formula. Jak is the one that evolves the formula forward.

[Fix The Scientist]

The vehicle handling in Jak 3 is an absolute nightmare... all the sand buggy cars control so badly! This shit has me pulling my hair out, weirdly i don't remember being so annoyed when i played it on PS2, i must have been more patient then.

[DonMigs85]

I played very little of Jak 1 back in 2001-2002 but I'm pretty interested in getting it. Not so sure about the other 2 games though.