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[Jimnymebob]

I enjoyed the setting and story but it's a frustrating and clanky game. Dat slums escape mission, jeeeeeeeez.

You just need to keep hitting square (punch) and head towards the city. Literally, you hold forward and mash square and Jak just punches through the Krimzon Guard.

I replayed Jak II recently via the HD version, and it still holds up as the best Jak game for me. I hadn't played it since mid 2000's aside from screwing around in Haven City, and I breezed through the HD version. The only parts that I had to spend a while replaying were the street race with

Spoiler

Erol

and the mission in

Spoiler

the Baron's tower

. Other than that, the only parts I had trouble with were optional things, mostly getting golds on the stadium races.

I'd personally rank the series Jak II>The Precursor Legacy>>Jak X>Jak 3>>Daxter>>The Lost Frontier's flying sections>>>>>>The Lost Frontier.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

I remember liking what I played of it back in the day, but I wonder if I simply hadn't yet played a better open-world (too young to play GTA III then, too ignorant to know of Shenmue).

All I know for sure is that The Precursor's Legacy dealt with an excellent fantasy world that seems more interesting than it lets on, even though some usual adventure and platforming tropes comprise part of the experience. The platforming mechanics work well, but it's just too easy up until the ending levels, and I find the collection-based game structure tired. It's interesting to see how Naughty Dog used this SM64 base as a way of stealth-ing vehicle sections into the Jak games, ultimately itching platforming entirely (the racing game). This all must have informed their creative direction for Uncharted; both franchises feel as though they're meant to be trilogies, disregarding everything after Jak III.

Jak II's polarization is maximum, I fear.

 

[Kyzer]

I had a great ass time with the game at the time

 

[Yoshi]

Hahaha. Funny stuff right there. Not only the original Crash Bandicoot and Spyro games are equal to the Nintendo platformers in terms of quality, but Ratchet and Clank games are also really good and charming games, so are the Sly Cooper games and the first J&D. The only ones that has been "shite" are Jak 2 and 3. Stop putting plain untrue stuff as facts.

Are you serious? I'll leave Crash and Ratchet out of this, because they are nearly uncomparable (Crash is in a different sub-genre, Ratchet in a diferent genre all together), but Sly and Spyro are nowhere near the quality of Banjo-Kazooie or Mario 64. Neither on a mechanical level, nor (and especially not!) regarding level design. Spyro in particular is one horrible series. Even Croc (available on PlayStation!) puts Spyro to shame.

 

[thewhitehawk]

Are you serious? I'll leave Crash and Ratchet out of this, because they are nearly uncomparable (Crash is in a different sub-genre, Ratchet in a diferent genre all together), but Sly and Spyro are nowhere near the quality of Banjo-Kazooie or Mario 64. Neither on a mechanical level, nor (and especially not!) regarding level design. Spyro in particular is one horrible series. Even Croc (available on PlayStation!) puts Spyro to shame.

Really? You put Croc above Spyro? Might as well put Bubsy 3D.

I think the best "open" 3D platformer for the Playstation is Ape Escape, but the Spyro series is in a strong second place.

 

[sn00zer]

Has there ever been a more polarizing game than Jak II? I love it. I liked the fact that is was bigger and more varied than Jak & Daxter, and that it had something approaching a compelling story.

Agreed

 

[Saiyu]

Loved it, last ND game I loved although I haven't played Last of Us

 

[Yoshi]

Really? You put Croc above Spyro? Might as well put Bubsy 3D.

I think the best "open" 3D platformer for the Playstation is Ape Escape, but the Spyro series is in a strong second place.

Croc has the horrible tank controls going against it, but Spyro has such incredibly bad level design, like if someone quickly glances over Banjo, not realizing what makes the level design strong and tries to emulate it. Roughly so. Regarding the best 3D platformer on PlayStation 1, I'd put Rayman 2 on top - even though there obviously are better versions of the same game on other platforms. Rayman 2 is only semi-open though, but the same could be said about Croc.

This game kicks ass. Best plat former of the ps2 generation and one of the greatest of all time. Have no clue why people take issue with the tone when it is still fairly placed in comedy. If you think Jak 2 is "mature" or even trying to be, you have some issues.

Did anyone call it mature? It's basically Shadow the Hedghog-style comic-rage-bs in theme. Nothing mature about that,

 

[xPhinehas]

I actually though Jak II was amazing! As a 14 year old I described it as GTA, meets Tony Hawk, meets Jak and Daxter. I think I completely destroyed it in a couple days because of Christmas break...

Also what's the whole thing about people saying it's hard?

 

[ScreenSplitter]

I understand why this game gets such ire, but to me it's the most varied and interesting game Naughty Dog have ever created. The original J&D felt like little more than Crash Bandicoot on a larger scale, whereas Jak II was so much more. Those that called it a GTA clone missed out on the most special moments of the game; I don't remember going to an ancient tomb filled with challenging platforming in Vice City.

 

[TimeEffect]

I liked Jak II... but aftrr playing Jak 1, the direction they went in seems like a bad move

Exploration was so much better in Jak I and the platforming was so much better.

Jak III started off in the right direction, but then leaned on Jak II's world mechanics

 

[thewhitehawk]

Croc has the horrible tank controls going against it, but Spyro has such incredibly bad level design, like if someone quickly glances over Banjo, not realizing what makes the level design strong and tries to emulate it. Roughly so. Regarding the best 3D platformer on PlayStation 1, I'd put Rayman 2 on top - even though there obviously are better versions of the same game on other platforms. Rayman 2 is only semi-open though, but the same could be said about Croc.

Between Gex 3D, Ape Escape, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot and Rayman 2; Croc is a long way from being able to be considered one of the best 3D platformers of the system.

In my opinion it's a bland and uninspired platformer with Tomb Raider's controls, which work reasonably on Tomb Raider but were design for a different type of game altogether and were not the most enjoyable part of those games.

 

[Sdoots]

Without hesitation, I can say that Jak 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. Jak 3 is right there with it on that list.

That said, I also acknowledge I'm blinded with nostalgia for both titles. I picked up the HD collection and while still enjoyable, the games were very much a product of their times, and basic functions like vertical camera control don't even appear in Jak 2. Lack of a proper aiming system for a game that wants to have gun combat is just silly, and forces the player to waste ammo more than they should. Above all else, I can specifically remember there being a vehicle section over a big "lake" in Jak 2 that was the most infuriating fucking thing ever, and I don't want to even imagine how that section plays today.

 

[MercuryLS]

I never finished Jak II. It's by far the worst game Naughty Dog has ever created. A huge step down from the first game which is one of my favorite PS2 games ever.

Yup. I don't know what they were thinking with Jak 2 and 3. Why go all mature with a light hearted property? It'd be like Nintendo giving Mario a gun and porn stache because focus testers said he needs to be more edgy.

 

[SoraanTribal]

I really liked both Jak II and III. I enjoyed the first game as well, but I think it's actually my least favorite. Well, maybe. To be perfectly honest, it's been so long since I have played the first one, I can't fully remember how I felt about it. I need to pick up the HD collection at some point to see if my opinion still stands.

 

[xPhinehas]

Yup. I don't know what they were thinking with Jak 2 and 3. Why go all mature with a light hearted property? It'd be like Nintendo giving Mario a gun and porn stache because focus testers said he needs to be more edgy.

Multi million dollar idea!

 

[whoszed]

Jak 2 is too long, too damn hard, and too repetitious due to its reliance on a mostly useless open world. It was, however, a necessary step towards Jak 3 which on the other hand is by far the best of the Jak & Daxter games.

I played through Jak 2 and it can be fun but prepare to be frustrated a lot. If you're not determined you're not gonna finish that game. There's a mission in the game that I'd easily classify as one of the most difficult and frustrating in all games I've played.

 

[PK Gaming]

Just play Jak III

Don't let a mediocre game sour you on the J&D series. Jak III was a solid game

 

[Yoshi]

I understand why this game gets such ire, but to me it's the most varied and interesting game Naughty Dog have ever created. The original J&D felt like little more than Crash Bandicoot on a larger scale, whereas Jak II was so much more. Those that called it a GTA clone missed out on the most special moments of the game; I don't remember going to an ancient tomb filled with challenging platforming in Vice City.

I don't think GTA-clone is meant literally, it's just criticizing the similar game structure and unfocussed level design.

 

[Jimnymebob]

I don't understand how people can say the platforming in Jak & Daxter TPL is better than the other 2 games; there's hardly any platforming in it. There's a lot of walking around pretty environments and collecting things, but as far as pure platforming goes there's only a handful of locations were it's necessary/the levels are designed around it, and until the Red Sage's hut section the platforming isn't challenging whatsoever, and it's not even challenging from that point onward. Jak II has a lot of going back and forth in Haven City, but if it would have had the same missions but a progression system similar to TPL (do missions in level areas in a hub area, move onto next area etc.) it would have been the better game by far.

 

[metalmachine]

I actually just picked up the HD collection for PS3 off of Amazon. I never really played them much on the PS2 but the HD collection was reviewed well so I figured why not. Plus I love Naughty Dog

 

[ScreenSplitter]

I have to say that Precursor Legacy has aged so poorly. Playing through the Vita HD collection now and it's just a real slog.

 

[khaaan]

I played Jak I and found it kind of fun but the strong collect-a-thon approach made it feel slow and draining at the same time. The vehicle sections were the parts I enjoyed the least and the idea that they made it more prominent makes me want to walk away from any related title.

 

[Skyzard]

Gotta say I do like the first one, even though it's weirdly laggy and obviously dated. Just screams classic 3D platforming design. Makes me happy and I never played the original till now on Vita.

...reads post below lol, I guess I'll give Jak II a shot too. Got them all free with a weird glitch on the Sony store anyway.

 

[RaikuHebi]

None have a Crash vibe. Jak1 is a Banjo collectathon ripoff and the other 2 are GTA knockoffs. X is a Vehicle combat game and the Lost Frontier is like Crimson Skies.

The PSP's daxter is probably closer to Crash and even has Crash like levels as a homage.

Well I exclusively meant thematically. Music, setting etc. evoked Wumpa Islands to me? I understand that they're not pure plat-formers though.

Interesting re: Daxter. I've tried a few times to get into it but couldn't, but I'll give it another go on my Vita.

 

[MercuryLS]

Multi million dollar idea!

.

 

[catapult37]

Jak III (3) was my first game in the series. So when I discovered about halfway through that it's not just the open desert area -- that it also opened up into the whole city from Jak II -- I was like 0_0

So I thought it was cool and eventually went back to play 2.

 

[Reyne]

I liked it well enough when I was 12. Also, I remember playing and beating Jak II first and was surprised at how different the Precursor Legacy was, though I liked that one too. Haven't touched those games since 2005 or something, so I have no idea how well they hold up.

 

[Jimnymebob]

I played through Jak 2 and it can be fun but prepare to be frustrated a lot. If you're not determined you're not gonna finish that game. There's a mission in the game that I'd easily classify as one of the most difficult and frustrating in all games I've played.

Which mission would that be?

Also, even though I love Jak & Daxter as much as Jak II, I can't help but agree with all of Lin Siniang's points.

 

[Lewpy]

Wasn't really a fan of the Jak character in the first game. He wasn't offensive, but didn't really do anything for me. Daxter was mildly amusing and never really outstayed his welcome. The game as a whole is what kept me playing, and I found that I really enjoyed the first title.

There was nothing that I found outstanding in terms of it's execution (similar to Drakes Fortunes, in that the sum of its average parts made a fairly enjoyable game) The bright colours, chirpy music, character to the environments and at it's core, solid game mechanics came together to make a better than average platformer. I thought a sequel built from that inital template would have been really good...

Jak 2, really dropped the ball for me. It lost all the qualities that kept me playing through the first game. The whole dark gritty GTA-esque world felt like they were trying to cash in on flavor of the month by giving Jak a mean persona, a gun... and a goatee :\ . I played through the second game in its entirety in the hope it would redeem itself later on, but I was ultimately left disappointed.

I never even entertained the idea of playing through the third game, or indeed any of the following titles.

 

[thewhitehawk]

Which mission would that be?

Allow me to take a wild guess... it's probably the escape mission from the slums when you are coming back from the ruins on that area with a lot of water and the town on that section is built upon bridges above the water.

The enemies never stop coming, you have limited resources and you have endure endless waves and avoid damage as much as possible with no room to rest or place to stop. It's usually a mission that takes a lot of attempts to pass and can end up being very frustrating.

Personally I recommend using the shotgun and the punch move while progressing at a moderate pace and remembering to pause when the dropships show up and taking off any enemies coming from behind at that point.

 

[Booker Dewitt]

Wasn't there a mission where you had to drive around the city destroying turrets, fuck that mission. Any part prior to that where you'd go to a loading gate and explore some isolated platforming section was pretty good though.

 

[DrGonzo615]

I never finished Jak II. It's by far the worst game Naughty Dog has ever created. A huge step down from the first game which is one of my favorite PS2 games ever.

Im pretty much in the same boat here. I absolutely loved Jak and Daxter. Its still one of my favorite ps2 games. but Jak 2 just left me cold...the guns controlled like balls and the game was ridiculously punishing.

I got halfway through and put the game down and I have never played it since. No desire to.

Worse yet, is that 2 was so bad in my mind that it completely wiped the series from my attention. I never played Jak 3 at all.

 

[Jarmel]

The gameplay is awful. I have no clue why people are saying otherwise in this thread. The shooting mechanics are garbage, the camera is crap for some of the platforming sections, the hoverboard can be unnecessarily floaty (which sucks due to how necessary it is at times), the driving mechanics are awful as well.

 

[MixedUpzombies]

Did anyone get stuck having to deliver the package. I got stuck so bad. Jak II and Jak X: Combat Racing had difficulty spikes that are mountain sized. Was the Lost Frontier good I feel like no talked about that game.

 

[thewhitehawk]

The gameplay is awful. I have no clue why people are saying otherwise in this thread. The shooting mechanics are garbage, the camera is crap for some of the platforming sections, the hoverboard can be unnecessarily floaty (which sucks due to how necessary it is at times), the driving mechanics are awful as well.

I agree, the camera sucks in Jak 2, but it is in no way better than Jak 1's, or 3's for that matter. It's very common for you to take a jump to try to land on a platform and lose sight of where you want to land and falling into a pit. This is a problem that is common to all the main Jak games.

The shooting mechanics are fine for the most part, not all of the weapons have as good of a feel to them, but the shotgun is particularly pleasant to use.

The hoverboard is one of the funnest aspects of the game, it's challenging to master yes, but immensely rewarding when you do.

The driving is not excellent, but I wouldn't say it's by any means terrible. Driving away from the "police" and dodging ships by switching levels and navigating the tight corners of the city is quite fun in my opinion. The floaty aspect of the ships reminds me a bit of Wipeout so to me it was not very hard to get used to it.

 

[Jimnymebob]

Was the Lost Frontier good I feel like no talked about that game.

Not really, it felt too much like a High Impact Games Ratchet & Clank with a Jak & Daxter skin. The character design changes were bad all round, the new characters were forgettable at best, and it lacked some things that made the games so fun, namely the roll and roll jump, and the dark and light eco powers; opting for a worse version of Jak & Daxter's coloured eco powers.

The gunship gameplay was pretty fun though, definitely the best parts of the game.

 

[Silvawuff]

I played the original Jak 1 when it came out, 100%ed it, loved it. I recently played the HD update of it again and, while some parts are fun, I didn't enjoy it as much and kinda dropped it near the end.

I thought Jak II was great, never tried Jak III (though I heard the difficulty curve gets insane).

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, OP.

 

[Mr-Joker]

Jak II is the worse game that I have ever played, never have I gotten so bored and frustrated over the game and it put me right off playing Jak III. They should have never change the direction of the game and made it a GTA clone.

I still own the game and I plan to trade them in for a better game.

Not sure why people say the shooting is bad in Jak 2. They're probably treating it like a full on shooter rather than an action plat former in the vein of Mega Man. You shoot shit but Jak 2 is not a shooter.

No Jak II is a shooter and a bad one.

 

[TMaakkonen]

The real weird thing is that Jak 1 is considered so good. I found it not as interesting as other Jak games and I dont like its small length (years ago it took me weeks to beat Jak 2 & 3, but Jak 1 I beat in one weekend).

I like Jak 2 quite a lot. Sure it became dark and whatnot but it also became much more funnier IMO. Being hard is also stupid excuse to be bad a game.

While technically Jak 3 should be best game in series, I find me tend to prefer Jak 2, just to support this game that gets so much hate. :/

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

I never finished Jak II. It's by far the worst game Naughty Dog has ever created.

Nope. That would be Keef the Thief on PC.

 

[Jarmel]

Riiiiiiight.

Jak 2 is a shooter. One of the main means of killing enemies is shooting them.

 

[Jimnymebob]

I played the original Jak 1 when it came out, 100%ed it, loved it. I recently played the HD update of it again and, while some parts are fun, I didn't enjoy it as much and kinda dropped it near the end.

I thought Jak II was great, never tried Jak III (though I heard the difficulty curve gets insane).

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, OP.

The one with the difficulty curve was Jak II, not Jak 3.
Jak 3 is fairly easy throughout (not saying there isn't any difficult/frustrating parts on it). The final part of Jak 3 is a pain though.

 

[Nordicus]

I still haven't grabbed the Jak Collection but I think Jak 2 is the only one worth replaying now probably. Jak 1 is boring as hell until the final few levels, and Jak 3 is ruined by the sheer lack of platforming replaced by desert car missions.

Those desert car missions might be the main reason why I like Jak 2 so much more. Not that those sections are badly made (although it's been a while, they might be), but they slow the game down so much for something so dull

 

[JawzPause]

Agree with literally everything you said. I completed the first game last summer and loved it, had some flaws but overall very enjoyable. Straight after completing it I started up Jak 2 thinking it'd just be more of the same, but boy was I wrong. Quite possibly the worst sequel of a game I have ever played. I put a good few hours into the game thinking it would get better, but it didn't.
I have no idea how ND managed to fuck it up so much but if they ever do release a 4th, hopefully it is everything like the first and nothing like the second.

 

[SirMossyBloke]

Jak 2 is a shooter. One of the main means of killing enemies is shooting them.

Haha Jak a shooter. Couldn't be any more wrong

It is however a terrible game.

 

[thewhitehawk]

I guess this makes Jak and Daxter 1 a beat em up. One of the main means of killing enemies in that game is your fists.

Jak and Daxter 2 is a stunt driving simulator (if we follow the same train of thought).

 

[Jarmel]

I guess this makes Jak and Daxter 1 a beat em up. One of the main means of killing enemies in that game is your fists.

There is a platforming element throughout all three games but Jak 2 and 3 put a big emphasis on guns. Yes you could say Jak 1 is a beat 'em up as well.

 

[Ouroboros]

Funny I just bought the HD collection. I'm sure I'll like all 3.

 

[HK-47]

Jak II just felt like the devs saw GTA, DMC and Ratchet and thought mashing them together and upping the grit would make a compelling game.

Not really.