Do you remember when you were a kid and everyone told you not to go somewhere but you went there anyway? Now do you remember when you discovered an evil plan to control the world and your wise-cracking best friend fell into a pit of dark eco and was transformed into an strange furry creature? Yeah, that probably didn't happen. This is, however, the case in Jak & Daxter.

As the silent hero Jak, sidekicked by his loud mouthed furball friend Daxter, you are on a mission to track down the evil duo who changed Daxter in order to have your friend returned to his normal state. With the help of Samos, the green sage and his engineering young daughter you discover there is more to the story. A plot unfolds to find all the dark eco and to use it to take over the world.

Gameplay is basically your standard fare for a platformer. As Jak you have the usual platforming moves: double jumps, spin attacks, power ups, etc. Throughout the game you will find different kinds of eco, the energy or life force of the planet. Each different kind of eco will have a specific temporary affect on your character. Green eco restores your health, blue makes you move faster, yellow allows you to shoot a projectile attack, and red makes your melee attacks significantly stronger. As you traverse through the game you will be required to collect little eggs called "Precursor Orbs" in order to purchase power cells from various NPC's. Power cells are required to continue on through the game.

Collecting all these orbs and power cells is extremely enjoyable largely due to the amazing level design. While they are your stereotypical areas; beach level, fire level, swamp level, etc. they are masterfully put together. Every level feels large, not only from side to side, but from top to bottom as well. Levels are multi-tiered and somehow there seems to always be a way to get from one point in a level to any other area you could wish to go. Jak & Daxter has a very light-hearted, enjoyable feel to it. Everything you need for a good game is here. The characters are unique and at some points even down right funny.

This game went by fast. Too fast. I planned to tell you all that the game was only 10 hours or less but when I checked the game timer it showed nearly 18 hours of gameplay time. This game is just so addictive and so fun that it simply flies by. If you like platformers, you will love this game. IF you like video games at all, you will most likely love this game. Great gameplay, fun characters and involving environments make this one of the most enjoyable game experiences I've had in a while. What makes this even better is that the game can now be purchased for less than ten bucks, so there is really no good reason not to pick it up.

Jan 22, 2006 | 1 comments
Wayne Phinney