Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PSP)

Even though it was not developed by the same firm that made the first 3 in the series, this game manages to retain the character of the Jak & Daxter brand. Whilst I found some parts of the game to be rather too familiar, the story line was just about strong enough to make this a worthwhile purchase.

Having said that, I wouldn't spend more than £15 on this game.

I must admit I was worried that "The lost frontier" wouldn't be as good as it's predecessers. I was wrong...
"The lost frontier" starts off with Jak and daxter trying to stop the eco storms, which would basically save the world. Along the way they are forced to form an allience with a pirate crew who are also searching for altough for differnt reasons. One of the main changes to the game is the eco moves. It's split into differnt coloured eco's which allow you to use different powers, these range from jet packs to bubble sheilds.
Does it suit PSP?
Suprisingly it does! The graphics are great for a PSP and the gameplay's been adapted so well it's as if you're playing the other Jak games. As a Jak and daxter fan I loved that the franchise made a proper return. I would definately reccomend this to those who've played the previous game and those haven't, It's about time you tried them!

Jak and Daxter : The last frontier is the 5th game in playstations other big platforming exclusive (The other of course being Ratchet and Clank). The game throws in a variety of shooting and drving platform areas, all with a 3rd person view and was released late 2009.

Jak and Daxter is set in a world where gods once stood, now though they have all gone and all that is left is the strange substance called Eco. Eco has many different forms with certain colours giving strength, life or darkness, this is used in many ways throughout the series in weapons and machinery. It's an ongoing story for the two characters to learn about Eco whilst travelling the galaxy, along the way meeting new characters and facing new challanges. Their are pleenty of twists in the story and the world around you is constantly changing with new alliances being made, as Eco begins to run short and every one wanting a peice of it.
The story moves at a good pace and you are constantly moving and meeting new people, this gives the game a lot longer playtime than its competitor.

The game is quite similar to Racthet and Clank but many see it as a bit more for the older audience, due to difficulty and style. You still play as a main character , Jak , jumping around the level and solving puzzles whilst fighting a huge amount of enemies. But the game is less kind to the player as Jak can only take a small amount of damage before he is down, but thats where the frequency of green life Eco comes into play.
Vehicle sections are very important to the developers and the very first level is a edge of your seat fight against space pirates, this sets a great standard for the rest of the game and grabs your attention. Not only that but the game knows how to control vehicles, so quickly dodging and moving around in the ship is a pleasurable experience. The lock on system may not be equivalent to HAWX but it does the job and is easy to use.
The games level design is also alot less linear than other PSP games , with the world being semi-open and several routes can be taken to the final objective. This gives a bit more freedom but also adds a value to replaying through levels as something different is always around the next corner.
Most of the levels finish off with a token boss battle, these can be hit and miss as it is of the , wait around for the same movement than attack, type boss battles. As well as the usual issue of the camera rearing its ugly head again in the game, although this is only now and again when you are at the edge of the area.
Upgrading and unlocking is as bigger part of the game as ever, with the constant need to get new weapons or vehicles, or update your character to make them suitably powerful against the next boss.
Its also worth a great mention to the developers for the complete lack of any loading screen , as the next level begins to load whilst your on the current one. This means the hours can soon be whisked away from you as you realise you can't just stop at the next screen.

The combat in the game is well made, with 4 weapons to be used it may not seem much, but these are all powerful and upgradeable to a big level. They all work around 4 different types of Eco so the continuity of the games universe flows through every section, it also very easy to jump, roll and strafe when in times of danger.
Melee attacks are also powerful although getting into the middle of the enemies is not always the best idea, both Jak and Daxter(occasionaly) have their own moves and abilities making fights more intresting depending on the character.

As well as the storyline game, their is also the optional missions like going hunting for objects like orbs and weapons. These aren't anything too special but they add some extra gametime and are fun to playthrough as their are many and none are exactly the same.

Graphics are quite good for the PSP although not the best, colours seem slightly drab against Ratchet and Clank, as well as the graphics seeming slightly less smooth in their design.
However the game never lags or jutters , the whole way through the game it shows off all the different levels at 60fps.

The characters are nice with many different personalities, from the british posh pirates to the american pretty boy leaders. Their voice acting is one of the best on the PSP with everything coming in crystal clear.
As is the soundtrack, it's suitably epic for the adventure and is as good as a blockbuster movie. The atmosphere off of this is great and really gets you sucked into the game,suprising considering its a portable console.

The controls are very comfortable and a tutorial level appears at the start of the game for anyone new to this style of game, but the controls are pretty standard and respond well so you shouldn't have any issues with them.

good price for about 20 hours total gametime.

It's a very good game but a shame it doesn't get as much credit and following as Ratchet and Clank. I reccomend the game as long as you dont have anything important coming up soon.