The Jak and Daxter Trilogy (PS3)

It's good to sometimes return to earlier, brilliant games and this HD collection of three, count 'em three, games does not disappoint!

For those who played Jak and Daxter during it's days on the PS2, you know that you simply have to own this collection. The games definitely get better as you play them but they all have two things in common - they are innocent and fun. Whilst it may be true that Jak II and Jak 3 are targeting a wider, older audience, they never stray too far from the funny dialogue, casts of vibrant characters and gorgeous visuals.

To those who never played Jak and Daxter during it's heyday, where were you?! Nevermind, I'll sum up each game for you:

The first game in the trilogy, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, is a simple and innocent platformer. For those gamers who like collecting things, this game will keep you busy for a while. There's lots to do, lots to collect and various different locations to explore. All of the Jak games on this disc run at a smooth 60 frames per second and it looks great. No flaws there.

The second game, Jak II is a little darker and definitely targeted an older audience. Introducing guns, powers, hubs and cities to explore and featuring a darker story, this game is in a different league than the first game, yet plays so similar. There's less platforming involved here but there is more of a combat element involved so if that's more your style then fear not.

Jak 3 follows Jak II's formula and improves on it. One thing that I can fault with this game is that it's too similar to Jak II. There are improvements such as gun mods, more powers, bigger areas to explore and more of a free-roaming aspect but taking into account the considerable leap between the first game and the second, this one could have perhaps done with more. Regardless, all three of these games do not disappoint.

Overall, this is a HD collection that you simply must own if you're a fan of platforming and action/adventure games. The games might not be that long in hindsight but they will always keep you coming back for more thanks to the charming Daxter, humourous dialogue, vibrant characters and sheer awesomness! It should also be noted that the games do not come with any extra bonus content, such as artwork/codes and anything like that. Whilst Jak 2 and Jak 3 have unlockable content in the games themselves, no extra content was added for this HD collection.

Jak and Daxter, in my humble opinion, rock. That's simply it. They're interesting, hilarious and bizzare but totally loveable and completely awesome. Quite a few adjectives there I know. But to be honest, there's so much to be said about the Jak games - especially the three of this collection - that my words alone are not enough to describe to you the brilliance of the series.

Let's start out simple: this is another addition to Sony's 'Classics HD' games on the PlayStation 3. These collections generally consist of 2 or 3 PlayStation 2 titles that were appreciated enough during their own time to reach legendary status - enough so to be deserved of a re-release on current-gen consoles whilst being upscaled to glorious high definition (720p in this case) and given full trophy support. The 'Jak and Daxter Trilogy' also comes with full stereoscopic 3D, if you're into that. In terms of the visuals, well, they're still last-gen games and so you're not going to mistake them for ones released last week. Still, in comparison to their PS2 counterparts (and in fact a number of other Classic HD titles available) they look great. The image has been cleaned up, edges are smoother, colours are vivid and bright and the overall effect is that they are very pleasing to the eye, especially for old games (the first title was released over a decade ago, in 2001!).

The basic story of the series revolves around the titular characters of Jak, a human/elf type creature, and Daxter, an 'ottsel' (half otter, half weasel) on their adventures through their troubled homelands. 'Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy' (AKA 'Jak 1') is remarkably similar to Naughty Dog's earlier ventures on the PlayStation platform: 'Crash Bandicoot'. It's more light-hearted and immature than it's successors, but an action-packed and enjoyable ride nonetheless. It's sequels: 'Jak 2: Renegade' and 'Jak 3' are significantly darker in theme. The formally mute protagonist was given a voice for the first time in 'Jak 2', as Naughty Dog began to hone their craft in storytelling and character-design (two elements that have peaked since their latest 'Uncharted' franchise came about). The 2nd and 3rd games also feature a drastic switch in gameplay styles, leaving the 'Mario 64' framework design and replacing it with one more akin to the 'Grand Theft Auto' series.
- I could go a lot further into how these games feel and play. However, it'd be far easier to simply look up reviews for the original PS2 releases for that kind of thing, and read here for the review of the Trilogy edition in general.

Audio seems to be unchanged, though perhaps if compared side by side a difference may be noticeable. Still, the sound design in general in all three games is great - the voice acting for Daxter still one of the highlights today, even compared to modern titles!

Trophy support is always cool; it's always great to play back through your favourite games and get rewarded with those little trophy-pops as you knock out different tasks and objectives. It gives the player that little bit more determination to keep on trying, even if the going gets tough. So in terms of this, it's definitely an improvement.

There are slight annoyances in the game design occassionally, such as irritating checkpoints, but on the whole the pros vastly outweigh the cons. There is also a little irritation when changing between 1,2 and 3, as one has to quit the entire collection and restart if wanting to swap to one of the other titles - again, not a massive deal, but a minor setback.

So overall, the 'Jak and Daxter Trilogy' is well deserved to be brought back into the homes of gamers, both old and new alike. It plays great, the stories and characters are engaging, it runs at a beautifully smooth framerate and it's all polished off with gorgeous new visuals. Top that off with added trophy and 3D support and you've got yourself one full and incredible gaming package. It's really a testament to how good a job Naughty Dog did in the first place.

If you like platformers, loveable worlds and a whole lot of fun, then go get it! :D

Nick ¦)

With the Jak collection arriving this morning, i have basically played it non-stop till now. making my way through the first game i noticed that Jak and Daxter the Precursor Legacy has aged, though this adds character to the game, with the updated graphical textures the game still looks brighter and better than ever.

Though i have not tested Jak 3 yet, there is a clear enhancement and difference in the graphical levels from the original PS2 versions of Jak II. with colours being brighter, clearer and crisper the game looks fantastic.

The addition of the trophies to the game add extra enjoyment to the game allowing you to see your achievements through the game and allowing others to see your progress.

As soon as i started playing the game, the nostalgia kicked in bringing back many happy childhood memories. the game has stood the test of time, and with all the current same generic shooters, this makes a wonderful alternative and can be enjoyed by all ages.

The wait for the series has been well worth it.