
The Crown Jewl of the Jak Series

With their initial release of Jak and Daxter, Naughty Dog set a new standard for platformers. With vast playing fields, diverse characters, challenging enemies and puzzles the game attracted a fan following that has kept the title alive these many years.
But with Jak II, we get to see a darker side of the series, and frankly, I think we all like it a little dark from time to time. With Jak II we got to see the same things we loved about the first game (open levels, tangable characters, and challenging gameplay), but this go around we had our socks blown off as the game was taken up a notch.
While the original release left was great, it was remnant of several other Naughty Dog games, and you could tell it was targeted mostly towards children. But with Jak II we saw the game start to approach the teenage and adult audiences and their intrests. The scripting became more direct, and in some aspects passionate (the characters developed considerably more personality). Whats more is that the weapon system of the game was boosted significantly.
But I think the major turn in the series took place with the character we've all come to associate with Jak. In the first game we saw a kid willing to go to the ends of the earth to help his friend (well, to help anyone, really), yet in the second game we see a more world-weary character who has an objective in mind and while that objective may be saving the world, he doesn't mind looking after himself. From car jacking, running from the cops, and anarchy itself, the Jak series changed significantly with Jak II -- and all without sacrificing plot or playability.
What is perhapes most amazing though is that this game blends target audiences together like nothing I've ever seen - Here is game that I at the age of 20 can appreciate playing, while I can still safely let my nephew play it without worry that he's going to hear any extremely harse language or run into anything sexual.
If your Jak collection is missing Jak II, I strongly suggest you pick this one up. Out of all of them (including Jak X: Combat Racing), I'd have to say that this was my favorite.
Review ID: 10000000009450721

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