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Review: Not being a fan of platformers myself, I only really ever buy one when it's absolutely superb (the last was Super Mario 64). Jak & Daxter is one such game. Gameplay-wise, it's virtually identical to SM64 (collect "power cells" throughout the game to unlock newer, harder levels) but this is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when coupled with such astounding graphics. The landscapes vary from lush, verdant jungles, where the colours are searingly bright, to volcanoes, where the colours are also searingly bright, to snow-capped mountains, caves, beaches, Atlantis-style sunken cities and many more. These vast, intricate vistas are handled with consumate ease by the PS2, with no slow-down or aliasing whatsoever. There is also a 60Hz refresh rate option for NTSC tellys and a 16:9 aspect ratio option for those with widescreens. Sound is also very pleasing, with (amazingly!) excellent voice samples and atmospheric music (Daxter's drill-like Bronx accent begins to grate after a while but he does provide genuine hints throughout the game!). Gameplay is where J&D excels, though. The controls are intuitive enough for anybody to start playing immediately and the difficulty curve is perfectly weighted. The "one-more-go" factor is very high. The plot is also surprisingly involved for such an apparently cute platformer. J&D is a testament to how platformers should be. At 20 quid, there's simply no excuse not to own this gem. |
PC & Video Games
