The ULTIMATE Jak and Daxter Retrospective
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- Special thanks to Factor for sponsoring today's video! Use the code POGJREVIEWS120 for $120 off across 5 whole boxes at strms.net/JsReviewsFactorYT
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One of the first topics I ever covered on J's Reviews was Jak and Daxter, but given that it's been six and a half years since then, I'd say this series that was an essential part of my development as a video game enthusiast is more than worthy of a revisit. So today, we are tackling Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy in depth to find out what made it work so well back in 2001, and why it remains an enduring classic to this day!
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:36 The History of Jak and Daxter
06:19 What Is Jak and Daxter?
09:44 What Makes It Fun To Play
12:27 The Production Values
15:34 Creating Replay Value
19:11 The Story
22:15 Does Jak Lack Personality?
25:36 An Industry Forever Changed
27:29 A Timeless Classic Nonetheless
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#jakanddaxter #jak #sponsored - เกม
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14:47 The reason that the cutscenes are unskippable is to disguise load times. They made a big deal out of not breaking player immersion with loading screens, but as a CD-based game the game still has to load. So they disguised load times with unskippable cutscenes, as well as the movement speed of Jak combined with very particular pathways to enter new areas.
It's actually so seamless imo, the only time I've ever wanted to skip cutscenes was after a few playthroughs lol
Movement speed and carefully designed pathways I knew, but did they ever confirm that's why cutscenes are skippable?
The HD release didn't change this at all, while the re-release of Sonic Adventure did. So that's disappointing.
i get unskippable cutscenes for loading on PS2, but it kinda bugs me that later ports don't allow you to skip either, even though they could easily load way faster
they had multiple ways of hiding load times, like if Jak is running too fast in one direction too soon, he'll trip and fall, then get back up.
a 2 second animation that loads the following area seamlessly
No way Jak 1 is a CD-based game. It has more than 700 Mb, so its a DVD-based game.
Jak 2 is easily one of the most memorable games of it's time. I remember Jak actually talking and the dark vibe it set. The perfect game to play when going through your edgy young elementary days
I'm going to kill Praxis !
My edgy elementary days was playing Dinosaurs For Hire on Sega Genesis
And also the hardest one I just finished that game and man was it a pain to playthough
@@joshhallam6342 I really have a hard time coming back to it. I thought about a playthrough but there'd be so much editing to do 'cause lack of checkpoints and difficulty spikes.
@@joshhallam6342 You can say that again. It's definitely one of those games that's a little daunting to re-play because it really is hard. Both the mechanics and the computer, and honestly the game's intention and design was focused around being a harder game. It's very rewarding to play through but I really hated certain parts of that game. Checkpoints are so minimal and the enemy A.I is pretty rough
The green tint in that one morning variant is also because the world has two suns, a yellow one like ours, but also a green one. I don't believe it's ever talked about, or even mentioned by any of the characters, in any of the games themselves. But considering the setting I'd consider it pretty safe to assume it's related to or straight up is Green Eco. Perhaps it's the Precursors' equivalent to the Daystar from Jak 3, but we'll never truly know.
More of an in-joke but my friends and I speculate the green sun is a leftover of the Precursors' session of the game SBurb.
... Yes, we're HomeStuck fans.
Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy was technologically so advance for its time that it even won a guiness. Being at the top of Snowy Mountain, Gol and Maia Citadel or the forest and looking all of your progress you made since your start in Sandover Village... man... it still blows my mind. I always waited until the game is in night. Believe it or not, this was one of the highlights of the game for me, just doing nothing and relax, listen to the music and aprecciate the enviroment. The sense of adventure of this game is unmatched imo.
Where is that?
@@trakzerak735 Where is what?
@@sebastianaliandkulche The information about the Guinnes record.
@@trakzerak735 There is also a few more but they are very hard to find (maybe some of them were just temporal world records), like most amount of cutscenes in a platform game, first videogame using goal as a programming language and Daxter won original character record or something like that, idk.
@@trakzerak735 Seems that my link was deleted, did you recieve it?
If not just search "Jak And Daxter guiness record" and it should appear.
"The plants have asked the rocks, but the rocks do not recall. EVEN THE ROCKS DO NOT RECALL." I already know I'm gonna love this video 😁
Jak 1 has a phenomenal personality, the ending is like a punch in the balls though. I feel like if they really wanted to they could add a middle chapter between Jak 2 and 1 where they gather the parts for the time machine and have to go to new lands or dimensions. I just like Jak 1’s world so much more than the sequels and wish we got to play inside of it more.
Now that Jak 1 was ported to PC, i would love a fan sequel that continues with the style of the OG with new types of eco and exploring new parts of the island.
@@Jahlil.W Daxter feels like Jak 1 and 2 had a baby. It’s very neat but I wouldn’t say it feels like Jak - more like a spin off (which it is). Onthedre
@@sebastianaliandkulche doubt this will happen without someone to direct it well (plus the voice actors..) the only thing we can hope for is for the scrapped level to be completed - which I feel can happen if some talent is in the Jak 1 community.
i thought the secret ending did set up the sequel
Jak and Daxter as a series is pretty stellar. The animation, the voice acting, the stories, the environments, the music. The first is just a solid game. It's not my favorite of the series, but clearly they set their bar high for themselves and delivered on it in spades. A very memorable game and great video on it. Looking forward to watching Jak 2's retrospective right after.
Excellent video my guy. I think you really hit at the heart of why I think this game is so brilliant, the addicting and deep movement coupled with great level design, and a commitment to immersion in a beautiful epic fantasy world. Can't wait to see you cover Jak 2, the most *based* game of the trilogy
The Precursor Legacy was the first game I ever 100%'d as a kid, it has a special place in my heart.
Same here, my friend
Same for me too. This and Kingdom Hearts 1.
Same here aswell, getting 100% before there was platinum was awesome aswell. Because it was only for yourself and friends
Same!
Honestly, I think people underestimate a lot Jak's personality in the first game. He actually deploys so much personality in every expression he pulls, unlike most mute protagonists such as Link or close to every protagonists of SMT series (and I say this as a huge SMT fan). Even if he don't show a flashy-type of personality (though most "realistic" protagonists don't have one either), we can easily tell when he's carefree, when he's annoyed or amused by Daxter's antics, when he's ready to act, when he don't understand something, etc., which make him really endearing. He doesn't have to speak to express himself and we can thank the extraordinary panel of expression characters of this game serie have. This is why I just can't bear with the idea of a live-action of this serie or any realistic version, we would loose one of its strongest strength.
You've already covered my two other favorite game franchises ever with Metal Gear and DMC, I'm quite excited that you've now completed it with this video!
A lot of people will say that The Last of Us is their favorite ND game. For me Jak and Daxter was my favorite, and it best represents ND’s fun and creative history.
When you first see Samos he gives the impression of a generic master shifu/sensei wu kinda guy, but he ends up being so goddamn hilarious in his interactions and clapbacks with daxter that I genuinely busted my gut.
generic?
His first dialoge os already amazing, this crazy old man is a great character
Not to mention he comes as kind of an asshole, even towards Jak.
LACK IN PERSONALITY!? That is the most insane thing I've ever heard. If jak could talk they'd call him annoying since every single character in this game has more charisma and personality than any npc in other games at the time
There's even times where Jak looks like he's going to talk but is interrupted in some way or another (read: Daxter)
@@kinsan89 jaks emotes and actions speaks volumes of his character in the first game.
Ik it's Naughty Dog, but Jak and Daxter's level design is astounding for that era. This came out the same year as GTA3, so Jak couldn't have predicted the open-world boom its own series would follow. But the fact that the world feels seamless and its actual loading transitions are masked so well helps the game hold up. Even if its actual gameplay is an advanced Crash Bandicoot platform moveset.
Naughty Dog did good work back then. How the mighty have fallen
@@NovaMaster375 I’d say getting the most GOTY awards for a a game is no failure.
@@benwasserman8223 I didn't say they failed, just fell. They now just go for good graphics, as opposed to the character-filled worlds of earlier games.
@@NovaMaster375 Idk The Uncharted and Last of Us titles had their share of memorable characters. They just haven’t tackled open world design in a while. But if LoU2’s Seattle section is anything to judge by, Naughty Dog could have an exploration system of BotW/Elden Ring quality some day.
@@benwasserman8223 Man it would epic if they did something like that; just totally went nuts on an open world
Great retrospective! Jak 1 has aged like fine wine, it's incredible how well this game has held up over the years. Didn't know about the HD fan project, definitely going to try that out when it's released!
I absolutely LOVE Jack and Daxter the Precursor Legacy. I’d definitely go as far as to say it’s my favourite game due to the nostalgia it holds. My only complaint is that it is WAY to short. I recently found out that pressure from Sony and short deadlines led to content having to be cut from the game.
Each hub was supposed to have 3 levels, and the only 2 places that are like this is Sandover Village, and Rock Village. When the team got to Volcanic Crater you can tell they were already running into time constraints. There should be a village at Volcanic Crater, and another level called themed to the “Sierras” (Yosemite) but Spider cave was added instead, and the minecarts were supposed to be part of a “Lava Mine” level.
When you get to the end of Lava Tube you can tell they ran out of time completely because there is no Village for the Yellow Sage. It was supposed to be a “Stilt Village” with 3 levels: Precursor Ruins, Savannah, and Cave Under Falls. Assets from Precursor Ruins went toward Precursor Basin, and cave under falls to Spider Cave, and presumably Savannah scrapped completely.
Finally there was supposed to be a 5th “Underground Village” with a “Precursor Foundry” level, “Underground Forest”, and an “Underground Citadel” which was supposed to lead to the final boss fight. I can only assume what was built at the time for the precursor foundry level was merged with the citadel based on my gameplay.
You can also tell that the NPCs skimp a bit on dialogue later in the game, or at least there are way fewer of them to talk to. It was quite sad when I learnt all about the content that was cut, it adds up to a good 25-30% more content we could’ve seen in the game had Naughty Dog not been pressured so much by deadlines to get the game released.
Oh yeah and there was also plans to allow you to be able to visit and 5 of the hubs using your zoomer through back canyons/other routes in order to get around faster than foot, but not as fast as the portal gates, perhaps to encourage exploration for more collectibles?
I would take 5 hours of pure masterful fun than 30 hours of boredom. I just say.
Gods, I loved Jak & Daxter so much as a kid! The gameplay, seamless world exploration, characters and humour really hold up even after all these years!
Love the Jak games. I thought the world was so cool and I loved how seemless everything was.
In a perfect world this game would’ve been twice as long as originally intended
I still wish we got a remaster of this over a remaster of TLOU1.
I love TLOU, I just feel that it’s time to bring Jak and Daxter to a new generation. It’s always been super weird that we’re still getting new Ratchet and Clank games, but Jak and Daxter have been dormant for years.
What's funny is that the Last of Us is also getting a Remake, the Uncharted series got a remastered as well but when it comes to Jak and Daxter "the people here at Naughty Dog miss the iconic duo but we are busy making games for a more mature audience" - Naughty Dog director said something like that last year
I don’t want druckman touching my baby
@@elharvey5032 more mature?
The same generic zombie story for the third time?
Horrible.
Jak and Daxter was ahead for its time even today the characters feel much more alive than in MOST games.
@@twinguy9633 I agree, sure the Last of Us part 1 is amazing but I don't think we need a Remake at all the Remaster was already good enough (even though they released it so soon)
Do you mean remake?
Man, Jak and Daxter... this is a peculiar one for me. I was about 17 when I got all the games in the trilogy cheap and used, just because I wanted to see them all from start to finish. It doesn't have nostalgic appeal for me to fall back on in terms of gameplay experiences, I had more or less seen what they had to offer in other games, but playing them all in a row, experiencing them in such an intense "blitz" and then getting right into the fandom... I think it gave me a pretty different experience than someone who played them as they were released, and had them as their formative experiences too.
For instance, the first game. I already knew well enough we were heading for the grimdark future with GUNS and TORTURE and DARK POWERRRS, so I never really felt like I truly absorbed the atmosphere of the game, you know? The mood you talk about, the animations, the environment, the level design... it felt so slight at the time. Like a cozy first chapter I more or less speed-ran the Completion for just to see the ending and get ready for the Real Story to start, I just didn't take the time to stop and smell the flowers.
But in retrospect, when I beat game nr 3, I feel like there was a lot in this game I wish future games had retained or done more with. Characters for instance- while we all know what happened to Keira in 3 was a travesty, I'm thinking like, the sages in this game. Why not bring back new sages in the other games, build on what they can do with Eco in the future? Or take Gol and Maia- maybe they could have merged with the Dark Eco somehow and be brought back through that in the sequels considering the emphasis on Dark Eco in 2 and 3. Maybe as enemies- they could be manipulating events behind the scenes, whisper to Praxis in his mind, push him to experiment on Dark Eco so they could get new bodies to manifest in, or possibly be the ones responsible for summoning 3's end-boss... or take a redemptive turn! Centuries isolated in an eco bath might just drive them so far past twisted they go right back to right and then become connected to Jak throuch his dark Eco-form, becoming his helpers and maybe be the ones helping him get a grip on his powers. Though I wouldn't want to begrudge Praxis or Errol their screen-time, it just feels they could have done more to tie all the games together.
But beyond characters, there're also lore-concepts / world-building that could have affected gameplay. What if we could have kept using Jak's eco-channeling powers? Maybe as the game goes on we build up our blue Eco-powers until we don't even need vehicles, we can just run and jump at super-speed and hack computers... or keep vehicles but boost their performance, give them a real turbo-mode! Maybe Jak could manifest armor of red Eco, that we can maybe supercharge at certain points to manifest a bigger and bigger armor that we can use to have brawl with giant robots. Or if you want something a bit more laid-back, mini-games where you use green eco to help the resistance grow crops or plant flowers you can use to decorate the bases. Put a little Harvest Moon in that sucker, not for real gain, just as a mood-enhancing touch. Beating back that grim mechanical future with a little color, you know?
But at the same time I can see the counter-arguments, some of which you clarify here. This was the age of modernity and GTA. They spent a lot of dev-time on vehicles and guns, so vehicles and guns was what the gameplay came to revolve around. My ideas kinda turn Jak into Cole "Infamous" McGrath but with primary color-themed powers, and maybe that was never really gonna be a hit in this age, or even be the kind of atmosphere Naughty Dog wanted to strive for (or even be technically possible on that age's technology).
Maybe the problem isn't Jak & Daxter so much as it is me, the guy who preferred Final Fantasy and Devil May Cry over MGS and GTA because they had more fantastical elements to them. Maybe I was always going to be out of step with what Naughty Dog was going for. I just felt like Ratchet did weapons and shooting better, GTA did engaging open-worlds better and RPG's did dramatic stories about finding your way after the world goes to hell around you along with your rag-tag friends in more detail, so the thing that drew me the most to Jak was the potentially interesting merger between the apocalypse and the spiritual undertones and how that could've tied into Jak's personal journey and, well... combining all that. And seeing the start of Jak's adventure just reminds me of how I felt like J&D could've done it in a more cohesive way.
Oh well- maybe that's a discussion best saved for the future games. Looking forward to the videos about those!
All of your ideas sound very incredible. And I too wish they explained the absence of the Eco Sages.
However, I think Gol and Maia would've been better suited as the main villains of Jak 3 than Cyber-Errol. Errol never wanted to conquer or destroy the world. All he cared about was serving the Baron and winning. So his motivation in Jak 3 is out of left field. We don't even get an explanation as to how his cybernetics allow he to talk to the Dark Makers.
What I also wished the franchise would do is give us an origin story of how Jak met Daxter. It's stupid we don't get to see that since they're the stars of the game. We know how Ratchet and Clank met, so why can't we see how Jak and Daxter met?
I also wish Dark Jak wasn't underutilized in Jak II. Despite all the promotional ads about it, Dark Jak is more of an afterthought. He gets powers, yes. But he barely affects the story despite the fact that the transformation is slowly killing him. Hell, the powers instantly turn you back to normal after they are used. They could've gave Dark Jak special combo moves at least.
@@kidprime6863 Jak and Daxter never having their origins revealed is... not THAT important to me as I feel it was probably something pretty mundane because their lives were pretty mundane up to that point. Daxter was an outgoing kid, Jak was a silent but nice dope, Daxter probably decided they were gonna be friends and Jak rolled with it. In games with as big a stakes as the main trilogy I get that they had focused on other things... but I think they ABSOLUTELY could have included such flashbacks and scenes in the Daxter game. Like, this is meant to be the game where Daxter survives the most dangerous city in the world for over two years, we can't have any flashbacks from his perspective to happier days? Like, a scene where he is beaten down or seems to lose, but then remembers his life with Jak and how Jak's always been by his side, maybe showing how the two actually met as you suggest, and he finds the strength in that to push ahead even if he's small, alone and heavily outgunned? I guess that Daxter was never considered that important... but they could have MADE it important.
And yeah- Dark Jak and Light Jak could stand to be more than temporary power-ups. I think I had a document somewhere on some old computer that was all about ideas I had for possibly new powers / plot possibilities with it, but alas... can't find any of them anymore. I think that some of it was inspired by playing "Zone of the Enders" and turning Jak's Light mode into like, a Star Fox-esque rail shooter segment where he flies around and fights, or maybe has time-manipulating puzzles.
One of the best platformers ever made, ever. It's a shame it was released in a time where this style of game was going out of popularity, but I'm glad it did, it allowed me to find it and fall in love with the series as a kid. Like you said, The Precursor legacy is just something I can always come back to and know I'm going to have a good relaxing time, as well as get a nice nostalgia blast as I go through and gawk at all my favorite areas and moments lol.
Best way to introduce an ad ever. Great video !
This game got a fantastic PC port and its pretty much the definitive way for me to play it now.
Aside from Ratchet and Clank, and Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter was also a favorite Sony franchise of mine. I even played the first game on my channel.
Man it sucks that I never got to play Jak and Daxter as a kid they look so much fun, especially Jak 2
@@elharvey5032 You could play them through emulation if you have a good PC. Or play them on PS4 or PS5. Jak 1-X: Combat Racing are on PSN for a good price.
Ironic that Somecallmejohnny is doing a Ratchet and clank marathon while you're working on the Jak series.
5:15
"A mute character"
He says youch when he gets hurt in that game
He just refuses to talk to people lmao
Same with Link, he screams in pain or shouts when he attacks with his sword but otherwise was silent...in Breath of the Wild we can actually see him speaking to NPCs
The same year that my grandmother bought me a ps2 for Christmas my Mom bought me a copy of this game. I was 11 and had no preconceptions about the game. I went in blind and enjoyed every minute of that first playthrough. I played it many times over the years and have done a few 100% completion speed-runs since. It will always be one of my favorites. I still have my original copy with the map.
You can’t imagine how happy this makes me. These games are how I found your channel. So many good memories of these games. Shame no reboots have come.
Jak X is literally one of my favourite racing games ever.
Hyper Nova is also very fun, annihilates all opponents in one shot and its sfx is satisfying.
Was waiting for this j. your output has been killer recently
YES. First game I ever played and I was just watching Jak and Daxter videos this week, so this is PERFECT seeing this from you!
This video honestly came out around the perfect time for me, I’m playing through this series for the first time and I just beat the 1st jak and daxter like 2 days ago and am in the middle of jak 2 rn
I just beat Jak 1 earlier today and can say it’s one of my favorite games
Thx for the heart J love your videos
Always get so excited when I see you have a new upload. Looking forward to this series.
I'm so excited! Sadly, I didn't have these games when I was a kid, but i'm sure I would've loved them!
Glad I came across your channel & this video. Looking forward to jak 2 & 3 videos!
27:43 i really appreciate you using the trailer song as the background music.
The song is very nostalgic to me. it's from the first time i ever saw the game, on a PS2 demo disc that came with the console
jak and daxter is one of my fav series of all time and all the greater u released this on my bday ! ur the best
This video makes me appreciate Jak and Daxter even more
You cant see me but I am giving you a standing ovation 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 thank you for making this known.. I knew it.. I hope more ppl are intrigued enough to try this out because Jak & Dax is truly spectacular legendary stuff.
I was wondering since I’ve seen in some of your other videos that you really enjoy the Batman Arkham games, are you ever going to make a review or reviews on those games, because I would be really interested to see your thoughts on them.
13:56 I, for one, believe the slam dunk to be the absolute best power cell animation
As I'm playing the precursor legacy this comes out, perfect timing!
first played precursor legacy 21 years ago. one of my absolute favorite games of all time.
I was playing literally playing jak 2 yesterday raging hard and now this video just uploaded great timing!
I thought there was a secret, secret ending where you actually get to see what was behind the precursor door. Idk how long I was looking for power cells that didn't exist.
I literally just finished my 100 percent play through this morning damn great timing
i jumped on the notification, before watching i know it's gonna be great, continue i like your videos !
Soooo glad I just got the itch to play this again it's been YEARS! Learned some cool things from your video.
One of my friends mastered this game from years of not having a memory card and relying on leaving the game running but TV shut off if he had to go someplace. And this being his favorite game series, he owns one copy of every game for every PlayStation model that the series got a port to (the exception of Lost Frontier) and he gifted me an extra copy of Jak II in high school since my copy at my dad's house went with my older sister when she moved out. The highlight of one summer was spending the weekend at that friend's place seeing how fast we could marathon the main trilogy and we beat the Precursor Legacy at completion in just under 11 total gameplay hours.
I honestly forgot about this game series for the longest time. And got into them a year or two back, I enjoyed this one a lot
I grew up on these games. Jak and daxter was the first ever game I played… memories. Also please do a tutorial on how to play jak and daxter on PC!
Man, I love this game, just watching the video is making me want to pop it into my PS2 again, even though I literally just 100% it again a year or two ago during lockdown. ;D One minor correction to your video though - the visuals are stunning by any standards, no qualifiers needed and I'll die on that hill. Every time I play this game I'm blown away with how good it looks, and it's art direction which even many modern game fail to capture.
My one and only issue with the game is that there is a slightly overly strict timing requirement with the double jump that is not as forgiving or intuitive as any other game I've ever played. I've seriously never seen anything like this before or since. Something about the way they coded the double jump makes it so that the second press will be entirely ignored if it's not pressed within a certain window after the first, typically right around the peak of the first jump. This led to far more deaths than it should have, but one does eventually get the hang of it.
I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I actually did not like the direction they went with Jak and Daxter at all after the first game. I've never cared for Jak 2 or 3 as they feel like totally different games. I can respect they're still top rate titles, but I miss the high fantasy steam punk elf vibes of the first game, over the Ratchet and Clank meets GTA vibes of the later games.
I give you props for the ad and i do that rarely. Anyways great video i just love that game series. Precursor legacy was one of my first an most favorite games.
Would absolutely love an official Jak 4 or even remake of this series, but unfortunately Naughty Dog seems to be milking off Last of Us like it's GTAV these days.
Jak and Daxter and Ratchet & Clank defined my childhood.
Bert and Ernie is a dynamic dual.7:30lol
All right. Looking very much forward to the proper Jak & Daxter retrospective.
Jak and Daxter is the game equivalent of comfort food
I 100%ed the PC port this weekend, and yeah, I can confirm it's amazing and is now the definitive version as far as I'm concerned. Can't wait for Jak 2 and 3, and honestly, I'd love to see Ratchet and Sly get the same treatment.
Lol! That is the best ad introduction I have ever seen.
How did I miss this! A pleasant surprise. Love these games. My favorite ps2 series
Never EVER played these games, but man is there lots of love and care put into the animation and gameplay. It really is a fantastic action platformer like R&C.
I will play this some day when im able 😊👍
4:15 I wish I still have my old J&D map
Oh, boiii.
Love those two series. JAD and RAC.
Thank you for a place to converse and watch these as I walk on the treadmill hahaha
14:50 lmao when I started my new jak and Daxter file and my power went out for a sec so I had to watch the entire intro again.
I love all 4 PS2 Jak-games, but the first will always be extra special. It's just a damn good time, and I 100% agree with your assessment of the story and characters. There is so much personality, and the sequels managed to carry that over.
I'm really interested in hearing your thoughts on Jak 3, as that is the one I've changed my opinion the most on since first playing it, especially in regards to the story. I've never seen any confirmation, but I've always assumed that there was some major behind-the-scenes issues, considering the amounts of retcons, half-finished storylines etc. Thankfully Jak X had a much more satisfying story. Can't wait to see you cover that as well. 🙂
What considerable amount of retcons are you talking about?
Jak X's story is better written, but to call it "much more satisfying" when J3's is more grand, epic, deep, varied, and has higher stakes is a poor exaggeration.
@@windy3935 The most major retcon is the nature of the Precursors, especially in regards to the whole "Precursor egg"-plot from Jak 2 which they flat out ignore instead of trying to make an explanation that fits with the revelation in 3. In addition, there where several developments that were severely underdeveloped and came right out of left field. Jak seemingly having more of a relationship with Ashelin than Keira (who is barely in the game), Count Veger being super important to Jak's backstory despite being a new character etc. And then the where all of the half-cooked plotlines with parts seemingly missing, like how Errol ended up as a cyborg, the implied, but never explained, connection between the Metalheads and the Dark makers (Jak states to Errol that the Metalheads learned that the Dark makers make bad allies, but this connection is never established in the game), how no-one in-game comments on Jak's new white eco powers (considering how big of a deal white eco was in J&D, this feels like a big oversight), and so on. The game certainly tries to be epic, but that just makes the flaws more glaring imo. And while the arrival of the Dark makers is supposed to be an apocalyptic event, it never feels like it, since they are a non-entity, with Errol ending up as the big bad. With the time they had, ND should either have focused on Errol, explaining how he became a cyborg and went from just an asshole to an omnicidal maniac, OR they should have focused on the Dark makers. I see what they tried, but the result is merely serviceable, especially compared to the complete stories that J&D and Jak 2 tell.
@@windy3935 Also, there is no correlation between how "epic" a story is and how satisfying it feels, but a well written story will almost always be satisfying, since all the pieces fit into a satisfying whole. And such a whole is easier to achieve with a less epic story, with less moving parts.
@@freaknr1 Well... some of those aren't retcons, just poor execution. The very first point isn't a retcon. The Precursor's identity was always a mystery. Even lore didn't depict any official forms of them. Yes the Precursor Stone was a P.Egg (a non-traditional egg), but Jak still assumed the blue being was the true form of a Precursor, which was never officially confirmed. The Precursors have always communicated through machinery, since TPL, and Jak 3 had this come around full circle by revealing themselves from behind one (with an iconic design). They also explicitly stated they fluffed up the Precursor myth, which includes using projections to deceive people. Luckily for Jak 3, Kor died before making a contradictory statement to Jak 3's reveal. Daxter being an Ottsel from the onset of the series helps as well.
Characters in power from behind the scene is a common point in stories, so Veger being introduced later isn't inherently a issue. The plotline Veger was introduced to us with in Jak 3 takes place before the game even begins; he was part of the council that banished Jak pre-Jak 3. We still didn't see the other members either, but back to Veger... the canon Daxter spinoff gave him more relevance by having him be a main character.
With the light eco, besides Daxter and the Precursors, I guess, but Veger does mention trying to access light eco itself for his goals.
The Dark Makers invading Spargus (and Haven Forest, Haven City, and Monk Temple?) felt like it though.
Some other stuff is explained and slightly expanded in the behind the scenes, included in the game itself. The other stuff can largely been blamed for the rushed development cycle.
There is correlation, because while the writing is worse, the adventure and setpieces can make a worse story better than a (simple) well written story. An example with food- a dish with more filling can easily be more satisfying than a high quality dish with much less filling. A product that has more faults is not always the loser. Jak 3's story is still more entertaining and worthwhile than TPL's. Jak X's story has such little depth that repeat playthroughs aren't as entertaining as replaying Jak 3's story. Jak 3 also makes the protagonist feel their most heroic yet, and unlike the other titles it's the culmination of the whole series. Jak 3 has a better prologue and ending too.
When you said collectathon genre @6:43 it reminded my of a another great classic 3d platformer toy story 2: buzz lightyear to the rescue. You can see the detail of Buzz’s face by using first person visor view! Amazing visuals for its time. You can get the sm64 inspired platformer toy story 2, expanded edition on Ps4 & Ps5.
I remember those clips from the history of naughty dogs vid by the old g4 tv Channel on cable
I am the ratchet fan, brother is the jak fan. Both franchises are played religiously together.
I even got my bf in on the action and was happy to find he enjoyed playing both franchises with me. Even going as far to 100% TPL on his first go of the game.
It's an iconic game. Thanks for another great video.
I loved the narration for the Sponsor
Wow, I've been playing this game almost annually since it came out, and you just made me realize that there were a bunch of cutscenes that I probably had never seen until now.
This is still my favorite collectathon. I think that the sense of immersion and adventure trumps any other qualities in even the newest platformers. It's my biggest gaming disappointment that there was never a true follow-up (sorry, I like the sequels too but I consider them to be something else entirely). I'll keep dreaming of the day that they reboot the series with a TPL-style game that's longer and more difficult.
Been waiting for this one!
I just got interested in this series because of TheGaming Brit's video, so seeing you tackle this series now is great.
Brings me back to those days i watched allot of jak and daxter reviews
I love this series despite me only playing this game once. Would love to get my hands on Jak and Daxter again. I own Jak 2, 3 and even Daxter. All of which I've played plenty of times.
Jak: *falls into dark eco*
Also Jak when he falls into dark eco: "Awww~"
You can find a least back tracking run in everything, I love it 🤣
I could make a whole video in the vein of Jschlatt’s “Tribute to Minecraft” about this game. It epitomizes blissful nostalgia to me. I genuinely feel a tightness in my throat every time I hear Rock Village’s theme. Something about the expanding adventure and world before me was unfathomably exciting and impactful to my young mind.
One of my absolute favourite series in existence...
My first PS2 game and still one of my favourites ever 😌
I played this game really young, and probably forgot a bunch of stuff and didn't pay attention to much since I had to pass it in one sitting. Playing it as an adult (started last week) with more knowledge about game genres and franchises really nets you a better appreciation for it. I always found it weird how it isn't really talked about much (I feel) despite selling millions and coming on the heels of the Crash franchise.
BTw the PC port os the DEFINITIVE way to play. It rempves that nauseating blur
If you play the PS2 game on a good old TV it wouldnt be blur.
As always thanks for the video
I love this channel bro don’t disappoint
This and ridge Racer 5 were the first games I got as a 9 year old in 2001, and I can honestly over the years I have completed the story mode at least 20 times over the years. It’s that good in my opinion
This will be exciting
I adore this game, def in my top 10. Which is why the complete 180 they did with the sequels still has me bummed to this day. Every aspect of the precursor legacy that I liked (at least imo) was removed from 2 & 3. For this reason it feels like such a downgrade for me, wondering if anyone else feels the same?
I can really understand that, but i still love both since they offer a different but good experience.
I still think Jak 1 is a much better game though.
@@Jahlil.W valid point, tbh I just want to be seen, bc all the (popular) discourse around this series always praises jak 2 to no end. But I’ll take the L on this one
Many, including some of the team members at ND, felt the same. I personally do not, I much prefer 2 and 3 overall, but I can understand this point of view. 2 is a VERY different game, it was bound to be disliked by at least some of the fans of part 1
Playing this on the steam deck and it's so much more fun than I remember
I'm still hoping for a remaster of this game, I played it so much as a child and want to be able to play it again.
(I don't own any of the Playstations and I'm not spending £80+ just to play the Jak trilogy. And I don't want to mess around with emulators.)
As for the whole "Jak lack's personality" thing, I wish you addressed the character himself, maybe you can do it in the next video when talking about Jak getting a voice.
Jak may be mute in this game, but I don't think that he himself lacks personality either, like some other silent protagonists. He has a lot of body movements and open expression such as frowning or eye rolling, usually into response to Daxter. And there's a clear dynamic between Jak and Daxter which you can see in the Power Cell cutscenes and idle animations, and Jak himself can be seen to be a bit of a goofball through the idle animation of him and Daxter doing the toss and balance and the victory dance at the end of the game. Though, Jak's personality probably wouldn't have come through without Daxter to react to.
That Fisherman with his net is my most Dreaded Task.
Thanks for the video. Love these games to death. I have been playing the opengoal port on my steam deck, match made in heaven.
Second time I saw an ad for a channel I already subbed for
I'm excited to see what you have to say on Jak II.
I consider the Sixth Console Generation the Golden Age of Gaming I remember it well. It was back AAA games were actually finished, loot boxes didn't exist, & big companies like EA couldn't ruin games. It was a time when games truly became more than niche for families. Jak & Daxter was blessed enough to come out during such a glorious time.
Jak and Daxter was the first game I got for the PS2, so it (and the sequels) has a special place in my heart. I still hope for a proper continuation of the series.
aye nice! I recently bought jak 1 and I'm pumped to play it
ohhh i cant wait for the next video. i want a rage montage of the infamous chase level where all the cops are on you hehehehehe
Honestly the Damos Death scene is the most impactful, Jak loses his father but Damos didnt get to hear the news he's his son, plus the "AAAAGH! VIGOR!" also hits harder.