40/100: Jak and Daxter

[melluransa]

Jak and Daxter was one of those PS2 games I picked up and got really into, really quickly. I was even imagining fanfic in my head about it. It's about a kid named Jak, who is the "chosen one" (as main characters of games, stories, and movies usually are) and his sidekick Daxter, that orange animal thing on his shoulder. Daxter was once human, but after an accident with this dark energy stuff called dark eco, he turned into the otter thing.



The energy stuff is a main focus of the game. Not only is there dark eco, but also green, yellow, red, blue, and light eco energies. Jak can absorb and channel these energies to fight, and each color eco gives him a different ability.



Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was the first game in the series, and is my favorite. It felt so magical and whimsical to play, and it was lighthearted and lovely. It was full of gorgeous nature scenery and really fun levels to play though. The character dialogues are very funny and the voice acting is really good!



Jak 2 was the direct sequel, and it was starkly different from the lightheartedness of the first game. It was dark and grislier. The characters and storyline were growing up. I remember being really scandalized that Jak grew a goatee! While the first one had a sense of fantasy and storytale adventure, Jak 2 had machine guns and car stealing. XD Still super fun! And some levels still captured the magical sense of the first game. I adored the Jetboarding in this game, where you ride on a hover-skateboard thing. I played it for hours!



If I thought Jak 2 was grisly, Jak 3 was like chewing on rusty nails. In this one, there was a gigantic desert area around which you could drive different dune buggies. While still being very badass, this game achieved a lot of the magic that initially hooked me. I remember getting stuck on the next to last level, and being stuck for ages there.

There were more games in the series, but these three were the ones I played. The storyline, universe, and characters enthralled me, and I happily occupied my mind with them for hours. My favorite video game level ever was the forest level in Jak 2. It was so beautiful! I used the Jetboard and just cruised around, taking in the scenery and the music. It was so fun!

I played Jak 3 recently, and was appalled that I forgot the controls! I bet if I tried the first game in the series, it would come to me more easily. It is my favorite. :3

Comments

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

Never did play it, but I do remember it. :-) It was, as you say, quite a cute game, from start. :-)

[melluransa.livejournal.com]

Very cute! It went from cute and then it grew up and grew dark! I love it. It's not very stressful, time-consuming, or hard, so maybe you'd like it if you gave it a try. :-)

[zeph317toho.livejournal.com]

Aw, these look so cute, and I'm glad you had so much fun playing them! I always wondered what the orangish critter was!

[melluransa.livejournal.com]

I did have fun! Especially with the first -- of that one I have the fondest memories. :3 Your comment triggered the specific name in my memory! Ottsel. Daxter is an ottsel. :) There were a bunch of weird animal hybrids in this game, and the ottsel was one of em.