I have heard about this game, but never imagined that it was as good as everyone was saying...

Here I am, reading the preview, thinking WOW! what an awesome game!!!

Love to hear YOUR thoughts about Jak 3...



Jak 3 (PS2)

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Naughty Dog Software
Genre: Platformer
Release Date: November 9, 2004
ESRB: Teen

By Bryn Williams | Oct. 1, 2004

Jak' s nearly back to round out Naughty Dog' s trilogy in style.

I think I must be one of the few people who owns a PS2 who hasn' t really ever paid much attention to Naughty Dog' s Jak & Daxter series. For whatever reasons, the first two games in the Jak trilogy passed me by, but their reviews in the gaming media didn' t go unnoticed. It seems as though gamers generally enjoyed the first game more than the second, but with the third -- Jak 3 -- I can honestly say that my interest is piqued to the point where I am eagerly awaiting to get enough spare time to go back and check out the previous titles.

Coming at this preview being a virgin Jak player has been a little tricky. I know Jak and his quick-witted sidekick, Daxter, have a rabid following of fans so I' ll attempt to do their latest adventure justice. So far I' m really digging what I' ve seen of the game, which goes all out in an attempt to blend a bunch of different gameplay styles into one cohesive package.

The story kicks off about one year after the final moments of Jak II have concluded. Jak, Daxter, and that irritating monkey-bird creature have been cast into a harsh desert wastelands outside of Haven City due to the fact that Jak' s unfortunate Dark Eco contamination is not looked upon kindly by the city' s council members. The three of them are in a right old pickle and are left to either die in the heat of the desert, or meet another fate that has yet to be unveiled to them.

Just before the trio succumb to the elements, a band of nomadic strangers find their unconscious bodies and bring them back to temporary safety in Spartus City -- a place full of similar castaways and vagabonds. As the story unfolds, the leader of Spartus gradually warms to Jak and starts to believe that he could well be the answer to some rather taxing impending doom that appears to be looming on the horizon. A plotline based around the Dark and Light Eco powers found in the series so far, along with backstabbing, betrayal and friendship paves the way for Jak 3.

Naughty Dog is keen to point out to gamers that while Jak 3 represents the final game in the Jak trilogy story, there will indeed be other games made based around the universe and characters; this is hardly surprising given the success of the franchise to date. However, as an action gaming experience, my time with the preview build of the game left me wanting more in terms of story resolution and decent arcade shooting action.

There are plenty of different play mechanics found in Jak 3. Ranging from the slightly annoying vehicular combat elements to some excellent solid 3D action platforming / run-' n-gun sections, there' s going to be something for most gamers here. I personally didn' t gel very well with the vehicle sections mostly due to the somewhat sluggish control systems. Sure, I' m racing and driving through arid desert environments, but surely a specialized dune buggy wouldn' t keep on flipping on its side as much as Jak' s vehicles tend to. After a while -- and in particular, the timed-based driving sections -- I found this portion of the game to grate a little more than I had hoped. There' s always time for a little control tweaking before the game ships, but I' m pretty sure that this is still going to endure in the final release.

The brighter side, as mentioned, is the variety of platforming/shooting action bits. Along with a whole host of imaginative mini-game influenced trials -- which often result in a nice ability or weapon upgrade -- Jak 3 shines its brightest when you are on a mission that involves foot-based gameplay. Jak' s repertoire of moves (and even Daxter' s for that matter) is solid and varied -- and keeps on expanding -- enough to make the gameplay fresh.

It doesn' t hurt either that Jak' s stable of gun weaponry just keeps on giving. With a standard arsenal of four main guns, each one can be upgraded a total of three times to give Jak a whopping 12 very cool, very enjoyable, and very different methods of attack. And this doesn' t include his melee kicks, punches and stomping jump moves either. Some levels see Jak and Daxter face off against hordes of esteemed gladiator-style mobs in the proving-grounds of Spartus City, while other levels take Jak far outside the safety of the city as he explores ancient temples full of cunning traps, action puzzles, and juicy encounters.

Aside from some initially niggling camera controls, Jak 3 visual engine portrays a vibrant, living breathing world that shines as one of the more impressive graphical worlds on the PlayStation 2 -- something which appears to be a vast improvement over the last game' s rather dark and dingy presentation.

Jak' s new Dark and Light Eco power abilities add much enjoyment to the game, too. It' s cool to see the regular city dwellers quake with fear when they learn that Jak has some incredibly forbidden and bad-ass qualities. These powers are fueled by pick-ups dropped by fallen enemies and allow Jak to perform crushing melee combos, and even turn himself invisible to allow safe passage through otherwise inaccessible areas of the game. Conversely, his new Light Eco powers give him the chance to heal himself up in a pinch, along with the chance to slow down time via the new " Flash Freeze" move. Combined with the great on-foot platforming, the cool guns, and the non-stop exploration, these Eco powers go quite a long way to keeping the game interesting and fresh.

I think it' s fair to say that the series as a whole has enjoyed a high standard of production values and Jak 3 is on track to keep that in check. The character design, cutscenes, and above all else, the voice work are all topnotch. Daxter' s comical quips rarely annoy, and finding comedy in a video game these days is an increasingly rare treat indeed. I can only hope that some of the more puerile gags (hey, I like that stuff) keep from turning some gamers off. Then again, those people shouldn' t be such sticks in the mud.

On the whole Jak 3 is getting ready to put on quite a finale to the trilogy. Many unanswered questions will be addressed, and there should be some great video-gaming action to boot. The game is shaping up to hit the streets in a few scant months from now, and if the vehicle controls and camera work can be improved a tad, we' re definitely on for a winner with this one. Stay tuned to GameSpy.com for the final verdict coming soon.