Jak 3

 “Our boy here gets dangerous when you piss him off,” warns Dax, “so word to the wise, don’t piss him off.”

But Damas, the king of Spargus, was waiting for something along those lines, and in a kingdom where strength and courage are valued above all else, where people are either used to further the will of the kingdom or discarded, those words are golden.

They are also the only words needed to propel Jak into his next series of adventures in Jak 3, the pending PlayStation2 release from SCEA and Naughty Dog. This preview build was long on sparkling three-dimensional graphics, and rife with missions in a wide variety of settings.

The game takes place one year after Kor and his Metal Heads launched a full-scale attack on Haven City, an attack that Jak helped thwart. But Jak’s dark powers put the people of Haven City ill at ease, and when the city was divided, with a remaining faction of Metal Heads and other groups attacking and creating chaos in the streets, Jak was the target of the blame. After all, he was friends with Krew, and suspicions were rampant that Jak had let Krew into the city.

It wasn’t long before Jak was accused and …

“By order of the grand council of Haven City, for heinous acts and crimes against the people, you are hereby banished to the Wasteland for life,” intones Count Veger

“We want a recount,” demands Dax, who is never at a loss for something to say.

The intent was to dump Jak along in the barren desert known as the wasteland, but at the last moment Dax and Pecker (a monkey-parrot creature) dive off the transport and join him. The trio begin a trek across the wasteland, but soon the heat and lack of water overwhelm them, and the three crumple to the ground.

Could this be the end of Jak? Naaaah! A pair of soldiers come across them and both Jak and Dax awake in an underground cavern full of pools of water. The idyllic setting is destroyed with Damas appears and Jak has to undergo several tests to see if he is worthy of remaining in Spargus.

Pecker quietly worms his way into the role of advisor to Damas, while Jak and Dax (“his obnoxious talking animal,” characterizes Pecker) begin the series of quests, simply enough by eradicating six fast moving kanga-rats. Of course there are vehicles in the game and the first is a bi-ped dinosaur-like creature that moves Jak faster around the city.

(“I hate riding animals – they make me chafe,” complains Dax.)

The Wasteland and Spargus comprise a game world that is five times the size of Haven City. With a variety of vehicles to speed around the environment, Jak also is equipped with new weapons that sport upgradeable mods. Jak has a more rugged look and the surly frown that marked the new Jak in the last adventure is back, along with the hostile attitude. He may have a soft heart for dear friends, but all others are treated to his aggressive nature. Dax, of course, provides some comic relief.

Of course, the use of vehicles is very necessary in this title. Jak, on his own, can’t catch many of the beasts he is even initially asked to track down. Though only a preview, the game also fumbles in terms of dismounting, equipping and then targeting the mobs. While some of the intent in the game is to form strategy, this very much plays into the hands of the twitch gaming. And while you can go into first-person mode, you can’t move or target – at least not in this build. Good for looking, bad for shooting.

There is little doubt that graphically this game is sound, and speaking of which, the narrative and musical score is also quite good. The game is slated for a mid-November release, so there seems time to tweak the few gameplay mechanics that would otherwise hold it back.

If you enjoyed the new aspects of Jak in his second title, chances are you are going to like Jak 3. This is a signature series for Naughty Dog, and you just know it will be done right.