Ever since Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was released upon the gaming world I have been hooked on the series. The first game was a thing of beauty; it was one of the best looking games on the Playstation 2 at the time. Best of all the game had no load times and anything that you saw in the horizon, you would get to go to and explore. Jak II made a radical departure from the series, with an emphasis more on gun control, riding around in hover cars, protecting Haven City, and dealing with “Dark Jak.” Now the third and final game in this series has arrived. How does this game compare to the other games, and is it just as fun? Read on to find out!

It has been one year since the conclusion of Jak II, and the town of Haven City is still in chaos because there are three factions fighting for control of the city. The city has grown very distrustful of Jak because of the mysterious dark power that he has. One day there is a surprise attack against the palace and it is destroyed. Count Verger takes this opportunity to banish Jak from Haven City and to live the rest of his life in the Wasteland. Not wanting to leave Jak alone his loyal friend Daxter and the wisecracking parrot Pecker have followed him. It is here where players take on the role of Jak and see if they have what it takes to defeat all of his enemies and survive all that will be thrown before him. Are you up to the challenge?

These guys don't know what they are up against.

The mission structure is very similar to Jak II. Players have the ability to do whatever they want, such as play mini games or just play around throughout the level. Once they want to continue with the story, they will go to the flashing icon on the screen. Players will go on missions that will have them rescuing stranded people from an impending sand storm, beating enemies in a certain time limit, and even guiding a missile to collect “power ups” to make it more powerful to destroy a wall. Jak 3 will have players doing a wide variety of things that will never get boring or old. It will keep players entertained for hours on end.

If players ever feel that the game is getting repetitious, they will be able to indulge themselves in some mini-games, which help unlock many of the secrets that this game has to offer. There are dune buggy races, shooting galleries, and many more mini games that will have you entertained for hours on end. One of my favorite ones is when you are under a time limit and have to take out as many annoying marauder dune buggies as possible. You will want to play these games so you will be able to unlock some of the goodies that Naughty Dog put in their game.

Check out one of Jak's new rides.

On the bad side of the mini games, the “search for the golden orb” is back from Jak II and is in this game, and I really have to wonder why. This mini game is one of the most annoying and pointless quests in Jak 3. What happens is you give a statue a certain amount of metal head gems, than he will show you a spot on the map that has a golden precursor orb and you will have to find it within a certain time limit. The problem with this is that it is really hard to find a small egg in this huge levels brimming with details, and to me this was a really pointless and frustrating part of the game. I think that there are better mini games found in Jak 3 that could have been a better way to get more precursor orbs.

As mentioned earlier, Naughty Dog has many different secrets hidden in the game, and they all can be accessed and purchased by using the “Secrets” menu. When players have enough precursor orbs and have completed certain tasks they will be able to buy some secrets and upgrades. They range from more ammo for the guns, unlocking new dune buggies, and even art galleries. This is a huge incentive to try to get all of the orbs so you will have everything unlocked and play with all of the things the developers put in the game.

Light Jak flexing his wings

Jak 3 is one of the best looking games on the Playstation 2, and it is one of the best looking games that has been released on any current generation console. There is very little that you will be able to complain about in this department. Everything in this game is highly detailed with a very high polygonal count. Then you have to add in the amazing effects spewing through each level, such as a complete night and day cycle. It is just an amazing game to behold. All of the levels have their own unique look and feel to them, which also enhances the game.

Let’s not forget about the character models in this game. Once again the developers do not skimp out on how the characters look, as the characters are highly detailed. The three versions of Jak: light, dark, and normal, each look very nice and have a different look and feel. Normal Jak looks like he has in the past two titles, just a little more grown up. Dark Jak has a very eerie look to him that strikes fear into the eyes of his enemies. Light Jak is very heart warming and helps balance out his dark side. The light and dark versions have their own set of wild particle effects going on that really makes them stand out.

The animations for this game are very nice and smooth. The way that Jak moves is very fluid. Even though I have played the previous games, it amazes me how smooth this game is, especially when you see Jak spin around and having Daxter being flung around then climbing back on to Jak’s shoulder, it still looks awesome. Even the enemies have very smooth animation that will leave your jaw’s dropped in awe of how the developers did all of this on the Playstation 2. This game proves to the world that the Playstation 2 might not have as powerful specs as some of the other consoles currently available, but in the hands of the right developers it can produce games that are just as good if not better than many games currently available.

Let the comedy ensue...

The same voice actors from the first two games are back to reprise the role of the characters and they do a great job at it. Daxter still has some great one-liners that will have you cracking up all throughout the game. Jak sounds a little bit more mature, but he is still angry at the world for the things that they have done to him. Pecker and Daxter have some great dialog together that will have you rolling on the floor.

The music that is used for each level is also very suitable and gets players in the mood to continue playing. Everything fits really nice, especially the boss battle music as it really gets players in the mood to beat down on that particular bad buy. The sound effects for Jak 3 sound just as good as they did in the previous game. Everything from the explosions, to the gun fire, and even the vehicles sound really well. What is even better is that Jak 3 fully supports Dolby Digital Pro Logic II, so if you have a system that can handle it this game will sound even better!.

Jak 3 is rated T for Teen for comic mischief, language, mild violence, and suggestive themes. It will take 1601 KB on your memory card for game saves.

Gameplay: 9.8
Jak 3 plays beautifully, everything that you do is so responsive it is amazing. Players will become one with the controller and Jak will move just as you would expect him to. The missions are really good, and never become too repetitive or annoying. The physics for the vehicles is really great and players can tell the differences between each one of them instantly. Playing with the light and dark Jak is also a blast, using his abilities to the best possible way. The Daxter missions are also great. It is nice to play as the second part of the duo.

Graphics: 9.7
Jak 3 is one of the best looking games that is currently available for any current generation system. Yes it is that good looking!

Sound: 9.6
All of the original voices from the first two games is back, and the music sounds really good and is appropriate for each level that you will transverse through.

Difficulty: Medium
I found that Jak 3 is a great game to test your gaming skills. This game is challenging, but it is also forgiving. I died many times throughout the game, but most of the time it is not due to cheap enemy AI, it was due to carelessness on my part. This game will challenge you but in a good way, it is through solid level and game structure. Plus every time you die you will want to come back and see if you can beat the level, as you know that you can play better than that.

Concept: 9.0
There is a lot of things for Jak to do in this game, from transversing two completely different cities, riding around in various vehicles, and even more powers. The only thing that is disappointing is that there is no multiplayer of any sort and the game is on the “short side.”

Overall: 9.7
If you own a Playstation 2 you owe it to yourself to pick up Jak 3. This game looks absolutely gorgeous; it is one of the best looking games out for the Playstation 2. The controls are very responsive and it plays like a dream. If you have played the other two games in the series, you owe it to yourself to see how it all plays out and ends. What are you waiting for go out and get it now!