Jak II Review
A Journalistic Review by DefiantParrot
Originally Written: 02/21/2020
*Spoilers May Be Ahead*
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: Action-Platformer, Third-Person Shooter
Release: October 14, 2003
What is your favorite video game of all time? Quite the loaded question isn't it? I've had that question asked to me recently and I don't think I can give a consistent answer. Depends on the genre, series, platform it's too difficult for me to decide like asking my favorite Pokemon or child.
But there was a time, when asked that question that I would answer with this game, Jak II.
I picked this game up pretty much as soon as it dropped and I fell in love with it, after Spyro 3 this was the game that I wrote short stories about being involved in, I dreamed of running around Haven City and hanging out with my boys, I couldn't get enough, but this is game I haven't replayed in over ten years. Honestly I'm a bit scared.
As the opening cinematic starts the first thing I noticed was how good this game looks, character models are far better here than in the previous game. The in-game models still look off and appear like deadeyed fish but they are still an improvement nonetheless.
So if you collected all the Precursor Orbs in the last game there'd be a short cutscene where the gang uncover... something. We don't see it, but this game shows that it was a giant Precursor Ring and Shuttle sort of thing to interact with it.
The gang are about to fly through the ring and I always wanted to hear how that conversation got started, but when the gang activate the ring a hideous monster appears through the ring, seemingly knowing Jak as the gang fearfully take off.
We end up separated from Keira and Samos and arrive in 'glorious' Haven City. Jak is immediately arrested by the guards while Daxter escapes into a spin-off.
Quite the intro wouldn't you say? Quite a number of questions were rattling around my head replaying this. As a kid I loved the story but I didn't have the critical eye I do now, so I was paying close attention to see if everything made sense.
Jak is held as a prisoner and test subject for the leader of Haven City Baron Praxis. An asshole who has subjected our boy to two years of intermittent Dark Eco torture.
Daxter finally shows up after stomping a dick into the ground (but we'll talk about that another time) and frees Jak. Seeing what Praxis has done to him, he can even talk now! Thank Christ!
So yeah I love the story here even to this day and it does actually really work. This game has alot of twists and turns and unlike Shyamalan it actually makes sense here. I'd say the story is the absolute best part of this game, hands down. And if you have somehow not played it, I'm going to actively try and avoid spoilers here.
So as I said earlier Jak can speak now. Voiced by Mike Erwin he is an excellent addition to the cast. Samos, Keira and Daxters previous actors return as well and they're all still great.
But we have a whole slew of new characters and I love them all, including their voices.
Shermand Howard as the old man Kor is really good.
Cutter Garcia as Torn is a delight and I just find his voice very sexy... DON'T JUDGE ME!
Susan Eisenberg as Ashelin is fantastic there's just too many to count and speak on! Like Mr. Krabs as Baron Praxis, fucking hell I can't unhear it now!
So when you start out Jak controls exactly the same as he did in The Precursor Legacy which if you recall I praised but that's far from the only gameplay style here folks we get all Sly Cooper on this shit!
But I'll get into the real variations later, as for running jumping and all of that Jak still controls perfectly. But as the cover may tell you we're packing heat now.
Yeah apparently jealous of Ratchet & Clank's arsenal our Sandover Stooges here decided to pick up some guns of their own.
The first few missions in the game are done without weapons but after picking up the first one the game really starts to throw shit at you.
There's only four of them and they are all color coded for added ease and of course style.
Well actually they're variations on a gun called the Morph Gun, but whatever, details man who needs them?
The first is the Scatter Gun which is like a short range shotgun, I did't use it all that much when I unlocked the other weapons, but I did get alot more use out of it today than I did when I replayed this game a million times in the past.
The Second is the Blaster which is a rifle and will probably be your go to weapon. It's got a laser sight for added precision and I didn't have too many issues with it. But and this is a major flaw, I wish I could aim in first person with this gun, because when you have enemies above you it can be a pain in my Precursors to accurately hit them.
Next is the Vulcan Fury the motherfucking gatling gun! I love it, hold down the trigger and watch this baby fire up. But it does eat ammo like a motherfucker.
And last is the Peacemaker the best gun in the game but don't fire it at another vehicle close to yours oh god no.
I love the gunplay here. Aside from the annoyances I mentioned earlier I didn't have that many major issues with them. In fact I think they add to Jak's arsenal. That spinning kick that essentially acted as a triple jump from the last game? Well fire the Blaster while doing that and watch Jak fire randomly in multiple directions.
It's great for when you get swarmed but this has lead to some complaints that I've seen.
So I listened to a couple reviews before writing my own, just to see if there's something I missed and I saw a couple people bring up the Blaster spin combo as game breaking and making the game far too easy and I'd like to address that.
The spin is never required and honestly on my playthrough I only used it a few times when I was getting swarmed, most times I'd switch to the Scatter Gun and blow the fuckers away if they started invading my personal space.
Also the spin isn't a guaranteed hit, you can miss most shots with it and still get hit by the enemy, you are firing randonmly after all, and if you found one move that you liked and exclusively use it over and over of course you're gonna find it easy and boring. You're not experimenting with the gameplay and respectfully that's your fault and not the games.
Anyway so yeah you'll have an arsenal to blast enemies with and there's a great variety of foes to defeat. From the Baron's trained and merciless Krimzon Guards, to the random wildlife you can encounter when you venture outside the city's walls and the Metal Heads.
These things are the major enemies in this game, monsters with glistening skull gems and are at war with the city, if they see you they will kill you and enjoy every minute of it, so you better be ready.
Haven City is your hub area for this game, and it's clear that one of the main influences of this game was Grand Theft Auto because that's essentially what it is.
You'll navigate this massive city in vehicles, the returning zoomers and will get missions from various different factions and characters which I've already praised.
After escaping the prison the boys are directed by an old man named Kor to join the Underground resistance to fight against Baron Praxis.
Of course it's also during this conversation with Kor that we get our first look at Dark Jak. These two years of experiments have had a horrifying effect on our pal Jak here as after collecting enough Dark Eco Jak can transform into this monster.
He can't use the Morph Gun anymore but his physical attacks are a blast to use and there are unlockable abilities for him you can get later on, including a shockwave attack and even invincibility.
Ahh yes collecting, that was pretty big in the last game wasn't it? To unlock Dark Jaks abilities you'll need to collect the Skull Gems from the Metal Heads you kill but the Precursor Orbs return from the previous game.
They're nowhere near as prevalent, in fact they're really rare now and can be found hidden in various levels or can be awarded by completing side missions.
Now don't get too excited these side missions are pitiful, gotten from these shining board like things in the city they're either find the hidden spot or more zoomer races, honestly they're not worth playing.
But some of the things the orbs can unlock are cool. Toggling Jaks goatee, Mirror World or even Hero Mode.
Basically Hero Mode is a harder difficulty for a notoriously difficult game. But it can only be bought when you have 200 Precursor Orbs, and I didn't have that much nor did I feel like unlocking it or playing it.
In fact I'll go on the record and say that I've never actually completed Hero Mode. Maybe on the PS3 when I get around to reviewing the HD trilogy.
Ah but there I just touched on it. Jak II is a game that is infamous for its difficulty, I beat it several times as a young bird growing up and I do remember moments of immense frustration during those times admittedly.
But throughout the decade I haven't played this game it has come up repeatedly how hard this game is even without Hero Mode. So I gotta admit, I was nervous. I was expecting frustrations out of my mind and to wonder how on earth I did this when I was younger.
But I gotta say I didn't have that many issues with it. Yeah people bring up the checkpoint system, and yeah let's touch on that. The game is a really picky bitch when it comes to those. Being forced to replay a challenging section right from the very start is annoying as hell.
I will not defend those at all fuck the checkpoint system here. I did have missions that challenged me quite a bit though. The Water Slums shootout is a pain in my ass, but being slow and utilizing all the guns can make that much better.
The city race with Baron Praxis' right hand dickweed Errol I remember driving me up a fucking wall when I was younger but that only took a few restarts this time.
I did have an annoying moment when you have to rescue enslaved Lurkers, and I destroyed the last vehicle with the purple fuck in it and it glitched through a fucking wall when it landed, and I had to restart, from the beginning and get all six of these fuckers again.
FUCK THE LACK OF CHECKPOINTS
Oh and the camera, I don't know if it's because this game is more condensed with a city instead of the open islands from before but this camera was more wacky here than before. Which annoys me because I praised the camera previously, man I was disappointed there.
Speaking of disappointing the music, now I've had the Haven City theme in my head for the last few days now, and I do like the music. Mar's Tomb is a good piece of music and I like the boss fight music but nothing is as memorable as the kickoff beat of The Precursor Legacy.
Well I guess we're in complaining territory now so let's go all in. Haven City is huge with the Slums, The Palace District, Water Slums, Agricultural Area, Industrial Area the city is massive. And there are several times where you have to drive your way from one end of the city to the other, now the flying controls are fine and I do love running around this city but at a point it can get tedious.
What I'm saying is I think a fast travel option would be very welcome here. Like a Zoomer Taxi and a loading screen if nothing else, I don't know if fast travel systems were a thing back then but it would come in handy.
The boss fights are another complaint. First in that there's not many of them, only four in the entire game which The Precursor Legacy only had two and a mini-boss so I guess that's an improvement?
Also in that the second and last one are incredibly easy. Ironically the first one is the most difficult wrap your head around and defeat.
Alright time to go into the multiple play styles here. We've already discussed Jak on foot, Jak on a Zoomber and Jak with guns. But let's launch into the others here.
There's a Jet-Board that you can unlock through the story missions and even an obstacle course to play around in. Proving Jak doesn't just like GTA but also Tony Hawk.
I do love the Jet-Board as another form of traversal and it is implemented pretty well into gameplay and exploration allowing you to traverse over water and even pools of Dark Eco.
At two points your chased by a giant Metal Centipede that gave me fucking nightmares as a bird and you go into the perspective of the monster chasing you as you run and platform away.
This could be pretty annoying as you can't accurately see what you're jumping on and then you have to start all over becuase of that fucking checkpoint system!
There's also turret sections to play a few times that I hear is an absolute bitch on Hero Mode. I mean they work but does anyone like these things?
There's the racing sections which are a bit different from racing through the city on a Zoomer and for some reason instead of three laps these races have five. Because why not I guess maybe it's the Baron's favorite number.
There's one moment wear you play as Daxter running from a giant rock/spider oh dear god did this ALSO give me nightmares when I was young. as a kid. It's only for this part which is odd but I do like how Daxter controls.
Maybe this was testing the waters for that spin-off of his.
And then there's the Titan Suit. This mech shows up out of nowhere during the last act of this game and I can't fucking stand it.
I didn't like it back then and I didn't like it now, it's slow, cumbersome and just isn't fun to play. Fuck this thing.
It's a bitch to maneuver in this thing turning around takes a five day notice, and for a giant mech suit it might as well be made out of fucking tissue paper.
Wow that was alot to say, I stand by what I said earlier the story is the best part of this game, bar none. I've mentioned before how I love storytelling in video games and this game is one of the ones that sparked that love from me.
How you traverse the city for 90% of the game just avoiding guards but towards the end Metal Heads have invaded and the city streets are a battlefield. The reveal in the dead city, the twist at the end of the game and how it's revealed we'll never go back to Sandover Village.
It makes me very melancholic thinking about it.
But that's it, my once favorite video game of all time. I still love it, I really do but that checkpoint system alone would keep it from getting a gold from me. That is unforgivable but the game does have its other minor issues that keeps it from going higher.
Jak II receives my Silver Seal of Recommendation
This is easily my favorite game in the Jak and Daxter series and while I'm not looking as forward to the third game as I was the second, I'm more than ready to jump into it when the times right. Like a fat man being killed by a bomb would say.
Ohh well.
Originally Written: 02/21/2020
*Spoilers May Be Ahead*
 |
| Looks like we got ourselves a renegade here |
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: Action-Platformer, Third-Person Shooter
Release: October 14, 2003
What is your favorite video game of all time? Quite the loaded question isn't it? I've had that question asked to me recently and I don't think I can give a consistent answer. Depends on the genre, series, platform it's too difficult for me to decide like asking my favorite Pokemon or child.
But there was a time, when asked that question that I would answer with this game, Jak II.
I picked this game up pretty much as soon as it dropped and I fell in love with it, after Spyro 3 this was the game that I wrote short stories about being involved in, I dreamed of running around Haven City and hanging out with my boys, I couldn't get enough, but this is game I haven't replayed in over ten years. Honestly I'm a bit scared.
As the opening cinematic starts the first thing I noticed was how good this game looks, character models are far better here than in the previous game. The in-game models still look off and appear like deadeyed fish but they are still an improvement nonetheless.
So if you collected all the Precursor Orbs in the last game there'd be a short cutscene where the gang uncover... something. We don't see it, but this game shows that it was a giant Precursor Ring and Shuttle sort of thing to interact with it.
The gang are about to fly through the ring and I always wanted to hear how that conversation got started, but when the gang activate the ring a hideous monster appears through the ring, seemingly knowing Jak as the gang fearfully take off.
 |
| Yeah THAT looks inviting |
Quite the intro wouldn't you say? Quite a number of questions were rattling around my head replaying this. As a kid I loved the story but I didn't have the critical eye I do now, so I was paying close attention to see if everything made sense.
Jak is held as a prisoner and test subject for the leader of Haven City Baron Praxis. An asshole who has subjected our boy to two years of intermittent Dark Eco torture.
 |
| Cozy place |
So yeah I love the story here even to this day and it does actually really work. This game has alot of twists and turns and unlike Shyamalan it actually makes sense here. I'd say the story is the absolute best part of this game, hands down. And if you have somehow not played it, I'm going to actively try and avoid spoilers here.
So as I said earlier Jak can speak now. Voiced by Mike Erwin he is an excellent addition to the cast. Samos, Keira and Daxters previous actors return as well and they're all still great.
But we have a whole slew of new characters and I love them all, including their voices.
Shermand Howard as the old man Kor is really good.
Cutter Garcia as Torn is a delight and I just find his voice very sexy... DON'T JUDGE ME!
Susan Eisenberg as Ashelin is fantastic there's just too many to count and speak on! Like Mr. Krabs as Baron Praxis, fucking hell I can't unhear it now!
So when you start out Jak controls exactly the same as he did in The Precursor Legacy which if you recall I praised but that's far from the only gameplay style here folks we get all Sly Cooper on this shit!
 |
| There's a small variety of different Zoomers this time around |
Yeah apparently jealous of Ratchet & Clank's arsenal our Sandover Stooges here decided to pick up some guns of their own.
The first few missions in the game are done without weapons but after picking up the first one the game really starts to throw shit at you.
There's only four of them and they are all color coded for added ease and of course style.
Well actually they're variations on a gun called the Morph Gun, but whatever, details man who needs them?
The first is the Scatter Gun which is like a short range shotgun, I did't use it all that much when I unlocked the other weapons, but I did get alot more use out of it today than I did when I replayed this game a million times in the past.
The Second is the Blaster which is a rifle and will probably be your go to weapon. It's got a laser sight for added precision and I didn't have too many issues with it. But and this is a major flaw, I wish I could aim in first person with this gun, because when you have enemies above you it can be a pain in my Precursors to accurately hit them.
Next is the Vulcan Fury the motherfucking gatling gun! I love it, hold down the trigger and watch this baby fire up. But it does eat ammo like a motherfucker.
 |
| Ladies and Gentlemen: Jaks Rape Face |
I love the gunplay here. Aside from the annoyances I mentioned earlier I didn't have that many major issues with them. In fact I think they add to Jak's arsenal. That spinning kick that essentially acted as a triple jump from the last game? Well fire the Blaster while doing that and watch Jak fire randomly in multiple directions.
It's great for when you get swarmed but this has lead to some complaints that I've seen.
So I listened to a couple reviews before writing my own, just to see if there's something I missed and I saw a couple people bring up the Blaster spin combo as game breaking and making the game far too easy and I'd like to address that.
The spin is never required and honestly on my playthrough I only used it a few times when I was getting swarmed, most times I'd switch to the Scatter Gun and blow the fuckers away if they started invading my personal space.
Also the spin isn't a guaranteed hit, you can miss most shots with it and still get hit by the enemy, you are firing randonmly after all, and if you found one move that you liked and exclusively use it over and over of course you're gonna find it easy and boring. You're not experimenting with the gameplay and respectfully that's your fault and not the games.
 |
| There's also a wide variety of areas you'll explore |
These things are the major enemies in this game, monsters with glistening skull gems and are at war with the city, if they see you they will kill you and enjoy every minute of it, so you better be ready.
Haven City is your hub area for this game, and it's clear that one of the main influences of this game was Grand Theft Auto because that's essentially what it is.
You'll navigate this massive city in vehicles, the returning zoomers and will get missions from various different factions and characters which I've already praised.
After escaping the prison the boys are directed by an old man named Kor to join the Underground resistance to fight against Baron Praxis.
 |
| NOW we're talking! |
He can't use the Morph Gun anymore but his physical attacks are a blast to use and there are unlockable abilities for him you can get later on, including a shockwave attack and even invincibility.
Ahh yes collecting, that was pretty big in the last game wasn't it? To unlock Dark Jaks abilities you'll need to collect the Skull Gems from the Metal Heads you kill but the Precursor Orbs return from the previous game.
They're nowhere near as prevalent, in fact they're really rare now and can be found hidden in various levels or can be awarded by completing side missions.
Now don't get too excited these side missions are pitiful, gotten from these shining board like things in the city they're either find the hidden spot or more zoomer races, honestly they're not worth playing.
But some of the things the orbs can unlock are cool. Toggling Jaks goatee, Mirror World or even Hero Mode.
Basically Hero Mode is a harder difficulty for a notoriously difficult game. But it can only be bought when you have 200 Precursor Orbs, and I didn't have that much nor did I feel like unlocking it or playing it.
In fact I'll go on the record and say that I've never actually completed Hero Mode. Maybe on the PS3 when I get around to reviewing the HD trilogy.
 |
| The secrets are a bit lacking I'll admit |
But throughout the decade I haven't played this game it has come up repeatedly how hard this game is even without Hero Mode. So I gotta admit, I was nervous. I was expecting frustrations out of my mind and to wonder how on earth I did this when I was younger.
But I gotta say I didn't have that many issues with it. Yeah people bring up the checkpoint system, and yeah let's touch on that. The game is a really picky bitch when it comes to those. Being forced to replay a challenging section right from the very start is annoying as hell.
I will not defend those at all fuck the checkpoint system here. I did have missions that challenged me quite a bit though. The Water Slums shootout is a pain in my ass, but being slow and utilizing all the guns can make that much better.
The city race with Baron Praxis' right hand dickweed Errol I remember driving me up a fucking wall when I was younger but that only took a few restarts this time.
 |
| FLYING THROUGH RINGS!!!!! |
FUCK THE LACK OF CHECKPOINTS
Oh and the camera, I don't know if it's because this game is more condensed with a city instead of the open islands from before but this camera was more wacky here than before. Which annoys me because I praised the camera previously, man I was disappointed there.
 |
| Mar's Tomb is my favorite part of the game |
Well I guess we're in complaining territory now so let's go all in. Haven City is huge with the Slums, The Palace District, Water Slums, Agricultural Area, Industrial Area the city is massive. And there are several times where you have to drive your way from one end of the city to the other, now the flying controls are fine and I do love running around this city but at a point it can get tedious.
What I'm saying is I think a fast travel option would be very welcome here. Like a Zoomer Taxi and a loading screen if nothing else, I don't know if fast travel systems were a thing back then but it would come in handy.
The boss fights are another complaint. First in that there's not many of them, only four in the entire game which The Precursor Legacy only had two and a mini-boss so I guess that's an improvement?
 |
| I do really like this one though |
Alright time to go into the multiple play styles here. We've already discussed Jak on foot, Jak on a Zoomber and Jak with guns. But let's launch into the others here.
There's a Jet-Board that you can unlock through the story missions and even an obstacle course to play around in. Proving Jak doesn't just like GTA but also Tony Hawk.
I do love the Jet-Board as another form of traversal and it is implemented pretty well into gameplay and exploration allowing you to traverse over water and even pools of Dark Eco.
At two points your chased by a giant Metal Centipede that gave me fucking nightmares as a bird and you go into the perspective of the monster chasing you as you run and platform away.
This could be pretty annoying as you can't accurately see what you're jumping on and then you have to start all over becuase of that fucking checkpoint system!
 |
| I call this the "Fuzzy Lurker" |
There's the racing sections which are a bit different from racing through the city on a Zoomer and for some reason instead of three laps these races have five. Because why not I guess maybe it's the Baron's favorite number.
There's one moment wear you play as Daxter running from a giant rock/spider oh dear god did this ALSO give me nightmares when I was young. as a kid. It's only for this part which is odd but I do like how Daxter controls.
Maybe this was testing the waters for that spin-off of his.
And then there's the Titan Suit. This mech shows up out of nowhere during the last act of this game and I can't fucking stand it.
 |
| Fuck this rejected Iron Man design |
I didn't like it back then and I didn't like it now, it's slow, cumbersome and just isn't fun to play. Fuck this thing.
It's a bitch to maneuver in this thing turning around takes a five day notice, and for a giant mech suit it might as well be made out of fucking tissue paper.
Wow that was alot to say, I stand by what I said earlier the story is the best part of this game, bar none. I've mentioned before how I love storytelling in video games and this game is one of the ones that sparked that love from me.
How you traverse the city for 90% of the game just avoiding guards but towards the end Metal Heads have invaded and the city streets are a battlefield. The reveal in the dead city, the twist at the end of the game and how it's revealed we'll never go back to Sandover Village.
It makes me very melancholic thinking about it.
But that's it, my once favorite video game of all time. I still love it, I really do but that checkpoint system alone would keep it from getting a gold from me. That is unforgivable but the game does have its other minor issues that keeps it from going higher.
 |
| For when you FINALLY know Jak |
This is easily my favorite game in the Jak and Daxter series and while I'm not looking as forward to the third game as I was the second, I'm more than ready to jump into it when the times right. Like a fat man being killed by a bomb would say.
Ohh well.
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