Jak & Daxter

It may have taken a while, but the PSP is heating up. No one could have been more surprised than I was that Sony's handheld sputtered so profoundly and so long out of the gate with its serious lack of quality software, but those days appear to be over. Among a recent burst of excellent games comes Daxter, heir to the legacy of Sony's high-profile platforming franchise.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Blood, Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor, Mild Language

Game Description: Jak II is a true plot-driven adventure game, where every mission has a direct effect on the storyline. With stunning graphics and animations, Jak II takes gamers on a journey through an enormous mystical world, darker than they have experienced before, as an impressive tale unfolds., The series goes dark as Jak and Daxter complete racing, platforming, shooting, and fighting missions in a Grand Theft Auto 3-inspired city.

Looking at the total package, I'd say that Jak II is still better than a lot of other titles out there based on the quality of its controls and graphics alone, but I'd also recommend the original Jak & Daxter and both of the Ratchet & Clank titles over Jak II. They all have the same stellar production values, but Jak II lacks the cohesion, pacing, and spirit the others possess.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Comic Mischief, Mild Language, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes

Ah, Jak and Daxter. I have a solid appreciation and more than a handful of fond memories for this disc.

Over the past few years, gaming has started to notice the value of having a main character duo as opposed to a lone hero. In some games, like Banjo-Kazooie, the teaming up is essential to advancing through the game's missions (players must utilize both Banjo and Kazooie to complete different objectives). Other games, like Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter aren't quite so ambitious in their use of two lead characters--the mute Jak does all of the work while Daxter provides the running commentary. However, theres no denying that the presence of a second lead character (or even a sidekick) gives these games an edge over their more traditional single lead character counterparts.