"A Must-Have for any PSP Library"

I've been a long time fan of the Jak and Daxter series of games, and JakII and 3 are probably my two favorite games. However, I was skeptical about Daxter. How well would controls that are so fluid and essential to smooth gameplay stand up with ony one analog stick, and two fewer shoulder buttons? What about the camera? How long will it be? Those UMD's don't even hold half of a PS2 disc. And the biggest issue, it's not being developed by Naughty Dog, the genius behind all four PS2 installments(if you count Jak X). Instead a couple of the main devs from NG broke off, and founded Ready At Dawn Studios. Supposedly everyone there was hand-picked by the people from NG, and R@D was "overseen" by NG. So how does this game featuring Jak's pint-sized buddy stand up? Very, very well. Read on.

Story: 8/10
Fairly original and definetly interesting, this game takes place in the two years from when Jak was captured and imprisoned, to the start of JakII where he is rescued by Dax. However, this game doesn't span two years. It doesn't specifically say, just "Two Years Later....Almost" in the opening movie. Daxter got a job at the Cridder Ridder Extermination shop in the meantime, to fight a mysterious metalbug infestation of Haven City. This of course ties in with the metalheads you regularly stomp in JakII, showing that this game was designed with the PS2 versions in mind. But the main reason Jak veterans will be intrigued will just be to find out how exactly Jak is rescued.

Graphics/Audio: 10/10
Fantastic, absolutely mind-blowing. Nothing else on PSP even comes close to visuals of this quality. You'd swear you were playing PS2 at some points. You can see individual hairs on Daxter's tail. Detail in environments is fantastic, and this is pretty much the first PSP game to use skyboxes(you can see everything at once, there is no "fade-in"). It is just one big chunk of eye candy, no questions asked. Visuals are bright and colorful, no bland recycled colors here. Detail is everywhere, you really have to see this game to believe how good it looks. It definetly sets the bar way, way high for PSP visuals.

The audio portion is more of the same, crisp, clear orchestrated tunes make up most of the soundtrack, and every one fits the level perfectly. Play with good headphones, you'll miss so much through the built-in speakers. Sound effects are convincing and also highly detailed. Ex: When you hop on a scooter you hear the motor crank over, fire up and rev, then settle back down to a gurgling idle. No questions the best A/V experience the PSP currently has to offer.

Gameplay: 9.5/10
The game really holds true to previous Jak games, espically Jak II. You can free roam around Haven City, either on foot or using vehicles(sorry, you can't hijack speeders in this game), and start missions whenever you please by going to that location marked on a mini-map. The exterminator shop is your main hub, where you can get missions from Osmo(the shop's owner, Dax's employer), or take a nap in the room, where you can play unlocked Dream Games. More on that later.

For those not familiar with Jak games, here's a quick rundown. Missions are typically of the action/platforming variety, though it's really a lot more than that. Mini-games are thrown across most levels to vary up the gameplay, while completely staying relavant to the mission at hand. Once done with a mission, you return to the Haven City Streets, where the Communicator(little widget given by Osmo) will inform you of your next mission. Also during missions, Osmo will give hints and tricks via the Communicator if it "senses" that you are having trouble with a particular part.

Dax's aresenal isn't as extensive as Jak's, but it is satisfying and gets the job done. He starts with just an electric flyswatter, which is used by pressing square. Shortly into the game he gets the bug spray can, which gets various upgrades through the game. This is used by pressing circle. X is jump, and triangle is "ottsel mode", better known as "crouch" to everyone else. It lets Dax get into small areas. Controls are spot-on, and some pretty nice combos can bee made by using the swatter and spray can in conjunction, which you often will.

The analog nub is used to move Daxter, while the L and R buttons swing the camera in their respective directions. However, I rarely had to ever adjust the camera, it stays right on the action and never glitches or gets stuck. Kudos to R@D on this, pulling off 3rd person cameras, espically on the PSP is no easy task. Pressing up on the d-pad will bring up 1st person view, this is limited to looking, you can't move Dax in this mode. Pressing down returns to standard 3rd person. Everything plays smoothly, and you get used to the controls almost immediatly.

Difficulty is just right. The game certianly isn't a pushover, but it isn't mercilessly difficult either. Just right. The difficulty nicely ramps up toward the middle and end of the game, and rarely will you complete a mission on your first try, though there are frequent "checkpoints" where you restart from should you die. One odd quirk though, Daxter can't swim. At all. He just instantly dies. Ironic, since Daxter is half otter, and they spend their whole lives swimming. Certianly nothing to worry over.

Multiplayer is limited to a "rock-paper-scissors-esque" minigame involving bug combat. Through the single player, you collect bugs, weapons, and upgrades, which can then be used in either the SP or MP bug combat section off the main menu of the game. It's sorta fun, and will keep you entertained for a bit, but it's appeal wears off fast. It's a nice distraction from the main story mode though.

Replay value is moderate. You can go through again and try to collect all the Precursor Orbs(1000 in all, yikes!) and all the metalbug gems that they drop when killed. Other than that, you could replay it to get more bug parts and upgrades for your bug in that mode, but that's about it.

Buy/Rent/Don't Bother: A must buy. This game is easily the best looking and playing game on PSP so far, and it's story will keep Jak fans on edge. It's really not to be missed. Fans of Jak games will love it, and even newcomers to the J&D series will see what they've been missing. It's a game that really anyone can like. If you're really unsure about platformers, at least do it the justice of a rent.

Bottom Line: THE must-have PSP title.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/17/06