In 2001, Jak & Daxter came out on the Playstation and set the platforming world on fire. It was a great year to be a Playstation 2 owner. Towards the end of that year you were hit with the onslaught of killer titles. You had Metal Gear Solid 2, Devil May Cry, Gran Turismo 3, Final Fantasy X, and Grand Theft Auto 3. These games were so great that five years later people continue to play them. You would think that Jak & Daxter would've gotten lost in the shuffle, but it didn't. The developers at Naughty Dog Software spawned a game that gave birth to two excellent and challenging sequels.
The last two in the series focused more on shooting than platforming, but they were still fun. They focused on Jak the big pointy-eared silent guy. I never played the first two games, so I'm not too familiar with the story. Later with the infusion of dark eco he becomes rather angst ridden. Luckily Jak's companion is hilarious. He is an ottsel named Daxter. An ottsel seems to be what you get when you crossbreed an otter and a weasel. But my question is if this really happened would they be this sarcastic.
Since, they decided to end the franchise at number three, but giving the characters one last go around with a vehicular combat racer. After this they made a spin-off for the PSP with Daxter as the main character. If anybody is wondering if this game is any good; the answer is yes. To be honest it is really good, but not perfect.
Story:
To be honest the story is quite minimal; scribbled on a cocktail napkin minimal. But what you get is the recipe for pure hilarity. The game takes place after the first game, but before the second one. In the beginning you see Jak getting arrested and Daxter lambing it from the police. Next you're in a bar to witness Daxter doing his trademark embellishing of all the action he has seen. He hears about a job as a bug exterminator and decides to do it as a side job until he can rescue Jak.
While doing this job you meet up with some funny characters. My favorite moments are when he runs into this woman. She's there for Daxter to flirt with and to give you your bug squashing weaponry, but the dialogue that ensues is rather funny. There is also a character that resembles your standard stoner surfer dude; think Spicolli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. There is one scene between the two of them where they use the word "dude" several times, and it's pretty funny. The story isn't grandiose by any stretch of the imagination, but it's funny. You'll actually try to keep yourself from laughing out loud in public.
Gameplay:
The game handles pretty nicely. You control Daxter using the analog stick or the D-pad; you can change it in the menu. I switched to the D-pad because after awhile the analog stick became rather uncomfortable. The only problem is that the D-pad isn't as precise, but over time you get really used to it. You can control the camera angle using the L and R shoulder buttons.
There don't appear to be any loading points in the game. They actually managed to hide them. Like when you open a door to a new level you will see a bunch of doors turning, or when you're on an elevator. You only notice it when you run outside and the frame rate starts to drop, which rarely happens.
In the game you do battle with bugs. There are probably about five or six different kinds, maybe seven. I honestly wish there was more of a variety, because some of them are cool looking. Your implement of bug death is an electric fly swatter. Daxter is pretty fast with it so he's not a push over. At the end of your initial combo he does a front somersault smash. This can be done multiple times in different directions. Just make sure when you see an enemy that you aim in that direction, and it will be gone in one hit.
Your other weapon is a spray gun. This is rather handy with the bigger bugs, because it stuns them allowing you to get a couple of shots in. Over time you can equip with all kinds of attachments. My current favorite is the flamethrower. Watching the flaming bugs skitter around is hilarious. The spray gun also acts as a jet pack. By aiming at the ground (the circle button) while in the air Daxter can hover. This doesn't last forever, while in the air it will need to be re-fueled. Picking up the orbs of green gas in the stage can do this.
There are button mini-games also. These are dream sequences where Daxter will act out certain famous movies sequences. For example you have the thousand Agent Smith fight sequence from The Matrix Reloaded, you also have a scene from the movie Braveheart to play out. There are many more and they can be unlocked collecting red orbs. By completing them you can gain access to new moves and more health.
Graphics:
This is another one of those almost PS2 quality games. The detail on Daxter's character model is great. You can see the fur on his body and to be honest he's a rather adorable character. His tail wags when he moves; when he crawls around he moves around almost like a lizard. When you don't move him around he does some rather funny things. He will do a handstand, or go in to a kung-fu stance, and when he's hanging off the bottom of a moving platform he will bite his tail. A lot the enemies have a nice amount of detail to them also. The bugs and all of the other characters in the game have a lot of detail to them as well. I'm still trying to figure out why Daxter's female Elfen cohort is so buxom, but some things are not meant to be figured out. My favorite character is actually a boss. It looks like something that belongs in Starship Troopers. From Daxter's perspective it it's huge. It shoots bright purple, electric spheres of death, and looked cool doing it.
Sound:
Another thing well done in this game is the music. The music is pretty good, it's occasionally catchy and rather whimsical, but at the same time forgettable. Simply put you'll like it while playing the game and sometimes you might even end up humming the opening theme, but unlike Shadow of the Colossus you won't want to buy the soundtrack. All the noise in the environment is expertly handled; you can hear bugs as you approach them. When you crush a bug you get a loud wet squish sound.
Overall:
If you're a fan of platforming games and you want to see it done right on the PSP you should give Daxter a look. You shouldn't be disappointed unless you are really picky. It has good music, funny dialogue, and great graphics. It also has this bug combat multi-player mode that I didn't touch.
"Daxter (PSP)" is on sale March 14, 2006 and is rated E. Adventure.
