Jak II – PS2 – Preview 2

Long
before Ruben Studdard became an American idol, there was a man who was
idolized not because of his voice, but because of his marsupial friend: Jason
Rubin.  Rubin created Crash Bandicoot, the only action/adventure series to
sell more than 20 million units on the PSone.  With such huge success under
his belt, it was a huge surprise to find that Naughty Dog (Jason Rubin’s
company) had said goodbye to Crash Bandicoot forever.  Both Sony and Naughty
Dog gave (sold) the game’s rights to Universal, who previously had a
business-related connection to the series.  Was Naughty Dog barking up the
wrong tree, or had they found a new bone to bury?

 

Naughty
Dog did what does do best: they sniffed an opportunity and didn’t let it go
until it was held tightly between their teeth.  The opportunity was to develop
a brand-new game with its own gameplay style.  This game wouldn’t be a
spiritual successor to Crash – it didn’t have to follow any of Crash’s rules
either.  Instead, the goal was to develop something much bigger and better. 
The result was Jak & Daxter, one of the greatest action/adventure games ever
made.  (You could call it the greatest platformer ever made, too, but those
genres are so closely related that it really isn’t necessary.)

 

Nearly
two years have passed since the release of Jak & Daxter.  As we speak, Naughty
Dog is putting the finishing touches on the game’s sequel, Jak II.  Why the
shortened name?  I can’t say for certain, but it probably has a lot to do with
the game’s slightly darker image, and the fact that "and" game titles lead the
player to believe that it’s a kiddie game.  While Jak II appears to be
perfectly suitable for children (there was nothing in the demo that went
beyond the first game’s content), this is not at all a child’s play-thing.

 

Fans of
the previous game will be glad to know that everything that could be done in
the first game can be done in the sequel.  Every move and every attack is
here, along with several new ones.  What stands out the most is the Scatter
Gun Jak is holding at the beginning of the demo.  "What, did you say gun?" 
Yes, gun.  Jak & Daxter hasn’t suddenly gone all Tomb Raider on us, but it
does have a new arsenal of weapons that closely resembles the weapon combat of
Ratchet & Clank.

 

Based
on the demo alone, it’s hard to say if the weapons are the main way to defend
yourself against Jak II’s tough enemies.  Weapon usage is limited by the
amount of bullets you have.  More bullets can be found, but since all of Jak’s
original attacks have returned, he can also punch the enemies or whack them
with this tail.  He can also use the gun itself as a weapon and bash enemies
with it.

 

One
surprising change is the inclusion of missions.  There were some objectives in
the first game that could be considered missions, but for the most part, it
was very much an action/adventure game in which you did what you wanted, when
you wanted.  There are two sections of the demo, and the first section forces
you to follow the lead of a comrade and stand by him at all times.  If you
fail to protect him from the enemies, he’ll die, and you’ll fail the mission. 
It’s a fun mission, but there is a lot of repetitive shooting, and all I
wanted to do was abandon my main objective and see what else was out there. 
The world is big, and it’s clear that there’s more to see, but the demo
wouldn’t allow me to see it.  Certainly, you’ll be able to see it all in the
final version, but whether or not there will be times when missions restrict
you has yet to be seen.

 

The
other section of the demo gives you the chance to ride Jak’s new hover board. 
Call it Jak’s Pro Skater if you will, because that’s how it feels.  This is an
excellent addition to the game.  Jak can zip up and down mountains, jump over
large gaps, and fly up ramps to perform some kind of task that has yet to be
determined.  Jak can’t attack when he’s riding, but he can whip out the board
and put it away at any time, so it’s not an instant death trap.

 

Not at all surprisingly, Naughty Dog is set to take
the top spot again this year with the best action/adventure game.  The new
levels are fantastic.  They’re extremely well designed, and feel like so much
more than just a square island in the sky.  The weapons and new vehicles (more
will be available in the final version) are awesome.  Sony is distributing
this demo publicly, so it should appear in the Official U.S. PlayStation
Magazine within the next couple of months.  Watch for it, and look for the
final game when it’s released this September.