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Daxter (A Techtite Review) It's actually bittersweet when a fan of the Jak games plays Daxter on the PSP. On the one hand it's as fun as a Jak game, at least to this Jak game fan. On the other hand, Jak is nowhere to be found, with the game centering exclusively on Daxter. Was that really the best idea here? I mean; if the PSP is powerful enough for a Jak game, why not have...a real Jak game? The story is set in between Jak 1 and Jak 2. This makes sense, when it made little sense (and still doesn't make total sense) how Jak went from a likeable E for everyone character to a rip-off of The Incredible Hulk in all of one game. What was someone thinking there? Well, if you want answers to that in Daxter, you have the wrong game, because this shows what Daxter was doing while Jak was captured and experimented on, during the prologue to Jak 2. So, what was Daxter doing? Apparently, he was exterminating bugs. O...kay...well...at least it makes for a swell game, right? I mean, you have Daxter, he smacks bugs for a few precursor orbs, which apparently he feels he needs to free Jak. That makes sense...well, sort of. It at least makes for a fun game, right? That's the good news. While the story linking this game to the Jak trilogy makes little sense, it maintains the humor of the Jak games, the fun of the Jak games, and the amusing levels to explore in typical Jak games. Love or hate it; the game even has the occasional "race level," so I hope you liked it when they added racing mini-games into Jak 2 and 3. For the most part, the game keeps the bug hunt interesting. In time Daxter learns new maneuvers and stunts to squash the bugs, as the bugs get slowly bigger and more sinister. He also comes across a friend or two, including a sort of elfin Lara Croft parody or sorts, who gives Daxter such upgrades as a pesticide gun and a flame thrower. Cool... It's the little details that make any platform game, and it's in these details where Daxter shines. For every 100 (or so) orbs you uncover, Daxter can sleep and have a dream sequence. These dreams are humorous parodies of everything from Matrix to Lord of the Rings, putting Daxter in roles ranging from Neo to "Braveheart." Complete these dream sequences and Daxter gains new skills or gets his health meter upgraded, among other things. Not that all is a bed of roses. In a game where all prior boss levels are as challenging as they are easy, the final boss is a downright pain to complete, especially when it's a three-part boss, and that means starting from the very beginning if you quit and start over again later. Worry not if you never complete this arduous final boss, because all you get is a short epilogue and spoilers notwithstanding; no, you don't see Jak. Not even in the finale! Than again; when a reviewer has to jump straight to the ending of the whole game in order to find any decent gripes, it's safe to say the ride there was pretty fun. While it seemed pretty bold for the Naughty Dog game design team to make a PSP title that was exclusively Daxter and 99% Jak-free, it's safe to say they did a fine job, making what is now the definitive platform game for the PSP. Techtite.com's rating:
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Deep Impact. The lack of Jak does not hinder the fun of this Jak
title in the least.