Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

 I always felt like the 6th generation was where gaming really started to take off as a mainstream hobby.

It's not that a there weren't a lot of people playing video games during the previous two generations, because there were. But it always felt like it was predominately a medium targeted at boys age seven to 17. I didn't realize it at the time, I fit right into that group after all, but games were almost exclusively made for that demographic. It was around the 6th gen where I feel like that began to change. My guess would be that some gaming execs realized there was money being left on the table. "Hey, maybe girls like video games too?" "Our user base is getting older, maybe we should make more titles aimed at adults?" "If we made educational or child friendly games that don't suck, maybe parents will buy them for their kids?" Anyone that's ever sat in a marketing meeting knows exactly what I'm talking about. In this case, it was a good thing. Video games should be for everyone who wants to play them. And besides, a little innovation would be nice. That, combined with rapidly improving technology, led to some interesting things happening during the generation. A lot of modern video game sensibilities came to be during the 6th generation, this is where open world games and two stick FPS controls became a thing on consoles. It also brought quite a few new series to the gaming pantheon...many of which were big deals during this generation and died off afterwards. I've already looked at Onimusha, which was a huge 6th gen franchise that looks to have died out. Jak and Daxter seems to be another such franchise.

Developed by Naughty Dog, Jak and Daxter was a series consisting predominately of 3D mascot platformers. Starting with the first game in 2001, which we will cover today, it become one of the top franchises on the PlayStation 2. Its characters were all over promotional material, it was featured on demo discs, it was had a kart racing spinoff, which was a surefire sign of success in the late 90's and early 00's. And, like Onimusha, it seemingly vanished once the PS2 was sunset. Sure it's had a few compilations and remasters, but those aren't original games. It's not quite as bad as with F-Zero, but there hasn't been a new Jak and Daxter since 2009. Unlike Onimusha, where there's a relatively coherent explanation as to why, it's hard to say why J&D fell off. Maybe it's because 3D platformers just aren't as popular as they used to be? Maybe Sony was keener to focus on Ratchet and Clank, another mascot platformer that I always felt had a similar style and presentation? Maybe Naughty Dog wanted to focus more on experimental fare or mature titles like The Last of Us? Regardless of why, J&D's arc is somewhat easier to explain when looked at in context. It felt like a very logical progression from the 3D platformers from the late 90's, both technically and tonally and it really made a ton of sense why it became so popular.

While I wouldn't say Jak & Daxter is "more adult" than a lot of its predecessors, it definitely has a certain edge to it that those games didn't. Jak is still a silent protagonist and Daxter is still a goofy animal sidekick, but the game's tone is a bit more oppressive and its dialogue far more sarcastic than what you would find in something like Super Mario 64 or Spyro. The game follows the titular duo, who are exploring the forbidden Misty Island against the wishes of Sage Samos when they encounter creatures called lurkers. They overhear the lurker's plans to gather Eco, a form of unique and powerful energy, to re-make the world in their image. They make a daring escape after being discovered, but Daxter falls into a pool of Dark Eco, transforming him into a strange rodent like creature. After reporting their findings to Samos and his daughter Keira, the duo sets out on a quest to rescue the other sages, learn to properly utilize Eco and defeat the lurker menace. They must collect relics left behind by the precursors, the creators of their world, to aid them in their quest. It doesn't sound that different from its contemporaries, but the general tone is a little more dark and dreary. Sandover Village has a kind of oppressive, steampunk-y vibe and the lurkers are very menacing in a cartoon-y kind of way. Keira is a little more suggestively dressed than most mascot platformer sidekicks, but she's also way smarter and technically knowledgeable too. No damsel in distress here. Samos's dressing down of Jack and especially Daxter is way more savage than you would see from a paternal figure in this kind of game and both he and Daxter are extremely biting and sarcastic.

Gameplay-wise, it's fairly similar to most 3D platformers of the day. You explore a variety of areas focused around hub worlds, with each containing six power cells. You don't necessarily need to collect every power cell in every world, just enough to advance to the next area. Each one has a small hint attached to its description, but it's largely up to you to find and acquire these items. Some require fighting certain enemies, others require tricky platforming or puzzle solving and others require collecting precursor orbs to trade at the hub town. Of course, every area has a power cell that can be required by collecting five scoutflies, a massive 3D platformer trope that continues to this day. Scoutflies, red coins, Jinjos, whatever you are collecting it's the same basic thing. Jak can double jump and has two attacks; he can punch and swing Daxter around by his ears. He can also pick up Eco, with red increasing his power, blue increasing his speed and yellow allowing him to shoot projectiles. You have a life bar with three hits, there are no game over's per se but dying will send you back to the most recent checkpoint. The end of the traditional "game over" was another modern gaming sensibility that came into being during the sixth generation and it was on full display here. Nothing revolutionary here, just good, solid gameplay with responsive controls and fair hit detection. Jumping can be a bit difficult to get used to and the camera is a bit funky, but it's very solid overall.

J&D looks great and has some of the better visuals on the PS2 despite having come out relatively early in its lifecycle. The character models are extremely smooth and the animations are fluid and clean. As I alluded to before, the hit detection was very fair, although I will say it was a bit difficult to get used to, and everything is consistent. Even the vehicle sections, which I normally find completely insufferable in games like this, weren't that bad. Some of the areas are very visually striking and atmospheric, which really adds to the games tone. The relics of precursor society are found crumbling throughout the world, often overgrown with wildlife in places like the Forbidden Jungle. Lurkers march about preparing their attack on Sandover Village from nearby Misty Island, a dark and barren place well suited to the villains. There are also some really cool indoor areas, like the Precursor Basin. Everything is tied together so well and the world feels far more lived in than what you would normally see in a 3D platformer.  

But perhaps the most technically impressive thing about J&D comes from one small, seemingly minuscule factor that makes a major difference in gameplay...there are no load times. This is yet another modern gaming convenience that came to be during gen 6, though I feel like it has become way less of a focus in the last few years. But in 2001, it felt like every game had extremely long load times and constant loading screens. But J&D managed to eliminate both of these things almost completely. I'm not actually sure it's really that technically impressive of an accomplishment, but at the very least it's incredibly smart game design. My guess would be that they, for lack of a better term, hid the loading screens behind cutscenes and other cinematics. I'm not a programmer or anything, so I don't actually know, but that would be my guess. Either way, it's an absolutely brilliant idea that helps the game play and flow better than its contemporaries, or even more modern games. It's stuff like this that made, and continues to make, Naughty Dog such a well-respected and visionary developer.

It's not all good here though. As I said, the jumping is a little strange and it does take some time to get used to. For better or worse (mostly for worse), the double jump is unlike any other double jump in any other 3D platformer. You have to double-tap X immediately, you can't "save" the second jump like you can in most games like this. It led to some cheap deaths though again, it was at least consistent and behaved the same way every time. The same is true of the camera, it's not as bad as it is in some games but it's still pretty bad. It wasn't an issue when you were trying to set up a jump, but if you had to move it quickly to fight an enemy you were out of luck. There aren't too many bosses, but they are all ridiculous and more trouble than they are worth. These fights just aren't fun and all they do is break up the flow of a game whose flow is its strongest point. I do wish there were a little more variety in enemies and a lot of them are more trouble than they are worth to kill. There are also a lot more vehicle stages than I would like, they are definitely better than most 3D platformer vehicle stages, but that isn't saying much.

At the end of the day, Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is a solid game and a good time throughout. I guess I understand why this franchise fell to the wayside, there were just so many different 3D platformers and one or two were bound to be forgotten as the genre fell out of flavor. It's just a little surprising that this was one of those series. I had a great time with J&D, I don't know if it would translate well to a modern console, but I feel like it would be worth a shot. I am definitely going to try and play the next two games at some point, because I really want to see how the series progressed. I know I could definitely see the direct lines from Super Mario 64 to Spyro to J&D, the progress is very clear. I recommend J&D for both serious gamers, who will find some challenge in trying to 100% it, and casual gamers, who will be able to pick off the easier power cells just enough to keep advancing. A really good game and a low-key important tile in gaming history.

9/10