Jak 3 turns 15 tomorrow. Let's reminisce about the series!

[Stuart Gipp]

Important: I would be delighted if this thread could avoid descending into "Jak 2 is grimdark GTA cash-grabbing shit", as all discussions of the Jak & Daxter series inevitably seem to. If you've come here to lament the series' change in tone and absolutely have to be negative, please consider paying a "negativity tax" to trans children's charity Mermaids before espousing your very, very well-worn views.

If you're gonna be a downer, you may as well do some good. :p

---

Anyway, Jak 3 turns 15 tomorrow and it's reminded me just how much I enjoyed the series - yes, even Jak X and The Lost Frontier. I still see it as the benchmark for PS2 platforming, though of course we were spoiled for choice back then (The Ratchet & Clank series is amazing but I don't really consider it a platformer as much as a shooter). I appreciated how Jak 2 and 3's narrative played out, and while the tone did change from the original (very good!) Jak and Daxter, it maintained its humour - some scenes in Jak 2 and 3 still make me giggle, and the eventual Precursor reveal is joyous.

There isn't a title in the series I feel I could reasonably call "bad". They all have their flaws but there's a fundamental quality and polish

I found them wonderful, atmospheric games, genuinely challenging, with terrific platforming fun. And of course, all of them bar the PSP games are available on PS4. I'd love to see what Naughty Dog could do with the series now, but I know that's pretty unlikely to happen.

PSA: The games are also available on PS Vita, but... uh... I'd advise giving those versions a miss. Daxter and The Lost Frontier both play fine on it, though.

Thoughts on the Jak series? Skewing positive if you can bear it? :)

 

[@TheFriendlyBro]

How does Jak compare to R&C? I never touched the Jak series as a kid, did I miss out on much?

 

[Stuart Gipp]

How does Jak compare to R&C? I never touched the Jak series as a kid, did I miss out on much?

Click to shrink...

Theoretically. It's more focused on creating cohesive worlds and the platforming is stronger. Better, less fragmented storytelling. The gunplay in Ratchet is leagues ahead of Jak as well.

Jak games tend to come together as a whole and feel like a journey, especially 2 and 3. I love Ratchet but it's a lot I dunno, gamier. More formulaic. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just different.

 

[Yukiko]

One of my first childhood memories come from these game series. I've replayed them all dozens of times, it never gets old. I bought the PS4 collection (ps2 ports) around a year ago. They were a bit of a mess but most game breaking bugs are now fixed, so I can play these on a current gen system now.

I've always hoped for a new entry to the series (no, the last frontier doesn't count for me) but at this point I doubt it'll happen. A man can dream.

 

[Clive]

I've been meaning to give the series a new shot with the PS3 versions. I absolutely loved the first game but gave up at some point in the second which I've been regretting. The massive, connected world they created with Jak was really amazing for the time coming from the small worlds of other platformers like Mario 64 or Spyro. That part blew me away.

 

[Bundy]

How does Jak compare to R&C? I never touched the Jak series as a kid, did I miss out on much?

Click to shrink...

You did, imo. I love Jak more than R&C. Jak is awesome. Jak 3 is the perfect mix between Jak 1 and Jak 2. Loved it.
I hope, some day, this franchise will return.

 

[AniHawk]

How does Jak compare to R&C? I never touched the Jak series as a kid, did I miss out on much?

Click to shrink...

ratchet & clank is the good one. jak is the bad one. that's how you're supposed to tell them apart.

 

[Jump_Button]

Anything other then the first sucked trying to be too edgy and dark

 

[Banzai]

Most people disagree, but I think the series got better with each entry.

1 was a fine collectathon but in my opinion nothing particularly special. Although I definitely loved the characters and super smooth controls then already.

Yes, 2 got quite a bit darker but I didn't mind as much and was instead glad about the bigger focus on story and characters. The gameplay was really varied and fun here as well and I just adore challenging games (although yeah, the sewer escort mission is kinda bad)

3 is my favorite. Keeps all the good stuff from earlier games and adds even more gameplay variety, cool story + lore moments and really fun weapons.

One thing I want to highlight especially about this series is the "power at your fingertips" feeling of the controls. Everything just works together so smoothly and I always feel like I am in control of the character 100%, whether I am shooting, punching, skateboarding or freaking turning into angels and demons. Just an extremely satisfying feeling, something that very few games evoke for me.

edit: thinking about it, yeah I need another playthrough of this series. Starting at Jak 2 though, sorry not sorry.
Too bad the vita versions suck, guess I'll go for emulation

edit 2: oh yeah, i just remembered that dangling story thread from 3 that hinted at a Jak 4 with

Spoiler: jak 3 ending

an old and grizzled Jak traveling to the past to build Haven City. Damn shame it never happened.

 

[Morbius]

This was one of the few games my dad and I played together, well the first one atleast.

I always just enjoyed collecting the orbs and whatnot. Wish they would bring it back.

 

[Yukiko]

Oh I forgot to mention. The feeling of controlling Jak while using the Jetboard is one that hasn't been matched yet for me. It's one of the best "moving" mechanics I've ever seen. If you know how to use that you go so fast and it feels so good to control it

 

[-PXG-]

The original Jak & Daxter still is a technical marvel. Seamless open world with zero load screens, amazing visuals and animation, all running at 60 fps on a goddamn PS2, in 2001! Just...How?

I'd love a new game that we as more like the original. I was never a fan of Jak 2, thus I never bothered playing the third game. Or, give the series a reboot, and reimagine the original, just bigger in every way.

 

[The Black Pearl]

Jak 3 doesn't age great but its still fun. Its still one of the best vehicle combat games. Its a better mad max game than the literal mad max game. Guns are well rounded.

One the things that made it so great back in the day was the controls. But now games control better in general, and many are more dynamic than the directional shooting in Jak (and ratchet). It was also pretty darn cinematic for its time, and it blended and segwayed from gameplay to cutscenes in a seemless, convincing way. But games have caught up to that too.

(And that hoverboard feels so wimpy now)

The reason we may never get Jak 4 may be because of Daxter's dialogue.

 

[Nekyrrev]

I too think Jak 3 is the pinnacle of the serie. It blends elements from the two first entries into a very interesting package. I remember being hooked to the game from start to finish, from surprises to surprises. I liked the narration very much too.
Jak and Ratchet both were the pinnacle of gaming to me at the time, such strong memories.

 

[Good4Squat]

I loved the first one as a kid. Only played 2 & 3 much later on and I liked 3 a lot better than 2.
The whole made up rivalry between R&C and Jak is dumb. They are both good, but different.

 

[Orso]

Couldn't get into the first one but loved 2. The race through the city against that bad dude was one of my favourite moments of the generation.

Just watching this and for all the shit the game gets for being edgy or whatever, I think the design and animation is still great



I really enjoyed Jak 3 and X but don't remember much about them. I would really like to play through them again but I don't think I have the patience to get through some of the levels. Maybe if they release some version with more forgiving checkpoints down the line i'll pick it up.

 

[Tomasoares]

I wish they do someday a sequel to Jak 3.
It's also one of my favorite franchises, which I love all the games (the lost frontier not much, but it's still a worth experience)

 

[Nintenleo]

I was 11 and Jak 3 was the coolest thing ever. Loved the series, I spent a lot of time as a kid drawing Dark and Light Jak.

 

[Evilisk]

I just started going through the series on PS4 (I played all three as a kid, but never got to finish em)

Jak 1 was okay. It was more fun than I was expecting, though I had low expectations (I don't really enjoy 'pure' platformers). I didn't really care for the platforming but I did like the level design and the collectathon stuff. I also appreciated the short length and even managed to platinum the game (it's my fourth ever platinum). The hoverbike segments were awful though. At least I got to finish a game I literally haven't played in 18 years

Jak 2 has been pretty fun so far. I'd actually only played a demo of Jak 2 so I never saw how the game started. But the transition of Jak from plucky mute to edgelord is fucking hilarious. Like I lost it at Jak's first ever words being "I'M GONNA KILL PRAXIS" lmao I am unironically into edgelord Jak. I'm definitely enjoying the novelty of controlling a platform character in a GTA style open world, though I'm still only an hour in.

Also I am very annoyed that the vehicle physics are somehow STILL trash.

Not touching Jak 3 until I'm done with 2, but I remember enjoying what I played of it. Light Jak is cool as hell. I also recall the vehicle physics being way better

How does Jak compare to R&C? I never touched the Jak series as a kid, did I miss out on much?

Click to shrink...

I'm still going through Jak, but I'd say R&C is more iterative. It's also more tonally consistent in that I've had no whiplash in that series, compared to the five minutes I've played of Jak 2

 

[Nekyrrev]

One thing that still impress me to this day is the quality of the animations. These games are sooooo well animated for their time it's crazy, ND always had really talented artists.

 

[ForthU]

I'm gonna replay it in the next weeks. PS3 version, but I already bought the entire series on ps4 for further playthroughs :P

 

[artemis]

Jak 3 is such a disappointment after playing the masterpiece, Jak 2. Even the story had some weird moments (they trolled us very hard with The Precursors).

 

[Falchion]

Jak 2 was the first game I beat that I felt super proud of because that shit was hard!

 

[RockmanBN]

Lotta fond memories playing it with my older brother during elementary school.

 

[Jakisthe]

Most people disagree, but I think the series got better with each entry.

1 was a fine collectathon but in my opinion nothing particularly special. Although I definitely loved the characters and super smooth controls then already.

Yes, 2 got quite a bit darker but I didn't mind as much and was instead glad about the bigger focus on story and characters. The gameplay was really varied and fun here as well and I just adore challenging games (although yeah, the sewer escort mission is kinda bad)

3 is my favorite. Keeps all the good stuff from earlier games and adds even more gameplay variety, cool story + lore moments and really fun weapons.

One thing I want to highlight especially about this series is the "power at your fingertips" feeling of the controls. Everything just works together so smoothly and I always feel like I am in control of the character 100%, whether I am shooting, punching, skateboarding or freaking turning into angels and demons. Just an extremely satisfying feeling, something that very few games evoke for me.

edit: thinking about it, yeah I need another playthrough of this series. Starting at Jak 2 though, sorry not sorry.
Too bad the vita versions suck, guess I'll go for emulation

edit 2: oh yeah, i just remembered that dangling story thread from 3 that hinted at a Jak 4 with

Spoiler: jak 3 ending

an old and grizzled Jak traveling to the past to build Haven City. Damn shame it never happened.

Click to shrink...

This. 1 may have had more platforming, but I don't think it was necessarily that much better, whereas 3 has probably the most variety of anything I can think of which isn't, like, a minigame collection.

 

[Deleted member 59109]

I mean...you can't really ask for thoughts on the series and expect the tone change of Jak 2 not to be brought up. I don't think 2/3 were bad, actually they're pretty good especially 3, but I don't think it was necessarily a good change to go so extreme. A mix might have been nice, so we get more diverse environments and platforming gameplay like Jak 1, but more developed characters and stories like Jak 2/3. I think 3 kind of tries to compromise in this way, which is why I think it's more enjoyable also.

1 is still definitely the best though, no question imo.

 

[NESpowerhouse]

As someone who grew up loving Jak 1 (the first game I ever beat), everything about Jak 2 made me actually kill myself.

 

[Deleted member 56752]

Is Jak on PS4 slim?

 

[Order]

All three are amazing, but honestly, a lot of people gas up the first game too much.

its fire, but it's not better than 3

 

[RCSI]

I like the cartoony version of Jak 1, but Jak 3 remains the better of the three games from memory. I do have the PS3 games lined up for a playthrough later this month to see if my memory of the series holds up.

 

[gogojira]

Loved the first one, lost interest when Jak grew edgy facial hair lol.

 

[LinkSlayer64]

I love Jak 3 and 2, my only lament is the change in direction from Keira to Ashlein madein 3, that was then suddenly undone in Jak X.
never given a full reason, I assumed it was due to the sudden VA change, which was also jarring.
But that's the one real criticism I have about the Sequels.

oh
and the
HOVERBIKE RING CHALLENGE IN 2 AHHHH

lol, I love the games, and I also love to rag on how much I hate that mission lmao.

 

[SunBroDave]

It's a shame that so many people are put off by the aesthetics of Jak 2, because from a storytelling perspective it was super ambitious for the time. The way the world and story was slowly pieced out, it had a pretty profound effect on me as a kid.

Jak 3 was substantially underwhelming in the story department, which I guess makes sense cuz didn't they make Jak 3 in like a year or something?

 

[Stay Up Be Easy]

You did, imo. I love Jak more than R&C. Jak is awesome. Jak 3 is the perfect mix between Jak 1 and Jak 2. Loved it.
I hope, some day, this franchise will return.

Click to shrink...

Jak 3 and Going Commando were the best sequels in their respective franchises.

I loved how there was no warp out in Jak 1. It was all one world. You're actually shown the characters travelling from one hub to the next.

Jak 2 took a little while to find it's footing but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Yeah the tone got darker but it worked. The cartoony troll/carebear villains from the first ending up being a slave race you have to rescue. I really appreciated that.

Jak 3 might have been the perfect blend of the first two. Vehicle controls were fine tuned (the jumping kart was my favorite). Lots of platforming that was somewhat lacking from the second and the music was killer!

https://youtu.be/xemln2_FBzU

 

[LinkSlayer64]

Jak 3 and Going Commando were the best sequels in their respective franchises.

I loved how there was no warp out in Jak 1. It was all one world. You're actually shown the characters travelling from one hub to the next.

Jak 2 took a little while to find it's footing but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Yeah the tone got darker but it worked. The cartoony troll/carebear villains from the first ending up being a slave race you have to rescue. I really appreciated that.

Jak 3 might have been the perfect blend of the first two. Vehicle controls were fine tuned (the jumping kart was my favorite). Lots of platforming that was somewhat lacking from the second and the music was killer!

https://youtu.be/xemln2_FBzU

Click to shrink...

Yo, Dune Hopper was the best, with that grenade launcher, mwah!

 

[PLASTICA-MAN]

Enough of BS remakes from very old eras that were limited in scope and vision due to hardware, Jak was the **** and ahead of its time. We need Jak 4 so badly.

 

[Archduke Kong]

I wish I liked these games more because a platformer shooter with an open world to explore sounded fantastic. That said Jak 2 has way too many frustrating sections for its own good, and as a result I really cant say I'm a fan (I tried a replay the other day. I gave up at the mission with the robot with the aiming reticle, it just wasn't fun)but I liked the good parts enough to want to play Jak 3.

My biggest issue with 3 is I'd probably like the game more if the driving sections in the Wasteland didn't exist. I don't know who approved those car physics but there were times where it felt practically unplayable back when I played it, and it's about half of the game (or at least felt like it). Everything else though? Really fun, the platforming sections were great (same with 2), the shooting was a little more fun this time and the story was still enjoyable. #TeamLikedThePrecursorTwist

 

[Luigi87]

Jak 3 always felt weirdly short to me, after coming off of Jak 2.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

I'm really tired right now, so I'll just link this old blog post of mine explaining why the first game in particular was so great.

I may come back and gush about the second and third games later. I loved how I literally grew up alongside Jak, both in terms of physical age progression and reaction to being thrust into the "real world."

 

[SindbadtheSailor]

The focus, if not obsession, with vehicular sections in Jak 2 and 3 are the single biggest reasons I never go back and replay them, despite being a huge fan of the series. So glad modern have more or less stopped trying to shoe-horn in every genre into one game.

 

[Aloysius]

Jak & Daxter is incredible. Jak 2 is bad and is frustrating to play. Jak 3 is alright.

I wish they were all like the first game, but I understand why they changed.

 

[N_Cryo]

Jak 3 was the best and so was the Light Jak form.

 

[Fj0823]

Jak 2 and Jak 3 are the exact edgy shit I needed when I was 13.

BEST. GAMES.EVER

 

[pleaseinsertdisctwo]

I absolutely hated 2. Made me never even try 3. I threw the games in the garbage

 

[Blue Skies]

Only played the first one a demo for the third one. Always wanted to get the series, but I was a kid without a job.
Are they on playstation Now? Might do a month for it

 

[KalBalboa]

I've platinumed Jak 1 on my PS3 and played through all of II on my Vita.

I should really sit down and finish 3... probably best to play it on the PS3?

 

[Evilisk]

I'm about 8 hours into Jak 2. It's weird, even though there's a lot I could nitpick in the individual details, I'm actually liking the game as a whole. The story is more interesting than I gave it credit for, though Jak is not being nearly as edgy as I hoped. Like he's gloriously edgy at the start, but once he gets to interact with characters less douchey than Krew and Torn, he mellows out kinda fast (Baron Praxis aside).

Some of these missions are pretty frustrating though. Lack of checkpoints is an issue yep, though personally I also can't deal with anything vehicle related. All the vehicles feel bad to control, and vehicle destructibility is so bad (sometimes it feels like I'm playing Simpsons Hit and Run with the "explode cars in 1 hit cheat on). I've had so many missions messed up bc of those crappy kamikaze biker guards slowly draining my health with each destroyed vehicle.

Strangely enough, I managed to beat that Escape the Water Slums mission pretty easily. I beat it in less than 10 attempts (and 6 of those failed attempts were me accidentally falling into the water and dying to the killbot). Though I get why the level's hard. Aside from the lack of health, it feels like the level designer was just brute forcing the game's systems so the level had to be played a specific way (i.e. you gotta keep moving forward... if you don't, dropships will spawn in the same spots. But don't go too fast, or you get sniped by the dropships, or you activate certain dropships earlier than they're supposed to)