After the pretty straightforward Jak and Daxter, the sequel is essentially cartoon GTA, and there are some good parts to this, namely the existence of a plot, the expansion of Jak's moveset with guns and Dark Jak, and all the visuals in and around Haven City. However, the mission structure makes the game surprisingly linear, even though it is technically an open world. Outside of the game's missions, there's not that much to do in Haven City, so you'll mostly just drive from one mission to the next. I appreciate what the game is trying to do in order to evolve past the collectathon foundation that the series emerged from, but it doesn't totally work. On difficulty, in my experience, it is by far the hardest game in the Jak trilogy, but only a couple points in the game are genuinely hard, and I never got stuck for too long. Overall, it's a creative direction for the series to go, even if not everything about it works.
This review contains spoilers
This game should not work as well as it does. They handle the shift to a T rated style shockingly well narratively, while at the same time outdoing Rockstar in their own style in every conceivable way. The controls are just as expressive and engaging to use as the first game, the guns are really well implemented, and these are the best controlling vehicles in the industry no question. You have such high speed capabilities as well as fine control, and it's so satisfying to weave between higher and upper lanes trying not to crash into anything. Chases are tense, missions are varied and feature a solid mix of all gameplay styles. Which is very impressive given the variety at show here.
Gunplay, platforming, one off minigames, hoverboarding, street races, ring missions, higher speed professional racing on tracks, light collectathon elements, with a dash of crazy taxi. Just like the original game, its inspirations are clear but pulled off with enough grace and unique elements to not feel hopelessly derivative. All wrapped up in a narrative that does a weirdly good job tying into the wholesome Banjo Kazooie styled first game, while at the same time delivering a complex and engaging storyline with iconic characters across the board. Adding so much to the lore and world it's insane. Easily one of the best stories in the industry, with somehow even better presentation in cutscenes than the original game. Love those bits that take place in areas that still resemble the first game's aesthetic. Just a few small areas untouched by the dystopian nightmare the rest of the world went through. Moments like that grow this series' universe in a way some long running franchises struggle to do in ten games let alone 2.
Perfect level of challenge for me. This game doesn't pull any punches, and it refuses to let you simply tank through any of its challenges due to its lack of checkpoints. But I never feel like it's asking too much of me. It's impressive they can make a bunch of enemies that die in 2 hits pose a genuine threat to you despite how powerful your guns are, really well balanced in that way imo. I'd be surprised if this game doesn't filter a lot of people. If this is too hard for you to enjoy maybe give Jak 3 a try, though that one dramatically overcorrected and just isn't as good all around but I'm getting ahead of myself.
This game throws EVERYTHING at the wall and it ALL sticks. Only criticism I could have is especially early on, pacing's pretty slow as you gotta drive between missions a lot. But it does open up and give you more options as to what to do at once later on. And the driving practice outside of missions is important early on before it starts becoming more demanding later. Besides, once you get good at the driving you can get to your destinations really fast anyway. Love the risk vs reward of small cars being faster with better handling except you'll probably blow up if you get into a bad crash. As opposed to the bigger chunkier cars that are a LOT more durable.
This game slays.
Gunplay, platforming, one off minigames, hoverboarding, street races, ring missions, higher speed professional racing on tracks, light collectathon elements, with a dash of crazy taxi. Just like the original game, its inspirations are clear but pulled off with enough grace and unique elements to not feel hopelessly derivative. All wrapped up in a narrative that does a weirdly good job tying into the wholesome Banjo Kazooie styled first game, while at the same time delivering a complex and engaging storyline with iconic characters across the board. Adding so much to the lore and world it's insane. Easily one of the best stories in the industry, with somehow even better presentation in cutscenes than the original game. Love those bits that take place in areas that still resemble the first game's aesthetic. Just a few small areas untouched by the dystopian nightmare the rest of the world went through. Moments like that grow this series' universe in a way some long running franchises struggle to do in ten games let alone 2.
Perfect level of challenge for me. This game doesn't pull any punches, and it refuses to let you simply tank through any of its challenges due to its lack of checkpoints. But I never feel like it's asking too much of me. It's impressive they can make a bunch of enemies that die in 2 hits pose a genuine threat to you despite how powerful your guns are, really well balanced in that way imo. I'd be surprised if this game doesn't filter a lot of people. If this is too hard for you to enjoy maybe give Jak 3 a try, though that one dramatically overcorrected and just isn't as good all around but I'm getting ahead of myself.
This game throws EVERYTHING at the wall and it ALL sticks. Only criticism I could have is especially early on, pacing's pretty slow as you gotta drive between missions a lot. But it does open up and give you more options as to what to do at once later on. And the driving practice outside of missions is important early on before it starts becoming more demanding later. Besides, once you get good at the driving you can get to your destinations really fast anyway. Love the risk vs reward of small cars being faster with better handling except you'll probably blow up if you get into a bad crash. As opposed to the bigger chunkier cars that are a LOT more durable.
This game slays.
It's a technically functional and, in some ways, polished experience. It's definitely a high budget game for its time. Everything else about it is incredibly annoying. The vehicles control like ass, the missions have no checkpointing and random, huge difficulty spikes. The game has a big map that I guess you could call an open world. It feels like it exists simply because GTA was becoming very, very popular. I do not wish to play this game again.
I could write many paragraphs about every little thing that annoyed me about this game. From the mediocre soundtrack where you'll mostly hear the droning alert theme, the cramped open world, or the unsatisfying and frustrating gunplay.
Instead I'm going to say that buried within the muck and filth that is this trend-chasing derivative mess, there's a Jak sequel I wish I was playing instead. The few all too short levels taking advantage of the jetboard. Mixing it in with proper platforming and reasonable enemy spawns.
If Naughty Dog had made that game I would've swallowed the weird edgelord tone no problem. Instead it's a game I never want to return to.
Instead I'm going to say that buried within the muck and filth that is this trend-chasing derivative mess, there's a Jak sequel I wish I was playing instead. The few all too short levels taking advantage of the jetboard. Mixing it in with proper platforming and reasonable enemy spawns.
If Naughty Dog had made that game I would've swallowed the weird edgelord tone no problem. Instead it's a game I never want to return to.
One of the most infuriating game experiences I’ve ever had. Love the aesthetic, setting, and art direction, but the actual game is insane to play now. Horrible checkpoint system, difficulty ramped all the way up, just tough as nails. Nevertheless, a bold direction for the series which in my opinion, made it a very memorable switch-up, even if attended to cash out on action games of its era.
I hate this game.
Ayo FUCK this game in particular
THE OPEN WORLD'S ASS DUDE. THE STREETS ARE DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE ONE AND A HALF PEOPLE, IF YOU SLIGHTLY INHALE YOU'RE SQUASHED UP AGAINST A BUILDING.
AND TRAFFIC. EVERYWHERE. HERE WE GO I'M GETTING SOME SPEED OPE SMASHED INTO A CAR. LEMME ACCELERATE AGAI- OPE THREE MORE CARS. AN OPEN SPACE HERE WE G- NEVERMIND A CAR MATERIALISED FROM JUST OFF SCREEN AND FUCKING DEMOLISHED MY SIDE WINDOW.
Ahhh you can drop down to go under the cars, well that's much bet- SPLOOPS 500 CIVILIANS EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME UNAVOIDABLE YOU HIT THEM HERE'S THE ENTIRE UNITED MILITIA TO FUCK YOU
Ten years later, you make it to the mission marker... I SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN THE OPEN WORLD. ESCORT MISSIONS. THE SLOWEST WALKER IN DOCUMENTED HISTORY WITH THE PAIN THRESHOLD OF PAPER, YOU'RE PART OF THE REBEL MILITANT WHY DO YOU EVEN NEED PROTECTION DO THIS SHIT YOURSELF YOU CUCK. MAKE IT 95% OF THE WAY THERE AGAINST ALL ODDS? OH NOES HE GOT SKIMMED ON THE ARM THREE TIMES HE'S SLEEPY WEEPY DEAD, REDO THE ENTIRE MISSION.
TURRET SECTIONS ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH
Even the core gunplay is BALLS ASS. The first game was focused on the movement, so it made the movement as amazing as possible. Snappy, responsive mechanics. Little nuances that reward control mastery like how the punch uppercut ground pound spin flow seamlessly together. Satisfying as FUCK.
WHAT'S THE GUNPLAY FAM. You kinda just awkwardly shuffle your way into the general direction of the enemies, press fire a few times oh the bullets have started missing gotta re-awkwardly-shuffle back UH OH hit from behind WHY DIDN'T YOU ATTACK HIM SOONER? So you've got this weird dynamic where you've got the most fire movement mechanics in gaming history carried over from the first game, but with most of the game focusing on the dog ass gunplay.
ALL HAIL THE JETBOARD THOUGH THAT'S HOW YOU FUCKING DO IT. An awesome extension to Jak's core movement system that leads to some great platforming sequences and more sprawling level designs, sometimes focused on exploration, other times high wire/high pressure precision platforming grinding pipes over giant death pits. SO ANYWAY HERE'S A THREE MINUTE TURRET SECTION LMAO FUUUUUCK
The time travel story is neato
THE OPEN WORLD'S ASS DUDE. THE STREETS ARE DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE ONE AND A HALF PEOPLE, IF YOU SLIGHTLY INHALE YOU'RE SQUASHED UP AGAINST A BUILDING.
AND TRAFFIC. EVERYWHERE. HERE WE GO I'M GETTING SOME SPEED OPE SMASHED INTO A CAR. LEMME ACCELERATE AGAI- OPE THREE MORE CARS. AN OPEN SPACE HERE WE G- NEVERMIND A CAR MATERIALISED FROM JUST OFF SCREEN AND FUCKING DEMOLISHED MY SIDE WINDOW.
Ahhh you can drop down to go under the cars, well that's much bet- SPLOOPS 500 CIVILIANS EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME UNAVOIDABLE YOU HIT THEM HERE'S THE ENTIRE UNITED MILITIA TO FUCK YOU
Ten years later, you make it to the mission marker... I SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN THE OPEN WORLD. ESCORT MISSIONS. THE SLOWEST WALKER IN DOCUMENTED HISTORY WITH THE PAIN THRESHOLD OF PAPER, YOU'RE PART OF THE REBEL MILITANT WHY DO YOU EVEN NEED PROTECTION DO THIS SHIT YOURSELF YOU CUCK. MAKE IT 95% OF THE WAY THERE AGAINST ALL ODDS? OH NOES HE GOT SKIMMED ON THE ARM THREE TIMES HE'S SLEEPY WEEPY DEAD, REDO THE ENTIRE MISSION.
TURRET SECTIONS ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH
Even the core gunplay is BALLS ASS. The first game was focused on the movement, so it made the movement as amazing as possible. Snappy, responsive mechanics. Little nuances that reward control mastery like how the punch uppercut ground pound spin flow seamlessly together. Satisfying as FUCK.
WHAT'S THE GUNPLAY FAM. You kinda just awkwardly shuffle your way into the general direction of the enemies, press fire a few times oh the bullets have started missing gotta re-awkwardly-shuffle back UH OH hit from behind WHY DIDN'T YOU ATTACK HIM SOONER? So you've got this weird dynamic where you've got the most fire movement mechanics in gaming history carried over from the first game, but with most of the game focusing on the dog ass gunplay.
ALL HAIL THE JETBOARD THOUGH THAT'S HOW YOU FUCKING DO IT. An awesome extension to Jak's core movement system that leads to some great platforming sequences and more sprawling level designs, sometimes focused on exploration, other times high wire/high pressure precision platforming grinding pipes over giant death pits. SO ANYWAY HERE'S A THREE MINUTE TURRET SECTION LMAO FUUUUUCK
The time travel story is neato
beat this in one sitting like a psychopath
Jak II was one of my absolute favorite games as a kid. I loved its grim world, edgy story, and engaging gameplay. And god dammit, I still love it today.
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of problems with this game. The difficulty can be absurd at times, the checkpoint system is downright painful, the racing missions nearly brought me to tears, It's WAY harder to 100% than the first game, and the over-use of objectifying sex jokes gets really old really quick. But even with all that in mind, I still can't help but love Jak II.
To me, Jak II is the epitome of what made the PlayStation 2 so charming in the first place. It was a system that had just about anything on it; it was a system for everyone. While the GameCube targeted mostly kids and the Xbox targeted mostly adults and teenagers, the PlayStation 2 was there for anybody who wanted it. You could play fun games for kids like Sly Cooper and absolute blood baths like God of War. And right dab in the middle, was Jak and Daxter.
It was also a system made during the game when gaming was starting to be taken more seriously, but not too seriously. This came out in a time of experimentation. Back then, you could just change the entire tone of your series out of nowhere and go in a completely different direction without having to worry about what shareholders thought. It was a time when big games could be weird, confusing, and edgy; and that's why I can't stop loving this game, no matter how many issues it has.
And aside from that, if you can look past a lot of the game's issues in terms of difficulty, there's a lot to love! Movement feels really good, the guns are all really distinct and memorable, and it really managed to capture the exact feeling I get when playing a Grand Theft Auto game, which was precisely what Naughty Dog was going for.
Maybe I'm just blinded by nostalgia to some degree, but Jak II is a genuinely great game made during a time when big PlayStation releases were allowed to be weird and crazy. Its such a shame that this series is the only one of Naughty Dog's children to be basically ignored outside of PlayStation Now releases. This game deserves so much love, and I'm so thankful I can play this using OpenGoal, if you want to experience this game in the best way possible, OpenGoal is unquestionably the best way to go.
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of problems with this game. The difficulty can be absurd at times, the checkpoint system is downright painful, the racing missions nearly brought me to tears, It's WAY harder to 100% than the first game, and the over-use of objectifying sex jokes gets really old really quick. But even with all that in mind, I still can't help but love Jak II.
To me, Jak II is the epitome of what made the PlayStation 2 so charming in the first place. It was a system that had just about anything on it; it was a system for everyone. While the GameCube targeted mostly kids and the Xbox targeted mostly adults and teenagers, the PlayStation 2 was there for anybody who wanted it. You could play fun games for kids like Sly Cooper and absolute blood baths like God of War. And right dab in the middle, was Jak and Daxter.
It was also a system made during the game when gaming was starting to be taken more seriously, but not too seriously. This came out in a time of experimentation. Back then, you could just change the entire tone of your series out of nowhere and go in a completely different direction without having to worry about what shareholders thought. It was a time when big games could be weird, confusing, and edgy; and that's why I can't stop loving this game, no matter how many issues it has.
And aside from that, if you can look past a lot of the game's issues in terms of difficulty, there's a lot to love! Movement feels really good, the guns are all really distinct and memorable, and it really managed to capture the exact feeling I get when playing a Grand Theft Auto game, which was precisely what Naughty Dog was going for.
Maybe I'm just blinded by nostalgia to some degree, but Jak II is a genuinely great game made during a time when big PlayStation releases were allowed to be weird and crazy. Its such a shame that this series is the only one of Naughty Dog's children to be basically ignored outside of PlayStation Now releases. This game deserves so much love, and I'm so thankful I can play this using OpenGoal, if you want to experience this game in the best way possible, OpenGoal is unquestionably the best way to go.
Loved this one as a kid; as an adult it's more tedious and the city feels really empty.
Maravilhoso jogo de PS2. Eu amava ele e o Jak III, na época do meu PS2 eles eram os meus jogos favoritos. Recomendo
Obs: não tenho dados do tempo que levei pra zerar
Obs: não tenho dados do tempo que levei pra zerar
They should make more of these.
And people give Shadow the Hedgehog crap for being try hard and edgy. A complete abandonment of everything I liked about the first game. To the point where I have no interest in ever finishing this game or playing the other ones. I quit playing this in middle school because I got fed up, and I have never had a desire to return to it.
x2
Espero que el david no lea esto
In a nutshell, the game is technically impressive but deeply flawed and therefore hard to recommend. Despite this, I still enjoyed revisiting it, but I feel like this had more to do with my current state of mind and the satisfaction of conquering a game that had given me a lot of trouble when I was younger.
To start with the good, you simply cannot argue with Naughty Dog's technical prowess. This remains one of the most impressive games on PS2 and I'd argue it still looks attractive over two decades later. This is largely due to the strong art direction, high-quality models and effects and superb animation work. The cartoony style of the visuals also helps, of course. The quality of the animation is the single most impressive thing about this game, as far as I’m concerned. It’s just so fluid and satisfying to watch both during gameplay and in cutscenes. The cutscenes themselves have aged very well, with the models being much higher quality compared to what you get during gameplay. The voice acting is also great and the story is reasonably entertaining overall. It gets a bit bogged down with all the artefacts and prophesies by the end, but it’s solid. Jak II is probably Naughty Dog’s first proper story-driven game and a huge step up from their earlier efforts. Like in the first game, the music is not especially memorable, but it’s enjoyable to listen to while playing and it doesn’t grate on you.
Unfortunately, that’s where the good ends and the questionable and plain bad begins. If you’re looking for an exhaustive and well-structured analysis of the game’s gameplay issues, I recommend a video called “Jak II Analyzed” by “Novacanoo” on YouTube. I agree with most of his points. Anyway, my biggest gripe with Jak II is the open world portion of it. Naughty Dog clearly took inspiration from Rockstar’s GTA III and VC, which probably makes sense, because these games were huge at the time. Haven City is light years ahead of Liberty City visually and the number of NPCs and vehicles you can have on screen at the same time is nothing short of impressive. However, it’s dull, lifeless and tedious to navigate. Naughty Dog completely failed to grasp what made the early GTA games fun to mess around in. Apart from some side missions, there’s nothing to do or find and no real incentive to explore. The NPCs have no lines, they don’t interact among themselves or with the player. They just go about looking dejected, while all you hear around the city is the Baron’s tyrannical speeches and his militia’s harassments (lest you fail to notice that it’s a dystopian setting 😅). There’s no radio to listen to, no collectibles or stunt jump ramps or anything of the sort. What’s worse is that the handling of the “zoomers” you get to drive is quite awful (think GTA 4, rather than III) and the layout of the place is absolutely nonsensical, so getting places takes even longer than it should and you still find yourself getting lost even late into the game.
There’s also the infamous difficulty of the game which you’ve probably heard of have memories of. Yes, the difficulty level is higher than you might expect, if you go in blind after the first game. And yes, most of it has to do with poor design such as a finicky aiming system, unforgiving checkpoints and no replenishing of your ammo after a respawn, nasty difficulty spikes and more. But, honestly, as with many other games from my teenage years that I’ve returned to as an adult, I didn’t find it to be nearly as bad as I remember. That’s not to say that the issues aren’t there and that it doesn’t get frustrating at times, but it’s totally doable. I still managed to find enjoyment in the platforming and combat and it’s during these sections that the game is at its best. There are also many tricks and strategies that people have discovered over the years which can make your run a lot easier, so don’t hesitate to look up walkthroughs.
The really, really hard stuff is all side content (getting the high scores for the races, gun challenges, etc.). The difficulty can be genuinely unreasonable and inconsistent for some of those, but I’m willing to let it slide, because, you don’t really have to do them, unless you’re after trophies. For some reason, I decided to invest the time, even though I probably normally wouldn’t. I think I just enjoyed conquering a game that conquered me back in the day 😁.
In conclusion, even though this was the game I was least looking forward to revisiting out of the trilogy, I still found myself kind of enjoying it. It probably had more to do with my personal state of mind at the moment, because underneath the technical polish, the game definitely has a number of fundamental gameplay issues and I would think twice about recommend it to others. I wouldn’t call myself a fan and I don’t think I’ll ever play it again. Make of that what you will 😁.
And just a few words on the PS3 version. I found it to be a better port than the first game. The only thing that stood out to me was that the green star in the sky is again missing for some reason. The specular effect on metals seemed to work correctly in Jak II. Once, again, you can set your console to SD from the system settings to play in 4:3, rather than in 16:9, which is cropped. Unfortunately, even in 576p, there’s still some stuttering in the busiest sections of the city, but I understand that it’s quite a bit better than the PS2 version in this regard. I did not encounter the infamous punch glitch or didn’t notice if I did anyway. Maybe I was just lucky, but I think it mostly affects speedrunners and just players who spam the punch button to move around quickly. I’m neither so I wouldn’t know.
To start with the good, you simply cannot argue with Naughty Dog's technical prowess. This remains one of the most impressive games on PS2 and I'd argue it still looks attractive over two decades later. This is largely due to the strong art direction, high-quality models and effects and superb animation work. The cartoony style of the visuals also helps, of course. The quality of the animation is the single most impressive thing about this game, as far as I’m concerned. It’s just so fluid and satisfying to watch both during gameplay and in cutscenes. The cutscenes themselves have aged very well, with the models being much higher quality compared to what you get during gameplay. The voice acting is also great and the story is reasonably entertaining overall. It gets a bit bogged down with all the artefacts and prophesies by the end, but it’s solid. Jak II is probably Naughty Dog’s first proper story-driven game and a huge step up from their earlier efforts. Like in the first game, the music is not especially memorable, but it’s enjoyable to listen to while playing and it doesn’t grate on you.
Unfortunately, that’s where the good ends and the questionable and plain bad begins. If you’re looking for an exhaustive and well-structured analysis of the game’s gameplay issues, I recommend a video called “Jak II Analyzed” by “Novacanoo” on YouTube. I agree with most of his points. Anyway, my biggest gripe with Jak II is the open world portion of it. Naughty Dog clearly took inspiration from Rockstar’s GTA III and VC, which probably makes sense, because these games were huge at the time. Haven City is light years ahead of Liberty City visually and the number of NPCs and vehicles you can have on screen at the same time is nothing short of impressive. However, it’s dull, lifeless and tedious to navigate. Naughty Dog completely failed to grasp what made the early GTA games fun to mess around in. Apart from some side missions, there’s nothing to do or find and no real incentive to explore. The NPCs have no lines, they don’t interact among themselves or with the player. They just go about looking dejected, while all you hear around the city is the Baron’s tyrannical speeches and his militia’s harassments (lest you fail to notice that it’s a dystopian setting 😅). There’s no radio to listen to, no collectibles or stunt jump ramps or anything of the sort. What’s worse is that the handling of the “zoomers” you get to drive is quite awful (think GTA 4, rather than III) and the layout of the place is absolutely nonsensical, so getting places takes even longer than it should and you still find yourself getting lost even late into the game.
There’s also the infamous difficulty of the game which you’ve probably heard of have memories of. Yes, the difficulty level is higher than you might expect, if you go in blind after the first game. And yes, most of it has to do with poor design such as a finicky aiming system, unforgiving checkpoints and no replenishing of your ammo after a respawn, nasty difficulty spikes and more. But, honestly, as with many other games from my teenage years that I’ve returned to as an adult, I didn’t find it to be nearly as bad as I remember. That’s not to say that the issues aren’t there and that it doesn’t get frustrating at times, but it’s totally doable. I still managed to find enjoyment in the platforming and combat and it’s during these sections that the game is at its best. There are also many tricks and strategies that people have discovered over the years which can make your run a lot easier, so don’t hesitate to look up walkthroughs.
The really, really hard stuff is all side content (getting the high scores for the races, gun challenges, etc.). The difficulty can be genuinely unreasonable and inconsistent for some of those, but I’m willing to let it slide, because, you don’t really have to do them, unless you’re after trophies. For some reason, I decided to invest the time, even though I probably normally wouldn’t. I think I just enjoyed conquering a game that conquered me back in the day 😁.
In conclusion, even though this was the game I was least looking forward to revisiting out of the trilogy, I still found myself kind of enjoying it. It probably had more to do with my personal state of mind at the moment, because underneath the technical polish, the game definitely has a number of fundamental gameplay issues and I would think twice about recommend it to others. I wouldn’t call myself a fan and I don’t think I’ll ever play it again. Make of that what you will 😁.
And just a few words on the PS3 version. I found it to be a better port than the first game. The only thing that stood out to me was that the green star in the sky is again missing for some reason. The specular effect on metals seemed to work correctly in Jak II. Once, again, you can set your console to SD from the system settings to play in 4:3, rather than in 16:9, which is cropped. Unfortunately, even in 576p, there’s still some stuttering in the busiest sections of the city, but I understand that it’s quite a bit better than the PS2 version in this regard. I did not encounter the infamous punch glitch or didn’t notice if I did anyway. Maybe I was just lucky, but I think it mostly affects speedrunners and just players who spam the punch button to move around quickly. I’m neither so I wouldn’t know.
Love the lore, much better than the first one. Gameplay is also smooth, but I find it very difficult, some levels seem to spike in difficulty. Honestly, even if this one has less a score, I'm not really sure which one is better.
I remember my mom saw me losing my shit on the Seal Piece mission in the Water Slums, next thing that happened is that I saw her googling "The effects of violence in videogames". I wasn't the same after that.
Compared to the first game huge difference, changed the tone of the game, it became a lot more grungy and dark. Loved every bit of it.
Jak 2 e um exelente jogo e melhora muitas coisas do seu antecessor "jak and daxter the precursor legacy" que foi feito inicialmente para ser um substituto para crash bandicoot e graças a deus eles foram por outro caminho, a historia de jak II e um pouco confusa logo de começo ja que se voce jogou o primeiro jogo lembra que no final os personagens estão olhando para uma especie de portal gigante e etc, porem da pra ignorar a consistencia e aproveitar ja que logo de inicio aconteceu algo insano demais porem da historia vou contar so isso para não ter muitos spoilers, agora vamos falar da gameplay que aqui esta ainda melhor mas na verdade e que a jogabilidade não muda tando entre os jogos ja que a unica coisa que muda são as mecanicas novas, Jak possui suas habilidades antigas de combate porem não so isso ja que no segundo game a gente e introduzido a armas e no total são 4 delas que são a escopeta, sniper (ou metranca como eu chamo), minigun e uma arma de plasma, alem das armas nos temos um poder novo que e o dark eco que nos faz transformar no dark jak uma transformação mostruosa aumentando nosso dano e melhorando muito o nosso combate. Agora vamos falar sobre as fases e o mundo aberto, o mundo aberto desse jogo para mim e o melhor entre todos os 3 jogos, enquanto no primeiro vc tinha um mundo aberto mas era praticamente linear sem muitas possibilidades de exploração pois voce explorava tudo enquanto jogava as fases e no terceiro apesar de ter um mundo aberto lindo e maravilhoso tem coisas que não curto tanto como o deserto de spargus ser vazio fora da campanha tem tambem a cidade refugio que apesar deu gostar muito dela eu fico meio triste pois a destruição e guerra consome todo o mapa sobrando so a balsa para ser um lugar em paz e o mapa do segundo jogo pra mim e um equilibrio perfeito de tudo, existe areas com inimigos, areas pra voce aproveitar o skate e corridas, areas apenas para admirar e ver como cada local e unico, eu amo essa cidade de coração mas agora em relação as fases elas tambem são exelentes a maioria das fases sao plataformas porem com objetivos unicos, tem fase que voce tem que caçar cabeças de metal, tem fases aonde voce usa o skate, tem fases aonde voce tem que ser ligeiro para não perde e isso e EXCELENTE, voce raramente vai ficar enjoado de jogar ja que parece que quanto mais você avança no game mais voce quer ver oque ele ira lhe oferecer de aventura e ação. Por fim iremos finalizar falando brevemente das musicas e personagense bem as musicas são muito boas, cada local tem musicas unicas e memoraveis trazendo calma na maioria das vezes porem se voce estiver em perigo a musica fica agitada para voce ficar em alerta mas tem algo que para mim faz eu admirar ainda mais a musica e a mudança sutil da musica de fundo quando voce ta usando uma arma ou skate, e um detalhe muito sutil e voce so percebe se parar para escutar a musica, por fim os personagens que são muito carismaticos e com suas personalidades unicas fazendo cada um ser diferente e nunca igual ou parecido ao outro
Nota: 10
Nota: 10
Jak 2 is an abrupt left turn with very mixed results.
It's popular to call it a GTA clone, but that's selling it short. It's still an action platformer at its core. It just has a lot of other things stapled onto it, some good, others not so good. The jet-board is a genuinely great addition that works so well because it expands Jak's platforming abilities, and I think the guns fit in nicely with Jak's moveset. You just have to learn how to combine them with Jak's basic abilities to get maximum effectiveness.
The vehicles, however, are a mixed bag. I think driving through the city is fine as a concept, but where it stumbles is the streets being too cramped, and how easy it is to get into a fight with the cops. You will spend a lot of time running from the police in this game. There is also a lot of racing in this game, which is an extension of mechanics that were already in Jak 1, so it makes sense. But the race vehicles have quite finicky handling and they're also frustratingly fragile. A couple of missions have you take control of a mech suit, and they are some of the worst missions in the game. There's also a handful of minigames, which aren't terrible but aren't great. In general, Jak 2 is at its best when it sticks to its platforming roots.
Next to its suddenly edgy tone, Jak 2 is most notorious for its brutal difficulty. Checkpoints are few and far between, and Jak only has four health points. Sometimes the game is a reasonable challenge, but certain missions are just total ass and make me wonder if they were even playtested. This combination makes Jak 2 one of the most frustrating games I have ever completed. I loved it when I played it in spite of this, but I'm not certain I'd have the patience for it if I tried to play it again now.
The saving grace of Jak 2, besides its strong platforming missions when it actually commits to them, is its well crafted story and world. Though it initially seems like it's only trying to be dark and gritty because it was cool at the time, Jak 2's cyberpunk dystopia is actually remarkably well thought out, with plenty of memorable characters. It was not Uncharted where Naughty Dog began to take storytelling seriously; it was Jak 2. Despite its apparent eagerness to distance itself from Jak 1's lighthearted tone, it still respects Jak 1 and incorporates it into the story. And though some of the edgy humour is definitely juvenile and a bit cringe, there are also jokes that are actually funny.
Jak 2 is an interesting time capsule of early 2000s gaming, both in tone and gameplay trends. It was common for 3D platformers, such as Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Ratchet & Clank, to tack on a plethora of minigames and extraneous gameplay mechanics, either as an experiment or simply to be bigger than the games before them. But I think the 20-30 years since those games came out have made it clearer that less is more. Of those games, the ones that have aged the most gracefully are the ones that keep their focus centered on their core mechanics, and employ other mechanics sparingly. And Jak 2, along with Sly 3 and Spyro 3, is one of the plainest examples of this.
It's popular to call it a GTA clone, but that's selling it short. It's still an action platformer at its core. It just has a lot of other things stapled onto it, some good, others not so good. The jet-board is a genuinely great addition that works so well because it expands Jak's platforming abilities, and I think the guns fit in nicely with Jak's moveset. You just have to learn how to combine them with Jak's basic abilities to get maximum effectiveness.
The vehicles, however, are a mixed bag. I think driving through the city is fine as a concept, but where it stumbles is the streets being too cramped, and how easy it is to get into a fight with the cops. You will spend a lot of time running from the police in this game. There is also a lot of racing in this game, which is an extension of mechanics that were already in Jak 1, so it makes sense. But the race vehicles have quite finicky handling and they're also frustratingly fragile. A couple of missions have you take control of a mech suit, and they are some of the worst missions in the game. There's also a handful of minigames, which aren't terrible but aren't great. In general, Jak 2 is at its best when it sticks to its platforming roots.
Next to its suddenly edgy tone, Jak 2 is most notorious for its brutal difficulty. Checkpoints are few and far between, and Jak only has four health points. Sometimes the game is a reasonable challenge, but certain missions are just total ass and make me wonder if they were even playtested. This combination makes Jak 2 one of the most frustrating games I have ever completed. I loved it when I played it in spite of this, but I'm not certain I'd have the patience for it if I tried to play it again now.
The saving grace of Jak 2, besides its strong platforming missions when it actually commits to them, is its well crafted story and world. Though it initially seems like it's only trying to be dark and gritty because it was cool at the time, Jak 2's cyberpunk dystopia is actually remarkably well thought out, with plenty of memorable characters. It was not Uncharted where Naughty Dog began to take storytelling seriously; it was Jak 2. Despite its apparent eagerness to distance itself from Jak 1's lighthearted tone, it still respects Jak 1 and incorporates it into the story. And though some of the edgy humour is definitely juvenile and a bit cringe, there are also jokes that are actually funny.
Jak 2 is an interesting time capsule of early 2000s gaming, both in tone and gameplay trends. It was common for 3D platformers, such as Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Ratchet & Clank, to tack on a plethora of minigames and extraneous gameplay mechanics, either as an experiment or simply to be bigger than the games before them. But I think the 20-30 years since those games came out have made it clearer that less is more. Of those games, the ones that have aged the most gracefully are the ones that keep their focus centered on their core mechanics, and employ other mechanics sparingly. And Jak 2, along with Sly 3 and Spyro 3, is one of the plainest examples of this.
great sequel with major changes in gameplay. some levels get frustrating
This Game heavily suffered from the gta trend back then. To a point where it even lost its actual identity it had. Still if you were a pre-teen like me when this released it was really cool. In retrospective, this game offers fun characters, interesting story line, nice setpieces and the addition of driving around, while not meaningful, is fun and a faster transport. Adding a tony hawk like skateboard was also a great addition. Either way this game still suffers of beeing to difficult, especially if you want to get all orbs.
Quando criança eu chamava de GTA do futuro
I need to replay that one , I read so much about it and think I would enjoy it so much more nowadays but my memories are no the kindest to it.
This is like peak coal
It was definitely quite the good game. I did play and beat it on the Playstation 2. I liked seeing the change from the first game to more of this GTA, darker, edgier version of Jak. The only problem I would say were sometimes having issues with the controls for the vehicles.
Strongly considering abandoning this just for how unbelievably difficult I'm finding it. This game feels like having a second job. The checkpoints are complete garbage and the vehicles are like they're made of paper, you slightly brush against one thing and suddenly you're smoking and on fire. I do want to see this through to the end but I gotta find motivation to even do that. If I can praise at least one thing I like the character animations and voice acting. I'd probably enjoy this more just watching the cutscenes on youtube.
I don't know why they turned the series into a GTA clone with edgy writing but ...sure I guess? It's very frustrating at times and some mechanics are very jank. I like the characters still.
Finished up Jak II and it's a very fun time. I do think I prefer the first as I felt this second game kind of frustrating at time and it feels a bit more padded, but I liked it.