This is a game I actually remember writing to Naughty Dog, asking for a sequel. I was pleased to find out a few days after I sent the letter that one was coming- a few months later, no less. I was pumped, and I still was pumped to replay it part of the HD Trilogy.
Let's get the negatives out of the way first. This game is MUCH harder then the first. It's not the hardest game ever made, and some missions are harder then others (I'm looking at you, Turret missions), but the overall difficulty can be a turn off for some. The map is also incredibly big- and there's no convenient warp system like in the first game between hubs. Completing a mission for Krew and then having to slog it back to the Underground can be a drag on the pace.
OK, postive vibes now. The art shift from super bright and cartoony to dystopian cyberpunk is very well done. I can buy into this being a very down, very worn world, from the rundown slums to the grand palace where the Baron lives.
Jak's basic control are still as solid as they were in Jak and Daxter. They mesh very well with two new mechanics- weapons, and Dark Jak. Jak's arsenal includes the standard shotgun, rifle, machine gun, and BFS, and being able to combine shots with melee attacks is always satisfying. Switching weapons is as easy as using the D-Pad, and you'll get to know their palces very quick. Dark Jak is sort of like a Super Mode, and you can unlock special abilities that can be used simply by using the abilities that Jak naturally has. (For example, you can eventually unlock a ground pound shock wave that you can execute by using the ground pound attack).
Also, the story is fantastic. It gripped me when I first played it and it still grips me now.
In conclusion, if you're in for a Nintendo Hard challenge in a dystopian setting and a good story, Jak II can be right up your alley.
Nintendo Hard, but Enjoyable
This is a game I actually remember writing to Naughty Dog, asking for a sequel. I was pleased to find out a few days after I sent the letter that one was coming- a few months later, no less. I was pumped, and I still was pumped to replay it part of the HD Trilogy.
Let's get the negatives out of the way first. This game is MUCH harder then the first. It's not the hardest game ever made, and some missions are harder then others (I'm looking at you, Turret missions), but the overall difficulty can be a turn off for some. The map is also incredibly big- and there's no convenient warp system like in the first game between hubs. Completing a mission for Krew and then having to slog it back to the Underground can be a drag on the pace.
OK, postive vibes now. The art shift from super bright and cartoony to dystopian cyberpunk is very well done. I can buy into this being a very down, very worn world, from the rundown slums to the grand palace where the Baron lives.
Jak's basic control are still as solid as they were in Jak and Daxter. They mesh very well with two new mechanics- weapons, and Dark Jak. Jak's arsenal includes the standard shotgun, rifle, machine gun, and BFS, and being able to combine shots with melee attacks is always satisfying. Switching weapons is as easy as using the D-Pad, and you'll get to know their palces very quick. Dark Jak is sort of like a Super Mode, and you can unlock special abilities that can be used simply by using the abilities that Jak naturally has. (For example, you can eventually unlock a ground pound shock wave that you can execute by using the ground pound attack).
Also, the story is fantastic. It gripped me when I first played it and it still grips me now.
In conclusion, if you're in for a Nintendo Hard challenge in a dystopian setting and a good story, Jak II can be right up your alley.