Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Naughty Dog's first game since moving past Crash is a stunner. Check out our hands-on impressions and first ever screens.
Published: May 21, 2001
There's a reason why Sony chose Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy as one of their biggest booth and press conference highlights: it's good. Really good. J&D, while certainly pretty, offers serious strides in technology that show what the second generation of PlayStation 2 games will look like. Infinite draw distance, zero load times, an intuitive camera system that "senses" line-of-sight detail and moves accordingly, hilarious animations by the fistful, texturing on everything, high-poly models and lush environments show that Naughty Dog not only has a genuine grasp on the hardware, but that they're committed to delivering a game every bit as entertaining as the Crash series was under their hands.
Jak & Daxter actually began with a few team members after everyone had wrapped on Crash: Warped and moved into full production after CTR. The result is a game that is replete with personality, style, and a definite sense of character. See, everything starts out with poor little Daxter, who has the unfortunate luck of falling into a pool of Dark Eco, which turns him into a weasel-like little creature. You'll take the reins of Jak, Daxter's best friend in an effort to restore him to his old, more humanoid form. Along the way, you'll hop from island to island, exploring each one's different climate (read: wintery, tropical, etc.) in an effort to find a sage who can get to the bottom of Daxter's transformation.
We got a chance to experience J&D first-hand at E3, and the control is nothing short of perfect. While I'll admit that I'm far less enthused about another run-and-jump platformers, Jak & Daxter has the potential to reverse my attitude. Screenshots really can't do the game justice. As mentioned before, the draw distance is infinite, so you can look back and see the last island you just explored, and if you're at a high enough vantage point, even look back on the past two or three islands. EVERYTHING is animated, and done with a rare fluidity that's truly a sight to behold. Daxter is hilarious, and often provides the perfect comic relief in situations that would normally seem rather drab. Naughty Dog says they've actually tapped into the PS2's vector unit to deliver more animations, and if the early look at the game is any indication, J&D will be overflowing with Disney-quality animations for every character and their actions. Just simple things like talking with NPC's yielded incredibly fluid tiny little touches like mouths that curl into different shapes and hands that constantly describe the action.
It's impossible to really convey the massive amount of attention to detail, but as we inch closer to J&D's release, there should be more opportunity for real videos that'll showcase more of what we mean. What's more, the screenshots that we have available are just the tip of the environmental iceberg. As Naughty Dog pounds away at sculpting the different islands and their respective climates, we'll get a real sense of what to expect when the game hits this winter. Until then, prepare to drool.
Jak & Daxter actually began with a few team members after everyone had wrapped on Crash: Warped and moved into full production after CTR. The result is a game that is replete with personality, style, and a definite sense of character. See, everything starts out with poor little Daxter, who has the unfortunate luck of falling into a pool of Dark Eco, which turns him into a weasel-like little creature. You'll take the reins of Jak, Daxter's best friend in an effort to restore him to his old, more humanoid form. Along the way, you'll hop from island to island, exploring each one's different climate (read: wintery, tropical, etc.) in an effort to find a sage who can get to the bottom of Daxter's transformation.
We got a chance to experience J&D first-hand at E3, and the control is nothing short of perfect. While I'll admit that I'm far less enthused about another run-and-jump platformers, Jak & Daxter has the potential to reverse my attitude. Screenshots really can't do the game justice. As mentioned before, the draw distance is infinite, so you can look back and see the last island you just explored, and if you're at a high enough vantage point, even look back on the past two or three islands. EVERYTHING is animated, and done with a rare fluidity that's truly a sight to behold. Daxter is hilarious, and often provides the perfect comic relief in situations that would normally seem rather drab. Naughty Dog says they've actually tapped into the PS2's vector unit to deliver more animations, and if the early look at the game is any indication, J&D will be overflowing with Disney-quality animations for every character and their actions. Just simple things like talking with NPC's yielded incredibly fluid tiny little touches like mouths that curl into different shapes and hands that constantly describe the action.
It's impossible to really convey the massive amount of attention to detail, but as we inch closer to J&D's release, there should be more opportunity for real videos that'll showcase more of what we mean. What's more, the screenshots that we have available are just the tip of the environmental iceberg. As Naughty Dog pounds away at sculpting the different islands and their respective climates, we'll get a real sense of what to expect when the game hits this winter. Until then, prepare to drool.
