Jak II
Naughty Dog's sequel is very, very nice.
Published: September 24, 2003
First impressions are often rather amusing. For many, the first taste of Jak II that a gamer got was the demo that was handed out to stores around E3 time last May. Two levels and a modicum of storyline detail was enough to show off how the game had changed, but it couldn't possibly reflect the scope of what Naughty Dog is trying to do with Jak II. After getting a good amount of time with it at the Gamers' Day a week ago, however, I'm starting to think that may have been intentional.
To say Jak II is striving to be more expansive and epic than any platformer before it would still be selling it short. The sheer scope is staggering, and in much the same way it took a while to drink in the go-anywhere aspect of GTAIII's surroundings, the world that Jak and Daxter now inhabit is almost an overload for the senses. It's not quite as large (at least we don't think) as GTA III, but the same sense of immersion, the feeling of tooling around in a city that could easily continue existing without your presence is unshakable. Part of this may come from the ability to jump up and literally carjack any of the ships flying overhead, but that's a small piece of it.
No, much like Ratchet & Clank 2, Jak II's feeling of cohesiveness comes from detail. The city where you'll be spending a decent amount of time is so densely populated by not only people but the kind of organic, imprecise level of detail that's made games, well games, and not true reflections of the imperfect world we live in. The ground is cracked and worn away, buildings are hewn from natural materials and technology alike, the people that walk the streets are decked out in wholly unique clothing, and tying it all together is a level of polish that is very, very rarely seen in games.
More than just the necessary upgrades in detail, however, are the strides Naughty Dog is making in the way of storytelling. For the first time in a platformer, serious issues are going to be addressed. Sure, there's still humor, but is offset by feelings like betrayal, love, jealousy, hatred - things that the world of Mario would never tackle and until now were never fully embraced. With the average gamer now tipping the chronological scales at a more mature 25+ years, the audience that grew up on Mario's innocence is looking for something that's becoming as mature as they are. This doesn't mean an excess of blood and guts, it means complex story arcs, character development, and, yes, the introduction of those same emotions that we mentioned before.
The second factor in Jak II's shift towards more refined storytelling lies in a very simple ethos: motivation. It consumes the entire game; no longer are gamers taken on a meaningless fetch quest just because the items are there to be collected. When it's time to switch gears and jump into a racing minigame, it's because there's an emotional investment - one that may not even be key to the storyline as a whole. Objectives finally have a true reason behind them, and more often than not, it advances the plot a bit rather than the other way around. Naughty Dog's aim with Jak II is to use the platformer mechanic to deliver a style of storyline that has the kind of impact that gamers are looking for when they go to see a movie.
To this end, significant upgrades have been made in the way of character design (Jak is more haggard after being tortured and experimented on) and presentation. Naughty Dog actually hired a Disney animator to work on the cutscenes to help elevate what were already incredibly detailed cutscenes from the first game (you'll be hard-pressed to find better lip-synching and the little details in the animations were unrivaled), and the result is that of a cartoon brought into 3D like no CG movie save for the latest stuff from Pixar has really been able to do. Yes, it's that good.
Jak II's overall storyline is still a little foggy. We do know that it takes place in the future, far beyond the events of Jak & Daxter, and that Jak has finally escaped after extensive torture and experimentation that fused his body with Dark Eco. The result is a Jekyll and Hyde complex that leaves Jak susceptible to transformation into a, well, monster should he come into contact with enough Dark Eco. An encroaching army of monsters called Metalheads are slowly making their way into the city Jak and Daxter now inhabit, though what role they'll play in the storyline is still unclear.
With the leap into the future, more advanced technology is now available to play around with, and Jak acquires dozens of weapons and gadgets that once obtained, can be used at any time in any area of the game. A hoverboard can be whipped out at any time (complete with a set of flip and grab tricks for those that want to show off), and Jak's arsenal of weapons can be switched to in literally about half a second. A demonstration at the Gamers' Day event showed a camera slowly spinning around Jak as he cycled through each of the weapons, and the animations in place were jaw-dropping in their smoothness and creativity.
There's plenty more about Jak II that we haven't really delved into, but without more extensive play time, it's difficult to accurately convey the direction of things like storyline and gameplay. Rest assured that we'll have something significantly more meaty in the coming weeks.
To say Jak II is striving to be more expansive and epic than any platformer before it would still be selling it short. The sheer scope is staggering, and in much the same way it took a while to drink in the go-anywhere aspect of GTAIII's surroundings, the world that Jak and Daxter now inhabit is almost an overload for the senses. It's not quite as large (at least we don't think) as GTA III, but the same sense of immersion, the feeling of tooling around in a city that could easily continue existing without your presence is unshakable. Part of this may come from the ability to jump up and literally carjack any of the ships flying overhead, but that's a small piece of it.
No, much like Ratchet & Clank 2, Jak II's feeling of cohesiveness comes from detail. The city where you'll be spending a decent amount of time is so densely populated by not only people but the kind of organic, imprecise level of detail that's made games, well games, and not true reflections of the imperfect world we live in. The ground is cracked and worn away, buildings are hewn from natural materials and technology alike, the people that walk the streets are decked out in wholly unique clothing, and tying it all together is a level of polish that is very, very rarely seen in games.
More than just the necessary upgrades in detail, however, are the strides Naughty Dog is making in the way of storytelling. For the first time in a platformer, serious issues are going to be addressed. Sure, there's still humor, but is offset by feelings like betrayal, love, jealousy, hatred - things that the world of Mario would never tackle and until now were never fully embraced. With the average gamer now tipping the chronological scales at a more mature 25+ years, the audience that grew up on Mario's innocence is looking for something that's becoming as mature as they are. This doesn't mean an excess of blood and guts, it means complex story arcs, character development, and, yes, the introduction of those same emotions that we mentioned before.
The second factor in Jak II's shift towards more refined storytelling lies in a very simple ethos: motivation. It consumes the entire game; no longer are gamers taken on a meaningless fetch quest just because the items are there to be collected. When it's time to switch gears and jump into a racing minigame, it's because there's an emotional investment - one that may not even be key to the storyline as a whole. Objectives finally have a true reason behind them, and more often than not, it advances the plot a bit rather than the other way around. Naughty Dog's aim with Jak II is to use the platformer mechanic to deliver a style of storyline that has the kind of impact that gamers are looking for when they go to see a movie.
To this end, significant upgrades have been made in the way of character design (Jak is more haggard after being tortured and experimented on) and presentation. Naughty Dog actually hired a Disney animator to work on the cutscenes to help elevate what were already incredibly detailed cutscenes from the first game (you'll be hard-pressed to find better lip-synching and the little details in the animations were unrivaled), and the result is that of a cartoon brought into 3D like no CG movie save for the latest stuff from Pixar has really been able to do. Yes, it's that good.
Jak II's overall storyline is still a little foggy. We do know that it takes place in the future, far beyond the events of Jak & Daxter, and that Jak has finally escaped after extensive torture and experimentation that fused his body with Dark Eco. The result is a Jekyll and Hyde complex that leaves Jak susceptible to transformation into a, well, monster should he come into contact with enough Dark Eco. An encroaching army of monsters called Metalheads are slowly making their way into the city Jak and Daxter now inhabit, though what role they'll play in the storyline is still unclear.
With the leap into the future, more advanced technology is now available to play around with, and Jak acquires dozens of weapons and gadgets that once obtained, can be used at any time in any area of the game. A hoverboard can be whipped out at any time (complete with a set of flip and grab tricks for those that want to show off), and Jak's arsenal of weapons can be switched to in literally about half a second. A demonstration at the Gamers' Day event showed a camera slowly spinning around Jak as he cycled through each of the weapons, and the animations in place were jaw-dropping in their smoothness and creativity.
There's plenty more about Jak II that we haven't really delved into, but without more extensive play time, it's difficult to accurately convey the direction of things like storyline and gameplay. Rest assured that we'll have something significantly more meaty in the coming weeks.
