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[Buggy Loop]

Same here, i loved jak II, i must be bizzare. I remember all the hate it had on the forum when it was released, actually, it had hate way before it was even released, peoples bashed the different art direction and i dont think they ever gave the game a fair chance.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Some peple like Jak II others don't. Not everyone can like a game, some people have different tastes and expectations.

I liked Jak II and I am gonna buy this with MGS3.

 

[AlphaSnake]

personally, I think Jak 2 was the best platformer released this generation.

Christ Your Stupid guy (forgot his name)? Is that you?

 

[kaching]

So I can't hold an opinion? Is that it? I beat Jak 2, didn't think it was difficult, rather I just didn't like a lot of the missions. Thought the game tried to do too much and failed in a lot of ways, mostly the lame hoverboard and mech missions. Also, the always-tedious "chase down some person" or "get across town in some matter of time" wasn't fun either.

evilromero, are you a reviewer for a game site/mag? Because you keep referring to games you've supposedly played to completion yet didn't like much if at all along the way. You beat GTA:VC yet had little but complaints, now its Jak 2 that you claim to have beat yet, again, mostly complaints. So, I just hope for your sake that you're being compensated in some way

 

[kaching]

PS2 owner or not, Speevy has been right. And he certainly didn't seem to be trolling.

No, just oversensitive. But let's not take Speevy to task for the same thing you're criticizing dark and Marco for...

 

[Ranger X]

Olimario, if Jak isn't a platformer and focus on "combat" it must be because you use as much guns as you do platforming. In Ratchet and Clank, there's even less platforming compared to the gunning and i've never heard you bitch this game.
Could please to us a favor and post here that Rachet and Clank is shit and it's not a platformer but something based on combat? This way you would be more coherent and maybe we could believe you.

 

[AniHawk]

If you like games, you'll buy this immediately or we'll come to your house and beat you to death.

YOU'D NEVER SURVIVE ME, BITCHES.

 

[AniHawk]

Seeing the RIDICULOUS amount of Jak hate here, it's GAF i don't believe!!
You suck guys, look at you.

Who are you seriously?
1- frustrated people from the change of looks between Jak1 and 2?
2- frustrated people that though Jak2 was cheap but in fact it's that you're a wussie at games?
3- can't drive the fucking aircraft full speed without crashing? ( i can!!)
4- you don't like action-platformers but you still fuck around Jak threads to troll?

Because the story was poorly told. You had love triangles that were started, yet never resolved, or never further explored the tension when there was so much time in between doing nothing and a mission that they could have further explored this. Because Jak is all of a sudden a badass, and you can tell it by his voice! Oh my! Because there is only one character I actually found interesting, because ND actually bothered to make his character interesting (Krew). Because there was about 30% platforming, 40% driving, and 30% shooting, when it should have been 70% platforming/shooting, 30% driving. Because there were no warp points (like in Jak and Daxter- GTASA and Shenmue II have stuff like this). Because the city was a mess and there was no way to have multiple routes planned like there is in a normal city. Hell, I was expecting one uber vehicle to appear at the end that'd let me travel over buildings, but no.

I can't believe people at ND came up with the R&C engine, but went ahead and created Jak II. It boggles the mind.

 

[dark10x]

Because the story was poorly told. You had love triangles that were started

Ha ha, your first point revolves around a love triangle?!

Though, I gotta admit that I was disappointed that the love triangle between Master Chief, Cortana, and Foe Hammer went nowhere.

 

[Defensor]

YOU'D NEVER SURVIVE ME, BITCHES.

Keep up the good fight.

 

[AniHawk]

Ha ha, your first point revolves around a love triangle?!

My first point is that the story is poorly told. This is just an example of how it is. You have Jak/Rebel dude/Praxis's daughter and Kiera/Jak/Praxis's daughter which both ND clearly set up and honestly SHOULD have taken out if they weren't planning on further exploring them. It was just sloppy sloppy sloppy.

 

[Littleberu]

My first point is that the story is poorly told. This is just an example of how it is. You have Jak/Rebel dude/Praxis's daughter and Kiera/Jak/Praxis's daughter which both ND clearly set up and honestly SHOULD have taken out if they weren't planning on further exploring them. It was just sloppy sloppy sloppy.

That's because it's not over, over over.

 

[Gattsu25]

My first point is that the story is poorly told. This is just an example of how it is. You have Jak/Rebel dude/Praxis's daughter and Kiera/Jak/Praxis's daughter which both ND clearly set up and honestly SHOULD have taken out if they weren't planning on further exploring them. It was just sloppy sloppy sloppy.

If resolving the love triangle is one of your concerns, then you'll enjoy Jak 3*














































*Note: knows jack shit on the story details of Jak 3 (outside of a trailer) but common sense would dictate that the next game in the series will continue on the previous game's story

 

[AniHawk]

That's because it's not over, over over.

If Jak 3 is actually better than Jak II, I'll eat some crow, but not all of it. It still doesn't change the fact that the character development and pacing in Jak II were crappy as hell.

The reason I am focusing on this aspect of the game is because ND prided themselves so much about how this was the first story-based platformer. That there wasn't any motivation to play SM64 other than to get a cake at the end. And in the end, Jak II proved to me that the had no clue how to do exactly what they set out to do, and it ruined the game because of it.

 

[Littleberu]

If Jak 3 is actually better than Jak II, I'll eat some crow, but not all of it. It still doesn't change the fact that the characters and pacing in Jak II were crappy as hell.

That's why they hired some of the best scripter from Crystal Dynamic for Jak 3. Dang dang.

 

[Ranger X]

If Jak 3 is actually better than Jak II, I'll eat some crow, but not all of it. It still doesn't change the fact that the character development and pacing in Jak II were crappy as hell.

The reason I am focusing on this aspect of the game is because ND prided themselves so much about how this was the first story-based platformer. That there wasn't any motivation to play SM64 other than to get a cake at the end. And in the end, Jak II proved to me that the had no clue how to do exactly what they set out to do.

Get over it Anihawk, you so love to hate Jak2 that it's humanly impossible for you to like Jak3 i'm pretty sure. And i'm not trolling, i TRULY feel it in your posts dude. lol
We still love you somehow

 

[drohne]

Because the city was a mess and there was no way to have multiple routes planned like there is in a normal city. Hell, I was expecting one uber vehicle to appear at the end that'd let me travel over buildings, but no.

there's a reason for those narrow one-way corridors: they let the engine know exactly where you're going, so it can load the next chunk of the city. if they'd gone with a more open design, they would have had to implement vast open wastes like the ocean in wind waker. nobody wants that.

and it's typical of gamers to define "storytelling" as "plot minutiae." i didn't think much of jak II's plot. don't remember much of it, to be honest. but i do remember that the cutscenes were brilliantly animated and voiced. that's at least one aspect of good storytelling. and i'd say it's considerably more important than whether love triangles were "resolved" or whether the time traveling makes sense or whether the protagonist was too angsty for your tastes.

i rather liked jak II. i'll play jak III at some point.

 

[AniHawk]

Get over it Anihawk, you so love to hate Jak2 that it's humanly impossible for you to like Jak3 i'm pretty sure. And i'm not trolling, i TRULY feel it in your posts dude. lol
We still love you somehow

The *only* reason I'd hate Jak 3 is if it was about as "good" or a little better than Jak II. I hated Vice City with a passion, yet really enjoyed San Andreas. Same thing with Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2, Shenmue and Shenmue II, and Golden Sun and The Lost Age. It just depends if developers are willing to correct their mistakes.

 

[AniHawk]

there's a reason for those narrow one-way corridors: they let the engine know exactly where you're going, so it can load the next chunk of the city. if they'd gone with a more open design, they would have had to implement vast open wastes like the ocean in wind waker. nobody wants that.

That is true, but San Andreas and Shenmue II had points in the game where it would say something like, "skip to San Fierro?" and you could click it and it would take you there (or in Shenmue II, I think if you started following someone, after a while it would basically just cut to where you were supposed to go- or at least you could move time forward).

and it's typical of gamers to define "storytelling" as "plot minutiae." i didn't think much of jak II's plot. don't remember much of it, to be honest. but i do remember that the cutscenes were brilliantly animated and voiced. that's at least one aspect of good storytelling. and i'd say it's considerably more important than whether love triangles were "resolved" or whether the time traveling makes sense or whether the protagonist was too angsty for your tastes.

Well yes the animation and voice acting was well-done, but I saw little effort elsewhere to make the characters more than one-dimensional beings. This is a problem in Ratchet & Clank games too (Ratchet is always willing to save the galaxy! HOORAY!)- but R&C never put story above gameplay.

 

[McLesterolBeast]

Certified retard.

edit: skeletor

 

[Gattsu25]

This is a problem in Ratchet & Clank games too (Ratchet is always willing to save the galaxy! HOORAY!)- but R&C never put story above gameplay.

Neither did Jak 2 :mario

 

[Kabuki Waq]

i dont see why plot is so important to platformers i mean the last i checked Mario 64 was not that plot heavy.

 

[AniHawk]

Neither did Jak 2 :mario

Setting is part of story.

 

[MarkRyan]

(P.S. Doug has a history of overrating lots of stuff. Ivan has a history of being brutally honest.)

 

[kaching]

Because the story was poorly told. You had love triangles that were started, yet never resolved, or never further explored the tension when there was so much time in between doing nothing and a mission that they could have further explored this.

I'm not sure how it would make for better storytelling to present a love triangle by-the-numbers like you want - that's not "better" its just standard. Jak had bigger issues to attend to and the story weighted them accordingly in relation to a love triangle that was just blossoming.

Because Jak is all of a sudden a badass, and you can tell it by his voice! Oh my!

Time has passed. Jak has been tortured. His body has been experimented on. He now transforms into something else he barely controls. He's hundreds of years in the future with only one familiar face to initially rely on. He must free himself from imprisonment. Not to mention that he's a teenage male who we all know have natural desire to be badasses (just look at all the badass wannabes stomping around GAF). There isn't anything "all of sudden" about it - storytelling is as much about the implicit cues as it the explicit ones. The strong, silent hero type established in Jak1 is no less archetypal than the vengeful opportunist has been in videogames. In fact, the former is probably a much more generic staple.

Because there is only one character I actually found interesting, because ND actually bothered to make his character interesting (Krew). Because there was about 30% platforming, 40% driving, and 30% shooting, when it should have been 70% platforming/shooting, 30% driving.

Subjective taste presented as objective criticism.

Because the city was a mess and there was no way to have multiple routes planned like there is in a normal city.

Many older cities in the world (in existence for hundreds of years, like Haven City in Jak2) bear similar levels of chaotic design. And Haven certainly offered multiple routes. Just watch what happens on the mini-map if you pass the street its indicating you need to go down next to get to a destination...

I can't believe people at ND came up with the R&C engine, but went ahead and created Jak II. It boggles the mind.

ND did not come up with the R&C engine - they lent out key J&D engine technologies to Insomniac, who then took things in their own very distinct direction.

 

[Agent X]

Well yes the animation and voice acting was well-done, but I saw little effort elsewhere to make the characters more than one-dimensional beings. This is a problem in Ratchet & Clank games too (Ratchet is always willing to save the galaxy! HOORAY!)- but R&C never put story above gameplay.

There was quite a good amount of character development in the first Ratchet & Clank game, particularly with Ratchet's character. He wasn't "always willing to save the galaxy," as he had a rather selfish attitude that was apparent throughout the first half of the the game.

 

[AniHawk]

I'm not sure how it would make for better storytelling to present a love triangle by-the-numbers like you want - that's not "better" its just standard. Jak had bigger issues to attend to and the story weighted them accordingly in relation to a love triangle that was just blossoming.

I know that protecting Haven City's a pretty big deal, but you get absolutely nothing out of those two subplots except just the beginnings- and they happen around the beginning parts of the game (IIRC).

Time has passed. Jak has been tortured. His body has been experimented on. He now transforms into something else he barely controls. He's hundreds of years in the future with only one familiar face to initially rely on. He must free himself from imprisonment. Not to mention that he's a teenage male who we all know have natural desire to be badasses (just look at all the badass wannabes stomping around GAF). There isn't anything "all of sudden" about it - storytelling is as much about the implicit cues as it the explicit ones. The strong, silent hero type established in Jak1 is no less archetypal than the vengeful opportunist has been in videogames. In fact, the former is probably a much more generic staple.

It is "all of a sudden" to the player. I was shocked to see the commercials about Jak being tortured, and thought in the game it would be handled just a tad better. We go from an E rated game to a T rated game, and there's no middle ground. It's not my job to handle writing in video games, but I believe this could have been handled better.

Many older cities in the world (in existence for hundreds of years, like Haven City in Jak2) bear similar levels of chaotic design.

Yes, but it's a frickin' video game. The main character gets dark eco and turns into a Mos Eisley resident. I don't understand the selective realism.

And Haven certainly offered multiple routes. Just watch what happens on the mini-map if you pass the street its indicating you need to go down next to get to a destination...

That usually happened after you had unlocked certain parts of the city due to the colored keys you received in the game. Then the problem didn't become multiple/shorter routes, but just the lack of a warp function. I don't play platformers to play Grand Theft Auto Lite. I play platformers for jumping around (I might add, whenever there WAS platforming in Jak II, some of it was really fun) and sometimes blowing shit up.

ND did not come up with the R&C engine - they lent out key J&D engine technologies to Insomniac, who then took things in their own very distinct direction.

Oh. Thanks for clarification.

Subjective taste presented as objective criticism.

I just don't like Grand Theft Auto Lite in my platformer.

As far as character development goes... I would have loved to see something in the game to show how Jak has actually changed as a person. He's been tortured. Now he's out for revenge. That makes sense, but it didn't really affect the rest of his character. Same thing for the rest of the characters from Jak and Daxter. They're in the future in this horrible city. Nobody really seems to care, and all we see are the same qualities of them from the first game.

If you were thrust into the future into this horrible city and the only person you relied on was has turned into this half-monster, would you be just confused and slightly interested about what happened to them? Or would you show other emotions? That is what I felt was lacking in the game.

 

[AniHawk]

There was quite a good amount of character development in the first Ratchet & Clank game, particularly with Ratchet's character. He wasn't "always willing to save the galaxy," as he had a rather selfish attitude that was apparent throughout the first half of the the game.

Oh yeah...

It's been almost two years since I've played it, so I've forgotten. I know that was his attitude in the past two games though (the second one because he needed/wanted work).

 

[evilromero]

Gattsu25, gee let's see, fuck off. I own the game, for one, because I loved Jak and Daxter. I still do. I had the attention of my roommates for the duration of the game (until the last bit where it gets a bit tedious) and they all agreed the game kicked ass. We loved the game because it was very much like a true adventure game, with all the close-calls of an Indiana Jones movie. But what do you do? Act like a little bitch and just put words in my mouth because you can't take the heat of someone not liking your game. My opinion, your insecurity. The game wasn't hard, it was simply not fun. I shouldn't have to defend myself against punks like you. If you said that shit to my face, I'd just stomp your head into the ground because these days people don't get enough assbeatings.

 

[AniHawk]

If you said that shit to my face, I'd just stomp your head into the ground because these days people don't get enough assbeatings.

just look at all the badass wannabes stomping around GAF

 

[kaching]

AniHawk,

>you get absolutely nothing out of those two subplots except just the beginnings

It adds texture to some of the character interactions. Clearly, its effect on you wasn't "absolutely nothing", otherwise you wouldn't be expressing such frustration over it

>It is "all of a sudden" to the player.

Well, I was one of the players, and I didn't find it to be "all of sudden". The setup was there - I guess they could have done a lengthier expose on Jak's "descent" into badassness but it seems unnecessary. You're given all the clues you need. Its as "sudden" as the setup in the first game that establishes Jak as a silent do-gooder. What justification was there to really believe that of Jak's character anymore than his portrayal in the second outing?

>I don't understand the selective realism.

Every game practices selective realism.

> I don't play platformers to play Grand Theft Auto Lite.

Fair enough, but ND didn't set out to create a pure platformer with Jak2. That was amply evident from any of the previews.

If you were thrust into the future into this horrible city and the only person you relied on was has turned into this half-monster, would you be just confused and slightly interested about what happened to them? Or would you show other emotions? That is what I felt was lacking in the game.

Hey, I don't have the resume that any of these characters have I'd probably be freaking out a lot more than they are, but they all come from a background of saving the world from an evil genius in the first game, dealing with magic and ancient technology as part of their daily lives and the lasting effects it can have like, say, transforming someone into a talking rodent

 

[Gattsu25]

Gattsu25, gee let's see, fuck off. I own the game, for one, because I loved Jak and Daxter. I still do. I had the attention of my roommates for the duration of the game (until the last bit where it gets a bit tedious) and they all agreed the game kicked ass. We loved the game because it was very much like a true adventure game, with all the close-calls of an Indiana Jones movie. But what do you do? Act like a little bitch and just put words in my mouth because you can't take the heat of someone not liking your game. My opinion, your insecurity. The game wasn't hard, it was simply not fun.

:lol

I shouldn't have to defend myself against punks like you. If you said that shit to my face, I'd just stomp your head into the ground because these days people don't get enough assbeatings.

:lol :lol

seems like I hit a nerve

 

[Defensor]

I sense a ban... ;-)

 

[Defensor]

I got these just for you Anihawk:

http://217.153.29.18/~michal/octo/t_jak2_tv.mov
http://217.153.29.18/~michal/dec/Vunce/ps2jakiitourgun.mov
http://217.153.29.18/~michal/dec/Vunce/ps2jakiidarkpowers.mov

Oh and what the hell, one more:
http://217.153.29.18/~michal/dec/Vunce/ps2ratchetclanktractorbeam.mov

 

[SantaC]

I got these just for you Anihawk:

http://217.153.29.18/~michal/octo/t_jak2_tv.mov
http://217.153.29.18/~michal/dec/Vunce/ps2jakiitourgun.mov
http://217.153.29.18/~michal/dec/Vunce/ps2jakiidarkpowers.mov

Oh and what the hell, one more:
http://217.153.29.18/~michal/dec/Vunce/ps2ratchetclanktractorbeam.mov

<-----

/\
|
|
|

that chick is too hot.

 

[AniHawk]

I got these just for you Anihawk:

http://217.153.29.18/~michal/octo/t_jak2_tv.mov
http://217.153.29.18/~michal/dec/Vunce/ps2jakiitourgun.mov
http://217.153.29.18/~michal/dec/Vunce/ps2jakiidarkpowers.mov

Oh and what the hell, one more:
http://217.153.29.18/~michal/dec/Vunce/ps2ratchetclanktractorbeam.mov

Haha! Those are pretty good. The only one I saw was "The world will know Jak."

 

[AniHawk]

Hey, I don't have the resume that any of these characters have I'd probably be freaking out a lot more than they are, but they all come from a background of saving the world from an evil genius in the first game, dealing with magic and ancient technology as part of their daily lives and the lasting effects it can have like, say, transforming someone into a talking rodent

However they are not in a land filled of magic. It's the future and they're forced to live in a police state. Besides, Jak and Daxter's story was more of a lighthearted adventure than an epic tale- which is what Jak II set out to be. If they were trying to make the story mature, they should have focused on the characters instead of the setting and basic plot.

I think Jak slowly being driven towards more darker tendencies- lashing out at people more, ignoring others to focus on just his agenda, etc would have driven home the fact that the dark eco had done more than to change his voice, body, and attitude (all at once).

Every game practices selective realism.

And the realistic parts were selected poorly. Like I said, a warp points or a "skip to" function once you get in vehicles would have helped the pacing a TON.

 

[Brofist]

evilromero, are you a reviewer for a game site/mag? Because you keep referring to games you've supposedly played to completion yet didn't like much if at all along the way. You beat GTA:VC yet had little but complaints, now its Jak 2 that you claim to have beat yet, again, mostly complaints. So, I just hope for your sake that you're being compensated in some way

Haha it's true. I think he's one of those people that plays through the popular games just to be able to say he played it and it sucked.

 

[dark10x]

Haha it's true. I think he's one of those people that plays through the popular games just to be able to say he played it and it sucked.

Oh yes, I'd say that's right.

 

[Defensor]

Haha! Those are pretty good. The only one I saw was "The world will know Jak."

"Now summon your dark Jak powers..."
"My wha?"
*BAM!*

:lol

that chick is too hot.

Thanks