Jak and Daxter: The Platformer Of All Time

[@zerotohero1483]

The dynamic between Jak and Daxter gets way better in Jak 2 and 3. I love all three of these games. This series is what got me into storytelling and game development. I really hope these games get the Crash Bandicoot Remaster treatment, followed by a reboot of the series so it can have a solid identity again.

[@ZeallustImmortal]

Idk man, Jak 2 went edgelord, and it never came back.

[@keybladeterra]

As a Kingdom Hearts fan and a Jak fan, this video was a treat!

[@WorthlessWinner]

11:00 this is an important point as to why people like it. The game was quite the technical marvel when it came out which also helped people like it. The whole world being connected, you being able to see the starting area from a mountain, at the time it was really impressive.

[@DrJamesOnjen]

Jak 1 was my first game back in the day but I'm in-between both teams I like Jak 1, 2 and 3 to death xD xD. I especially like 1 and 2. Maybe because I was the only one in school who was actually able to beat Jak 2. I liked seeing the perspective of someone that has never played these games. Nice video.

[@DJveyron5]

*Laughs in fanmade PC port of Jak 1* For real now, I'm so sorry you had to deal with the ports, they're AWFUL

[@MuchWhittering]

It's sad that the only official version of Jak that works properly is the PS2 original. Glad we have OpenGOAL now though!

[@TechWizard28]

I wish jak was given an extra year, it would've been way bigger

[@KBash]

I know this is the dumbest comment but that Mario Galaxy cut to the Jak title screen was aces

[@culIen]

Nah there are few feelings as good as "another youtuber compliments me on a transition that accidentally ended up being good". I'm pretty proud of the editing all around in this one, but mostly in that intro haha. Thanks!

[@jessehitchcock9141]

Fishing level was on of the best and memorable moments. One of the best npcs in gaming too.

[@manueldelbono202]

Better then Krew?

[@jessehitchcock9141]

@@manueldelbono202 all day man!! Krew kind of encapsulated how the series has taken a little bit of a downfall from the free flowing, bright scenes we were used to.. to a more dark gothic design.. which I didn’t mind but I massively prefer number 1 over 2 and especially 3.

[@PizzaRoll-SuckMyPole]

I unironically LOVED the fishing mini game

[@WorthlessWinner]

I'm watching someone play through final fantasy for the first time right now. People blind to famous games is fun

[@culIen]

What a coincidence, that'll be one of my next videos 👀

[@jeanyve_person]

You underhype yourself once more, good sir! This was precisely the content I desire!! Also, you may not like the Daxter game... jazzed for future endeavours!

[@culIen]

So fun fact! Daxter was my first ever psp game... and I was too young to understand it haha. I recently bought that and lost frontier on psn to play them on my PSTV so I'm stoked to reach the Spin-Off Trilogy lol. I appreciate it a lot, I'm glad even fans are able to enjoy the video!

[@Cevian]

Fair review. I replayed Jak & Daxter recently and, while I enjoyed it, the gameplay didn't age as well as I remembered.

[@Kligor2]

Ngl I replay this game like once a year, just one long sitting, going for sometimes even 100% completion cause its my comfort game. I cant speedrun it but I damn well know how to do it fast enough..... okay but the weird barrel things with a force field surrounded by ice are 100% awful. I feel like such a weirdo in the series in that I love the first game and dont really like Jak 2 from a gameplay perspective simply cause I see Jak 3 as superior in all the ways I care about.

[@SticktheFigure]

Jak 1, 2, and 3 are all my favorite Jak & Daxter game for their own reasons. I just love the simplicity and vibe of the original. For two I think it's gotta be the story that I love the most of out the trilogy. And for 3, they really nailed the open world the best out of the games. It was such a fun sandbox to run around in and just kill time without any goals in mind. Looking forward to your feelings on the sequels, even if you don't end up loving them all that much.

[@culIen]

That's actually a really interesting way to look at them! Each of the three games having one goal they strive for makes them all stand out, and from what I know of the series your analysis holds up! II's story hasn't revealed itself to me too much yet, but I'm glad there's more of a focus there since I offered little there.

[@daninisaur]

As someone who grew up with the series and periodically goes back to replay it, I admit I got super excited when I saw you making a video about it (because. WHO is making a jak and daxter video in the year 2021 lol). Though admittedly, Jak & Daxter is the game in the series I replay the least (and, actually, finished last since I started it with my sister when I was suuuper young and neither of us had the skills to even get past the first section, completely missed Misty Isle too) I had a good laugh at 7:20. I definitely agree. Despite replaying these games often, I have way too many moments where I groan about how much I hate each level, this is true for II and III as well. Yes I love the games, yes, I hate every other level/mission. We exist. Looking forward to your thoughts on the other games in the series though! I, for one, greatly enjoy driving into literally everything in Jak II and exploding every single hover craft I get my hands on.

[@culIen]

I adore the moments of traversing the world, but from Jak 1 and what I've played of 2 I just... can't stand a majority of the missions/levels. The first mission after you get the shotgun? Actual garbage. I enjoy the game a lot, but I feel like it'll be a "greater than the sum of its parts" kinda experience. And oh yeah, I bump into EVERYTHING. Not sure if I'm just bad or if the controls are just not good, but it's kind of fun in a way haha. Excited to get to that video in a few months!

[@Everythingwillsurelybealright]

Ooh coincidentally I also played this for the first time in 2021! This really matched my experience and I loved the way you framed it all. Also I for one would be thrilled to be used as an inquisitive straw person so keep that up too

[@culIen]

Oh no, don't enable me!!!

[@Road_to_Dawn]

Things like this are why I want to start Let’s Playing games I’ve never played that other people love and/or grew up with, like the Jak & Daxter series, Silent Hill 2, Sly Cooper, Dragon Age, etc. It could be interesting for someone to see a latecomer’s perspective, as well as a good way to put some pressure on me to actually follow through with them.

[@culIen]

I think latecomer perspectives are hella fascinating and valuable today. A lot of people grew up with games like this, so you'll naturally see a lot of similar opinions from people who have occupied the same fan space for so long.

[@PowFistyoyo]

this was brilliant haha looking forward to your jak ii video

[@jakthebomb]

Jak and Daxter was my first PS2 game. I didn't care for the 2nd and 3rd games, but the original was a classic.

[@Gwen1661]

Was very amusing to read your tweets as you played Jak and Daxter. Excited to see (hopefully) a similar thing with Jak II

[@culIen]

I might keep things more hush about Jak II unless there's some REAL egregious stuff. Excited to play more!

[@mohammedtali8027]

Really enjoyed this video👍, when is your jak 2 video dropping?

[@culIen]

Hoping for by the end of the year, since I've now committed to a title gimmick haha

[@mohammedtali8027]

@@culIen 😂😂lol, can’t Wait till then

[@restitvtororbis5330]

@@culIen just discovered your channel and holding out for that whole "end of the year" thing. Ya got 10 days... I'll be patient... Just please don't make a third review that's ANOTHER year after 🙃

[@culIen]

@RESTITVTOR ORBIS I'm dropping the year gimmick and am going to aim for early next year for Jak 2, because upon completing it the game is just too much. The year gimmick just constrains what I want to go over. Will be renaming this video to something more apt, and will try to also get the Jak 3 video out in the same year. I have other vids I'm working on rn anyway to try to get out b4 the end of the year 🤙

[@timelymirror7826]

Nice

[@WorthlessWinner]

My mum wouldn't let me get GTA so i got Jak 2 instead I hope you play the later games I have WAY more nostalgia for those

[@culIen]

Jak 2 video will either be late this year or early next 😌🙏 It's super fun so far!

[@sethbingo]

You should definitely play Jak 2 and 3, however prepare to pull your hair out playing Jak 2...

[@apollog7764]

5:19 PepeLaugh so you want a challenge? You'll love Jak 2...

[@culIen]

When I was saying simple it was less about the game not being challenging and more about there being not too much growth in game mechanics. Jak II certainly has that though! And challenge!

[@darktip]

Love your vids!

[@culIen]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@markbeckner5377]

The Lost Frontier doesn't exist

[@xx________xx8231]

good on you for using that banger TSA track

[@culIen]

I've had NMH on the mind for the past month for obvious reasons, and TSA remains my favorite Suda game so I felt it was a perfect fit! Thanks for noticing it!

[@SpectreOfTheWired]

Whew, first thousand, that was close

[@culIen]

WELCOME TO THE HONORARY SCRIMBLO CLUB

[@jibster5903]

Now, how about the real underdog? Haven: Call of the King I guarantee you, every Jak and Daxter fan will love that PS2 game.

[@IMGUMII]

Another great video as always

[@culIen]

Thanks a ton 😌🙏

[@alexaustin7234]

10/10 would enjoy vicarious pain again. I’ve never played a Jak game…I’ll stick with Banjo Kazooie as my nostalgia-fuelled collectathon (complete with 100% completion ending). This video proves going outside your wheelhouse is still highly entertaining. Plus now I can sleep soundly knowing I didn’t miss anything by skipping Jak, at least 1. What a train wreck of a PS4 port too!

[@culIen]

Thank you so much, that means so much! I should get around to Banjo some time, never really tried it! The next few videos will be more in lined with what's expected of me, but I'm excited to jump into the second game in a few months with more experience covering the genre ^-^

[@Sir_Loin_]

I platinumed this game 2 times ps3 and ps4

[@jandaxprss6784]

Level and game design may not be your favorite but i wasted money on the ps4 bundle when i have it on ps2 and 3 and ps2 version runs better than the 4 and without the input issues on ps4 the level design doesnt hurt so bad

[@TechWizard28]

Daxter is supposed to be like Kazooie

[@shadowwwwwwwwwww]

the use of hashihime music caught me off-guard ngl

[@culIen]

HOLY SHIT SOMEONE CAUGHT IT ON DAY 1

[@shadowwwwwwwwwww]

@@culIen kawase best boy

[@NiGHTSnoob]

Wait, people actually fall into pits in Jak and Daxter? Learn something new every day. I always found the game extremely easy and very much the "chill vibes" sort of game.

[@salsamonkey65]

I love all 3 of these but still kinda agree with everything said here. Idk

[@nono-ru1mm]

yyyyoooooooooooooooooo it da scrimblo

[@ZeallustImmortal]

Mario 64 and Jak and Daxter are my only ties to PS2 era platformers (ive honestly hated all platformers for all time aside from these 2)

[@u.g.b4660]

Try Jak 2 and Jak 3

[@TechWizard28]

Fish game is WAYYYYY better on a ps2 with a CRT

[@Waifu_buster]

Wonderful video can't wait to see the rest of the series!

[@culIen]

Hoping to finish the game and start writing the script in the next few months after I get some other videos off my backlog made ^-^

[@Waifu_buster]

@@culIen sounds wonderful! I can't wait to see what you put out!

[@palyername]

it is totally understandable that you would find it to be an extremely frustrating experience with shitty framerate and input lag; i have heard nothing good about the ports whatsoever. the minigames aren't NOT annoying (especially the entire precursor basin and the fish catching bs), but the bog rat shooting minigame for example is likely a lot less irritating with no input lag, and with more responsive controls, the platforming is much less frustrating i would think. i am also in a completely different camp than you with progression preferences so that informs a lot of my opinions about the design of the game, because i usually prefer having my entire toolset from the beginning and the difficulty increasing to require you to combine your tools in more creative ways, especially in a game with exploration as its focus; there are also locks in the form of closed eco vents that you can only open later in the game after you've encountered that type of eco as a form of gaining new tools. definitely not a game for everyone! i just wish you hadn't had the shitty ps4/ps5 emulation getting in your way. i'm self conscious because i wrote an essay and all the other comments are reALLY SHORT but i liked the video overall i am just trying to engage with the content

[@culIen]

I actually appreciate this, honestly! I think the discussion of preference is something I want to focus on a lot in this series(?), and I thought it would be fun to take something not traditionally "for me" and see how I'd feel about it. Had no idea the port would be THIS bad and I'm glad to be playing the ps2 originals from now on... but it's also probably good that the first video covers the most widely available version. It probably would have helped, and it's also not great that when I played and when I wrote was separated by months because I had to uproot my life lol. I still had a lengthy note sheet to base it off, and I think it helps that it was important that I approach this in good faith. I hope all that came through, because I really wanted to get into it but never really hated it. I'm really stoked to play more of 2, I'm enjoying it a lot so far :V

[@HonzyandFriends]

Just now realizing how many assets they reused from Crash and Crash Team Racing for this game. I grew up with PlayStation and as a kid who 100% every Crash game in my youth, I thought this game sucked when I played it 20+ years ago. Remember the disappointment after I 100% it in 2-3 sittings. Never did play the 3rd game in the series.

[@Ratchetti]

I agree with so many things here! I first played Jak 1 in 2010 and it felt like a ps1 game. It was disappointing since Ratchet and Clank 1 which came the next year (2002) was waaay more impressive in terms of gameplay variety and it was also way more fun. They focused way too much on the tech instead of making a fun game. Jak 3 was incredible and one of my favorite games of all time. It also had some stupid design mistakes, but still better than Jak 2, which was abysmal.

[@twilftw]

you kow you could of just used free mcboot instead of buying 2+3

[@culIen]

I have that for resolution stuff actually. Still wanted to own them on disc to play them legit, just in case of any funniness after trying to run the jak 2 iso and having issues haha. I seemed mad during the bit, but I enjoy Jak 2 so far so I'd say it was worth it haha

[@yes.6892]

So here’s a thing I’m going to sorta kinda quote from TheGamingBrit in his Legendary sonic marathon twitch streams (Which you should watch it’s some great fun) playin SA2, If you were to compare Jak and Daxter along with something like SA2 you’d have a cleverly polished and well designed game along with a somewhat unpolished and clunky game, right? That’s one aspect. But on the other front of the spectrum you have a game with not too much personality or catharsis to really peep its rear head in the long library of games too much along with a game with such high ambitions and charm it’s hard not to smile and be amazed at it, albeit for more it’s intention than execution but nonetheless. Like I don’t think a lotta people would be too invested if I went out of my describing a game about some kid trying to turn his friend back from a ferret and into a human with boring beach music playing than me explaining about a tale of two rad dude hedgehogs running around escaping from the authorities and discovering this heinous project leading like some survival horror-like cutscene threatening the entire world while Live and Learn plays in the background right? Like why am I writing this this video was posted from the day I took a shower I mean damn do I suck alright now if you excuse me I have to finish perfecting my Jesse Ventura impressions bye bye

[@henrybuehler7585]

This is a fun departure from your usual output I also played Jak and Daxter a while back. I played it as a kid. Its a solid game but I have zero nostalgia or interest in the series anymore. A fresh take is neat though

[@culIen]

Pretty much sums up my thoughts to a T! I'm glad you liked the video, my goal was to just make it fun and offer a new perspective since I was so out of my element haha

[@henrybuehler7585]

@@culIen it was real good! Really funny and also pointed out that it was a technical marvel at the time-something I never realized Also I think I used to like Jak 1 more because I liked platformers more than sandbox style games so I'm interested to see where you stand on 2 and 3. Never played 3 but Jak 2 was my GTA4 as a kid.

[@themoviecritic1092]

When you like the underwater section... The port is really bad. I wish that it got better treatment... the game's 20th anniversary was last year too 🥲