Is Jak and Daxter Still A Good Game?

[@FlashX212]

I played through all 3 games in a single weekend after not playing for 10-15+ years and can confirm, YES. It is still that good

[@danthemann7]

I highly doubt u beat jack 2 over the weekend along with the other games unless u literally played all day. Jack 2 is one of the hardest game I ever played till this date

[@FlashX212]

@@danthemann7 I did. Because I didnt have to work that day lmao

[@danthemann7]

@@FlashX212 took me multiple days. Somewhere mid game during jak 2 they start making every mission brutal

[@FlashX212]

@@danthemann7 Yeah, the missions close to the end were really hard. And then metal Kor's fight was embarrassingly easy

[@danthemann7]

@@FlashX212 yeah. Funny how the last two boss missions. The fat guy and metal head boss were the easiest compared to the early ones which had me sweating

[@sethmizrachi8337]

Fun fact: that fisherman in the Forbidden Jungle is none other than the GODDAMN BATMAN, Kevin Conroy.

[@TheSatch10]

I saw Kevin Conroys name in the credits and thought, wait, what the heck? I THAT Kevin Conroy in the game? Interesting stuff man.

[@Brentonius_III]

WHAT???!!!! how did I not know this

[@xXYannuschXx]

One thing that really made the Jak and Daxter series age well is the animation system. Most PS2 games had very stiff animations and the change between animation states (idle, walking, running, jumping, attacking, etc.) was instant. Jak and Daxter blended those animations, like you would do in a modern game engine, which makes everything seem incredibly fluid, which is further reinforced through the good movement system.

[@willmcgill550]

Red eco increases the reach of your attacks, not just makes them stronger. There are other times when doing something in one area impacts the world than opening up the blue eco vent -- there is also a yellow eco vent, and if you don't kick the egg off the ledge in the beach area, you won't be able to use flut flut in later areas. And you were missing something in the area of the spider caves you thought you were -- if you look down off the edge of the cliff in that area, there is a launch pad with blue eco. As far as disagreement, I love all the areas you hate. It honestly sounds like you only like areas with aesthetics that are light and happy and whimsical. You say misty island being gloomy is a bad thing! Giant skeletons everywhere are awesome! And so are the spider caves, with the massive pools of evil ooze

[@extrapyxel]

Super valid points. I didn’t know that about red eco and I’d argue that it doesn’t increase the range of the attacks enough to make much of a difference. It is nice to know that actions do continue to have an impact in other areas, it’s possible that it just went unnoticed because they only call attention to it in the beginning when Keira mentions it. You’re not super wrong about my preference for areas, but it’s not just bright zones I like. I dislike Misty Island because navigation feels more like a chore to me than exploration, and Spider Caves is much the same. Thank you for your input! And thanks for pointing out the things I missed!

[@ColinElkin-ce1337]

Regarding not being able to see platforms in the Spider Caves, that's because the game was originally in 4:3 format, so the 16:9 format in the HD remasters cuts off the top and bottom of the screen. Luckily, you can change this in the options menu and get the full screen at the cost of some black borders on the sides of the screen.

[@gamursnek]

About ½ or ⅔ of the way through Jak II during a mission to collect three ancient artifacts (or something, its been a while since I've played) Daxter mistakenly leans his tail into a concentrated beam of light until it starts burning. Daxter proclaims "mm something smells good, smells kinda like... BURNT OTTSEL?!?" Edit: the point of this comment is just to say, yes they do refer to ottsels before the very end of the series

[@Brentonius_III]

yes knew it was said in game just forgot it was only this instance

[@aurthurpendragon1015]

8:20 It also gives your attacks greater range too, which can definitely be helpful when used with spin kicks or downward bashes.

[@DANILKA97]

About the inverted controls, there is a way to change it by going into Graphic Settings and holding up(D-Pad) and pressing R3. Very weird "hidden" option, I think the only way to actually figure out the combination was by reading update notes or, well, forums and stuff.

[@extrapyxel]

That’s crazy and so odd that it’s hidden!

[@nivekublue]

​@@extrapyxelit's not really supposed to be hidden, the fact you said you bought them from the PS Store flicks the light bulb in my head that you're playing the "LimitedRun" ports on the PS4/5, they hid the controls for the camera for some reason and the performance isn't as good, they were just ports of the PS2 versions, not great ones at that, unless you're just a casual gamer. The definitive way to play Jak 1 as of current is the fanmade OpenGOAL Jak 1 PC version

[@xXYannuschXx]

Same thing with Jak 2, while Jak 3 had the settings exposed in an option menu instead. I cant remember reading about this hidden option in the manual, I think people found out, or one of the devs said it exists. Even weirder, PAL and NTSC have different button combinations. I really would love to know what the reason for that was.

[@kyleault5017]

your long jump over to the platform in the spider cave was a sequence break. the intended method is to walk to the far end of the flippy sticks, pick up a blue eco powerup and jump into the bottomless pit and land on the blue eco launcher at the bottom without falling into the pit.

[@themoviecritic1092]

Not even a minute in: The intro scene is kind of a mess Me: *gasp*

[@josesosa3337]

My first console game. Very nostalgic.

[@tylerepley7465]

Just wanted to say you have done an excellent job on this series so far. I'm so glad it showed up in my recommendations and now I'm binging your series on Jax and Daxter after a day at work.

[@ghostpinguin]

In short yes ! A good game will FOREVER be a GOOD GAME. Regardless of generations.

[@evanp5911]

Yep I was watching my 8 year old nephew for a weekend we played all 3 on my PS4 and he absolutely loved it, he then begged my sister for stuff from there thankfully there’s red bubble

[@gabrich1991]

man i finished the game like 100 times doing all challenges and this one was my favorite jak2 and 3 the same and end up repeating them and finishing them in like a weekend oh the good times :D

[@Periwinkie22]

I watch every video about jak and daxter 1 I’m still obsessed with this damn game

[@sebastiankulche]

Yes, its not even an answer.

[@4rl0ng]

For sure

[@4rl0ng]

And it won't be a question for about other 10 years

[@PolynomiaI]

I'm also playing through this series right now and having a blast! I had Precursor Legacy as a kid, but don't think I ever finished it, and never got any of the sequels. I 100%ed Precursor Legacy (which was quite easy without a guide) and am now about halfway into Jak II. Also, I'm nearly certain that Daxter was called an "Ottsel" in one of the Jak II cutscenes I saw so far, which caught me off guard cause like you said I don't think that term was used at all in Precursor Legacy.

[@extrapyxel]

Spoilers for the next video but you’re absolutely right on the Ottsel thing!

[@solidp-kf8328]

i really loved the review you made , you indeed approached it like you've played it for the first time and its a good thing that this game could be likeable by people other than the existing fans that possibly grew up with it !! i also liked the montage you've made ! im sure waiting for your next videos!!

[@rhythmicon]

What a great first video. I only just started my channel almost three weeks ago. Similar content, so I'm on this journey with you. Subbed, looking forward to seeing what's next. Good luck!

[@ransompalmer5697]

Love the video, especially for how fresh you are to this. I played the original, the PS3 remaster, and the PS4 port; it's so hard as a dedicated fan to view Jak and Daxter unbiased. You did incredibly well; the 30fps framerate for gameplay was a little weird, since the original was 60fps and all the other versions were (except for the laggy PS4 version, but it ~usually~ held 60fps for me), but I understand you're producing the best you can with what you have, so I genuinely do applaud you. Great video, subscribed to support. Keep it up!

[@sebastiankulche]

PS2 original was also 60 FPS

[@kevinmoore2474]

In the final boss, the eye beam at the beginning is blue eco. The bombs can be percieved as bigger versions of the bomb Jak yeets at the lurker in the intro cutscene.

[@kadenprows8079]

Adding a comment to your concerns with the Spider Cave 2D camera-- once again, a PS4 problem. PS4 crops the top and bottom of the screen to fit the 16×9 aspect ratio, rather than extending the horizontal view. On PS2 and OpenGOAL you can see everything fine.

[@sebastiankulche]

Yeah, the PS3 version also did that and on top of it, it forces widescreen meaning that you cannot change it compared to PS2 or PS4. Those versions also have more clunky movement, a few graphical glitches or missing special effects and PS4 has way worse framerate. I really recommend playing Open Goal or PS2 over the rest.

[@DerNiker]

I Love you so much for giving these a games a try. I hope you enjoyed the games with their unique atmosphere and world. And i am only 1 minute into the video. Simy the fact that you try to rate these games with our current standards makes me happy and gives me a new perspective of the game itself.

[@Rock4896]

Woah I can't believe this is your first vid! You're definitely better at platforming than me, I still struggle to progress in the heavier platforming sections

[@tigressilva]

I fully agree with you about Misty Island being my least favorite area. I remember even as a kid i didnt like it that much. I didnt 100% the game as a kid (the spider cave freaked me out too much to do anymore than the bare minimum) but going back as an adult the game was really fun to play and the only parts I found really annoying to get everything were the last speeder section and getting lost in the swamp. I probably should've used a guide but it didnt feel roght using one for any of the games. Excellent reveiw.

[@cooldude9640]

You missed the yellow eco in Snowy Mountains that activates yellow eco vents across the map.

[@theghostyboy5626]

Truly love this game so much played again recently with my girlfriend who also grew up with the series and it still holds up such a great game!

[@sebastiankulche]

17:19 Seems that you are playing on 16:9 which crops a lot of the screen to make it not look stretched on modern displays. Unless you play the open goal PC port, this is a game that is originally intended to be played on a 4:3 screen. In 16:9 you are putting things harder for you.

[@Brentonius_III]

that's always odd to me that it was designed for 4:3 because games older on the n64 had wide-screen, always bothered me

[@sebastiankulche]

@@Brentonius_III Yes, and even a Sega Genesis game had widescreen. That is not representative of how many people was playing in widescreen back in the day. Even on PC most had 4:3 displays.

[@mikeweimer4783]

I feel genuinely privileged to be here so early. Your videos put in enough thought and work that even if I disagree here and there, it’s a fun ride. Also, the humor’s there, and that’s important haha. Anyway, I hope you continue to put out bangers! I also love the original Ratchet but I understand how long the series is. I think the ones on PS2 deserve a retrospective video though. That said, I’m eager to see what you do next! Cheers!

[@extrapyxel]

I’m glad you enjoyed! Little delayed on the next one but it’s coming!

[@bryanrdz225]

Dude I honestly loved this video, went to go check for the next vid and realized that this was your first vid. 10/10 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@extrapyxel]

Thank you so much!

[@KaminoKatie]

Jak and Daxter is the videogame equivalent of comfort food

[@sebastiankulche]

This game is peak relax. It should be in a list of top 10 of best ways to deal with anxiety.

[@orangeslash1667]

@@sebastiankulche Fun Fact: Naughty Dog said that Banjo Kazooie was a very big inspiration for this series.

[@sebastiankulche]

@@orangeslash1667 Yeah i know. It also has some Crash Bandicoot vibes.

[@KaminoKatie]

@@sebastiankulche Natural considering that is Naughty Dog's baby prior to Jak and Daxter

[@TheSatch10]

20:37 the Blue Eco was the lazer beam coming out of the robots eye. You then blow up every other eco type body part.

[@NighttimeGlobe1887]

The Swamp area felt so bland to me even as a kid and it's why i dread playing Jak and Daxter each time but still swallowed my hate and played it anyways since i did just play Jak and Daxter a few weeks ago it will probs be another year before i play it again but in my opinion it's a game that feels fresh to come back to every now and again

[@MrMitchbow]

17:38 there’s a random launch pad under that area below the cliff but above the abyss. Idk how long I spent finding it as a kid but it is the intended way

[@kadenprows8079]

To expound on the camera issues, if I'm not mistaken the camera axes were changed on PS4/5 from how they were on PS2

[@sebastiankulche]

It can also be changed on PS2 via cheat code. PS3 version and Open Goal are the only ones that have a dedicated option in the menu to modify the camera.

[@bartfoppes7817]

Played it a month ago, thought it was a cool game with some creative ideas.

[@montanajackson3713]

Used to have the ps3 collection as a teen, this game will always be one of the best I’ve ever played.

[@EvisceratorMK2]

Alot of unexplained missions you get are missions like say the ones on the mountain supposed to be given by Keria & Samos but the problem there ends up being they only load in with only one cutscene & you'd need to get the game to reload them again with the different missions. So most of the time you only get 2 of their like 4 to six different missions per area explained in a playthrough & they'll always be the same each playthrough as the game loads them in an order.

[@ginnungagap9793]

Yooo, what? I never thought about jumping through blue beam for blue eco. I might be retarded, send help.

[@dxfifa]

I did not even know you could uppercut that thing on the beach

[@reahslademhA]

Since samos technically came from haven city, it makes sense he wouldnt freak out about daxter being an ottsel.

[@brettonjames5024]

you can stop the fisherman from laughing with a cheat code

[@khfan4492]

Awesome video

[@Rocket-wn9kc]

2:08 you are wrong he does mention that he is an Otsul in the second game somewhere between the start and the middle of the game

[@extrapyxel]

That is correct, I was super wrong on that but they don’t explain where the name came from which is still interesting

[@Jostyy]

I really hope you plan on reviewing the whole trilogy + Jak X and Lost Frontier i would love to see your perspective on them all

[@extrapyxel]

A video on Jak 2 is already well underway and Jak 3 is on deck. After that I do want to look at some other games/franchises from the same era before hitting Lost Frontier, Jak X, and Daxter but I will get back to them eventually.

[@Ingisen]

Nice vid! Will you review the other Jak games as well (including Jak X, Daxter PSP and Lost Frontier)? If so, I'd really appreciate that! Fans have been thirsty for more Jak content for a while now... Speaking of that... What are your thoughts about a hypothetical Jak 4/modern sequel? Perhaps you could make a discussion video about it, after playing all the other games?

[@extrapyxel]

A video for Jak 2 is already well underway! I do also plan to do Jak 3 but then would like to go into some other areas before tackling the other titles. I will definitely revisit them at some point though. At far as a new title goes, I would honestly be okay without it. The story is done for these guys, no need to ham-fist more out of it. I would like a Re-ignited style remake of the original trilogy with some quality of life improvements

[@Ingisen]

@@extrapyxel Good answer! My take with this: if ND decides not to continue the Jak story (although there is much to work from, considering Mar etc), I'd definitely appreciate a remaster akin to R&C. However, that also gives ND the opportunity to polish some of the weaker points of the Jak games (like you mentioned camera positioning). Also, they could add more story content like the cut scenes from Jak 1 (a scene with Gol and Maia discussing the invasion of Sandover). A pure remaster would just be a simple cash-grab. I'm not expecting a full remake either, because the coding for the Jak games is so difficult. To be honest, I'm not sure *what* to expect from a new Jak project...

[@orangeslash1667]

@@extrapyxel I recommend Tinykin, the developers said that Jak and Daxter were big inspirations. There's proof kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHe2cqpmjrd8lZo

[@mogueraguh]

It’s worth trying this game out with the debug mode on, by imputing a code you can enable it and fly around and stuff it’s fun

[@extrapyxel]

I didn't know that was an option. That might make some fancy camera angles easier for the Jak 3 video.

[@josesosa3337]

Fun fact: Kevin Conroy is the fisherman.

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

it only took 8 months but you finally got more subs than me

[@Ramblering]

Very good summary of what the game has to offer even today! Myself, I was always partial to Crash compared to Jak if we're speaking Naughty Dog 3D platformers, but watching this made me realize why. I feel like most of what is good about this game compared to other platformers was already in Crash, but now with some inspiration from what Nintendo accomplished with Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, also a heavy dose of Spyro. So Crash is more messy and limited, but it was a different take on how to incorporate 3D mechanics to platformers. And I always prefer the weird ones.

[@extrapyxel]

There's definitely heavy Super Mario and Banjo Kazooie influence, with the weird dialed back just a bit. Maybe to potentially draw in a wider audience.

[@TheYetixOUTx]

I always thought it was weird they were labeled as Platformers these games are action adventures collectithons. And my favorite game series. Love those hover bikes.

[@KyleWithStyle7]

👍👍 great video

[@gamursnek]

"And now we finally have the game's first required boss" *Speedrunners* Are you sure about that?

[@zxvoovxz8466]

There was an extra 6 zones at one point but they were all cut

[@extrapyxel]

That’s such a shame! Six might’ve been a bit much, but at least two or three more might’ve been nice to see

[@SoloGamer42]

My first experience with these games was Jak 3, so I played through the complete game before getting a chance to play Jak and Daxter. And well at the time I thought Jak 3 was an okay game, I never really felt that the precursor Legacy was that great. The first area was amazing and the Perfect Blend of collectathon gameplay and light combat elements were spot-on, however that second area completely sucked all the fun I had up to that point out. A long extended section using the vehicle was in my opinion a very bad choice. After that I did complete the game but there were too many issues with the pacing after that first very good level. After that I did get a chance to play the second game and personally I thought it was the weakest of the franchise. I love the gameplay of Jak 2, however the pacing was off and the difficulty paired with the clunkiness was a bit off-putting. However I did end up beating all three games and enjoying them for the most part, and even to this day I still think the mess of game that is called Jak 3 is the best in the franchise.

[@TheSatch10]

I went back and replayed this game recently when I hadn't played it since the HD collection on the PS3, and I think it still holds up. It was fun to catch all the stuff I didn't notice as a Kid. Samos IS an asshole for no reason. I expected to be annoyed at Daxter, but he's cracking jokes nonstop through out the series and they're actually funny most of the time. He's a lovable character in general. But yeah, I was really frustrated by the controls, but got used to it after a while. I kinda just spent the whole time with a big smile on my face thinking of all the times I played the game throughout the years. It's also a time capsule of the past, what with characters having New England accents and female characters all being sexualized even though this was an E Rated game, everything was hyper sexualized back then.

[@blackstonewielder19]

So what audience did Naughty Dog have in mind with Maia's character design?

[@kjbwolf]

You should do a video on Vexx. Awesome game in my opinion. Would be interesting to get your thoughts.

[@dalaillama7049]

13:17 Tua Tagovailoa has entered the chat

[@codysseus312]

not having a go, but in the last half you sound like herbert from family guy. theres a slight whistle at the end of every sentence.

[@extrapyxel]

You’re not wrong. The latter half of this one was filmed very late at night. A combination of me being tired and trying not to be too loud resulted in that

[@antonioherea8144]

Bro, I can't believe this vid has just 1,3k views. I mean, it's not about the most popular game ever even though it is a masterpiece, but the way you are presenting and speaking is insane. Keep the good work, don't stop🫵🏻

[@brettonjames5024]

14:27 is fuckin amazing thank you

[@trapez77]

It’s the greatest video game of all time

[@richterman3962]

Before watching, yes especially with opengoal on pc

[@Brentonius_III]

i really played the jak games backwards 😂😂😂 when i first got a ps2 i was allowed to choose 1 game and my sister got to aswell she picked scooby doo but they didnt have that and she got the sims, i picked ratchet and clank because it was tue same people that made spyro, toys r us messed up and gave us jak 2 so that was the first ps2 game i played. only got 2 days before we swapped it for ratchet because my mum didnt like how crude it was 😂 only got to the 3rd mission anyways then in 2004 jak 3 became the first game i bought with my own money i finished it then finally found out about jak and daxter in like 2010 after playing 2 and 3 for years when a friend of mine had it, couldnt believe how different the first one was because i played 2 and 3 first

[@furcrafter4105]

Hope you do sly cooper eventually

[@gerardgeer642]

A game you’d have a fun time coming back to is Whiplash. Not because it was ever good, mind you 🎉

[@hazzamonbazzahr95]

I loved these games janky af but loved them

[@brettonjames5024]

you can change the camera with a cheat code

[@gavoserch]

14:26 lol

[@iancastro383]

Absolutely yes!

[@Typhoon_Lex]

Yep. Moving on 😂

[@CantusTropus]

Ah, my childhood obsession! I think you were very fair, though I might say that some of the game's flaws are simply products of its time. It definitely feels the leftover influence of the collectathon genre, which had been dominant in the Fifth Generation (N64 and PlayStation 1), but was falling rapidly out of favour. The hundreds of things to pick up, the easy and underwhelming boss fights - yup, classic collectathon stuff. I look forward to getting to your other videos in due time!

[@spyroaster5457]

Just a fun fact: the hovering twin platforms in the Lost Precursor City did not originate from Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. From my knowledge, the first game to implement these kinds of platforms was Gex: Enter the Gecko on PS1 three years prior. They were used a couple of times in the Rezopolis level at the end of the game. One year later, Gex 3 would use them again in the Anime Channel.

[@juliawolf156]

2:35 Oh no, the camera behavior can‘t be adjusted! Now if only this game could be easily taken apart, modified and reassembled with all kinds of modern bells and whistles like inverting the camera. There‘s an open community with the goal to do exactly that. Shitty sehue to OpenGOAL.

Jak and Daxter is an open world game, although it's fractured. It's not like in Jak 2 in Haven City. But the unlocking of different areas are very similar. In J&D you need power cells to be able to progress, in Jak 2 it's Security Passes.

[@Satan_66637]

In my opinion the 3 is the best then comes the 1 and then the 2

[@Raytron123]

After watching this video can confirm this is just Ty the Tasmanian tiger. They are basically the same game. Many games from that period probably are

[@timothy4122]

Only con to this game is the dying animation being to long

[@hannahanderson937]

Lol sad Hercules and the annoying golden rat 😂😂😂

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

more like is it a good platformer

[@orlandofurioso7329]

Yes! Misty island and Boggy swamp were the worst ones to complete for me, very samey

[@beitno3029]

I don’t need to watch this. Yes.

[@UnifiedEntity]

From a gameplay, atmospheric and adventurous standpoint.....its nigh perfect. But story wise? It has potential but very scattered and half baked but with that said.....it should be remade to improve the first games story..sigh...just cant trust Naughty Dog though.

[@PunishedRuh]

It’s alright I guess

[@Ray.M.12345]

I personally think it didn't age very well. The Jak&Daxter series could most definitely use a remake. But let's face it that's never gonna happen, because Sony doesn't care.

[@extrapyxel]

I like to remain cautiously optimistic but unfortunately you are probably right on that one

[@CrooKdLetterJ]

I still can't wrap my head around how they went from jak and Daxter to Jak 2

[@ChristianFrates1997]

I’m glad they changed it in 2003 because this game seems like a generic collectathon with a weak story. Also, Jak doesn’t even talk.

[@sebastiankulche]

Says nobody.

[@jagosahshermaine3925]

Is this the ps3 collection fuckboy or is this the original ps2 version

[@extrapyxel]

This is the 2017 re-release, played on PS5.

[@Mr.Jshawgames93]

Seriously Jagosah, why are you speaking to him like that? Clearly your parents didn't raise you right.

[@Ray.M.12345]

​@@Mr.Jshawgames93 He clearly has no manners.

[@Mr.Jshawgames93]

@@Ray.M.12345 Yeah. He was beaten with an ignorant stick one too many times.

[@sebastiankulche]

​@@extrapyxelSorry to say this, but you played the worst release.

[@alegomanYTPs]

as a kid? zoomer you already sound like 3 lol

[@dx-dragon4399]

Great video

[@extrapyxel]

Thanks!