Jak II Retrospective

[@VirginEarz49_94]

Alright all the guns are useful and heres why Scatter Gun- Good for dealing with large groups of small enemies and knocking back bigger enemies. Blaster Mod- Good for shooting long range, and taking out enemies fast by punching the enemy and shooting it. Vulcan Fury- Good for Keeping distance and Stunning large enemies to take them out. Peacemaker-Blowing Shit up. Play the game using all of the weapons like this, and It becomes much easier and most importantly FUN. I recommend checking Powercell Freak's video about it

[@TheFoxFromSplashMountain]

Whether you love or hate Jak II, you've gotta admit, Naughty Dog had some serious balls to pull such a drastic move after the first game was such a success. This could have absolutely killed the franchise, but it didn't. That's pretty impressive.

[@bearholdensharkslux4791]

I personally love Jak2 and think it's best game in the trilogy

[@eatanotherzio6811]

They did kill the franchise. It died after Jak 3.

[@abstr4cted496]

​@@eatanotherzio6811I think people just lost interest in platformers.

[@CrazyzzzDudezzz]

It did kill the franchise tho

[@simonemancuso3576]

Jak II is the best game in the trilogy and one of the best platformers of all time, while also being a very influencial game. Jak II is the father of all those edgy 3D platformers that characterized that era.

[@PowercellZeke]

While I disagree with a lot of your points in this video, it was still a great watch! I always love to hear different perspectives on games I love. A couple things though. The music cutting out suddenly in the opening is a PS3 exclusive glitch, as well as Kor's black face. The PS3 version has quite a few audio and graphical glitches that weren't present in the original. I think it's a bit unfair to criticize the game because of it's tone. The game is trying to be more mature and dark , but also a game for younger players, and players who enjoyed the first game. I get that having the tone shift so frequently can be a problem for some, but the game not going all in on the dark tone isn't really a fair thing to bash the game for. One of my favourite things about this series is the ambiguity when it comes to the world and lore. Jak and Daxter introduces the idea of the Precursors who built the world and all that cool stuff. Jak II introduces the mystery of Mar, and builds on the Precursors. Jak 3 obviously takes both further, and is really devisive among the fans, which I guess I'll give my thoughts on when you cover Jak 3, but like I said, I love the mystery this world holds, and it really gets the imagination going. The gameplay is where I disagree with a lot of people, specifically the gun play. Yes, the dominant strategy is to jump spin and shoot, but if you're aware of it and realise it breaks the game, you should make an effort not to do it. I understand that Naughty Dog should have balanced the game better so this isn't the dominant strategy, but if it breaks the game as much as everyone says, maybe try to play it as intended. The blaster isn't the only useful weapon either. The scatter gun, while slow when first acquired, is incredibly useful. It's a great way to take out the smaller enemies, and groups of them. Not only does it damage all enemies in its radius, but it stun locks them a lot more than the blaster does. The game also rewards players for being more aggressive and using melee during gun fights. This is only briefly touched upon in game, but when you get the blaster, it teaches you the "wastelander move", where by hitting a target with melee, then firing, shoots multiple bullets in quick succession. This is a very useful move, which I would argue is more useful than the jump spin shoot move, because you're actually controlling which targets are being hit. And every gun, except the peace maker, has a variation of the move. When hitting an enemy then firing the scatter gun, it fires straight away and skips the reloading animation, and when hitting then firing with the vulcan fury, it starts firing at full speed without the need for the gun to warmup. When it comes to criticism of the gun play, I've seen a lot of people say it's bad or the game is hard because it controls bad, and using the jump spin shoot is the best way to play, when it really isn't. When playing with intent, and trying to learn the ins and outs of the gun mechanics and when each gun is necessary for each situation, it becomes a lot of fun. Sure, you might still die a lot, but learning how to use the guns correctly is infinitely more satisfying then pressing X, Circle, R1 for the entire game. Just a quick thing about the jet board, it's not that Jak loses balance like in THPS, it's that you need to push the stick in the direction he's grinding, which is weird and the game doesn't tell you that, but I thought you should know. There are a lot of other small things I disagree with in this video that I can't remember now, but there's also a lot I agree with. For instance, I love the idea of Dark Jak, but its implementation leaves a lot to be desired. The suggestions you gave to fix it I agree with completely, and have been thinking the same thing for years. Overall, I enjoyed the video, but disagreed with a lot. Jak and Daxter is my favourite series, but I'm not blind to the flaws of the series, especially Jak 3. The first game is my favourite in the series, so don't think this comment is just me fanboying or defending my favourite game, but I think counter criticism is always beneficial

[@MightyNifty]

Thanks for the feedback. I wish I'd known about the PS3 issues earlier, but nothing I can do now. As far as the gameplay issues go, I can see where you're coming from even if we disagree. My biggest issue is that the game should be much better than it ended up being, with a ton of cool elements that had small issues preventing the game from being truly exemplary (to me). Although I'd love to see something like a bluepoint remake of the game that fixes the minor issues, explains concepts more, balances the combat, and makes the tone a bit more consistent. All in all, I'm pretty mixed on the game, but I can totally see how someone could have a great time if they came at it with a different perspective.

[@AshleyTre]

His complaints about the tone make no sense to me. Its tone is perfect, by his logic batman the animated series and gargoyles are terrible cartoons because they are serious shows with a lot of silly and funny moments.

[@ash9280]

@@MightyNifty The complaint about a lot of missions having nothing to do with the core story is technically true but that's an issue that happens in almost open world games. If every mission pushed the plot forward then the game would be over much quicker. It is much worse in GTA.

[@MightyNifty]

@@ash9280 True. The difference is that in other open world games those are usually side missions, not mandatory to complete the game.

[@ash9280]

@@MightyNifty Look at GTA4, tons of main missions have little to do with the story. gta.fandom.com/wiki/Missions_in_GTA_IV#Broker-Dukes-Bohan_Missions

[@ortiz11039]

Jumping and kicking and shooting. Makes the game extra hard.

[@juliebear1505]

I am now 65 I played all the Jax and Dax games as an adult. Right now I'm replaying all three. All the games are great but Jax 2 remains a stand-out. I have never found another game equal to the entire concept. The reason why there is no teleport is because you need to learn how to drive around the city. There are several challenges in including one notable one that needs expert knowledge of the city. Jax 2 blew me away when I first played it and remains a firm favourite of mine.

[@andrew-rn9ui]

It was straight up an alien world grand theft auto game with a skate mini game throughout the Map so fuckin cool, if naughty dog made a new gen proper sequel or reboot it could be one of the greatest games ever made comparable with breath of the wild and elden ring and grand theft auto and Mario, but naughty Dogg will probably just make a last of us 3 or a prequel or some shit

[@sayosatella3447]

I actually started replaying these recently thanks to them being mostly available on the computer now. Funny enough, once I started driving ingame, I remembered how to get around almost instantly.

[@mattdickinson5193]

If you calm down with the spin blaster move in the sewer escort mission; and use the scatter gun it’s not that bad

[@bless_M]

i know right, you’re mean to use different guns for different enemy types, the spin blaster move is actually not that useful as it drains your ammo and most of the shots miss anyway

[@WhatsUpFella]

The awkward tone of it is something I actually like.

[@TevyaSmolka]

I love jak 2 it was such a awesome and badass game

[@BCZ21]

When I was 13 Jak II was the fucking greatest thing since sliced bread, I coudnt get enough of playing it...it was perfect in my eyes

[@johnfakester5527]

Same

[@monasteryfounder]

Very real sentiment.

[@Jfknosc0pe1]

I know and now there’s people out there like this looking to just hate on a time of history just for clicks. I’m 26 and I just played it again. This dude doesn’t know wtf he’s talking about

[@Nay089]

I still prefer the style of Jak 1 but this was such a cool and different sequel you gotta appreciate it. Jak 3, however, was very much in the style of Jak 2 but with more vehicles and Mad Max influences.

[@floridaman0219]

I like how Jak 3 brought back the adventure theme of Jak 1 but built on the gameplay and world of Jak 2. Really cool game

[@giacomomezzini9598]

I player jack x before jack 3 so for me It Easy the fusion of Teo Greta games

[@wozthescott2804]

@@floridaman0219 the desert missions were trash

[@titaniumcranium3755]

I dunno jak 2 was my favorite jak game. I dunno why.

[@FlyingcupNsourcer]

@@wozthescott2804 Just because you cant drive the sand shark, doesn't make the desert levels trash.

[@SIMIFU]

I feel Jak's edgyness is justified if he went through two years straight of torture with dark eco. Thankfully he mellows out by Jack 3 and is back to about normal

[@BlueisNotaWarmColour]

It's his aaaarrrccc!

[@ZeDitto3]

30:13 "....have the baron kill Daxter in this first scene." yeah, fuck no.

[@blvdes]

at this point I realized bro is just a casual consumer that def ain't meant for this series lmao what a goofy idea

[@bigbirdsmurderer4168]

I PROMISE the jump spin combo isn’t the winning strategy and that’s why yall thought the game was so hard back in the day. If you actually use the other modes for their intended uses, it becomes a lot easier. Use the punch, shoot combos with the blaster especially that fires 3 rapid shots and things like stunlock with the Vulcan blaster. Trust me. That 3 shot blaster combo will ruin anything short of a boss, and you’re not wasting ammo shooting nothing.

[@metalTbag]

that title music cut only seems to happen in the remaster o.o

[@ZeDitto3]

Happened on my PS2 version way back in 2004

[@La-hora-del-terror]

@@ZeDitto3 i always thought it was how the game was designed, why the music should keep going if there's no demo video? That was my thought as a kid.

[@paradox4780]

Stop criticizing the combat/difficulty if you're unironically saying the jump spin shoot method is the winning strategy.

[@LanceCriminal1337]

Agreed each gun can be used in specific scenarios. The blasters waste lander move is far superior to the skin move. No in Jak 3 the spin move with the reflex blaster is pretty OP

[@survive678]

As someone whose intro to the franchise was jak 2, I'm so glad they went with the darker tone.

[@titaniumcranium3755]

Same

[@mikeexits]

It's funny, I never even played TPL until several years after beating II and even 3. I played through II and 3 so many times (like Spider-Man 2) for years on end as a kid that it really influenced me a lot and planted some seeds of genuine growth and maturity, even spirituality. Jak was my go-to through almost all of my school years.

[@johnfakester5527]

Facts it’s not a generic platformer, jak 1 was good af, but jak 2 was 🔥

[@thememeyestcat7294]

Yup, same here. Jak 1 is fun but there's no way it would have gotten me as invested as 2 did.

[@BCZ21]

I think they did very good storytelling to explain the drastic change of tone, that’s why i loved it so much because EVERY change all made sense

[@luiscalderon2186]

Where you have to fight infinite guards at the docks. All you need to do is ride your jet board through the docks on the correct track. Only took me 3 tries and finished it in less than 20 seconds

[@wakkjobbwizard]

It’s great to see you uploading another video. I’ve been waiting for this one a long time. Your Jak and Daxter critique is how I found your channel in the first place.

[@DubstepsHub]

I think some of the questioned "glossed over" are a little unfair to the game, if I'm being honest - they're either later explained, or fair questions that are meant to be theorycrafted by fans. There's nothing wrong with leaving your fans to do some exposition of their own. Since Jak (whose real name is Mar) sticks around after the end of Jak 3, and the city was founded by Mar, it's clear that Jak went back in time once more and founded Haven City after the events of Jak 3. Haven City isn't actually built over Sandover Village - it's built to the left of it and off-map from anywhere that was shown in Precursor Legacy. Something clearly happened to the area inbetween Haven City and Sandover Village during the time after the metal heads invaded through the portal, but understanding that the metal heads destroyed the world and caused irreversible damage isn't necessarily a plot hole. As for how Mar came into contact with the precursors, we see this happen in Jak 3. It's not necessarily known if there *has* to be a sage for all eco types at all times, it's just known that at the time of the Precursor Legacy there were sages of each eco type. The wasteland outside the city appears to have a giant ocean, so it's not like the ocean disappeared - the landscape has just shifted. Some of the city is even built over water, further showing this point. I think it's not very fair to say that these are all overlooked elements and examples of poor writing - leaving your audience with questions about the game that you can answer in the future is good writing, if anything.

[@iThomas2000]

1:14:16 If I’m gonna criticize the first Baron fight it’s not because it’s too easy lol

[@DANtheMANofSIPA]

When I saw this video I was a little suspicious when I saw 400 views. But this video has insane quality for a channel of this size. Good shit bro, nice edits and good takes are all you need. Keep it up

[@xero1048]

A great watch to be sure. However a point I should make is that some of the visual/audio issues you point out are issues with ports/emulators, not it’s the original game on the ps2. Examples I noticed were Kor’s black face and the cut music on the title screen

[@whogavehimafork]

Yeah and the haven city walking theme seems to be missing some instruments

[@MolleonOSRS]

I really feel like you missed the point of Jak in this one. He’s not doing what he’s doing to be a ‘hero’, it’s revenge. The resistance is called ‘the Underground’ and I think that fits what Jak does in this game. It’s underground work, violent and messy.

[@snugasapugonarug]

I loved hunting the invisible metalheads in the forest because recently I played it really really slowly, ducking behind trees and tracking their movements and where they shot from, and it felt great. I was in a weird mood that day.

[@tesstoby]

Weird is good

[@thememeyestcat7294]

I remember last time I played the game, when I did that mission I had only one of those left, and was a hit away from death, so had to be extra careful, and it was a tense moment to see who would find and kill the other one first, me or the metalhead. That's a memory that will stick with me when I think of the game

[@drewbear_07]

I love these games all of them I was just streaming Jak 2 the other day

[@andrewpalacios1363]

Would it be safe to conclude that in Jak and Daxter, Jak is about 16 years old, and in Jak 2, Jak is about 18 and a half years old ?

[@HairOnScreen]

Kor and Vin also gave you conflicting missions from the Power Room. Vin was concerned about having enough eco for the shield walls and Kor wanted you to disrupt the Barron's eco drilling operations because they might be used against the Underground. Which is it? Does Jak want to disrupt the Barron's eco drilling operations so the eco is not used against the Underground OR help the eco operation by killing metals heads and metal head eggs to have enough eco for the city shields?

[@keshonhend2047]

Did you ever consider that maybe Kor was giving you those missions because he was secretly the Metal Head leader the whole time? Or did you forget that part of the game.

[@HairOnScreen]

@@keshonhend2047 Reread my comment. I'm asking why Jak is accepting mission that contradict each other.

[@keshonhend2047]

@@HairOnScreen Because Jak doesn't give a shit. His single motive in the game is spelled out clearly from the get go. "I'm gonna kill Praxis!" If a job sounds like it's going to hurt him, he's gonna do it.

[@HairOnScreen]

@@keshonhend2047 Does Jak only have a single motive? Destroying the metal head eggs at the Drill Platform helps Praxis.

[@mattikunnas1962]

Jak II is one of my favourite games of all time and arguably the best by Naughtydog.

[@rodrigovillegas5630]

Spin blaster is not a winning strategy. It is in fact the way to make your gameplay harder and unfunny. You just dont know how to use the guns properly

[@trevormccarron4451]

i don’t know how i ever beat this game as a 9-10 year old kid. it took me like over a year and i played it constantly, but god damn is this game difficult

[@rileyyoung4762]

I get all of your points, but to me I preferred Jak2 to any of the other games, the story I would say is by far the best, all the different gameplay types I think is a huge plus. Moving away from one of the major points being collecting items is also good for me because I think that distracts from progressing attention to the story. and when you said to keep a level in mind I remembered which one, the one where you have to find the precursor relics, where theres really good platforming challenges, puzzels like the blocks that you have to unfold to get across the pools of dark eco, those rhino metal heads which have always been one of my favorite enemies, those cascades of the little hopping ones you have to take out which remind me of that one section in gol and maya's citadel in the first game. I also think the environmental design of different areas are alot more distinct than you made them out to be, such as haven forest being a green and lush area with rivers and fallen logs, the area I mentioned with the precursor ruins cliffs and rocky outcroppings, the pumping station area with the sandy beaches and color palate reminiscent of the first game but with the new metallic structures and darker tones of the new game covering it. The ruined section of the city, the desolate wasteland near the metalhead nest ect are all very different and memorable for me.

[@josephbrambil2868]

6:13- monster did not pop off in the end of jak 1 because the rift ring was NOT activated until the cut scene in jak 2.... 9:52.... i don't understand the issue with the design choice... it's pretty clear there is a pit there..... don't fall. Its a platformer so pits, and obstacles are part of the games DNA. having the first playable moment be platforming section with a pit makes total sense. 11:56 - dark jak. he learned to control it through the orrical. However, that portion of the game does take a back seat so I can understand if you wished it got fleshed out more in the main story 12:06: the child being important was not "hand fisted". That is logically why the guards came after them in the first place because of "underground fugitives". we know the child and kor had connections with the underground. 12:20- guard did arrest them probably due to the massacre that just occurred. Writing that sentence made me realize that the guard actually had more incentive to arrest them. Fine, you make a valid point here lol. So only part of the opening cutscene that is suspect is that erol new Jak would be coming. all your other points are extremely nitpicky or not taking into account that THIS IS A FICTIONAL GAME. Allso al your plot holes ending at 24:47 Are really absured. Most of them don't have anything to do with jak 2. They have to do with jak 1. I get you want them answered but those were not the focus of this game and I don't see how they could be or how they could be relevant to the FUTRE story being told. I have many more critiques but I need to take a break from this video for now.

[@Nick-qr9op]

You bring up excellent points throughout the video, although I feel like I need to defend one of my favorite games from my childhood. That being said, I am completely biased. I view Jak II through rose tinted glasses, mainly due to nostalgia, but also because, for better or for worse, I wasn't really exposed to the original Jak and Dater before seeing Jak II, therefore the sharp contrast between games and tone didn't really register for me. From that framing, I loved Jak II. The story was well thought out, with fun gameplay that was more adult, with aesthetics that invited younger players to dive in, although the difficulty caused much frustration, but I enjoyed the challenge and actually prefer it over the handholding you see in modern games. Speaking of modern games, I think one of the best aspects of Jak II is that it is so unique. Time travel, sci fi, distopia, guns, crime, revolution, eco, metal heads. The sheet number of ideas in this world make it feel completely new and alien, encouraging exploration, even if you had played the first game, so much had changed that you couldn't help getting sucked into this place. I miss games like this. Developers weren't afraid to think outside the box and focus more on fun, something games seem to lack these days. Uncharted and Last of Us have their pros, but they're so generic and familiar. Uncharted is a watered down Indiana Jones and Last of Us includes typical zombie tropes seen in every tv show, movie, or book that we've seen a hundred times before. Both games are executed well, but they're so tired and obvious, like dozens of other games. There is only one Jak II. Even GTA, an obviously heavy influence, has only surface level similarities. Bad checkpoints and technical issues are inexcusable and I have no defense, but these are small issues compared with the overall presentation, gameplay, and fun that the game exhibits. Jak II is definitely not everybody's cup of tea, but it did a ton with what was available and offers so much that games choose not to these days. It's not as tight story wise as today's games, or books and movies, but it didn't need to be. Games used to be games, fun above all and if there was a decent story, that was just a bonus. I would take a fun, crazy, and unique game like Jak II over a well executed story centric game with boring tropes and gameplay like the Last of Us any day. But I'm a biased old man, willfully ignorant or indifferent to the glaring issues you have rightfully brought up. Excellent video that really took me back! I appreciate your insight into something that many of us have fond memories of!

[@MrRhysReviews]

The Title Music DID cut a little prematurely but it is SILENT after that until you hear that "bing-boong" when hitting the Start Button... It's intentional.

[@gittonsxv126]

I adored everything about Jak 1, namely the lore and themes such as the Eco Sages. Jak 2 is not a bad game but the vastly different tone, GTA like overworld, focus on guns and edgyness... It never clicked with me. I wanted more of Jak 1, more of that world, of the lore, to continue what it set up and see Jak became a Sage. I mean really. Imagine if Spyro 2 was a first person shooter with a gritty world war tone and vibe. Would feel out of place right?

[@Cleariscoast1]

10 mins of “it’s an okay game” 15 mins of valide complaints and and hour of “how could this 2003 game not be more to 2020 standards”

[@wozthescott2804]

One of my biggest issues with this game are the travel times between missions. Especially when you have to use hover cars in the crowded ass city. It becomes a chore and it’s crazy how people barely acknowledge that issue.

[@VanderSNeto]

What's up with the menu music and Korr's black face? It isn't like that on PS2 and on PS4 (Which uses the PS2 version).

[@julianowilliams3263]

HD collection on PS3. The only version I like to play now although the PS5 version is really solid compared to PS4 upscale

[@alexisaguirrevazquez7900]

Those are bugs on the PS3 version.

[@Browsley]

Its not often I find a retrospective where I agree with every point! Regardless whether or not I agree, this is extremely well done and written! Thank you for making these!

[@MrRhysReviews]

Baron Praxis is a great Character and is performed so well by the legend himself Clancy Brown which also is a welcome return for long time Naughty Dog fans since he was the Voice of Neo Cortex in their own Crash Bandicoot games back on PS1 (well except in Crash 1, that wasn't Clancy Brown)

[@Charsept]

This was a great time as a kid. My mom always had me do the hoverboard slum docks part because it was so hard, lol. Fun game. Edit: 1:10:45 Oh, you did it that way? The reason I called it the hoverboard docks part is because that's how I used to beat it. Just hoverboard to the end, shooting no one.

[@WannabeReviewer]

Congrats on what has got to be the most in-depth Jak video on KZbin!

[@UsoTeaMor]

really nice retrospective. Was hoping someone made a video like this

[@jakeagawea]

just the kind of video i needed today. thanks

[@dariushajnala5562]

Gotta love how everyone is saying that the spin2win tactic is super broken, but yet in the video, it is shown very clearly that it's not a one trick pony. You can clearly see it in the mission where you have to escort Young and Old Samos (1:07:00). Doing a wasteland move would be a much better tactic than just spamming the Beyblade strategy; The blaster is amazing and "nuking" enemies with a lot of burst damage The Scattergun is amazing at giving you some time and room to move in. The Vulcan is amazing at stunlocking in general, but doing a wasteland move instantly revs it up to 100%. The Peacemaker is just an end-game high damage weapon. The game incentivizes you to use risky and melee focused combat. Spamming the Aerial Wasteland move (spin2win) is 90% a dumb idea and you'd be better off with actually doing the other combos.

[@keshonhend2047]

“Jump, spin, shoot is the dominant strategy.” No wonder you don’t like the combat. You’re bad. You’re relying on a strategy that’s not even in the top 10. Aside from obviously the Peace Maker, each gun has its own set of strengths that all synergise wonderfully with Jak’s melee attacks. I remember when I was 10 and thought jump, spin, shoot was the only way to play. Replaying this game recently without limiting myself to an objectively bad strategy makes the “hard” missions in this game so much easier. Scattershot: works perfectly against low health enemies who try to swarm you in larger groups. It also can knock enemies off ledges for a free one hit kill. Blaster: Effective for picking off enemies at range as well as the punch, shoot “wastelander move” which can destroy a high health enemies that get too close. Vulcan: Stun locks tougher enemies like Metal Spiders and Metal Slingers for easy kills. You can also spin kick and then shoot to cancel the spool up and start shooting at max rate of fire immediately. This gun in particular is massively overlooked and seems like it was handcrafted to make the ambush at the end of the sewer escort trivial. Jump, spin, shoot is a terrible strategy in Jak 2. It works with the Beam Reflexor in Jak 3 but even then you’re better off taking a second to think about the encounter and which weapons to use.

[@TheRealMechanix]

I had to search too long to find someone pointing this out. Later in the video he says something along the lines of "the winning strategy didn't work well for these missions" (referring to the escort missions). One could draw the conclusion that perhaps it isn't a winning strategy after all then, no? It's a good video overall, but things like this bring it down.

[@sayosatella3447]

I remember trying that method once. I realized REALLY quickly that it's a horrible waste of ammo. The combat works pretty well in the game, provided you use the right weapons. Honestly, the scattergun is my favorite for close-range combat.

[@TheHolyOne9511]

Jak II has that dark, underground, and dystopian vibe that made a huge impact on my life. Not only this game but the franchise as a whole…

[@conkergemini6489]

The Driving is fine but the Haven's City traffic and roads with maze-like design is terrible for casual players it just needed a bug to make it impossible to evade the traffic.

[@decadentgamer3108]

So Jak II isn't flawless but I think that most of us realized that as the gaming generation continued on but the reason why the game was so revered back in 2003-2004 was because of how it changed the game of the classic 3D platformer even if it didn't do it perfectly. It was an experimental time and there weren't very many 3D Platformers that were doing what Jak II did which was mixing up 3rd person shooting with Platforming and telling a more engaging narrative compared to the simplistic ones that were the standard of the 3D Platforming genre at the time. Jak II was essentially the guinea pig for this experiment and mistakes were gonna be made regardless because there was not much of a reference to go with and I feel like for what it was, the meshing of 3D Platforming and 3rd Person shooting worked for the most part and only got better for other games that eventually started doing the same thing. This also extends to the story which okay fine, it did have plot holes (which are pretty easy to make with Time Travel plots unfortunately), some of which that I remember questioning back in 2004 when I first played the game like how did Sandover Village get in such a horrible state. and why Jak wasn't visually dealing with the Dark eco aside from his bad mood which yeah I will agree that Jak is pretty unlikable until the mid-end with how confrontational he was to everyone who came around him. I don't disagree with all of what you said on how they could've fixed this but maybe the reason why they didn't go into too much depth was because they were possibly going to uncover more of it in future games? That or they forgot lol Either way I don't disagree that the plot could've been done better because it did end up leaving questions unanswered. But despite that, the story is pretty much a test of how much you're willing to deal with because despite this, I still found it enjoyable enough to keep pushing on with the game. Perhaps Jak 2's problem is that it was full of ambition and that the developers may have gotten a little too carried away with adding in many different gameplay styles but forgot to tweak them. And yes, the game in hindsight should've been better than what it is but despite all that, I'm just one of the people who still enjoyed the game and am thankful for it's sacrificial existence. How it was a part of the 6th Gen Platformer explosion and was one of the influential platformers that attempted a long, engaging narrative. I can admit the game isn't perfect but it truly does fall into the "You either like it or you don't" category as it again, comes down to what your limits are when it comes to game structure. And I guess the reason why I think so fondly of Jak despite the series' hiccups was that it was Naughty Dog's last cartoony-style game. Personally I don't like Uncharted nor care for the Last Of Us but that's just me, I'm not the biggest fan of games trying to be hyper realistic in style but again, that's just personal taste. Do I consider Jak II the best in the Jak series? Very hard to say because Jak III was a mixed bag for me. There were elements I liked and elements I didn't like in that game but I probably wouldn't say Jak II is the best. I can't honestly answer that at this time as I haven't played the games in quite awhile now lol.

[@UBlazers45]

Naughty Dog heard your request to kill off a fan favorite character and RAN with it

[@Daddyvader7]

Jaks uncle isn’t his blood uncle. It’s simply someone who took care of jak while Samos wasn’t.

[@colefitzpatrick8431]

The comments here seem to be swathed in Jak fans defending this game - that's probably to be expected, and that's perfectly fine since many people still cherish Jak II - but, man, it is refreshing to be reaffirmed that I'm not to only one turned off by this game as someone who really doesn't like the direction J&D went in after Precursor Legacy. Jak II is an odd duck of a game. It's a shooter without reticles and strafing. It's a skateboarding game without a balance meter. It's a platforming game with barely any platforming. It absolutely destroys the tone of the game before it in the first cutscene and never looks back. It's a GTA wannabe that, similarly to GTA III, hasn't held the test of time. And it barely wants anything to do with Jak I before it. Whereas Jak I had excellent gameplay but maybe was a bit on the young side, and had the solid foundations of a story that had yet to be fleshed in, Jak II has loads of attitude and massively coarse corrects all the way into a ditch of M-rated ideas and then-relevant trends, eschewing solid foundations completely and totally. Gameplaywise I think this game is a frustrating mess and the epitome of an identity crisis put to a PS2 disc. It plays out to me as the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The first entry was very solid, competent, and fun, even if maybe there wasn't exactly a roadmap of where to go next with this bold, exciting, "experience for a next generation". But you nodded your head, you picked up on a couple of loose plot threads on where things potentially could go in a sequel or two, and you thought this would be the beginning of something new that we'd all be talking about the same way people still talk about Crash all the time. Then, Jak II pulls a Last Jedi on us and firmly tells us, to everything we've been expecting out of a sequel, "No." Maybe you like that, maybe your tastes are much punkier than the average cartoony colorful young children's platformer like Jak I, maybe you like the ballsy play to shut things down and bring its own attitude to drastically shake up something that could've gotten stale without any new energy or lifeblood. Or, maybe you look deeper and notice that, beyond the applause-worthy power play of changing up everything and subverting expectations, as the term goes, there are some fundamental flaws and cracks beneath the surface that time is only going to expound upon. I do think Jak 3 to be leagues better than Rise of Skywalker, though. A very low bar to pass, so obviously it's better. So, because of the long and winding pathway that kinda tonally shot itself in the foot, Jak feels like the forgotten middle child of the Naughty Dog big four franchises. Not as succinct as Crash, not as memorable as the Last of Us, not as competent as your average Uncharted, and not bad - pretty decent, actually, all things considered - but, Jak reels of identity crisis and it all starts here. So much was thrown at Jak so quickly in just one game. And I 1000% agree with your point that it needs to be "built to", early in the video. While I find it hard to forgive gameplay and design choices like the lack of checkpoints, the barren Haven City, and the plotholes mentioned here, a Jak 1.5 that inserts itself between Precursor Legacy and Jak II would've done so, so very much at making this game feel natural, or at least like less of a mid-sixth-generation panic play to chase trends and appeal to the 9-year-old-playing-San Andreas crowd. Every so often I remember that Jak and Daxter exists, and I'll smile, remembering the fun times with the first one that I had growing up. Then, I'll remember the story never ended there, and I won't know what to feel about a game that I think time is starting to forget about. And when it's not forgotten, buried with all the precursor artifacts - well, it doesn't seem to hold up quite as well as maybe you'd remember it to.

[@bobmob1440]

i feel like plot lines dont need to go anywhere necessarily, they can serve as red herrings or to set a variety in tone and experiences

[@AshleyTre]

kinda disagree with a lot of this but really well made video,Wish I was as articulate

[@joelblacklock5696]

man the remastered collection has alot of bugs. I like these retrospectives though man, very in depth and well opinionated. Great job!

[@decadentgamer3108]

This is why you're really just better off with the originals because for some reason they just always seem to mess up something in these HD collections. I remember hearing the Ratchet & Clank HD set had some issues as well as the HD Sly Cooper trilogy.

[@AdamSambuco]

Lots of great and terrible takes in this video. I like hearing a different perspective on a lot of things like the story, but there are some awful takes in here too. Watching your gameplay it blows my mind that you managed to beat the game eventually. The spin move is not even close to the best way to shoot or fight. (Edit: Watching further into the video it's both amusing and frustrating watching you repeatedly level criticism at the game for the spin move being the "best strategy" while you repeatedly die from using it and having no semblance of aim or skilled movement. If you get good at playing the right way, it'll solve 90% of your frustrations.) You don't have to touch enemies to use the scatter gun. The vulcan fury doesn't use that much ammo, you're holding the trigger too long. The enemies are dead despite continuing to react to bullets. The skill comes with trigger discipline. Grinding is so easy it's hard to mess up; you just jump and hold square, and Jak will be magnetically pulled 8' to the side to land on a rail. The vehicles control well if you know how to use them, and the tradeoffs are a feature, not a bug. Anyway, I appreciate the effort put into this video, but it's a great example of how a game being challenging can sour someone with less mechanical skill on the entire experience. This is the first video of yours I've seen, and I look forward to watching more!

[@jackmistiff5300]

Great job! I love that you address your personal view, and are able to give (to your best knowledge at the time) an objective retrospective on a well beloved game.

[@Kreegz]

52:35 if you jump just prior to a turn, the turning radius decreases.

[@Galomortalbr]

5:00 i believe this is an issue on the PS3/4 remasters

[@alexisaguirrevazquez7900]

It's a bug on PS3, not PS4.

[@mandatorial]

Finally some critique for this game!

[@HOOCHY_DADDY]

I remembered Jak II as the best game in the series, like many others, but couldn't remember a single mission. Only that awesome yellow blaster! But as I replayed it 15 years later, I slowly remembered eveything that pissed me off about it when I was 13. Then I thought, maybe Jak 3 was the best? I'm playing through them now, so we'll see!

[@ZanicaKnight]

56:53 ??? You’re missing the Drill Platform and the Dig(KG big drill operation + metal heads seal of mar mission)

[@mikoajakomy9501]

I played Jak 2 not long ago and I agree with some of your points. The beginning in the game was very quick for example. But I still enjoyed the game and thought your video was great!

[@jpeg1991]

The music cutting out on the title screen is a bug only in the HD re-release.

[@johnweber80]

I heavily agree on the world's RNG messing up players. There's one minute-thirty race mission that requires you to go from the other side of the market to the Underground's base that took me over an hour to beat. Every time, it was because the speeder hit something, usually on the highway turns, or I slowed down too much to avoid traffic on the highway. Each time I was getting so fucking close to the end, but the time that finally allowed me to win, was one where it shit out a bunch of speeder bikes on the highway for me to weave between, and I still almost lost it because I blew the speeder up on the vehicle that spawns outside the hideout.

[@spaaaceman1939]

I've never agreed more with any other video review, thank you.

[@ZeDitto3]

15:00 I had zero clue that this was Keira until the reveal when I was a kid.

[@jamesjensen2239]

Personally I think Ashlynn is the coolest character design I've seen. I hope they make a game for her. Honestly.

[@julianowilliams3263]

She’s tattoo worthy haha always thought she was hot, and her voice ughh

[@SupportGamin2025]

Love how much time and effort you put into this video

[@jayflowerboy9571]

Personally I’d love to see a remake of the whole series at least jak 2 rather than a jak 4 game, similar to how resident evil’s been, to flush out plot holes, and give this amazing story more to it, etc. this series holds a spot in my heart forever, I cannot wait for another game

[@harrisondavis5592]

14:13 whats up with jack's head

[@HairOnScreen]

you can unlock big head mode under "secrets" in the menu

[@kristienwhitney-johns5863]

In what universe is a pit to demonstrate the consequences of failing parkour bad game design? Its simple sure, but far from bad. Also, I thought the entire point was that the baron knew jak would arrive thanks to the time travel shenanigans. Maybe im wrong?

[@jameypadilla5770]

Well done, and entirely fair. This game came with my PlayStation, and I played it before Jak 1. It had the opposite effect for me as it did a lot of people. I adored this game, and when I went back to play Jak 1 I was really disappointed at how light-hearted it was.

[@trayjohnson7065]

I loved Jak 2 growing up but it definitely didn't age well. Jak and Daxter TPL has stood the test of time for me though.

[@bkkersey93]

It aged just fine.

[@wozthescott2804]

@@bkkersey93no it didn’t lol

[@ashtonsmith9852]

The best thing about the jack and Dexter series at least in the first three games it grew with its audience. It was a child game when we were children, then became a little dark and edgier in the the second game and the third one showed us we need to embrace our lighter side so it grew with us and that’s why we love it

[@SSJBartSimp]

The music stop didn't happen in the PS2 version.

[@Austin_Bourque_]

I might have agreed until I got good, my most recent play through I hardly died most of the hard levels I got through, and in the races the other drivers are coded to be slower than you so unless u want gold u can drive kinda slow

[@spartangaming8483]

“ We’re all Wrong from time to time.”😂😂🤣

[@UBvtuber]

As for the starting music, the composer of the game actually has a soundcloud and posted the full version of it which for some reason, they decided to only play the intro part. In fact, now that the full soundtrack is out, there's tons of music pieces and different renditions of music from the game that were never actually used in the game. In fact, if someone wanted to make a Jak and Daxter iceberg, there would be a LOT to go through. EDIT: also, that dark kor face glitch at the end was NOT in the original game, it was a glitch exclusive to the PS3 remaster. So yeah in the original version, the presentation was nearly flawless outside of the weapons factory having no music and the title screen music cutting out. Second Edit: Okay I just finished the video and i'm surprised you never mentioned the weapons factory having absolutely no music. And no, from what i've heard, that wasn't intentional.

[@themightybagle99]

Honestly Jak 2 Is my favourite In the entire series, Jak 3 Introduced a lot of new weapon mods and the waste land but that’s about it, and It’s much easier then 2.

[@startek119]

“Dozens of deaths per mission.” Nah man, you a noob.

[@hardy3089]

Great vid man. I will say when I was 12 playing this for the first time I noticed none of the obvious plot holes you laid out I thought the game was awesome! I think naught dog knew the target audience wasn’t gonna think that hard about the story and just rolled it out! Sad thing, I replay these games about every year and as a grown ass man I didn’t see the plot holes until you pointed me out in this vid lol great job man really enjoyed hearing a fresh perspective on this series

[@lucobek8821]

There's No intro bug on my PS2

[@raven3067]

My thing about this game is that why is it called Jak 2? Why isn't it called Jak & Daxter 2? The first game wasn't even called Jak 1. How are they gonna take my favorite character in the entire series out of the title like that. Daxter deserves more credit.

[@mjkalasky2775]

"Jak and Daxter 2" was probably just seen as too long of a title to pronounce, I guess. I suppose they figured that everyone would just shorten it to "Jak 2" anyway, so they just called it that, themselves.

[@Vale96.]

Apparently, according to an old trailer, the game was supposed to be called "Jak and Daxter: A New Legacy Begins" but, for some reason, it was later changed into Jak II/Jak II: Renegade.

[@ttewelow1]

To be honest the first 2 Jak and Daxter games essentially had the exact same health system because you could only take a maximum of 4 hits before you were dead. In the first game you had 3 heart pieces plus a 50 counter for extra collected green eco We're essentially meant that Jak could take 4 hits. In Jak 2, almost every hit from an enemy would take 2 pieces away from the 8 pieces on your health bar meaning that you could only ever take 4 hits in Jak 2 in most cases

[@MrMitchbow]

The time travel isn’t full of plot holes, it just has long gaps. Long gaps that I’m pretty sure would’ve been filled by a 4th game that looped the first 3

[@Daddyvader7]

So to answer your question. Mar, THE MAR, did indeed know the precursors and they were Allies it’s safe to assume mar used the rift rider to travel further into the future. Which I’ve predicted to be close to when jak leaves into the future in the beginning of jak 2. Jak goes 500 years into the future. Assuming Mar had precursor technology he could easily build and terra form an entire city pretty decently. Mar used the rift rider to go into the precursor legacy timeframe, built the city and then vanished.

[@Poleskeris]

you must replay the Jak Trilogy on PS2 how it should be,PS3, 4 & 5 versions are badly emulated with tons of bugs! at 4:50 the music doesnt cut out on PS2

[@alexisaguirrevazquez7900]

PS3 isn't an emulation. It's a remaster.

[@rnknvisuals]

I'm sure you know now, but it'd be nice to clarify a lot of these graphical bugs are not present in the original game. Those are a result of emulation. Other than that, you brought up some points I hadn't really thought about before. I'll always love this game regardless lol.

[@DJveyron5]

9:20 Jak and Daxter TPL was my first game ever that allowed you to control the camera, I got used to those controls OK?! xD

[@daxteryvillencourt9048]

Jak 2 is a oddball of a game. There are a lot of problems like the difficulty, travel time, the rather empty city or some truly awful missions. It's definitely messily designed and has a lot of unrealized potential. And yet, at the same time, it's my favourite game in the series, even though it really shouldn't be. On one hand, unlike Jak 3, I see more things in common between Jak II and The Precursor Legacy. While some of the missions are trash, a decent amount of them have an odd sense of similarity to Jak 1, most of them being outside in Haven City. (It's where the game's at its most enjoyable, that's for sure.) The gunplay, while a mixed bag overall, works rather well in combination with the melee attacks. The spinning trick, or shooting three rapid bullets at once after hitting an enemy with Jak's fist, Jak actually being able to (sort of) position himself correctly by shooting quicky while using the rotating kick or Jak being able to shoot the Scatter Gun upwards if you use the upward fist move. Hell, you can even attack the guards with the Jetboard by using one of the tricks. Stuff like is why I still see something great in Jak II. The game has aged and it shows, especially nowadays. The other games in the series arguably hold up better than Jak 2 from a more critical standpoint (TLF included, massive hot take right here!). Jak II is a very flawed game, one where it's very easy to see why someone would hate it. But all things considered, I'd still call Jak 2 a good game despite it's many issues. I guess it is better than the sum of its parts.

[@Alexandergoat123]

The combat in this game is great imo once you start using meele combos together with your firearms. You also need to play more aggresively. I think that not being able to strafe was a design choice to make players rush head on into enemies instead of sitting back and killing from affar like you did in most of your gameplay. I dont really think you had a good understanding of the combat system and that soured your experiance. Great video anyways. Edit: And btw the jump spin move sucks ass and it isn't a dominant strat at all. The blaster punch combo is alot better

[@tesstoby]

The truth is never heard on KZbin, as the sheep now have a place to be sheep.

[@AdriiSuizo]

Dude I LOVE the Haven soundtrack, its my favourite one and I think his slowlyness is perfect for the depressing world its representing.

[@Happy_Magician]

Mission that aggrevates me: Pier Mission I found enjoyable: the one with the board and the bombs given to you by Vin added note: it took me a bit to remember if it was from 2 or 3 but I remembered the hot potato cutscene with Vin and because Vin has his body it's 2

[@1999le]

In the ps2 version of the game I don't remember the music coming to a sudden stop like that

[@alexisaguirrevazquez7900]

Because it's not supposed to sound like that. That's a bug in the PS3 remaster.

[@metaljesus196]

In fact, I rarely used dark jak, very rarely. It wasn't technically needed

[@HairOnScreen]

great review

[@Daddyvader7]

Head up, the ocean is still their. A lot of the water is lower level now as you can see in jak 2 but the ocean is still their. Theirs a map you can get online that’s very accurate. The desert was always there as well. We just didn’t explore it in jak 1

[@McWickyyyy]

I never played any of these games…but for some reason when I was young even till now…I always thought Jak 1 just looked amazing and the others looked so bland. I just think the vibe, tone, graphics of the first game clicked for me. I just ordered the first game and I’m gonna play it for the first time ever so I’m curious to see how it really is

[@sethbingo]

I think some of your criticisms are valid, however your thoughts on the gun gameplay is a bit incorrect. I recommend you watch this video that explains more of the gun mechanics in depth: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3_TYZp_rdmAgsk