Jak II's Hidden Depth

[@davidemanuel1750]

Firing your weapon after rolling, uppercutting, or during a roll-jump will autolock onto the nearest enemy!

[@PowercellZeke]

YEESSS, that too!

[@magicmanscott40k]

You can shoot during that?

[@postnutclarity5059]

@@magicmanscott40k when you shoot during this you fire like 3-4 shots coming out

[@Geta92]

This trick makes the Scatter Gun so much better. Just roll and shoot and hit anything around you, even behind you. Auto-aiming also makes the Vulcan Fury go at full speed right away, so you can rolljump or uppercut into an encounter and stunlock the enemy instantly.

[@magicmanscott40k]

@@Geta92 wow

[@serenatoma7467]

The fact that, after almost 20 years, we are still talking (and playing 😁) this game speaks for itself... Also good job making this video, you deserve so much support 👏👏 started to play the game yesterday once again, I have to do so at least once a year!!

[@wile123456]

It's the lowest selling PS2 exclusive. The best jak game is the first one. The second one copies ratchet and clank wand grand theft auto without understanding how to implement the mechanics well. Awful open world design, terrible missions, shooting mechanics without strafing etc. There is a reason the PS3 jak game never went into production. Jak was best as a refined collectathon, for everything else ratchet did things better (and is why that franchise is still alive)

[@slayerBO2EPC]

@@wile123456 you have the right to be wrong, and btw the best one is Jak 3

[@wile123456]

@@slayerBO2EPC meta critic and amounts of copies sold shows I'm not wrong. Jak 1 is the most popular

[@DatBoi-mo9vc]

@@wile123456 yeah and fortnite is popular, doesnt mean its the best game ever. Your opinion is bad and you should feel bad.

[@Skylancer727]

I mean it is a naughty dog game. People still talk about The Last of Us after nearly 15 years, though I'll never find it as impressive gameplay-wise as something like Jak and Daxter. To me graphics only gets you so far, I came for the game, not the experience.

[@Twin_Dilf69]

Really blows my mind how people really couldn’t figure this out. I’ve figured these tips out just by playing with the combat. The hardest part of the game to me is the driving/hoverboard and that’s about it.

[@haydz3590]

I hated driving through Haven city. The only tip I have to give is don’t hold X while you’re turning lol I hated switching to low hover bc i always end up hitting a crimson guard.

[@sinephase]

yeah they're built in game mechanics, you can hardly even call them "strategies". It's almost like saying shooting in megaman is a strategy LOL

[@jakehunter3434]

The aiming is kinda annoying at times imo.

[@Twin_Dilf69]

@@jakehunter3434 I can agree with that, but at the same time I got better with just playing the combat. Although it still didn’t work the way I wanted at times.

[@jakehunter3434]

@@Twin_Dilf69 I watched a video explaining each gun and which situations are best for which gun. I never put that much thought into it back when I was a kid lol.

[@gabrielclark1425]

Jak and Daxter veterans: "You use the guns?"

[@ericholcomb6405]

Only on the mission where you have to take out 30 invisible MH

[@hopingmeme1154]

I used to play Jak 2 like it was DOOM with infinite berserk packs fun times except when i ran out of juice for my dark form

[@BradenBest]

@@ericholcomb6405 punch + scatter gun is my fave combo

[@gentlemanmadness607]

Don't forget dark jak and ooohhh ooohh ohh.... The infinite dark jak and gun ammo unlocks. The only jump spinning I did was with dark jak and that...... That Fuuuhuucked everything and it's mamma up.

[@BradenBest]

@@gentlemanmadness607 the funny thing is, in my recent playthroughs of jak 2 and 3, I rarely _ever_ used dark jak. I used it in jak 2 a grand total of 2 times (excluding the times when the game forces you into it). The first time because I kind of _accidentally_ hit the button and was like, oh well, I'm already surrounded, might as well dark bomb to save some ammo. The second time was on the final boss to cut the enemies down with a dark bomb so I could keep focusing the peace maker on his first phase and cut him down quick. That was also the only time in the game that I used the peacemaker. In Jak 3, I can't recall a single time that I actually used dark jak and wasn't forced to. Thing is, I probably would have used dark jak and the peacemaker more if the checkpoint system restored your ammo and dark eco upon death. The possibility that you could use your peacemaker ammo, or dark jak, die anyway, and then respawn with nothing, made me not want to bother, because I couldn't rely on any strategy centered around those moves, because you'd have to execute it flawlessly on the first attempt or else you're shit out of luck. Thing about strategy is that sometimes you have to try and fail a couple times to really perfect it. Can't do that if the very next attempt prohibits you from executing the strategy because the starting conditions are different for some reason.

[@samhein321]

I didn't know people used the spin move thru the whole game, that sounds and looks kind of stupid and boring

[@KingpinCarlito]

Same here, I had no idea people did that

[@MrDwarfpitcher]

Spray and pray I only used it on Kor because those flyers were too much for me as a kid

[@zachsteiner]

Me neither I’ve never played like that

[@goober69er]

Agreed I always thought it was just an option for dealing with swarms if small 1 hit melee enemies.

[@haydz3590]

I think he was over exaggerating, but people do use that a lot

[@Kaptime]

The infamous onslaught in the shanty town, I realised if I had every other weapons ammo count maxed out I could only get ammo pickups for the Vulcan Fury, which can stunlock the enemies. Makes that fight a lot easier

[@seanbutler2291]

It's funny cuz I played that sequence dozens of times over the years and every single time that I ever beat it I was on my hoverboard and I just moved right past all the fighting never touched a person. Way easier

[@licittofficial]

Thank you! It frustrates me heaps when they're like "just junp, spin and shoot" I'll admit in Jak 3 that strategy is more effective with the reflective blaster shots but not in Jak 2

[@stevencraeynest7729]

yeah, I feel like they ruined the combat in Jak 3 by making the guns so overpowered

[@shadownite3378]

@@stevencraeynest7729 Not to mention making some other guns and upgrades completely obsolete and inconsequential. In Jak 2 each gun serves a purpose and has a usage for a particular strategy depending on the situation. With Jak 3 though a lot of older and newer upgrades are just practically made useless with only a small handful actually serving some sort of utility or purpose (IE Beam reflexor, Needle lazer, and Super Nova)

[@eyecontrol4900]

@@stevencraeynest7729 If Jak2 had the same OP gun upgrades that jak3 had, I dont think people would be complaining as much about the difficulty.

[@yenice3652]

You gotta do punch jump spin to dodge attacks, then on your way down shoot the blaster. It should auto aim to the nearest enemy

[@scotthall2415]

@@stevencraeynest7729 I think it's because of enemy balance. If you go into the desert with guns that can't kill those cars then that creates an insanely frustrating scenario for the player.

[@KRIMZONMEKANISM]

This has never been rocket science. *Red Scattergun* - used for shooting multiple enemies at close range (especially weaker ones) and useful for stunlocking enemies *Yellow Blaster* - "Jack of All Trades", deals decent damage, useful for taking out medium-sized enemies at any range *Blue Vulcan Fury* - the more "complex" gun to use, it is best used against very dangerous, very powerful enemies because it stunlocks them, but also good if there are groups of dangerous weapons that you DON'T want to get close to. *Dark Peace Maker* - the "nuclear" option, kills most everything in range, basically the BFG of the game.

[@SilverSpade92]

Something I hadn't considered until another commenter pointed it out on here. The vulcan fury isn't just a rapid fire blaster. It also fires bullets *through* enemies, whereas the blaster only deals damage to the first enemy it hits. I managed to beat Seal with the blaster, but I'm realizing now I probably would have had an easier time of it with the Vulcan Fury, since most of the enemies are in single file! I love this game, man.

[@mr.dantastic5073]

You know, despite being the “hardest game”, for me personally, it is a game I keep returning to. Jak and Daxter the Precursor legacy is for me most fun at the beginning, Jak 3 for me is most fun at the mid point when you’re actually doing stuff. But Jak 2 is fun almost all the game for me.

[@hugoclarke3284]

Nice assessment

[@christiangottsacker6932]

Agreed. Both jak 2 and ratchet 2 feel like super jak and super ratchet. (Like from mario to super mario) And the 3rd one was like they were getting ready for a long slow goodbye.

[@haydz3590]

Exactly how I feel. I use to rage a lot on this game but each time I tried it just got more and more satisfying. The series is just a classic and a challenge to enjoy.

[@stevencraeynest7729]

for me Jak3 actually is best in beginning and end, the mid section feels like filler. But I agree about Jak2, that game is awesome the whole time

[@vladpop1242]

@@stevencraeynest7729 Jak 3 is too easy unfortunately. Too many life and too strong weapons

[@slickrick3498]

It pisses me off to see how underrated this series is! Thank you for spreading the awesomeness of this near perfect trilogy! Always love to see a dedicated J and D fan!😄👍

[@andreassmed2255]

Underrated? Wasn’t Jak and Daxter one of the most iconic video game characters at some point? Up there with all the other greats at the time.

[@ArtoriasNX]

You don't know what the word underrated means lmao

[@slickrick3498]

@@ArtoriasNX I know what it means pal! While it got a lot of love from the gaming community at the time, I personally love this series so much that I don’t think it gets enough from gamers today. Everybody talks about Fortnite, the Witcher III, GTA V, Elden Ring, and so on. But almost every other list that Jak and Daxter could fit in, it normally gets left out. It’s underrated in my opinion (and most likely for other fans in the series).

[@minimalchill]

@@andreassmed2255 Nope. It wasn’t.

[@andreassmed2255]

@MinimalChill Yope. It was.

[@TheSouthernStocking]

Great video! Didn't realize that many people didn't up understand the game's depth. I love that you're spreading the word.

[@haydz3590]

Well they don’t really explain the gun combos you can use. I personally found out the gun combos by accident. It definitely improved my gameplay tho.

[@SixCoreSecond]

who sais they dont understand it? its just pointless... rather risk randomness than having to deal with frustration

[@masterofyugioh1000]

Honestly I use the constant punch strategy for the docks, and feel no guilt for it

[@gatst7680]

Honestly, I basically never used the spin blast because it just felt inaccurate. I mostly used the scattergun and melee. If I used the blaster, it was after a melee hit to blast enemies with the 3 shots in addition to the punch, or just at long range. Interesting tips to keep in mind for future playthroughs though, thanks!

[@MrDwarfpitcher]

I used the blaster most for bosses. Its never good to run into a boss while low on ammo anyway

[@thesuperMasterSword]

I seem to be seeing a lot of people saying they used scattergun and melee. Which I find interesting because I used melee a lot but rarely the scatter gun (though I guess i never realized you could effectively cancel the end lag, might've used it more if i had). The only gun I used often was the blaster, but I always tried to be more precise with it. I only really used the spin-spray when I was REALLY surrounded, because like you said, it seemed pretty inaccurate. I think I didn't mix guns and melee much, at least not directly, I might've rarely stun-locked with blaster while I ran up to punching-range lol. I think I knew about the triple-shot melee thing, but I tried not to use it much 'cause like I said in another comment, I'm always really (probably excessively) conservative with resources (also why I preferred to try to shoot blaster really quickly rather than just use vulcan, lol).

[@ss2gora0]

@@thesuperMasterSword you know you can skip the slow start-up speed with the vulcan by using the punch-shoot combo move with it. Knowing this helped me master that particular mod, and it's honestly one of my favorite things about Jak II. I love doing the water-slums mission now [the hard way, that is]

[@theloaten17]

I decided to replay Jak 2 recently with this strategy in mind. Not only was the game MUCH easier to play, but it felt more nature and most importantly fun! Great video!

[@theloaten17]

natural* lol

[@chaosdirge4906]

I recently bought the jak collection, not playing any of the games when they came out and I have to say... I'm sorry to anyone who likes it... but this game is awful. I can't say its not still hard... and honestly completely broken. I played it the proper way, I tried everything, this game devastated me. Like this game was bad even for a PS2 game. It did things that PS1 games did bad. Some sections of this game were like badly scripted PS2 shovelware games. Which is sad seeing as I can tell alot of work went into this game. The score boards they have in the minigames are awful, the Pot one with the quick time button mash, defies human senses, and is eye straining. There are alot of times that when I walked away and I came back I did better, and granted I am getting older, but I don't think that has anything to do with why I suffered through this game. The gameplay is just awful, the amounts of enemies, the difficulty spikes, all of it is poorly thought out. Its only saving grace is its amusing cast of characters, the rest of the game though I can do without. You can tell in Jak 3 they learned alot from Jak 2, it doesn't suffer from nearly as many of the same problems. Until you start getting later into the game. THe mini games start out ok, Check points are plentiful and in the right places and so on. But then, every once in a while, you'll have a mini game that feels like it was added only to pad out the run time for how bullcrap it is. Like the Invasion gun turret on the beach, where you have to fire at the legs and shoulders of the invaders while firing at their projectiles so you don't get hurt, It took me forever to figure out how I was supposed to kill them in a blind playthrough, It's not clearly communicated to you, I think I fired at the same spot on one of them for nearly 5 minutes just wondering how much health these things had. It feels like stuff like that is intentional, a thing made to cover up the tracks of shoddy programming because its the same kind of thing people did to bad NES games in the 90s. and the camera, don't get me started on the camera. Crash Bandicoot had bad camera, but they managed to make it work, it got better, this game feels like it didn't learn anything from crash bandicoot's camera. Like the Bolder chase which was an obvious callback. The screen was way too close for you to judge your jumps, the platforms moved differently in frames in one section making it impossible to have muscle memory. Jak 2 is a game I never want to revisit, ever. Jak 3 is better, But its really starting to grate on my nerves with some things I've noticed I hoped they had learned from. Most disappointing naught dog game.

[@vladpop1242]

@@chaosdirge4906 You're a little player. Jak II is the best, even for the checkpoints, that makes the game more difficult and it's a real challenge, even if sometimes very frustrating. And why do you complain about the gameplay...? Jak 3 is too easy, too many life and too strong weapons... Not an interesting game experience

[@bonesbornagainch.8384]

@@chaosdirge4906 I don’t know how recently you’ve played Jak II, so let me speak from personal experience. I first played Jak II seriously when I was 16, which was five years ago. I had the same issues as you; overwhelming numbers of enemies, lacking checkpoints, and an abundance of unfair minigames. I agree that this game is hard, and in my second and current playthrough of this game, I learned a valuable lesson that applies to gaming in general: know when to take a step back. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean to not play the game, but to take a moment to reflect on how to approach the obstacle(s). This video covered combat so let me analyze another element of Jak II: zoomers. People complain about how slippery it is to turn and operate the vehicles while simultaneously driving them at top speed. It’s like a regular car; you’re not constantly pushing down the gas. If you don’t press the accelerate or brake buttons, the zoomers slow down just enough to make tight turns (this makes racing Errol easier). If you analyze, and in some cases “demystify” the game, you could find more enjoyment from it.

[@chaosdirge4906]

@@bonesbornagainch.8384 I played it fairly recently. And racing I don't have so much of a problem with. It was more the escort missions with the enemies. I don't really have the time to take a step back, I work 40 hours a week, my schedule is entirely random the days I have off and the days. I feel up to even play games as I get older feel few and far between. I know that when I was 16 if I had played such a game like jak 2 I would not have had the patience to play through it completely. Old or young the fact is the game just is really awful. I love alot of ps2 games and I can understand difficulty. But alot of the things that jak 2 does are just the kind of things you would see on nes shovelware.

[@JmanRising]

This is the kind of in depth gaming coverage I like to see. Too many movie length “in depth” reviews of games on KZbin barely talk about gameplay.

[@ash9280]

Many if not most, reviewers on YT follow Nostalgia Critic style of criticism. Saying a bunch that sounds witty or smart but doesn't really mean much.

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

cause they poo poo in third person games

[@kaisarr7632]

Lol ong

[@zeez7935]

In the docks level with crimson guards, I run with the hoverboard to the end (never touching an enemy and not going to the water ofc), it's easy and a lot of fun.

[@xxtortellini1016]

Recently did a one day play through of the first 3 games and I specifically tried to avoid the spin shoot play style and was amazed at how versatile the other gun were when you actually use them

[@PowercellZeke]

Yeah exactly, that's what I started doing years ago

[@gamerskater17]

i played the game recently after a few years since my last playthough, and I just naturally used more of the actual gunplay over the X+O+R1

[@RexcorJ]

I've had trouble with Jak II in the past, but I've never thought to blindly waste ammo with spin shots, unless I was surrounded, in which case it's worth the price. But more often than not enemies are too far and are already firing on me at a distance to make the soon shot viable. That being said, I've never thought to combo melee strikes with weapon shots. It certainly looks ingenious, and will get me to continue my original playthrough. Thank you, sir!

[@dark12794]

Im so glad im not the only one who plays this way, I always played it as melee from Jak 1 as possible and and only used ammo when i needed the range or when completely surrounded. Neverbunderstood the appeal of playing my just spinning and shooting, comboing attacks is alot of fun and really effective in the Jak games

[@Killicon93]

You forgot to mention that the Vulcan Fury is also devastating against groups due to it's bullets penetrating and hitting multiple enemies when lined up.

[@tvirus9369]

Funny never really found this game that hard besides 1 or 2 missions still my favorite jak and daxter game

[@jeetywheety7008]

I hate the turret mission

[@trimaster100]

The only part I remember ever giving me the most trouble was the final boss fight any thing else just required a change in how I tackled it

[@kevinmoore4916]

Right mate a few missions were a bit of a pain mostly the races for me lol but the shooting no problem 🤣😅

[@NG.4769]

Jak 3 is the best hands down bro

[@haydz3590]

It all depends on how you play it

[@M.T_Void]

That’s absolutely crazy, I used the actual viable strategies so much that I thought the peace maker and Vulcan were the best gun and that the blaster was for minor encounters and emergency crazy rage tactics. I didn’t use the scatter gun a lot cause it trivialised most combat when I wanted to feel like a smart combat master. I was 12 don’t @ me

[@orangelightning9846]

Most recent playthrough, ran out of all ammo (mostly through jump spinning) in the sewer mission and used dark bomb too early at the end and had no choice but to melee the last group of metal heads and actually made it. Was satisfying at the end but nearly went insane

[@TheMasterJay]

Right after I'd figured this hidden depth out (I had some idea of the hidden depth before this video as the Scatter Gun was one of my lowkey favorites), the Krimzon Guard ambush for Seal in the Slums became one of my favorite missions in the game because it was one of the best combat scenarios in the game for me, like a test of what the player's learned up to that point. Initially I'd just cheese my way through the guards by punching them (I'll still do that if I'm speeding on through to beat the game quickly), but this mission is more fun doing it normally when you know the game's mechanics. Now granted, I'd been playing Jak II for years so I'd figured some stuff out but this video back when it was released had me consider more of my options as I rarely used the Vulcan Fury until after that and admittedly until the video I didn't think to use the punch as a dodge but it's a handy use for a dodge and I used melee more if I needed to conserve ammo too, sometimes even if not necessary (your mileage may vary on dodging with Punch on Ps3 since the HD collection has a rare bug where the punch sends you in a different direction than intended). I agree that the game doesn't do a good job of explaining the hidden depth, knowing this hidden depth makes Hero Mode a little easier and the Wastelander Move is more or less required if you're not cheating with infinite ammo and invulnerability or infinite Dark Jak or nuking everything outside some exceptions with the Peace Maker, but ammo drops are limited to drops from the KG to my knowledge so the drops are pretty rare unless you go out of your way to sound the alarm in the city. I found the Peace Maker is the best weapon to use for the yellow suit Krimzon Guards in the Palace since Krimzon Guards consistently drop ammo for the gun when your other guns have max ammo. I can easily say that Jak II is easily my personal favorite in the series as it has a good mix of platforming challenges (I'm someone who likes platformers a ton) and a unique gunplay that no other game on the market's tried to imitate to my knowledge, with Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy being my second favorite as it's a smorgasbord of platforming goodness. I still like Jak 3, but I can't deny that I feel it's a weaker game than Jak II due to a couple factors like the gunplay being overly simplified and no new enemies being made specifically for the new overpowered gun mods and the game deviates a little too much from the core gameplay with mini-games for my tastes (a trend I noticed in a few platformers around that time, some were better than others on that front), my favorite deviating gameplay styles is piloting the glider to a volcano and the Hellcat Cruiser to the KG robot factory missions because it's fun to fly around.

[@JackX0098]

the dock mission was so hard for me that i gave up trying to fight the guards and learned the route i use with the hover board to speed by the guards and the dropships so i did not have to fight them. It takes one or two try's but it still works for me today. To this day it is one of my crowning achievements

[@coolerty]

I love this game and can fight the guards and get to the end as intended but I do also like the jet board way and would argue it's even harder because there are some NPC's you can go through but some will stop you in your tracks if you don't jump over them. That mission is tough either way so props for doing it that way!

[@1siriusblackguy507]

Glad to know I'm not the only one that does that 😆

[@REDEEMERWOLF]

I actually remember trying to do this. I couldn't, so I ended up doing it the normal way lol

[@stardogsmasher6217]

Funny thing you brought up at the end, the strategy I managed to successfully did in the most infamous mission being the Seal Piece at the Slums was using the Jetboard to make a quick escape. Basically what I did was taking out the first drop ship squad of Krimson Guards and then using the jet board to make my way around the Slums so I can prevent the drop ships let out the guards and slow me down and kill me while also making sure I don't fall off the docks and into the water where a security bot will instant kill me (I tried to get out once before the bot reach the surface but didn't worked in my favor).

[@Chimeragui]

Fun fact: you can Dark Bomb the water to destroy the bot, making the water safe to hoverboard on.

[@stardogsmasher6217]

@@Chimeragui well the thing about that, I was unable to pull that trick off safely. Even if I did it the waterbot, it'll just kill me after retreating. I don't know if it's the timing I'm not aware of or what.

[@ThePreciseClimber]

I think Jak 2 might just be my favourite PS2 ever. When you think about it, this game should've been a disaster. A dark 'n edgy sequel to a cartoony 3D platformer with guns, cars, swearing, a flippin' hoverboard... set in a post-apocalyptic city. But everything worked so well. Yes, I even thought hover vehicles were great. I could never get used to desert buggies from Jak 3, though. They would always spin out of control randomly.

[@Hyper_Drud]

The Dunehopper is my bane.

[@CreativeWM_Personal]

Jak 3's biggest problem was it's plot, things happened off screen and nothing made any sense lore wise

[@expert_bean2949]

I was still pretty young back then, but i remember this being bad ass as a kid, loved the change and for the most part as an adult i still do but theres something about the original jak and daxter that the sequels can't really match.

[@mightyraccoon7155]

This game was Shadow the Hedgehog done right.

[@Nikotinbetyar]

The sand shark is the most stable all of them

[@Classical01]

Another thing to note from the 17 min marker, listen for audio cues like these at 14:20 (Grunts), 14:28-14:33 (Stingers and Grunt) and 14:22 (Slingers) alerting you of expected/unexpected enemies in the area or around a corner. There is another audio cue that comes up in pretty intense moment like multiple enemies in one area, but my dude went through Dead Town like a normal Tuesday morning either it never came up or its barely audible. These audio's pop-up in almost every situation, so if you hear it be ready for something.

[@5persondude]

I just replayed all 3 main games about a month ago, and I gotta say, when you play Jak II (even 3 if you ignore Beam Reflexor) with that more “tactical” mindset, then it becomes infinitely better. I guess it doesn’t help that most of the people who played the game for the first time were young kids who played the original Jak & Daxter (like me). Not to say that Jak II doesn’t have its fair share of ass-blast moments, but I was shocked how little trouble the game gave me when I played through it as an adult compared to as a kid

[@SammEater]

What I like about this is that the game pretty much makes the player find out about these moves while playing. Never used a strategy guide for it and ended up finding some of these moves you are discussing in this video. That was the most fun part of the gameplay.

[@TIMEPARTY-xk9bu]

Never really looked at the combat this way. I never did understand why people did the spin and blaster move never worked for me. I found myself using melee and scatter gun more often. How i usually do it is to roll jump towards the enemy with the scatter gun and fire once the jump in complete. I found this to most maybe 60% of the time the 40% with the other guns. A cool video indeed. If a may make a video suggestion could you do jak 3 as well since most people use the beam reflector +spin move a lot. if not its cool i understand the time it takes to make one of these videos. Keep up the good work.

[@PowercellZeke]

Glad you liked the video mate. The problem with Jak 3 is there isn't any depth. It's pretty much built on bad design. I could definitely do an in depth look at how to fix the combat though

[@TIMEPARTY-xk9bu]

@@PowercellZeke That would a cool video indeed love to hear your take on how jak 3 could have fixed the combat issue. But i do understand how time consuming videos are to make. Looking forward to more of our videos in the future.

[@zenksren8206]

@@PowercellZeke Dude you're stuck using Blaster most of the game in Jak 2, how the hell besides lack of ricochets is that any different?

[@RomanCzachor]

@@zenksren8206 big difference between Jak 2 and 3 is the enemy encounters, difficulty, and tools at your disposal. Jak 2 only has 4 guns, but each of those guns has their specific usecases and the difficulty of the game encourages you to strategize and use each of the 4 guns effectively. The encounters are designed in ways where enemy placements further encourage you to use different guns and use different tactics for different fights, just refer to the video. The issue with jak 3 is that they gave you so many extra guns, extra health, and light jak powers but they didn't increase the difficulty enough or put enough thought into the level design or enemy encounters to balance out how much more powerful Jak is. Because of that the game is so easy and it doesn't require any thought or effort. The beam reflexor literally does break the game because it makes the jump spin shoot tactic of Jak 2 actually become the dominant strategy since it no longer misses most of the time and instead will clear out whole rooms in few seconds because of the ricochet. the other guns also ruin the balance. However you could place self imposed restrictions on yourself such as only use the base 4 guns, which ive done, and the issue is that its still not as fun as jak 2 because the developers didnt put as much care into enemy placements and level design, it feels like they just threw hoards of enemies randomly in rooms and called it a day since they knew the guns they added were just room clearers that didn't require thoughtful enemy placement anyway. Point is the game is too easy, and with self imposed restrictions it is harder but still not as fun as jak 2.

[@MrKreisKlinge]

Watching this really made me want to play Jak 2 again. One of my all-time favorites. We need more games like this on modern platforms.

[@limeboat5530]

Your videos are amazing, incredible job in this one, after all these years I had no idea you could play this way.

[@JonnyGlessnerStormChasing]

For that seal mission, I usually get as close to the drop ship as possible and get them with the scatter gun as they drop. If they’re already dropping at a distance then it’s Vulcan time. Killing the guards early is key in my opinion. The longer you let them live, the more accurate they become

[@SilverSpade92]

If you were getting close to the drop ships, how did you avoid the laser turret? That thing almost never misses! In my experience, KG soldiers miss their first two shots, but the third tends to land. Therefore, I prefer to use a long range weapon to stun any soldiers that are lining up shots. Keeping your distance from the dropships keeps you out of range of the turrets, and the dropships will temporarily depart once it's dropped all its soldiers.

[@brand9415]

​@@SilverSpade92 I don't even uses guns on that mission because it's such a pain. I just spam punch and I'm out, easy.

[@viveSOADetMoi]

When in a close combat situation in a controlled space (like the one with the grunts in 11:20) I always switch to the scattergun mixed with punches. It makes you more untouchable than the other strategies and you don't need the range the other guns offer. I think the wastelander shines more when you are in close quarters in a chaotic situation, with enemies who can shoot at you (like your first encounter with Ashelin). In these situations, you have to get rid of them quickly or risk getting hit by a stray bullet. Also, the gun allows you to take care of long range enemies after you killed the close ones

[@weshansen7892]

Not saying you're wrong, but the spin shot is actually really good if you know how to use it. You're purposefully using it really badly here. What you want to do is fire your gun near the end of the spin and you still get the rapid fire despite aiming forward. Not needing to hit an enemy nor miss all your shots, extremely useful.

[@notseth3500]

In all fairness, the way he used it was the way practically everyone used it.

[@LogicalMarcochip]

I can't be the only person who hears "Slinger bastards" every single time.

[@Curseofmen]

I don’t know what it is about this game that makes me put it above all else. This is peak gaming in my opinion. From the soundtrack to level designs (except the mech and racing…)

[@snailgirl6]

Wow. This makes me want to give this game a second chance. I've always started a new playthrough, only to never sit and finish it. I remember being very impatient and stressed as well. (At that time...) Next time I'll take my time, be more observant, and be more persistent!!!! Maybe this game is not quite a hard as I think....

[@PowercellZeke]

I wish you the best of luck. And have fun!

[@snailgirl6]

@@PowercellZeke Aww. Thanks!

[@blaizeatri]

So how did it go?

[@snailgirl6]

@@blaizeatri I haven't gotten to my PS3 backlog in a while. Still looking forward to playing Jak 2 though!!!

[@ss2gora0]

@@snailgirl6 this game tests your patience. also when you play here's a tip: Once you get the blue gun [Vulcan fury], instead of shooting with it straight away, then having to wait for it to "warm" up every time, use the punch-shoot combo with it - as in, punch an enemy first then press fire STRAIGHT after. It skips the slow firing speed and cleans up enemies in one go and makes playing with the gun instantly 10x more fun. Trust me!

[@CelineSera]

As a kid I did the jump and spin and hated the scatter gun but now I love it for the very reasons you posit.

[@LMJT1404]

Great analysis of the combat in jak 2, I love the punch then using the scatter gun when I can and using the wastelander move with the blaster, makes me want to play jak 3 and experiment with the weapons, thats why I like borderlands so much because you can't just use one weapon for the entire game it forces you to change depending on the enemy type

[@raktr9193]

Jak 2 is for the real ones that knew GTA was for children, and needed a mans game

[@MartianBlobfish]

Now this is some good f'ing gameplay, I knew the game had depth and every gun had a unique use case but I never really dove that deep into that rabbit hole tbh. A cool strategy I thought of is if you've got low fury ammo you could use a few on the rapid fire gunners and then do a melee blaster move. Can't say I ever used the jump + spin Wastelander move while playing, I either didn't know or it just never really worked for me. I find myself using a hybrid of melee and ranged because it's closer to how the original controlled, this makes me better at melee then the average player buuut the hoard missions tended to eat me alive. :/ Your strategy for the dock mission's good but it'd end up being a ammo drain, Imo it's supposed to be a chase scene and I'm pretty sure you're supposed to used the jetboard considering you're guaranteed to have it at that point of the game. Another strategy, which is definitely not intended, is to hold X and continuously and move forward while groundpounding. When the guards get to you they'll be too close to try and shoot or taser you and their melee takes so long they'll always miss, it's not the most consistent but it's funny as hell. One thing I've done and can't prove is I've gotten 100% on Jak 1 with my left and my right hand, each on their on separate playthroughs, no mouth and no hand switching. Zoomer levels were a f*ing pain and despite being prominently right handed left handed was way easier? It was a fun challenge and now I'm kinda ambidextrous. :D

[@PowercellZeke]

That would be a cool combo for the gunners, but they only take like 2 shots before going down, so you probably wouldn't get the chance You'd think it would be an ammo drain, but the guards drop loads of ammo for all your guns, so ammo isn't much of a concern for the docks mission Idk if you know, but there's a speedrun category for TPL one handed, maybe you should give that a shot haha

[@MartianBlobfish]

I've had allot of people tell me I should speedrun, and despite how cool it would be on paper I'm not the kind of person who gets any enjoyment from efficiency, I prefer the discovery side of speedrunning. There's also a myriad of physical issues I have: high blood pressure, nerve issues that create tremors and I sometimes I can't feel anything, also my muscle memory's doesn't function normally where I can do something 200+ times and still can't do it right. Most people probably think I'm 'just complaining' but I can assure you these are all issues I deal with on a daily basis, and whenever I try and use them to explain why I don't want to speedrun people tend to disregard them like I'm making it up. So yeah I mostly just say I don't want to. :/ Yeah sorry you might have struck a nerve... Good thing I don't have that many of them! Ba doom tsk.

[@PowercellZeke]

@@MartianBlobfish it's all good dude, it was only a joke. Sorry to hear about all that man

[@MartianBlobfish]

I didn't mean too come off as hostile, kinda just felt the need to explain it considering how much the topic seems to show up, then again, that's what you get when you spend time around speedrunners. :/ I don't actually take any offence, that part at the end was for a joke. Also you don't need to apologise for my health issues, I should apologise for bringing them up. So yeah, sorry about that.

[@PowercellZeke]

@@MartianBlobfish nah man it's all good, don't sweat

[@hizzousekakashi8836]

16:00 counter point, after playing through this mission recently I feel like you're not actually supposed to fight those guards at all, you get the hoverboard in like the mission before this one unlocks so you can just hoverboard around the guards and jump over a few corners and get done with the mission really fast.

[@SilverSpade92]

I don't believe there is a "supposed to", and thats what makes the mission compelling. There's many methods to beating it: 1. You can cheese it by simply dark bombing the water defence. 2. You can punch your way forward. 3. You can hoverboard through it. This is a challenge due to the collison of the soldiers and the walkways, but I've seen people do it. Evidently you have, too! 4. You can gun your way out. In my experience, this method is most likely to sucseed by keeping your distance from the dropships and taking your time. Soldiers with tazers can serve as cover and distraction from the rifle soldiers. Off-screen riflemen almost always miss their first two shots. The dropships (which have laser turrets that almost never miss) depart after deploying all its soldiers. They come back tho! You can also make it easier for yourself by finding alternative routes, which allows you to keep all the enemies ahead of you for some of the waves. This was the method I used, and it felt really rewarding to play it that way. I personally love the gunplay, so it's my preferred way of playing. If you're more of a jetboard person, that's pretty cool! Congrats on beating it in that way =) 5. Perhaps theres other ways. I'd love to hear about them.

[@ShenDoodles]

It's been years since I last played and I was worried for my future trilogy playthrough. This should help make the experience much more fun. Thank you!

[@MatthewJamesKalasky]

This was very clever and informative. I'll admit, though, before plaything the video, and just looking at the title, I thought it was about STORY depth rather than gameplay.

[@Blazio]

This was one of the first games I ever had as a kid, probably the first. All I remember is getting to some part where an alarm goes off and a tank shoots at you or something as you try to escape and I never got past it

[@SorcererAC0]

Dude when I first played this game at 6 I couldn't get pass the first krimson guard in the fortress because I was scared of him! He ran to me and tased me and I couldn't get past him for several months because I didn't want to go up the ledge :(

[@gambello1195]

Me too. Thats like third or fourth mission :D that was pretty challenging as a kid because of couple puzzles in that mission

[@brazilian733]

for one i find it heartwarming to see people who still care for the franchise been trying so hard to replay it but i always stonewall at the temple on Jak 2, essential puzzle items falling through the floor or Jak/Dexter suffering a heart attack when in a chase

[@UnIockables]

Great video man, agree with all your points; they were explained really well and the examples were relevant and interesting. Really like what ya said about an enemy needing a combo move to take them down; that definitely would've incentivised learning some of the neglected combat features. I think a lot of the criticism for the difficulty is a mix of not properly introducing these combat mechanics, and the game being simply aimed at a younger audience who weren't prepared for that dock level (my younger self included ahaha)

[@PowercellZeke]

Thanks a lot mate, glad you enjoyed! Yeah exactly, Jak 2 has some depth, but you kinda have to go out of your way to find it. I wish Naughty Dog knew what they actually had and worked to flesh it out just that bit more

[@mikestickley2992]

I really don't think everyone who reviewed this game only used the spin attack + shoot combo to play through the game, it's just a neat looking move for their gameplay footage. This is a great tips video, but I wouldn't call it "hidden" depth. It's just the gameplay.

[@PowercellZeke]

EDIT (04/01/2023): Since uploading this video, I have had some issues with how I approached the topic. While I still generally agree with the takeaway, there were some poor decisions made in the former half of the video. If you would like to see me talk about my issues with this video, I reacted to it on stream, which can be viewed here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmGUiX55a7eZiqs -(leaving the rest of the comment in tact) Hey everyone, this video has REALLY blown up over the last few days, way more than I ever would have imagined, so I'd like to address a comment I've got several times now. Quite a number of comments are telling me something along the lines of "you're just doing the jump spin shoot wrong, because if you fire right before you land, you'll send out another 3 shots." I'm very aware this move exists, but I purposefully left it out for a few reasons. 1. If you look at the examples of reviewers doing this move, you'll notice none of them are doing it. I'd like to point to this specific spot in Antdudes video. Not only to show you his gameplay and how he plays, but also his viewpoint of how to play the game. This is the exact viewpoint I'm trying to challenge with my video, because I strongly disagree with his statement here. (kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6qUpYOQppKFgsk ) 2. This video isn't about examining every single move with a fine toothed comb. This is more about trying to show how interesting and varied the combat encounters can be if you're willing to try using more than just the Blaster. I would have addressed these points, and other criticisms I've been getting in the video, but I didn't feel it was necessary at the time, due to how small my audience is. I know a lot of my audience, and I knew they would like the video, but if I knew the video would reach thousands of people that I've never interacted with before, I would have made the video a bit more air-tight. I'll use this as a learning experience to improve my scripts moving forwards. Thanks for watching and leaving feedback on this video, I've had to leave aside a few hours just to read through them all over the past few days, it means a lot. And welcome to the channel! -Zeke

[@weshansen7892]

My only response for that is that it basically feels like you're calling people bad for using a technique--yet you misrepresent it heavily without bothering to show it's viability. I absolutely agree most people use it wrong, but in doing a showcase of how the game has such depth, you end up just shitting on one of the more viable options. I hope this didn't sound rude or anything, just trying to give constructive criticism to the best of my ability.

[@KaisTheFireWarrior]

Awesome video nevertheless

[@a.z.pantera5577]

Tha algorithm blessed this video. Which is cool, cuz I love the Jak series.

[@PowercellZeke]

@@weshansen7892 I'm not calling people bad for using the move, I'm calling out people who use nothing but the move, yet complain how hard the game is. The point of this video isn't to discuss every nuance of Jaks capabilities, but to show people how each gun can be used effectively, instead of just using the same move with the Blaster, regardless of if they do the move properly

[@toast-withbutter936]

@@PowercellZeke people can play the game however they want lol. In my opinion this video is pointless.

[@rl3lunatic600]

My personal favorite combo was doing the punch and then quickly jumping to chain into the uppercut and finish it off with a quick blast from my weapon. Stylish, effective, and just overall fun to use.

[@billy65bob]

15:31 What you actually do there is Dark Jak Bomb into the water (this destroys the submarine), then just hoverboard/swim to the exit :)

[@insertedgynamehere___1874]

Or just punch spam your way through the hordes. Yes, I'm serious, this works.

[@dominickwhite6295]

This was such a fascinating video. Not because I learned how to play the game, but because I didn't realize so many people just played through the game with the "jump, spin, shoot" tactic. Sure, Jak II, can be a tricky game at times, but I almost never relied on that 3-point trick. I guess I just figured most people played it utilizing the wide range of abilities at your disposal. Jak has an incredibly varied move set, and it's something I've always appreciated about the series. Even things like the uppercut, which like you said doesn't have much use in combat, can still be used to help you reach ledges, which is faster than a crouch-jump. Great video!

[@LuminarLight]

I remember that in Jak 3 you only need the Beam Reflexor and that jump spin move. But Jak II is not that easy.

[@PowercellZeke]

Yeah I know, the issue I was addressing is people saying the jump spin move is the only good move, while complaining the game is too hard, when that isn't the best move

[@rishyfishy8799]

@@PowercellZeke how are we supposed to know that its a better method though lol. The game lacks any instructions or tips

[@dr.lemonade8548]

The slide punch and shoot tactic really helped me out throughout the game.

[@ss2gora0]

I agree with you about people saying the scattergun is "the worst weapon in the game". I think it's actually one of the most useful. People just don't realise - probably just cause it's not as "sexy" as the other guns haha

[@adamsplendens]

Hey man! I really appreciate this video! I picked up the HD Jak trilogy for old times sake (Nostalgia has been hitting real nasty this year and I loved this series to death) and it's great to learn this now. I used to do the jump-spin-shoot technique when I played this as a kid and I sucked ass at Jak 2. Never beat it all the way through because of it! Explaining what each gun is best for and when/how to use it has really improved my gameplay. Thanks!

[@iamwhiskey9741]

The turrent mission on taking down crimson guards ships on hero mode was a hair puller.

[@stardogsmasher6217]

Here's a strategy I use in that mission on Hero Mode. If you have Dark Blast and unlimited Dark Jak, stand in the area between the mobile turret and crane bridge (basically by the ledge in front of teleporter) crouch and jump punch the Dark Blast and it'll take out the first five guards, saving all the health you'll need on 40 guards. Plus memorizing where the guards will spawn is key so you can get the jump on them fast but will take some seconds to properly give them damage.

[@iamwhiskey9741]

@@stardogsmasher6217 my old strategy was to hover board and skip it all entirely. But il try it next time i play.

[@stardogsmasher6217]

@@iamwhiskey9741 yeah I heard about the hoverboad strategy via glitch of some sort, if I recall correctly. Pretty difficult to pull off.

[@iamwhiskey9741]

@@stardogsmasher6217 very. Used to get so pissed from failing it i quit trying amd somehow did it legitly.

[@SixCoreSecond]

most people are willing to risk the randomness of the blaster move to counter the frustration of every other option... thats how frustrating it is to use them

[@nicholasmontee5389]

I only spin and shoot if I'm surrounded by large groups of enemies

[@stephaniegalliart859]

Pretty sure that's the point of the combo, lol. For some reason tons of people use it as their default panic button.

[@NeroLordofChaos]

I only ever considered the spinkick blaster combo good in Jak3 with the Reflector upgrade of the blaster. Particularly in smallish rooms or lightly enclosed areas. In Jak 2, I always figured the punch blaster was better because it would reliably remove an enemy every hit.

[@theeggemperor]

I'm really glad you covered this! Really well made and great video! The first time I played through Jak II fully, I honestly relied heavily on the jump-spin-shoot attack as well. I've been running through the whole series again lately and really paid close attention to the gun-training course advice (i.e. doing the ol' "Wastelander move" that Sig mentions that you demonstrate here) as well as experimenting on enemy types on my own, and lo and behold, the game is that much more straightforward. Even the docks mission was made a lot simpler through the kick-shoot move, and the Scatter gun actually does help take care of the initial crowding since they're all on narrow bridges. I think the only time the jump-spin attack _might_ ever help is in a surrounding swarm, and I'm guilty of still doing that attack frequently out of habit/laziness, but even then the standard spin-attack without the jump helps a lot. Or also just using the Scatter gun, because _man_ I did not realize how useful it was on my first playthrough. I also used a very similar method for the Dead Town mission, and surprisingly breezed through it much more easily than my first time around. The game has a good range of versatile weapons for different scenarios, and they all work pretty great! Great play styles for damn fantastic game from beginning to end.

[@Allocution_TK]

I'm genuinely surprised this video had to be made. I did all of this stuff instinctually as a kid

[@Knokalakooh]

Can I just say thank you for pointing this all out. I always felt Jak 2 was better then Jak 3 objectively cause the game made you make use of everything st the right time, where as Jak 3 constantly introduces too many weapons in quick succession making the game way to easy in edition to light Jak healing giving you little excuse for failure. Jak 2 too me is just such a balanced and well designed game, and i unfortunately think naughty dog lost sight of their brilliance when making Jak 3.

[@RodniDemental]

I tried a hero playthrough where I didn't allow use of Light Jak or weapons above level 1. It was surprisingly refreshing with some interesting new challenges, BUT.. I recall a few moments where it actually got very tedious; there are a few grindy fights where the game just throws a relentless horde at you that are noticeably not as intentional as some of the enemy encounter situations in Jak 2. Likely due to the abundance of offensive/defensive options; there's at least a couple of situations that basically expect you to use all the super weapons and heal whenever with seemingly little strategic recourse options eg. final boss comes to mind. OR maybe I still wasn't playing the game right as I was still helicopter blasting a bit too often at the time.. XD.

[@richarddill692]

I personally think that "Protect Site in Dead Town!" is the hardest mission in the game, and the biggest reason why everyone complains about the lack of checkpoints. I've found that the jump, spin, shoot move is great for one thing in the mission, however; taking out the rapid firing Metal Heads around the corners. They can see and shoot at you before you even get a look at them otherwise.

[@TheCynic]

the docks best method is just to jet board to the end, so long as ur decent on it then it only takes a couple tries

[@kompatybilijny9348]

Well my favourite gun was the blaster and I never spammed jump spin shoot attack... I had different issues. When I played this game as a kid, I didn't know a word in english. Story was nonexistent to me, upgrades were nonexistent to me and I was getting stuck at every single training with a new gun, because I just could not figure out what that flying metal head wanted me to do exactly. Fun times.

[@TheStrongVirus]

Punch to uppercut is what I use if I know I could take out a whole room without firing a shot. I have no idea why people need to persistently spin since you don’t exactly dodge attacks unlike with Punching. I’d say the shotgun is for most combat when combined with Jaks attack movements like the punch, uppercut then shoot does pretty good damage and distances you. The blaster is what I use to take out single strong targets or a small horde of medium tanky close range enemies. Kick/punch, shotgun, switch to blaster, land some single shots then kick/punch shoot for left overs. The Vulcan is my least used for prolonged combat I normally use it to stun lock and knock enemies off edges at range so I can either get close or deal with them. Purple is for boss fights... I don’t use it much XD Jak2 is my favourite. I find Krimzon Guard fights to be second nature due to my enjoyment of seeing how long I could last constantly persuade from one end of the map on foot to the other. Most of what I learned from combat came from Jak1 and so I may over use hitting over shooting when I could just shoot but it also means I normally have full ammo for when I really need it. I miss this game series. I wish I could hire a team to work on a Jak 4 using the same core materials as Jak 3 (because a lot of Jak 3 is Jak 2 with different textures) and just make another fun shooting platform game. I was thinking for game progression that Jak travels back in time to the Metal Head war where he helps with the protection of Sandover Village to when it becomes Haven City when the walls are built. It’d be a nice throwback to the first game and would make a satisfying tie... I’m rambling, good guide, I hope more people see this and learn how to enjoy the combat.

[@LanceCriminal1337]

After all the time I’ve played this game, I never heard of people just using the jump spin move. Wastelander move is far superior, and each weapon has its uses. It’s almost like the game gave you a specific tool to face specific encounters. Trying to cheese your way through old games doesn’t work as well. Also watching you not pick up the metal head skulls drives me nuts!! PICK THEM UP!!!

[@vad_4235]

So about that crimson guard docks mission... Did anyone else ever just get on the hoverboard and speed past it? I grant you, it's a total pain but it is doable.

[@lecomtedeneuch9994]

but there is a defense system in the water during this mission that OS you with you tried that... How did you manage to overpast this feature ?

[@mightyraccoon7155]

I’ll admit I love doing the jump spin shoot combo but I agree a lot of people overlook how versatile Jak’s move set really is. I love how when you go to do a ground slam & press the jump button as you hit the ground you’ll do a high jump & still keep the spin shoot combo going.

[@odeon6139]

This single player game has a more evolving meta than some recent fighting online games. I miss this series

[@Pariah6950]

Excellent video. Love these kinds of in-depth mechanic breakdowns, especially for games that do a poor job of teaching these things. So many players have no clue about what can be done in so many games, missing a lot of the most fun and coolest stuff.

[@NotOrdinaryInGames]

The Jak kommunity needed this badly. . . . . . You could have mentioned that rolling IS an effective way to dodge shots better, and coming out of a roll still crouched will let you aim faster and better, WASTING THE SUCKER.

[@PowercellZeke]

Yess, I totally should have mentioned that

[@MartianBlobfish]

Something I just remembered is if you crouch jump with a gun out you jump immediately and the jump happens way faster.

[@Stealth_Gamer92]

Also fun blaster fact- using that spin kick rapid fire method, but not firing until the last second before you land unleashes most(if not all) shots straight ahead. Very useful for the tougher enemies if you don't tend to remember to use the Vulcan like me.

[@Reyxian]

I was thinking of this and hoping it would be mentioned in the video. I've found, you can actually both spin shoot in the air and do a short burst as you land on the same jump. I do this a lot when I use the blaster for groups of enemies. Almost entierly eliminate the need to use the Vulcan for me.

[@SammEater]

Combat for me was pretty much: "jump + spin + shoot the gun" That was pretty much a winning move. But then I went back and tried to win the way the designers intended, it was actually very awesome and challenging.

[@Leppalimes]

The docks mission is a jet board test. You don't have to kill a single guard.

[@ryoga5000]

Beat it with the jetboard hehe

[@lorenzonioi7855]

I missed your videos man

[@PowercellZeke]

I'll be trying my best to to get more videos done from now on. My work flow has been horrible for the past year, but I've finally got a good work space where I can work on videos comfortably

[@NaughtyKlaus]

Watching you annihilate the dock guards really ticked me off..

[@sutterhall8401]

People complained this game was hard? 10 year old me is furious.

[@snakeslife-uroborodjinn790]

The people complaining about difficulty are the same people who got stuck on the Cuphead tutorial.

[@apothisiii5549]

I thought the game was a bit challenging, but I also beat it when I was like 11.

[@sebastianlucas704]

Coming off of jak 1 it is.

[@hugoclarke3284]

Reviewers suck. The only time you should complain about a game being too hard is when you estimate it to be nigh on impossible for the average person, or if the difficulty doesn't serve the interest of its purpose (i.e. presenting a fun challenge).

[@zenksren8206]

@@snakeslife-uroborodjinn790 Nah they went overboard with the difficulty in Jak 2, the game sucks and so do you for making that comparison

[@LetterNumber]

Fun fact, you can cheese the docks mission relatively easy with the hoverboard. (I promise this tactic is easier than it seems!) With decent platforming, you can hover past most of the soldiers before they get out their dropships and make it to the end quickly and safely

[@AlryFireBlade]

Dark bomb into the water and glide over the water... easiest mission done.

[@Sosukz]

If only jak 4 was a thing

[@chaseedwards7024]

This was really informative. I just played/beat the Jak trilogy for the first time last year and I definitely forgot about the Wastelander technique right after they taught it to me, haha. I didn't know about the jump/spin/blaster technique in Jak II until I beat the game, watched some reviews and saw people doing it. I carried that into Jak 3 with me, where it was MUCH more effective once you unlock the ricocheting bullets: jump-spin-shooting still tore through my ammo but it created rooms filled with bullets flying everywhere, which was fun.

[@Barldon]

That's typical KZbin analysis for you. Refuse to engage with the games mechanics then complain that it's not deep enough

[@Xophian]

Love this video. It covers the gameplay mechanics pretty well. I can only add, that there actually is a way to be both accurate with your hits and dodging at the same time. Jak can roll or jump roll and out of these moves, the gun will just auto target when combined. And if I remember right, this also instantly allows the Vulcan to fire at maximum fire-rate. This is actually the main thing with the guns, that they will combo and track out of the majority of moves Jak can do.

[@BrainWasherAttendent]

Jake II was so good and underrated!!!! I loved it. I don’t think I ever did that jump spin and shoot move. Lol.

[@malyciousapple]

I only got and played the Jak Trilogy as an adult a few weeks ago and I'm delighted by this video. I forgot the "Wastelander move" about three seconds after Sig taught it to us, I had no idea you could do that jump-spin-shoot thing at all, and the Blaster has got to be the gun I turn to the *least.* I pretty much main the Vulcan Fury-pulling out the Scatter Gun for big groups of stingers and the like-but I didn't even know it was fully-automatic until my second playthrough of the trilogy because I forgot to do the gun course after Torn gave it to us. Also, because of the way the VF "shocks" enemies like that, I've never actually *used* the fully-automatic part of it on purpose even after learning about it-I just count out the individual shots it takes to kill each enemy. I love these games but apparently I'm an absolute disaster of a player who just muddles through via trial-and-error 😅😅😅

[@darthderp8066]

I’m 24 and I still have ptsd from the slums

[@blastortoise]

You and me both man, it took me 2 years to finally get passed the mission with the Krimson guard swarm

[@eraldhaziraj6992]

I don't always use the spin move but you can't lie in jak 3 when you get the reflective mod its really useful

[@dokuganryyu]

About the jump-spinshot: that was dominant in jak 3, but holy fk is not in 2, played it for more than 500 hours and i can ensure you that punch-shot ys more effective, wastes less ammo, and misses less shots.

[@nesoukkefka1741]

It's funny cause the tutorial for Blaster actually tells you about doing a punch chain it with Blaster for 3 quick shots, thanks to it I experimented with the other guns and found out about the canceling the recoil of Scatter Gun or Vulcan being in gatling mode instantly after it, which make the game much more easier.

[@gulfgiggleanimations4472]

As a kid who hated that the platforming series changed so drastically and was aiming for a more mature audience, I actually found myself loving how they integrated the guns into Jak’s already existing combat. One thing I really liked was how the game starts you off with the close-range scattergun before giving you the more versatile blaster because the scattergun feels more synonymous with jak’s existing moveset so it eases you into the gunplay. I never found the jump-spin-shoot too useful outside of situations where there’s enemies on all sides which is just a bad situation to be in, and was confused how every reviewer defaulted to “it’s the dominant strategy” nah the dominant strategy is just the Vulcan fury. The thing penetrates and stuns most enemies, the thing’s as good a room clearer as a Dark Jak that refills from ammo pickups.

[@roelrodriguez5024]

Bruh I beat all Jaks before the age of 14. Game isn’t hard.

[@wade8085]

what a hero

[@dejankuzmanovic7059]

I had 100% on all 3 jak and dexter games on ps2 and this brings back so many memories

[@Dincorta]

Thought I knew everything about Jak's moveset, but 16:31 with the held punch vs. pressed punch is a new one on me.

[@repetaki]

I remember when I found out that the Krimzon Guard shots aren't just random made me feel like a genius.

[@slammyreed583]

For the docks mission I’ve just spammed the punch move and sort of used it as a means of moving forward and just kept going while ignoring all guards as much as possible. Since it doesn’t involve guns it doesn’t really go with your video, it’s just a strategy I haven’t seen before so I thought I’d share lol great video btw! Jak 2 was a favorite game growing up.

[@339gabriel]

Most useful Jak 2 guide video on the internet. Got through the sacred site mission in one go thanks to this video

[@rahbee6266]

Thank you so much for this video. This was my favorite game growing up, and I never beat it. I came back to it recently and was getting thrashed. I really appreciate all these tips