The Critical Flaw That Haunted Jak And Daxter

[@TBP]

Remember what I said at the end of the video, feel free to disagree, but keep it civil.

[@martinbarrettgamer4333]

Yeah i most likely disagree with mostly your point of things about Jak and Daxter trilogy but i respect your opinion . It does make since as a business perspective to change the formula to super Mario 64 style to Grand theft auto style. so far as the driving cars in Jak2 they definitely improve the driving system in the later sequels while every one say that it doesn’t know what it wanted be, it still stay true to it self and took some risk while other video games wasn’t doing it at the time and sure it have it’s flaws like the story department and the game being so short but after all it’s not as bad as people seen to make it be but at the end I’m ok with every one having different perspective or them not liking the Jak and Daxter franchise for what ever reasons.

[@TBP]

@@GUSLOL161 Ohh, we got a sass master in the house.

[@TBP]

@@GUSLOL161 Could you try typing that out again, this time in English!

[@kristopher4557]

@@TBP I agree with your points said in the video and we have a similar stance. But after your comment I was going to bait you with "pee pee poopoo brain you're wrong" But damn... looks like some troglodyte already beat me to it ha... Anyway keep up the good work man I really enjoy your videos!

[@TBP]

@@kristopher4557 troglodyte is a word that not nearly enough people use.

[@literalcharlie4171]

Jak and daxter 1 is my favourite. It’s just a simple and easy game to pick up and play whereas jak 2 turned me into a man before my time

[@Just-a-Merican-Girl]

Jak 2 turned me into one pissed off 7 year old.

[@chockontecohs]

I never heard it described perfectly, thank you

[@skycrapty1882]

Jak 2 turned me into a serious lore fan, as a fricking child. What kind of child likes serious lore with dark topics? Kids that played jak 2

[@La-hora-del-terror]

@@skycrapty1882 you're right, Jak 2 was my first game and i don't like games ho doesn't have lore of the world, i like, no... i love hearing guards talking to each others about the metal head war, the paranoia the guards have with Jak and the resistance, some other guards ho want to kill civilians and with the tanks the civilians doesn't make other riot (which means the people are annoying with Praxis and the guards). That kind of things add a lot charisma and expectation of the world and game's plot

[@JEREMCEE]

@@Just-a-Merican-Girl yess it did I feel that 😂

[@jesterlogic6886]

As someone who aged with it and had age restrictions growing up, this series is a masterpiece, and I can’t be convinced otherwise…

[@SonTaicario]

I agree, the series was my favorite video game as a kid and it still is to this day and I'm 22.

[@cheetoesize]

I strongly agree one of the best in Playstation line up

[@dakotahsteier5481]

i mean we had everything growing up, madden, homerun durby, jak n daxter, gta 3. no rules on what games we could have. and i invested so many hours into all of them. i think some games just aren't for some people. and if you take a really hard look at any games from 15-20 years ago i think it would be pretty easy to pick them apart and find atleast a few things they could've done better. i personally really enjoyed jak n daxter + ratchet and clank. they were some of my absolute favorites.

[@BrendanStoner]

this was the first thing i ever played when i was little with my dad, it will always hold a place in my heart

[@bkkersey93]

Same here!

[@SketchCraftian]

The Precursor Legacy perfected the flow and formula of 3D collectathons in a time where no one appreciated it anymore

[@EVILBUNNY28]

I just wish Naught Dog had time to finish it. If all the hubs were as polished as Green Sages hut, the game would've been literally perfect. Reading the JaD design bible and seeing what was cut is heart breaking. The game is noticeably more rushed in terms of feeling, story telling and over all detail as you progress. I mean heck, the yellow sage didn't even get a hub!

[@e-122psi3]

The one most baffling high point for me is that Daxter, the comic relief of the duo, is actually made MORE tolerable and relevant in the later darker games which don't even have his name. He's playable, he gets more story/lore relevance, he doesn't talk QUITE as often, and since Jak has been turned into an edgelord, his light heartedness sometimes better serves as a tone balance instead of just being obnoxious. Heck the guy got his own spin off game. It's about the only thing from the first game that made sense to develop on that they actually DID.

[@legendarymarston9174]

Jak has edgy moments but he even he still cracks jokes and smiles at times.

[@TheYetixOUTx]

They developed a ton. The world actually evolved pretty naturally. The Zoomers are now mass produced in an industrial age. Those lurkers that were hardly a threat in the first game are now used a labor force with an uprising as theyre intelligent shown with Brutter. Eco is used as a power source and used to theme the ammo. Its there if you look for it.

[@Richard-From-Richard-And-Clark]

Jak is not an edgelord.

[@matinazadeh6870]

Jak 2 was incredible. It knew what it wanted to be, it was an action game based in the universe of Jak 1. It was 80% action hero game, and 20% fantasy. Once in awhile you would go somewhere like Haven Forest or Mountain Temple where you'd be reminded that this is the same land of Jak 1, and that was such a cool feeling. It was like a post apocalyptic version of Jak 1

[@Killicon93]

One of the absolutely amazing things about Jak 2 is how it's a post-apocalyptic game where you get to properly experience and fall in love with the pre-apocalypse world.

[@DrClownPhD]

Too bad the mechanics of Jak 2 are fucking garbage and need reworked

[@Thumpdongrotto]

making Jak and Daxter future dystopic waz 2 kewl

[@SgtMeatHammer]

I think the identity in the Jak series was made by the people that it attracted. Rather than having one specific genre, it meshed together a series of different ones to give the players a variety rather than "oh, I have to run through here. Now there, now here again, levels done." It was chaotic, the time travel theories, the history of Mar, Damas possibly being Jaks father, sarcasm, explosions, flying Cars, eco, Mad Max, firepower. It gave everyone a sense of touching all different sides and styles of games people enjoyed and gave everyone the option to either stare at a sunset or go blow up some shiny headed dinosaurs in a sandstorm while finding artifacts, with a timer and everything's on fire. I think the series was great, I do see exactly where you're coming from when it comes to identity crisis and whatnot but I think it was a beautiful series and the chaos was only the tip of the iceberg.

[@jeffroberts6428]

It’s funny I just don’t think that a game having variety means it has an identity crisis

[@Jnensrevenge]

The game play and style mix & mach of the games is the reason why me and other people love them. PS2 era was the last time when you could still have games like that. And while Jak 2 is pre-teen edgy it's still hasba sokid story and Daxter is actually funny unlike in the first game. Hey, what about Daxter's own game?!

[@NihilisticIdealist]

I take 2000's edge over the 2010s "le self-referential and quirky XD" anyday.

[@superhedgehog6447]

@@NihilisticIdealist I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with you. I'm so tired of the self referential humor that plagued a lot of series during the 2010s. Case in point SONIC THE HEDGEHOG.

[@FraserSouris]

The problem is that the Jak games weren't experimenting for the sake of experimenting or because they knew what they wanted. Innovation isn't "throwing everything at the wall until something sticks". It's building off what you already did in unique ways. Like, by your logic, shouldn't Assassin's Creed Valhalla automatically be considered innovative simply because it combines Parkour, A Witcher style RPG and combat, Stealth and sailing? There's a saying in game development: "A game that has everything has no time for anything". The best games are those that pick 1 or 2 concepts and make those the best they can rather than implement lots of features that aren't as fleshed out. This is actually one of the reasons cited by Naughty Dog themselves why the Jak and Daxter series never took off the same way its peers like Crash Bandicoot and Ratchet did. Because in their own words, they "threw the kitchen sink" at Jak. It had Platforming like Crash Bandicoot, but also gunplay like Ratchet, driving and racing like racing games, and an open world like GTA3 and skateboarding like Tony Hawk. Plus a ton of one off minigames. The end result was a series of games pulled in so many directions that few were satisfied. For example, if you were a fan of GTA3, you wouldn't like Jak 2 as much because the open world gameplay was limited and much of the game was platforming and linear driving missions. If you were a fan of Tony Hawk games, you wouldn't like Jak 2 as much because you had to play through a lot of platforming, driving and shooting levels to get to the skateboarding levels which were pretty short. And if you were a fan of platforming, well, only 1/3rd of your playtime in Jak 3 would be platforming. If the Jak games picked maybe 1 or 2 concepts max and built a game around them, then they'd likely be more popular. Like, Ratchet was built around platforming and shooting and it's doing great. Sly was built around platforming and stealth and it lasted longer. GTA was built on open world chaos and gunplay and loot at it. Tony Hawk went all in on Skateboarding so there's a reason why THPS 1, 2 and 3 are so fondly remembered but not the later games which added more fluff in.

[@freshboy3968]

@@FraserSouris Lots of text. But I think I agree.

[@divinechariot5542]

​@@FraserSouris Jak was still a platformer at its core, they just added a few new things to stay fresh

[@blakegreen1827]

I guess you could say that this game is a Jak of all trades

[@xXxSiNiiSTERxXx]

The only thing I agree with from your video was when you said “Grand Theft Ottsel” lmao💀

[@Milesplowher]

"Jak 3 is repetitive" 2 minutes later "Jak 3 tries to do too much" Man make up your mind

[@DrClownPhD]

You can have both at once lol. Trying to do too much that you end up being incredibly repetitive. Repetition is already a core part of video games. If someone is talking about the repetition being too much there's quite a few reasons that can go into it

[@PatryQVortex]

As a kid i used to be a diehard fan of Jak and Daxter franchise and after watching this video, i am placing myself in position of disagreement. In my personal opinion, i believe all the Jak and Daxter games were amazing and aged like fine wine despite it's discontinuation after the series' biggest flaw being The Lost Frontier. I remember Jak II and Jak 3 specifically pretty fondly and i believe these two were the games that basically made the sells for the series to the audience who were craving for more edgy games despite taking a intense turn by 180° after The Precursor Legacy. Jak II was also the game that made me embrace the idea of a slowly decaying Urban Industrial environment setting. It just felt...amazing.

[@jasonalbury2487]

I completely agree, Jak 2 and 3 are my favorite games as a teen. Honestly not sure what this guy is talking about, I loved the fully fleshed-out story, the world-building, and the gameplay. I think we all knew it was the family-friendly GTA style game in a fantasy world, and I freaking loved it.

[@JakkedDog]

Honestly as a die hard fan of these games as a kid, who came back to replay them recently this was my overall takeaway as well and this vid encapsulated all the stuff I felt about my newest replay

[@maxhutchinson6425]

See I vastly prefer 2 and 3 to the first game in almost every aspect but your point about the thematic shift is still very evident and makes me skeptical the games will ever see a remake no matter how much I want it just because they’d actually be incredibly jarring back to back

[@windy3935]

The tone shift is fine. The second game makes this clear from the very first cutscene and commits to it the rest of the game and all the way up to Jak X. 3 and X softened some of the extra edge Jak II had (still never had as much as people say), establishing an easily identifiable Jak. Regardless, the last three games by Naughty Dog are still tonally consistent, which translates to 3/4. And TPL's happy go luckiness is so heavily exaggerated. That game's tone isn't far off from Shadow of the Colossus. A lot of TPL is desolate, empty, and depressing. The only thing really saving the same is the fact that it has multiple colors, since to people colors are inherently positive and heartwarming. Change the game's color palette and watch people have a whole different perspective of the game.

[@MattTheHuman9]

At 19:20 when you were talking about setting trends and following trends I've noticed that Naughty Dog has always been the ones to follow trends but essentially just try to perfect them. That's not to take away from their talent and creativity with all their franchises but it's something I've noticed. Crash was essentially a 2D platformer gone 3D, Jak TPL was a 3D collectathon perfected, Jak 2 and 3 were 3D platformers and also open world, Uncharted and TLOU are really polished 3rd person shooters. Jak 2 and 3 were their only games I'd call "messy" (still love them tho) and that's probably due to switching up the series and not being consistent like their other franchises as you said.

[@SirBlackReeds]

Not to mention that TLOU capitalized on the zombie trend, which was still going strong at the time, while also doing something different. And Uncharted perfected platforming as a human character.

[@NekoBoyOfficial]

Grand Theft Ottsel. I liked that pun too much.

[@invadertak1001]

14:30 I glad you called out how naughty dog did kiara dirty throughout the trilogy in favor of ashland, who was obviously supposed to be with torn but they want that long awaited kiss to be with the hottest chicken I guess and tried to make up for it in the following game.

[@trajectory7235]

I love all of your typos here, especially "hottest chicken" 😂

[@BobExcalibur]

I think Ashlyn was just Amy Hennig's preferred character of the two. Keira being the youthful girl-next-door precocious affection and Ashlyn being the mature woman who has suffered through hardship and temptation just as Jak has. As with most things in 3 the execution let down that aspect of the story.

[@nidohime6233]

The reason why Kiara was left out at the end is because during the production of the third game the voice actress wasn't available. Don't remember if is was from work overload or health issues but they end deciding not giving much lines for Kiara and hook up Jak with Ashelin. I think the issue is more about lack of context on how things end like that.

[@n00ji]

The precursor legacy is still one of my favorite games to this day. Even as a kid I always felt that the jump from the first to second game was extremely unnatural, to me it never really felt like the games went together cohesively to make a trilogy. I often wonder what the Jak games would be like if they didn't pull a massive time skip into the future.

[@sethlangston181]

It feels like Jak 2 tried so hard to be edgy that they would intentionally misspell it as "edjy" to show of its own edjiness. It was pretty evident in the characters' names, such as Torn, Krew, Kor, Praxis, Razer, etc.

[@erindelgado9639]

That is an interesting discussion you said. I still enjoy the Jak & Daxter trilogy looking back, but you do make a great point why the series have a bit of an identity crisis back then, like how RWBY and the Sonic series have lately. But I do have to give credit as during the PS2 era I also got to get into other series like Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank & Kingdom Hearts as I know what series they want to be. Plus Jak & Daxter did have it's DNA in Spyro: A Hero's Tail & Crash Twinsanity.

[@erindelgado9639]

@Games Yeah and with RWBY Vol 7 & 8, it is trying to be a mix up of a Star Wars Prequel & Injustice

[@windy3935]

Sonic is mostly fine. It's the padding (which apparently stems from financial reasons) and lazy use of classic Sonic that's the issue.

[@erindelgado9639]

@@windy3935 Okay then.

[@trajectory7235]

@@windy3935 The modern Sonic games very much lack identity

[@windy3935]

@@trajectory7235 Only a couple of them, and even then it's a mixture of other issues that makes it seem like its identity issues.

[@megamike15]

i'd disagree with jak x if anything it was the most consistent part of the series. as vehicle segments had been a main stay as far back as the first game and is the only thing that stayed in all 3 games.

[@ranjnijan3446]

This seems to be a trend in general, back in the early days every Dev tried to copy GTA, a generation later every game tried to copy COD, nowadays trend is copying Fortnite or Brs in general.

[@FlyXcur]

With this video I finally realize why I like Jak and Daxter so much. Specifically Jak 3. You explain how much of a melting pot it is by being a 3rd person shooter, a racer, a platformer, a combat racer and a skateboarding game. Because Jak was one of my first game series ever it's melting pot behavior allowed me to hone in on the genres of games that I like. After Jak 3 I went on to play Ratchet and Clank, GTA, NFS, Burnout, Destruction Derby Arenas, Twisted Metal, Crash, Prince of Persia and Tony Hawk. The Jak and Daxter series allowed me to figure out a bunch of different that I would like and for it's discovery I love the games. They were my first experience with these different genres and if I never played them I never would have had the itch to scratch to play all of these types of things again.

[@xero1048]

In a perfect world, this is what I’d do with the franchise: - A new rebooted trilogy of games that all follow the ideas and gameplay of the first game - A sequel trilogy which follows the gameplay of Jak 2 and 3 6 games in total. This way we get the best of both worlds, new games similar to the first which can really focus in on the 3D platformer elements while also developing Jak 2 and 3 into a more fleshed out trilogy

[@TBP]

That way they could transition into the style of the later games more gradually.

[@dvda9725]

Fuck yourself if you want a reboot.

[@FraserSouris]

There are a lot of problems with that idea in 2022. Firstly, The Jak games haven't sold very well. Committing to 6 more games when the franchise is lucky to have 1 major success in a market that has moved on is risky in the best condition. Even if Trilogy 1 is a success, you have no guarantee that its audience will be interested in Trilogy 2. Like, look at Assassin's Creed. It recently shifted to a Witcher inspired RPG form and many of its previous audience dislike that. Call of Duty had a string of futuristic games from 2012-2017 and many disliked them so much that COD went back to a Boots on the Ground Model. So when you establish a franchise as like a Mario 64 inspired Collectathon and then after 3 games, pivot to a story heavy GTA meets Tony Hawk Meets Ratchet meets Mario hybrid, you will likely turn some of those earlier fans off. Secondly, even if you go with the 2 trilogy approach, you'll likely split the fanbase even further. Currently, it's split between Jak 1 and Jak 2/3 fans. If you make the first trilogy focused on Jak 1, you alienate Jak 2/3 fans that have been waiting for their game. Thirdly, devloping a trilogy itself is also not feasible because of how intensive and difficult game development is now. As an example, Santa Monica recently announced that their plan for a new God of War trilogy starting with God of War 2018 is now a 2 game series just so the story could be finished in a reasonable amount of time since each game takes 5+ years to make now. Ubisoft used to make a new Assasin's Creed game a year and now have to push it to 1 every 3-4 years after Unity's terrible launch. Even assuming a 3 year cycle per Jak game and that nothing goes wrong during that time, it means that trilogy 1 will span an entire console lifespan and it will take 18 years for all 6 games to come out. And that's the best case. It's more likely that enforcing a trilogy means each game gets less time and resources than if each game was more standalone. And fourthly, how do you make 2 more games for each style of Jak game? Jak 1's style is already considered retro with Indie games replicating it. So how do you make a trilogy of Jak 1 games while making each game iterate and improve on what came before in 2022? In something like Mario's case, they accomplished it by having pretty big gaps in between their games and giving each new 3D mario a new gimmick like Water in Sunshine, Planets in Galaxy and Cappy in Oddyessy. And even then, it helps that it was Mario branding the games so they would have sold well regardless of their quality. And Jak2/3 are filled with so many conflicting design deciesions that making a trilogy from them means either continuing with the Kitchen Sink, in which case, the games continue not having an identiy, or you double down on a few ideas like the GTA style gameplay, in whuch case, you remove that excessive vaerity many Jak 2/3 fans like, and you have to compete with GTA directly. Personally, I think Jak should remain dormant. There's nothing it really brings to 2022 that makes it unqiue and worth playing over other games. If I want to play a fun collecathon platformer, there's Mario. If I want to play any number of good shooters, they're there. If I want to play a racing game or Skateboaridng game, those are covered as well. Why play a Jak game with a mediocre execution of all these ideas when I could play indivudal games that flesh out all these systems? But if Jak must come back, my only suggestion is to lean into that craziness with a reboot. Make it an early 2000s style throwback. That way, the janky gameplay is framed as "an endearing aspect of an earlier area" rather than janky gameplay. Though it would also be better to try focusing on just platforming and GTA style gameplay at most to get that focused gameplay.

[@hypernel1798]

@@FraserSouris you're right it would be extremely difficult to reboot the jak franchise if not impossible to do this. But let's say hypothetically The Jak games gets an reboot, i would say it has to be developed by an team as passionate and talented as Insomniac Games. Imo I think Insomniac Games might be the only ones to "revive" the jak games but who knows

[@Ay-xq7mj]

@@hypernel1798 It wouldnt even be hard nowadays to make a clone of the games with some changes. If i was less lazy and hated technical problems less I would take time to learn to dev solely for purpose of making a sims clone and jak and daxter clone. Sims in particular I find bewildering in same way as Battlefield. Both are severely mistreated unique games but dont have high quality copycat games being made.

[@oneautumnleaf2622]

Tbh I never saw it as a identity crisis.

[@Harsh_Noise]

I was a big fan of TPL, I played it as a kid, and I've beaten it countless times. It's really the atmosphere and the art that get me. Strangely Asian inspired culture, spooky alien looking temples, monsters... really a one of a kind feel that they never got back. Honestly, I agree with you 100% and share your experiences. I could never finish 2. It was too hard when I was young, and now that I'm older I just find it disappointing as I compare it to TPL. I refuse to play 3 until I beat 2, and racing until I beat 3. I did get TLF for my PSP, and to be honest I kinda liked it. It was very technically limited given the PSP's hardware, but it was honestly fun to play. Haven't beaten it yet, but I don't think there are any huge turns for the worst part way though.

[@tyke2829]

Man everyone forgets about the Daxter game lol. However, one thing about J&D that that wasn’t touched on in this vid was the technical advancements that haven’t even really been replicated today. And that’s the fact that there is no loading. Jak 1 had a seamless world. Jak 2 and 3 were masked and Haven City may have been smaller compared to the cities in GTA but again, there wasn’t any loading.

[@sebastiankulche]

And even without loading they look fantastic compared to anything of that era in open world.

[@russiandoggo4336]

I don't necessarily think its a sin the none of the games in the trilogy are really comparable to the others. You make a good point about the ideas and concepts being all over the place causing a lack of focus, but as someone who grew up on these games I don't think it made the games all too bad. I don't think its bad that they chose to innovate rather than iterate, I kinda see the whole series like a triple jump in the Olympics if that makes any sense.

[@Kligor2]

I actually disagree with a lot of your issues with the games tbh. Like, a large amount. lol Ill just say I definitely agree Keira was done super dirty and Jak 2's checkpoints made me wanna unalive so much. I also replay The Precursor Legacy like... nearly monthly lol

[@Kligor2]

For the life of me I cant really find the words to describe WHY I disagree. Like to me after recently replaying Jak 3 I didnt feel that tonal whiplash nor did I feel like the game lacked focus. I guess those minigames felt like lil breaks from the usual format.

[@WorthlessWinner]

I liked Jak 2 for combining platforming and GTA style gameplay but.... it was the only thing like GTA my parents would let me have at the time which may have made me like it more than i would otherwise have!

[@forza8719]

My guy, Jak 2 knew exactly what it wanted to be. A post apocalyptic jak 1 and it executed fabulously. Just because it incorporates different gameplay mechanics doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s actually amazing how well they executed and meshed everything together. This was a triple A title at the time and it deserves ALL the praise it gets.

[@Sol-Amar]

I agree. I never knew people disliked the game for what they term as an "identity crisis" until recently. Not saying it's free from criticism but Jak 2's dystopian Sci Fi theme was an interesting change from the first and could function as a standalone game in my opinion. The plot elements were also present in the first game so the continuity of the series makes sense to me.

[@yuchun_]

@@Sol-Amar I would argue that almost all the interesting lore comes from Jak 2. It's actually a testament to how it basically IS the series' identity. Jak 1's allusions to the mystery are just that, allusions, while Jak 2 builds what 3, X and Daxter are all centered around. The events in Haven have not been topped in terms of importance.

[@mr.marvin]

I agree the first game is the best one. I didn't like the fact that they're tryna capitalise on GTA's success by making a bland and repetitive sandbox game with Jak II. Jak 3 I actually thought was alright but I understand where you're coming from because the game does feel like a mini-game collection with way too many gimmicks. It's a no brainer why games like Ratchet and God of War sold so well because they knew what they wanted to be. Even after the Jak series Naughty Dog still focus on hopping on the biggest trends rather than tryna to bring something interesting to the table. Gears of War was pretty popular during the late 2000s so Naughty Dog decided to make their own cover based shooter similar to Gears with Uncharted. And now they're a company known that makes movie like games.

[@sebastiankulche]

Even if Jak 2 and 3 they are like GTA "clones", for me they surprassed it.

[@skibot9974]

I’m pretty sure Gears of War and Uncharted were in development at the same time even if Gears released first

[@BAIGAMING]

I really liked your viewpoints, great video. I think that a lot of what I liked about the series was nostalgia, I played these three games on release day and they were really fun, but at the same time I was definitely disappointed with how everything changed in Jak 2 like you said. Jak 2 and 3 still had good lore, characters and story. If I had to sum it up, each Jak game is good, but the series as a whole is very inconsistent. Some of it was in their control, some may not have been, but it was definitely worth playing through. For me I'd say Crash ≈ Jak > Uncharted >>> Last of Us

[@micshork]

The first game is s one of my favorite games of all time. I miss that open world collect-a-thin feel.

[@burnheart2965]

Jak and Daxter 1 is a smooth masterpiece. Beautiful storytelling. Great music, great sound effects, visually stunning and good voice actors. Jak 2 just gets worse. It totally derails from its original focus. It could have been the best platformer legacy ever. Instead they made up a convoluted story, made Jak a cringy emo edgelord and just inserted themes at random (GTA, Tony Hawk etc). There are no iconic lines like: "Even the rocks do not recall". Because it's just action slog. This video disliking Jak and Daxter 1 is embarrassing to watch, it was excellent for its time. The first 6 minute intro of Jak and Daxter is better then all the sequels combined. The pacing, humor, character introductions, voice actors, motivations, world state, it is a work of art. Jak 2 starts with a 2 year torture scene after which you become some dumb muscle running around like a GTA character hijacking vehicles. This isn't a thematic shift, its just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks (all in the name of greed, which ironically failed, their sales halved). A focused passion product that isn't corrupted by the latest hot trend is always better. Jak and Daxter 1 sold more in America alone than Jak 2 sold worldwide. GTA already dominated its genre, so Jak and Daxter should have stayed the course and dominated theirs, no one wants to play 20 GTA's (unless you want to believe two 8 year old retards from a focus group *cringe*

[@carlospandette8001]

Bruh at the end of the video he says that Jak 1 is his top 1 and second would be Jak X followed by Lost frontier. Did you even watch it till the end or just got stuck with him not liking a game that you like without ay context?

[@tb1235]

I still go back and play the trilogy at 30 years old, my personal favorite duo from the early 2000’s. Those 8 year old kids are a prime example of young people thinking they’re older than they are, also despite kids playing GTA it’s still made for mature audiences (not 8 year olds).

[@cgreenwood95]

I disagree with nearly everything, but I will agree on the aiming not being the best and you explained why perfectly. I also agree in Jak 2 you die way too easily and it was a very frustrating game at times, but I loved it still. I get that it was kinda insane that they switched from Jak 1 original style to the GTA one, but imo it worked.

[@ci7210]

I love the Jak games with Jak 3 being my favorite. But I'm impressed they made a good GTA like game within 2 years. When it plays well and is fun. When a series takes a more dramatic and edgy turn the results are normally disastrous. But Naughty Dog made it work. As a kid, I was like 10 when Jak 2 came out and thought that was the most badass thing I've seen. Playing though it does have it's flaws. That being said I think the mixture Jak of all trades gameplay is why it's hard to do a true sequel. The Trilogy story wrapped up perfectly. Also it's would be harder for a studio to do an open world GTA type game since the open world market is saturated. Like compare to Ratchet and Clank and even Crash Bandicoot. Like both are more linear games with a defined gameplay formula. Thier stories are more open ended so both series can go indefinitely. Why both series have so many games.

[@MoXy33]

Jak 2 had a more fun open world than any AC or Far Cry so far. I'd rather go back to the same bar/building to get my quests than visit 2 million unimportant, blah areas with thousands of markers showing loot that only has value to the biggest nerds.

[@smurfsareoppressed9584]

I quite like Jak and Daxter, such a shame it never got a sequel.

[@yulich2819]

Jak's fans being absolutely unhinged in the comments as usual. Weird ass people. Its funny how even sonic fandom is much more open to discussion and critique of their favorite games in comparison without throwing insults like little kids.

[@DefinitiveDubs]

I never really thought Jak 2 was really as jarring a tonal shift as everyone says it is. Yes it starts with a torture sequence and yes there are guns and yes there's light swearing. But the key difference between this and something like Prince of Persia Warrior Within, or Shadow the Hedgehog, is that it's self-aware. Nobody acts out-of-character. It doesn't try and pretend like this is a natural evolution of the world. Daxter points out how weird and edgy this all is on a regular basis, and yet he is still the same character from the first game. The whole game has an air of "Yeah we know this shit's silly, just roll with it". The so-called "tonal whiplash" of having a death scene followed by a comedy scene is no different from so many shows on Cartoon Network, or Futurama, or even Marvel movies. I also don't understand why "It doesn't know what it wants to be" is ever a criticism. It's not really saying anything. As long as what's there is fun, what does it matter? Who cares if it does a bunch of things? Is the gunplay not as good as something like Ratchet and Clank? Because R&C went all-in on being a shooter? Sure, I guess, but it's still fun for what it is with a decent amount of weapon variety. And I can say the same thing about the driving in Jak 3. Is it not as mechanically deep or polished as Twisted Metal? No, but it doesn't really have to be. What's there is perfectly fine, it's not broken or anything, it controls well, it's paced well, and it breaks up the gameplay well-enough. Sly 3 had just as many minigames and random gameplay styles, yet that's your favorite in the trilogy. I sense a bias here. In fact, I would argue there it's much worse. How often do you get to do classic Sly Cooper platforming in Sly 3, really? How many of Sly 3's gimmicks actually feel polished? Is Jak 1 the best of the trilogy? Sure, I think so. It's arguably one of the best collectathon platformers ever made, outclassing Banjo-Kazooie IMO. But I also think you have an over-obsession with demanding greatness instead of just letting something be good.

[@blackstonewielder19]

I felt the design, setting and atmosphere made Jak II so immersive that it more than made up for the fact that, as you say, they were blatantly trying to keep up with the trends and gameplay could be a bit frustrating at times (so I didn't mind going back to the same places multiple times). Jak 3 was similarly immersive and atmospheric and took some interesting directions, but also somehow not as good as Jak II when it came to these aspects. You could sum up the identity of the series as an fantasy action/platformer set after the fall of an advanced civilization, with a standard good vs evil theme. The first game was unique because it mixed in a bit of steampunk while the next two went in for heavier dystopian/post-Apocalyptic future themes (but the fantasy setting allowed them to be creative with the guns etc.). IMO, the fact that the first game had steampunk elements made it less jarring when they switched to a futuristic setting than if it had been more 'primitive' (like quasi-medieval or something).

[@machineferret3359]

I honestly think these games were all good and I love them to death but hey that's my opinion I just wish they made a new Jak 4 and everything you said that could be better they can fix it with the new console capabilities also I love your channel bro you talk about stuff that everyone ignores in games and I respect that (ohh heads up for your Rift apart video You might be abit right about Ratchet being sidelined) Ohh and I hated the Mini Games in Jak 2/3 I just try forget they exist just play the story for the shooting and combat and Jak's cool voice aha

[@FraserSouris]

I don't think a Jak 4 with new tech would have fixed the series since tech doesn't fix a messy design

[@MaoRatto]

@@FraserSouris I believe the same way, hell it should of had " What if scenario " sequels.. Mainly being subversions of taking the idea of " what if we continued the platforming focus and story? " A story that tells a different time line as, since there is time traveling it would be able to accept this is a different timeline and build an equally as appealing work there. One main follow up, one side series follow up. Like like Persona and the Shin Megumi Tensei series where it starts off as a spinoff, but branches into a series with its OWN DESIGN AND LORE.

[@pixilatedink.7920]

@@FraserSouris ok hater

[@JayElDragon]

The biggest flaw Jak and Daxter had was their own devs If Naughty Dog stood to their ground and build upon that foundation they started with, with this world that feels connected and the whole eco and sages thing it would have been interesting But they threw EVERYTHING away in order to copy trends, and the result was a convoluted mess of a trilogy that changed the characters so much it divided the audience I personally think Jak and Daxter 1 was a masterpiece of a game that broke a lot of boundaries back in those days, Jak 2 and Jak 3 were just a product of their time trying to copy what’s popular at the time Still would have loved a TRUE sequel to Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy

[@William5000000]

The original founders Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin were aware of the sudden change in the video game industry. Even if the original founders wanted to follow their original vision after the first game, they weren't really given the chance to do so due to the popularity of "Grand Theft Auto III". Not to mention the fact that the first game was released too late, despite all the good (but safe) designs the game had. They basically had no choice but to adapt and follow trends after the first game, starting with the influence of "Grand Theft Auto III" for the second game due to it being too popular (which not only disappointed some fans, but completely alienated the Japanese audience), and then having to rely on follow trends for the third game based on what people thought was good (which disappointed even more fans). The second game created an identity crisis, and by the third game, the central identity of the series was completely lost. From that point of view, it's understandable why Naughty Dog did what they had to do after the first game (they had no new IP at that point) to stay afloat, despite knowing that some fans (especially the whole Japanese audience) were going to be disappointed. ---------- I had interest in "Jak and Daxter" back in the day. But the second game completely destroyed my interest in not only the first game, but the whole series in general. I would still be engaged with the series had it not been for the popularity of "Grand Theft Auto III". I will at least say I respect the series more than, say...the "Metal Gear" series ("Metal Gear Solid 4" completely destroyed my appreciation for the series, including the previous games).

[@sebastiankulche]

@@William5000000 I dont know if they had "no choice", at the end of the day, Jak 2 and Jak 3 sold way worse than the first one... In fact... Jak 1 is one of the best selling PS2 games, so it makes me wonder if the change was really neccesary. Maybe Sony convinced Naughty Dog to change the direction (since they bought them after Jak 1)? Who knows.

[@skibot9974]

A very intersting take coming from a guy who knows the stories but has yet to playa my game. I have a friend who is a huge Jak fan but I see a series without consistency. I am curious about that PSP game Daxter nobody has ever talked about it so I don’t know if it’s a hidden gem or the equivalent to Size Matters

[@mikeshepard2024]

I liked Size Matters on the PSP lmao

[@khalidhamad5286]

Jak and Daxter needs a reboot

[@mr.anonymous.2749]

Agreed

[@sebastiankulche]

I would really like to see a sequel from 1 but with the same tone and gameplay mechanics (expanded obviously), it would be interesting...

[@jUppers]

we talk about how old games had inconsistencies and abnormalities but all of them were superior to the "well-crafted" "streamlined" "consistent" garbage titles we get today

[@dungis3346]

Could you go further into detail on why you consider The Lost Frontier to be one of the best in the series?

[@trapez77]

Because of how much fun it is

[@Shcroft2]

Gameplay wise, sure, 2 and 3 are messy. But there was no mention of how compelling and original the story felt for Jak 2. The story telling, though childish at times, was brilliantly done. I've found myself just watching the cutscences for recreation recently, that's how I ended up on the Jak & Daxter side of KZbin.

[@toxikvenom]

Hey TBP, I've seen quite a few of your videos now (not sure how'd I prove it) but I absolutely loved your twisted metal black video. Now I'm not sure if you mean to go all in on certain points to get an audience to engage or not but it worked for me. I am not some one who likes to voice themselves on the internet but did so here. I have always been on the edge of deciding to subscribe to your channel and became really close with the Twisted Metal Black video. That video took me to when you were a kid playing the game that you got from your brother; it was like experiencing it first hand and that's what I'm usually chasing when looking for things to watch on youtube. Now that doesn't mean everyone on youtube should make positive portals. But when a decision is made to criticize media and some of the points feel off then fans of the media are disconnected. I don't discount you playing the series recently and forming the opinion you did. I believe negative content inherently has a handicap. There is another youtuber who made a video on the jack and daxter series (breadsword) that gave me the experience as watching your twisted metal video. His video is in the opposite spectrum from this one but there are points in there that show the series was thematically cohesive. I think an amazing video would be somewhere between yours and his. Hope you have a good one TBP. I'm going to continue to stick around and wait for the next video you make to give me the same high as the Twisted Metal. ps. did you play Wild 9 back in the day? It feels like you've been playing all the games I did as a kid.

[@TBP]

Coincidentally I actually just bought Wild 9 on a whim a couple months back. I only played a bit of it but I do want to find time to beat at one of these days.

[@rorybarber5076]

idk I think Jak 2 is transparently inspired by GTA, but I think combining and open ended 3D platformer with a proper sandbox is a really interesting concept, and the game has great voice acting and animation. Jak 3 loses me but I still hold that Jak 2 is a fun mess and not a bad sequel to the first game despite the complete overhaul.

[@TrekoGames]

"i kind of dont like jak and daxter much" me: aight imma head out

[@seth8395]

While I can concede your points on Jak 3's game play jumps, I think your criticism is baseless. Especially the part about revisiting levels. It's simply taking the objectives of collectathons and spreading them out through the game and giving them story context.

[@seth8395]

23:23 is also kind of ironic, because that's what they did with jak II.

[@CHURCHISAWESUM]

Jak 2 was amazing and Jak 3 rounded it out. I think their gamble worked, I’m glad these games exist as a sort of crossover genre, but yeah, it wasn’t going to last. Would be interesting to see it be revived now though, since people seem sick of gritty hyper realistic “me too” games

[@carlosalcazar1192]

Never have I ever felt the stabbing pain of the double edged sword that is freedom of speech like I did watching this video. I would pay any amount of money to have this video taken down so that this poison doesn't get to anyone else's ears.

[@scorpig.p8243]

Exaggeration much? Dont get me wrong, Jak and Daxter is a masterpiece in my eyes and I disagree with a lot of what he said. But in the end of the day that's how he sees it and feels towards it. Isn't it a bit disrespectful to throw out a man's opinions and hard work making a video on a topic he feels strongly towards just because you disagree?

[@FraserSouris]

Bruh even Naughty Dog themselves have agreed with that statement. This is actually one of the reasons cited by Naughty Dog themselves why the Jak and Daxter series never took off the same way its peers like Crash Bandicoot and Ratchet did. Because in their own words, they "threw the kitchen sink" at Jak. It had Platforming like Crash Bandicoot, but also gunplay like Ratchet, driving and racing like racing games, and an open world like GTA3 and skateboarding like Tony Hawk. Plus a ton of one off minigames. The end result was a series of games pulled in so many directions that few were satisfied. For example, if you were a fan of GTA3, you wouldn't like Jak 2 as much because the open world gameplay was limited and much of the game was platforming and linear driving missions. If you were a fan of Tony Hawk games, you wouldn't like Jak 2 as much because you had to play through a lot of platforming, driving and shooting levels to get to the skateboarding levels which were pretty short. And if you were a fan of platforming, well, only 1/3rd of your playtime in Jak 3 would be platforming. If the Jak games picked maybe 1 or 2 concepts max and built a game around them, then they'd likely be more popular. Like, Ratchet was built around platforming and shooting and it's doing great. Sly was built around platforming and stealth and it lasted longer. GTA was built on open world chaos and gunplay and loot at it. Tony Hawk went all in on Skateboarding so there's a reason why THPS 1, 2 and 3 are so fondly remembered but not the later games which added more fluff in.

[@aliceinwonderland4395]

I'm a diehard fan of this trilogy since infancy but the points he made are all valid and respectable. It's a good video and made me realise crucial things about the games.

[@pixilatedink.7920]

@@FraserSouris stop fucking spamming

[@orangeslash1667]

@@aliceinwonderland4395 I recommend TinyKin, It's a 3d platformer inspired by Ratchet and Jak.

[@Templarfreak]

this is certainly an... _interesting_ review. pretty much every single thing that people love about each of these games you somehow managed to twist it into being a bad part of the game. even what was _praised_ about these games when they first released by game reviewers of the time. one of the only things ive seen people genuinely complain about that you've shared here is the repetitiveness of the early game of Jak III

[@kaula17]

I loved jak 2 lol. I remember being a kid a d thinking that tone shift was the coolest unexpected thing ever

[@doublet6118]

For years I've had similar feelings towards the Jak and Daxter series and seeing a video like this addressing them got me quite excited. While I don't hate JaD, it's at the bottom for me compared to Ratchet and Sly. If the series were to ever come back it should be a full-on reboot, either as a light-hearted platformer or as a GTA clone. Double down and make a vision to stick too so next time Jak and Daxter will be the ones to make the trend instead of following them.

[@stephaniegalliart859]

I feel like there could definitely be a reboot that stayed both lighthearted yet handled mature themes, such as how Legend of Korra and Avatar handled complex adult themes in a kid-friendly and colorful tone (they handled topics such as PTSD, colonialism, genocide, etc.)... or if they went along a more thematically consistent route and made something more cohesive like Netflix's "Arcane" show, where you just have it be dark-ish from the start, but with heavily stylized art direction and animation that still looks cartoony. I think a Jak reboot could help the series find an identity, but it's gonna take someone with good taste and a lot of creativity to lead an enormous project like that.

[@oneautumnleaf2622]

Tbh it didn't seem to follow a trend it became like a gta game because theg went forward in time this making the world more dark and gritty if anything it's a realistic portraya of how time traveling would affect the world.

[@thememeyestcat7294]

The Lost Frontier is beyond broken. When I played the game in hero mode, I decided to watch a cutscene during a mission while taking a break, and that caused the mission order to bug out and skipped half the game.

[@Synthgamer]

I'm glad they took the game in a new direction. Jak 2 saved the series by standing out from the other platformers. I just wish that we had more games. Also: Ashelin > Kiera

[@JTPCrusade]

Honestly the problems you spell out do indeed exist but saying that the game is bad because of them is a big no. Jak 2 is a fantastic game. Yeah it's not perfect, and would probably not go over well today, but it's still one of the peak games of my childhood.

[@Benjamillion]

I think my biggest problem with Jak II was Erol. From the very beginning of the game he just hates Jak, there's no explanation why, and there isn't a given reason until he shows up at Keira's zoomer garage with a love triangle.

[@KaisTheFireWarrior]

He was winning races, he was "stealing" Kira from Erol, he was considered hope for the city and he clearly hated that, and to round it all out he was in the underground, enemy to the krimson guard.

[@bluscoots96]

For any fans of the Jak and Daxter games, there is currently a fan made Jak and Daxter 4 fan game being worked on. By a team of volunteer devs and fans under the name of Fallen Legacy Games.

[@zero1zerolast393]

"Let's be civil here people," Me: Sadly puts the pitch fork down

[@brandonnmm]

It's funny. I remember GTA 3 being a thing and I thought it was one of the worst games I ever played bc of the core gameplay mechanics it had. A lot of the gameplay mechanic issues you explained with these games I felt gta 3 had. I honestly didn't start liking gta until gta 4. I mean gta vice city and gta san andreas were decent games too, but had their issues. The jak games to me were cool and I liked the change each game had. There was a lot of charcter development with jak and dexter. The games were all unique in their own ways. I'll agree that jak 2 felt really messy with some of the game mechanics and 2 and 3 had some missions that felt super annoying to do and could've been left out. Tho they were good games with good story overall. I think all 3 games are in desperate need of a remake tho.

[@sebastiankulche]

I can see that, but for me Jak 2 and Jak 3 fixed many of the issues GTA 3 had like its so clunky autoaim system that makes everything feels like a rail shooter, i even prefer GTA 2 gameplay because of that. There are still others that bothers me though, especially in Jak 2, where the driving is so narrow and the vehicles are even more weaker than GTA 3.

[@jandaxprss6784]

I believe that the only way this story can truly move forward is for them to find/rebuild the Time Machine. Go back in time to when we opened the rift gate and the metal heads raided earth. Take the guns out introduce new weapons and uses for eco all while somehow maintaining the movement and tight platforming of the first three games.

[@megasoniczxx]

Admittedly, I don't think I actually like PL as much as I do 2 and 3 which probably might be because I played those first and only got around to the original game the year before last. I can acknowledge that it is a beautifully designed game and it really is impressive at what they were able to achieve but much like Mario Galaxy, I can't really get into it the same way I can get into other games of the genre and the tighter focus in the sequels, plus the harder difficulty just make them more appealing to me (moreso in Jak 2's case than Jak 3). I do feel kind of bad saying that though since I really don't agree with them just changing up the series to follow trends instead of sticking with their guns and I hate the fact that fans of the first game lost what could've potentially been another great collectathon series to play.

[@Er_Buggato]

This series made me a gamer when I was 9... I would buy a remake, a reboot, a sequel, anything!

[@escapetherace1943]

I don't know how this guy can say he doesn't like Jak 1-3...... deranged lol XD

[@invaderjoshua6280]

If Jak 3’s gameplay was in the sequel it wouldn’t have been so polarized. There was way way better, eco powers and melee in the 3rd game like the first.

[@Tomogara]

it still has the best character animations till this day IMO

[@Synthenoid_]

huh, Precursor Legacy was one of my first videogames (mustve been 3-4 years old), loved the whole series growing up But I'm about to be 23 now & agree with most of these points. Playing through Jak 2 & 3 nowadays makes it easier to be more critical of standout questionable things, like the angst meter being cranked up to oblivion (& daxter's constant relentless horny moments are definitely interesting) levels focusing on combat but only a select few enemies are tough, while Jak 2's checkpoint system just seems broken Gunplay is slightly awkward in 2 but they somewhat overcompensated in 3 by adding comedically stronger guns, on top of the crazy amount of light+dark powers you therefore rarely ever need (light jak Flight is underwhelming and required for a total of maybe 30 seconds, dark Invisibility feels meaningless, etc.) Flying back & forth between ends of the cities / desert also gets sleepy after a while Platforming never seems to reach far beyond double jumps, big trampoline jumps & pole swinging (but I do like some of the Jetboard grinds/ platforming) & the story is a rollercoaster of things happening but seems under-baked in cohesion, like 3's antagonists, or just not enough time given to get attached to characters, or plot holes like Ashelin's authority, or Keira's character slowly evaporating, or Jak going from "this city is worth fighting for" to "they can rot for all I care" just to instantly switch again (but seriously, Cyber Errol is such a dork of a trilogy final boss) When you realize how drastically they curved directions for Jak 2, it's not hard to imagine the amount of fresh different stuff they could've added to make a sort of "Precursor Legacy 2" instead of the Jak 2 we currently have, expanding on the interconnected world, eco powers, parkour, platforming, puzzles etc. Maybe even getting away with a slightly darker tone, just without Jak himself being so '2000s emo rock edge'. I still like the trilogy but its missed potential definitely hurts edit: damn this vid made some people very salty.

[@pennywisethedancingclown775]

I disagree. Jak 1 and Jak 2 are god tier games. One of naughty dogs best. Love them more then og crash

[@maxwellfed]

The critical flaw is that it had no flaws

[@sebastiankulche]

I agree. The trilogy itself was great for the time.

[@35jfish]

I feel like the biggest flaw was this guy didn’t play it as a child so he sees it differently

[@FraserSouris]

@@35jfish Isn't that a mark against the game? That the only reason someone would like it is because they're nostalgic for it rather than its actual quality?

[@FraserSouris]

Bruh even Naughty Dog themselves have agreed with that statement. This is actually one of the reasons cited by Naughty Dog themselves why the Jak and Daxter series never took off the same way its peers like Crash Bandicoot and Ratchet did. Because in their own words, they "threw the kitchen sink" at Jak. It had Platforming like Crash Bandicoot, but also gunplay like Ratchet, driving and racing like racing games, and an open world like GTA3 and skateboarding like Tony Hawk. Plus a ton of one off minigames. The end result was a series of games pulled in so many directions that few were satisfied. For example, if you were a fan of GTA3, you wouldn't like Jak 2 as much because the open world gameplay was limited and much of the game was platforming and linear driving missions. If you were a fan of Tony Hawk games, you wouldn't like Jak 2 as much because you had to play through a lot of platforming, driving and shooting levels to get to the skateboarding levels which were pretty short. And if you were a fan of platforming, well, only 1/3rd of your playtime in Jak 3 would be platforming. If the Jak games picked maybe 1 or 2 concepts max and built a game around them, then they'd likely be more popular. Like, Ratchet was built around platforming and shooting and it's doing great. Sly was built around platforming and stealth and it lasted longer. GTA was built on open world chaos and gunplay and loot at it. Tony Hawk went all in on Skateboarding so there's a reason why THPS 1, 2 and 3 are so fondly remembered but not the later games which added more fluff in.

[@recordbum]

@@FraserSouris EXACTLY

[@William5000000]

A full blown reboot would definitely alienate a lot of fans, but it's the only way to bring the series back.

[@freshboy3968]

Too bad Naughty Dog doesn't make video games anymore.

[@William5000000]

@@freshboy3968 They still make video games, just more of what people want in the modern era, which is Western games. Same with Insomniac Games (aside from the "Ratchet & Clank" series) and Sucker Punch Productions. Unless a miracle happens with video game adaptations that are becoming more of a thing in PlayStation Productions, they aren't returning to cartoony games. If you mean cartoony and arcade-like games ("Crash Bandicoot", "Spyro", and "Rocket: Robot on Wheels"; even "Ape Escape" from Japan Studio) in the fifth generation, then yeah, those days are pretty much over. Even Nintendo ditched the Lives system with "Super Mario Odyssey" and "Kirby and the Forgotten Land". Games are focusing more on story now. Heck, even after the OG PS era, Sony slowly transitioned to games that focus on story ("Jak and Daxter" with its identity crisis, "Ratchet & Clank", "Sly Cooper", et cetera) in the PS2 era. Not necessarily a bad thing for the newer generation, but the older generations are becoming less and less relevant within time. Indie games seem to be the alternative for cartoony and arcade-like games, though that's often rare these days.

[@MrSlick-fb6wo]

I disagree. The Jak and Daxter Trilogy is in my top 3 absolute favorite games from my childhood (along with GTA Vice City and San Andreas and God of War 1 & 2). The gameplay is wonderful and the story is absolutely great (with beautiful amazing cutscenes that still stand up visually even today....only God of War has better out of every game I've ever played). Yes, the 2nd and 3rd do have a substantially different tone than the 1st but I found that wonderful as well because it changed with a growing fan base. Literally the only complaints I have is with two small things....one story aspect, that being the decision to switch Jak's love interest from Keira to Ashelin and the other a gameplay aspect which is how the driving was overly difficult. To focus on specific points raised by the video, the change of putting guns into the game was done wonderfully with a unique system that fit the theme and even better was the addition of eco powers (especially in the 3rd game which had some awesome ones). Also, although the games did incorporate many different design concepts it absolutely had a definite theme and was incredibly interesting because of these variations. The other game series of the time which was very similar in nature, Ratchet and Clank, was no where near as great of a game/series as Jak and Daxter. The story was ok but not nearly as good, the graphics weren't as good, the gameplay wasn't as good with the exception of how the vast array of firearms was pretty interesting. A good story gets you emotionally invested into the characters and Jak and Daxter did that, that's why I care that they switched Jak's love interest, that's why I absolutely love the ending and the surprise of the precursors. With Ratchet and Clank, I would just as soon skip the cutscenes as the story was a jumble of nonsense.

[@BrennySpain]

Jak and Daxter is a series i absolutely love and will always cherish it to the very one. If a reboot does ever come out I hope it combines elements from all original games. At least the main trilogy anyway. It’s pretty obvious that there was a lot of behind that scenes drama going on but there’s no denying it still worked so well. Who else agrees?

[@thefinalhammer5442]

He mentioned kiera getting booted but didnt mention the voice actor changing, I think that had a part in why she wasnt as in it as she was in 1 and 2. Then she was a big player in x as well. Which kind of wraps up their story, (havent played the lost frontier though so god knows about that)

[@saloz9483]

I got my hands on J&D 1 when I was 13 and I loved it and I will admit J&D 2 felt different from 1 but I still loved it and to be honest I like it more than 1 and this is not nostalgia talking since I replayed the games a little while ago and still had fun. This is my favorite series ND has made.

[@NikoliBearcrusher]

You know as much issue as I see with these games upon retrospect, I still have a lot of respect for the balls it took to just take their kid friendly adventure platformer and just nosedive it into the "mature audience" pool and worked out what they had for story and such around that singular idea. Absolute gamble but I suppose it passed for a lot of people.

[@justarandomguy117]

Jak 2 was one of the first games I EVER played and I have so much nostalgia for it

[@jeffroberts6428]

It’s sort of funny, all of your gripes about the series are what I enjoy about it. I like how scattered and random the gameplay was, feel like there won’t be a game like it ever again. But I played these games as a kid and I’ve replayed them since and sure they get boring or frustrating, but I think any game from 2003 would too. I just love the world they created, and they always added something fresh, whether it made sense or not.

[@carlospandette8001]

I respectfully disagree. Saying that any game from 2003 was either boring and/or frustrating is a big fat lie and an unnecessary generalization. I played the original Ratchet & Clank trilogy and the only frustrating thing I crossed was some very specific areas near the end of the game of the first game, the second and third refined everything. The same goes with Sly Cooper, the only frustrating section was the crocodile boss fight that had calibration issues, but that was it, the second and third games were basically flawless. One thing is for games to have frustrating sections, no game escapes from that even today, but it's a whole another thing when a complete game is filled just frustrating mechanics that don't blend well for the entire game and that's bad, what you like is what actually killed the trilogy. So as I disagreed with you, all I'm saying is this is a Jak & Daxter problem and not gaming in general for that time, heck the same team made the Crash Bandicoot games, older games that were flawless for their time c'mon!!! PS: Part of game design is that you're actually supposed to make sense of what you're adding, sorry but I cringed when I read the last part of your comment.

[@demya88]

Identity crisis!?!?! That's why I liked it!

[@CameronKiesser]

Jak and Daxter just needed a sequel in that fantasy aesthetic before going edgy.

[@Snicketbar]

This series is a product of its time and because of that it never got that any sort of continuation on future consols. It was a different time back then and a lot of franchises never made it past the PS2 era.

[@SirBlackReeds]

The funny thing is that had Naughty Dog not gone with the direction that they did with Jak & Daxter, then Uncharted wouldn't have perfected platforming as a human character.

[@ellteeproductions]

Somehow I agree with basically everything you've said even with this being my favorite franchise probably ever and with II being my favorite entry in the series. Goes to show the power of the nostalgic lens.

[@iiiwarrioriii5088]

Jak II has always been my favorite of the series, (still is), but hearing a differing opinion is enlightening. I just like the darker tone, dystopian backstage, and difficulty ramp up, but the points you make are valid. Good video man.

[@Treetops27]

Your point in the the first 7 mins can explained by the factors you mentioned, as well as compounded with the demise of Sega'a console division and Nintendo's misguided actions during the GC/Wii /Wii U eras that caused them and inturn collectathon platformers, to fall out of relevance.

[@slynova6341]

the Jak and Daxter series is one of the few series that actually needs a reboot. take the story of a village boy collecting artifacts that ends up in bad situation where he has to save the world and deals with dark themes over the course of multiple games with a coherent and connected plot

[@jeyk2439]

I agree... Jak II checkpoints where almost inexistent and the vehicles where to "greasy and slidy"

[@PixiePoison90]

Another great vid TB - soundly put & agree completely! Loved The Precursor Legacy, Jak II (though an ok game) was such a jarring tonal shift after just one game - makes all kinds of sense now seeing Naughty Dog were trying to channel GTA III - and Jak 3 just felt very lost overall. Thus, one big identity crisis. It's wonderfully refreshing to find someone who shares these thoughts on franchises and gets people talking about them in depth :) Funnily enough, I recently had a conversation with a colleague who had never played the series and asked me to sum it up. I struggled! XD

[@Pinkyorangegirl]

I remember a few years ago when I didn't know anything about the Jak and Daxter series and watched my dad play the first and the second game (I don't remember if it was on the same night or another one). I thought the first game was "Crash Bandicoot but more open" and when I saw the second game I was confused as to why it doesn't look like the original and I thought "Why does it look like if Ratchet and Clank and GTA had a baby?" I wasn't too young at the time (I think I was like 13-14) so I could tell that this series had an indentity crisis. And even as someone who was at their more "edgy" phase (not exactly edgy) I preferred the first Jak and Daxter just by looking at it and now as a 16 year old I still agreee with that. It was refreshing to hear an analysis from another person who is outside the fandom like me, cause I sometimes feel like I should have been a big fan of the series while I only like the first game (but not as much as R&C or Sly Cooper), cause I felt bad for not really clicking with it

[@alexhollon7526]

I love this trilogy to pieces. It's underrated for It's technically quality and every title has something to offer. But it had to be the series that bridged the old and the new. Compared to Ratchet and Clank, which was a series that was still cartoony but with more mature jokes and slowly became more dramatic. Jak and Daxter went from a lovable 2D platformer, to a dark and dramatic action flick. Not exactly a smooth transition regardless of the high quality.

[@terabitez3374]

I’ve seen a lot of people compare Jak with Rtachet in this sense of identity crisis and stuff and I can see why, however both of them in my opinion did do stuff way better than each other Ratchet was more consistent while Jak had it’s story end with a payoff

[@kingezey5891]

You know whats crazy? During this review I was so upset because I knew deep down you were right. The fact that you played these games as an adult is crazy cause after watching this review I don't think I can play Jak 2 and 3 again. The last time I played any of these games I was like 9

[@dank2171]

Or just have your own thoughts. If they were a 8 or 9 to you then they are a 8 or 9. Too often, people get convinced by these reviews rather then realizing their own thoughts. I always prefer ratchet and clank to Jax and they hold up better but you can nit pick any game series and find major flaws. Even og god of war or dmc. Every game takes inspiration but you can state it doesn't have identity when the identity is the inspiration and love letter to what inspired it.

[@TheAireaidLord]

lmao what kind of stupid comment is this?

[@dasfear726]

Everything you hate about two is what i like. I enjoy the extra difficulty lack of ammo hard driving. Most every game i play i feel like my hands being held but jack did a good job making me feel accomplished.

[@SynthLizard8]

I always confused Rachet and Clank with Jak and Daxter and vice-versa but I always known about Rachet and Clank but only known of Jak and Daxter in passing.

[@skullkid692]

Maybe its nostalgia talking but I can go back and play the series and enjoy it 9/10.

[@ltamtc1520]

Jak & Daxter the precursor legacy was a ground breaking PS2 open world that was taking platformers to new heights. I personally was totally immersed into that world, the music, the characters the stages. I like that it was simple and I like that simple adventure. Unfortunately for all the work naughty dog put into it. I wish they trusted in expanding on it instead of scraping it and copy and pasting GTA format onto it. I’m one of the biggest “F*** the tone shift” players alive. I played the sequels and beat them. Jak 3 was a cluster of forgettable bs and jak 2 was edgy and bleak. They could’ve went in a similar direction and still pulled it off far better than what we got I feel. I didn’t give a shit about GTA growing up so seeing one of my all time favorite games get changed because of degenerate game culture in the youth is a special kind of disappointment. All jak 1 fans really wanted was new levels.. maybe even White eco game play? Sage boss battles? There could’ve been so much things they could’ve done that were SIMPLE. But now the game is left in the hands of hard core modder fans for new content which shows you how passionate and loyal the fan base is to the game. People still love the trilogy somehow but you can tell Naughty Dog not knowing where to take this game lead them to treating it like an orphan child yet we were totally sold on what we were given originally..

[@AimlessSavant]

Does a game *need* to have only one antagonist? Only one enemy faction that opposes the playable character(s)? That's a bit too far to judge jak 3 for how many villains it has. Why bother talking about 3's multiple antagonists when 1 and 2 did relatively similar acts of curtain pulling..?

[@TBP]

So you completely missed the point I was trying to make. A game can have multiple villains. One of my favorite games is Infamous 2, that game has a couple of antagonists. What Jak 3's problem is, it sets one character up for the entire game as the main antagonist, only to have him chumped out suddenly. All for the sake of a comedy moment that didn't work for me. It's not a matter of multiple villains, it's a matter of properly paying off what you set up. It would be like if The Beast in Infamous 2 was chumped out three missions before the end, and the final boss was just some guy.

[@nathanstraley896]

>Didn't even review Daxter but would review the other PSP title "The lost frontier" Ok

[@TBP]

Well A, this is not a review, and B, I was playing the PS2 version of The Lost Frontier, I don't own a PSP nor do I own Daxter.