Jak and Daxter
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Jak and Daxter is a video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation 2 that is named after its own protagonists. So far, three games featuring the two unlikely heroes have been released and a fourth, Jak X: Combat Racing, is scheduled for release in 2005.
Notable Features
The Jak and Daxter series received heavy attention from its first announcement, largely due to its predecessor, the Crash Bandicoot series of games (evidence of the ties between the two games is vast, including a 'spin' move and many similar objects shared between the two series). The original game was one of the first games to heavily use streaming, meaning that the game was almost completely lacking in load times. It drew many comparisons to Super Mario 64 for it's evolution of the platforming genre. Later games in the series enhanced this free-roaming, load-free atmosphere in various ways.
Storyline
The story of Jak and Daxter (voiced by Michael Erwin and Max Casella, respectively) begins in the first game, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. The two characters begin the game as human-like mischief-makers who are directly disobeying the advice of the Green Sage, Samos. He has warned them to stay away from a mysterious island, but they travel there anyway. After a short battle, Daxter falls into a pit of Dark Eco and becomes an orange Ottsel, a fictional animal resembling a combination of an otter and a weasel. The story unfolds as the duo adventures to find someone who can help Daxter return to normal.
The second game, Jak II, begins where the first left off. Jak, Daxter, Keira, and Samos travel through a rift to Haven City, and Jak is captured by members of the evil Baron Praxis's Krimzon Guard. Two years later, Daxter rescues Jak from the prison where he has been tested on like a guinea pig. Jak joins the underground's battle against the Baron and has continued adventures.
In the next installment, Jak 3, Jak is banished from Haven City by an element of the High Council that blames him for the destruction and relative anarchy that plague the city following the tyrannical Baron's fall—and the all-out war with rogue Metal Head forces following the death of their leader. Exiled to the Wasteland, Jak must fight for his life, but not without some help; he is joined by his loyal friend Daxter and the outlandish Pecker. They wander the Wasteland in this new adventure, facing even more perilous circumstances than ever before.
A fourth title, tentatively known as Jak X: Combat Racing, has been announced for the PlayStation 2. Differing from the first three games, Jak X is a racing game. It has been tentatively scheduled for a Fall 2005 release.
Another spinoff game has been announced, Daxter PSP, for the PlayStation Portable, starring Daxter only. It revolves around what Daxter was doing while Jak was in jail before Jak II. It is being developed by Ready at Dawn.
Installments
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- Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was released in the U.S. on December 4, 2001.
- Jak II was released in the U.S. on October 14, 2003.
- Jak 3 was released in the U.S. on November 9, 2004.
- Jak X: Combat Racing Fall 2005
- Daxter PSP (working title)