Jak II: Renegade review

Jak and Daxter fans will probably have some kind of preconceived idea as to what they should be expecting from Jak II and in some ways they’ll be right… a 3D platformer by nature, the game will also surprise newcomers and those returning to the series with a Grand Theft Auto-esque mission structure and a wide variety of styles for each mission. Yes, that’s right, the bulk of the game is focused around an unknown cityscape that you can journey through to meet its denizens, team up with underground gangs and be hired for almost any task under the sun.

Jak II: Renegade begins with an incredibly well made cinematic introduction sequence (all created in-engine) that explains the situation that the game is based around. Jak and his buddies decide to use varied precursor technology that sends them to a faraway place, where Jak is captured by an ominous Baron and has dark eco experiments carried out on him. Two years later Daxter, the ever-present cheery and very appropriate comedic sidekick, rescues him.

Not just a rehash

Older, wiser and no longer mute, Jak has undergone plenty of changes for this sequel – although thankfully his voice isn’t overly emphasized. In fact, the whole game has superb voice acting, but the most important new feature is Jak’s newfound ability to become his dark alter ego. In a definite nod to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde he has much more powerful attacks and an increasing number of special moves as Dark Jak, that you can gain throughout the game.

Equally important are the guns that are given to you in your travels. With four in total, from the shotgun to the Vulcan cannon (a very fast machine gun style weapon) you’ll always have some way of dispatching the various enemy metalheads, if close combat is too tricky.

Stop at nothing

When traversing the enormous city in which your missions are gained (although certain areas outside the city will need to be visited as well) you’ll notice that there isn’t a ‘loading’ screen in sight. Through the entire game you’ll never have to stop for loading, because the areas are shuffled around your trusty PS2’s memory in the same style as Grand Theft Auto III. To allow for some changing locations, you will have to wait for a lift to transport you, or even a complex door opening mechanism to finish its cycle, which hides the loading time, but it is still very impressive and adds to the immersion.

Much like the intro, your missions are given to you in some of the most well made cinematics since Metal Gear Solid 2. The cartoon style is captured perfectly with stunningly animated and framed characters, even with some great scripting that you would assume were aimed at kids (although the low-grade swearing means it’s not actually) still made me chuckle almost every time. The ongoing story told through these cut scenes is nicely progressive and only really wanes when you’re on your fifth mission for the ‘underground’ and they keep promising to let you see their leader after the next one.

Attention to detail

The beauty and variety of the locations is easy to notice, whether you’re running through each one for the first time or the third time (which can happen with some areas depending on the missions) and a lot of time has obviously been put into making each one varied and unique in style and layout. Even the odd boss battle that takes place will keep you on your toes, at least until you’ve learnt the fairly obvious attack patterns.

Missions vary from your standard platforming fare that require you to reach a point or collect an item to racing around the city in one of the many different hijack-able hover cars. You also get to control Daxter as he runs away from a rolling boulder and a huge fearsome spider to destroying a drilling platform by grinding your newly acquired hoverboard (that can be taken out at any time and used to perform skateboarding tricks) against the wires.

Rewarding a difficult mission

Naturally, there is a sense of frustration for a few of the missions that you may find incredibly difficult to overcome and although unseen checkpoints save your progress throughout each one, quite often you’ll repeatedly fall at the last hurdle before reaching the next checkpoint. Fortunately however after a number of tries, you’ll keep seeing yourself getting closer and closer to the goal (since the objectives all seem doable) until you succeed in a flurry of excitement and relief (not to mention the pleasure you’ll get from the next cinematic showing Daxter in some escapade).

In terms of collectables, you’ll have a very difficult time finding everything in the game, although once you’ve played through all of the optional missions available from various areas in the city and a good number of the story missions, you’ll most likely end up with a number of ‘Precursor eggs’ that allow you to unlock secrets. The secrets menu shows you how many you need for each bonus, which can range from the self explanatory ‘Big Head mode’ to a ‘Mirror World’ which basically flips the world horizontally, making levels seem more fresh, especially in a second play through.

Downsides to gameplay

Perhaps the worst situation that occurs during the game is when crossing the city (of which zones are gradually unlocked), because various enemy guards patrol the streets and although you won’t be attacked on sight, if you run into one, touch one on your hoverboard (an immediate loss of a quarter of your life) or hit a guard vehicle, you’ll have an unlimited number of troops hunting you down either until you reach your destination or you hide somewhere for long enough for them to give up. Breaking your health up into eight segments and having most weapons damage you for two segments very much breaks down the game since four mistakes (or unlucky hits) could spell failure. That said, respawning at the last checkpoint with full health does mean that you never feel that you are under an unfair amount of pressure.

With classic platform gameplay mixed with a touch of Grand Theft Auto’s non linear structure, as well as a seemingly endless barrage of touches on other gaming styles you’re bound to find something you like in Jak II: Renegade. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through the game, which is certainly lengthy if you plan on even coming close to finding everything. Having all of this on offer, a platform fan of any age would be silly not to grab hold of this one and squeeze out every drop of playable goodness.