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Jak'ed and pumped
The Jak trilogy goes out on a high note
BY JIM MURRAY

I’m starting to think that 2004 might end up being "The year of the Platform game." As I’ve stated before, I’m not really a fan of this genre, but I’ve now played a handful of really solid platform games this year, and Jak 3 is no exception.

I played the first Jak and Daxter three years ago, and I was impressed with its artful gameplay, its inventive characters, and with just how huge the game was

Jak 3 takes all of those things and builds on ’em ten-fold. First, Jak 3’s cutscenes are just flat-out awesome. Seriously, I know most people (men, mostly) just skip right over them and couldn’t care less, but we’re talking Hollywood-quality voice acting and amazing animation. Jak 3’s musical score is also top-notch, and fits the game like a glove. Overall, it feels like a good movie. The cutscenes never feel like they interrupt the gameplay.

And oh, what gameplay it is! I think the reason that I enjoyed Jak 3 so much is that it doesn’t really play like a platformer. There is so much variety that to me, it never felt like a chore to do any of the missions. You’ll find yourself blasting over dunes in a sand buggy, soaring through the skies on a hang glider, scaling temple walls like Indiana Jones, riding waterfalls with a hoverboard, and so much more. Surprisingly, there are some game reviewers out there that feel that there’s too much of these kinds of things to do, thus taking away from its "true platform feel." I say, screw them! The "Buffet of Gameplay," as I like to call it, is what makes Jak 3 so great.

Are there problems? Sure, but none that really would make me not like the game. Jak 3’s weapon targeting is pretty sketchy; it’s begging for a lock-on capability à la Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but that’s nowhere to be found. Also, I thought the game’s difficulty was somewhat uneven at times. Missions themselves can be pretty difficult, but most if not all of the boss battles are ridiculously easy. That just doesn’t make much sense, if you ask me. Also (and please take in mind that I’m a dork), I was able to blast through the game in just a few days, which translated into about 15 hours of gameplay.

Jak 3 is a beautiful game. I’d highly recommend it as a solid purchase for either a platformer fan, or if you’ve got a young one in the house. It’s also what I’d consider the perfect "Girlfriend game." You know: you’ll be playing it, she notices the cute cartoony graphics, and then all of a sudden she rips the controller from your hand and she’s turned into a zombie. Yeah, that’s Jak 3. Check it out.

Score: 8.5 (out of 10)


Issue Date: November 26 - December 2, 2004
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