I’ve been an OG Naughty Dog fan all my life. I didn’t have a PS1 when I was a kid but I remember loving Crash Bandicoot as a character and enjoying the games at a friends. Then I had a Ps2 and loved the first Jak and Daxter game, which was certainly more appealing to kids. I don’t think I would’ve persevered through Jak 2 at that young of an age as I didn’t play 2 or 3 until much older. A couple years back I went and decided I was going to go through Naughty Dog’s Jak and Daxter trilogy, also including Jak X Combat Racing, which in my opinion is slept on.
Jak 2 is a difficult game to defend because while I do believe it is much stronger story and character wise than its predecessor and I thoroughly enjoy it, it’s also excruciating difficult at times. The gunplay can feel kind of sloppy at times and the fragile hover-cars you hijack and ride around the city to get from mission to mission are so brittle that it truly tests my patience and I wouldn’t blame you if you eventually go “screw it” and just hike it on foot.
My feelings by the time I finished Jak 2 was that I absolutely loved it, but that I would never revisit. I reflect on it fondly, but in the moment it felt mostly like a nightmare. This is due to one simple reason and is my biggest complaint with the game: The checkpoint system. It flat out just sucks. It’s unforgiving. There is zero room for mistakes. Total trial and error. Even though each mission might only be a few minutes long, it feels like eons because you will have to go through the same thing over and over incessantly. This game is not for the faint of heart despite how it may appear at face value. Jak 2 is no joke. It’s brutal. If the checkpoints were more generous, I think this game would actually be one of my favorite of the 3d mascot era.
I still love Jak 2 but Jak 3 fixed this issue and that’s why it felt like much more of an enjoyable breeze to get through. Jak 2 atrocious checkpoint system should’ve been altered for current consoles. I don’t see why they won’t. It’s such a glaring issue. But regardless, I implore fans of the first game to try face the challenge and get through Jak 2. The story is very strong and surprisingly dark at times but it rides such a fine line of lighthearted cheekiness and that classic edgy tone of the 2000s that I dig.
Chao,
Mikhail
Verdict: 8.5/10 (I’d give it 9 if they fixed that godforsaken checkpoint system)