Jak and Daxter
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Jak and Daxter is a video game franchise originally developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation 2 that is named after its own protagonists. So far, five games starring the two heroes have been released, with Jak the primary playable character in all of them with the exception of the game "Daxter" for the PSP (in which Jak made a cameo).
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[edit] Notable features
The Jak and Daxter series received heavy attention from its first announcement, largely due to its predecessor, the Crash Bandicoot series (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 to heavily use streaming, meaning that the game was almost completely lacking in load times. It drew many comparisons to Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, for its evolution of the platforming genre. Later games in the series started to focus on shooting and obtaining vehicles (like Grand Theft Auto III), as well as platforming, which enhanced this free-roaming, load-free atmosphere in various ways.
The game is also notable for being developed in a variant of the Common Lisp programming language, called Game Oriented Assembly Lisp, rather than the more conventional language C++.
[edit] Storyline
[edit] Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
The story of Jak and Daxter (voiced by Michael Erwin and Max Casella, respectively, though Jak does not speak until the second game) begins in the first game, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.Set on an unnamed planet, the two characters begin the game as elf-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 called Misty Island. The Island is home to dangerous creatures called lurkers, but Jak and Daxter travel there anyway. After a short battle, Daxter falls into a pit of Dark Eco and becomes an orange Ottsel (half otter, half weasel). The story unfolds as the duo adventures to find Gol Acheron, a sage of Dark Eco who may have the powers to help Daxter return to normal. As the game unfolds it becomes clear that Jak must stop Gol and his sister Maia's plan to use a Precursor Robot to release the vast quantities of Dark Eco in the silo at their citadel. If their plan succeeded, it would result in the destruction of Jak's village and surrounding areas. When the player achieves 100 power cells in the game, a final scene is shown, where Jak and Daxter along with Samos and Keira stand before a giant Precursor artifact, which opens to reveal a strange light; this turns out to be a time portal as revealed in Jak II.
[edit] Daxter
A spinoff game was released, Daxter, for the PlayStation Portable, starring Daxter and other new characters such as Osmo, Ximon, Kaeden, and Taryn. The game takes place after Jak is captured in the introduction of Jak 2 and leads to his rescue by Daxter. During the two years, Daxter manages to get hired by Osmo's Pest Control business, through which he finds the location of Jak and plots the rescue. Along the way, Daxter manages to save Haven City from an insect menace that lurks in the shadows. Unlike the rest of the series, Daxter was developed by Ready at Dawn.
[edit] Jak II
Jak II begins where the storyline left off at the end of The Precursor Legacy.
After the Precursor artifact found at the end of TPL is activated by Jak, he, along with Daxter, Keira, and Samos are transported to the future where Sandover Village has become the hustling and bustling, as well as segregated, Haven City, each section requiring a different passport to enter.
Immediately upon arrival, Jak is captured by Baron Praxis' Krimzon guard. While Daxter escapes capture (promising to break Jak out of prison "before he knows it"), Samos is placed in prison, and Keira manages to elude capture (most probably because of Erol's infatuation with her), becoming a race mechanic.
Because Praxis was told by an unknown person (possibly Kor) that Jak was "different," he became the Baron's guinea pig, being subjected to a variety of Dark Eco tests in an attempt to create a super warrior capable of eliminating the Metal Head menace. After two years, however, the entire experiment was deemed a failure and Praxis ordered Erol to kill Jak. Fortunately for Jak, Daxter finally makes good on his promise and helps him escape before this can take place.
After escaping from prison, Jak and Daxter join a group run by the mysterious Shadow called "The Underground," whose aim is to overthrow the oppressive Baron Praxis and restore the heir apparent, a young child, to the throne.
[edit] Jak 3
In the next installment, Jak 3, Jak is banished from Haven City by the leader of the newly-formed City Council, Count Vulgar. Apparently, inside the city, a massive three-sided war has broken out between the Freedom League, the city's new police force, a massive army of Krimzon Guard loyalists and their death bots, and the newly regrouped Metal Head army (a small amount of them having survived the assault in Jak II). This war eventually led to the literal collapse of the palace, effectively leveling the better half of the city. Naturally, the few remaining citizens point the blame at their new leader, Jak. Shortly after being sent into the desert wasteland, accompanied by their loyal friend Pecker, they are rescued by a ragtag band of desert dwellers, who take them into their nearby stronghold. The town, Spargus, is ruled by the benevolent Damas, and it is a home for people like Jak who have been banished from Haven City. After proving themselves worthy of staying in Spargus, the duo eventually learns from the Precursor Monk, Seem, that the end of the world may be at hand. The Day Star, a massive starship of destruction piloted by the evil precursors known as the Dark Makers, is approaching the planet with the intent to destroy it, as it has thousands of other Precursor worlds. Jak is soon blessed with the ability to absorb the very rare Light Eco and transform into Light Jak. Light Jak is the antithesis of Dark Jak in the sense that he wields more defensive abilities than offensive.
Later, following an urgent request from Ashelin, Jak and Daxter return to Haven City to help put an end to the war raging within its walls; along the way, however, they are met by Veger, wielding a Precursor Robot very similar to the one Gol and Maia used in the first Jak and Daxter. It is here that Veger reveals that it was he who destroyed the palace in a desperate effort to reach the ancient precursor catacombs beneath it. After defeating Veger and entering the city, Jak realizes upon a visit to Haven Forest that he has the power to mentally infiltrate the Day Star and thus possesses the sole link to the Dark Makers. Soon, the pair manages to destroy both the Krimzon Guard and Metal Head strongholds within the city, but upon their journey through the levelled city sections in an effort to reach the catacombs beneath the palace ruins, Jak learns from a dying Damas that he was in fact Jak's father and once ruled Haven City before Praxis betrayed and exiled him to the wasteland. Upon successfully navigating the catacombs, Jak and Daxter learn the truth about who the Precursors really are. They are actually the same orange furry Ottsels that Daxter is. The Precursors also hyped up the legends of themselves as they figured no one would worship and praise them if the people knew that they were furry creatures even though they are the most powerful creatures in the universe. Veger is transformed into one himself, though, as Daxter can tell you, it's not all it's cracked up to be. The Precursors then beam Jak up to the Day Star to destroy its cargo, but, unfortunately, Errol has gained control of the Dark Makers and is planning to carry out their work in one of their last surviving machines. Jak and Daxter successfully defeat Errol, and it is implied by the precursors that Jak is the Mar that would build Haven City and preserve an entire generation of people. The Precursors also let Daxter have one wish, whatever his heart desires, which is "a Snazzy Pair of Pants", an item Daxter has been longing for ever since he was transformed into an Ottsel, and that has been brought up in many cutscenes throughout the series. Upon seeing Daxter's new pants, Tess wishes she had a pair like them, and the Precursor Leader replies by saying be careful what you wish for and proceeds to turn Tess into an Ottsel herself, much to Daxter's pleasure, who says she will get used to it, and that she should take his advice and be sure to shave some parts.
[edit] Jak X: Combat Racing
In the fourth title, Jak X: Combat Racing, Jak, Daxter, Keira, Samos, Ashelin, and Torn are summoned to the reading of the late crime lord Krew's will, where they are poisoned and forced by Krew to race in the Combat Racing championship for the antidote. Krew's team is pitted against the mercenary racers of rival crime lord Mizo. New characters include Krew's daughter Rayn, the shady race commentator G.T. Blitz, retired racing champion Razer, and the deadly killing machine UR-86.
[edit] Rumored Future Titles
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This article or section contains information about an unreleased video game. It is likely to contain information of a speculative nature, and the content may change dramatically as more information becomes available. |
The above warning applies to both The Lost Frontier and Jak PSP.
[edit] Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier
The Lost Frontier is the rumored next game in the Jak and Daxter series of Playstation 2 and PSP video games.
On April 21, 2006, a trademark was registered with the USPTO for "JAK AND DAXTER: THE LOST FRONTIER". The description given for the use of this trademark was "computer game software and video game software" as well as "operating an online real-time game for others over global and local area computer networks".
When contacted by the online publication IGN about the game, Sony replied stating "As of right now, there is no official announcement regarding the title" [1]. This statement can be taken both to mean that the title is in development and Sony wants to keep it under wraps, or that the title is just one of many SCEA is considering working on.
Given that the launch of Sony's new console has already occurred, and should the game be real, a Playstation 3 exclusive release for The Lost Frontier is most probable.
[edit] Jak PSP
Speculation surrounding Jak PSP began when the résumé of Robin Atkin Downes was found. In the résumé it was listed that in a game titled "Jak PSP" Downes had provided his voice for a character named Captain Phoenix [2]; a new character to the series if there is any basis to this claim.
Downes has had many jobs in the industry [3], working for many reputable media companies and so it seems somewhat unlikely that he would fake a part of his resume.
Shortly after Playstation Underground member Jak_Master first broke the story, Downes' résumé was revised [4] and all references to Jak PSP were removed. Also removed were references to a game called Big, the internal name of a game currently in production now being called Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.
Further fueling the rumors is that Naughty Dog's official website [5] has, in the past, listed multiple requests for PSP programmers.
Although Naughty Dog has yet to confirm or deny anything regarding Jak PSP -- and it must be stated that anything known about Jak PSP at this point-in-time is based entirely on circumstantial evidence and as such it is possible that this game is not only not in development but that it will never be released -- taking into account Downes' résumé listing and Naughty Dog's request for PSP developers, it does seem to imply that Jak PSP is in development.
[edit] Manga
On February 2002, a Jak and Daxter manga called Jak x Daxter ~Itachi de Waruika!!~ was published in the japanese magazine, CoroCoro Comics. It was drawn by Noriyuki Murase. The manga ended publication on February 2003, lasting about 8 chapters. While the monthly publications of the magazine that each chapter was published in is still easily obtainable, the manga was never released in tankoubon format.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Naughty Dog's Official Site
- Ready At Dawn Official Site
- Jak and Daxter Official Concept Art
- Jak and Daxter series at MobyGames
- Undying Heroism
- The Dark Ottsel's
- Into The Light
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Jak and Daxter series
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Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy • Jak II • Jak 3 • Jak X: Combat Racing • Daxter |
