Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier
Review
Jak & Daxter return with a roar.
by Daniel Allison
reviewed on PSP
Fluid controls
There is a very good reason that the formula is loved by many though. The Naughty Dog games were very fluid, varied and extremely solid which made for a very enjoyable platforming and action experience. It remains relatively unchanged in The Lost Frontier with the only differences coming to down to a control scheme more suitable to the PSP. This does lead to some minor problems though. Every so often the camera control can suffer, meaning that you most likely die after your next jump. Aiming the guns can also be difficult since it relies solely on auto-aim which means precision shots are a lot more difficult.
Just like the air combat, the on-foot platforming has plenty of side quests to take part in. Most of them involve finding the Precursor Orbs that are scattered around the map (Once again, like Jak 3) but there are a few other, more combat-focused missions to mix it up a little.
Losing some of the wit
One impressive feat that High Impact Games deserve praise for is the script and character. Both the script and character in the previous games played quite a big part in the charm and, fortunately, High Impact Games were able to keep it similar to Naughty Dog's efforts. The voice actors return, the characters are just as likeable as ever and the dialogue is as witty and sharp as it always has been.
There are some slight dialogue problems though, which mainly focus around the new Dark Eco sections. Jak may not be able to use Dark Eco now but someone else is able to. Yes, that’s right; Daxter now has his own Dark Eco sections. Unfortunately they are by far the weakest parts of the game. The few moves you get aren’t really that fun (except for the tornado which never gets boring) and combined with the aggressive attitude from Daxter at this point makes this section rather boring. Daxter’s dialogue is often really bad and doesn’t fit in with the sharp and witty character we have all grown to know.
It is also lacking in the world that you play in. The artistic design is still really strong with crisp graphics, bright colours and imaginative enemies but the world itself isn’t really fleshed out that much. Haven City and the Wasteland from the other games were really well designed and gave players the feeling they were in a fleshed out imaginative world. It probably comes to down the PSP’s capabilities as each area is quite small and there isn’t much time for personality or a connection to be built.
My biggest complaint is the length though. I managed to finish the game in about 6 hours including some side quests. I would guess that it would take about 10 hours to finish the game and do all of the side quests which is slightly better but I still would have preferred it to be longer.
Worthy addition to the series
The Lost Frontier is a worthy addition to the Jak & Daxter franchise. It may have a few problems and is slightly limited by the PSP but it’s still a solid and fun game. High Impact Games add enough new content to make the game play well but keep it similar enough to capture the charm of the other games. It may be short but it’s a must for Jak & Daxter fans and a solid platformer for fans of the genre. Though, playing this makes me want a next gen Jak & Daxter even more.
8.0
fun score
Pros
Great to have the duo back for some fun, platforming actionGreat to have the duo back for some fun, platforming action
Cons
Minor control issues
