It's a real shame it had to be this way, because the game gives you access to many means of destruction. When unarmed, Jak has two means of attack; a spin attack and a lunging punch that comes in handy when he needs to attack distant targets. When crouched Jak can perform an uppercut move and when in the air, he can chain a smashing move that devastates targets. Rounding out his stand alone attacks is a jumping maneuver that works well from a distance. Jak II introduced guns into the fracas and they operate in pretty much the same fashion here. You select your weapon of choice with the d-pad and then lay into the bad guys. I like the way the guns operate but I really wish there was some sort of targeting mechanism put into the game. To aim you just point Jak in a direction and hit the R1 button to fire. It’s a very simple mechanism and the ability to chain together melee and weapon attacks adds a rather interesting dynamic to the combat.
In Jak II we learn that the source of Jak's rage comes from a tormentor who experimented on him with Dark Eco. When angry enough Jak could utilize the Dark Eco to his advantage and turn himself into a nearly invincible death dealer. This year's game brings back that feature but adds in a number of moves. When activated Jak can become invisible, perform a dive bomb and shoot energy from his body. There's also Light Jak which essentially turns Jak into a white mage with healing properties. I'm not all that crazy about the Light Jak but it adds in an interesting gameplay facet that helps round out the combat quite a bit.
While the combat is fun, the real entertainment is derived from the vehicles in the game. Whether it is a sand creature or a dune buggy, the vehicles are a real blast to drive. You'll always have plenty of fun navigating the cities and deserts with the vehicles as you wreak all sorts of havoc upon the unsuspecting denizens. The racing sequences are fun too because of the excellent physics system that is in place. I’ve never jumped off of huge sand dunes in an eight-wheel buggy but I think that the designers have done an admirable job of replicating the sensation in their video game.
As it is built upon the same technology that powers
Jak II (and the Ratchet & Clank franchise) the game has this sort of cartoony look to it that look great and holds up well in tense situations. Everything in the game has a rundown sort of look to it but it’s a design decision and in that sense, it’s beautiful in the same sense that the planet Tatooine in the Star Wars movies is beautiful. You won’t find anything appalling or outlandish here but what’s included is definitely pleasing to the eyes.
The same goes for the audio elements in the game, great atmospheric effects and excellent voice acting lead the way while sub-par weapons effects sort of lag behind. The choice to go with a group of unknowns was a risky one but it paid off as the characters in this game have life and energy thanks to the expertly delivered dialogue. The rest of the effects are pretty good but they don’t really jump out at us as being remarkable. They’re there, and we guess that’s all that really matters.
When I first played
The Precursor Legacy I was taken aback by the world that Naughty Dog had created, Jak II only further increased my love affair. With Jak 3 everything seems so passé and normal again, as it the well had run dry and the developers had lost their passion for the franchise. Perhaps it's the reason that Jason Rubin has decided to move on, or maybe it's just the fact that this is the third entry in the franchise,
but it's definitely the weakest of the three. There’s still a lot of fun to be had here, but it just doesn’t live up to the standard set by the previous two entries.
More On:
Jak 3 Companies:
Sony B+
We're all sad to see the series go, but this third title provides a fitting end to the franchise. If you've played the first two Jak titles you'll probably want some closure, this is the place to get it.
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