Jak II

Jak II is an action-adventure video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 in 2003. It is the second game of the Jak and Daxter series and both a sequel and prequel to Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. It was followed by Jak 3 the following year in 2004.

The game features new weapons and devices, new playable areas, and a storyline that picks up after the events of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. The player takes on the dual role of protagonists Jak and Daxter.

Jak II received critical acclaim upon release. Critics applauded the game for being very polished in nearly every department, with many agreeing it was one of the best PlayStation 2 games released at the time. Some criticism, however, was directed at the checkpoint systems, darker tone, and high difficulty. The game is notorious among gamers for being one of the most difficult games on the PlayStation 2.

Storyline

The core gameplay of Jak II remains somewhat similar to that of the previous game, with a recurring reliance on platforming challenges and vehicle usage. However, it is significantly different in some areas. The Eco timed power-up gameplay from the previous game has been removed, and introduction of weapons such as the Morph Gun, a multipurpose firearm, adds a greater emphasis on enemy combat. The player can unlock four different gun mods for the gun as they play through the game; the shotgun-esque Scatter Gun for close range fighting, the semi-automatic Blaster, for long-range fighting, the Vulcan Fury, a high rate-of-fire weapon in the fashion of a minigun, the bullets of which deal less damage per round compared to the Blaster but are able to pierce enemies and breakables so it can hit multiple targets with a single round, and the Peace Maker, which fires charged blasts of energy, and is extremely powerful, chaining an instant kill energy between enemies that are in close proximity to each other. The game also inherits the melee abilities of the prior game, and chaining a melee attack into a weapon fire usually increases the effect of the gun. For example, the Scatter Gun fires quicker than normal, the Blaster fires three shots at once, and the Vulcan Fury immediately reaches its maximum fire rate, but only if a melee strike is done right before the Morph Gun is fired.

Haven City functions as the game hub world, with various other environments accessible from it. Here, Jak can access new missions by visiting various allied characters. These missions serve as a replacement for the previous game's Power Cell collection driven gameplay in the first installment of the series. Throughout the game, the player can collect Precursor Orbs which are sparsely dispersed throughout the various worlds. The Orbs are non-essential to completion of the game but allow the player to unlock cheats and other "secret" content. Jak can traverse the large city using hover vehicles and a jet-board which allows him to hover across water and grind on rails.

Due to experiments conducted on him for two years, Jak has also gained the ability to manipulate Dark Eco to transform into a darker version of himself known as Dark Jak. The form is only accessible after Jak has absorbed enough Dark Eco to charge his ability. Dark Eco drops from slain enemies and can occasionally be found in red crates scattered throughout the world. In his Dark form, Jak becomes much more agile and his melee attacks become more powerful but he loses the ability to use the Morph Gun. Jak 2 also introduces a "currency" known as Metal Head skull gems. By collecting these skull gems which are dropped by most Metal Head creatures when defeated, Jak can gain additional abilities for his dark form and play minigames at kiosks throughout Haven City. The Dark Jak abilities that can be unlocked can be used to unleash devastating attacks that kill all enemies within the vicinity at the cost of ending his Dark form immediately after the attack.

Also See

• Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
• Jak 3
• Jak X: Combat Racing
• Daxter (Video Game)
• Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier

Sound Effects Used

• Hollywoodedge, Crash Metal Shatter PE110201
• Hollywoodedge, Electricity Arcing 3 PE200301
• Hollywoodedge, Explosion 3 Medium Si PE097701
• Hollywoodedge, Lightning 08 CloseG SIG012601
• Hollywoodedge, Sm Heavy Metal Door Sl PE185001
• Sound Ideas, HIT, METAL - ANVIL FALL ON HEAD, CARTOON 01
• Sound Ideas, MYSTERY ACCENTS - MYSTERY CHORD ACCENT 3 (Used in the soundtrack "The Light Tower Rises".)
• Sound Ideas, ROBOT, MOTOR - ROBOT SERVO MOTOR 03
• Sound Ideas, THUNDER - THUNDER CLAP AND RUMBLE, WEATHER 01 (Series 6000)

Other Audio Used

• Dick De Benedictis Music (Heard in some cutscenes.)

Image Gallery

Audio Samples

External Links