RSS
Home
Review: Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier is one of the top games of the fall season
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Image Courtesy of Sony
Jak and Daxter are back at it again, but this time they’ll be teaming up for an all-new adventure on the PSP and PS2. Taking place right after Jak III, Jak and company are in the search for useable eco – the oil of Jak’s world more or less—and the only way to find some of this precious material is to travel to the edge of the world. On there way there, Jak and friends are attacked by sky pirates, random citizens of the world, and other interesting characters who all are seeking eco – whether it is dark or light eco.
Fans of the series have come to know Jak and Daxter as a thrilling platforming title mixed with compelling action sections. If you plan on finding this formula in Lost Frontier, then you’ll be quite satisfied. The Lost Frontier is separated into two gameplay types. The first is platforming, which is identical to the type of platforming segments you’d find in the PS2 titles. Jak will jump, climb, and use his new eco powers to scale lava filled caverns, pirate ships, bars, and other locales. The use of the eco powers is very crucial in solving puzzles, but there use is made quite apparent in the game. Whether there is a defining stone or marker on the ground hinting at a certain eco power, you’ll know just when to use them. Aside from laying down the law with his fists, Jak also comes equipped with a gun staff. His gun staff is completely upgradeable, allowing you to unleash shotgun blasts, energy based attacks, or your standard machine gun.
New to the series are the Dark Daxter levels. There aren’t too many of these to be found in the game, but they are all nearly the same in many aspects. After Daxter falls into a sewer system and gets slammed with a batch of dark eco, he becomes a Tasmanian devil like creature. Daxter has a few attacks in his arsenal, mainly a spin attack, slam attack, and an energy ball. To beat these levels, though, you’ll simply annihilate the enemies presented, solve some minor puzzles, and move on like nothing of significance occurred during that gameplay session. They aren’t completely wasteful; they just aren’t fun enough to keep you interested.
.JPG)
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Image Courtesy of Sony
The second major action section comes in the form of aerial combat. Jak will be able to pilot several planes and fully upgrade them with new weapons, armor, and boosting mechanics. There’s a lot to customize on these planes, and since you have several planes at your disposal, you can make a lot of different kinds of planes for any situation. With the whole world open to your flight dreams, you can fly around the skies and find side-missions to take part in, too. You can partake in races, complete dogfights, and plenty more. These segments offer a bit of downtime compared to the action-packed platforming/shooting sections.
The main problems that plague Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier comes from the camera, aiming issues – which are in part with the camera – and the length of the game. The camera is still too slow to move in action segments, and this can cause you to be attacked from a blind spot. The aiming is hindered by the camera because you don’t have full control over the aiming reticule. Aiming your weapon is based on your line of vision. It can be frustrating, but you’ll grow more use to it over time. Sadly, the game is a bit short. Totaling out at around 6-7 hours, the main game can be completed relatively quickly. If you partake in the side-missions and really explore the world The Lost Frontier offers, you can easily find yourself playing the game for at least 10-12hrs, though.
Even with some minor problems here and there, Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier is a great title. The graphics are amazingly crisp and vivid on the PSP and it’s easily one of the best looking PSP games available. Fans of the series won’t be disappointed with this title as it does contain the essence of the series. Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier is one of the top games of the fall season.
Overall: 8/10
(Editor's Note: This review is based on the PSP version and played on a PSPgo.)
Related Articles:
Comments
