Jak and Daxter: PS3 review

Jax and Daxter - Sony Classics HD collection

Released by PlayStation
Platform: PS3

Largely confined to the PlayStation 2 formats (aside from their inclusion in last year's Move Heroes collection), Jak and Daxter have been crying out for the full HD upgrade to the PS3.

So, it's great news that the 3 games made so excellently by Naughty Dog have been bundled onto one disc and given a spruce up with HD and stereo sound for the PS3.

For those who've never played the great platformers before, it's the tale of 2 friends - Jak and Daxter. Jak is the one with the spiky hair and the hero - and Daxter is a kind of weasel/ otter cross who was once originally human before being transformed after he fell into a hole with mysterious energy in it.

In the first game, The Precursor Legacy, the duo's back story is revealed and they have to collect energy orbs in a free roaming world where jumping and fighting bosses is the MO; in Jak 2, there's a darker feel to the story as Jak's transformed after being experimented on by Dark Eco, a sort of bad energy; and in the third one, Jak 3, the action transfers to Haven City with various missions for the duo to carry out.

I loved the original games - their sandbox nature and platforming fun kept me hooked for hours and each release was a welcome burst of intelligent fun to my console. So, there's little really that's changed with these re-releases; they're still as fun as ever - perhaps the Precursor Legacy looks a little stilted and dated as it transfers to the PS3 but there's no loss of playability.

The Jak and Daxter trilogy is a great addition to this remastering - if there's to be any quibbling, it's maybe the fact that if you've played them already you may not be tempted to try again as no new content has been added - and also personally I was surprised that Jax X wasn't included and perhaps there wasn't a PS3 version of Daxter, the PSP game - but that's only the perfectionist in me talking.

All in all, sit down, log in and play on with Jak and Daxter - and hope at some point soon, Naughty Dog will revisit this fan fave franchise and give it another outing with a new game on either the Vita or the PS3.

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