Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001)

Of the three big mascot platformer trilogies on PS2 (Sly, Ratchet, and Jak) Jak is the only one where I didn't actually finish any of the games back in the day. I played a decent chunk of Jak 1 and Jak II, but fell off somewhere around 30 to 50% on each of them.

Jak II I have fond memories of and always wanted to go back to. I reached a crazy difficulty spike that I just didn't have the patience for as a kid, so I'm looking forward to finally finishing the fight.

Jak 1 is pretty much the opposite, though. I didn't hit any particular hard part, I just didn't like the game as much and stopped playing it. My adult evaluation is more positive. I think this is still a good game but not a great one.

Frist of all, the positives. Graphically the game holds up remarkably well. I was particularly impressed with the character animations when compared to the Sly trilogy. The voice acting is incredible across the board. The overall presentation of the game is S+ tier.

The gameplay is another story. Jak 1 is simplistic to a fault. Even compared to 3D platformers of the previous console generation there just isn't very much going on. You have a VERY basic moveset and Jak's abilities don't change throughout the game at all. Instead you have various colors of eco present in the environment that for a VERY short amount of time gives you an ability of some kind. Blue makes you move faster and activates precursor machinery (doors, moving platforms, etc.) when you get close enough. Red makes you do more damage. Yellow makes your attacks shoot long range fireballs. And...that's it. And these things are far more sparsely used than I expected they would be. There are also some hoverbike levels/sections sprinkled throughout and that's pretty much the game. Compared to the progression in Jak II of getting new guns every so often and a hoverboard at some point that totally changes the game it just feels like you're doing the exact same thing from the first five minutes to the last five minutes.

And the other problem is the controls. Now, agreed, compared to MOST other games from around the same time, they are incredible. But the Jak series has one of the weirdest and lamest double jumps, the roll jump is weird as well, and when you compare the general precision and feel to the Sly series this game just doesn't come away feeling great to play, and I'd also pick the PS2 Ratchets over this, I think. Jak II controls pretty much the same as far as I remember, but they leaned away from platforming and into the shooting and combat more, which I think is massively to that game's benefit when compared to this one.

I'm playing this and it's neat! Compared to Jak 3, my only other experience with the series, I really appreciate how straightforward and polished everything feels here. Rather than clumsily bouncing between identities as a platformer and a shooter and a racing game and a GTA clone, The Precursor Legacy confidently focuses on collecting shiny orbs and watching silly animations. Sometimes that's plenty.

Just a heads up to anyone that, like me, tried emulating PS2 games once like 10+ years ago and wrote it off as a nightmare not worth messing with and forgot to check back in, PS2 emulation today in 2026 seems completely solved. I'm sure I'm late to the party on this one, but it was news to me, and it's news that has made me very happy.

Was wanting to play through the Sly and Jak trilogy and messing around with the two standard options I had available which was either download whatever Sony emulated version was available on PS5, or stream that same version on PC through the PS+ PC app. The streaming looks like crap and even the downloaded version on PS5 didn't look as good as I hoped or control as well as I remember from an actual PS2.

Emulated version on PCSX2 look amazing upscaled to 4K and control is tight and responsive just like how I remember. What a joyous day.

If I'm rating each Naughty Dog title by quality of content, this game is right behind Crash Bandicoot 2. this game is peak, and in fact, one of the finest platforming experiences that I've have had the pleasure to play!

The only thing that in my opinion is dragging this game down would be the Hitbox. the Hitbox feels extremely floaty and you don't really know if you're in range or not, and then you're the one that got hit. this did frustrate me so many times during my gameplay, but the overall quality is solid. Would highly recommend it if anyone has the chance to play.

Damn kid me would have loved this... but I took that pleasure from him. It's a very good game, the platforming is fun overall but they manage to make it work really well in the massive open world so kudos for that. Didn't go for the 100% because that seems to require collecting all of the notes equivalent in banjo-kazooie (ie stuff that's just on the path) but I think all of the power cells I collected (equivalent to jiggies to keep the comparison going) were quite fun, although sometimes they feel a bit easy to get to. The mini games are also surprisingly a pretty strong point, there are some fun puzzles to solve and the hoverbike is quite soapy but I think that adds to the fun of it.

I was surprised to see how similar it was to crash bandicoot in setting, visuals, movement and soundtrack, and honestly it's nice, makes me understand why naughty dogs dropped the series at this point and makes me less angry about the crash ps2 entries, as it felt like a continuation of the series in another format (I even suspect that the planned open world crash game was dropped because they changed it to Jak).

Playing on the PC port it was amazing seeing a classic game like this at 4k, 120 fps right off the bat and I didn't run into any issue, the fact that there isn't any loading screen also helps the open world feel great. Overall liked it a lot, it's not too special apart from the open world approach but I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes 3d platformers

Jak and Daxter is a collect-athon at its purest. It introduces an "open world" on the PS2 where you solve simple puzzles, do some basic combat, and platform to explore every inch of it and find the three types of collectibles. This isn't a unique game to anything else from its generation or its generation prior, however, it does offer a world full of lore and secrets.

The story of Jak & Daxter is basic, as it should be. You're a boy and a unique animal setting out on a simple quest, and end up saving the world. What makes the game so unique and wonderful is the lore behind the world itself. The idea that these precursors from long ago have vanished and we are living in a less advanced society left behind from them. These life forces known as Eco helped form the world, as well as the destructive force Dark Eco that may have caused the precursors to leave. It's all unique and enjoyable, but never required to enjoy the game.

The gameplay of Jak 1 is simple. You can roll, jump, double jump, spin for some extra height and distance or for combat, and punch. These moves flow into each other nicely, and the animations behind the make Jak and Daxter feel more alive than most of the rest of the world. While their moveset is great and fluid, sometimes the world around you can get you hung up on little geometry. The platforming itself is fine, but there is occasionally that old school challenge of "I don't know where I am landing right now" and you miss an easy jump because it's a giant abyss below you.

Outside of the platforming, combat is basic. Almost all enemies go down with one or two hits. Sometimes you get an Eco power up to shoot yellow bolts or red to make you stronger, but there's not much depth. Eventually you have to dive-punch or punch-jump to kill a specific enemy, but it's still one hit. That goes for your weak characters as well. You get three hits, and it takes way too long to get enough little Ecos to heal a hit point back, so you may die often, especially later on. However, the checkpoints are very generous, and often it can be easier to straight up die instead of platform back to the entrance of an area. The puzzles are often without depth as well, simply do one action a few times like aim an energy beam, or complete a small mini game. There is the rideable gameplay with a bird and a hover bike. Both control okay, and can be annoying when you're going for a percise collectable or jump, but neither overstay their welcome.

Overall, this game is a great adventure. While the combat and platforming are nothing extraordinary, the adventure and exploration combine fantastically with its world building. If that doesn't matter to you, than this game will be fun and enjoyable but nothing new. I recommend this game to anyone wanting to play a good platformer, and it doesn't take very long to complete or 100% either.

Great 9/10

This game has some of the best world/level design that you can experience from 2001. It feels like a large open non-linear world with shockingly few loading screens.

The world functions like an evolution of the Mario 64 hub where they removed the paintings and instead made the levels transition seeminglessly. While progression to each new hub is linear, you're free to explore sub-levels in any order you see fit. Each sub-level will typically loop around on itself thus making completing the area naturally lead to the exit. it's always refreshing and satisfying to see this much thought go into design. Dark souls did it, but it's awesome to see it done as aptly in a game this early.

You have to earn a certain amount of power cells, like the stars needed in Mario 64, to progress to the next hub. This further helps the sense of non-linearity and openess since all power cells aren't required so you can pick and choose based on frustration and some will absolutely frustrate you. There's a day/night cycle that goes the extra mile to further breath life into the world. It's colorful and beautiful to look at, though barren in characters. The stylized art works for both the tone and to help the game age like a fine wine 20 years later. Sadly every other element of the game feels unpolished. The writing, characters, combat and jumping are all terrible.

Writing is weak and the game often times pokes fun at how bad it is. Never in a clever way, it feels more lazy. Maybe instead put more time into the writing instead of side-stepping the issue by breaking the fourth wall? I was hoping the writing and characters would shine through like with Uncharted and TLOU. I believe this was their first story driven game, so I'll cut them some slack. Still it has a consistent tone and never takes itself too seriously.

None of the characters have depth and one of the main villains is more boobs than character. It's a shame because the tone set the stage for the villains to ham up their performance to an 11. It's kind of odd that there are only two female characters who are both oversexualized and not given any personality. I found Daxter more annoying than entertaining and there isn't anything to like about Jak since he is a silent protagonist. Towards the end of the game they try to shoehorn a romance between Jak and Kerie which felt extremely cringy. Fortunately they backpedal out of it, though at the expense for a bad joke.

Combat and jumping are clunky though the controls feel responsive. This may sound like an oxymoron; to clarify, response to inputs is quick and fluid except for the double jump... this is a pretty devastating issue considering that most platform sequences will require it. I was frustrated about halfway through the game when checkpoints became sparse and the platforming becomes progressively longer and more challenging. There were plenty of sequences where I died because a double jump didn't register. It was terrible. I would have to platform through multiple rooms with enemies just to get back to where I died... if I failed again... which did happen.... It's a shame because the design was good but the controls ruined the experience due to their unreliable nature. If there were more generous checkpoints I probably wouldn't have minded as much. I had to resort to always double tapping the jump button. This method seemed to work 80% of the time.

The combat is meh. The animations for Jak look good and it's a nice touch to have Daxter participate in almost every animation. Sadly it's not used for anything interesting. Almost every enemy dies in one hit. This creates a sense of monotony with all enemies. It's possible they all had unique and varied moves. I never noticed because they died so fast. Bosses also felt lukewarm at best and terrible at worst. Klaww and the final boss were grueling and masochistic. They will test your patience (due to the janky jumping and non-existent checkpoints). Both are long fights that require precise platforming. Prepare to die, cry and scream in an uncontrollable rage as you fail on these bosses due to the double jump not registering.

The tutorial did a poor job establishing some of the most essential mechanics... the long jump (I figured this move out on my own while messing around thankfully) and the propeller at the end of a jump to go further (I actually didn't know this move existed until after I beat the game). Requiring you to perform both in the tutorial level would have been a welcomed addition. There's also an early cell that requires you to do an uppercut to get. You are never told how to perform an uppercut just to do it... I had to look it up online.

Additionally, some powercells feel unfair and poorly polished. For example: The power cell over the lake in Precusor Basin was extremely aggravating. You're on a motorbike that always moves forward slowly. You can hold the brakes to stop, but it doesn't feel smooth. You need to platform across a bunch of narrow platforms while on the bike and it's a trial of patience. It took me 20 tries or more... Once you complete the platforming, you need to back up and launch yourself off a ramp while timing your jump perfectly. This required precise timing and movement with a clunky control scheme. If I failed, the punishment was severe, requiring me to cautiously manuever over the narrow platforms again just to try again. I would make it back to the ramp less than 50% of the time. The challenge never felt satisfying, just unfair since I knew what to do but was encumbered by the lack luster controls. This could have worked with larger platforms and less precision needed to make the final jump.

Another terrible cell is the boss fight Klaww I mentioned earlier. It requires constant platform jumping and there were plenty of cases where I would die from the second jump not working... the desig nof the boss was good, it's just a shame the jumping is so buggy to ruin the fight. You feel like you didn't make a mistake and still die. It's punishing because the fight is long and you have to start all over if you die. If you fall, it's an instant death. The last phase also feels like he tosses the boulders too fast. It's entirely possible to get screwed with bad RNG and jump right into another boulder because he targets your platform midair and you have no time to jump again... Eventually I got good RNG and beat him. Finally, the last level has severely punishing checkpoints. There are two gauntlets that involve moving and falling platforms that was absurdly hard. I eventually got good at it with how many times I failed.

Overall, I had fun with it but it has it's flaws. I will be curious to check out the rest of the games in the series. I hope they improve the shortcomings from the first game.

...I completely am.

When my brother and I first received our PlayStation 2, it came with two treasures. We each claimed ownership of one of the two titles, even though we played both without issue. He laid claim to Ratchet and Clank (the first) while my claim was placed on Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. Now I must admit... we were about six and four when we got that PS2... and I’d always proven to be a bit of a smooth operator when it came to weaseling my way into getting the option I wanted for myself. It’s very likely I hyped up Ratchet and Clank in some way to him (despite never having played it) because I wanted Jak and Daxter for myself.

Before my PS2 would eventually die, (some years later) the very last game it would read and run without issues was - in fact - the first game it ever scanned: Jak and Daxter.

I spent countless hours on this game and not due to the game’s difficulty. It was easy enough for me and would become my first 100% completion on a game. But I was perfectly charmed by the world Jak and Daxter inhabited and spent countless hours roaming around the world I’d entered. I’d fantasize about the game while at school. It was a fun enough platformer, but the game’s quirky cast of characters and the gorgeous, intriguing world that it built kept me captivated, even all these years later.

I remember hating this game the first time I played it back in middle school. It is weird to remember now, but by 2006 this kind of colorful platformer was seen as old-school, a relic of the previous generation of consoles. The Grand Theft Auto series had changed what gamers, especially angsty pre-teens, expected from games: open worlds, guns, and plenty of adult language to up the ESRB rating.

Jak II was clearly a response to this change in expectations, and unfortunately I had already beaten it by the time I picked up Jak and Daxter. I immediately pegged this as a kids' game, resembling the Banjo Kazooie-style collect-a-thons I had played at my friend's house in kindergarten. Nevermind that Daxter was maybe funnier here than in the sequel. Nevermind the delightful world being built.

Coming back to it now, J&D is an absolute delight. It is so well-conceived from start to finish, with the perfect amount of variety and solid controls. Its story, while nothing amazing, is also a great example of how to draw people into a game world without overexplaining, leaving plenty of mysteries to explore in sequels or just linger to build mystique. Herein lies the great tragedy of J&D and its genre: it faded just as the PS2 was allowing developers to perfect it. Graphics were finally clear enough to make jumping and action easier to gauge. Controls were being tightened and the scope of the stories was growing. As much as I loved Jak II (it was my favorite game at the time), playing through this first entry almost has me wishing they'd stuck with the platformer genre for any sequels, really seeing what they could do with it. The series we got, however, remains a videogame classic, and this first entry rightly deserves a revisit, especially during these lockdowns that have so many of us pining for a lighthearted escapist adventure.

As a rabid Dreamcast fan, I was very much a latecomer to the PlayStation 2. By the time I picked one up, I assumed the GTA influences and darker tone of Jak II and 3 were indicative of the whole series. Since that didn't appeal to me, I steered clear.

But this first game is fantastic! It's a collectathon platformer from late in the genre's heyday that overflows with polish and expressiveness. Its gameplay and stylishness remind me of Rayman 2 and Psychonauts, its storytelling of Beyond Good & Evil and Epic Mickey, but it's quite a bit more polished than any of those titles. My journey to 95% completion flew by!

That isn't to say it doesn't suffer at all from common issues of its time: The camera is far from perfect, hit detection can be finicky, some audio is unevenly mixed, and a couple of the character designs are a bit groan-inducing. But if you're as big a fan of this style of game in this particular era as I am, don't let the difficulty and tone of the sequels scare you away from this gem!

Started this a few days ago - I couldn't turn down the HD Trilogy being on sale! - so I've been putting in a few hours here and there. It's a lot of fun, though ironically I've had to get used to the camera controls which are the opposite of what I'm used to. It's ironic because I had to get used to my current scheme when I moved from Jak 3 on PS2 to Gears of War when I got an Xbox 360. Ho Hum.

Anyway, the gameplay is tight. Jack is nimble and the platforming sections feel challenging while remaining fair. There's also nothing more satisfying than breaking open boxes and Jak's punch feels hard and explosive.

I can definitely feel and see the evolution of Banjo-Kazooie and Mario design, but I am having difficulty recognising Legend of Zelda influence in the gameplay (maybe in the world building, I'm not sure). The three of these games were mentioned in an interview with Naughty Dog as influences way back in the day when it was first coming out.

But yeah, so far, so fun. I'm a little under half way (sitting on 42%) so it's definitely not a very big game. I should theoretically finish it before school starts up again.

(EDIT: I just finished Jak 2, and thought I'd see what I wrote for the first game since it's been a bit of time since I wrote this review. I honestly don't remember being so negative! I definitely enjoyed this game more than it sounds, and while I agree definitely on the short - length comment, everything else is extremely dramatic. So I changed from the original 3-star rating to 4-stars, though I'll keep the review up to show how vastly opinions change. Please excuse my past self.)

My first dive into the Jak and Daxter series was quite a disappointing one if I'm honest...

Now don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the time I spent with this game, as it is fun collecting all of the precursor orbs, flies and power cells in each area. However, it just felt as if it came and swiftly went, without making any strong impressions on me. The game is pretty simple to 100% anyway, and it would feel a bit pointless if I finished the game without collecting everything, considering how simple it is to do so. I did like the individual level designs, my favourite being Snowy Mountain, and when I was collecting in each level it was great fun. But on the whole, I just feel like there's not enough there, and I hate to say this, but it just felt unfinished. As much as I hate it when people say that a game that people spent days making feels "unfinished", that's just the word that hits me when I think about my personal playthrough.

My Favourite Thing: The characters each felt very individual and alive, and I loved the voice acting and animation of all of the NPCs and, most importantly, Jak and Daxter themselves. Not So Great: Repetitive enemies, easy final boss, lack of completion bonus. Just some things that stop this game from being one I remember, as I do wish it was.

Overall, this game has tons of character, it just lacks in pretty much all other areas, at least in a unique way. Whilst I do love Naughty Dog, I think I'll stick to my Crashes and Nathan Drakes thank you (though I will give the other titles in the series a go of course).