Jak 3

"They say the 3rd time is charm...they're sooo right!"

I've always waited for the day to come when a game comes out that is the embodiment of what a great and perfect game should be. What EVERY game should be. Well folks, that day has come. November 9 can now be remembered as the day one of the greatest games, if not THE greatest game ever made, was released. Over the years Naughty Dog has given us some of the greatest game ever to grace a television screen, but this time they've really done it. They've not only brought one of the great game series in the history of video games to a close, they've also given us lucky gamers one of the funnest and most complete video games ever. And I still can't wipe the grin off my face.

GRAPHICS: (10/10) Everyone keeps talking about how technologically superior the Nintendo Gamecube and the Microsoft Xbox are compared to the Playstation 2. Well now that fact is going to be hard to prove with the release of Jak 3. This game, to put it bluntly, is the best looking video game I've ever played on ANY system. The sheer amount of detail in Jak 3 is second to none and the unbelievable thing is it all runs at a crisp and smooth 60 fps. Jak 3 looks like a movie more than a video game. Even the desert in the game has a sharp detail to it that will keep you shaking your head at how Naughty Dog was able to pull these type of graphics out of the Playstation 2. So while many gamers are already drooling over the prospect of the next generation of Playstation system, Naughty Dog has shown that the old PS2 still has a lot of life left in it. And the lighting effects in this game are phenomenal. I still get a kick out of the way the game goes from night to day and back again. It's a sweet effect that really adds a nice touch to an already brilliant video game. Even the vehicle levels are unbelievable looking. I could go on and on but you get the point. One of the best looking games ever. Stunning!

SOUND/MUSIC: (10/10) Anyone whose played the Jak & Daxter games knows that the voice acting is second to none. And once again Naughty Dog has pulled out all the stops. I was a little dissapointed to see that Anna Garduno wasn't doing the voice of Keira in this game, but her replacement Tara Strong (Rikku from FFX) does a really nice job of filling in. All the other voice actors return and once again do a perfect job of voicing the characters in this game. As for the soundtrack, it's as unbelievable as the rest of the game. It reminds me more of a movie soundtrack than a game soundtrack and really does a nice job of carrying the emotion of the game along. I normally don't play games with the volume up very loudly but this is one game that begs to be cranked. And crank it I did.

GAMEPLAY: (10/10) My main gripe regarding Jak II was the control system. Controlling the vehicles in the game just didn't feel right, It made it very hard to navigate Haven City, but walking the city wasn't much better. Thankfully Naughty Dog has fixed that problem and Jak 3 controls like a dream. Even the vehicle control is spot on perfect. And the great thing about this game is that it has something for every type of gamer. There's the brilliant platforming that has become synonymous with the Jak & Daxter series, then there's the awesome vehicle portions of the game that now control superbly, and now there's even a little Ratchet & Clank-style shoot em' up action. As I said before this game has it all, and then some. People have been asking if Jak 3 is as hard as Jak 2. I can answer that by saying, it is as hard, but controlling and navigating it is much easier this time around making it a much more enjoyable experience.

FUN: (10/10) Make no mistake about it, Jak 3 is one of the funnest games in existence. Everything about the game just wreaks of greatness. You'll play through it, then play it some more, then play through all the mediocre stuff that comes out before Christmas, and then you'll play it some more. It's that good and it's the most enjoyable experience I've ever had the pleasure to endure during a video game. Top notch.

If you're gonna ask Santa for something this Christmas, make sure you ask for Jak. That is unless Santa is too busy playing Jak 3 to deliver the toys to everyone. I guess we better hope Santa doesn't get his hands on Jak 3 before Christmas. Because if he does all the toys will have to deliver themselves. In my opinion the best video game ever made. If you don't have it...stop now and go get it. Phenomenal in every facet. To me Heaven will be a place where a game as good as Jak 3 is released every week. I guess we can all dream. Until then we have the final game of one fantastic game series. I'm just sad to see the series come to an end. But if you're gonna end it, at least they did it right.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/11/04