Daxter

"Sidekick no more! Orange Lightning's got his own story now!"

We've all (well, most) played Jak. We know his tale. But do we know his sidekick's tale? All we know is his sidekick's tail, but what about his tale? We see in the beginning of Jak II that Daxter is the one who saves Jak. But how? How, you ask? It's in this game, and it'll explain to you how Daxter made himself a hero, as a .....bug exterminator? In any case, once you purchase this game, you'll be jumping in joy, because the gameplay is fantastic, and the graphics? Mind-boggling. Now, onto the review!

Graphics
9/10
Oh boy. I knew the PSP's standards were good, but when I saw this I was sure I was dreaming. So I pinched myself. I didn't wake up. "Daxter" 's visuals are a big highlight of the game. When I entered the hotel level, I could not believe it. The level was brightly decorated, and the construction site was much more distinct. Every level is unique in its own way, and the environment matches up well. And what's more, the cutscenes look awesome! They seriously remind me of console graphics! In fact, it even BEATS certain console games' graphics. A flaw, however, is how the game can slow down during autosaving, but don't let that get you down.

Story
7/10
I was a bit disappointed here. Apparently, this was supposed to fill in the gap between when Jak arrived in Haven city and when Daxter rescued him. However, it only covers the end of the second year. So, there is still a large gap; one whole year and suppose, a few more months. Some confusions might come into the whole Jak timeline, but most contain spoilers, so I'm not answering to that. Moreover, I've noticed that Daxter never gets a part of the salary which Osmo is given, and I don't think the other exterminators are distinguished. Meh, maybe they are. In any case, Daxter is a bug exterminator in this game, and must rid the city of its metal bug infestation. The hotel, subways, strip mine, all are inhabited by these creatures. Meanwhile, Daxter is also working on a plan to save his captured friend. However, what I really thought was strange was that Daxter was in the bar telling everyone stories about his courage, and in the beginning did not seem to care in the least bit about finding Jak.

If you're worried about spoilers, then you will be fine if you've beaten the first two games. There is only ONE character from Jak 3, and doesn't even serve much of a role (in this game), and in fact, is nothing more than a VERY minor story reference.

Gameplay
9/10
This game is fun. Fun to play, fun to enjoy the graphics, and fun to play. You'll be using the same control scheme used in all platformers: running through the level, taking out bugs with a bug swatter, crawling through vents, and, you know the drill. Moreover, to aid you in combat, you get a bug spray early in the game, and later get some upgrades for it. You'll also be using it as a booster for jumps, as you will need to hover across hazardous pools and train tracks of doom. The mechanics make this game quite enjoyable. You can also unlock minigames by finding the precursor orbs scattered all around the game. Beating these minigames will earn you either a health upgrade or a new move to your arsenal of combos. However, I found one of these moves relatively USELESS, and think they ought to have replaced it with a health upgrade instead.

Audio
8/10
Another big achievement. The music is well composed, and the sounds are all in place. You can hear the small sounds of footsteps, you can hear the bugs headed your way, and you can hear the WHOOP sound when you jump. I like certain music tracks, and the voice acting is rather stunning. There aren't too many characters, but Daxter still has his wisecracking vocals, Osmo has a voice that suits him for his age, Ximon is your typical "Wassup, dude!" character (and sounds just like one of them), and Taryn's voice suits her as well. The antagonist in this game has also got that villainous atmosphere about him, so all in all, they pulled off a good one here.

Playtime/ Replayability
7/10
Well, there are loads of secrets to unlock, but they're just minigames and trailers and whatnot. Getting the precursor orbs for 100% completion is a tedious and repetitive job, so there's not much fun in it. I mean, they just put too many in, and getting them all just isn't worth it. Maybe if they put in some sort of other bonus it would be more nice, but I'm afraid that's not the case. Moreover, the game is short, so unless you're like me and like to take a small ride on the bike through the streets every now and then and enjoy the scenery, you'll be done before you know it. There's some filler in it, I'll admit, but the filler is fun. Replaying it, however, is another matter. It's decent enough to play through once more just to admire th levels. The multiplayer bug combat can be provided as a small break from the normal game, although the CPU's are rather cheap. The goggles you can unlock by [I'm not telling you the method]... they do nothing. The goggles do nothing. Seriously.

Should I Buy It?
Now this is a hard question. I say "Yes", but seeing the playtime probably put you down. Now here's a bit of advice: the game is short, although fun, and though precursor orb hunting can be tiring, it can still be used as a distraction from boredom. As for the cutscenes, they're a true piece of art, so why not watch them? However, approach this game at your own risk: I loved it, but you'll have to be the judge seeing the review.

Final Rankings/ Summary
Graphics: 9/10
Story: 7/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Audio: 8/10
Playtime/ Replayability: 7/10
Should I Buy It?: Depends on you
Final Score: 9/10.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/22/07