Jak, Dexter, Ratchet & Clank... what is the appeal?

[Xeogred]

It's funny how much I loved platformers during the 32bit era, Crash, Gex, Spyro, Croc all come to mind (and the N64 stuff of course). But I seriously haven't gotten into a platformer for years... a lot of my friends do like all these games though, Jak, Ratchet, and the Sly Cooper games. I'll have to get to them eventually.

As of now it sounds like the Ratchet & Clank games would be the most appealing.

[GSZX1337]

As of now it sounds like the Ratchet & Clank games would be the most appealing.

Ratchet and Clank is my favorite console series of last generation. The games were pure carnage stuffed into a disc.

[Gamerforlife]

I also want to mention Sly Cooper's Looney Tunes influence, like when you knock an enemy over a ledge and see him look down BEFORE plummetting to his death. There is also a very Adam West as Batman, comic bookey feel to the action as big words like POW and BANG come on screen when you attack your enemies. It's little things like this that make the series so classy and above its peers in my eyes

There are so many classic influences in this series in both its visual style and gameplay. That's a big part of the fun for me. Sly Cooper is a very retro feeling series in many ways, both in its gameplay and its style

[Frizz.Meister]

Jak and daxter 1-3 have a great story, great platforming and a interesting gameplay macanic with whats called ECO. Green heals, blue speeds everything you do up, red increases the power of things, and yellow sets things on fire not to mention another bunch of colours. Also there prehaps the only 3d platformers i can think of which arnt staged select style, as in their an open world your free to explore. Hell i spent probably 80% of my time in Jak 2 annoying the police, taking part in races, climbling roofs ect.

[Gamerforlife]

Jak and daxter 1-3 have a great story, great platforming and a interesting gameplay macanic with whats called ECO. Green heals, blue speeds everything you do up, red increases the power of things, and yellow sets things on fire not to mention another bunch of colours. Also there prehaps the only 3d platformers i can think of which arnt staged select style, as in their an open world your free to explore. Hell i spent probably 80% of my time in Jak 2 annoying the police, taking part in races, climbling roofs ect.

Thing is, Jak 2 just lifted that off of Grand Theft Auto 3, which is why the game always seemed like a ripoff to me.

Plus, the Ratchet and Clank and Sly Cooper games all had hub worlds to play around in. In Sly 2 ad 3 I loved harrasing and stealing money from guards and those games had races and rooftop climbing, etc.

No offense, but I have always felt that everything the Jak and Daxter games do were done better by other games. To me, the series had no identity. Naughty Dogg hasn't done anything truly original in ages now. The orb system in the Jak games is just your run of the mill power ups. At least Sly had a unique visual style, an interesting mix of platform/stealth gameplay and some stylish platforming moves. Ratchet & Clank fused third person shooter gameplay and platforming in a way that makes the shooter gameplay in the Jak and Daxter games looks dated and primitive by comparison

To me, Jak and Daxter was the weak link in the "big three", though it seems the Sly series is the one that got the least attention out of the the three series

[lisalover1]

My sister swears the platforming in the first Jak game is nothing short of brilliant, but I haven't tried it yet. The game just never really jumped out at me either. I did enjoy Crash Bandicoot when it first came out though, and I think the first Jak game was made by the same team. Maybe I'll give it a whirl sometime.

Jak and Daxter was actually the game that sold me on the PS2. If you like games like Banjo-Kazooie and the 3D Mario games, then you will love Jak and Daxter. The script is entertaining, the game world has no loading times whatsoever, the character animations are fluid and imaginative, and it is just a very good game overall.

[Bradtemple87]

My sister swears the platforming in the first Jak game is nothing short of brilliant, but I haven't tried it yet. The game just never really jumped out at me either. I did enjoy Crash Bandicoot when it first came out though, and I think the first Jak game was made by the same team. Maybe I'll give it a whirl sometime.

Jak and Daxter was actually the game that sold me on the PS2. If you like games like Banjo-Kazooie and the 3D Mario games, then you will love Jak and Daxter. The script is entertaining, the game world has no loading times whatsoever, the character animations are fluid and imaginative, and it is just a very good game overall.

I agree. I got my ps2 for Christmas with kingdom hearts, jak and daxter, and ico.

Damn that was a great Christmas.

[jfe2]

I think noise might like the Sly Cooper games. The series(Sly 2 and 3 in particular)pay a lot of homage to old school games in many of the various missions. The 2D schmup levels I mentioned before in particular are fun. The characters are remarkable well written and I think they can appeal to people of any age. What's impressive is how you see them evolve over the course of the trilogy. Sly also has a cel shaded look to it and tries to pattern itself after old saturday morning cartoon giving it a nice nostalgic quality for me

The platforming is quite intuitive. Sly has various thief moves that allow him to interactive with his environment much in the same way you would see Nathan Drake, Prince of Persia or Lara Croft do in any modern game. In fact, Sly is pretty much the anthropomorphic equivalent to the Prince of Persia in my opinion. Basically, when you see a blue sparkle somewhere you hit circle and he will do a thief move like swinging from something, leaning up against a wall to traverse a narrow ledge, perfectly balance himself on top of a small object, slide down a rail, etc,etc. It''s all very fluid and quite impressive to watch.

Ratchet and Clank is easy to get into. The games are very polished and not especially difficult. You're always gaining experience points even when you die. Some of the weapons you will use are the most epic in gaming, like one that fills a room with a bright white light, disintegrating all of your enemies. The platforming is rather basic, but the game mixes things up by incorporating various gadgets like one that lets you walk on walls and ceilings. The gadgets keep the platforming interesting. Also, I LOVE the battle arenas in these games. You'll take on hordes of enemies under various conditions, all while listening to an announcer calling the action. This is where you really get to have fun with all of your toys. I'd recommend starting with Going Commando, which is the second game and probably still the best I'd say

You mentioned you don't like games with cutesy animals, but it's worth mentioning that both the R&C series and the Sly Cooper series don't seem to be aimed squarely at kids. Jak and Daxter on the other hand.......

There is a ton of humor in the R&C games and the Sly games have some hilarious moments as well...so if you want a good laugh. I have always found the Jak and Daxter games though to be too cheesy to be entertaining. The worst part is Jak himself, who has NO personality in the first game. Then the second game comes along and they basically pulled a Prince of Persia:Warrior Within by making him uber dark and badass so he could be more marketable. I simply can't care about or relate to Jak in any way, shape or form.

The Sly games are dirt cheap now, if you want to try them. Don't about the Ratchet & Clank games though

And just to chime in on the Bandicoot games on the PS1. They are pretty basic by today's standards. I don't know if they would impress you, but if you're going to play one play Crash Bandicoot:Warped

I've actually given some thought into picking up the Sly collection on the PS3 on your recommendation. I may eventually also pick up the R&C games too. If anything, my kid may enjoy playing them!

[Ack]

I missed this thread when it first popped up, and while I can't say much about most of the games in either series, I have this to say on the first Jak and Daxter:

It's a solidly built 3D platformer that I remember felt similar to how I felt playing the original Spyro. There were a few places involving vehicles that I remember disliking, but overall it felt simple and cleanly done. I don't remember how I felt about the camera at the time, but I did sit down long enough to get 100%.

That said, I mean that when I say I sat down long enough for it. I managed to get 100% in the game in less than 6 hours. It was a solid game that I felt good about playing, but it was over and done in an instant. Then again, it also fit the bill of what I had wanted: something to just sit down and play for a day at my dad's house (it belonged to my stepbrothers).

So yeah, I'd say check it out, but don't pay too much money for it, because even if you like the experience, it's over very quickly.

[J T]

I really like Jak 2 and Jak 3. Part of what I liked about them was the variety of tasks throughout the game. There are fighting levels, platforming levels, racing levels, flying levels, and the further you get, the more cool toys you get to play with. The hoverboard that you get part way into Jak 3 is incredibly satisfying. You can run around like normal, but if you want you can whip out the hoverboard and just cruise through terrain, hit jumps, ride rails etc.

Ratchet and Clank I never really got into. I haven't given them enough of a fair shot I guess, but I played through part of the first level of Up Your Arsenal, died a lot, got bored with it, and moved on to something else.