➤ Jak, Daxter and Life 🎮

If Naughty Dogs were already famous thanks to Crash Bandicoot since the days of PSOne, they have become even more so in the era of PlayStation 3 with the Uncharted trilogy,

definitively climbing to the top of the Olympus of video games with what is even defined by many as the best title of this generation, The Last of Us. Curiously, we often forget about another Naughty Dog brand that perhaps has always been a bit quiet due to the resounding success of its brothers: the Jak and Daxter trilogy for PlayStation 2 is, however, one of those unsuspected sleeper hits on which no one would ever bet just looking at the cover, without being able to detach from the joypad after a few minutes of play. After being offered in high definition for PlayStation 3, the Jack and Daxter series now lands on PlayStation Vita, offering a new source of pride to the desolate playground of the Sony console. Not everything, however, went the right way ...

The trilogy that takes you away

In terms of content, the PlayStation Vita version of Jak and Daxter Trilogy is absolutely identical to the PlayStation 3 version: we therefore refer you to our review of the previous port for an exhaustive and detailed study of each game. Here we will limit ourselves to discussing the highlights of each title with a look at the evolution of the brand.

You see, when Jak and Daxter came out way back in 2001, it was received very coldly: it seemed like yet another platformer with a somewhat anonymous artistic direction at a time when the genre was definitely overabundant. It only took one game to realize that you were faced with something different: a third-person adventure with a decidedly cinematic cut full of action, puzzles and platforming sequences. Undisputed protagonists Jak, the boy with the impossible hair, and Daxter, his friend transformed into a weasel. It is precisely to restore Daxter's original appearance that the two heroes set out on a journey, face countless enemies and save the world in their own way. Critically acclaimed, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy spawned a sequel just two years later, entitled Jak II: Renegade. Even today, opinions on Jak II are mixed, to say the least. It was clear, already at that time, that Naughty Dog was experimenting, because the atmospheres and tones of the game were practically unrecognizable: in Jak II, Jak was captured, tortured and transformed into a hybrid endowed with exceptional powers. Saved in extremis by Daxter, the two heroes become fugitives with the aim of making him pay the bad guys on duty; a picture decidedly distant from the more light-hearted one of the prequel. Easier said that done:

Jak II is still a decidedly difficult title today, it is no coincidence that Jak can count on a wide range of aircraft and new firearms to take out the enemies that will block his way. The structure becomes that of a "proto free-roaming" and stealing the show are often sequences of a real third-person shooter. Halfway between The Precursor Legacy and Renegade, both in terms of atmosphere and design, is the third and final title in the series, Jak 3. At this point we could say that the die is cast: the platform component is practically abandoned in favor of many more firearms that transform the game into a real hybrid between an action game and a shooter. Jak has even more special powers than before, and must deal with the exile imposed on him by Haven City for fomenting the revolt in the previous episode. The narrative is even more insistent, but there is a pleasant return to the light-hearted and ironic tones of the first episode. Nonetheless, Jak 3 is also the least innovative title of the three; derivative, indeed, in every respect.

PSVita Trophies

Each title that makes up this compilation has its own Trophies, so, in total, you can unlock 82 bronze, 31 silver, 11 gold and 3 platinum Trophies. Completing the three adventures, of course, is essential, as is collecting each secret object, overcoming each minigame and performing some particular actions. If you are a Trophy collector, Jak and Daxter Trilogy will truly be bread for your teeth.

To each his own

That of Jak and Daxter is a trilogy that affects each of us in a different way, an already evident sign of the great variety and particularity that distinguish each episode. If it is true that Jak II: Renegade had divided the opinion of the players, it is equally true that some had liked it even more than the first of Jak 3, especially for the free-roaming component on which Naughty Dog had then made a bit of gear back in the next title. Jak 3, the most balanced of the trilogy, is also the one that dares and surprises the least, but crushes the first two episodes from a purely technical point of view: released in 2004, it is still today a visual splendor even embellished by its new high resolution and further gratified by the beautiful PlayStation Vita screen. In this sense, we can only suggest you to play the three episodes in chronological order, also to appreciate the evolution of the series and, at the same time, of the developer. Said this, the PlayStation Vita port of Jack and Daxter Trilogy suffers from many shortcomings that penalize the final evaluation, despite the contents are almost identical to those of PlayStation 3. The problems are mostly of a technical nature:

unlike the version for PlayStation 3, anchored to 60 frames per second, this porting barely exceeds 30 and it is not uncommon to see the frames drop visibly, especially in the most excited situations or when the camera gives the numbers. This latter situation is painfully frequent. The control system was also penalized in the conversion: the idea of using the touch screen to manage some minigames was good; very bad to relegate to the rear touch pad the function performed by the R2 and L2 keys on PlayStation 3. Not only is this a decidedly inconvenient solution, but also not too functional since it often happens to detect a significant delay between the input of a command and its consequence, especially when using touch controls. The total absence of exclusive extra content for the portable console closes the circle: a real shame, if you think that a year has passed since the original release.

Jak and Daxter Trilogy remains an unmissable compilation, but the Vita conversion could have been better.

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Jak and Daxter Trilogy remains an unmissable compilation for those who have never had the good fortune to know this chapter in the history of one of the most popular video game developers of the moment. Regardless of individual preferences, the three games each have talent to spare and guarantee hours and hours of fun. It is a real shame, therefore, that the PlayStation Vita conversion is plagued by various inexplicable technical problems: a hasty port, therefore, that we do not feel we can recommend to those who can appreciate it on PlayStation 3. If you do not fall into this category, look for get used to the flaws and enjoy the ride: it will be worth it.