Jak 3

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Jak 3
Developer(s)	Naughty Dog
Publisher(s)	SCEA
Series	Jak and Daxter
Aspect ratio	16:9 / 4:3
Native resolution	480p (EDTV) 480i (SDTV)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release date	NA November 9, 2004 EU November 26, 2004 JP Cancelled
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: T (Teen) PEGI: 12+ OFLC: G8+ USK: 6
Media	DVD
Input methods	DualShock 2

Jak 3 is a video game for Sony's PlayStation 2 console developed by Naughty Dog. It is the final game in the main Jak and Daxter trilogy, but it has inspired a further spinoff in Jak X: Combat Racing, as well as PlayStation Portable title Daxter. Following Jak II's lack of success in the Japanese market, Jak 3's Japanese launch was canceled.

Setting

Location

See also, List of Jak and Daxter Locations

Like its predecessors, Jak 3 takes place in an un-named fictional universe created by Naughty Dog especially for the games. Specifically, it is set in the New World, its time frame placing it around 300 years after the events of the first game. Jak 3 largely focuses on the Wasteland, a large desert only briefly referred to in the previous entry in the series as being completely uninhabited and inhospitable.

Spargus City, a large settlement within the Wasteland bordering the ocean, is where the game officially begins, and serves as a hub for the player, where new weapons and upgrades can be earned, and most missions are given out. Later on, the plot shifts focus to Haven City, a sprawling metropolis which was the central locale in Jak II, though the size of the area is only a fifth of the Wasteland. Some levels from the previous game are radically altered or removed entirely, while others are added, branching off from Spargus and the Wasteland rather than from Haven.

Plot

The game opens with Jak and Daxter being banished into the Wasteland by the tyrannical Count Veger for supposed crimes against Haven City. As they begin to succumb to the heat of the desert, they are rescued by a group of desert-dwellers, who take them back to the city of Spargus.

Upon their arrival in Spargus, Damos, the king, demands that Jak serve him in return for allowing Jak to remain in the city. During one of Damas' missions, Jak is found by Ashelin, who begs him to come back to Haven City to defend it from the Metal Heads and the new Krimzon Guard Deathbots. Still embittered about being exiled, he refuses to return. Ashelin leaves him, but later, Jak changes his mind and makes the journey via transport to Haven City. Jak and Daxter help reunite the resistance in Haven and give them hope that they can beat back the Metal Heads and Deathbots.

Partway through the game, Jak and Daxter start to encounter strange creatures. A Precursor telescope in the outskirts of Haven City reveals that the beings are Dark Makers, who were once Precursors, but exposure to Dark Eco transformed them into twisted beings. Jak finds that a purple star in the sky is actually a Dark Maker space ship, and it is nearing the planet. The only way to stop the ship is to activate the planetary defense system situated at the core of the planet, and after defeating the Metal Heads and Deathbots in Haven City, Jak and Daxter begin their trek to the Planet Core.

Once there, they are ambushed by Count Veger, who is shortly detained by a small group of Precursors. The Precursors send Jak and Daxter to the Dark Maker ship to slow it down while the planetary defense system charges. The mission is a success, but as the ship is breaking apart, a gigantic, spider-legged Dark Maker terraformer commanded by the Deathbot leader, Errol, escapes from the ship and descends to the planet. Jak follows, and after a battle, the robot is destroyed.

Gameplay

Like its predecessor, the gameplay of Jak 3 is a blend of platforming, driving, and gun combat. The player is led through the story as they complete missions, assigned by the various characters in the game. Missions can consist of anything from defeating particular enemies, reaching a specific location, or completing a puzzle. With the exception of timed or otherwise linear missions, the player is free to explore the game world as they see fit. Special machines set up around the levels also assign short, non-plot-related tasks; completion of these goals will reward the player with currency-like Precursor Orbs, which can then be used to purchase cheats.

Cheats, made available as the player progresses, can upgrade weapons, flip the game world around into a mirror image of itself, or grant the player invincibility. After the game has been completed, the Hero Mode option is made accessible, which, when purchased, allows the player to re-play the game at a harder difficulty level. As Precursor Orb count is not reset, and the orbs are regenerated at their original locations, the player is able to regather orbs that he or she had already collected the previous time they played through the game. Collecting all 600 Precursor Orbs has some cosmetic effects on Jak's appearance, but has no effects other than this.

There are some differences between Jak 3 and Jak II. Most notably are the changes undergone by the Haven City environments. While Jak II provided the player with four different types of guns, Jak 3 expands on the concept with two additional modifications for each type, ending with a total of twelve weapons. Also, the 'Dark Jak' form, introduced in Jak II, which allowed the player to transform into a more powerful version of Jak, is countered by a 'Light Jak' form that mainly focuses on defensive abilities.

Characters

Protagonists

As in the games before it, Jak 3's two main protagonists are Jak and his best friend Daxter, who is a fictional cross between an otter and a weasel, called an ottsel. Jak's mechanic friend Keira returns in this game, though she is no longer his love interest; this role has been filled by Ashelin, a captain of the Freedom League, who was previously involved with Torn, the now-commander of the League. Daxter's girlfriend Tess returns as a weapons designer. Keira's father, Samos, also makes appearances through the game.

A new character, Damas, is first seen here. He is the king of Spargus City, and is later revealed to be Jak's father, though he dies before he discovers this. More minor characters include Sig, a spy of Damas back in Haven City; Onin, a blind and mute soothsayer, and Pecker, Onin's translator and adviser to Damas in the early parts of the game.

Antagonists

Few of the original antagonists from Jak II reappear in Jak 3. A new secondary villain is Count Veger, a self-absorbed Haven City aristocrat who banishes Jak to the wasteland at the beginning of the game. The player later finds that Veger wishes to journey to the core of the planet and gain the power of the Precursors. Even as he attempts this, a species known as the Dark Makers begin to invade the planet, seeking to destroy it. The Dark Makers are Precursors who have been corrupted by Dark Eco, similarly to the antagonists of The Precursor Legacy.

The main antagonist is Krimzon Guard commander Erol, first introduced in Jak II, renamed Errol for reasons that are not explained. He is a cybernetic version of himself, as he was killed in Jak II when he crashed into a pile of Eco barrels during a race with Jak. Sometime before the start of Jak 3, he begins manufacturing newer Krimzon Guard robots and makes war on Haven City, later forging an alliance with the Dark Makers. He obtains a massive Dark Maker terraforming robot at the end of the game, with which he attempts to destroy the planet. The Terraformer, with him in it, is then destroyed by Jak as it advances through the Wasteland towards Spargus City.

Development

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Reception

Jak 3 received positive reviews, such as an 8.6 out of 10 from Gamespot, a 9.6 out of 10 from IGN, and a 9.25 out of 10 from Game Informer Magazine. Its average review score is an 84 out of 100 from Metacritic.

References

External links

• Official North American website
• Official European website
• Naughty Dog's Jak 3 Site
• Jak 3 at MobyGames