The best PS2 games began the hype of the most popular franchises we know today. This includes the likes of God of War, Kingdom Hearts, and Ratchet & Clank; here are the games tha??t represent the best experiences on Sony's best-selling platform.

10. God of War

God of War is one of the PS2's most iconic games, and for good reas??on. It features outstanding character action as you whip your enemies with the Chains of Olympus and take them down in grisly detail. The storyline is epic, the visuals are still cinematic to this day, and you'll love the intense boss battles from this game. Kratos might be one-note in this PS2 interpretation when compared to the re?boot-quel PS4 series, but it's still fun to take down the Greek gods one by one. What brings it down a bit are the annoying puzzles that spoil the game's pace.

9. Beyond Good & Evil

One of the most underrated games on the PS2 (and also one of the best) is Beyond Good & Evil. It features a riveting story that has you uncovering a sci-fi conspiracy. You're taking pictures for the IRIS Network, revealing details about a corrupt organization that is taking prisoners. It's set up in a Zelda-like way, where you solve puzzles, take down bosses, and try to get through each "dungeon" alive. It also has an open world to explore with plenty of ?secrets to find. There are l??ots of animals to take pictures of to get money and other rewards.

"The game manages to draw one in and keep the player involved with a charming game world and a strong, atypical female protagonist," said our review of the 2011 HD version.

8. Sly Cooper & The Thievius Racooonus

After playing this game very recently on the PS5, thanks to PlayStation Plus Premium, Sly Cooper & The Thievius Racoonus holds up exceptionally well. The art style looks stunning on screen as it has comic book-like visuals. It's fun to clobber enemies with Sly's cane and stealthily move across each level with the abilities this raccoon gets from his ancestors. The developer Sucker Punch Productions (inFAMOUS, Ghost of Tsushima) continues to throw in twists to the gameplay to keep Sly's adventure fresh from beginning to end. Check this game out now for a unique 3D platformer?? that takes place around the world.

7. Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

From one platforming hero to another, Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is by far the best of this Naughty Dog-developed trilogy. It features bright, bold visuals, with plenty of entertaining platforming challenges across the game's world. The biomes are varied and present engaging game designs. Additionally, Daxter is a successful comedic relief for the game as he tries to shake Jak back alive after he is taken down by his enemies. The Precursor Legacy also controls ?greatly a?s Jak rolls and jumps his way to each platform. It is an impressive visual spectacle for the PS2 and should be praised.

6. Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal

Arguably the best of the three platforming mascots from the PS2 era is Ratchet with his best pal Clank. I challenge you to find a PS2 game funnier than Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal. It has the hilarious antagonist Dr. Nefarious alongside his straight-person sidekick Lawrence with funny banter and well-timed slapstick. You a??lso get Courtney Gears, a funny albeit dated reference to Britney Spears. Ratchet & Clank are also fantastic as the protagonists of the game with quips of their own.

Up Your Arsenal features all kinds of weapons at the Lombax's disposal. You have the electrifying Shock Blaster, the powerful Plasma Whip, and the Qwack-O-Ray, which turns your enemies into explosive ducks. The developer Insomniac Games is so creative with its weapons, and the platforming is also varied all the way through with fun segments like using the gravity boots and riding grind rails with Ra??tchet's footwear.

5. Resident Evil 4

While Resident Evil 4 hasn't aged the best when compared to other games on this list, you can't deny its importance in the industry. It revolutionized th??e third-person shooter genre with great controls (at the time), powerful guns, and exhilarating blockbuster moments that k??ept us glued to the screens.

It also broug??ht in an era of quick-time events, which began a cinematic era in gaming, for better or for worse. This Capcom game delivers a successfully creepy atmosphere with its? dark European aesthetic. The storyline is also effective as you try to save the President's daughter, who has been kidnapped by this scary cult.

"The game proves that sometimes all you need is a simple gameplay hook, as well as the bravery to stick with it, in order to drive home a compelling experience," said our review of this game's HD version in 2011.

4. Kingdom Hearts 2

Square Enix delivered one of the best PS2 games in 2005 when Kingdom Hearts 2 launched that December in Japan. It has an engaging narrative with fascinating original characters to meet, in addition to Final Fantasy and Disney heroes along the way. In addition, the combat is stellar and still has the best action RPG system to date. The reaction command mechanic has you dyna?mically react to enemy attacks, and the combat options available to the pl?ayer, such as abilities, magic, drive forms, summons, and more, are immense.

The boss battles are also epic as you confront the powerful Organization XIII, heartless, and nobodies that stand in your way. I'll never forget pressing triangle and cross as fast as I can to block Xemnas' constant barrage of lasers toward Sora and Riku. The scale of each world is incredible too, especially when you consider it was developed for the PS2. The World That Never Was features a massive castle that you need to work your way up to stop Xemnas' plans. The attention to detail in each Disney world is also immaculate. Mulan's visual art style with the smoke and fire is replicated to perfection, and Beast's Castle looks as impressive as it does in the movie Beauty & The Beast.

3. Persona 4

The Persona series is well-renowned, and for good reason. After you finish each entry, you'll feel like you're saying goodbye to your friends with a tearful smile, and that's the same with Persona 4. Each character i??s w??ell-rounded with likable traits and weaknesses that they show throughout the deep storyline. You'll also get to know them through your social links, and as you increase your bond with them, your abilities grow.

The combat revolves around collecting different monsters called Shadows and using their abilities in battle. You can even fuse them to create stronger creatures for your moveset. It's a fantastic game loop and will keep you playing for many, many hours. We gave the Golden version on Vita a 10/10 rating in our review. "The summoning system of the Persona games has been likened to Pokemon’s monster collecting and, while they’re similar in the collection aspect, I feel Atlusâ€?work is quite a bi??t deeper in scope, and certainly mor?e adult," it said. "For being engrossing they’re on the same level."

2. Shadow of the Colossus

Shadow of the Colossus is an artistic masterpiece that every gamer should get the chance to play. With incredible visuals and stunning music, you play as Wonder on an incredible journey to save his love. To do that, you have to take down these gigantic creatures fittingly called colossi. The game features a protagonist that isn't perfect. He is slim, stumbles around, and can fall down easily. It sounds frustrating at first, but part of the charm is that you're playing as?? this weaker man fighting against these terrifying beasts. He isn't Kratos, he's relatable.

The colossi themselves are levels as you're trying to find a way to scale up them and strike your sword into their weak spot. When the puzzle of how to climb a colossus is solved, you get a rush of satisfaction as the magnificent track "The Opened Way" blasts out loud in glee. Everything in this game comes together in a beautiful package, and it's one of PlayStation's best games ever.

1. Final Fantasy X

One game triumphs over the mighty colossi, and that's Final Fantasy X, arguably Square Enix's magnum opus. Final Fantasy X tells a stellar story. As a fish out of water, the main protagonist Tidus experiences a new world 1,000 years into the future. The characters he meets along the way have interesting personalities that change the trajectory of the narrative significantly. They all have their own roles to play in the party. You'll get invested in every character, especially Yuna and Tidus, who share a touching romantic story across the game's lengthy campaign. The voice performances are also impressive, especially if you consider this is the first mainline game in the Final Fantasy series to feature voice acting.

I cried multiple times when I played this as a kid and after playing through the game five or so years ago, I had the same reaction. What helps add to the drama and emotion of the narrative is the impeccable soundtrack by? Nobuo Uematsu, who delivers his best work with themes l??ike "To Zanarkand" and "Movement in Green."

Spira takes your breath away

What is just as memorable is the sights of Spira, the land where Final Fantasy X takes place. The designs of the temples, the gorgeous scenery of Besaid, and the grand cities of these islands stick in my mind decades after playing Final Fantasy X for the first time.

Additionally, the turn-based combat system is one of the best the legendary Final Fantasy series has to offer. You can switch our party member?s for strategic depth, interact with objects during the battle in a puzzle-like fashion against bosses, use special abi??lities, and utilize the mega-customizable Sphere Grid that lets you progress your characters in your own way.

"Its story, which follows summoner Yuna on her journey across the world of Spira to fight Sin, is one of Square Enix’s best," said our review of the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD remaster. "Likable characters with memorable outf??its, a fantastic musical score, and a powerful ending made this game one of the best role-playing games of the PS2 era."

The post The 10 best PS2 games of all time, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

Hermen Hulst, one of PlayStation's joint CEOs, recently sat down to talk with Famitsu in order to talk about the brand's recent 30th Anniversary and, most important of all, to discuss its future. In this interview, he revealed something fascinating and promising about some classic PlayStation?? IPs.

At one point (which @realradec translated into English) Famitsu asked Hulst about all the classic PlayStation characters that appeared as fun little cameos in Astro Bot, which prompted many fans to ask Sony for a proper revival of franchises like Ape Escape, Jak & Daxter, Sly Cooper and more. Hulst replied by saying, "Our extensive IP portfolio is an important asset for PlayStation, and as part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we continual?ly explore opportunities to leverage our legacy IP as well as develop new franchises."

This is a particularly interesting and optimistic answer since numerous people have accused PlayStation of leaving most of its classic franchises behind. However, Astro Bot did an effective job at both reminding players about these legacy IPs and inspiring them to ask the company for new entries in all these series. There's literally an entire level-themed after Ape Escape in Astro Bot, so why ??can't Sony greenlight the development of an entire new game in that style?

Fortunately for PlayStation fans, the future ahead of them is quite bright because Astro Bot was a critical and commercial success, to the point t??hat it even won the Game of the Year award. This may inspire Sony to keep making new cartoony 3D mascot platformers, so franchises like Ape Escape, Jak & Daxter, Sly Cooper, MediEvil and more may make a comeback very soon.

PlayStation wants to publish more Third Party video games

But of course, the PlayStation brand is not just about the first party games and franchises the company produces firsthand, since it has also established close relationships with many other studios and publishers in order to make their games exclusive to PS4 and/or PS5. In another part of the interview, Famitsu asked Hulst about Team Ninja's Rise of the Ronin and Shift Up's Stellar Blade, two gre??at th?ird-party PS5 exclusives that came out in 2024.

Hulst told Famitsu that creativity and great games come from everywhere, and while the company is always looking to develop content within PlayStation Studios, it also collaborates with external studios. "It's important to have a wide variety of games in our portfolio that can be enjoyed by all types of players. To provide fresh joy and experiences to PlayStation players, we are constantly reviewing the contents of our po?rtfolio and considering expanding ?the genres that are in demand and introducing new types of games. Our aim is to publish games from the world's best creators," said Hulst.

This means that we can definitely expect more third-party PS5 exclusives in the near future. Some Reddit users disapproved of Hulst's answer, calling the idea of timed exclusives like Stellar Blade or Final Fantasy XVI an "anti-consumer practice." However, Sony has been quite open to publishing games that are not 100% exclusive in the past few years (Like Helldivers 2, which Hulst mentioned in the Famitsu interview because it launched on PC as well), not to mention that it helped studios like Shift Up with the development of games like Stellar Blade. It seems Pl??ayStation actually wants to help them make bigger and better games instead of simply paying for some easy-t??imed exclusives.

The post PlayStation is interested in leveraging some of its legacy IPs, according to i?ts CEO appeared first on Destructoid.

From Sandover Village to Metal Head City, the Jak & Daxter games?? have taken us to many different locations over the years.

While there hasn't been a recent entry, these PS2 and PSP games are worth venturing into. Those two PlayStation platforms are fondly remembered for a reason, and games like the Jak and Daxter series?? are definitely a part of the fond memories that many of us have from?? those wonderful times.

Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - 2001

2001 was the year this mascot platformer franchise kicked off, with Jak and Daxter teaming up to find a way to reve?rse the latter's otter-like transformation

The Precursor Legacy is more light-hearted than f?uture entries with vibrant graphics and a brighter tone in its script. One of the most impressive parts of the first game is ?that you can see previously explored areas in the distance. Therefore, it was a good showcase of what the newly-released PS2 could do.

Jak II - 2003

Inspired by the likes of Grand Theft Auto 3, this sequel to Jak & Daxter took on a darker tone. After entering a strange portal, Jak is captured and experimented on with dark eco for years. Daxter eventually breaks him free, and Jak swears vengeance on his captors. The protagonist looks older, p?otentially trying to make the series appeal more to older audiences. The script became a little edgier, too.

Haven City's the main hub of the game as Jak and Daxter can explore the open area in vehicles, quite similar to GTA. It also introduces guns into the gameplay experience. One of my major complaints is that the checkpoints are too sparse. According to HowLongToBeat, it takes around 17 hours to finish the? story, likely somewhat due to the bad checkpoint s??ystem.

Jak 3 - 2004

Developer Naughty Dog came out swinging with a sequel one year later. Man, it was amazing to have sequels released so quickly back then. This time Jak and our otter-like friend step into the desert landscape of the Wasteland. Instead of New Haven, the hub area is Spargus City. The game features new vehicles like dune buggies that players relished controlling. There are als??o animals, if you prefer that option.

Jak 3 had positive reviews when it was first released. IGN gave it a staggering 96/100 score. "Jak 3 offers a gamer just about everything," said reviewer Ivan Sulic. "There are twelve interesting guns, four melee attacks, a dark Jak with melee and ranged attacks all his own, and a light Jak capable of shielding himself, flying, freezing time, and self healing." Despite this game releasing just a year after Jak II, it added a lot of features into the mix.

Jak X - 2005

Jak X took racing to the extreme, yet kept the storyline of the series accelerating forward. Inspired by the likes of Mario Kart, Jak and his friends use items to defeat their foes in front of them and pass their position. Each of the race vehicles can be destroyed, and similar to the Burnout series, you'll see the car parts fl??ying all over. It's an absolute rush to play this game, even to this day.

At the beginning of the game, Jak and his friends are poisoned by Krew. The only way to get the antidote is to win the Combat Racing Championship. What's present is a funny script with the quips you'd expect from Jak & Daxter. Jak X is the final Jak & Daxter game developed by Naughty Dog, as the studio moved on to the blockbuster Uncharted series.

Daxter - 2006

Our animal companion Daxter starred in his own PSP game back in 2006. It tells the story of Daxter between the very beginning of Jak II and when he later freed his pal. This game was developed by Ready at Dawn, the studio that would go on to make The Order: 1886.? Instead of Jak's guns and kicks, Daxter ?uses an electric swatter to exterminate bugs.

During platforming segments, Daxter throttles a flamethrower to propel himself, which he'd also employ for combat. Similar to his human pal, Daxter rode vehicles to get around the city. The game was an impressive graphical showcase for the PSP at the time, releasing one year after the platform's launch. It currently has a decent 85 MetaCritic score overall, ranking just above Jak 3, which is an impres??sive feat for a portable entry.

This is the only game not available to play on PS4 and PS5 in some shape or form. Hopefully, a port arrives for PlayStation Plus?? Premium members soon.

Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier - 2009

PlayStation's last effort with the duo is Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier, from High Impact Games, launching on both the PSP and PS2. It's s??ince joined the PlayStation Plus Premium retro games lineup. Inste?ad of a hoverbike or a dune buggy, Jak pilots a battle ship. Daxter also turns into a strange dark eco monster that fires orbs towards his foes. He even spins like Crash Bandicoot, perhaps a reference to Naughty Dog's origins.

Despite the new vehicle and Daxter transformation, The Lost Frontier returns to the similar platforming and third-person shoote??r hybrid gameplay you'd expect.

Unfortunately, The Lost Frontier is commonly known as the worst title in the series. It currently holds a 71 MetaCritic score, which is far lower than prior entries. "As you might expect from a new developer’s take on a series with such history, The Lost Frontier doesn’t feel essential," said Game Informer's review. "If you miss this game, you’re not going to be missing?? any major plot movements or character development in the Jak universe."

Despite this game teasing another adventure, this series has become dormant ever since. Jak IV artwork was showcased in a special Limited Run Games offer, but the original studio N??aughty Dog seems to have moved on from the se??ries, which is a huge shame.

The post All Jak & Daxter games in order appeared first on Destructoid.

He just can't get enough of Sony

I've said it before and I'll say it again: video games are going to take over TV and film in wake of the superhero phenomenon. We already have huge new titles on the way, the most prominent among them being the Uncharted movie that hits theaters on February 18, which means its star Tom Holland has been making the press rounds and answering video game-related questions. When GameSpot asked what his dream adaptation would be, he stated that he would want to make a live-action Jak & Daxter movie, and would play Jak, obviously. He also said he would want to make it in conjunction with A24, so "it was reall?y weird, and like, dark."

//twitter.com/GameSpot/status/1489711611036282889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1489711611036282889%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamespot.com%2Farticles%2Fafter-uncharted-tom-holland-wants-a24-jak-and-daxt????er-movie%2F1100-6500434%2F

Between Spider-Man and Uncharted, Tom seems to have a pretty good rapport with Sony, so his dream project being another Naughty Dog property is not a surprise in the slightest. Naughty Dog's other huge property, The Last of Us, is currently being adapted as an HBO series, so having another series make it to the big screen would be par for the course at this point. I have no idea what a dark live-action version of Jak & Daxter would look like, but I'd probably watch it just to? find out.

I don't know about you guys, but that sounds pretty sweet to me. Jak & Daxter is a really nostalgic game for me, because I'd always play it with my Dad. Those games are actually a lot darker than they'd seem, especially the sequels, so I don't think Tom's idea is that outlandish. Now the quest?ion is, if Tom would be Jak, who would they cast as Daxter?

My money is on someone like Jack Black, although I also think Ben Schwartz would crush ?it. What do you think?

The post Tom Holland wants A24 to make a Jak & Daxter movie appeared first on Destructoid.

Starting a fresh save is fun... but at what cost?

It's been an exhausting year. I look ??to video games as a way to unwind and relax, and even though my backlog is only getting bigger and bigger, I can't bring myself to start any new games �instead, I've stuck to my favorite five games that I know like the back of my hand. Why?

To put it frankly?, I've been really depressed, and learning a new game is tiring. You have to learn a whole new set of mechanics, and know what a game wants from you for things as seemingly simple as progressing through the world with navigation. I can't tell you how many times recently I've been running around in circles because I can't find the path to a new area or come up against a particularly tricky platforming jump I couldn't make, and just gave up entir??ely. I'm calling this frustration "new game fatigue," and if it wasn't already a thing, it is now.

Okay, so I'm kind of being a baby about this. If I was really that stuck I could look up a playthrough and be on my merry way. But the problem is, I feel like Ben Affleck in that meme of him holding the cigarette. You know the one. I do??n't want to have to watch through an hour-long guide to a game before I start it. I want to be able to have fun from the second I get the controller in my hand.

In some cases, this is simply a case of poor design. Maybe the devs didn't make the way forward particularly easy to see for the sake of "realism." Or maybe they didn't tell the player how to use a healing item because they assumed everyone just knows that. It's never intentional, but t??he people who make games aren't perfect, and sometimes the way they implement things into games isn't optimal for easily-digestible tutorials.

The recent trend is making the tutorial as minimal as possible, but dude, som??etimes you just gotta give us instructions. It's okay, we'll still think it's artistic or whatever.

But a lot of the time, I just can't handle learning a new game because I'm tired. Fully mastering a game with complex mechanics is one of the most rewarding feelings I get when playin?g games, but it often takes more brainpower than I have at any given moment. Sometimes the idea of sitting down and trying to figure out how systems like menus, crafting, and currencies work in a new game makes me want to go take a nap.

[caption id="attachment_302456" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] _{[Image Source: RPG Site]}[/caption]There are whole games that are off the table for me because it's just too much damn work. I have a little over an hour logged in Darkest Dungeon, which on paper I should love, but I shelved it when I realized I needed to watch like three hours of guides on YouTube to make it through a somewhat successful run. The Witcher 3 is arguably one of the best games of all time, and it's been in my backlog for years, but the sheer size and volume of that game means it keeps getting pushed until later. League of Legends is a non-starter.

And this is coming from someone who plays games for a living. A few years ago, when I got my first job in game development, my dad bought a PS4 to support me, and said he was going to play all the games I've worked on. I thought this was incredibly sweet of him, but almost two years later, he really hasn't played much of anything. He tried the 2018 God of War, and t?hought it was cool, but had to give up because he couldn't figure ?out the combos the game wanted him to do and kept dying.

He did return to the Ratchet & Clank series, which was one of his favorites to play on the PS2 that we had growing up. One night, he called me on the phone to ask me how to complete a level, because although he was? killing the enemies, they kept coming; he didn't realize that he needed to destroy the ship they were com??ing out of in order to stop them from spawning.

[caption id="attachment_302455" align="alignnone" width="1200"] _{[Image Source: The AU Review]}[/caption]Seeing my dad struggle so much to complete really basic game tasks gets me thinking a lot about games literacy, and how we need to de??sign games with completely fresh players in mind, as well as build out more tools and tutoria?ls to make the learning process go more smoothly.

I digress though. My point here is that the one game my dad was able to complete was Jak and Daxter, his absolute favorite game of all time. When he kept coming ??up against games that didn't make sense to him, or felt like too much effort to try and learn, he returned to a classic he knew inside and out. He said it only took him four hours to beat, and he really hasn't had any desire to pick up anything else. Welcome to my world, Dad.

So, do you experience new game fatigue? How do you combat it? Are you playing any games right n??ow that fee??l like more trouble than they're worth?

The post Does anyone else get new game fatigue? appeared first on Destructoid.

Developer addresses fan speculation

Naughty Dog, a studio seemingly locked into making Uncharted and The Last of Us releases until the end of time, has closed down internet hopes that it is secretly working on a new entry in fantasy franchise Jak & Daxter.

The fevered fan requests were addressed by Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells in an Academy of Interactive Arts & Science's Game Maker interview, conducted by Insomniac Games' Ted Price and transcribed by news outlet VGC.

"We've had a couple of Twitter campaigns where people have been tweeting us every single day... 'I want a new Jak & Daxter, I want a new Jak & Daxter.?' And they aren't just simple 280-character tweets, they have Photoshopped memes and everything they're including on a daily basis, and the effort has got to be significant."

"I hate to break it to them," continues Wells. "We do not have Jak & Daxter here in development right now. We still love the characters and I see what you guys [Insomniac] are doing [with Ratchet & Clank] and that makes me wish that we did, and we would have one in development because there’s still a lot of love for Jak & Daxter in the studio."

It's tough news to take for fans of the quirky platforming franchise, given that the last (non-compendium) Jak & Daxter release was way back in 2009, with PSP entry Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier. Still, it will be interesting to see if any impact from Insomniac's upcoming Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart can help catch Sony's eyes and ears. But given the publisher's current focus on mainstream blockbusters over all else, any potential J&D return will apparently remai?n a pipe dream for the time being.

The post Naughty Dog ‘wishes’ it was working on a new Jak & Daxter, but it isn’t appeared first on Destructoid.

Commander-in-Grief

Developer Naughty Dog has announc??ed that it is promoting its Vice President, Neil Druckmann, to the position of Co-President. Druckmann will now work alongside President Evan Wells, overseeing the Sony partner studio going forwa??rd.

"Neil Druckmann now joins me as Co-President of Naughty Dog, after serving almost three years as Vice President," said Wells in an official press release. "In addition, we’re welcoming Alison Mori and Christian Gyrling as Vice Presidents of Naughty Dog. Prior to bec?oming Vice President, Alison served as our Director of Operations and Christian served as our Co-Director of Programming."

"We have such an incredible team at Naughty Dog and being able to work alongside each and every one of them is especially meaningfu??l these days. I feel proud of the team when I’m able to recognize their accomplishments and contributions to the studio. Please join me in giving them all a big congratulations!"

Druckmann has worked with Naughty Dog almost his entire video game career. Joining the company in 2004, The Israeli-American worked as an intern before taking up coding roles on titles such as Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing. Druckmann's break came as a designer on the Uncharted series, which would eventually lead to a celebrated creative director role on uber-grim adventure The Last of Us.

Druckmann was promoted to the position of Naughty Dog Vice President during the lengthy production of equally dark sequel The Last of Us Part II. Druckmann's new role as Co-President arrives in the wake of the title's release this past summer, where it sold over four million copies worldwide in its opening week. Druckmann will also serve as a producer on the coming The Last of Us television adaptation.

The post Naughty Dog promotes Neil Druckm??ann to Co-President appeared first on Destructoid.

Say goodnight, Jak

Months ago, Sony released a PS2 classic version of Jak and Daxter on the PS4 with intentions to complete the series at some point. ??Whatever the reason for the delay, Naughty Dog's PS2 series will finally reach its conclus??ion next week.

On December 6, the Jak II, Jak 3 and Jak X Combat Racing w??ill be available for download on your PS4. You can nab each game individually or together as a bundle. I'm not sure if that bundle includes the first game or not, but at least you ??can finally put the series to bed.

Jak and Daxter PS2 Classics Ava??ilable f??or Download on PS4 December 6 [PlayStation Blog]

The post The rest of the?? Jak and Daxter games will be hitting P??S4 next week appeared first on Destructoid.

Better than not at all, I guess?

Naughty Dog will "up-render" Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II, Jak 3, and Jak X: Combat Racing for digital release on PlayStation 4 sometime this year. That means it's the original PS2 versions rather than the PS3 HD renditions for the first three games. Jak X: Combat Racing will release for the first time since its original launch?? in 2005, though it will not feature online multiplayer.

Yes it's a lot of work, but if Naughty Dog is not going to port the HD versions alongside a properly-made HD remaster of Jak X with online multiplayer, then why bother? Jak X ??may not be a big deal, but Naughty Dog decided it was a big enough deal to port it. They're just not giving anyone a reason to pay to emulate it on PS4.

It would have been nice if Naughty Dog also brought over the PSP titles The Lost Frontier and Daxter. The issue with those games is either they are not developed by Naughty Dog or Naughty Dog simply doesn't want to "u?p-render" PSP games.

Tr?eat your products and your fans with care. When you show indifference to your work, your customers will too.&?nbsp;

The post Jak and Daxter P?S2 games, not HD versions, get PS4 port appeared first on Destructoid.

'I can step away feeling confident about [the studio's] future'

After 15 years with Naughty Dog, co-president Christophe Balestra is stepping away from the studio.

"I am doing it now out of utmost respect for the team and their unwavering dedication to Naughty Dog and our projects," he shared in a message posted today on the company website. "The time has come for me to now spend more time with my family and cre??ate a void to see what I can fill it with (which will obviously involve programming)." His last day is set for April 3, ??2017.

Balestra also reminisced about his decade and a half with the Uncharted and Last of Us studio. Back in 2002, he came on board as a programmer because he was "excited to join the team that created Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter." The appeal, he says, "was working with the team responsible for games I love to play, ones tha??t also looked stunning and were technically ahead of their time??."

"Our 'secret' is and, always will be, the talent and drive of the whole team at Naughty Dog," he explained. "That's why I can step away feeling confident about the ?future of Naughty Dog — because the team is only losing only one of its many members."

Next up, we've got Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and The Last of Us Part II. After that? I'm dying to know. As for Naughty Dog's fellow co-president, Evan Wells, he's not going anywhere.

A Message from Co-President Christophe Balestra [Naughty Dog]

The post N?aughty Dog co-president Christophe Balestra to retire appeared first on Destructoid.

Spyro, Crash, Tearaway, and more

Whether it's games, movies, books, whatever, I love listening to creators talk about their craft. It can be enthralling to hear how the creative process differs between not only mediums, but individuals. One video series I'm fond of is Devs Play, a show put on by Double Fine and 2 Player Productions where seasoned develop??ers chat about their games and share fun old anecdotes.

While the first season touched on a bunch of genres, season two is centered on platform-action games. Specifically: Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Assassin's Creed II, LittleBigPlanet, Tearaway, Crash Bandicoot, and Jak and Daxter.

With that last episode now on YouTube, I figured a roundup was in order. I'm only a few minutes in and Naughty Dog co-founder Jason Rubin has already spoken about how he split his time during development (half management, half p?article systems) and how Jak was designed by committee, with different regions in mind, while Daxter had more of a singular vision. So, pretty g?ood!

That's it for the main season, but there is going to be a bonus episode with a mystery guest soon. Their identity will be unveiled once the crowdfunding campaign for Psychonauts 2 wraps up.

The post D?evs Play season two has over ??five hours of game makers chatting appeared first on Destructoid.

Then they didn't, thankfully

A new Jak and Daxter game almost happened, courtesy of the team that gave us the excellent, The Last of Us. When the team formed, Last of Us writer and co-director Neil Druckmann explained as part of the IGDA Toronto 2013 keynote, it began hashing out a reboot for the Jak and Daxter series until t?he ideas the team was passionate about began straying too far from the property.

"We found the ideas we were passionate about were kind of getting away from what Jak and Daxter was and we were questioning, 'Are we doing this for marketing reasons and naming something Jak and Daxter when it's not really Jak and Daxter?" Druckmann said. 

We felt like we weren't doing service to what the fans of this franchise really liked. ... So we went to our boss and said, 'Do we have to do this?' And he said, '??No. I thought it would just be easier for you g?uys if you started with something, but if you want to do something else, come up with something else.'

Sorry Jak and Daxter fans. By which I mean I'm not sorry at all because The Last of Us was very, very good and you all probably would've been as upset about the reboot as DmC haters. Also, can we take a minute to admire how lovely of a company Naughty Dog seems, what with its employees not wanting to disappoint a fanbase and its bosses being lenient enough to allow them to do something totally different. Can you walk up to your boss and ask to do somet??hing entirely different?

[Via Neogaf]

The post Last of Us team initially tried to reboot Jak and Da??xter appeared first on Destructoid.

The PlayStation 2 duo immortalized

Hey Jak and Daxter fans! If you're not too busy plowing through the recently released Jak and Daxter Collection on Vita you may want to check out thi?s slick new statue complete with artificial grass.

Acquiring the license for Sony's PlayStation All-Stars series, Gaming Heads has crafted a lovely 15 inch tall monument of Naughty Dog's dynamic duo. Two editions will be available: the regular (limited to 750 pieces) for $189.99 and an exclusive bronze edition (350 pieces) for $199.99.

I'm not too sure what to think about the bronze edition, but the regular is looking quite dandy. I really can't wait to see what Playstation All-Star member they choose next. My vote is for Kat from Gravity Rush. Now that I'd buy. 

Gaming Heads reveals Jak and Daxter statue [TomoPop]

The post Check out this sweet new Jak and Daxter statue appeared first on Destructoid.

A naughty port

I have an interesting relationship with the Jak and Daxter s?eries. I went into the first game expe??cting absolutely nothing, and came away so impressed that I now consider it one of my most beloved platformers of all time.

But was once a whimsical and fairly child-friendly series quickly took a dark turn, as Jak is not only captured at the beginning of the second game, but tortured for two years and turned into a half-mutant dark version of himself. Jak was no longer the cute mute he was in the first innocent adventur??e -- he was animated, vocal, and angry. This evolution of the formula is just one way Naughty Dog kept the franchise fresh, and relevant.

In other words, you absolutely need to expe?rience this trilogy -- but probably not on the PlayStation Vita.

Jak and Daxter Collection (PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita [reviewed])
Developer: Naughty Dog / Mass Media Inc.
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Released: June 18, 2013
MSRP: $19.99 (PlayStation 3) / $29.99 (PlayStation Vita)

The Precursor Legacy (the first game) is my absolute favorite of the pack. There's somethi?ng about the whimsical charm of the game's world, graphical style, and characters that really won me over from day one. Although it easily could have been "just another mascot clone," it transcended the realm of borrowed tropes and forged a name for itself. The game is a perfect match of platforming, action, and collecting without any one aspect overwhelming the player? at any given time.

But there's one major problem with the Vita collection's version of Precursor Legacy -- it suffers a severe drop in framerate from the PS3 version, and has input lag to boot. While the other two games run respectably on Sony's portable, the first game's issues are utterly obvious. It may have something to do with the open-world nature of the game (since Jak II and 3 have lots of segmented areas). Precursor Legacy is still technically playable, but not without the aforementi?oned headaches.

Thankfully, Jak II steps it up a bit and provides a better framerate and no input lag to speak of. It also boasts a darker plot, guns (for better or worse), and severely overhauled gameplay mechanics. It even has elements of Grand Theft Auto in the for?m of traversing its hub world (Haven City) with flying vehicl?es.

It also goes a step further and eschews the fairly simple difficulty of the original in favor of an incredibly punishing, much tougher challenge. It's reasons like these that made Jak II so polarizing even to this day, but as a general rule I think it's a still a very serviceable ??platformer that has some interesting, unique concepts, and you have to respect N??aughty Dog's desire to innovate.

Jak 3 is basically an amalgamation of everything Naughty Dog learned from the first two games. That doesn't necessarily mean it's better -- it just feels a bit different. The visuals hold up far better than its predecessors, and despite the initial barren feeling of the desert Wasteland zone, it manages to present one of the most memorable environments yet. Gameplay-wise Jak 3 mixes it up more than almost any other platformer before it, adding in arena portions, as well as fun minigames and a better racing minigame than Jak II. While I don't like it nearly as much as the first game or the second, i??t still holds its own and is easily worth checking off a bucket list.

Every single person has a different view of each game in the core Jak and Daxter trilogy, and that's one of the reasons that makes it so special. All three games try new things and almost feel like they're not even in the same franchise, which makes this a perfect candida?te for a collection given the sheer amount of variety. But not all ports were created equal, and the Vita version simply ca?nnot match up to its PS3 counterpart.

Along with the sad news of the under-performing Jak 1 port, there's also a number of other issues with the Vita version of the game. Namely, there is no cross-save functionality whatsoever with the PS3 version, and there is no cross-buy feature unless you own the digital version of either game (although there are reports of users having issues w?ith cross-buy in general).

There also isn't any new content to speak of or any Vita-specific bonuses, outside of adding touch-screen controls to the trilogy's sparing mini-games, and mapping L2/R2 functionality to the rear touchpad (which is awkward, by the way). Just like the PS3 versio??n, you can't quit out of a game and re-select another in the trilogy without resetting it entirely. To make matters worse, the Vita version never pushes 60 frames per second like the PS3 collection, and approaches a rate consistently closer to 30 (or lower).

Jak and Daxter is an excellent franchise and one of?? my all-time favorites, but the Vita collection doesn't really do it justice. If you're keen on experiencing these classics, whether it's for the first or fortieth time, it's probably best to wait for either a price drop, or just pick up the superior PS3 version.

The post Review: Jak and Daxter Collection (Vita) appeared first on Destructoid.

Plus Magrunner, Jak & Daxter, and Knights of Pen & Paper +1

With E3 behind us, it's time to get back to playing games that are actually out now. And this week we're being treated to the delightfully unexpected New Super Luigi U. Mario's just a boring old plumber, so it's no surprise that Nintendo are finally realising what we've all known for ye??ars: it's better with Luigi.

As well as New Super Luigi U, we're getting the bizarre action physics game, Magrunner; the D&D double pack, Chronicles of Mystara arrives; the first three Jak & Daxter games get squashed into one collection; and quirky meta-RPG Knights of Pen & Paper + 1 drops.

What's floating your boat this week?

PC: Magrunner Dark Pulse, Knights of Pen & Paper +1, MotoGP 13, Binary Maze, Dracula 4: The Shadow of the Dragon, Pro Cycling Manager 2013, Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara

Wii U: New Super Luigi U, Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara

Vita: Jak & Daxter Trilogy, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two 

Android: Dracula 4: The Shadow of the Dragon 

iOS: Dracula 4: The Shadow of the Dragon

PSN: Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, Storm, Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara

XBLA: Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara

Magrunner Dark Pulse (PC)

Knights of Pen & Paper +1 (PC)

MotoGP 13 (PC)

Binary Maze (PC)

Dracula 4: The Shadow of the Dragon (Android, iOS, Mac, PC)

Jak and Daxter Trilogy (Vita)

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (Vita)

Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara (PSN, PC, Xbox 360, Wii U)

The post New releases: Luigi is in charge appeared first on Destructoid.

The Destructoid Show wears two Hawaiian shirts at once

Well, I done goofed when I was making the thumbnail for this episode. The Evil Inside is not an actual video game. I am dumb.

Today's formerly-live Destructoid Show covers the announcement of Bethesda and Shinji Mikami's new game, The Evil Within, as well as the upcoming collected versions of Jak & Daxter (on Vita) and Metal Gear Solid, the suspicious pricing of Deadpool, Fez's PC release and remixed soundtrack, and finally: a big fat round-up of Nintendo Direct news.

The post The Evil Within, Deadpool, & Legend Of Yoshi’s 3D Luigi U appeared first on Destructoid.

$29.99 for the collection that previously came to the PS3

That rumored Vita release of the Jak and Daxter Collection has been confirmed today, at a $29.99 price point. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II, and Jak 3 will comprise the collection, just like the PS3 version. Right now there's a "J?une" r?elease window, with no solid date confirmed yet.

So, more Vita ports! Of course some of you will no doubt be excited?, and some of you will want more. I'll most likely picking it up due to the portability factor, as I didn't get the original PS3 collection in favor of playing my PS2 copies.

Jak and Daxter [PlayStation Blog]

The post Jak and Daxter Collection coming to the PlayStation V??ita appeared first on Destructoid.

New ESRB listing suggests a port is in the works

The original Jak and Daxter was a charming little platformer if not a bit derivative. The two sequels were... err... something else, for lack of a better phrase. I enjoyed them nonetheless, and I'm disappointed that Naughty Dog doesn't want to give us a proper follow-up. Blame Uncharted.

But at least PS3 owners got the Jak and Daxter Collection! Three of the best 3D platform games on the PlayStation 2 updated with that HD spit shine? Sounds golden to me! Know what would be even better? Being able to take those games on? the road whenever you please.

A new ESRB entry suggests that the Jak and Daxter Collection will receive a Vita port in the near future. It'll contain the same three titles as the PS3 version, thoughI hope Naughty Dog will consider putting at least Daxter or The Lost Frontier as well f??or completion'??s sake. I doubt Vita owners would mind a little extra somethin'-somethin' either.

Jak and Daxter Collection [ESRB via NeoGAF]

The post Jak and Daxter Collection might come to PS Vita appeared first on Destructoid.

Say what you will about rerelease collections, but this one was needed. The Jak and Daxter series conta??ined some of the finest games available on the PS2, and this generation of PS3 gamers may have missed out on Naughty Dog's earliest works, so a series collection was more than welcome. 

The Jak and Daxter Collection takes all three games, remasters them in high-definition running at 60 frames per second, adds Trophy support and 3D supp?ort, and puts them all on one $40 disc for the PS3. Even after more than a decade, Jak and Daxter impress -- that's how good these gam??es are. 

Jak and Daxter Collection (PlayStation 3) 
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: February 7, 2012
MSRP: $39.99

Back in the PS2 days I played all three Jak and Daxter games in their entirety, so the Jak and Daxter Collection was like a stroll down memory lane. Well, more like a? run through an epic triathalon. I forgot how challenging these games were!

Playing them in order, the first game, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, eases you into the series, with platforming action gently ramping up to serious trials and some truly unforgiving ledges and edges. I can't tell you how many times I fell down off a high point, forcing me to work my way back up to a dangerous edge. While this was sometimes frustrating, I found it a bit refreshing compared to modern 3D platformers, where it's a bit harder to fall off an edge. The Precursor Legacy has aged surprisingly well for a title that's more than a decade old. The game's focus on item collect?ion and fetch quests is a bit dated, and some of the movement and camera issues from the early days of 3D platforming pop up at the worst times, bu??t overall it was great to see how this fantastic series kicked off. 

Jak II came a couple of years later, giving the developers time to ramp up the tech and visuals for this sequel. Playing these two back to back in this collection served to highlight the advances, showing just how fast the developers grew. Naughty Dog seemed to explode with creativity in Jak II, bringing a darker story, deeper gameplay, better animation and glimpses of some of the epic scale we've come to love in the Uncharted series. I?n the visual department alone it's truly surprising to see how different the first two games are, especially with the HD upgrading this collection brings.

In this sequel Jak turns into a sometimes-evil badass that can tap into his newfound darkness to hit harder and move faster. This game also introduces gunplay, and there's a neat interplay between the series' standard combat and some of the?? innovative new weapons. This all works nicely in the game's dark, futuristic setting, and it helps elevate the series from a standard platforming fare to a varied, open action-adventure experience.

The structure of Jak II has the heroes freely roaming a massive city, making for a very sandbox-y, non-linear experience. It's fun to run around and cause trouble, but it's also easy for the duo to get lost, and that can be frustrating. Sometimes the game is so ambitious in its scope that it borders on tedious...until you find your way, that is. And while we're on the topic of frustration, some of the game's many story-based challenges are so difficult that I found myself having to take a 15-min?ute break to recollect my composure. This becomes a trend that stands even now with Naughty Dog's current games.

Jak 3 is my favorite title as it brings a close to the series, bringing with it the most refined gameplay of the three games. It's also the best looking title, with the HD upgrades bringing it up to a level where it holds up nicely against current titles. Many of the game's sections shine with detailed animation running at 60 fps, and the cutscenes were so ahead of their time that with this upgrade they are on par with those of the Ratchet and Clank series. Jak 3 was ??a great looking game back in 2004, and it's even better in 2012.

Naughty Dog went absolutely nuts in Jak 3 with gameplay styles, making sure to throw something new at players at every turn. Multiple types of racing, arena shooting, hunting and even arcade gaming break up the platforming action, and it's all really good. These different types of challenges also provide ample opportunities for new Trophies. Aside from the game's camera following a bit too closely for comfort, all of the varied types of gameplay are so refined that you can't help but be impressed. The insanely high ??difficulty of some of the challenges rears its ugly head again in this title, but they're worth sticking out. While I'll always love this game, it features what is easily the most frustrating race segment ever in an 3D action-platformer. 

Jak 3 is a treat for Naughty Dog fans as it serves as an early glimpse into some of the gameplay and design elements they would eventually bring to the Uncharted series on PS3. You'll see some examples of the brilliant storytelling and dial??ogue we've come to expect from them, with plenty of cutscenes packed with?? their trademark humor. Some of Daxter's one-liners had me rolling, and they are great examples of the foundations for Nathan Drake's wisecracking. It's also easy to see several instances of their budding cinematic style and their love for huge event pieces. The whole game is like a preview of what is to come from Naughty Dog, bringing an additional layer of enjoyment for fans of the studio.

The 3D option of this collection is a nice touch, though I wouldn't say that those without 3D televisions are missing much, as there isn't any 3D-specifi??c work in these titles. It's just a subtle tweak that adds to the fun. That said, all three games look great in 3D; the increased depth really benefits vehicle segments. The cutscenes also really pop with 3D on, especially in tight head shots. The games have a 3D depth slider option in the pause menu for fine tuning. 

One? small gripe: While all three games are selectable for play from a main menu, there's no way to exit a game to get back to the menu, meaning that you'll need to quit the disc and go back to the XMB to restart it to select another game. Also, your only 'e?xtra' for this fine collection is a scrolling credits list option. 

The Jak and Daxter Collection is a gift to platforming fans, Naughty Dog fans, and gamers in general. For just a bit over $13 a game you're getting the best version of three PS2 classics, each packed with tight platforming, great characters, hilarious dialogue, and a huge range of gameplay styles. And with the HD and 3D upgrades, these games have never looked better. Some of the item fetching of the earlier games feels a bit old, the platforming gets a bit hairy in spots, and segments of too-tough difficulty are hard to push through, but these are small blemishes on what is otherwise a beautiful collection. The Jak and Daxter series still stands as one of the best p??latf?ormer series ever created, and every gamer should make it a point to play through them.

The post Review: Jak and Daxter Collection appeared first on Destructoid.

The new second team at Naughty Dog is now working on The Last of Us, but before they started on that they "extensively" explored the idea of a PS3 Jak and Daxter game. According to the latest issue of Game Informer the team wanted to use what they've learned from the Uncharted series to make a new Jak. Wouldn't that have been fantastic? I'm playing the Jak and Daxter Collection now?? for review, and I'm absolutely loving getting back into these cla??ssics.

Unfortunately, they eventually?? decided not to do it. Co-president Even Wells explains: 

"Even if we felt like we're going to give the fans another Jak and Daxter, we felt we weren't going to give them the game that they wante??d. We would end up limiting the direction that the company had this passion for while simultaneously not creating the game that fans wanted. We just realized we were going to just do everybody a disservice. So at that point, the conversations started to move in a new direction."

Before you start crying, know that Wells did note that the Uncharted team could still handle a new Jak and Daxter game. Don't get your hopes up, though:

"I guess there's a possibility the Uncharted team could move on to Jak and Daxter. It's still up in the air, but I wouldn't thin??k that's going to happen because I think we'd run into all of the same problems with that team that we did with this team."

The post Naughty Dog considered a PS3 Jak & Daxter, passed on it appeared first on Destructoid.