Daxter is the continuation of the popular platformer franchise, Jak & Daxter. Developed by ReadyAtDawn studios, Daxter takes place between Jak I and Jak II, after Jak was captured and imprisoned in Haven City. For the first time, players assume full control of Daxter, the furry little ottsel in his quest to rescue Jak from prison. After 2 years of solitude and hiding, Daxter is approached and offered a job as a bug exterminator, due to the increasing invasion of bugs around Haven City. With nowhere else to go, Daxter reluctantly accepts the offer in hopes that his "career" path will lead him to Jak's whereabouts. The game begins here.
GRAPHICS
This is by far one of the best graphics I've seen on a PSP game. Its one thing to have good movie presentation graphics in a game, but to have great game graphics to top that, is a milestone achievement. This is one of those PS2-like graphic games all PSP owners have been waiting for. The open-world environment feature in the game tallies with the later of the Jak series, making game fans feel right at home when playing. Each area is deep and immersive, with detailed structures and items to collect. Every nook and cranny feels somewhat real and coherent with the laws of physics (Ice melts when you heat it; the longer you fall the faster you fall; different thrusts for different spray nozzles; water splashes when you jump into it). Since this game is created specially for the PSP (not a ported game), its graphics are well suited for the processing capabilities of the machine. However, the lack of people on the streets and sites give a very lonely feeling to the game. This is understandable due to the fact that the overall pace of the game might slow down if too many details are present in one area (it's a PSP after all, not a PS2). It's interesting though to mention that there are virtually no load times for this game. Now how would an immensely detailed game like this take absolutely no time to load? It's a nifty little trick game developers at ReadyAtDawn came up with: every time you want to enter a different section in the game, you will have to wait for these huge doors to unbolt, clank and unlock. This process gives gamers and illusion of waiting for the door to open, where in truth the game loads while these doors unlock. That is why some doors take longer to unlock, because more loading needs to be done for the next section. Excellent graphics coupled with the ingenuity of no load times sets this game high above the rest in terms of design. (9.5/10)
SOUND
The music in this game adapts very well to its individual surroundings, creating an aura of reality, as though you yourself were there. Each area has a different theme song depending on where you are, and how fast you should be playing. For instance, the train chases and the time limits given to certain areas incorporate rushed music, as though pushing you to play faster. There are also a variety of synthesized sounds to add to the experience -unlocking of doors, bug sprays, ice melting (one of my favs) and crawling – just to name a few. On the voice department, Max Casella returns to play the voice of Daxter, the wise-cracking ottsel with a knack for trouble. Other voices in the game are well-matched with their personalities; old man with a mature and suggestive voice, a sexy lady with a sexy and sarcastic voice, a dude with a hippie voice, and an evil lord with a sinister voice. The seemingly perfect blend of sound and surroundings adds to the interesting gaming experience. (10/10)
GAMEPLAY
Being an opened environment platformer, Daxter is free to roam about the area to collect items and exterminate bugs. The controls for Daxter are pretty easy to master and takes little time to get used to. Basic moves like jumping, swatting and crawling are innate during the initial part of the game. Extra moves like air propelling and uppercuts are gained as you progress. Throughout the game there are various puzzles to be solved and obstacles to overcome, which keeps players thinking on their feet. There are also minigames in the form of Daxter's dreams (Yes, Daxter sleeps too…in such a large bed I might add). There games are in reference to a few pop-cultured movies of today (Matrix, LOTR, Indiana Jones, and Braveheart) where Daxter assumes the hero. These games require fast reflexes to press a button when prompted to, and can get a little challenging at times. In platformers, there are 2 objectives; to complete the story, and to complete the game. In the case of Daxter, the objective of the story is to exterminate bugs and later on rescue Jak. This doesn't take very long, as the level of difficulty is mediocre. To complete the game, players must collect all golden gems and precursor orbs, 1000 in total. Each number of collections unlocks a certain minigame and video extras. This process can be tricky and lengthy as some orbs are pretty well hidden. The only drawback to the gameplay is the lack of creativity in the story. As it goes, Daxter is summoned to various places to exterminate bugs (that's his job after all), and he continues to do so for a certain period of time until he finds the whereabouts of Jak, and goes on to save him. Pretty much most of the game involves Daxter's day job, which some players might find repetitive if compared to the previous Jak series. However, this is a minor flaw and doesn't change the fact that the gameplay is interesting and seamless. (9/10)
OVERALL
ReadyAtDawn studios have succeeded in creating a game that exceeds expectations in all areas of portable gaming. Daxter will become the new benchmark for all other games to be created for the PSP. If you are a fan of platformers and loved the Jak series, you will love this one as much. For those of you who've never tried a platformer on a portable console before, you'll be amazed at how similar Daxter is to a PS2 game, with its brilliant graphics, beautiful sound, and excellent gaming experience. Highly recommended.
(9.5/10)
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