Summary Questions about Jak's mysterious past are finally answered in Jak 3, the series' dramatic conclusion. The fate of the world again rests in the hands of two legendary heroes, as the epic Precursor Legacy comes to a close.

Description Developer Naughty Dog wraps up one of its greatest tales with the third and final installment in their epic Jak series. Long-kept secrets are finally revealed in this conclusion to one of the Playstation 2's best franchises. Who are the Precursors? Who was the mythical warrior Mar and why is he so important? What about Jak's mysterious past? All these mysteries are answered in Jak 3. Story- It's been one year since Jak and Daxter saved Haven City from Kor and the Metal Head menace in Jak II. But the city still finds itself in chaos as it is being destroyed by three factions trying to seize control over it. Not only have Haven City's people grown distrustful of Jak, because of his ties to Krew (a crimelord associated with the Metal Heads), but the last straw came when a group of surviving Metal Heads attacked and destroyed the city's palace. Assuming Jak is still somehow connected to them, Count Vegar and the Haven City High Council banish Jak from the city forever and exile him to the unforgiving wasteland outside the city's walls. Left for dead in the vast desert, Jak discovers that his companion Daxter, and their friend Pecker, has loyally followed him into exile. On the verge of death, the three are found and transported to the thriving desert city of Spargus by people who were also exiled from Haven City. Given another chance at life, Jak and Daxter set off on their final quest to finaly solve the secrets of the Precursors and fulfill their ultimate destiny... Gameplay- Previously, I mentioned how Jak II felt like a "kid-friendly Grand Theft Auto." This time around, Jak 3 plays more like the first game, Jak & Daxter, with more platforming elements added to the GTA style of gameplay. Much like the previous games, Jak 3 has a responsive control scheme that is a lot of fun to play with, whether you are traveling on foot, by Jet Board or on one of the games many other vehicles. Like the Ratchet and Clank and Metal Gear Solid games, I like how Naughty Dog didn't dramatically change the excellent controls from the previous games. Graphics- Much like the transition between the Ratchet and Clank games, the increased variety in environments made the graphics somewhat original over its predecessor. But, the creators still didn't greatly improve the graphics during the short one year period of Jak 3's development. The two year span between Jak & Daxter and Jak II gave the creators more time to fully reinvent the world and its characters. In Jak 3, the new desert environment is the only significant change from Jak II's graphics. Jak 3's graphics are bad, but it would've been nice if 50 percent of the game didn't take place back in Haven City, the world used in Jak II. Overall, I give the graphics an A because, while still nice, I would've liked to have spent more time in the desert rather than the recycled city from the previous game. Sound- If you read my review of Jak II, I really can't say too much differently here. While Jak 3's voice talent and sound effects are good, the music score falls a bit short. It's pretty clear that Naughty Dog doesn't know all that much about conducting music for their games, since you play through the game and *hear* music without really remembering any of it afterward. That's a pretty good sign the game's music wasn't all that great. Precursor Orbs- Precursor Orbs are very valuable to Jak. These orbs can be obtained by either finding them hidden across the land or by completing certain challenges in Spargus and Haven City. As you find Precursor Orbs, you can use them to purchase weapon upgrades (such as damage and ammo increases), cheats (big/small head mode, invincibility, etc.), new vehicles and a variety of other content. Searching for and finding these treasures greatly adds to the replay value of the game. Hidden throughout Jak 3 are 600 orbs you'll need to find if you wish to uncover the game's many secrets. With a good story, high replay value, fun gameplay and dozens of different secrets to unlock, I'd recommend Jak 3 to anyone who owns a PS2. If you haven't played the first two games, I strongly suggest playing them before indulging in Jak 3. As a Greatest Hits title, it's nice to not have to pay more than $20 for this game, even though I think it's worth a $50 price tag. Review Page Hits: 1 today (25 in the last 30 days) Create Your Own Review or