By
Michael Palisano
Naughty Dog's popular
platforming series takes a radical turn with the release of Jak X: Combat
Racing on the PS2. While this move may shock some gamers, the last two Jak
titles had significant racing components, so isn't entirely unexpected.
The game feels like a cross between Twisted Metal and Wipeout, with
weapons and power-ups scattered on each course. Jak X offers standard
driving with combat in arenas and open-ended gathering challenging races
to encompass several racing genres in one package. Fans of the series can
take some solace in the storyline that occurs between races in cut-scenes,
but the emphasis is on the racing action. While this might seem like an
odd change in direction, read our review and find out how Jak X takes a
new spin on this established franchise.
Even though Jak X is technically the
fourth installment in Naughty Dog's successful PS2 franchise, it really
doesn't have much in common with the previous games. While the series has
continually broadened its horizons over its first three installments,
adding different types of gameplay as it moved along, Jak X significantly
narrows its focus onto the racing aspects introduced last year, while
completely losing the last vestiges of the platforming title it started
as. This move will doubtlessly displease longtime fans of the series, but
the initial storyline really ended at the end of Jak 3, so this can be
seen as an extra chapter or an interesting post-script on the series. It's
not an entirely unprecedented move on Naughty Dog's part, either. Their
last franchise Crash Bandicoot followed a similar pattern, with a racing
title ending the series' PS1 run. That said, for what it is, Jak X is a
pretty decent racer that offers solidly entertaining and challenging
racing action in a mold that mixes elements of other popular racing
franchises. The gameplay is consistent throughout with a solid mix of
racing mechanics and power-ups to make for some intense races. The twist
here is that since Jak and his friends, (including the ever-annoying
Daxter) have been poisoned by the evil Krew, one of the underworld heads
in . After his death, he invites the best racers including Jak to a
meeting in Kras City. He tricks them and they find themselves forced to
enter a deadly series of races. If they don't win the championship,
they'll die. This sets up the game's main goal, where only first-place
finishes matter.
To
help prevent monotony from setting in, there are several types of races in
the game. There are 24 unique racing courses in the game, along with 8
open combat arenas. In addition, Jak X includes a cast of ten different
racers you can play as during the game. You have standard lap races, which
take place on a variety of tracks throughout Jak's world. Each of these
tracks has a unique set of parameters and turns. Along each track, players
will find a variety of powerups to collect by running over them. There are
yellow Eco power-ups, which equip your vehicle with weapons including
machine guns and missiles. Running over the Red Eco powerups gives the
player access to rear mounted and defensive weapons such as shields,
deflectors and mines. Finally, there are blue Eco power-ups, which
increase the amount of turbo boost you can collect. The rules are simple -
whoever crosses the finish line first wins, but the opponents are quite
aggressive and will attack you relentlessly regardless of your position in
the race. After you complete each race, you are awarded a number of coins
depending on how you finish and how many times your vehicle was destroyed.
Obviously, you win more when you win a race. You can use to purchase
vehicle upgrades including enhanced turbo boosts, increased armor, better
tires, and other vehicle upgrades. As players win races, they'll also
unlock additional courses and areas and are given a number of freebies
such as new parts when they win races.
In addition to these standard racing
modes, Jak X includes several interesting variations that add replay value
to the experience. There's a Twisted Metal style combat mode that takes
place in tightly wound arenas, where you have to destroy more vehicles
than your opponents before the timer runs out. You'll find the same types
of weapons power-ups in the arena, with a huge number of weapons, plus
health and other items. Other race types have you blazing down a course
trying to destroy a set number of opponents. Another mode has you
collecting freeze icons to stop the clock to try an beat a set time. In
all, the game offers six distinct racing types, all of which you need to
complete and race in order to progress in the story mode. These races
don't necessarily need to be completed in order, giving Jak X a pleasingly
open-ended structure that makes it more approachable than many other
racing titles. During the course of the story mode, you'll traverse a
number of areas in Kras City ranging from dank sewers, to narrow city
streets and deadly arenas specially constructed for combat racing, many of
which feature secret areas and branching paths, adding to the challenge.
This gives the game's environments a great deal of variety as you race
through different areas, each posing a unique challenge. Additionally,
winning races in these during the story mode allows you to play them in
single race modes or online against other players in single matches. Its
different types of racing modes help to offset the tedious nature of most
racing games and definitely give Jak X a high degree of replay value.
Adding more replay value is the online mode which allows up to six players
to compete against each other in online with a broadband connection. This
is a cool feature, and offers the same intense gameplay as the solo modes,
with the same gameplay types included as wel.
Obviously,
any racing game worth anything should offer players smooth intuitive
controls, and Jak X does this nicely with vehicles that are both
responsive and easy to operate. Most of the basics are outlined in a
series of relatively painless training levels that teach you how to
control the vehicles. Most of the operations are fairly easy to perform,
though more advanced moves like power-slides take some practice to get the
hang of. During each race, you can steer and fire weapons using the analog
stick and the shift buttons, and can also give your vehicle a slight
vertical boost by jumping. The onscreen HUD is also simple in approach,
allowing you to see where opposing vehicles and power-ups are at a glance.
Jak X's controls work beautifully throughout, allowing you to move your
vehicle fluidly during standard racing. In addition to using the radar,
opposing players are indicated on the screen itself with arrows, making
them easy to locate, even from a distance. Naughty Dog and SCEA deserve
credit for making the game so accessible, while not losing sight of the
critical aspects - creating a sense of speed and tension throughout the
race.
From an aesthetic standpoint, Jak X
looks good for an arcade style racer on the PS2, with large expansive
racing environments that do an excellent job of immersing players into the
action. Each track definitely has a unique feel to it, with light sourcing
and texture mapping used extensively to create a cool looking world. The
design of the racing vehicles is interesting, with each one given a unique
look and feel, that extends past the skin to other attributes such as
speed and maneuverability, which makes it important to select the right
one before each race. The trade-offs also include a balance between
defensive armor and weapons power, and the amount of air time your vehicle
has with each jump. The action unfolds at a fast, consistent frame-rate
throughout, with excellent camera angles zooming in and out onto the
twisting courses to lend each race a sense of drama. Adding even more
excitement to the race, Jak X switches to a slow motion, trackside view
whenever there's a spectacular crash, giving you a great view of the
unfolding carnage. While this is a racing game, there are many between
race cut scenes that tie in with the action, giving you a sense of the
storyline that unfolds and the sense of danger that motivates Jak to
finish first, since his life, not just pride is on the line. Obviously,
the game's plot isn't as elaborate as it was in previous Jak titles, but
the developers have done a decent job keeping the events and story
consistent with the series' first three games.
While
this installment will probably surprise gamers who were expecting another
platform adventure, taken on its own merits, Jak X succeeds as an above
average racer. It's controls are smooth, intuitive and responsive, making
the gameplay easily accessible. Using elements of other popular racing
franchises makes the game feel somewhat derivative in places. There are
portions that almost directly resemble both Wipeout and Twisted Metal, but
Jak X offers this mixture of racing styles held together by its own
mythology and storyline, so it feels natural instead of a pasted together.
Jak X's pacing benefits from its non-linear structure, which allows
players to progress through the missions in whatever manner they wish,
giving you a small sense of freedom. However, the upgrades, tournaments
and qualifying races give the gameplay a clearly defined path to
improvement. While its unlikely this will be seen as the most-memorable
game in the franchise, Jak X is a solidly entertaining and challenge
arcade racer that offers some exciting action, varied game types and some
challenging missions. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but this is a fun
game in an accessible package that should please fans of arcade-style
racing.
