New JAK II images

[Perfect Stu]

http://xlns.web.ctonet.it/vortal_pic_91876.jpg
http://xlns.web.ctonet.it/vortal_pic_91878.jpg
http://xlns.web.ctonet.it/vortal_pic_91872.jpg
http://xlns.web.ctonet.it/vortal_pic_91875.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/city2_3.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/hideout3_4.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/city8_1.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/city14_5.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/hiphog8_8.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/city15_2.jpg

looking great :)

[Crono]

Sweet. I like the graphics. This game is looking real good.

[Stonecutter]

That has got to be the best looking ps2 game I've seen. Quite impressive.

PS2 has Jak, Rachet and Clank, and Sly cooper, that's also quite impressive. I hope we can just get psychonauts to come through for the box.

[Blix]

Sweet, too bad I still have to buy the first one. :( I will in the summer, I don't have time to play it now (stupid college:mad:).

[Seven7]

Been awhile since playing the first one but these pictures look sweet.

[CrOnO_LiNk]

The game looks awesome... but, I don't know why, I am not oo fond of the new realistic Jak....

Either way, it looks awesome.

[Perfect Stu]

Originally posted by CrOnO_LiNk
The game looks awesome... but, I don't know why, I am not oo fond of the new realistic Jak....

realistic? :confused:

[CrOnO_LiNk]

Originally posted by Perfect Stu
realistic? :confused:

I don't think I should've said realistic... More like manly.

Not that it's anything bad, I just prefer the more colorful younger looking Jak....

[Perfect Stu]

Originally posted by CrOnO_LiNk
I don't think I should've said realistic... More like manly.

Not that it's anything bad, I just prefer the more colorful younger looking Jak....

but would a more colorful younger looking Jak be suitable for this game? (this might be a confusing question if you haven't read up on Jak II yet)

Naughty Dog is taking strides away from the 'colorful happy young' character-adventure games...

We feel that the market has changed. People want a little bit more - they want something a little more serious, something that's not quite as fruity, as colourful and as bright and cheery.

-Jason Rubin

And when he says 'people' he doesn't mean 'everyone'. He means the majority. There are handfuls of 'happy colorful' platform games...do we really need another one?

There are some hands-on impressions of this game if anyone wants me to copy them here...

[Crono]

That would be great, Stu.

[Perfect Stu]

Originally posted by Crono
That would be great, Stu.

Cruel scientific experimentation, brutal torture, heavy weaponry, vehicular hijacking... can this really be the same Jak and Daxter we all know and love? First hands-on details inside.



Deep in the extravagant confines of a luxurious London hotel, Naughty Dog president Jason Rubin recently unveiled Jak II, the eagerly anticipated sequel to 2001's superb Jak and Daxter. Despite its scheduled late 2003 launch date, the game is already looking extremely polished, its visual superiority immediately apparent and its gameplay even slicker and tighter than ever before. Which is pretty much what we all expected, but what really makes Jak II stand out is the dramatic tonal shift it has taken. This isn't merely a prettier, more playable retread of the original, but a darker, grittier character-action adventure that's attempting to appeal to 'cynical' gamers who don't typically buy into the genre.

As you may or may not remember, Jak and Daxter ended on a serious cliffhanger that saw our heroes boldly venturing into a mysterious portal. Jak II picks up directly after this, with the gang discovering a mysterious machine on the other side and taking it back to the Samos' hut for a bit of an experimental fiddle. True to form, it doesn't take long for Daxter to mess things up and open up a portal that sucks the demi-dynamic duo into a futuristic dystopia. As soon as they arrive on the scene, the city's tyrannical ruler, the vile Baron Praxis, places Jak under arrest while little Daxter eludes their grasp and formulates a plan to break his buddy free. Which 'only' takes two years. During that time, Jak is subjected to a series of torturous Dark Eco experiments that turn him into a far more bitter and darker - not to mention far more talkative - version of his old self. Needless to say, by the time Daxter finally springs him loose, angry Jak's sole purpose in life is to eliminate the evil Baron.

It takes mere minutes after Jak's daring prison escape for you to reach the game's city hub, a vast area populated by hundreds of NPC pedestrians and outlandish airborne traffic. It's here that you'll get the first real taster of Jak II's hugely impressive new graphics engine. In terms of size, it's a staggering 24 times bigger than J&D's largest level. Amazingly, this hasn't resulted in a loss of detail; environmental and character detail has actually been increased, and there are a host of enhanced lighting and particle effects. While you could spend an age trekking from gorgeous location to gorgeous location by foot, Jak II takes a leaf from GTA3's book by allowing you to hijack any passing vehicle for quicker passage. Your lawlessness won't go unnoticed by the brutal city guards, however; at one point, our failure to comply with a request to obey the speed limit was met with a cry of "Send for backup!" - cue several angry, gun-toting grunts in pursuit of our unlikely joyriders.

In fact, much of our brief time with the game was spent ignoring the quest in favour of such rebellious anti-authoritarian behaviour, although we did get a chance to embark on a mission or two. Missions? Oh yes; in yet another drastic departure for the genre, Jak II removes the concept of arbitrarily collecting items for progress in favour of a mission-based structure that rewards successful completion of tasks with plot progression. For example, Jak's first mission is to recover a flag at the top of a tower in a treacherous swamp environment, a task he must complete to gain the trust of Torn, the head of an underground movement which is out to topple the Baron.

Our favourite mission so far involves co-operating with new character Sig, a hardened artefact hunter, as he attempts to take out 'metalheads', robotic henchmen of the Baron. Using one of Jak II's four new weapons, a hefty, laser sight-equipped shotgun (the other three being a rifle, minigun and grenade launcher), Jak must protect Sig from various menaces and lower drawbridges as he sets about on a glorious path of destruction. It's tremendous fun, made all the more enjoyable by Sig's naturalistic AI and smirk-inducing quips. The shotgun is also a joy to wield; its highly authentic 'kick' and the smart blurring effect that represents the spread of fire are particularly impressive.

As you may be able to tell, we're already very much in love with Jak II. To be perfectly honest, we would have been quite content with more of the same, but it's already quite obvious that Naughty Dog is pulling out all the stops to ensure that it'll be The Godfather: Part II of gaming sequels rather than a limp, Mission: Impossible 2-style no-brainer. Take a trip over to our Features section for our mammoth Q&A with Naughty Dog president Jason Rubin, and be sure to pay PlayStation.com a regular visit for the finest Jak II information and media around.

There's also a Q&A, but it's mostly recycled material...

*edit* this part's good though:

Initially you have the initial Jak move set, but gradually you get hold of four upgradeable weapons - a shotgun, a rifle, a Gatling gun and a smart grenade launcher. Those aren't the official names, but we don't have proper names yet so we'll call them that for now. The weapons can be used in conjunction with Jak's moves, so you can still punch and kick when you have them equipped. You can also combo; if you kick and then shoot, it'll automatically target the guy again and you'll perform a death move. If you jump in the air, spin kick and shoot you'll shoot in all directions and generally hit more than one enemy, and if you uppercut and shoot you'll punch up and then shoot downwards. You've got a lot of combo manoeuvres, so the weapons act as an extension of Jak's moves, not just an alternate moveset.

[Crono]

Thanks, Stu. This game is defoinitely going on my games to watch list, as I will most likely buy this game, it sounds fun. Which reminds me, I still need to play Ratchet and Clank...

[CrOnO_LiNk]

Originally posted by Perfect Stu
but would a more colorful younger looking Jak be suitable for this game? (this might be a confusing question if you haven't read up on Jak II yet)

Naughty Dog is taking strides away from the 'colorful happy young' character-adventure games...



And when he says 'people' he doesn't mean 'everyone'. He means the majority. There are handfuls of 'happy colorful' platform games...do we really need another one?

There are some hands-on impressions of this game if anyone wants me to copy them here...

I know, I know... More people seem to like it this way, it even looks cool, but I am the type of gamer who likes colorful and "open" games more. Don't get me wrong, I love games that look similar to Jak 2, but Mario and Zelda gave me a different feel with it's bright and open graphics...


Either way, I am eagerly waiting for Jak 2, but I am used to the first graphics, that "might" change...

[Rndm_Perfection]

Originally posted by Stonecutter
That has got to be the best looking ps2 game I've seen. Quite impressive.

PS2 has Jak, Rachet and Clank, and Sly cooper, that's also quite impressive. I hope we can just get psychonauts to come through for the box.

Yeah, it's ingame graphics match those of yesteryear's cinematics that were done separately (spare the Final Fantasy VIII & X cinemations).