Since the PSP has been around gaming circles for several years now, there has been on ongoing effort to promote it's stellar line-up of great PS2 franchises to the small screen with great results; evidenced by the Syphon Filter and Wipeout series of games that made their first appearances on the PSone. So it is with great fanfare that Sony, makers of the Playstation brand, return with Daxter, sidekick of Jak in an all new adventure.
To call this game anything revolutionary is a stretch of the imagination. However, that is not the case here. While the series was groundbreaking for it's time, it still adhered to the basic fundamentals of platform gaming and in that regard it succeeds wonderfully. Everything is simply top dollar which is to be expected of Sony, especially given their extensive library of games of this ilk; notably the Crash Bandicoot series arguably the best platform game that came out on PSone several years ago. But Daxter is a charming and whimsical character in his own right with sense of humor and personality to match his equally charming and whimsical world that harbors many secrets and plot details not seen before in the previous games. Praise must be given to the developers building up this world from the ground up with the most impressive know-hows of utilizing every trick within the system's hardware to deliver stunning and well realized worlds that are nothing but deliciously sublime. Even more so, the voice talent draws you in and keeps you glued to the small screen as the plot unfolds a story of how he became the bug exterminator of the town. Without delving into the story, I would say that it's entertaining in it's own right but nothing really that amps up your level of excitement, which is a flaw among many.
Certain issues that plague most 3d action games are the camera. Now I know that there are times the camera can be manageable but there are times that you want to pull your hair out in frustration when it makes you mistime a jump or inexplicably get trapped in a corner where you'll more than likely get pummeled by enemies in a matter of seconds. The game controls nicely, though the game could've run a little faster. Some of the missions can be infuriatingly difficult which will put off younger players but novice and veteran players of platform games will see their way through.
But it's got a LOAD of mini games to boot, which gives it added length in the course of the game; some of which are required to obtain certain items that are needed to advance further into the game. Many of them are quite hilarious and original in their execution. Daxter exaggerates himself in various pop-culture icons that pay homage to famous classic movies. It's a nice twist on the overall quest with loads of goodies to unlock such as concept art and alternate costumes that give the character a unique if humorous look.
So....is Daxter a great game? In my opinion, yes. But if you played any of the previous games, there's really not much to find here as it's essentially a spin-off of the main series. If you are new to the franchise, my advice would be to play the first two games then tackle this one, provided of course if you have a PSP. In the end, if you want a solid, platforming game then this may be right up your alley, but if you want something original, you will want to pass.
To call this game anything revolutionary is a stretch of the imagination. However, that is not the case here. While the series was groundbreaking for it's time, it still adhered to the basic fundamentals of platform gaming and in that regard it succeeds wonderfully. Everything is simply top dollar which is to be expected of Sony, especially given their extensive library of games of this ilk; notably the Crash Bandicoot series arguably the best platform game that came out on PSone several years ago. But Daxter is a charming and whimsical character in his own right with sense of humor and personality to match his equally charming and whimsical world that harbors many secrets and plot details not seen before in the previous games. Praise must be given to the developers building up this world from the ground up with the most impressive know-hows of utilizing every trick within the system's hardware to deliver stunning and well realized worlds that are nothing but deliciously sublime. Even more so, the voice talent draws you in and keeps you glued to the small screen as the plot unfolds a story of how he became the bug exterminator of the town. Without delving into the story, I would say that it's entertaining in it's own right but nothing really that amps up your level of excitement, which is a flaw among many.
Certain issues that plague most 3d action games are the camera. Now I know that there are times the camera can be manageable but there are times that you want to pull your hair out in frustration when it makes you mistime a jump or inexplicably get trapped in a corner where you'll more than likely get pummeled by enemies in a matter of seconds. The game controls nicely, though the game could've run a little faster. Some of the missions can be infuriatingly difficult which will put off younger players but novice and veteran players of platform games will see their way through.
But it's got a LOAD of mini games to boot, which gives it added length in the course of the game; some of which are required to obtain certain items that are needed to advance further into the game. Many of them are quite hilarious and original in their execution. Daxter exaggerates himself in various pop-culture icons that pay homage to famous classic movies. It's a nice twist on the overall quest with loads of goodies to unlock such as concept art and alternate costumes that give the character a unique if humorous look.
So....is Daxter a great game? In my opinion, yes. But if you played any of the previous games, there's really not much to find here as it's essentially a spin-off of the main series. If you are new to the franchise, my advice would be to play the first two games then tackle this one, provided of course if you have a PSP. In the end, if you want a solid, platforming game then this may be right up your alley, but if you want something original, you will want to pass.
