Daxter

When we think of a portable game, our thoughts usually wander to something enjoyable, something that will give you an immersing experience and something that mostly should keep you busy for a pretty long time. And, then you think of the kind of PSP games we come across. Most of them are to be ignored. But, often on PSP comes a game like Daxter that doesn't revolutionise anything in particular, but just does something differently. The thing that this lovable 3D Action Platformer does differently, is that it presents the concepts of platforming that are perhaps as old as gaming itself in a fresh and a new manner. The result..is something expected.

Daxter turns out to be one of the supreme games out on PSP and it justifies SCEA's prowess in their games. Not, only will you find Daxter as something innovative and fun, but will find it an experience that will be difficult to forget.
To start with, Daxter is the well-known lovable sidekick of Jak. As many might know, that Jak was one of the top platforming franchises of Sony, and it was this series end that gave place for it's Sony rival Ratchet & Clank to take over.

Daxter as a game takes place before the events of Jak II, where Daxter finds himself in devoid of his partner, who has been captured by the Metallic Bug Emperor. This might sound childish, but the gameplay itself isn't child's thought. Daxter, is a brilliant character that provides comic relief throughout the game. He's a cocky otter who thinks that nothing is impossible.

Daxter, at the beginning finds himself in the company of an Old elf Bounty Hunter who takes up contracts for the extermination of some troublesome bugs. Your first job is to clear a hotel of some bugs. The gameplay view reminds me alot of GTA with it's rotating circular map. Like any platformer, there are some things you must collect but thankfully, they are sized down to just 3 in Daxter. They are bug gems, precursor orbs, and chemical orbs. The precursor orbs are important for unlocking various goodies.

Now, these unlockables include some of the most memorable moments of Daxter. They are used to unlock the dream sequences which can be accessed by sleeping on your bed. And, there starts the FUN!! These dream sequences include Daxter taking part in the reminisence of some of the movies like-- Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, Fists of Fury, Patroit etc. All of these include a simple technique of pressing the button that appears on the scene at the correct moment to eliminate the enemy.

This sounds like a piece of cake but it isn't. Pressing the required buttons on the D-pad and also the four shape buttons is not easy. It might take a couple of tries before you get it, but when you do it brings home a great deal of satisfaction. You can even unlock in-game items like an Indiana Jones hat or a pant for Daxter to wear. Then, some of the unlockables include AWESOME things like a Daxter E3 2004 Trailer and a Jak III DEMO!! The other characters are very nicely designed combined with the witty and snappy dialogues. Taryn, is a hot looking elf who gives us the weapon upgrades(Chem Spray, to Flamethrower, to finally Ultra Beam Cannon). Then there is the Elf Bounty hunter's son who keeps telling "Dude" over a hundred times!!!

The main story is actually very interesting where the initial bounty-hunting of Daxter turns into a desperate attempt to save his friend, Jak. There are a lot of interesting moments like going through portals to chase a certain boss while shooting at it with energy orbs. The graphics are really amazing and it can be seen clearly that the developers Ready at Dawn worked hard on it. Music is good and the mischievous symphonies that seem to play tease you into the game.

Daxter should last a good 15 hours to complete the story with a few side-missions. But, for unlocking everything it might take you a good 30 hours or so.Though it may not be a lengthy game, Daxter thoroughly appeals to any player. A must buy for a PSP owner.