The first thing you notice when playing Daxter is the graphics. They
are simply amazing. If it wasn't for Tekken this would be by far the
best looking game on the PSP. The environments are large, the cutscenes
are beautiful, and the framerate stays fairly consistent. While the
world isn't as big as Jak II and 3 for a PSP game about a little fuzzy
guy not half the size of the regular people it's big enough.
Gameplay in Daxter consists of the familiar platforming and vehicular
levels from previous Jak games. Also returning are the context
sensitive minigames (some being parodies of popular films). To add to
the familiar Ready At Dawn has given Daxter his own set of abilities.
Since Daxter is a exterminator you are given a bug spray jetpack of
sorts. Most of the combat revolves around you using the spray to knock
an enemy out then using your fists or body to destroy them. It's not
something amazing or new, but it is a nice change from the prior Jak
games. Progression however, plays out very much like Jak II and 3 did.
You have an overworld where you can ride a scooter to each mission that
comes up. Cutscenes divide up each mission like they always have, and
the quality of them is right up there with the PS2 games. Voice acting
is amazing as always. The story in these scenes is obviously not as
fleshed out as the rest (the game takes place between Jak 1 and 2), but
it serves its purpose.
The one obvious bad aspect in the game is that it's pretty short. The
previous Jak games have never been really long (average around 10
hours), but they did have quite a bit of things to collect extras to
unlock. Daxter will take you around 5-6 hours to complete and its
extras are very simple to get. The length issue is fairly big since
this is a portable game that needs some replay value. There is a 2
player bug combat game, but the chances of finding someone else with a
copy of the game and a PSP are slim.
So if you are a fan of the Jak series, or just looking for a good PSP game then Daxter should be one of your first stops.
PROS
+ Amazing graphics
+ Nice looking cutscenes with great voice acting
+ Large world that stays true to the PS2 games
+ It's actually fun to collect things (I have no idea why)
CONS
- Some minor framerate problems
- Very short
- Weak multiplayer
- Stripped down story
