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Jak II PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: SCEA
  • Release Date: Oct 14, 2003
Jak II Image
Metascore
87 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 47 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 81 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: In Jak II, Jak has an entirely new move set (Dark Jak) to augment his previous move set. He has more moves with his new toys as well - gun moves (including kick/shooting combos), and entire Jet Board move set and tricks. Daxter has some special surprises as well. There are escort missions where Jak goes into a level area with another character and the player must work with them to complete a task. Jak II enemies have more A.I. and respond to Jak with intelligent intent. [Daniel Arey]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 47
  3. Negative: 0 out of 47
  1. PSM Magazine
    100
    Visually the game is absolutely stunning, with in-game character models that are at least three times as detailed as those seen in the first game. Level design is artistic as it is functional. [Nov 2003, p.32]
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  2. Electric Playground
    100
    I was hooked on the gameplay and the story of Jak II almost immediately and my addiction and love of the game hasn't subsided weeks later. Jak II is, without question, one of the finest gaming experiences I've ever had.
  3. Edge Magazine
    70
    Despite what Naughty Dog's crack programmers might think, you can't encode fun-ness into a videogame. Yes, there's lots of 'fun' to be had here, but is it really more fun than the original? Probably not. [Nov 2003, p.96]
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See all 47 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. RenegadeNorman
    10
    "Jak II" is easily the best game in the Jak and Daxter series. The graphics are still good even to this day, there's a lot of replay value (I'm currently beating the game for the 9th time and I'm not even close to getting sick of it), and Jak is just BAMF to play as. Jak's "Dark Jak" powers make the game even more fun. There are a lot of challenging missions, but that does not detract from the fun of the game. The Precursor Legacy was good, but Jak II is 10 times better in every way.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  2. Neo010390
    9
    If you thought Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was a great game wait till you get a taste Jak 2. Jak and Daxter are back in their brand new adventure and this time its bigger and better than ever. The story picks off right after you completed the first game where, Jak and his friends, Kiera and Samos are testing out the Rift Rider and Precurspr Rift gate that you opened after collecting all of the Precursor Orbs in the last game. As you go through you get transported to a place called Haven City which is under command by Baron Praxis. Jak his captured and 2 years have passed since. Daxter manages to find Jak and help him escape, only to find out that Jak had gone through experiments by Dark Eco which can make him transform into a dark beast. Not only that but his personality has changed him into a teenage Jak. The gameplay is a lot different than the first game. You start off in the city and are given tasks to do by people. Once you've completed the first task, you move onto the next one and the next one, so it is like a step up ladder really. There are some challenges too which earn you Precursor Orbs if you pass them. You can ride new vehicles which you can steal from others, some are faster than others so you can get to places quicker because there is a lot of going back and forth in this game. Don't steal any of the krimzon guards vehicles or run into them otherwise the city will go on alert and they will start chasing after you and try and shoot you, try to outrun them if you can but its a real pain and wastes time. In fact its a sort of a GTA spin off this game. There are more tasks to accomplish and tougher ones too. You have new moves as well, spinning and punching is still there but this time you can carry a Rifle. The Rifle has 4 different types of shots and you have to collect these as you progress. And if that wasn't enough, when collect a number of Dark Eco you can transform into a dark beast which makes you unvulnerable for a short period of time and you can go through and smash your way through hundreds of enemies to make your job a much easier. If you collect metal heads you can trade them in to the oracle and he will give you new abilities for your beast form. You can ride on a hoverboard which can float on water and there is a skate arena where you can pull of a few tricks (a bit like playing those Tony Hawk, SSX and Matt Hoffman games). There are hover races too which are loads of fun, there are more bosses this time and for the first time Daxter is a playable character too. This game has virtually everything to make this game stand out and I loved absolutely every bit of it. Bigger gameplay, more challenges and better moves. The graphics are done beautifully and some of the level designs (one of my faviroutes is the one where your inside a temple) are very impressive. The music is perfect and the voice acting is great, especially Daxter's who is as funny as ever. There aren't many sequels out there that are as good as the first but this one is way more superior to the first, so if you thought Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was a great game wait till you get a taste of Jak 2… Expand
    • 2 of 2 users said yes
  3. ToddW.
    6
    Not as good as the first, going through the city is tiresome and it is a very dark game as opposed to the very scenic first title. Feels like another GTA rip off.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

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