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Post by Ex on May 25, 2020 0:54:17 GMT -5
If I remember right, though, the game was pretty challenging. It's definitely a lot harder than your standard Mario or Sonic entry.
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Post by toei on May 25, 2020 11:58:15 GMT -5
European games from that era are really their own world. A lot of those games that are completely obscure everywhere else were well-known over there, as only a few crossed over.
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Post by Sarge on May 25, 2020 12:19:37 GMT -5
There's a huge amount of stuff on their microcomputers, and when I pick up an issue of Retro Gamer, it's always fascinating to see the stuff that is remembered fondly. ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC... only the C64 I think came out here (and I do have some nostalgia for certain entries).
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Post by Ex on May 25, 2020 20:48:11 GMT -5
There's a huge amount of stuff on their microcomputers / ZX Spectrum / Amstrad CPC These especially, so many games that never left Europe. Pretty hard to parse all that stuff, but yeah it's its own world. European games from that era are really their own world. A lot of those games that are completely obscure everywhere else were well-known over there, as only a few crossed over And European games have their own distinct flavor as well. I'm still not sure if I really like Flink yet or not. But it's definitely got a different feel to it than Japanese or American platformers.
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Post by Sarge on May 25, 2020 23:21:39 GMT -5
I'm on the final run in Jak and Daxter. I've actually 100%-ed quite a few areas, and it's got its hook in me big time. Will finish it off tomorrow sometime. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one as much as I have.
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Post by Xeogred on May 25, 2020 23:50:21 GMT -5
I remember really digging the last level. I actually got the platinum, lol. So for as much slack as I give it sometimes, I did 100% it that one time I played it...
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Post by Sarge on May 26, 2020 19:53:46 GMT -5
Well, that's a wrap on Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. I greatly enjoyed this one.
I've always heard good things about the game, especially compared to the edgier sequels. I've even finished one of those edgy ones, Jak 2, although who knows why. I don't think it was bad, but the GTA-style stuff and gunplay diluted the game.
Not so here. This is pure N64-era platforming, but with some extra polish brought by the PS2's hardware and Naughty Dog's technical know-how. If I remember correctly, one of the more impressive things about this particular platformer at the time was that it could seamlessly load level data in on the fly. There aren't any real loading screens, unless you use a teleporter. You can see a few spots where they mask it (a little like the elevators in Mass Effect), but it's all really quite smooth.
Don't expect anything earth-shattering, though - this is very much a hop-and-bop game. Structurally, it's a lot like Super Mario 64 or similar games, where you pick up "power cells" instead of stars. There are also Precursor Orbs scattered about, and you can trade them in at various places for more cells. There are 101 in total, which unlocks a quick clip that... honestly wasn't worth it, but I wanted to finish it at 100% anyway, and that's exactly what I did.
You have a double-jump, although it's a bit finicky. You can also add to your jump via your aerial melee attack, which effectively adds another and makes a lot of tight jumps easier. You also get the standard crouch-jump and long-jump, triggered much the same way as Mario's. Oh, right, and you also have a ground dash melee instead of a spinning attack, and that can be used in the air to ground-pound or on the ground crouching for an uppercut. It's all very standard stuff.
Still, I found the varied areas and exploration compelling. There's just enough collecting to keep my brain hooked, but not so much that I say "peace out". It doesn't make the DK64 mistake, thankfully.
Graphically, the game is quite a looker, especially considering when it came out. I know there are prettier titles, but coming off of Rayman 2, I was struck at just how nice and smooth things seemed from a graphical standpoint. There were only a few very small hiccups in the frame rate along the way, too.
I honestly don't know exactly how much time I put in, but I'd wager it is close to the HLTB averages for 100%, so we'll just say 12 hours and be done with it. I'm waffling between a 8.5 and 9.0/10. I actually actively wanted to play it every time I booted it up, which is a fantastic sign for a game. Definitely don't sleep on this one if you just want a pure platformer without any extra junk.
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Post by Xeogred on May 26, 2020 20:21:32 GMT -5
So what's your beef with Crash? Have you tried the remaster trilogy? I know some people took a weird issue with the platforming detection, but myself only having little nostalgia for the first game only, I didn't really care. People tend to hype up Crash 1's difficulty, which is true, but I thought Crash 2 was absolutely insane. And I loved it for it haha... they're super simple games that get right to the point. Had a blast with that trilogy.
But yeah, glad you dug Jak 1. I definitely would have been into two more games if they stuck with that formula, but it'll just have to remain a one hit wonder. I still liked Sly 1-2 more, but Jak 1 is indeed pretty cool for fans of the genre. Could probably even be better than Banjo Kazooie in my book.
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Post by Sarge on May 26, 2020 20:27:08 GMT -5
Yeah, I like Sly 1/2 a bit more, but this was still fantastic.
I've just never put a ton of time into Crash. I'm not sure what my issue is there, but I definitely thought about diving into it this month. And interesting that you bring up Banjo-Kazooie, because I definitely thought about that, too. I've always bounced off of that one, too. I suspect, though, that if I play through anything else, it will be something shorter. I've got a Sega CD platformer in mind that I've always wanted to play through, and it has quite the reputation as a looker and being brutally difficult.
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Post by Ex on May 26, 2020 21:38:20 GMT -5
Definitely don't sleep on this one if you just want a pure platformer without any extra junk. Hmm, I didn't expect you'd come out liking Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy THAT much. But I'm glad you found a 3D platformer that apparently approaches Mario levels of fun. Guess I'll nab the ISO, maybe I'll give it a try someday. It's too bad Naughty Dog changed the sequels so much, but I've read that Daxter on PSP returns more to pure platforming. It was well reviewed.
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