jak and daxter
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Naughty Dog is donating the money from its ‘Jak and Daxter’ reissues
Early this year, to celebrate its 35th anniversary, game developer Naughty Dog did a physical reissue of its classic PS2-era Jak and Daxter games for PlayStation 4. Fans apparently loved it. The collector's edition sold out in hours and the standard editions sold out in less than a week. Now, instead of pocketing the cash, Naughty Dog is donating all of the proceeds to a bunch of charities.
Jak 2 level remade in CryEngine is here to pump you up
Rockstar's Bully isn't the only PS2 game being remade by fans in a new engine; YouTube user Floordan has posted his work on a project dubbed "Jak 2 Renegade: Reborn," which uses the CryEngine to recreate Naughty Dog's Jak 2. The level you see in the video above is a pumping station, though depending on the view, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a scenic newlywed retreat. Those sunbeams are already making us feel warm. Naughty Dog themselves considered developing a new Jak & Daxter game years ago, but ultimately scrapped it and built The Last of Us instead. And we're not complaining about getting to roam the fungal countryside with Joel and Ellie, but did you see what a new Daxter would look like? [Image: Floordan]
Celebrate Naughty Dog's 30th birthday with a Precursor Orb
You might not have properly appreciated Precursor Orbs when you were gathering hundreds of them throughout the Jak & Daxter series (or their Strange Relic counterpart in the Uncharted series), but Naughty Dog's online store can help fix that. In celebration of the studio's 30th anniversary, 1,000 polystone replicas of the Precursor Orb are now available for pre-sale. The $120 replicas are approximately 10" tall by 5" wide and feature an Orb atop a base modeled after stone. While the base's front features the Jak and Daxter logo and a 30th anniversary Naughty Dog emblem, it can be turned for a more simplistic appearance. The full total for a replica will be charged once an order is placed, but refunds will be available with cancellations prior to the ship date, which is currently estimated as March 2015. Considering their digital exchange rate in the Jak & Daxter series, we wonder how many secrets can be unlocked with a real-world, physical Orb ... [Image: Naughty Dog]
Europe's heroic Vita Mega Pack has Worms, Ratchet & Clank
Sony Europe revealed a new "PS Vita Heroes Mega Pack" for its handheld system today, bundling together five games and a memory card for the console just in time for the holiday season. Slated to launch on November 19 (November 21 in the UK), the pack includes the following games: Worms Revolution Extreme Ratchet and Clank Jak and Daxter Lemmings Touch LocoRoco Players can opt to pick up the games alone with an 8 GB memory card for €40 ($49.75). Those without the console can also choose to purchase the games, memory card and a PlayStation Vita in one pack for €200 ($248.80) instead, the same price as a standalone Vita system. Sony issued other "Mega Pack" bundles for the Vita in the past, including the more recent adventure game pack revealed in August, which includes Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Tearaway and Gravity Rush. [Image: SCEE]
Ponder this concept art from Naughty Dog's canned Jak and Daxter reboot
Prior to working on The Last of Us, Naughty Dog had considered a Jak and Daxter reboot. During a recent IGDA talk revolving mostly around The Last of Us, creative director Neil Druckmann revealed some preliminary images of the canned project and told the story of why Naughty Dog ended up dropping the game. Work on this reboot began in 2009, when Naughty Dog's presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra formed a second team focused on creating something different from the work that was ramping up on Uncharted 3. Druckmann said the team "spent a lot of time exploring the world of Jak and Daxter," but that all of their ideas and concepts didn't feel right for the universe. Ultimately it felt like the team was "doing this for marketing reasons." He went on to say the concept wasn't "doing service to what the fans of this franchise really liked – even if the reinvented Daxter is pretty damn good looking." So they asked if they really had to create this reboot. "No, I just thought it'd be easier for you guys if you started with something, but if you want to do something else, come up with something else." Shortly after, The Last of Us started to form, based on another game concept Druckmann had come up with years prior to joining Naughty Dog. Druckmann is the better storyteller, so we'll let you hit the play button on the video above for the rest.
Ratchet and Clank headed Into the Nexus this holiday [Update: Insomniac confirms]
Update: A post on the PlayStation Blog confirms Into the Nexus is a PS3 game, due this holiday for $30. Original story: Images posted online today suggest Insomniac Games is gearing up to announce a new entry in the Ratchet and Clank series, called Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus. The images showing Insomniac Games employees playing the unannounced game surfaced following a company Facebook post promising "big news" tomorrow. A NeoGAFfer discovered an Insomniac Games website (which has since been pulled) ready for tomorrow's announcement, outing Into the Nexus as "an original single-player epilogue to the acclaimed Tools of Destruction and A Crack in Time." Players will engage in some "extreme planet hopping" (are space sharks involved?) in this "true return to form for the acclaimed series." Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus could be an updated version of PS2 game Ratchet and Clank: Nexus – a concept Insomniac Games eventually scrapped in favor of Ratchet: Deadlocked so many years ago. No platforms were listed in the now-pulled Insomniac Games' description.
PSN Tuesday: Dungeons & Dragons, Giana Sisters, Jak & Daxters
The weekly PSN update is live, unlocking Capcom's collected quest classics, Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara. Joining the 2D beat-em-up is Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, which finally makes its way to PSN after its Xbox Live Arcade debut back in March. The Jak and Daxter Collection – which includes all three original PS2 games, Jak and Daxter, Jak 2 and Jak 3 – steps up on PS Vita today, along with Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. Rounding out this week's update are free PS Plus games Saints Row: The Third and Gods Eater Burst. For the full list of this week's PlayStation Network content, hit up the PlayStation Blog.
"Crash Bandicoot" creator comments on Cataclysm's problems and the evolution of WoW
I didn't see this until recently, but I'm really glad I did. Andy Gavin, the co-creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter, ran a series between the end of November and mid-January examining WoW, its four expansions, and how each of them succeeded or failed through both personal and professional eyes. His particular focus is the endgame in each and how it worked to attract and retain players -- or, in some cases, didn't. While there's certainly been no shortage of player commentary on how WoW's developed, Gavin's experience as a game developer who's not involved with Blizzard is a pretty unique perspective. I found his article on Cataclysm to be particularly adept at putting into words a lot of things I felt but had difficulty articulating. Most of the expansion's developmental time had to go into a revamped leveling process that few people saw unless they wanted to level a new alt. The content at 85 that greeted more casual players got bottlenecked in a series of difficult heroics that frustrated players dropped constantly. Personally, I still consider Cataclysm to have been a necessary expansion -- it did a lot of stuff that Blizzard had to do for the game even if it wasn't as eye-catching as what BC and Wrath did -- but I think Gavin's assessment is accurate and measured. (And many of Blizzard's own observations aren't all that different.) Funnily enough, with lots of people leveling new monks in Mists of Pandaria, more people might be seeing Cataclysm content now than they did during the expansion that was actually dedicated to it. I've linked Gavin's full series here. While it's long, it's an incredibly interesting and detailed read: WoW's endgame: Vanilla WoW's endgame: The Burning Crusade WoW's endgame: Wrath of the Lich King WoW's endgame: Cataclysm WoW at present: Mists of Pandaria
Cole McGrath, Jak and Daxter added to PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale roster [Update: Now with trailers!]
Cole McGrath of Infamous fame and Jak and Daxter of, well, Jak and Daxter fame were just revealed as the two latest additions to the PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale cast during a panel at SDCC. As seen in the announcement trailer above, Jak and Daxter will function as a pair of characters working in tandem and controlled by one player, sort of like Ice Climbers in Smash Bros. Jak will utilize signature weapons from his series, such as the Gyro Burster and Mass Inverter, and also has the ability to transform into Dark or Light Jax. Daxter will lend a hand with melee attacks, and probably provide moral support. Meanwhile, McGrath's move list is predictably lightning oriented. Head on past the break for two more trailers showcasing the new characters.
Jak and Daxter Collection trailer gets deep, super nostalgic
Here's a 20-minute behind-the-scenes video remembering the original Jak and Daxter game and delving into the development of the Jak and Daxter Collection, available now at retail and PSN. It's definitely a nice walk down memory lane, featuring interviews with the founders of Naughty Dog and artists on the series.
Naughty Dog considered new Jak & Daxter game, but decided on The Last of Us
Before deciding on the post-apocalyptic survival adventure The Last of Us, Naughty Dog considered putting its team to work on a game starring a more familiar duo: Jak & Daxter. According to a Game Informer interview (quoted by VG247), Naughty Dog looked into a new Jak & Daxter game on PS3. "I don't know if this is going to make [fans] happy or sad," but we did explore the idea fairly extensively," company co-president Evan Wells said. "Something that we talked about early on was, 'Lets go back and apply what we've learned with the Uncharted games to Jak & Daxter.'"Wells and the team realized, however, that an experimental Jak game wouldn't satisfy the fans, and working on a game like its predecessors wouldn't satisfy Naughty Dog. "We would end up limiting the direction that the company had this passion for while simultaneously not creating the game that fans wanted," he said. "We just realised we were going to just do everybody a disservice. So at that point, the conversations started to move in a new direction."Wells suggested the possibility that the Uncharted team could work on the series. "I guess there's a possibility the Uncharted team could move on to Jak & Daxter. "It's still up in the air, but I wouldn't think that's going to happen because I think we'd run into all of the same problems with that team that we did with this team."
Jak and Daxter Collection hits NA Feb. 7, Europe Feb. 22
The Jak and Daxter Collection, a compilation of the first three games in the classic PS2 series, will be available in just a few weeks for PS3. The PlayStation Blog announced that the package launches on February 7 and 22 in North America and Europe, respectively. The bundle will cost $39.99 in the Americas and €39.99 in Europe.All the games have been reworked to feature 720p resolution, Trophies and stereoscopic 3D support. It's the closest many of us will ever get to being able to reach out and just throttle Daxter ... or pet him, whichever your preference over the past decade.
Rumor: Sony working on a Smash Bros-esque fighter featuring Sony all-stars
The hat of "Sony Mascot" has been worn by many, many different critters and folk since the days of Crash Bandicoot and, uh, Croc. In fact, Sony's stable of lovable household names is so fully stocked that they've decided to pit their creations against one another to determine who lives and who dies. Okay so, that last part might be a little hyperbolic, but the rumor mill is operating at full capacity over Title Fight, a Super Smash Bros.-ish cross-franchise brawler reportedly in development at SuperBot Entertainment, according to The Paul Gale Network. If rumors are to be believed, the game will feature a cast of Sony-console specific characters like Nathan Drake, Sweet Tooth, Sly Cooper, that guy from Killzone and Fat Princess. Fights will take place in various Sony related locations such as Sandover Village or a golf course from Hot Shots Golf. The gallery of images below, which shows Sweet Tooth, a blank female form that may or may not be Heavenly Sword's Nariko and a debug screen that mentions Kratos, were tweeted (and subsequently deleted) by SuperBot Entertainment's senior level designer Chris Molina. Apparently, this hullabaloo is also what that franchise-rich teaser trailer from September was all about, which would also indicate the inclusion of Parappa the Rapper, as well as a representative from FOXHOUND. If all this pans out, Title Fight will be the latest in a long, proud history of SCEA-published fighting games like Battle Arena Toshinden and Cardinal Syn. We'll keep our ear to the ground for more as this story develops.%Gallery-140432%
Jak and Daxter Collection coming in February 2012
High-definition goatee news now, with Naughty Dog sharing further details on the disc-bound Jak and Daxter Collection, set to hit PlayStation 3 in February 2012. Most remastered trilogies can match the features boasted by this one, such as 720p resolution, Trophies and stereoscopic 3D support, but none can claim to have this kind of titular escalation. You get Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (subtitle), Jak II (Roman numerals) and Jak 3 (plain ol' numbered sequel). Remastering duties on the Jak and Daxter Collection fall to Mass Media, a company that survived a stint and closure under THQ, where it ported the Full Spectrum Warrior games to PlayStation 2. According to Naughty Dog co-president Evan Well, Mass Media is "working closely with our team at Naughty Dog. A brief reminder of the games being assembled here can be found in the trailer above. We're also reminded to institute a law preventing anyone from writing "duo" if it's preceded -- as always -- by "dynamic."
Jak and Daxter Trilogy Edition rated in Germany (Update: Confirmed by SCEA)
(Update: confirmed to IGN by SCEA.) The Jak and Daxter HD Collection, which briefly popped up on a South African retail site last month, has now been rated by the German USK as Jak & Daxter Trilogy Edition. The game's title implies that it will be a compilation of the core Jak series. Sorry, Jak X racing fans. For its part, Sony tells us it doesn't comment on rumor or speculation. The retail site that originally posted the game noted a January 2012 launch window, but that date could very well have been a placeholder. And yes, we hold out the same hope that you do, for a compilation around our old buddies Ratchet and Clank.
Report: Jak and Daxter HD spotted on retail site
A Jak and Daxter HD Collection has popped up on South African retailer BT Games' website. As Digital Spy notes, the retailer had a January 2012 release date on the fuller page (since removed), but that date could have been a placeholder. Sony has yet to confirm a Jak and Daxter collection. An HD collection would likely include the three core entries in the Jak series, perhaps with kart racer Jak X as a bonus. Hm, we're probably using the word "bonus" there incorrectly, but let's roll with it. [Thanks DarkTwisted]
Naughty Dog's Evan Wells reflects on the studio's evolution, and online-enabled future
Uncharted developer Naughty Dog has managed to become one of the premiere first-party development teams at PlayStation over the past fifteen years. Each consecutive release has garnered more attention for the studio, and Uncharted 2's multiple Game of the Year awards have made the studio the envy of the industry. Evan Wells recently talked with us about the benefits of working with Sony and the advantages that being a first-party studio offers. "It's a great place to be," Wells said. "We have a great relationship with Sony, and it's wonderful to have the backing of a major company and a platform holder -- it does give us a lot of opportunity to take risks, and build some pretty massive games. But we also have the independence and the confidence from Sony to be able to drive our own creative decisions, and pursue the direction that fits our company culture the best." The closure of development studios has become an all too common trend in the recent years -- with game budgets reaching eight-digit figures, the risks are significantly high. But Wells doesn't foresee an end of independent gaming. "I don't think it will ever swing completely one way or another. There's always going to be a mix. You see some really amazing games being developed by these first-party, publisher-owned studios. But you also see some amazing independent games, as well. I think it's always going to be a mix. I don't think it's going to become predominantly one way or another."
Heroes on the Move coming to PS3, features list of Sony mascots
You've been waiting for a PlayStation Move-based party game featuring Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank, and "others," right? Right?! Well good, because Sony dropped news of just such a game this afternoon at it's E3 2010 press conference. Very little is known about the title -- other than it being one that employs the forthcoming snowball wand -- but we'll be sure to let you know more as soon as we can. For now, take a look at that Jak above, eh? He's a real looker!
Interview: Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells
Evan Wells doesn't look like he's old enough to be co-president of Naughty Dog, does he? Even after shepherding Uncharted 2 through development, which has picked up just about every award on the planet, he still maintains his youthful vim and vigor. While we don't know what his eternal youth secret is, he did give us the inside scoop on the workings at Naughty Dog when we spoke with him at GDC. Besides letting us know about their new studio and the hectic days just before shipping Uncharted 2, he also talks PlayStation Move development, Jak and Daxter plans (he wants to see one on the PS3), and expanding Uncharted to the PSP. Pause your game and head on through the break for the full interview. %Gallery-43763%
Jak and Daxter find a release date: November 3
Does he have a goatee or not? Click to find out! Why is Jak so angry on the cover for Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier? A) It's been four years since Jak 3! Even Daxter got his own game! B) Franchise creator Naughty Dog abandoned Jak for Nathan Drake, a man that can't even transform! C) Okay, Jak's been emo since Jak II. This is nothing new. D) This. The Lost Frontier will be available on PSP (in both UMD and PSN flavors) and on PS2 on November 3.
