Off the Shelf Media

I like the idea of a Daxter game. Daxter carried all of Jak and Daxter since Jak was the silent protagonist, and he earned the chance to take center stage and get the spotlight on him. Unfortunately, that spotlight can expose your flaws in addition to highlighting your strengths. Daxter isn’t terrible, but I left the game disappointed and was dreaming of a game that could have been. 

Gameplay: 1

The gameplay for Daxter is a mixed bag. On one hand, it’s a classic platformer,, which is where this franchise, along with Sly Cooper, Crash Bandicoot, and the early days of Ratchet and Clank, truly shines. It focuses more on timed jumps and climbing than it does combat, and that makes sense. Daxter is small and limited in what he can do in a world as big as Haven City. The problem with the platforming is that the timing is a bit off. 

I found myself jumping multiple times to get to a platform I should have reached easily. There are segments where you have to jump between sliding rails, duck to avoid an obstacle, or jump across moving subway cars. I’d time the jump right and still fall to my death. This isn’t a one-time occurrence either. That happened consistently throughout the game so don’t go calling it a skill issue in the comments. 

Outside of that, the platforming is spot on. The level design is clever and filled with puzzles that Daxter needs to solve by using the tools he unlocks through the story. I liked using the exterminator tool to jump higher and glide across surfaces or using the flamethrower to melt ice to just the right height to get to the precursor orbs. 

The one thing I was most concerned about before diving into this game was the camera controls. Older games don’t like to give you control of the camera, and with this being a PSP release, I expected to be frustrated. To my surprise, the camera controls were smoother than expected, and I never had an issue attacking the right enemy or looking for the next platform to jump toward. 

The combat isn’t the best, but it passes for what it is. Daxter is helping out an exterminator on jobs, so your primary enemy is bugs. Not the best story out there, but it’s believable enough for Daxter to fight. Get it? Because he’s small? What a knee-slapper. You have your classic attacks like Jak does in the other games, but Daxter gets a spray canister with different attachments throughout the game. These act as your weapons as well as tools to help you with platforming. 

Overall, I say the gameplay is fine for a PSP game, but it could have used some polish. I will give a special shoutout to the mini-game dream sequences you unlock. Daxter goes to bed and dreams he is in The Matrix, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. These mini-games come out of nowhere, but they are fun, and when complete, you unlock more health or a special ability, so they are worth playing.  

Story: 0

I remember the first time I played Jak II and there was the “two years later” title card. Since then, I kept thinking, “Huh, what did Daxter do in those two years?” When I sat down to play this game, I thought I would finally get my answers. 

You don’t. In fact, it’s not even close. The opening cutscene shows Jak and Daxter crash landing in Haven City and escaping from the Krimzon Guards. Then, there’s another title card that says “two years later…almost” and this is where the game lost me. So we still don’t know what Daxter was doing for the past two years, and I guess it doesn’t matter. 

The whole game takes place a week-ish before Daxter saves Jak as we see in the beginning of Jak II. If you forgot about Jak, don’t feel bad, Daxter did too. 

So, what is the story? Daxter has been floating around Haven City doing God knows what for the past two years (almost), and we find him trash-talking at a local bar, fighting lurkers. A local exterminator overhears him and offers him a job, thus kicking off the tale of Daxter the bug exterminator. That’s the story. 

There are a few tie-ins with the bugs being the early stages of the metal head problem that is the focal point of Jak II’s story. You have a few run-ins with Errol and Count Veger, who are the main antagonists in Jak II and Jak 3. Other than that, the story is basic, pointless, and disappointing. 

There was a lot of potential, but the story fell flat with a few tie-ins to keep the audience engaged in the final missions. 

Atmosphere: 2

The one thing Daxter nails is the atmosphere. Haven City feels larger than ever and not just because Daxter is small. The level design is unique with multiple biomes and environments that all feel like the Jak and Daxter universe. 

When I stepped into the hotel, I believed it would be a hotel in that section of Haven City. When you cruise around in the forest hunting down bugs and collecting eco, it feels like a natural addition to the Haven Forest we know and love (or hate) in the other games in the series. 

It has a nice blend of familiar locations like the port district or the palace with completely new locations like the subway or the construction site. 

For a PSP game, the graphics are solid. Usually, the cutscenes look better than the gameplay but this game is the reverse. The cutscenes are lower resolution than Daxter running around the world hunting bugs. Daxter looks great, his animations are smooth, and the effects from the bug spray or flamethrower are crisp. 

Value: 1

Back in 2006, this game would have cost between $30 and $40. I’d say that’s a fair price if you don’t set your expectations too high. There is fun to be had in this game if you like the platforming and easy combat. At no point in the game did I feel like it was a ripoff or a scam. 

The game sold over 2 million copies, so clearly, the market agrees with the price point, and that’s good enough for me. 

Duration: 1

I may have hated the story, but at least it didn’t drag. There was enough here to keep me entertained, and I beat the game in 20-25 hours. That’s completely reasonable for a spin-off game on a handheld console from 2006. 

If you want to do more in this game, you can do more. You can go back through the mini-games and beat your high score or go find the previous levels and collect the rest of the precursor orbs to unlock new skins or cheats for a second playthrough. 

I don’t see many people doing that, but it’s a free country. For me, I’m glad Daxter didn’t overstay his welcome, and I can put the game down and never think about playing it ever again. 

Total Score: 5/10

I was disappointed with Daxter. I love the character, and I didn’t set my expectations too high, but this game failed to meet them in almost every single way imaginable. 

Lucky for me, I also ran through Jak II, and that’s coming your way next. Jak II is one of my favorite games of all time, so don’t be surprised when you see the 10/10 score. 

But that’s a story for another day. I’ll see ya there, but until then, y’all take care.