Bug combat.

Every level also includes secret areas and hidden items to find. The primary collectible in the levels is the Precursor Orb, which resembles a brightly colored Easter egg. These are the easiest to find although at least a few are hidden in each level. The game will keep a tally of how many that you’ve found in a level and how many remain, so if you’re a completest you can try remain in a level until you’ve found that last orb, or return to a level to make sure that you get them all. There are also special masks that are hidden very well throughout the game. These masks are inspired by the stars of many of Sony’s titles and can be worn by Daxter while playing. Daxter could look like Jak or even Sly Cooper, for example. Another set of hidden items are tied to the game’s resident mini-game, Bug Combat.

Bug Combat is primarily a game of rock-paper-scissors with a touch of Magic the Gathering thrown in for good measure. You pit your bug against the computer’s or another player’s over Ad Hoc networking and the battle proceeds in a series of rounds. In each round you select from one of the three possible attacks as does your opponent. Making things a bit more complex than pure rock-paper-scissors is the fact that the bugs maybe be stronger in one attack area than another, or more resistant to certain types of attacks. In addition, you can use various potions as attack enhancers or counters, so there is a surprising amount of strategy to the Bug Combat. The potions and even the different bugs themselves can be found throughout the game’s levels with a little exploring. The Bug Combat is fun, but not deep enough to keep you playing it at the exclusion of the platform portion of the game. Still it’s a nice bonus that lets you get even more play out of the title.

Daxter is an all-around joy to play. The typical bugaboos of platformers are the game controls and camera, but in Daxter they are expertly implemented. The controls are nice and precise and the camera angle is never an issue. The game lets you rotate the camera or drop into a free-look mode whenever you want, so you’ll always have a good view on the action and on where to go next. Load times in the game are minimal, and on the PSP this is an accomplishment of note. The variety of levels always keeps things interesting and players will appreciate all of the extras packed into the game. The trademark Jak and Daxter humor fills the game, from the dream sequences to the cutscenes and even within the levels themselves. Put simply, Daxter is not only a great game for the PSP, it would make a great game on any platform.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 95%. Daxter finally gets a chance to star in his own game and he turns in an award-winning performance.

« Page 1 of 2