Jak & Daxter 2 - high quality screens

[Sonic]

Some people might be complaining about the game lacking in some cases. The textures aren't anything to write home about, but that's typical of a PS2 game. The impressive thing is is that the devs have made such a visual impact with such a limited resource of things that it can push from the PS2. Now that's what gets me.

 

[ChryZ]

J&D must be seen as one package, it all sums up ... the ultra smooth animations, the gameplay, the funny dialogs, no in-game loading time (everything is streamed of the dvd in the background, like in soul reaver), halirous story told by real time cut scenes, insane draw of distance that even matters to the gameplay. Everything is there ... state of the art and top notch! I fell sorry for anyone that ignores this title, for any sad, pitiful, shortsighted reason I read in this thread.

 

[marconelly!]

Gamespot has new screens and a preview of the game. It sounds *really* promissing, even for a preview (which are always more or less promissing sounding)

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/jak2/news_6023378.html

Excerpts:

The game's story initially picks up just after the ending of Jak and Daxter as the pair investigates a strange energy portal which propels them 500 years into the future. Unfortunately the future isn't the fun place you'd think it would be after the events of the first game. Jak is promptly attacked and captured by a mysterious group that puts him in prison. Daxter, in true form, saves his own furry butt and avoids being caught. The game then jumps ahead two years and follows Jak's Daxter-aided prison break. Apparently it's taken the furry chatterbox that long to get round to springing his friend. During the break we get a taste of what life in prison, and two years worth of unpleasant scientific experimentation, has done to young Jak as he transforms into a Dark Jak, a feral incarnation that feeds on dark eco. Following the prison break, the pair meets an old man, who fills them in on current events, and a mysterious young boy in his care. Apparently the future, in a rather unsurprising revelation given Jak's experiences so far, kind of sucks as a whole. The people are ruled by a shadowy figure called Baron Praxis, who was responsible for the experimentation done to Jak during his prison stay, and a mechanical menace called the metal heads looms over everyone. An underground resistance has formed to combat the Baron's rule and figure out a way to keep safe from the metal heads. But, whereas most platform heroes would nobly plan to help out the locals with their various problems, Jak is pretty unfazed and remains focused on two simple goals: revenge on the Baron for the two years of experimentation and imprisonment, and a return ticket to his time.

While Jak 2's darker look is conveyed by the game's more mature designs and darker color scheme, Naughty Dog's impressive graphics engine pumps out a rich visual experience that blows the original Jak and Daxter completely out of the water. Thanks to a combination of Naughty Dog's own tinkering and some shared technology courtesy of its collaboration with Insomniac, Jak 2's graphics look as though they may well set new standards on the PlayStation 2. Characters in the game are incredibly detailed and made up of 10-15,000 polygons and move much more fluidly than in the original game. The massive environments in the game, which are much larger than those found in the original game, sport a higher level of detail and a host of new special effects such as lighting and a subtle but impressive technique to simulate eye moisture to name just a few. Couple all of the above with cleverly streamed loading to provide a seamless experience and you have a title that is shaping up to be quite a showcase for the PlayStation 2.

In terms of its structure, Jak 2 features some radical, and welcome, changes to its predecessor. The game will offer a less linear experience overall. Although the game's main narrative will require certain linear elements to tell the game's story, you'll find those instances limited to key points in the game. The rest of the time, you'll be exploring a number of open-ended options as you make your way through the game. You'll still have a mission-based structure in the game but the amount of collection you'll be doing in the game has been seriously cut back and simplified. Mandatory collection in the game is limited to one item; other items you'll find are optional. You'll also find a broader degree of freedom in the game thanks to the number of options open to you via the vehicles and weapons you'll be able to use.

Based on our time with the game we have to say we're quite impressed by the promising state Jak 2 is in. The game handles great, moves smoothly, and has some pretty polished gameplay. There are a few rough spots, mostly focusing on the camera and some framerate issues, but nothing that can't be fixed by the game's anticipated fall release. Look for more on Jak 2 in the coming weeks.

^^^ This is the kind of thing that made J&D so great looking, and they very obviously improved their vistas whole lot here. There's some 30 people walking/flying around just in that screen, not to mention how detailed everything looks.

 

[marconelly!]

The impressive thing is is that the devs have made such a visual impact with such a limited resource of things that it can push from the PS2. Now that's what gets me.

Well, one could argue that all three consoles are already starting to look a bit dated from the technological side of things, now that the games like STALKER started appearing on a PC.

Luckily, the quality of artwork, attention to detail and production qualities go a long way to leave much bigger impression on me (that is if they are pulled off properly), and that is where all thee consoles can easily excell, given the effort of an experienced developer.

 

[Phil]

Thanks to a combination of Naughty Dog's own tinkering and some shared technology courtesy of its collaboration with Insomniac, Jak 2's graphics look as though they may well set new standards on the PlayStation 2. Characters in the game are incredibly detailed and made up of 10-15,000 polygons and move much more fluidly than in the original game.

How they were able to improve the animation of the characters is beyond my imagination. If worlds are really bigger, then I am all the more impressed with the texture quality presented in the above screens. Not quite sure if the darker theme will suit me, but from what I understood in the preview (thanks for posting this marconelly), it sure sounds very promising...

 

[marconelly!]

Gamespy has an interview with Rubin, regarding this game:
http://www.gamespy.com/interviews/march03/jak2/

IGN has a hands on preview which make it sound like the game is incredibly good:
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/389/389772p1.html

Another major pillar in this game is that Jak finds people who send him on missions. Yes, it sounds the same -- he collects 10 widgets and returns for a star, or a big gold coin, or something. But no, that's not what happens. He is set on missions that earn him keys to open other areas of the city, or items that are helpful or he meets people who give him weapons.

Creative director Dan Arey explains it this way: "Jak follows a complete storyline. We have a massive script that drives him forward, and the events in the story coincide with his actions to push it to the next dramatic event."

Unlike the first game, the story is the backbone behind all of the actions in the game. His ability to complete missions opens up more areas, which fundamentally changes the game's basis. He no longer moves forward in the chase for more things to collect. "He can indeed collect things, be they items, weapons, eco, ammo, but they aren't crucial for the story to move forward," explained Rubin. "He can collect things is he wants, but he doesn't have to."

Jak II feels excellent. The same sharp sense of movement and control, intuitive moves and instant reaction guide his motions with an uncanny and apparently difficult set of moves to achieve. Naughty Dog makes it so easy to ignore all of the incredibly difficult technical feats it achieves, and it's only after playing other games do you fully appreciate what they're capable of doing. Jak has about three times the move he previously had. He has all the basic moves from before -- spin attack, summersault, thrust attack, etc. -- plus all of the moves he can perform while in dark eco super form, plus all of the moves he can pull off while using weapons. All of the animations coincide perfectly with these moves even at this early state (the game is due in fall 2003, probably in September or October). Already, Naughty Dog is ahead of the game.

O-ho-ho-ho yes, my friends. Jak and Daxter transforms into Metal Slug, and it's all-out blasting mayhem. With a quick press of the Dpad, players instantaneously flip out another weapon and start blasting. Jak passes through several weapons testing grounds, which is where you see those 2D characters in the screenshots. That weapons test area challenges players with the shotgun. This shotgun, however, is different. It sends out a powerful bursting pulse that alters the air around it. The effect is similar to the gun blasts in Minority Report, wherein the wave blurs the air around it. The shotgun feels just awesome. It gives you that big blasting sound, and the shot hits your opponent and sends his flying backward with a shock and a jolt. It's equal to using the shotgun in Doom. Big, powerful and very satisfying indeed. Another amazing thing is that Jak can attack with his weapons. When up close, he can kick opponents, or whack them with the weapon, using the butt of the weapon to bludgeon them. The animation is uncannily smooth, but the actual gameplay creates a whole new dynamic, which is the constant and seamless switching between shooting and hand-to-hand combat.

The list of new things, however, goes on. The streets of this new city are bustling with moving vehicles and denizens. It looks like a weird take on Grand Theft Auto III, but substituting in Naughty Dog characters and cities instead. And Naughty Dog doesn't deny that GTA hasn't an effect on its game. So, not only are there people walking around, there are vehicles everywhere, and yes, you can jak (pun intended) any vehicle you can see. That's right, and they all feel more or less like the anti-grav whatever-it-was-called ship from the first game. The vehicles take damage and blow up if you're not careful and you they cast you flying into the streets. The city isn't just bustling with innocents either; it's packed with police, the Baron's Crimson Guards. If you accidentally hit one while in a vehicle, or mistakenly shoot one, an infinite number of them are alerted and they'll swarm you, using powerful tasers to roust your ass.

Another things make this different: You can elevate your vehicle while driving. With a touch of a shoulder pad, you can zoom down to street level or elevate up to a second story level. Chases become particularly harry when you have to switch from high to low while going as fast as possible to escape the guards. It's incredibly fun, and what's more, the framerate rarely takes a hit. This game is so damn fun. Last but not least, Jak also gets another vehicle, a hoverboard. And just like the weapons, once he has it, he owns it for the rest of the game. He can flip it out and perform tricks, flips, ollies, rails; there is a hefty sampling of tricks several of which he'll need to use to get extra eco or items.

 

[megateto]

I'd just like to add this long interview in gamespy:

http://www.gamespy.com/interviews/march03/jak2/

 

[zidane1strife]

Amazing 60fps progressive with models up to 10-15K polys... People don't see the fact that many platformers even in other platforms run at half that speed, and don't look significantly better... If they ran at 30fps they could get 20-30K models and twice the texture detail...

Anyways if such polycounts improvements apply for the rest of the game it would seem they're getting about 2.5X the performance of their last game... I'll go read the interview now...

 

[London Geezer]

progressive scan

so the game will look almost as clean as those screenshots......

god i'm so getting this game....

 

[zidane1strife]

Well, they said they got the pro code from zipper or something like that... it can only mean one thing... progressive scan.

 

[chaperone]

My question is not about hate, but about how you come up with your opinion as I do think JD and RC are different enough to be distinguished. (While they are not looking as clean as the JD2 shots posted, they will never be like that on PS2 I suppose)

my opinion is that both game share similar technology AND art assets. did you not read properly? never was talking about the cleaniness of screenshots here.

 

[London Geezer]

My question is not about hate, but about how you come up with your opinion as I do think JD and RC are different enough to be distinguished. (While they are not looking as clean as the JD2 shots posted, they will never be like that on PS2 I suppose)

my opinion is that both game share similar technology AND art assets. did you not read properly? never was talking about the cleaniness of screenshots here.

chap, we got your point, ok? give up already

 

[maskrider]

My question is not about hate, but about how you come up with your opinion as I do think JD and RC are different enough to be distinguished. (While they are not looking as clean as the JD2 shots posted, they will never be like that on PS2 I suppose)

my opinion is that both game share similar technology AND art assets. did you not read properly? never was talking about the cleaniness of screenshots here.

By the last message I am not asking a question, I am responding to your "putting down the chap hate" thing. I suppose you have finished saying whatever you have on J&D/R&C/J&D2 already.

 

[London Geezer]

Well, they said they got the pro code from zipper or something like that... it can only mean one thing... progressive scan.

sooo can't wait..... my eyes are still bleeding for how clean The Getaway looked in ProScan...

 

[Phil]

After reading the interview and the impressions of various sites again and again, I just had to fire up my PS2 with Jak & Daxter in it. Upon playing the game and taking a close look at the screens presented above, the jump in graphics becomes even more apparent. In part 1, what amazed me most is the animation of characters, especially in the various cut-scenes, which remind me more of a disney cartoon than an actual realtime rendered sequence. Can't wait for September/October damnit!!!

BTW; in one of the above screens, one could think that Naughty Dog is using bump mapping. Not as if I care anyway, as whatever they use, it looks great. But just for some clarification, is it bump mapping or something that looks quite like it?

 

[Kolgar]

Wonderful. Gorgeous. Finally, PS2 is coming into its own and showing what it can really do.

THIS is next-generation gaming. And the PS2 can hold its own very well, thank you very much. 8)

Kolgar

 

[_phil_]

Yep. and i'm pretty sure ,ICO Sequel and GT4 will bring more display of Advanced design straight into PS2's strenghs ,rather than trying to copy "fashion" features.

Drop the bump ,FREE POLYGONS and make them SWING !

I'm very eager to see more.

 

[archie4oz]

my opinion is that both game share similar technology AND art assets.

And opinion it is! Well yeah Insomniac and Naughty Dog are pretty buddy-buddy, and share technology, but certainly not art assets... Also the games are also implimented in completely different languages as well...

 

[Goldni]

It looks damn good. I dont want to even know how much time ND has spent on the code in this game. Probably about as much as Polyphony did. It's probably got a tone of LOD'n being done.

btw it looks like they've copied the Oni Link idea haha.

 

[_phil_]

Procedural ellipsoid-based LOD .