Jak II

[cthellis42]

Been having a bit of talk about it in other threads, and I figured I'd give the game its own, especially after I ran across this little tidbit, which not only has some words to say, but about 7 minutes worth of videos in the Media section. (And ones I haven't seen before myself, at least. Dunno if they've been seen by others.)

Ah, platforming joys... So good!

 

[ChryZ]

SWEEET! Thanx a lot

 

[London Geezer]

here i am, punctual like a Swiss clock....

i just bought the Official Ps2 Mag UK that comes with a..... tah dah dann!!!

A Jak2 Demo!!

well, i would post REAL opinions if the demo didnt have a very annoying timer that lets u play for like 3 minutes then stops.

fucking thing...

anyway, the little i've seen is as gorgeous as the screens posted around the net (of course, not the 1600x1200 ones )... i played the demoi in proscan and the inital cutscenes are very beautiful, Jak and Daxter have a hell of a lot more detail to them than they sued to in the first game... the first game looks like a DC game on steroids now... this second one looks like everything has been put on steroids, the textures on the characters (the fat guy seen in some screens and the one with an armour, and of course J&D) are very well done, some of the best i've seen on PS2... and did i mention how many polygons this little thing is throwing around effortlessly?... jesus PS2 is really starting to tickle me as of late... sometimes i feel like i should go to him (my one is a HIM) and stroke it, drying his sweat and asking "want a cookie?" after some of the things it pulls out....

 

[Phil]

yep, I can only agree with that (despite my PS2 being a SHE 8))...

something I came across though while playing the demo. There seems to be some tearing going on - anyone here who has experienced something similar?

 

[London Geezer]

yep, I can only agree with that (despite my PS2 being a SHE 8))...

something I came across though while playing the demo. There seems to be some tearing going on - anyone here who has experienced something similar?

yes definately.... and in Pro-scan its even more accentuated....

they seem to be disabling VSync more often now for one reason or another.... MGS2, ZOE2, SH3... they all have VSync off.... weird

 

[Fafalada]

they seem to be disabling VSync more often now for one reason or another.... MGS2, ZOE2, SH3... they all have VSync off.... weird

Disabling VSync trades visual integrity for smaller framerate jumps.
Instead of alternating between fixed 60-30-20... framerates, you can actually get the fractional numbers inbetween, so framerate transitions are "smoother", and thus less perceptible.

That said, I can't say I've noticed tearing in SH3, but I haven't finished the game yet either.

 

[London Geezer]

they seem to be disabling VSync more often now for one reason or another.... MGS2, ZOE2, SH3... they all have VSync off.... weird

Disabling VSync trades visual integrity for smaller framerate jumps.
Instead of alternating between fixed 60-30-20... framerates, you can actually get the fractional numbers inbetween, so framerate transitions are "smoother", and thus less perceptible.

That said, I can't say I've noticed tearing in SH3, but I haven't finished the game yet either.

i cant be sure, but i remember that when playing the game in pro-scan it gave me the same effects i found in ZOE2 and MGS2. only A LOT less noticeable, maybe because the game is running at 30fps while the other 2 "try" to run at 60....

 

[rabidrabbit]

Got also the J&DII demo, that was on a local (finnish) games mag demo disc, there was also Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando demo.

Can't wait to get my hand on the finished titles, the gameplay in both of them is just perfect and so varied.

J&D II seemed to be a little more challenging than the first one, but then again, the demo levels might have been anywhere from the game.

Visually J&DII looks much more advanced and cleaner compared to Precursor Legacy, R&C on the other hand looks visually very similar to the first R&C, like they did not see need to sprump (tm l-b) up the graphics engine like Naughty Dog dod.

 

[Phil]

does anyone know the release dates of both games (here in Europe)? I've asked around, but nothing clear... just that it should be out sometime this month.

 

[rabidrabbit]

I've heard 10th of October for J&DII, don't know about R&C:GC.

 

[Folken]

JakII: 17 October
R&C2: 21 November, according to this site: http://www.price-tracker.co.uk/PS2/3748/default.htm

 

[London Geezer]

really rabid? well, R&C already was a slightly sprumped up game than J&D was... by its side, J&D1 always had fabulous art and better textures than R&C, although the latter sports much "busier" gameplay, with the weapons and all...
it seems Jak2 has "gone commando", therefore will show the most leap in quality to J&D than the first R&C will to R&C2, since R&C hasnt been changed much from the first game...

i'm not sure i was completely clear, sometimes i can get very Ciceronian if u guys know what i mean... (to those who don't, it's nothing sex-related!)

 

[rabidrabbit]

R&C was built on on J&D engine, and improved upon it. It was also released later so Insomniac obviously had more time to make it look better. R&C also did not have such levels where you could see as far as in J&D.

According to the official PlayStation Finland site http://fi.playstation.com/calendar/releaseCalendar.jhtml?linktype=NAV the relase date is 15th, but on the UK site, it is 17th :?
Well, their release calendar has been wrong on several occasions, last was the Soul Calibur II date.
MY local game shop has it listed on 10th, but I'd bet my money on the 17th as EU release date.

Of the R&C:GC demo, it only had two or so short levels (some space-industrial-station-level and a 'satellite' level. The satellite level is what was shown in some images. It is a smallish satellite where you destroy some transmitters, it has a curved surface as you were walking on a ball of some hundred meters in diameter, and a racing minigame that is almost like WipeOut (good and fast).
Haven't played it but once (been busy on Z.O.E.2, now fighting Inhert), but the first impression was that it looks as if they's used the RC engine almost without improvements (not a bad thing), at least Ratchet looked to be exactly the same model as before. The levels are still very busy and lots and lots of polygons. But Jak II does seem to be this time the better looking game texture and art wise.
Still, don't know how early demos these are, and what has been done after that.

 

[Squeak]

they seem to be disabling VSync more often now for one reason or another.... MGS2, ZOE2, SH3... they all have VSync off.... weird

Disabling VSync trades visual integrity for smaller framerate jumps.
Instead of alternating between fixed 60-30-20... framerates, you can actually get the fractional numbers inbetween, so framerate transitions are "smoother", and thus less perceptible.

That said, I can't say I've noticed tearing in SH3, but I haven't finished the game yet either.

Is it the same thing with xbox games like Splinter Cell and Serious Sam, where tearing is also very apparent, or is there another reason for that?

 

[Grall]

I don't really like tearing, I always force vsynch on when I play games, but on a console you could actually do vsynch-less gaming in a "smart" manner. As long as a frame doesn't take more than one frame to finish, you could always switch buffer during the vblank, so you'd only see tearing when things start to slow down.

On a PC, updates tear constantly no matter what, probably because often screen updates are much faster than the vertical refresh rate...

*G*

 

[Fafalada]

Is it the same thing with xbox games like Splinter Cell and Serious Sam, where tearing is also very apparent, or is there another reason for that?

I can't see any other reason for it

 

[Phil]

Being a great fan of Naugthy Dog and highly anticipating the launch of Jak II, I found that IGN has their review up for everyone:

enjoy: http://ps2.ign.com/articles/454/454132p1.html

Perhaps to those not into reading too long reviews...:

I'll make my case this way: Jak II, whether you call it a platformer or not, is born from the tradition of platformers, and retains numerous elements of that world -- the control, the goofy characters, the kiddy playfulness, etc. So as an evolution of that genre, it does an outstanding job in catching, keeping, and generating my interest. When I'm at my most ADD, this game grabs my attention. When I'm totally mellow and not distractable at all, the variety of missions, and the level of the challenge (it's hard but not brutal, which is the perfect pitch for me) pull at my thumbs.
If I look at the game as an action game, or as an adventure game, it's stunningly good, fat with great shooting levels, vehicle jacking, hovercraft missions, and some superb racing courses. Of course, the story is what drives this game forward, but it's the perfect blend of platforming elements and action-shooting that are so good, feel so right -- and with guns that feel so good -- that in the end, I don't give a damn what genre this game actually falls under. What is it? It's one of the very best games on PS2.

 

[London Geezer]

oh my god u read my mind!!! i read that review today and i was just gonna post some comments about it on this thread!!! spooky....
9.5 from IGN is a hell of a score, cant remember how high but surely in the top 5 higest rated games for ps2 yet...
when is it coming out in the UK?

 

[marconelly!]

But Jak II does seem to be this time the better looking game texture and art wise.

No doubt. Add much better image quality (some of the best I've *ever* seen, avoiding aliasing is a major feat for a game that renders this many polygons), pro scan and widescreen support to that

 

[wazoo]

some reviewer from a mag at GA said that RC2 is more fun than Jak2.

From my experience with the first episode of each, I would have no problem to agree with that.