Jak X: Combat Racing
Score: 88% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America Developer: Naughty Dog Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 4 (Offline) / 1 - 6 (Online) Genre: Racing (Kart)/ Action/ Online
Graphics & Sound: It’s funny how the Jak and Ratchet & Clank series have mirrored each other over the years. One adds a new feature and the other follows suit. It should come as no surprise then that in the very same year that Ratchet & Clank takes an entirely different approach to its core gameplay style that the Jak series does the same with Jak X: Combat Racing. Though Jak X may not play like past Jak games, it still looks the part. The dark visual style that has made up the last three games returns, though with a slight knock down in visuals to help ratchet up the game’s speed a bit. Some may groan at the Coleman-sized downgrade, but if you’re taking the time to notice, you’re clearly not playing the game correctly. Each of Jak X’s courses take place in familiar locales from the past two games, offering a few nostalgic moments for fans of the series. Of course, no Jak review would be complete without mentioning the incredible cut-scenes that help to flesh out the game’s story. I’m not sure what Naughty Dog does to create such great looking cut-scenes, but by all means guys, keep doing it. Audio is a mixed bag of good and great. Engine sounds are strong, but a bit lacking. However, most of the time you’re listening to bullets and missiles whizzing and exploding all around you, which cover up some of the sounds. A rocking soundtrack, featuring two tracks from Queens of the Stone Age, makes up the rest of the sound package. If the guns and explosions don’t make you forget the engine sounds, the soundtrack will.
Gameplay: Taking place sometime after Jak 3, Jak X takes the duo to Kras City to compete in a combat racing tournament. Of course, their participation in the sport isn’t exactly of their own free will. As it turns out, Krew, the oversized crime lord, has died and during the reading of his will poisoned Jak and Daxter (as well as Ashelin, Samos, Keira, and Torn) with a slow acting poison that conveniently gives the group enough time to compete in the races. If they manage to win the tournament, fulfilling Krew’s life-long dream of winning the Kras City Tournament, they will get the antidote. If not... well, then Krew will have six new roommates. You begin Jak X: Combat Racing with a small, underpowered car and access to only a few events. As you progress through races, you’ll unlock new cars as well as body upgrades which include spoilers, hoods, and even accessories like flags or helmets. Body enhancements are strictly for show only, allowing you to make cool racers and not having to worry about weight or drag issues. The number of vehicles available is also pretty expansive, ranging from sleek Formula 1-looking cars to Monster Trucks. Each type has its own pros and cons, making them better for certain tracks. For example, during Circuit or Freeze races, the faster cars are better because of the speed they offer. On the other hand, they’re not suited for open-area Deathmatches (which are essentially Twisted Metal-styled battles). Race events are separated into four Eco Cups, each of which must be won in order to win the tournament. Each cup is made up of a series of events ranging from straight-out races to combat challenges. Of the available race types, the only interesting one is Freeze Rally, which has you trying to beat a minimum time by using your turbo boosts and collecting freeze icons that stop the clock. The remaining race types aren’t anything new and can get rather boring by the time you get to your second or third cup, making for one of the game’s few flaws. Jak X also includes online modes that mirror the race types found in the single-player game. Online performance is good and can be really fun with the right players. The only complaint I could find with online play was the lack of racing taking place. Instead, most games seemed to boil down to players concentrating more on racking up high kill counts and “owning people” rather than taking first place. This probably won’t bother most gamers, but if you’re looking for more race than combat online, consider yourself warned.
Difficulty: Jak X manages to be both difficult and really easy all at the same time. It is rare that you’ll be in the lead for long periods of time, but if you manage to lose the lead, it’s very easy to get back thanks to the racing A.I. that seems to concentrate more on making races tight rather than leaving you in the dust. If you fall behind, the cars ahead slow down and give you a chance to catch up, so you can either pass them or cram a missile up their tailpipe. Once you gain the lead, the cars behind you will gain a speed boost and all missiles will suddenly lock onto you.
Game Mechanics: Between races, vehicles can be enhanced by using Precursor Orbs that are earned through winning races. Performance upgrades are more “arcade” in nature, removing any of the nit-picking tweaking found in more realistic racers. If there’s any downside to the system, it’s that upgrades don’t come cheap. On the plus side, this keeps players from maxing out their cars in a few races. Although at the same time, you never feel like you’re getting enough of a boost for the money you’re spending. Seeing as how this is combat racing, a number of weapons are included to help give you an edge on the track. Weapons are broken up into two categories: offensive and defensive. Offensive weapons are earned by collecting yellow Eco orbs on the track and include missiles and machine guns. Which weapon you earn is randomly selected and is yours until you either use it or die. If you manage to keep a weapon for a while and run up a string of kills, you’ll unlock a special Dark Eco mode for the weapon, upping the weapon’s power and making you even more dangerous. Defensive weapons include back-fired turrets and mines that can make the course even tougher for those behind you. Another feature of defensive weapons is that if you’re targeted by a missile (and believe me, this happens a lot), you can use the weapon as a decoy to evade the incoming fire. In the end, Jak X is a fun race, even if it feels just a tad generic. The game really doesn’t do anything other racing games haven’t done in the past, but the action more than makes up for the lack of innovation to the genre. If you’re a fan of the Jak series or just looking for a fun kart racer, you can’t go wrong with Jak X: Combat Racing.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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