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In
the beginning there was Mario Kart, the first Racer
adaptation of a popular Platform star; it would be something of an
understatement to say that this was to start something of a trend. Mario
Kart is still with us, most recently with Mario
Kart DS, but no longer alone. Vivendi’s popular Platform 
hero Crash Bandicoot has his own Kart-Racing series in Crash
Nitro Kart, Crash Team Racing and Crash Tag Racing
and even Sonic has had his own dire retort; Sonic R. At some
stage it seems to have become a right of passage that a popular
Platform series is adapted into a racing title – how long before
we see Tak sprinting around a track running on his Juju? It
was only a matter of time before SONY, and developers Naughty Dog
attempted yet another adaptation. With three successful titles in
the series, and a character-rich background, the third annual
edition Jak and Daxter series was a natural candidate, just
piping Sly to the post. However, with a market already
inundated with Kart Racing titles, the real challenge facing Jak
X is to offer something different, something new.
Jak X is storyline-driven from the beginning, with an
extensive Intro-Sequence, which is well worth watching and allows
the game to hit the ground running. This is only the start; players
can look forward to close to an hour of animated Cut-Scenes
throughout the game. The storyline is fairly simple, at least at
first. Jak and Daxter have been invited to the reading of big-time
crook and ex-boss Krew’s Will. There they meet up with several of
the character from previous titles in the series. Upon arrival
Krew’s surprisingly charming daughter serves them wine. Krew’s
hologram will however quickly informs them they have been duped,  and
now must race for him posthumously. The wine was poisoned, and the
antidote will only be served when they have conquered him in the
most prestigious trophy in the Combat Racing season.
From here the player is launched into the first of four
Tournaments. The player must collect Medals from various races to
unlock more and more races until 50 Medals have been obtained, when
the player can compete in the Grand Prix for that Tournament. Upon
victory the player moves up to the next Tournament. As the game
progresses more and more vehicles become available and the player is
able to customize each and every one using orbs earned in races.
However, winning races is easier said than done. Firstly the
player must learn to utilize the different items available to them;
there are different colours of Eco around the various courses each
with its own effect: Green to heal, Blue to provide turbo-boost,
Yellow for forward weapons and Red for rear weapons. The forward
weapons are varied and can be fired using the L1 Trigger, as the
player causes more damage with the weapons the Dark Eco Meter
increases, and in doing so increases the player’s weapon’s
fire-power. Rear mounted weapons are more interesting, once again
there are various weapons available, such as Mines, however the
player can instead use rear-mounted weapons to defend against
incoming fire, posing the player the choice of holding the weapon
for defence or using it as offensively, much like the trick of
holding weaponry out the back of your kart in Mario Kart -
not only protecting you but also giving you the ability to gather
another weapon - installed in fans since Mario Kart64. One
forward and one rear weapon can be held at a time.
The Blue Eco provides turbo-boost, but there are also other
ways of gaining a powerful speed increase, namely through Power
Slides and Hang Time. Each time the player performs either of these
stunts the Blue Turbo Meter increases. When the player has Turbo
holding the L2 Trigger will drain the meter whilst greatly
increasing the player’s speed. The amount of Turbo-Boost a vehicle
can stockpile increases
 with customisation. However, it is much
harder to steer when moving at these high speeds, and crashes could
be
a frequent result. The faster the vehicle is travelling the more
likely the player is to be killed by the impact with and object.
One of the best aspects of Jak X is the sheer number
of different gameplay Modes available. In addition to the regular
Circuit Races there are several very different types of event the
player must complete; Races against the clock, where collecting
emblems freezes the clock, Destruction Derby-style encounters
in which the player with the most kills takes the Medal and there
are also races where killing a set number of drone racers in a
set-time is the target. As you progress even more Event types are
encountered. Sports Hunts, where the player must compete to hunt
down and kill the most targets, be they industrial equipment or
giant birds, and also a rather odd Event in which the aim is to
crash headlong into as many drones as possible, gaining as many
points as possible. There is also a Team-Event, which is a variation
on the Capture the Flag theme. While all these Modes could easily be
compared to Mario KartDS’s Mission Mode, Jak X
flaunts it’s variety with a fair-degree of passion, as opposed to
tantalizing players with one release before following through with
the next.
The game looks extremely good, with no graphical errors
apparent. The perspective is particularly low, creating a fantastic
sensation of speed. The courses are detailed and look very good.
Each and every crash the player has is shown in spectacular
slow-motion, and is a real highlight of the game. The graphics
overall are definitely a plus-point to the game. It almost feels
like you are really driving the vehicle, and the Cut-Scenes are well
animated and totally error-free, often an oversight by many smaller
development teams. Considering the format chosen for the titles’
release, it is hard to find anything to criticize about the
graphics.
The sound is also very good. The commentators are important
characters in the game, and this is reflected in their commentary.
There is varied background noise and a good selection of in-game
music, which contributes well to the atmosphere prevalent throughout
the game. The sound effects accompanying the crash-scenes are pretty
good, as is the Voice-Acting which really brings the characters to
life.
As the player progresses through the game more and more
characters from the previous titles come into the story, most of
them as playable avatars. Each of these characters is then unlocked
in the Exhibition Mode. There are also several other interesting
features. Up to six-players can play Exhibition Mode online, which
should prove very popular considering the success of other
Multi-Player racers such as Mario Kart DS, that is, should
SONY’s online network remain stabilized enough to cater for the
title. In addition, more extras can be unlocked by linking to the
upcoming Daxter title to be released on the PlayStation
Portable.
The most important aspect of Jak X is that it is an
immensely fun fast paced experience. Rather than just be the same as
other racers Jak X challenges the player in many ways. The
player has to adapt to different events and vehicles to a greater
degree than in any other such title on the market. The storyline is
fun and becomes more interesting as it progresses. Jak X is
as enjoyable, if not more than its Mario equivalent. Whilst not
being genre-changing Jak X is as good a Kart Racer as any
gamer is likely to get their hands on in the near future.
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