Cyborg Haven Update: Jak and Daxter Artist Bob Rafei has a website!!

The following website has been added to my list of favorite websites:

• Bob Rafei Concept Art and Illustration     http://www.bobrafei.com/home.htm

Bob Rafei is the concept artist behind the Jak and Daxter series, one of my favorite video game fanchises for the PlayStation 2.  There is concept art and illustrations included in galleries for:

• Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
• Jak II
• Jak 3
• Jak X: Combat Racing
• A couple of Crash Bandicoot titles
• Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

I couldn't help it and had to look at the character art for Jak and Daxter: TPL and Jak II, and I love those galleries a whole lot!!  I have yet to look at the art for Jak 3 and Jak X.  Bob Rafei's artwork inspires me to want to draw my own artwork of Jak, but I don't know which Jak to start drawing.  I could start with Jak from the first game because he's Bambi-eyed and there are less details to worry about  :3  Plus which ever game he is in, he has a cute nose.  Why did I say that?  Maybe because I like the way Rafei draws his nose/nostrils.  0__O   Anyway, I got to know more of Rafei's art  years ago when I got the Jak 3 official strategy guide book.  The book features a lot of his art and I fell in love with it.  I didn't know he had the website back in 2004.  Now I know about it.  I'm so happy I stumbled upon it today!

So fans of Jak and Daxter series, if you love Bob Rafei's artwork, go check out his gallery website.  A lot of the pieces he did will surprise you, especially the very early concepts of Jak, what is called "Pre-Jak."  Wanna know what I'm talking about?  You'll see on page 2 of the gallery for Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.

I'll just say that I am very pleased with the way Jak finally turned out...   :3 

Art by Bob Rafei

This image is from the Jak 3 strategy guide.  I wanted

to include this here to give my readers an idea of what

Bob Rafei's art style is, at least for Jak 3.  To see more of

his artwork, check out http://www.bobrafei.com/home.htm .

My first PlayStation 2 video game...Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

Personally, the only video games I played for the Dreamcast (which I got the summer of 2001) were Sonic Adventure, Sonic Shuffle, and Sonic Adventure 2. Back then my sister and I were still very loyal Sonic the Hedgehog fans. But in summer 2002, we had to upgrade to PlayStation 2 because after Sonic Adventure 2, there weren’t any other video games we wanted. It was time to expand our gaming horizons.

The Best Buy store didn’t have any PS2s, so we went to a Toys R Us but that didn’t have any PS2 units either. However, we looked at the PS2 games that were there. Not much appealed to me, except this very colorful-looking one called Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. It featured a hero character with long, elf-like ears and a furry weasel companion on his shoulder. In fact there was in a demo-player at the game section of the store, and this was the image of them that I saw:

I loved how Daxter looks silly but Jak has a serious expression on his face. Like, “What are YOU lookin’ at? I’m the one who’s doing all the running!”

 

The elf hero, who is Jak (and NOT Link, haha) has high-lighter yellow hair, in the style of some of those “treasure trolls”…o.0…remember those? He has blue eyes, green eyebrows, a funny looking pair of goggles, and he seemed to be the adventure type. I started to like the idea of playing a game other than Sonic running around loops and collecting rings. So, I ultimately bought the Jak and Daxter video game. (We ended up buying the game and the PS2 at a Circuit City.)

I remembered watching the commercials for it too, in late 2001 (check ‘em out here and here ). I wasn’t sure if I’d be playing that game because it was for another game system, and so far I was almost strictly a SEGA gamer. But Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy really helped me get into the PlayStation 2 frame of mind. I had more buttons to memorize (shapes instead of letters) and more controls to the character than a simple run and jump. I was blown away. Jak can walk, run, jump, double jump, crouch, roll, roll- jump, hang on to ledges, kick, punch, upper-cut, dive punch, spin kick, DIVE, SWIM (and man, Sonic can do none of those…except run and jump, and uh, the spin attack. Yeah.). It was so many actions to learn for this game, but they all helped me learn where the buttons of the PS2 controller are located.

And it wasn’t just the game play that made this game worthwhile. There was a ten-minute opening movie to watch, which was quite entertaining, especially when Daxter becomes the ottsel. And there were more scenes in between tasks to finish. Jak is supposed to go to a Sage who should be able to turn Daxter back from an ottsel. But as his guardian Samos the Sage says, the other sage lives “Far, far to the north…”

One of the best things about this video game was that rather than exploring parts of a world (such as the city and ruins fields in Sonic Adventure), Jak can explore his whole surroundings.   Having him swim in the water is so cool (just don't swim too far into the sea or a big fish will gulp him up!  Remember that, Jak and Daxter fans? :D)  There is no loading between area to area because the whole world Jak explores is one whole world like it's supposed to be, so you are there to see Jak travel the lands in every second of his journey.
     Another very good thing about this game:  Jak won't lose lives.  If you have Jak fall to his death or lose all his energy, you go back to a checkpoint, made possible by the auto-save feature this game uses.  Neat!

The scenery was amazing. In the beginning of the game play, there is soooo much grass and trees and water to explore, and you get to collect these things called "Precursor Orbs," which are needed to advance further into the game. There are mountains, cliffs, the ocean, rocks, snowy places, forests, and more. I also liked the music in the game, which wasn’t spectacular, but it does go well with the world-exploration that Jak gets to do. (The music gets more cinematic in its sequels.)

I wondered if Jak was ever going to say a word. He did vocalize when I made him attack, notably on the kick-spins and the double jumps. Here’s something funny :D I accidentally got too close to the lava in an area of the game and he fell in; but instead of crying out, he just said, “Ouch.” OUCH?? OUCH??? That's an odd moment to say ouch, isn't it?  =D  Okay, he can say ouch, but otherwise, not one word from him. He is a strong, silent type.

I wonder what happened to him in the past that made him mute…?  Wait, maybe I know already.  I think if I finish playing through Jak 3 again I might find a clue.

Anyway, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was my first taste in PlayStation 2 goodness, and I’m glad it was. I looked forward to the game’s sequel, and its next sequel, and its next sequel……Oh yeah, I have Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier and I should get back to that.   Mega Man X and MHX have been sucking up my gaming time lately, so I should give those games a short vacation of a sort.

@.@   

Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier, Dec. 20th

I finally returned to Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier, and I had a lot of fun!!!  ^.^

     I collected 28 more Precursor Orbs (because I had 7, then I got one from an orb hunt, and then many more from the next several tasks and missions that I completed).

• Flying mission Pursue Phoenix
• Brink Island: Look for a way out of Island
• Meet the Castaway
• Retrieve Velonium Mod
• Return to Castaway's Treehouse
• Disable the Phantom Blade
• Confront Captian Phoenix
• Buy More Eco Skills from Keira
• Customize Your Plane

     (SPOILERS, Probably...) At about 7:35pm I started where I left off, sort of: after passing an obstacle course to practice shooting his new blaster gunstaff mod, Jak is supposed to return to Duke Skyheed.  So I had to run from the start of the city all the way to Skyheed's Manor, and get the Eco Seeker to help with finding Eco.  Unfortunately, Captain Phoenix steals it, and as Keira tries to get it back, Phoenix takes her away too!  So since he flies away on his ship, then that means there is going to be another flying mission.  Yay?
     Yay!  It was a very intense but fun flying mission.  It was also the first mission that I tried the "Daxterjack" function, which got frustrating because I often confuse the square button with the circle button.  I made myself remember that the square button is on the left side.  ("Got that memorized?" Yay, Axel! :] )  So that helped make things easier for me, and I was able to complete the mission.  Then Jak had to crash land on the Brink Island.  This area was where I found so many Precursor Orbs.  Ha ha, finding the Precursor Orbs is the main reason why I ordered the strategy guidebook.  I at least want to get all the ones that are in the areas because not all orb hunts are going to be easy right away.  Anyway, Jak got the Eco Amplifier near the beginning of this mission and it's totally helpful.  It's this big orb of red eco light and when he shoots at it it creates an explosion.  Somehow it doesn't hurt Jak, but that's okay ;)
     Then soon he meets the Castaway.  He looks an awful lot like Vin from Jak II and Jak 3.  You know, maybe the character designers at High Impact Games must've liked the character design for Vin; the white hair and the weird glasses (or goggles? for the castaway), scientific knowledge,  and I think this new guy even sounds a bit nutty.  Jak probably thought so too, he just didn't say anything.  So, the Castaway tells Jak to find the Velonium Mod to power up his Hellcat.  Unfortunately that meant a boss fight; this robot called the Uber-bot 888 had the item Jak needed.  It wasn't a frustrating boss fight, once I figured out what to do.  I only glanced at what the strategy guide said to do; I feel better when I figure out things for myself.  There was a lot of jumping, running, and certainly the heavy use of the Eco Amplifier.  Timing is key.
     Oh, I love the Eco Construction ability!  If Jak stands on green Eco crystals and uses Eco Construction, a green crystal platform materializes for a few moments (or less) so Jak can get across to the other side of an area.  It is also useful as a sort of split-second shield, as demonstrated in the boss battle against Uber-bot 888.
     After the two-part boss battle, Jak was able to use his Hellcat again, and the next mission was Disable the Phantom Blade, anothe pirate ship.  This flying mission was a little more difficult because I had to keep shooting at the different assigned targets--the engines, the thrusters, and then the turrets--and I had to watch out for Jak's a** at the same time.  The first two objectives of this mission are timed, and I failed again and again because it was a limited-time mission.  However, the third objective wasn't limited in time, but the Hellcat got destroyed a few times before I (heh, Jak) could finally take out the last of the turrets.  During the third objective I was able to practice the "Daxterjack" function on several of the other flying planes so that it won't be so confusing in the future.
    After the Phantom Blade was disabled, Jak landed his Hellcat inside, and it is sort of another area/city to walk around.  There are people walking around--other pirates.  I had gathered a lot of Eco points or whatever, so I was able to find Keira and trade them in for two more Eco Skills:  Infuse Enemy 1 and Eco Power Regan 1.  Then I had to customize the Hellcat, a task I am not a big fan of.  Customizing...that sort of word reminds me of the combat racing cars in Jak X that every time I changed something about it, the game auto-saved, and one fateful day that caused a problem.  [shudders]  I didn't do too much with this in Jak and Daxter: TLF.  I added the Flak Cannon 1x and the Extra Repairs Mod to the Hellcat.  Maybe I'll customize the other plane too, but I stopped at 10:05pm.  It was enough for then.  I had fun.  ^,^

My experience and thoughts on Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier

Thursday night after 8:30pm, I tried out Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier for the first time.  I gotta say, it's not bad at all.  In fact, I had so much fun with the game!  The flying introductory mission was fun and not too difficult for me to play through, and I loved the music for that part.  I like the music in the game in general.  I'd describe it as "adventure music" not quite a la the Superman theme.  I believe it is about time that the latest game for Jak and Daxter is another platformer. 
     I am also glad that it is also available for the PS2, something more people have access to than the PS3.  In fact I had to change the aspect ratio to the 16x9 size because at the 4x3 the subtitles were too small and narrow.  Since it started out as something like a narrow wide-screen (being essentially for the PSP), stretching the aspect ratio to the other, larger size helped a lot so that the scenes and the gameplay filled up my entire TV screen.  Neat!
     Some things I do actually miss from the Jak and Daxter trilogy that are not in this game are:

• the Rolling Super Long Jump
• Jak putting away his weapon when it's not in use
• The usual characters Sig, Torn, Samos and Ashelin
• Light Jak and Dark Jak
• the Jet Board (is it gonna come back?  I hope so...)

    I miss that Jak can put away his weapon, because now he's holding it all the time and it makes him look intimidating to the other people walking in the city of Aeropa.  It's annoying to me that he always looks ready to shoot.  Why can't Jak just relax already, huh?  What I do appreciate about this game even without Naughty Dog as it's developer is:

• the nostalgic sound effect that I hear when I find a Precursor Orb (it's just like the one from the first Jak and Daxter game!)
• nature-like places to explore
• new characters
• the new flying gameplay
• Daxter's, um...vulnerability to Dark Eco
• Jak may look a little different (minus his goatee) and sound a little different, but it's not strange to me.  He's Jak and that's all that matters.  : D

     This new game made me care a little more about Daxter.  He is a big-mouth, a liar and obnoxious, as he always was in the past four games, although I loved the comic relief.  However, Daxter has feelings too.  SPOILERS...Probably?)  There is a scene when I realized how vulnerable Daxter can be because of his emotions.  When Daxter got separated from Jak, he was lonely and scared.  Of course.   It made me think inside, "Awww...poor Daxter."   It wasn't his greedy, silly side showing.  It was his fear, not only separation anxiety but also the fear of the unknown.  I'm wondering, does Daxter like being Dark Daxter, and does he want to do it again?  Was he even conscious during the time?  Could he hurt Jak?  It was the first time it happened, so the further I play through the game, I'll probably find out.
     Once I had three Precursor Orbs, I had to go ahead and get the Secret "Jak's goatee."  I think he looks strange without it, because he always had one in Jak II, Jak 3 and Jak X.  I'll let him have his goatee on again  for now.   :)   
     I unfortunately didn't have my recorder with me when I played, so my exclamations are forgotten.  But I remember that I left off right before the mission "Return to Duke Skyheed" and that I'm moments away from the destination.  So far Jak has only one mod for his Gunstaff.  Sigh, I can see why those other Jak and Daxter fans weren't too crazy about this game.  But I like it anyway.  ^,^

I GOT MY Jak and Daxter GAME!!!!

I would have posted this earlier, but I wanted it to be separate from the "Dreams" label of Cyborg Haven.

     But yes.  Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier DID arrive in the mail today!!  It was a little after 4:30pm.
     I was in my sister's bedroom while she worked on one of her YouTube projects, and I heard a sound outside that I was certain was a UPS truck.  Then I spotted it from the window in the bedroom.  I thought to myself, "Would that be for me??"  and then "Nah, it might be too soon."  But then I saw a shadow move down the side of the front lawn (there was still some sunlight on the ground for a little while) and so I thought "Maybe it is for me, but maybe it might've been a bird flying...?"
    Then I heard the doorbell ring. IIIIII knoooow whaaaaaat it iiiiiiiiiiiis!!
    I went to the front door and opened it, and sure enough, it was a package for me from GameStop.  I felt around it and realized it contained both the game and the strategy guide inside.  YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!  
    So did my dream fortell that I'd be getting the game today?  Or is it that my unconscious mind has ESP?  I am always fascinated about how this stuff works.
     I already peeked at the strategy guide.  It looks fun and simple to use.  It has controls for the PS2 and the PSP in the same guide.  I was very giddy for the next two hours after finding the package at my front door.  I'm certainly looking forward to playing this game.  I know I'll like it, cuz it's Jak and Daxter.  I am planning to play the game very soon after I finish my second run on Jak 3.  Or, if I can't wait that long... *,^

     I should really return to playing Jak X too.  I lost the data to that game when I accidentally corrupted the memory card that had it.  And I love that cool rock music...and Jak's nose. <3 

Dreams and fortune telling...?

Once again, I had nice video game-related dreams.
Both NiGHTS...and Jak.
     The first one is the one with NiGHTS.  In fact, Reala was there too!  It was a NiGHTS calendar!!!!  And I need a new calendar!   Well, anyway...Reala looked a lot like the way he's been drawn in much of the fan-art I've seen in DA and NiD.com.  Long black hair, sky-blue skin...kinda like the Dark Magician of Black Chaos from the first Yu-Gi-Oh! series, eh?  I think Reala was in most of the calendar's months.  And of course, the all-adorable NiGHTS made it to my dreams, and I squeal <3 <3 <3 <3

     The second dream was that I received Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier in the mail.  Wow that was quick!  And when did I order it?  The tenth?  Lemme tell you what happened in this dream.  I started playing it, and I don't remember seeing Daxter (maybe my unconscious mind doesn't care much about that orange fuzzball, except that he is 98% of the comic relief in the Jak and Daxter games).  However, there was one level where Jak had to jump up and climb parts of a mountain.  In fact, the gameplay was much like the original Jak and Daxter, and he didn't have any guns with him.  And get this:  the music that was playing in that area was the classic Super Mario Brothers' "underground pipe" level.  Ya know, the one with the blue bricks?  That was weird.  What did that have to do with Jak and Daxter? (starts to sing the song):

Duh nuh duh nuh duh nuh...duh nuh duh nuh duh nuh...
Duh nuh duh nuh duh nuh...duh nuh duh nuh duh nuh...
Doodoodoodoot doot doot doot doot doot do do do do do do do do do

     Do dreams tell the future?  I believe so.  I mean, not all the time.  But I knew that the new Jak and Daxter game was coming soon in the mail, so just the fact that I dreamed about it means it's on my mind.  I wondered, is the game and strategy guide going to arrive today?  Tomorrow?  Friday?  Next week...?

Revisited Jak II on November 14th

Okay, I am still in my Jak and Daxter nostalgia attack.  I brought myself to return to another game that I lost the data to on my corrupted memory card:  the now-classic, PS2 Greatest Hit Jak II.
     Hey, you know what else are PS2 Greatest Hits?  Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy; Jak 3; Jak X; Final Fantasy XII (uh, yeah!).  Yeah, even Jak X is a Greatest Hit, baby (ya hear that, Jak X haters?)!
     I don't know when was the last time I played Jak II.  Years ago; maybe in 2004?  Wow.
     I've also had one of my current PS2 controllers since I started playing on the console in 2002, so it is probably...seven years old, at least?  Huh.  That kinda might explain why it went haywire on the third mission, the first mission that Torn gives Jak (something about stealing or taking down the Baron Praxis banner).  In the middle of the mission, the game paused on its own.  And then it unpaused.  The game resumed, but I couldn't have Jak move forward or left or right, any direction.  He was stuck.  WTF?!  Sure, he could move forward by punching, but I could not even turn him around!  Hey, what gives?!  The controller's left analog stick went crazy on me.  I went to the menu and then Sound Options, and it turned everything down to 0%:  the SFX, the speech volume, and the music volume.  Godd----t!!
      I thought I might even have to switch the controller in port 1 to port 2 so that the second controller will have to be used form now on...and that reminds me it is about time (and it might be a good idea now) to buy a new PS2 controller in case this seven-year-old one breaks down for good.  Sigh. >:(
     But I didn't want to do that just yet.  After taking the game out and turning the unit off, I tried pushing in the controller's plug in a little more into the port.  Wow, it actually went in a little more!  Could it be that the controller just needed to be pushed back in?  I mean, I might have been pulling at the controller's cord when I tensed up and didn't realize it (maybe when I'm close to losing in a versus battle during Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 4).  I had a sigh of relief there.  After adjusting the plug to the controller port, I turned on the unit, put the game back in and everything worked just fine.  I was able to finish the mission.
     So then, Jak brought back the banner, and Torn accepts Jak and Daxter and says "Yeah. I guess you guys are in."  Then voila! he disappeared.  The night stars were disappering as well.  I noticed that so then I said, "What? Torn? Where is he?  It's the morning now!  Make me my breakfast!!"  Lol!
     I completed 11% of the game in that one session, compared to the maybe three or four missions I completed the first time I played this game (because back in 2003 playing a half-hour of Jak II was too much for me to take, I was just so excited).  The last mission Jak did for this session was the training course for the Scatter Gun, and next time he's gonna protect Sig while he does his Wastelander stuff.

Whew!  ^,^

Ordered Jak and Daxter:The Lost Frontier!! Also, an opinion about the PS3

I couldn't help it.  :)
     I was hoping I would be able to buy the game at a store, so that other people, maybe other gamers, would see that I am a Jak and Daxter fan.  Ha ha...?  Well, a couple of days ago I found an offer I could not resist:  the PS2 Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier for $22.99 at GameStop.com ! I even decided to order the Official Strategy Guide for the game as well! 
     As I might have said before, I'd rather play this game for the Playstation 2 because a) I want to see it on a bigger screen, and b) I don't feel like limiting myself on how long I play it because of any remaining battery power my PSP would have.  I have plenty of games for my portable unit at this time, and I'm not going to forget about buying Dissidia: Final Fantasy and the upcoming Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep either.
     If you check the link to GameStop above, the page says it is an online price only, and that the price drop will save customers $7.  Also, there are a few reviews already for this PS2 version of the game.  Is that a good thing?  Unfortunately, the reviews are not all that positive, even from the Jak and Dax fans.  But you know what, that's not gonna stop me from wanting to play this game.  I personally am a loyal Jak and Daxter fan.  In terms of platformers, it's been a good while since a Jak and Daxter video game was released in that genre.  I mean, Jak X wasn 't so bad to me; in fact, it may be the only racing game that I do enjoy because not only is it Jak and Daxter.  There is actually a STORY to that racing game, unlike many of the other games where the only purpose is to drive/race and admire how oh-so beautiful (and "ohh lookie how real-like") those race cars are.
     Which brings me to another point.  I recently visited http://www.us.playstation.com/ and I had to check out this post on the Playstation Blog about the newest Jak and Daxter game (check it out!).  I noticed that a lot of comments made about that post state that there should be a Jak and Daxter game for the Playstation 3.  Um, I understand their disappointment, but...
     Hey look, I just made an awesome discovery!  It's called the Playstation 2!  There are hundreds of thousands of video game titles to play for it, and it can also play DVDs and music CDs.  And the best of it all is, you can even play [your] old PSone titles on the PS2, like Final Fantasy VII or Chrono Trigger if you have them!  Oh man, I wish I had that Playstation 2...
     Oh wait, I do :) 
     My point about whether or not there should be a PS3 Jak and Daxter game is this.  Many of these gamers who have a PS3 must be so spoiled by now with the great graphics of Metal Gear Solid 4 or Resistance or WWE titles.  Or Halo 3.  Just know that those of you who think 100% perfect graphics and 100% perfect gameplay are the only things that make a video game desirable, then you my friends are missing out on some great PS2/PSone treasures.  Don't throw out your PS2 consoles just yet, or not at all.  I know I won't.

My Nostalgia for Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

NOSTALGIA!!!!!
     I am still celebrating the release of the Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier video game for the Playstation 2.  I've decided to buy both the video game and the strategy guide, because the strategy guide has a lot of goodies in it (like character bios and the list of the game's secrets) besides tip for helping me play my best.
     But I couldn't help it.  It's been almost a decade since the first game Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was released--and it's been seven years ago (early summer 2002) since I first played that game.  I completed it in about three months (and then September 20, 2002 I bought Kingdom Hearts ^.^ ).  I'd like to play it again for a third run (yes, third), but I'm still finishing up Jak 3 for my second time playing it.  So I decided to see if the beginning of the first Jak and Daxter game was available on You Tube.  I found a bunch, but one in particular includes a couple of extra-nostalgic things:  the Playstation 2 logo, and the Naughty Dog logo (with Daxter dancing and Jak pushing the Naughty Dog logo into the screen.  Squeeeeeaallllll!!!!!)  Jak was a baby there!  Now he's a man with two girls chasing after him (Keira and Ashlin).  For those who want to see the video (in case you sold your old copy of Jak and Daxter, don't feel like digging your collection for it, or are just curious about it and wanna see it anyway :) ) then here's the link for this blast of nostalgia from this 2001 video game:

     Jak and Daxter: #01 Starting Movies 

Man, I love Jak's expression when he first sees that Daxter is turned into an ottsel.  His eyes were so wide, like "WTF did you just do to yourself?! (Oh wait...I did that ^.^ ;;)".   I still appreciate the music of this great game, especially from Sentinel Beach and, um... I really want to play that game again.  I'm starting to forget the names of the areas.  By the way, there are other videos that include some gameplay of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.  They should show up on Related Videos on the You Tube page of this video.

^,^

My Decision about Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier

Earlier today I just got my December issue of Playstation the Official Magazine in the mail (and sexy Bayonetta is on the front cover…but it’s just an advertisement, not a cover feature :'(  ).  In this issue I came across a preview of one of my most anticipated titles Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier.  I squeal. :D

     But reading the preview helped me make a particular decision about this game; that I want to get the Playstation2 version, rather than the PSP version. Why? Cuz I don’t want to worry about the PSP’s battery power when I think I might be playing this game for about two-and-a-half hours at a time. That’s an average amount of time that I spend on the PS2. I’d have to limit my time on the PSP for no longer than an hour and a half average (for Sonic Rivals 2, I have enough patience to give it 45 minutes). I will have Dissidia: Final Fantasy to eventually get for the portable unit and still, there is also that Sonic Rivals 2 and some of the old retro games like Ristar and Vector Man from the SEGA Genesis Collection.

     Heh…^.^;; I only got to those two older games once ever. They are fun, though. I gotta get back to ‘em. Maybe because Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is my go-to game for the portable unit. And then hopefully when the price of Dissidia is lowered, so will that game be my next Final Fantasy goodness.
     Anyway, I am used to playing the Jak and Daxter series on the TV screen, so I'd rather go with the tried and true after all.

Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier on G4tv.com

The date for the release of Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier is getting closer!  YAAAAAYYYYY!!!

     When I went to check out info on the game at Amazon.com, I found out from there that the release date was on Oct. 31st.  Which is Halloween night.  That was ridiculous, usually new releases of music and DVDs, maybe books too, are on a Tuesday while the 31st of October is on a Saturday.
     I knew it would change.  It would have to be a supposed release date.  So I went to G4TV.com, a video game website I can visit now that the actual G4 TV network is mostly airing Cops and Cheaters and Ninja Warrior. (X-Play and maybe Attack of the Show are the only shows that even mention video games.)  I looked up Jak and Daxter: TLF and I found an article on the PSP version for the game.  Here is the link for a hands-on preview by a G4 TV staff member:
G4TV.com Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Hands-On Preview
     I know many Jak and Daxter fans have been waiting for a new title.  I have, especially.  Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was my very first Playstation 2 video game, and I learned all the controller's buttons with it, and the game was so colorful and fun.  (I should do a Reminisce on this game...)
     Anyway, now I know for sure that October 31st is too early for a release date of the latest game in the series, but G4TV.com says it's now on November 3, which is a Tuesday (and now it makes more sense, doesn't it?).
     Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy!!! :D

Playing Jak 3

     On Saturday I returned to playing Jak 3. The game indicated that I was done with 60% of it already. That's much sooner than the first time I played it.
     Anyway, I put Jak through hell on three-and-a-half "missions":  Break Barrier with Blast Bot (after which he received the Peace Maker gun), Race for More Artifacts, Defend Spargus' Front Gate, and Take Out Marauder Stronghold.  Before this, I tried one of the side missions, a racing time attack against Kleiver's time record. I tried again and again and my thumb became sore keeping it on the X button all the time.
     Well, the last three missions mentioned above all needed a Dune Buggy to do the tasks Jak was asked to do, and I said,"Again with the dune buggies?" Geez, my thumb needed a break (and so did the X button, right?).  I'm really going to enjoy the missions where I make Jak run around and shoot stuff rather than drive a dune buggy in a desert.  I had to stop in the middle of the last mission of this gaming session because my thumbs had enough and I was already frustrated and cranky.  And hungry; hey, that explains it!   It was after 4:30pm  and lunch wasn't in my belly yet.  Ha haa?
Sigh. :<   I still love this game, though. :)
     Waiiiiting for Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier...

Dreaming about Jak

My dreams are weird.
     There have been many times I've dreamed about playing a new Jak and Daxter game. I just had one Wednesday night. I had another one recently too. In that one he was in another planet, with a green sky and lots of trees to climb on. I don't remember if ottsel partner Daxter was with him or not.
I used to dream a lot about Jak when I was excited about Jak II. I really wanted that game. Plus I knew he was going to talk in that game, since in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, he didn't say a word. I guess my unconscious self knew what was on my mind; after I finished the first game, I wanted to know what was next for Jak.
     Maybe I'm dreaming about playing Jak again because I know now that there is going to be yet another sequel in the Jak and Daxter series, titled Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier.  This I found out from a magazine I subscribe to called Playstation the Official Magazine from its October issue.  I don't know if I want to get it for PSP or PS2.  I can't let go of my PS2 yet.