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Platform: PlayStation
2
Related Articles: Review: Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PlayStation 2) Review: Jak II (PlayStation 2)
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Jak
X Combat Racing
Naughty
Dog appears to be getting into a comfortable cycle when it comes to
their platformer franchises. They’ll
make a trio of games in the series, and wrap the whole thing up with a
racing game of some sort. We
saw it once already with Crash Bandicoot, as it had three platforming
excursions, followed by a kart racing game, and now the same is
happening with Jak: the developer has polished off the series-proper,
and is now working on a racing game in the series’ universe with Jak
X Combat Racing.
As the title suggests, the game is largely about blowing the competition up while racing, sort of like what we’ve seen in the Wipeout series…only cuter. As to why Jak and the gang can be bothered to get into this sort of work, after they destroyed the Dark Maker, society began to return to normal, and sports were regaining popularity, Combat Racing more so than the |
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rest. After
a while, Kras City becomes the place to be for this sport, and Jak and
Daxter are asked to come there to hear Krew’s last will and testament,
where a number of other characters from the game have also assembled to
hear it. At the end of the
reading, the group learns that they
have all been poisoned, and the only way to be cured is for them to win
the Kras City Combat Racing Championship.
Unlike many racing games, Jak X Combat Racing will be about more than just trying to get across the finish line first. With a total of five play modes, players |
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will be doing
traditional races, time
trials, time box, death matches, and team death matches. All the while, players will have a fair sized roster of
characters from the series including Ashelin,
Keira, Samos, Torn, and Rayn, with Jak and Daxter leading the charge.
Despite all of these game modes and characters being available for single-player games, what will likely get a lot of attention is how they translate into multi-player, as Combat Racing supports both standard multi-player, as well as online play. The way online options for the game are shaping up, Combat Racing appears to be taking on some of the spirit of a first person shooter even though it is indeed a driving game with the inclusion of buddy lists, rankings, clans, team play, and so forth.
Besides
the usual assortment of power-ups that can be picked up while playing,
there will also be a number of other pieces of equipment that can be
added to players cars over the course of the game, such as body
components, decals, and paint jobs.
How much these things will ultimately lean towards aesthetics or
practicality has yet to be seen, though.
Also of interest is that people will be able to unlock new
vehicles, characters, decals, and such in Jak X Combat Racing depending
on how they perform in the upcoming Jak game for the PSP.
With
the amount of popularity the Jak and Daxter series has gained over the
years, there’s certain to be quite a bit of interest in Jak X
Combat Racing. What is nice to see
is that Naughty Dog is making an effort to ensure that the game
stands out from the crowd through all of the game modes and online play
planned for the project. Many
companies would just whip together a half-assed game based on a popular
franchise to rake in the dough towards of the end of the series’ life
cycle; seeing Naughty Dog actually go the extra mile with Combat Racing
is very refreshing.
Mr.
Nash (May
21, 2005)
Game
Features:
-
Jak X: Combat Racing
introduces both multiplayer and online modes to the Jak and Daxter
franchise. -
Players will be tasked with a large variety of missions with multiple
play modes and non-linear progression. Play modes include Racing, Time
Trial, Time Box, Death Match and Team Death Match.
In addition, special events, bonus tasks on tracks, arenas and
large open terrains will be available. -
In the multiplayer mode, two players can race in high-speed head-to-head
action, featuring various character drivers to choose from. -
The online mode allows up to six players to compete, with a full set of
online features including Ranking System, Buddy List, Clans, Team Play
and more. -
Players can create their own strategies for races and missions with an
assortment of vehicle power ups, including projectile weapons, ranged
weapons, smart bombs, mines, catastrophic attacks, turbos, shields and
repair. -
More than 10 racing tracks with 20 configurations – plus reverse and
mirror design – for greater diversity. -
Destructible elements within each track provides players additional
challenge and fun. -
Vehicles are fully customizable and feature unique and lively handling
characteristics through the utilization of Advanced Rigid Body Physics
technology. -
Vehicles will feature progressive damage including parts breaking loose
and falling off as they are destroyed in exciting and dynamic crashes. -
Each vehicle has multiple segment “snap-ons” including body parts,
accoutrements, decals, paint patterns and colors, along with other
special mods. Players can have fun by adding accessories such as fluffy
dice, bobble heads, antennae flags and more! -
As an added bonus, gamers who play Daxter PSP (Final Name TBD) will
have the ability to unlock Jak X: Combat Racing elements such as
secret decals, modifications, vehicles and a character from Daxter
PSP. - Enjoy another episode in the Jak and Daxter universe, as the exciting plot unfolds in nearly an hour of cinematics. |
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