Daxter

Platforming hasn't been this fun since the early days of Crash Bandicoot and his wacky adventures. You'll find all that you adored about the Jak and Daxter saga in this unique game. Wow! Time sure flies. It's already the fifth game in the franchise fathered by Naughty Dog. Now the producer Ready at Dawn is ready to kick in with this title straight on to the PSP. Finally we'll see Daxter getting some prime time action, considering that Jak was always the main character. It all happens just before things get bumpy in Jak 2. Ready to squash some bugs?

Story You might have been wondering what Daxter was up to during the two years of imprisonment for his mate. We knew Daxter from before, from the times when he teamed up with Jak. Now Jak is the prisoner of Baron Praxis and the furry little creature must save his friend. Also there's a new menace in town: bugs, lots of them, metallic ones also. Time for the Critter-Rider Extermination Company to join in. The bold furry creature is all alone in Haven City and teams up with Osmo, some genius old man that hires the little rascal to exterminate bugs. A true ladies man, Daxter has a huge ego and courage as well. He'll handle the pressure of his task with the craziest humor possible. The rodent is not alone in his exterminating quest and he gets the help of Ximon, Osmo's son, a great surfer and a less great exterminator and some other female characters.

Concept It's a platform game all the way. Like its ancestor, Crash Bandicoot, Daxter will jump, double jump, even spin when using his threatening fly swatter. You'll drive lots of cool vehicles ranging from the company van to the ranger zoomer, a scooter or a crop duster. You'll feel the difference regarding the power of an engine hearing the sound it makes and the speed you'll reach. The scooter is perfect for the tight places and actions that require fast movement. The company van is used for large distances and has cages for the captured bugs.

Some heroes have machine guns, some have swords but our favorite orange-furred hero has an electric bug swatter as the main weapon. Since we're talking about metal insects, a spray gun that squirts toxic substances comes in handy at all times. The exterminator will use this to stun the ugly little critters or even kill them. Sometimes you'll even use the gadget as a transportation device as Daxter will fly like the wind on the wings of the sprayed jet coming from his weapon. Careful if you aim towards a heat source! What was once bug spray becomes a flame and usually it's good for making roast bugs and burning the spider webs. The spray gun can have a flamethrower and an ultrasonic attachment increasing the fun and damage done to the yucky insects.

Need something more casual than Daxter's funny short pants? Slip into something more comfortable: a biohazard suit. Since we're exterminators, we're dealing with insecticide and must be protected from the chemicals. Who is the enemy? Generically they're called bugs but they are divided into species: metal klaw, metal creeper, spawner, hive queen, metal back, flanker, slasher and I could go on about this all day long. I bet you'll like the look of the carnivorous plants and remember the annoying ones that used to have Crash Bandicoot for dinner. A little flaw of this game is the fact that you never die. Practically when your health meter reaches zero you'll restart from the checkpoint and you'll be able to do this all the time.

Gameplay The controls are similar to all of the Jak and Daxter games and Crash Bandicoot games for that matter. Use the X button to jump, the square to use the bug swatter and the circle to fire the bug spray. The spray gun has a canister that can get empty when you'll use the jet to travel across big gaps. Replenish the insecticide level with the green orbs scattered throughout the levels.

One of the scenes left me puzzled and the only thing I could do was laugh. There was a Daxteric version of Matrix, where the orange furry creature fought elf versions of Mister Smith and had to defeat 40 of them by using button combos and making some moves that Matrix aficionados will surely like. Apart from the button mashing, it takes quite some reflexes to get past this mini game. Glide, jump from train to train and feel some adrenaline by tumbling through endless tunnels. Naughty Dog had a bit to do with this game and they kept doing one of the things that we love about them: the funny ways of dying. Watch Daxter fry, drown, melt, faint, get crushed or broken to pieces in the funniest ways possible.

It's not a bloody game and you'll surely adore the expression on the rodent's face when he gets whacked. The fast and simplistic gameplay comes from the level design. Climb walls or sneak underneath doors avoiding hot steam, falling floor tiles, or poisoned rivers. While at first it's all jump and duck, you'll find yourself heating springs and melting ice (puzzles anyone?) to move further in the level. I know it's a minimal detail but I really liked this. Going into some sort of a hotel room I found a huge bed and I started wondering if the springs are realistic. After jumping on the bed I hopped in mid air like there was no tomorrow. And I hopped and I hopped and enjoyed this as much as a kid would.

When climbing a wall, Daxter seems more like a lizard than the squirrel-like creature he is. Advancing in levels can be upsetting sometimes as this is done through air ducts that will be a real pain to find if located near the ceiling of a room or hidden at the bottom of the screen. The game may seem linear, with all the bug squashing from one end to another, but there are also those funny dream sequences. By collecting Precursor Orbs you'll unlock dreams where you can take part actively. And what's best is that those dreams mock parts of the popular culture hits, like Matrix, Lord of the Rings or Indiana Jones. It's all buttons mashing and laughing till you crack.

Video The graphics are superb and it is really great that we can play a game with such visual arts on the Playstation Portable. Daxter is a mountain of fun, with his silly cute cartoon-style eyes and orange fur. The other characters are well drawn and I couldn't find an ugly pixel all through the game. Apart from some small problem with the camera the view is excellent and you'll never get lost in Haven City. Watching the trains pass by as you jump from one train to another is superbly animated while you run for your life collecting Precursor orbs. The furry one is also a funny one and his facial animations will get you smiling and giggling.

The rolling eyes and stupid grin are worth every second of gameplay. Look, I can see it moving! What is it? It's Daxter's tail, waved all over the place as we travel through this bug infested world. Female characters are also well designed and you'll watch Daxter drool each time a "she" appears in the area. Environments are stunning, sci-fi cities, lakes, forests, looking good even from the distance. Even the flying vehicles from Haven City look magnificent. This may be a portable console game, but there is even the effect of grass movement as you walk on by.

Sound The sound is just perfect for this kind of game, filled with merry songs and funny sounds. Daxter's childish and daring voice is worth all the money. The cute rodent makes a funny sound as he walks and the weapons all have a nice ring to them. When driving the scooter you'll hear the different stages of the engine heating up or accelerating. The game is filled with buzzes, ding-dings, bams, whams and all sorts of sounds. The music is well crafted and fun for this fun game.

Max Casella voices the lively rodent portraying his humor and weird style like no other. Like a little animal that he is Daxter must make some sort of funny sound when he walks and his is a combination of pants rubbing off to the fur of the little beast. The music is based on electronic synths and other such instruments adding a cool feeling to the whole gaming experience.

Multiplayer Tired of the single play? That will be kind of difficult as the game has at least 10 hours to fill your spare time. During the game you'll collect bugs, powerups for them and potions. After enhancing your insect, enter the ring and start some sort of a rock-paper-scissors game, that implying a display of bug abilities: spit, claw, reverse. The development and carrying of your own creatures and their evolution system reminds me of Pokemon. Bugs, fight!

Conclusion "All right everything with more than 2 legs start trembling!" This is the first line of the game. This production doesn't feel like a PSP game at all. It really feels like PS 2 all the way, if not more. This may just be the most famous light-weight hero that consoles have ever known (Crash Bandicoot eat your heart out and start losing weight!). I must admit it is the best game I have ever played on the portable console and I hope we'll see a sequel to match this masterpiece soon.