Daxter (video game)

This article is about the video game. For the character, see Daxter.

Daxter
Developer(s)	Ready at Dawn
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment
Producer(s)	Naughty Dog
Designer(s)	Michael John (Lead Designer) Daniel Choe (Designer) Gerald Vera (Designer) William Anderson (Additional Designer)
Composer(s)	Jamey Scott (also Sound Effects)
Engine	Ready At Dawn Engine 1.0
Platform(s)	PlayStation Portable
Release date(s)	NA March 14, 2006 (2006-03-14) EU April 13, 2006 (2006-04-13) AUS April 28, 2006 (2006-04-28)
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player or two player Bug Combat
Rating(s)	ACB: PG ESRB: E10+ PEGI: 7+
Media/distribution	UMD Download (PSN)

Daxter is a platform game developed by Ready at Dawn. It was bundled with a limited edition PSP Slim & Lite. As part of the Jak and Daxter series of games, Daxter is a midquel, taking place within the two-year time-span at the beginning of Jak II. It is a platform game starring Daxter, a creature known as an "ottsel" (mix of an otter and a weasel).

As of June 11, 2008, the game has sold 2.3 million copies, and received very positive reviews from game critics.^[1]

Plot

The game takes place in the final months of the two-year gap presented in the opening of Jak II, between the moment when Jak is taken prisoner by the Krimzon Guard and the time in which Daxter finally rescues him from the Krimzon Guard Fortress. The introduction shows Jak being captured, while Daxter manages to escape. Almost two years later (having no luck of rescuing Jak), Daxter has forgotten all about rescuing his friend. An old man named Osmo, whom Daxter meets, hires Daxter as an exterminator. these missions are in an open world where Daxter has to go to various locations and exterminate bugs. There are 2 hive queens which are difficult to kill and can, unfortunately, trample Daxter or kill him with their unique attacks. In the end, he faces Kaeden and defeats him.

After some missions, Daxter finds his friend Jak in a Prison Zoomer and proceeds to chase after it. He is then cornered by Krimzon Guards, but is rescued by Osmo's son, Ximon. He then goes to Baron Praxis's palace and steals a map of the prison where Jak is being held. When returning to the extermination shop, an arthropod sidekick that Daxter acquired earlier is killed by Kaeden, a bitter man who seemingly wants to steal Osmo's shop, but, in actuality, is working for an evil mastermind.

When Daxter tries to stop Kaeden from escaping the shop, Kaeden suddenly blows up the shop with a bomb he placed in the shop earlier. Daxter and Osmo survive, and Daxter promises to stop Kaeden, but only after he rescues Jak. Daxter finds Kaeden, who reveals himself to be a giant insect, but is then defeated by Daxter. He infiltrates The Prison, and rescues Jak. The whole game reveals to be a true story which Daxter told Jak, and his friends, at the bar.

Gameplay

Due to his new job, Daxter is now equipped with an electronic bug-swatter, which acts as his melee weapon, and an extermination tank, which sprays bug spray (Which many have been confused with Green Eco) to stun enemies. The tank eventually receives several modifications (which can be activated by pressing the left and right directional buttons), including doubling as a type of jet-pack that allows Daxter to fly, flamethrower capabilities, and an ultrasonic attachment. The flamethrower modification allows Daxter to hover higher and longer in jet-pack mode. With the ultra-sonic attachment, Daxter can shoot a projectile resembling a blue grenade that causes high radial damage, but uses one fifth of the player's maximum bug spray. When the player finds a small space where Daxter's normal stance cannot squeeze through, the player simply presses the triangle button for Daxter to crouch. The game also features levels where Daxter navigates vehicles to move around massive areas quickly. The player can also double-jump in order to reach great heights. There are also minigames in the game called "Dream Sequences" where Daxter lies onto a bed, and dreams up remakes of famous scenes of movies such as Braveheart, The Matrix, Indiana Jones, etc. The Dream Sequences also give you either leveled-up health, or new fighting abilities. A sub-game also is included, called, "Bug Combat" where two insects (one of which you acquire in the game) do battle, each with special abilities. You can also acquire items for Daxter in the game by winning Dream Sequences, or destroying pictures shown in hidden areas. The player can also climb certain areas by using Daxter's ottsel abilities. Daxter can also ride on a zipline, jump onto a trampoline to reach great heights, jump from netting to netting and enter portals to other areas. There are also the traditional Precursor Orb collectibles (1001 in number), which unlock videos about the game. The game also has a new collectible known as the Golden Bug-Gems, which can be acquired immediately when you kill a bug, excluding the bosses and Haven City termites. His health can be regenerated by receiving health packs, and the extermination tank's bug spray can also be regenerated by absorbing Green Eco.

Reception and sales

Daxter Reviews
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	86%[2]
Metacritic	85%[3]
Review scores
Publication	Score
Allgame	4/5
Eurogamer	9/10
Game Informer	8.75/10
GamePro	4/5
GameSpot	9.1/10[4]
GameSpy	4.5/5
GamesRadar	9.0/10
IGN	9.0/10[5]
Official PlayStation Magazine (UK)	9/10
Official PlayStation Magazine (Australia)	10/10
PSM	8.5/10
X-Play	4/5

Daxter was very well received by critics. IGN gave it a 9/10 and GameSpot gave it a 9.1/10. It has a 86.2% at Game Rankings. As of June 11, 2008, the game has sold 2.3 million copies.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} James Brightman (2008-06-11). "God of War PSP Dev Talks About Ending PSP Development". GameDaily. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/god-of-war-psp-dev-talks-about-ending-psp-development/?biz=1. Retrieved 2008-12-03. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Daxter Reviews
3. ^ Daxter (psp: 2006): Reviews
4. ^ Daxter for PSP Review - PSP Daxter Review
5. ^ IGN: Daxter Review

External links

• Official North American website