Jak and Daxter Turns 20 in December, and Sony Should Have a Few Surprises for It
Celebrating an anniversary is a common activity that people engage in, as reaching a milestone landmark of years gone by marks all the time and effort that has passed. This is a practice that even the video game industry is adopting in recent years, as many titles are beginning to reach double and even triple digit birthdays. Many PlayStation franchises have already been out for longer than it may seem, with Jak and Daxter being yet another example of a game series crossing a significant line, turning 20 years old later this year.
Serving as one of the standout exclusives on the PlayStation 2, the original Jak and Daxter game released in 2001, spawned a number of sequels and spin-offs and helped cement Naughty Dog as a creative team to be reckoned with. While nothing has been confirmed by Sony as of this writing, companies providing some form of surprise or event to celebrate these huge milestones has become a commonplace activity in the industry. Nintendo recently released the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection to celebrate the anniversary of that beloved franchise, so it would be nice for PlayStation to follow suit for one of its own classic IP's. There are many ways to please the longtime fans of these games, with just a few possibilities listed below.
The Jak and Daxter trilogy was already remastered for the PS3 years ago to great effect, giving the original a big performance boost. The stronger hardware cleaned up the image and color palette, making the already impressive graphics pop even more on Sony's third home console. While a second remaster may seem redundant, the PS5 is without a doubt an even more powerful machine than the PS3, which can only lead to even further enhancements. Toss in the racing spin-off Jak X: Combat Racing and PSP exclusive Daxter for good measure, and it would be the full package for both veteran fans and newcomers alike.
On the other hand, a complete remake may be more compelling and noteworthy in comparison to just a remaster. Video game remakes have become all the rage in recent years, and with even The Last of Us rumored to be remade, its a process that is showing no sign of slowing down. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a good point of reference to see how these cartoony looking games can look absolutely breathtaking thanks to the hardware specs inside the PS5 architecture. If the wide open environments and fast paced action of the Jak and Daxter series were remade to take advantage of the PS5, it would surely be wondrous to behold and far more significant than a standard port job.
Finally, and perhaps the most desirable option by fans, would be for Sony to formally announce a continuation of the series. There was at one point in time a planned sequel, but Jak 4 was ultimately cancelled and oddly enough, led to the development of The Last of Us. Naughty Dog unfortunately struggled with the transition from the PS2 to the PS3 at the time and had to scrap the project, shelving all concepts and ideas that were in place for the project.
Although Naughty Dog is focused on The Last of Us IP for the foreseeable future, the studio has become a powerhouse developer since the Jak and Daxter trilogy wrapped up. It remains to be seen what the team has in store for the future, but it would be wonderful to see Naughty Dog take all it has learned in the past decade and put it towards a true Jak and Daxter sequel.
The Jak and Daxter trilogy is available on the PS2, PS3, and PS4.
Post a Comment