Lies, Damn Lies

Jak 3

I just completed Jak 3 and am now watching futurama. Two days, I did it in. Yeah, not the game with the largest content ever. Its very good fun and all, but honestly- two days.

If you've played number 2 of the series, its much of the same, but less frustrating (apart from one notable part, but we'll get to that), and with a handful of new minigames. And lots of cool cars! Oooh, cars!

Its a lot of fun really, although with all the crazy minigames theres actually less platforming than I would like. Still, if you count the hoverboarding as platforming (this is actually the best skateboading game ever. Seamlessly incorporated into the gameplay so it is challenging and fun, it was clever in Jak 2, and it is well used here), then theres a fair bit. The main frustration comes from a small subsection which is reminicissent of a really old game I had for the atari. Basically, you are a ship in a giant circle, which you can rotate round 360 degrees. Objects fly at you. You avoid them. The problem comes from the fact that you CAN'T avoid them half the time, unless you have an uncanny knowledge of the level, from, say, doing it about 50 times, as it goes simply too fast, and the graphics too crowded, for you to spot all the obstacles. But whatever.

Of course there are other frustrating moments, and the game goes out of its way to annoy you in those parts by having, every now and then, Daxter lean over you and make a "joke". When wil game designers learn- when a player is dying is NEVER a time for humour. It is a time for frustration and hurling out of a window.

Still, it was fun, although you could probably just rent the game, it being quite short. In its defence I did NOTHING but play it, so its hardly bad. Much, much better than revision. Which I did a teeny meeny little bit of. Well, an hour of I guess. I had very good excuses for not working, those being unpacking, reading something positive AND watching Jak 3.

Incidentally, Paul's new game for the X-box, fable, is quite disturbing. See, you can choose to be evil in it, and if you do so, because the game is so horribly real and the characters all have voices its..... well, for example, while you are a kid you wonder up to a small child who sobs about being bullied by this guy who wants his teddy bear. You punch him in the face, he cries and asks why everyone is picking on him, and gives you the teddy bear. You give it to the bully and get a gold piece.

Urgh, sorry. I enjoyed San Andreas, but that just feels like taking it too far. Not sure why, it just does. OK, its late and I have to get up tomorrow. For lectures. Stupid lectures....

posted by Mr K @ 9:32 pm