Jak and his furry buddy are back again for another adventure. Only this time, Jak’s not there. Captured and taken prisoner, it’s up to Daxter to rescue Jak under his, er... “cover” as bug exterminator. Progress through various stages collecting orbs, squashing bugs, and learning the whereabouts of your imprisoned friend.

Game Play 18.5/20 pts

Daxter is one of the most fun platforming games I’ve played. It has simple mechanics (You start with just a Fly Swatter, and you eventually get a spray gun, that can then be used for everything from flying to burning spider webs) and yet it’s flawlessly executed. You’re given an assignment, and then you must move through Haven City to the specified location, complete the task, (which is usually either squash so many bugs and collect the golden orbs they leave, or else collect a certain amount of other items, like crystals, and report back) and report back for your next assignment. The game varies the types of assignments (collect-a-thon, vehicle combat, boss fights, etc.) so that the levels are never boring, and there is even a bonus “Dream Sequence” mode where if you collect enough precursor orbs, you can “act” one of Daxters dream. This are various parody’s of famous movies (Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Braveheart) in which you act out a main character from each. During these sequences, you stand still while enemies come towards you, and as they reach a set distance, you will have to press the corresponding button to dispatch the foe. Do this for a set number of enemies, without dying, and you will complete the dream sequence. This was the most fun part of the game in my opinion, the mini-games provided a humors break from the main “story” section, while providing useful power-ups if completed. Unfortunately, that mini-game mode is not multi-player. Instead, there is a “Bug Combat” mode for the Multi-player. As you play through the single player game, there will be cages with combat bugs, vials for bug enhancement, and moves for bugs to perform, hidden throughout the levels. The bug combat is little more then a slightly complex version of rock-paper-scissors, more accurately “Spit-Claw-Trap” It’s simplistic, and somewhat entertaining, and definitely better then no multiplayer, but I would much rather had some type of co-op or arena then just a rock-paper-scissors game.

Graphics 9.5/10 pts

The graphics on Daxter for the PSP are astounding. Truly the first game for the PSP that really looks like a PS2 game, the entire game looks nearly flawless. The world is large and very detailed and vivid. There are several cut-scene’s in the game, all of which look wonderful. This game is definitely a game that should be used to show off the power that the PSP is capable of.

Sound 8.5/10 pts

The music in the game is catchy, and fitting for the mood. It adds almost unnoticed atmosphere to the game, and really helps the game feel like a fully built package. The voice acting is of good quality as well, with each voice actor fitting there somewhat zany character perfectly.

Stability 5/5 pts

Daxter never has crashed on me. As far as I know, the only bugs in the game are the ones your exterminating. The load times are quite low as well, which is really nice for a PSP game.

Controls/Interface 4.5/5 pts

Daxter works wonderfully well on the PSP, with the camera mapped to the L and R shoulder buttons, and the X, Square, Circle, and Triangle buttons are enough to cover all of daters moves. The menus are unobtrusive, and work well. Overall, Daxter suffers no loss from lack or L2 and R2 buttons, or Lack of a second analog stick.

Violence 7/10 pts

- Cartoon Type Silly, Non-Deadly Violence (-2 pts) In this game you are exterminating bugs from buildings, by smashing, spraying burning or squashing them. There are no other enemies that you fight besides bugs, and most of them are much smaller then Daxter who is already rather small. Blood - Small Red Blotches or Drops (-1 pts) When you squish or squash a bug, a small splotch of purple will seen, but nothing really gross or graphic. Gore - No Gore (-0 pts)

Language 8/10 pts

- No Foul Language (-0 pts) The ESRB says “mild language” but I couldn’t remember finding any in this game. Sexual Dialogue/Innuendo (Check only one) - Sexual Jokes are made once or twice. (-2 pts) A reference is made to Daxters bug spray gun as a “tool” in a non-work related sense. Also, once Daxter ends up popping out of a pipe and then staring right into a female characters shirt.

Sexual Content/Nudity 10/10 pts

Nudity (Check only one) - No Nudity (-0 pts) Sexual Content (Check only one) - No Sexual Content (-0 pts)

Occult/Supernatural 10/10 pts

- There is no occult or supernatural environment in the game. (-0 pts)

Cultural/Moral/Ethical 10/10 pts

Authority - Game requires rejecting authority figures or laws. (-2 pts) In Daxter your job is to break Jak out of prison. Even though/if he was wrongly imprisoned, you’re going against the established law in haven city. Prejudice - No prejudicial bias in the game. (-0 pts) Gross Humor (check only one) - No gross humor in the game. (-0 pts) Traditional/Family Values Decision Making - Good value decision-making is required to progress in the game. (-0 pts)