Daxter (video game)

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

Developer(s) Ready at Dawn
Naughty Dog
Publisher(s) SCEA
Engine Ready At Dawn Engine 1.0
Platform(s) PSP
Release date NA March 14, 2006
EU April 13, 2006
AUS April 28, 2006
Genre(s) Platformer
Mode(s) Single-player or two player Bug Combat
Rating(s) ESRB: Everyone 10+
OFLC: PG
PEGI: 7+
USK: 6
Media UMD

Daxter is a PlayStation Portable video game by Ready at Dawn. It is a platform game starring Daxter, an ottsel (mix of otter and weasel) from the Jak and Daxter series. It was bundled with a limited edition PSP Slim & Lite. The game was well-received by critics and became a best-selling PSP game with 2 million copies sold. [1]

Contents

[edit] Prologue

In the great struggle of good versus evil, there is often more to a hero than meets the eye. Just as the plants have their hidden roots, and rocks, when turned over reveal their dark underbelly, with all manner of surprises. So too is the great story of Jak and his epic fight to save Haven City.

Every mother's child has heard the story well, but most have heard only half the tale. For as great as Jak was, he would never have succeeded without his often forgotten but faithful sidekick, Daxter.

In my many years as a sage (and trust me, it's a big number), I've learned one very important truth:

Behind every great hero... there is always a wisecracking.. obnoxious.. ninncompoop!

This is his story.

[edit] Plot

The game takes place in the final months of the two-year gap presented in Jak II, between the moment when Jak is taken prisoner by the Krimzon Guard and the time in which Daxter finally rescues him. The introduction shows Jak being captured, while Daxter manages to escape. Almost two years later (having no luck of rescuing Jak), Daxter is in a bar, bragging to the patrons about his so-called adventures. Of course, this leaves very little impression on his audience, except for an old man named Osmo, head of the Kritter Ridder Extermination Company, who sees Daxter's potential and offers him a job as an exterminator. Daxter at first refuses the job but the old man mishears Daxter and accidentally imposes the job on him, at which point the game begins. Including Osmo, Daxter meets many characters that give him objectives and jobs to complete. These various jobs take place throughout strip mines, a distillery, a forest, a fish cannery, a construction site, and a hotel. He must also complete many vehicle-related missions, all themed around the extermination of bugs, in addition to mini-games, which are parodies based on popular films such as The Matrix that are unlocked through the course of playing. Towards the end, the game fills in plenty of gaps in order to lead into Jak II, even throwing in some small twists for those familiar with the story of the next game.

[edit] Main Characters

Daxter - The player character in the game, Daxter works a part-time job for the Kritter Ridder Extermination Company. His objective is to rescue Jak, who is captured at the beginning of the game and is taken to prison.

Osmo - Owner of the Kritter Ridder Extermination Company (A company that has been in his family for generations), Daxter works for him exterminating metal bugs in numerous places of Haven City.

Ximon - Osmo's son who works for the Kritter Ridder Extermination Company. He is usually seen driving a large green hover-truck.

Taryn - A mysterious woman popping up throughout the game, she seems bent on halting the advance of the metal bug swarms. She provides Daxter with his bug sprayer and its many upgrades.

Kaeden - Metal Kor's right-hand man and large metal head in disguise, he is sent to close down all extermination companies in Haven City so the metal heads can attack. He is the game's antagonist .

Metal Bugs - A smaller version of metal heads. They are the first line of the invasion before the metal heads invade Haven City. These include gigantic 'queens' and smaller, but no less dangerous bugs.

Jak - Seen only four times briefly, he is being experimented on with Dark Eco, and it is up to Daxter to save him.

Also, Jak, Keira, Tess and Samos the Sage can be seen in the epilogue. Jak and Samos also appear in the game in mask form, as well as Daxter in human form, Ratchet, Clank and Sly Cooper. Krew and Onin are also mentioned. Another villain from the past, Gol Acheron, makes a cameo in one of Daxter's "hero" dream fantasies where Daxter is portrayed as Matrix protagonist Neo and Gol is his enemy, Agent Smith. Gol is also portrayed as an English Soldier from Braveheart. Also, the Precursor Robot from Jak 3 can be seen in another dream scene when Daxter is portrayed as Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, and the robot appears as a fire golem being the Balrog and the Lurkers are the Uruk-hai from The Lord of the Rings. Daxter takes the form of Gimli in another minigame. Also, the farmer from The Precursor Legacy appears in the second Matrix dream scene as Morpheus. The Spiders from Jak II and Jak 3 return in the Indiana Jones dream too.

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Bosses

The game contains six bosses, encountered in various locales through the game.

Metal Bug Hive Queen 1 - The first boss in the game, fought in the Transit System.

Metal Bug Hive Queen 2 - A queen bee, fought at the end of the second strip mine.

Emerald Isle Bug - A large insect that is fought in first-person shooter mode.

Metal Kaeden - Fought in the Fortress before rescuing Jak, Kaeden is the final boss in the game.

Two additional bosses are fought in Daxter's dream sequence.

[edit] Weapons

Due to his new job, Daxter is now equipped with an Electro-swatter, which acts as his melee weapon, and an extermination tank, which sprays bug spray (Which many have confused with Green Eco) to stun enemies. The tank eventually receives several modifications, 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.

Publication Score
PSM 8.5/10
Official Playstation Portable Magazine Australia 10/10
G4's X-Play 4/5
Game Informer 8.75/10
GameSpot 9.1/10
IGN 9.0/10
GamesRadar 9.0/10
GameDaily 4.5/5
Official PlayStation Magazine (UK) 9/10
Official PlayStation Magazine (Australia) 10/10
Hammered Bros. 5/5
Game Rankings 93%
Yahoo! Games 4.5/5
Gamespy 4.5/5
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[edit] External links

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