Jak and Daxter®: The Lost Frontier™

Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier is part of the expanded franchise of the Jak and Daxter series. It is the sixth game in the J&D series

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - NaughtyDog
Daxter - NaughtyDog
Jak II: Renegade - NaughtyDog
Jak 3 - NaughtyDog
Jak X: Combat Racing - NaughtyDog
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier - High Impact Games

It was developed by High Impact Games, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA). The news of "A New Jak and Daxter Game," was confirmed April 1, 2009. There was a lot of phony info, pics and substances about The Lost Frontier. The game was then released November 3, 2009 for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), and the PlayStation 2 (PS2). The first trailer was revealed at E3 2009.

Heading[]

Based on the franchise - developed by - NaughtyDog inc.

Jak and Daxter®: The Lost Frontier™ is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America inc. Developed by High Impact Games LLC.

Gameplay[]

Gameplay is the same to other games in the Jak series, though there are flight segments. There is no Dark or Light Jak available in this game, due to the unstable eco. Some segments require using Jak's eco powers for superhuman tasks, such as rocketing up great heights and building structures to cross large gaps. At a point early in the game, Daxter gets covered in Dark Eco and becomes Dark Daxter. Much like another Jak and Daxter game, the player has four guns in the different eco colors (including red, green, blue, and yellow, but excluding Dark eco). A new addition to the series is that the player can now choose to play the storyline missions or do optional "missions" such as hunting for precursor orbs and weapon upgrades.

Plot[]

The game begins with Sky Pirates attacking Jak's Hellcat on the way to the Brink. While Daxter manages to gun down two of the ships, daxter shoots the Hellcat on accident. Captain Phoenix and another pirate drop onto the Hellcat and, after they demand Eco, a fight begins. The unnamed pirate is tipped. On Brink Island, Jak and Daxter need to find a source to repair the Hellcat. They later find an Eco Prism to give the Hellcat power. When they take off they have to fight off Sky Pirates that are attacking the ACS Behemoth. When they land on the Behemoth, Duke Skyheed introduces himself and invites Jak, Daxter, and Keira to the Grand City of Aeropa. While in Aeropa Duke Skyheed and the Chancellor give Jak the Eco Seeker to see if he can power it. However, he fails due to the amount of Dark Eco in the area. Keira then asks if she can study it. The Chancellor agrees to let them see it for a week if they pass the Danger Course.

When Jak and Daxter have proven themselves in the Danger Course (and after Daxter escapes from the underground of Aeropa, now armed with a new form called Dark Daxter, due to further exposure to Dark Eco), Duke Skyheed and the Chancellor give Jak the Eco Seeker. Then, Captain Phoenix attacks the building and steals both the Eco Seeker and Keira. Jak and Daxter then chase Phoenix but are led into a trap, resulting in them landing back on the Island again. On the Island the duo meet The Castaway (later known as Tym). The Castaway automatically knows that Jak has been touched by Dark Eco. When Jak asks what his name is, The Castaway says he can't remember. He also mentions that he built the Robots. Jak then asks if he can repair his Hellcat and The Castaway says that in order for him to fix it, he needs a Velonium Power Pod from an Uberbot-888. The Uberbot-888 is the most dangerous robot The Castaway ever created. After Jak and Daxter get the Power Pod, The Castaway fixes his ship and sneaks on board. When Jak and Daxter take off they destroy the Phantom Blade's engine and defenses, causing Phoenix to let them land. On board Jak and Phoenix get into an argument, but Keira intervenes and makes them shake hands.

When Jak finds out that the Eco Seeker is missing two parts, they travel to Fardrop to get the first piece from a Pirate Lady. When they travel to the Old Aeropan Barracks, Jak comes across a testing table (similar to the one he was experimented on in Jak 2). He realizes that someone has been experimenting with Dark Eco and angrily states that whoever did it should be destroyed. When they find one of the Coordinates, The Castaway reveals that he is (or once was) a Dark Eco Sage and that he built the facility for the Aeropans. Phoenix reveals that he was once the commander of the Aeropan Air Forces. He was put in charge of a secret weapons program to make a new class warrior (similar to the Dark Warrior Program). When he found out what they were doing, he refused and tried to stop the program, but Skyheed wouldn't hear of it. So, he took the only option left and kidnapped the program's chief scientist (The Castaway) and marooned him on Brink Island to hide his work from the Aeropans.

When the location of the third coordinate sphere is found, the duo fly the Phantom Blade to Sector Zero. Jak and Daxter get the third sphere, but the Behemoth attacks the Phantom Blade and Jak has to defend it. Back on board, Jak, Daxter, Keira, Phoenix and the crew fix the Eco Seeker, which points to the Abandoned Research Rig. Then Phoenix recalls that the Research Rig was built over strange formations. It is then revealed to be a Precursor facility from long ago. When they reach the Eco Core, Keira tries to fix it. Shortly after, Klout shows up with Skyheed at the Eco Core, but was paid off by Skyheed in exchange for the location. Skyheed orders Klout to kill everyone excluding Jak, because he wants to study his unique ability to control dark eco. When Klout advances, Keira presses a button to activate an energy field with the Eco Core. The Eco Radiation kills Klout while Jak, Daxter, Keira, and Phoenix escape, leaving Skyheed behind.

Back on board, a message is sent stating that the Aeropans have laid siege to the Far Drop. Jak and Daxter are sent to defeat Aeropan Shock Troops attacking Far Drop. Then the Behemoth appears to destroy Far Drop. Jak and Daxter successfully destroy the Behemoth's weapons, causing the Aeropans to retreat. On board the Phantom Blade, Phoenix wants revenge on Skyheed for the attack. Then another message is transmitted anonymously, telling them to use the old Baracks warp gate. Jak, Daxter, and Keira get through the warp gate and Jak's Gunstaff weapons are disabled. Jak then has to destroy the Weapons Control System to use his weapons again. When Jak's Gunstaff begins to work, he heads up to the palace to defeat Skyheed. When Jak encounters Duke Skyheed, Skyheed begins to draw on mass amounts of Dark Eco that transform him into a Dark Eco Monster. Jak tries to defeat him but Skyheed escapes on an Airship. Jak then takes an airship and chases him but Skyheed leads him into an obstacle course and Skyheed retreats to the Behemoth to take power from the Eco Core.

Jak then has to stop the ACS Behemoth from stealing Eco Power from the Eco Core. Shields surround the Behemoth but the Phantom Blade disables them. When Jak destroys the Eco Crystals on the Behemoth. Phoenix flies the Phantom Blade between the Eco Core and Behemoth to prevent them from taking eco. But unfortunately the Phantom Blade gets destroyed and as a result, Phoenix gets killed. However, the Behemoth is now vulnerable to attacks. Keira then installs a Light Eco Beam in the Hellcat to finish the Behemoth off.

When the Behemoth is finally destroyed with Duke Skyheed, all of the Eco returns to the Eco Core making it balance again. Keira then activates the Eco Core and the Core channels energy which travels to Eco Vents around the world ending the Eco shortage and reduces storm and quake activity in all directions. Keira then channels eco energy for the first time. The Castaway then reveals his name is Tym. Keira then tells Jak that she and Tym have been decoding the symbols at the Core and that the circles at the core are attached to other energy lines. Keira says they have some exploring to do. Then Keira and Jak end the game by kissing and Daxter bragging on about bringing several things with him on their next adventure (such as a barf bag, magazines, snacks, etc.).

Soundtrack[]

A soundtrack of the game titled Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (Original Soundtrack from the Video Game), was released to iTunes on November 3, 2009.

Track listing[]

1. Hellcat to the Rescue- 2:04

2. The Brink- 3:23

3. Galleon Conflict- 2:06

4. Laser Defense- 3:31

5. Sounds of Fardrop- 3:24

6. Dark Eco Warrior Training Camp- 3:18

7. Super-Dark-Daxter Rampage, Go!- 3:19

8. Behemoth Air Battle- 2:39

9. Parallel Universe- 4:18

10. Voices of Aeropa- 2:38

11. Ambushed- 2:40

12. A Captain's Sacrifice- 2:11

13. Daxterball- 3:40

14. Jak vs. the Arborcider- 1:33

Reception[]

The game has received mixed to positive reviews. Joystiq's preview has been negative, stating after playing a preview code of the game that they "were surprised that SCEA had done so little to promote the existence of the next true continuation of the [Jak] series", they went on to say "we can see why Sony would stay so secretive: it's not very good." They criticized the game's awkward camera and lack of explanations for those new to the series, but they noted that "the Dark Daxter sequences promise adrenaline for a game that otherwise feels stagnant and boring." However, Greg Miller from IGN has been more positive, saying that "the thing that struck me was how good the graphics looked." He gave it a 7.4 out of 10 rating, but commented on the poor camera views and how Jak no longer had a goatee (even though it can be accessed as a cheat for 3 Precursor Orbs). JustPushStart reviewer Jon Christopher has stated it's an "enjoyable and enthralling action platformer game" and "The vast selection of weapons and aerial battles are a welcome addition in the game and something you should look forward to during gameplay." He criticized its "cliché storyline", but gave the game a 4.5/5. AceGamez took a more critical view, criticizing the gameplay and camera, stating "The Lost Frontier is a severe disappointment from start to finish", and awarded it 58%.

Characters[]

Major Characters[]

Jak - is the son of Damos Spargus. He is an elf-human, and was born in Sandover Village. He was dopted by Samos the Green Sage. He is the main protagonist in the Jak and Daxter series. Being a titled playable character, and a cameo in the Ratchet and Clank series by Insomniac Games, he is used as many character fantasies. He is the long time best friend of Daxter, and ottsel (otter-weisel). He uses a gunstaff, Keira put together for him on his adventures. He soon may attatch gun mods to his gunstaff, to make four lethal weapons: blaster, scatter gun, vulcan fury, the lobber Jak has been portrayed by Michael Erwin. Jak has blond hair, with blue/aqua eyes, he read the elvish script, which are found on vehicles and precursor orbs.
Daxter - Daxter, is the secondary protagonist, and sits on the right side of Jak's shoulder throughout the game (except for when he's dark-dax, or, when he's in "Go For Help Boy!" He was adopted by Samos Hagai - The Green Eco Sage, he's adopted sister is Keira Hagai. He is an ottsel (otter-weisel), although due to a gene rejected system, these "otter-weisels," have orange fur. He is the long-time best friend ofJak. Jak is an elf-human, not an ottsel, although, when he was injected with dark eco, by Baron Praxis at the end of Daxter, and at the beginning of Jak II, he should've had a serious dark-eco effect, but instead as a dark-warrior, which was failed. Daxter has been dosed AGAIN, with dark eco, except this time, he didn't turn into a short-green-hairy dude (like Daxter said he did'nt want to be in TPL), he turned into this eight-foot spikey, dark orange, hairy, mean, hulk-like featured monster. Daxter is portrayed by Max Casella. He has blue eyes, with orange fur. He is voiced by Rich McGonagle as Dark Dax.
Keira - Keira is the daughter of Samos the Green Sage Hagai, and is the adopted sister of Daxter, she is also Jak's girlfriend. She is the daughter of Seddy Mentary, or the Geologist (only seen in the 1st game, and mention in TLF). She is a sagal elf-human like her father, that means that she is an elf-human (like Jak) but yet, also a sage. And she loves to explore, and fix things like her mother. She is a supporting role, and is a mission giver. She put together a gunstaff for Jak upon reaching the brink. Keira is out set to become a sage, and Jak and Daxter tag along as superiors, and body-guards. Keira is the sage of all chanelled ecos. She is portrayed by Tara Strong. She has blue/purple hair, with Brown eyes, she can read the elvish script which are found on precursor orbs, and vehicles.

Supporting Characters[]

Barter - Barter is a major smuggler in The Lost Frontier. He runs a Tavern in Far Drop. He is a Lurker, and unlike most lurker's he is husky, short and blue; usually lurkers are tall, skinny, lanky and purple. He tells you to defeat a room full of pirates, and defeat the leader pirate (besides Phoenix); the Saucy Pirate.
Landon Ruskin (Chancellor Ruskin) - Landon Ruskin (or Lando Ruskin), is the Chancellor of the GCA (grand city of aeropa). He controls Duke Skyheed (the Emperor of Aeropa).
Captain Phoenix - Captain Phoenix is the leader of the Phantom Blade and the Eco Pirate Republic. He is against the ACS Behemoth. He is a major supporting character. He at first appears to be a villan. Although it soon is revaled that he isn't a bad guy, but yet a closely, graduatly close ally of Jak. Although there is always a tention between the two, may be because of Phoenix's jealousy of Jak's close relationship to Keira, or, (most likely), that they both compete, to try to win Keira over, because they both have a crush on her. Jak thought he was a villan because when he landed on their aircraft, he said he would "relieve them of their eco," Jak thought that he meant to steel his eco, but he meant, "I will help you of your eco problem." Number two reason that Jak thought he was an enemy is because when Jak tried to transfrom, Phoenix, pointed his eco pistol at Jak, Phoenix thinking Jak was a Dark Aeropan.
Duke Skyheed - Duke Skyheed is the Emperor of Aeropa. He is under command by the Chancellor of Aeropa; Landon Ruskin. He at first seemed to appear as an ally, but is soon an enemy, due to his dark eco expierements, simaller to what Jak suffered during his 2 years in Haven Prison. Him, Aeropa, Aeropans, Lando Ruskin, and the ACS is against Captain Phoenix and the Eco Pirate Republic.
Klout - Klout was Captain Phoenix's first mate, unitl he betrayed the Eco-Pirates to the Aeropans for money. He was soon replaced by Captain Phoenix's new first mate Jon. He was also the muscle of the Eco Pirates Phantom Blade, and is the Expedition Trainer. He is also the security of the Phantom Blade's hangars.
Tym - Tym is the grandson of Vin. He is a mad person but yet the dark eco sage. He is a good mechanic as he made the uber series of robots and fixed Jak's ship when he landed on the mysterious island boarding with the brink. He lives in a treehouse on the island.
Saucy Pirate (Felucia Safara) - The Pirate Lady hangs out in Barter's Tavern in Far Drop. When Jak comes back to the Tavern a second time after saving it from mutants, Barter tells him that she has a Precursor Rune Sphere (a Coordinate Sphere for the Eco Seeker). Barter believes that Jak can "persuade" her to part with it.

Enemies[]

Armadillo - Armadillo are the main enemies on the Brink, Volcano, and Abandoned Research Rig. Although there are Dark Aeropan Warriors, and Sawbots and Drillbots. They are mutant and man eating. They dig under ground to maneuver. They use their teeth as weapons and are natural and offensive. There are three different types of armadillo. They are an enemy.
Dark Ape - Mutant Apes are dark mutant enemies. They are gorilla's with pinkish-light purple skin, with some green around them. Although there is the leader mutant ape which is green other than purple. They have serious ground 'n' pound and head butts. Their main diet consists of cabage. They appeared in far drop a couple months before Jak and Daxter made their first arival.
Ravenous Eel - Ravenous Eels are mutant enemies in The Lost Frontier. They are eels and are gold with electric bolts dashing around their bodies. They spit electricity out of their mouths and can hover over any surface. Their main diet consists of cabage. Not much is reported or known about the ravenous eels, except the name "ravenous eel," comes from Barter saying that. This name is found actually from the game, instead of reported from the last Insomniac, High Impact Games, or NaughtyDog personnel.
Drifter Bot - Drifters are flying robots that are green and found at the volcano while chasing Phoenix. They drift away, and fly towards you while blasting you with their Drifter Pistols. Rapid-drifters are red Drifters that are upgraded and found while chasing Duke Skyheed.
Uber Series of Bots - Uber Series of Bots consist of Drillbots, Sawbots, Tripodbots, and the UBERBot 888.
Ghoul Spider - Ghoul Spiders are enemies in The Lost Frontier. They are spiders that have sticky webs. They have bands around their legs and are not mutants, just overgrown because of their enviornment, it is argued whether Ghoul Spiders are mutants or not. They are found in the Aeropan Sewers.
Dark Spider - Dark Eco Spiders are enemies found in the Abandoned Research Rig. They were also found in TPL at spider cave.

Universe[]

Eco - One of the trademarks of the series is being able to manipulate Light & Dark Eco. The main plot of The Lost Frontier is that the world is running out of Eco.
Weapons - Jak's weapons are gunstaff mods, that attach to his gunstaff, such as the lobber, vulcan fury, scatter gun and blaster.
Vehicles - Jak's airships are, Hellcat, Sky Raider, Aeropan Bomber, Intercepter, Gunship, Jaguar.
Precursor Orbs - These are floating gold egg shaped things and are used as commodities and traditions.

Locations[]

New World - This is the future of Jak and Daxter, They used to live in the past in the old world, but then got transported by a shift gate.
The Brink - The brink is an island holding a volcano and another mysterious island.

Awards[]

Aggregate review score
Game	Game Rankings	Metacritic	IGN	Gamespot
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy	90.29%^[1]	90^[8]	9.4	8.8
Jak II	87.98%^[9]	87^[10]	9.5	9.1
Jak 3	85.16%^[11]	84^[12]	9.6	8.6
Jak X: Combat Racing	77.06%^[13]	76^[14]	8	7.9
Daxter	86.18%^[15]	85^[16]	9	9.1
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier	73.95%	75	7.4	7.5

The success of the Jak and Daxter series resulted in Guinness World Records awarding the series 7 world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. These records include, "First Seamless 3D World in a Console Game", "Most Successful Single Format Platform Series", and "Largest Number of Cutscenes in a Platform Game" for Jak II, in which there are 131 cutscenes, 51 in the first act alone. In Jak 3, there are 213 cutscenes, with 20 in the first act alone.

References[]

^ ^a ^b "Game Rankings's collection of Jak and Daxter reviews". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/516509.asp?q=jak%20%20daxter. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
^ "Jak And Daxter: The Lost Frontier Release Date Confirmed News Item". inc-gamers. http://www.incgamers.com/News/19031/jak-and-daxter-the-lost-frontier-release-date-confirmed. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
^ Randy Nelson (2009-08-19). "See Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier's high drama, hijinks". Joystiq. http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/19/see-jak-and-daxter-the-lost-frontiers-high-drama-hijinks/. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier - PlayStation Portable". GameSpy. http://psp.gamespy.com/playstation-portable/jak-and-daxter-the-lost-frontier/. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Video Game News - Highly Anticipated Sequel, Jak 3, Arrives This Fall Only on PlayStation(R)2". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/news/04_19_04_08_05AM.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
^ Bryn Williams. "GameSpy: Jak 3 - Page 1". GameSpy. http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/jak-iii/552114p1.html. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
^ IGN Staff (April 8, 2009). "IGN: The Wednesday 10: Gaming Dystopias". IGN. http://retro.ign.com/articles/971/971298p1.html. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
^ "Metacritic's collection of Jak and Daxter reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/jakanddaxter?q=jak%20and%20daxter. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
^ "Game Rankings's collection of Jak II reviews". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/914535.asp?q=jak%20ii. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
^ "Metacritic's collection of Jak II reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/jak2?q=jak%20ii. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
^ "Game Rankings's collection of Jak 3 reviews". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/919901-jak-3/index.html. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
^ "Metacritic's collection of Jak 3 reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/jak3?q=jak%203. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
^ "Game Rankings's collection of Jak X: Combat Racing reviews". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/927166-jak-x-combat-racing/index.html. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
^ "Metacritic's collection of Jak X: Combat Racing reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/jakxcombatracing?q=jak%20X. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
^ "Game Rankings's collection of Daxter reviews". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/927355.asp. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
^ "Metacritic's collection of Daxter reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/psp/daxter. Retrieved 2009-09-08.