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PSP | Action | Daxter

Boxart for Daxter
Daxter 3 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.0
  • SOUND: 3.5
  • CONTROL: 4.0
  • FUN FACTOR 4.0
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.1
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.4

Review: Daxter

Review by Four-Eyed Dragon | 03/14/2006 | 10:40:25 AM PST

Finally, Jak's fuzz-ball, wise-cracking side-kick gets his own game. Don't be fooled by his size or on which platform he's featured--this is a great adventure that will satisfyingly draw you in until the end.

A Bug's Demise
Playing as Daxter, you must exterminate the spread of deadly bugs plaguing the city. At first glance, quashing bugs isn't really a welcoming theme in a game, and the concept surely doesn't fit the Jak & Daxter fight-the-evil themes from their previous forays, but rest assured, the gameplay fits the duo's action bill mighty fine even though it's just Daxter saving the day.

Daxter's objectives are straightforward. Use his bug swatter to splatter the rampant critters or spray the creepy crawlers with green haze that can also be turned into a flamethrower. You travel to different areas of the city to stomp out the hordes of bugs, and occasionally duel it out with a bug boss. The simple controls enable for simple yet effective insect-crushing technique against the different pests.

I Dream of Daxter
The game, however, isn't just about Daxter's swift techniques. What really makes Daxter fun to play are the variety of challenges you face through the game. Daxter's adventure is perfectly balanced with a wide range of challenging scenarios, ranging from piloting hovercraft and hopping from one platform to the next to gliding down rails. There are also fun "dream" challenges, which are essentially minigames that test your button twitching skills to the nth degree.

Crushing a bug's life in a sharp looking world only adds to the terrific gameplay. The levels are as diverse as the many game modes--from a construction site and fishery plant to an underground subway and free-roaming town--and are finely detailed to match Daxter's whimsical and colorful world.

On Being Daxter
Daxter does fault in the multiplayer experience. Instead of controlling Daxter, you and a friend duke it out bug versus bug. It's a turn-based snore-fest, with little action and ingenuity.

Completely skip the multiplayer aspect of Daxter, and you'll be pleasantly surprised to the game's accessibility and simple ways it draws you in for an all-around enjoyable adventure. Daxter finally proves that he can hold his own without Jak.


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