Talk:Jak II

Uncited claims

"The game is notorious among gamers for being one of the most difficult games on the PlayStation 2."

How has this made it onto the page without a single source? There is no evidence for this whatsoever.

Also, how is the game both a sequel and a prequel? Is anyone checking this page or what? 2A02:C7F:A0DB:E300:499E:550F:8CE1:F698 (talk) 22:37, 27 March 2023 (UTC)

I do agree with your first statement about how there is no source for the claim that Jak II is one of the most difficult games for the PS2, and that that claim should at least be backed up with cited evidence. But I do personally agree that Jak II is undeniably the most difficult video game I have ever played from beginning to end and beaten before...though miraculously enough, I have still been able to do so a few times myself. The Precursor Legacy is obviously cake compared to Jak II, and even Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing are reasonably easier than Jak II as well (although the thing about Jak X is that it is still VERY time-consuming and half-based on luck instead of skill at times too).

Regarding your second statement, I wasn't sure how Jak II is both a sequel and prequel to The Precursor Legacy at first either. But then I figured it out later. (HINT: Think about who is the heir of Mar and who is the leader of the Underground.)

For the record, I still wasn't the one who made the edits you talked about on this Wikipedia page for Jak II - just clearing this up. 71.104.75.6 (talk) 17:42, 20 October 2023 (UTC)

In addition, the line "Due to its predecessor's poor financial performance" is very strange because The Precursor Legacy had comparable sales to the successful Jak II, and there's no source attached of the developers themselves claiming they lost money on The Precursor Legacy. ~2026-67191-7 (talk) 20:50, 16 February 2026 (UTC)

GA review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Jak II/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: Cat's Tuxedo (talk · contribs) 00:39, 21 February 2026 (UTC)

Reviewer: OceanHok (talk · contribs) 14:07, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

• The gameplay features seamless exploration across interconnected urban environments, a non-linear mission structure with diverse objectives, melee combat augmented by a modular firearm, and vehicular travel via a hoverboard or hovercars. - This sentence is way too long. This is also not very friendly to readers who are not familiar with video games in general. Consider simplifying it a bit.
• Utilizing an advanced engine, the team crafted a vast, densely populated city with high fidelity visuals, fluid animations, and dynamic elements at a high frame rate. - venturing a bit into WP:PEACOCK territory.
• Jak II was positively received for its ambitious genre fusion, mature storytelling, and technical prowess - I think subjective opinions are being written in wiki-voice (WP:CRS). Just said that its gameplay/technical aspect/story were praised.
• Jak II is an open world 3D platformer with elements of action-adventure. - "Jak II is a 3D platform game with elements commonly found in action-adventure games".
• The game's world is seamless, allowing free exploration across interconnected areas - I would move the first mention of "open world" here.
• Jak has unlimited lives; when his health is depleted, he respawns in the beginning of the last section of the area he was located in - I think "Jak has unlimited lives" is not needed. Because most playable characters respawn anyway, unless the game has permadeath.
• the amount of collected Dark Eco is indicated by a meter circling a picture of Jak on the lower-left corner of the screen - shouldn't really be describing the UI per WP:GAMECRUFT
• massive melee abilities that can clear out multiple enemies - I don't think "massive" is the right term to use here since we are not describing size?
• The game features a mission-based structure in which the player can choose tasks non-linearly - "choose tasks non-linearly" is written in a very technical way. Can you just say players can choose tasks in any order they want?
• Missions are diverse, encompassing platforming, racing, mech suit operations, and protection tasks - "Missions are diverse" is once again slightly peacocky.
• earned by completing certain tasks - such as?
• As Game Informer observed, 2002 platformers such as Haven: Call of the King, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, Blinx: The Time Sweeper, and Super Mario Sunshine were all underperforming commercially - Can't say this is directly related to this game's development? They are observations by Game Informer only. They would be more usable if ND directly named them as factors causing them to change direction.
• He elaborated that the original Crash Bandicoot (1996) targeted a younger market, while gamers in the 2000s were seeking advanced experiences beyond "fuzzy animal" antics, a preference extending to children as young as eight. = " He elaborated that the gamers in the 2000s were seeking advanced experiences beyond "fuzzy animal" antics" is sufficient already.
• Jak II was given a Teen rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), Naughty Dog's first since Way of the Warrior (1994). - ESRB ratings are WP:GAMECRUFT
• Just curious. It has a European title but it was never released in Europe?

Unfortunately, I've yet to find any reliable source that can verify the game's European release date, so the NA date is all I can include for now. Cat's Tuxedo (talk) 15:32, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

I found this (that it released in 2003) Timur9008 (talk) 15:51, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

That's as close as we're gonna get, I guess. Thanks. Cat's Tuxedo (talk) 16:07, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

• In 2012, a high-definition remaster was included in the Jak and Daxter Collection for the PlayStation 3; the collection was also released for the PlayStation Vita in 2013 - "A high-definition remaster was included in the Jak and Daxter Collection for the PlayStation 3 in 2012 and PlayStation Vita in 2013"
• Wccftech is not a reliable source.
• The gameplay was celebrated for its ambitious blend of diverse mechanics - I'd remove "ambitious" and "diverse" just to keep it more neutral. I would prefer "The gameplay was celebrated for incorporation of elements inspired by Grand Theft Auto, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and other genres"
• Navigating Haven City's crowded streets was a common pain point, with sluggish vehicle handling and repetitive travel between missions detracting from the open-world experience - Since this was mentioned later, I think it is better to remove this whole sentence.
• I feel that the first and the fifth paragraphs of the reception section should be merged to form one cohesive "gameplay reception" paragraph.
• Why is the sixth paragraph a standalone one? They should be mentioned together with Editor's Choice from IGN and GameSpot.[49][50] GameSpot named it the best PlayStation 2 game of October 2003 in the first paragraph?
• The story's cinematic presentation was praised for its well-crafted cutscenes - subjective claims made in wiki-voice again.
• The character animations were described as fluid and expressive, particularly in cutscenes, which were said to rival animated films in quality - Cutscenes were described in two separate paragraphs. I think this can be moved to the second paragraph.
• This may be a personal preference, but I don't think you need to mention all the winners in prose. The main thing we need to know is that the game was nominated for several accolades. Maybe just a short remark at the end saying that it didn't win any award.
• Why is the table needed when you already mentioned everything in prose? It should be removed.
• Source 57 does not have a publisher and it does not appear to be a reliable source.

Just about all points have been addressed. Cat's Tuxedo (talk) 15:32, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Happy to promote the article now. OceanHok (talk) 05:25, 1 May 2026 (UTC)