It Is Time for a Jak and Daxter Remake
The legendary Naughty Dog trilogy will likely never see a new original game, so is it time for a remake of the original trilogy?
Jak and Daxter were a staple of the early 2000’s PlayStation 2 catalog. Alongside Ratchet and Clank as well as Sly Cooper, the three franchises have become synonymous with the PS2 and platforming action-adventure genre. While Ratchet and Clank continue to get new titles added to the series, Jak and Daxter and Sly Cooper have very much been left behind. Jak and Daxter will always hold a special place in my heart, and I would love nothing more than a new entry in the series. With how unlikely that looks, I would happily take a remake of the classic trilogy.
Let’s Revisit a Classic PlayStation 2 Tag Team
Already had HD Remasters
The original trilogy, as well as the spin-off game Jak X and the later release The Lost Frontier (more on that later), were all released on the PlayStation 2. With Jak 3 wrapping up the main storyline of the game and Lost Frontier never releasing on the PlayStation 3, the main line series was contained to the long-running system.
With Naughty Dog moving onto the Last of Us and the Uncharted series for the PlayStation 3, gamers could not jump back into the boots of Jak on the next-generation consoles.
Naughty Dog gave gamers a taste of diving back into the world of Jak and Daxter through the Jak and Daxter Collection. The collection remastered the first three games via an upscale port to the PlayStation 3 and sold close to a million units (VGChartz)
The trilogy was once again released on the PlayStation 4 marketplace in 2017 and has been downloaded over 600,000 times (VGChartz). In addition to the digital releases, Limited Run Games produced physical copies of the trilogy and Jak X: Combat Racing on physical discs on the PlayStation 4. The physical copies sold out in both the standard and collector editions.
The numbers don’t lie. The remasters have sold strong numbers in both physical and digital mediums. The fan base has not forgotten about two of the PlayStation 2’s best-known heroes and would love to step back into the immersive worlds of Jak and Daxter.
Great Bonus Content Options
Remaking the trilogy would not be a fast process. Much like the Resident Evil remakes, there is a lot of content to cover in a potential remake of the three core Jak and Daxter games. The games would likely have years between the release windows.
That is where bonus content can be issued in the meantime. Although the three mainline games make up the core trilogy of the series, there are other releases from the franchise.
A PlayStation Portable (PSP) spin-off, Daxter, was released in 2006. The spin-off puts gamers into the boots (or paws?) of Daxter in the two year peroid that takes place during the start of Jak 2 when Jak is held prisoner by Baron Praxis.
The racing-centered spin-off Jak X Combat Racing saw Jak and Daxter race in a high-stakes tournament with their lives on the line.
The most controversial release was Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier. Some fans of the series don’t consider it part of the canon due to the development being outside of Naughty Dog, the heavily changed voice cast, and the departure from the mechanics of the core trilogy.
With a remake of the core trilogy, there is a chance to bundle these extra games in as a bonus. Although Daxter has been released digitally on the PlayStation Store for next-gen, it has never had a physical release outside of the PSP. This would be a fun add-on to a remake of one of the core trilogy games.
Remakes Are a Hot Topic
Remakes have become a staple of modern-day gaming. Franchises from all different genres have remade fan favorite titles and brought them to modern-day gaming. Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and other franchises have rebuilt titles from the ground up. The remakes have largely been successful from both a sales and fan/critical reception standpoint.
With the Jak and Daxter series not having a new release since 2009, there is a pent-up demand for the franchise to return to the PlayStation. While a Jak 4 seems like a dream at this point, a remake would at least give the fan base something to be excited about. With the remake model proven to be an overall success by other large franchises and more than enough pent-up demand for something fresh from the Jak and Daxter camp, a remake makes sense for everyone involved.
An Active and Engaged Fanbase
Although it has been over 15 years since a new release in the franchise, the fan base remains strong. Multiple groups and pages on Facebook have thousands of followers who are actively engaging in discussions about the franchise. The games also have an active Reddit community with 27,000 weekly visits. The community is still strong and active despite the franchise having gone cold.
The sales numbers above from the HD remasters show that the fan base would come out and support a new and fresh remaster of the original trilogy.
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Did you play the Jak and Daxter games? Would you like to see a remake of the original games? Sound off in the comments below.
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