[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Release Date:October 18, 2005
Developers:Naughty Dog
Publishers:Sony
Platforms:PS2
Genre:Vehicular combat
Players:Single/Multiplayer
Rating:12+

Jak X: Combat Racing (Jak X in Europe), is a vehicular combat game video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 and first released in North America on October 18, 2005, then in Australia on October 26, 2005 and then in Europe on November 4, 2005. The game is a spin off from Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter series, though reference is made to the previous games, and it is considered to be part of the main series (Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier following suit).Jak X is modeled after the driving mechanics of Jak 3. Two songs by rock band Queens of the Stone Age, "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar But I Feel Like a Millionaire" and "A Song for the Dead" (from the album Songs for the Deaf), are featured in the game (both are heard in the intro). Most of the in-game musical tracks were written by Dean Menta of Faith No More and Billy Howerdel of A Perfect Circle, which can be recognized as the darker, more ambient tracks. This was the first Jak & Daxter game to feature multiplayer mode, the second being Daxter for the PlayStation Portable.

Well this game is a spin off to the previous 'Jak and Daxter' games, and in this one its just all about racing so the game is set on the race tracks. There were alot of races and alot of scenery, including loop-de-loops really high jumps, this game was perfect. Although i did enjoy the free-roam ability of the previous Jak games, the main thing i really liked about them was racing. And that became more of a big thing in Jak 3 and then they released Jak X, for me it was just amazing, It was so fun the danger, the speed, the weapons, the way they kept eco into it so it wasn't a complete U-Turn spin off. Overall the setting was perfect, the race tracks were exciting and fun.

Well i enjoy the way the game came together, how you got poisoned and had to win the eniter game to get the antidote, a little cheesey but ey' thats how it was. The racing in general was awesome, The weapons, the way you used 'Yellow Eco' to take others out the race, the fast speeds, high jumps, loop-de-loops, The upgrades to your car, there isnt anything about this gameplay that i didn't like. The plot twists were pretty good aswell how one of the main people turns out to be some phsyco maniac was really suprising. Even though it was ment to be purely racing i did miss the way your could walk around on the previous games, it would have been good if there were some missions where you could walk around, even if it was just from your HUB to a mission just outside, just some kind of walking would have been great. There was also a Loading glitch issue i had playing this game, sometimes it would take a long time and i would be afraid to take my disc out incase it makes me do the race again or corrupted my game save. Apart from that i had nothing to hate. Overall the gameplay was fantastic it was such a good idea to bring a raceing game in, even if it wasn't part of the main series.

The graphics for Jak X were really good, i didn't experience any bugs in races, or unrealistic take-outs or things that would make me rage. The way you landed from jumps and drifting was realistic the way dirt/dust would get blown everywhere from your tyres was pretty good. although the game came out in 2005 I'd say it was the best graphics out there at the time, really suprised me how they went all out with the graphics. Overall the graphics were smooth, probably some of the best i have experienced as a small child.

The controls were the same as any other racing game, with the basic X to accelerate, circle/square Break, The controls were really easy, because at the time alot of racing games were coming out, such as Need For Speed ect.. So with this game, even if you arn't a fan of the series you can have fun using it for its racing purpose, which was what was really unique about this game.

There was online play with Jak X, you could play online with your friends i believe, you were also against CPU which was kinda annoying but fun at the same time. There was only a few maps so it was abit boring as i dont really like racing games online.

Jak X: Combat Racing has met generally positive reviews from critics, and currently holds a score of 76 out of 100. It was later added to the Sony's Greatest Hits section.

Overall this was probably one of the greatest games of the PS2 era. Everything about it was brillaint, gameplay, the race tracks, jumps, action, the way you dont need to be a fan of the series to enjoy it. The plot itself is brilliant. Everything about this game was just perfect. I was dissapointed this wasn't in the Jak and Daxter Collection, but if anyone wishes to play this its probably very cheap.