and likened the new gameplay to the Grand Theft Auto series. Steven Petite and Jon Bitner of Digital Trends consider Jak II to be the best in the series and one of the PlayStation 2's best platformers. Kotaku Luke Plunkett called Jak II one of the best PlayStation 2 games, highlighting the game's scale and characters. Criticisms were given to Jak II shortage of mission checkpoints and overall difficulty. As Naughty Dog developer Josh Scherr once admitted: "One thing that everybody can agree on though, is that the game is just way too fucking hard." IGN named Jak II the #8 hardest PlayStation 2 game, citing its combat, platforming, city navigation, and instant death scenarios. Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine remarked: "It isn't proper to expect us to be perfect in order to make up for your game's many imbalances… Life might not be fair, but I certainly expect my games to be." However, some saw the challenge as a positive, such as PlayStation Magazine, who said: "I appreciate a good challenge in today's games, and JAK II offers it." Accolades Jak II won Editor's Choice from IGN and GameSpot, and was followed by a nomination for Best PlayStation 2 Game by GameSpot as well. GameSpot named it the best PlayStation 2 game of October 2003. Jak II was added to Sony's Greatest Hits lineup on September 8, 2004, signifying at least 400,000 copies sold in its first 11 months. Jak II received a "Platinum Prize" in Japan for sales of over one million units. Worldwide, the game sold more than 1.6 million units by April 2004. Remasters In 2012, Jak II was remastered in the Jak and Daxter Collection on the PlayStation 3, with the collection releasing on the PlayStation Vita a year later. In 2017, Jak II was made available to play on the PlayStation 4 via emulation, featuring high-definition graphics and trophy support. References External links 2003 video games Cyberpunk video games Dystopian video games Action-adventure games Jak and Daxter Naughty Dog games Open-world video games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 2-only games Post-apocalyptic video games Science fiction video games Single-player video games Video games about time travel Video game sequels Video game prequels Video games developed in the United States Video games about revenge Video games scored by Josh Mancell Video games set on fictional planets 3D platform games