Title: Frustrating? Yes. Compelling? Maybe. Precursor Legacy? No.
Product review: OK, I admit, I'm not a hard-core gamer. In fact, I appreciate a game that is easy to learn and yet challenging enough to keep my interest. I can't help but think that Jak II is Naughty Dog's response to criticism that JAD might have been too easy. The problem is, that was what made JAD so appealing to a lot of fair-weather gamers like myself. I'm torn between being really frustrated with the difficulty of JAK II and obsessed with wanting to make it "just a bit farther." I agree with other reviewers that the city hub is a poor design. If ND had designed a city that was worth exploring, or at least allowed the character to collect useful items, I would feel differently. As it is, I feel like I'm stuck in rush hour traffic between missions. I do think that the jet board missions are cool, but other than that, there's not much that makes me want to keep coming back to Jak II.
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