Jak and Daxter

***Jak and Daxter*** is a series of video games, developed by the company Naughty Dog. It is named after the two heroes of the games. Right now, six games are in the series.

- _Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy_
- _Jak II_
- _Jak 3_
- _Jak X: Combat Racing_
- _Daxter_ (prequel to _Jak II_)
- _Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier_

## Where the games happen

All of the _Jak and Daxter_ games happen on a planet that is similar to Earth, where many creatures who look like humans with long ears live. A long time ago, beings called "Precursors" lived on the planet, but disappeared, and the people use the machines the Precursors left behind. Outside of cities and villages, there are many wild and dangerous animals.

A substance called "Eco" is also used by the people. It can be found as gas, liquid, or even solid crystals. There are several different kinds of Eco, and all the different Ecos can do special things. Green Eco can heal injuries or damage, and Blue Eco can make things move faster. There is also Dark Eco, a dangerous kind of Eco which can kill or mutate. In the first _Jak and Daxter_ game, _Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy_, the character Daxter falls into a pit full of Dark Eco and turns into an "Ottsel", a fictional, or not real, cross between an otter and a weasel.

## Gameplay

When Naughty Dog first told people about _Jak and Daxter_, people were very excited, because Naughty Dog had made the famous _Crash Bandicoot_ series. _Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy_ was one of the first video games to use something called streaming, which means that the game loads while it is being played, so there are no loading screens. It was also very similar to the games _Super Mario 64_ and _Banjo-Kazooie_, because players need to jump, explore, and collect a special kind of object to win the game.

After _The Precursor Legacy_, the _Jak and Daxter_ games started to be about other things, not just jumping and finding things. _Jak II_, the second game, gives the player guns to shoot and vehicles to drive. This is like in the _Grand Theft Auto_ video games.

The first three games of the _Jak_ series; _Precursor Legacy_, _Jak II_, and _Jak 3_; are still mainly about platforming. The player controls the character Jak or the character Daxter in jumping puzzles to get to a goal. The character can only get hit by wild animals or monsters only a few times before dying and having to start the goal over, but the character can get life back by touching Green Eco. In _Jak 3_, the player can get armor that lets Jak be hit more before dying.

The player can also use attacks or guns to kill the monsters before Jak or Daxter is hit and hurt.

## Infobox (video game series)

- **title**: Jak and Daxter
- **collapsible**: Yes
- **state**: Expandable
- **image**: Jak and Daxter logo black.svg
- **platform of origin**: PlayStation 2
- **publisher**: Sony Computer Entertainment
- **genre**: Platform game, Platform
Action-adventure game, Action-adventure
Third-person shooter
Racing game, Racing
- **first release version**: _Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy_
- **first release date**: December 3, 2001
- **latest release version**: _Jak and Daxter Collection_
- **latest release date**: June 18, 2013