Who needs professional game developers, right? Tech-savvy fans of the original Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy are taking matters into their own hands, porting the classic PS2 platformer to play on modern PCs. This isn't an emulation job; the group's aim is to get the game running natively on PC by basically retooling the entire thing.
On the project's GitHub page, it's explained how this works. Without getting too deep into game dev jargon, the team is deconstructing the PS2 game's code — written in a bespoke language created by Naughty Dog — and then recompiling the code for x86-64. Essentially, fans are breaking Jak and Daxter down to its core and rebuilding it using their own tools.
It seems like a super impressive effort. Not only will the game run on PC, it'll even have some modern tweaks, like subtitle and resolution options, and they've also made the Precursor orbs easier to spot. The actual gameplay will be identical, however. This isn't an officially recognised project, but it looks as though the people working on this are handling it with care.
It's worth noting that the PS2 Jak and Daxter games are pretty easy to play on modern consoles. The main trilogy and Jak X are available individually or as a collection on PS4, and all four of them are included with PS Plus Premium. This will be the first time the series comes natively to PC, though.
With Sony's efforts to officially bring its back catalogue to PC, this fan-made port doesn't seem that out of the ordinary. There's no word on precisely when the project will be complete, or how the application will be made available.
Would you like to see older first-party titles also come to PC? Explore Sandover Village in the comments section below.
[source github.com, via kotaku.com]
Comments 20
ND created their own programming language to make their games? That's crazy.
@Voltan Pretty much — I didn't go into crazy detail above but they created and used a heavily customised version of Lisp named GOAL.
My dream would be Bluepoint tackling this badboy next...
@Quintumply I suppose that's all in line with how much they could always squeeze out of the Sony consoles, but I still did not expect that. Literally operating on another level (although you'd technically call it a lower level in programming )
All I ask is that you add the option to invert the camera rotation. Please and thank you.
@Voltan Programming is golf, got it.
Cease and desist in 3..2..1..
@Voltan ND were using only a dialect of Lisp. Lisp is not a low level language. And using your own version of something is not that uncommon.
@saffeqwe They'd have to create their own compilers for the dialect, which is lower level - that's what I meant. Unless it was just being converted to some regular code that could be compiled with standard tools, I guess.
I hope they do the same for the Nathan Drake collection. Sony is too slow.
Oh man! I saw the pic and read 'Jak and Daxter' and damn near had a heart attack! I seriously need someone - anyone (well, not anyone, but you get what I mean) - to make a PS5 game!
@Excess There can be no cease and desist if the game is reprogrammed using completely original code. The new code can be freely distributed. The only illegal area would be the assets that you’d need to get from the PS2 game. These would not be distributed with the new code, similarly to how the PC Mario 64 port worked.
Fan-made PC ports of games are really cool. The content that fans add to the games are fantastic.
Are they going to make it look like a PS2 game or the PS4 version? Seems like a lot of work to make something in 640x480.
If Sony's really going full Nintendo, I can't imagine their lawyers let this sit more than a day.
Also, THIS is a game in need of a "remake", Naughty Dog. Not a 9 year old remastered game that already runs on the console that you need side by sides to notice it's particularly different.
the emulated version on ps4/ps5 run very poorly
@NEStalgia I would love to see updated controls alone to be implemented. I could not finish the second game God those controls have aged horrible.
@Flaming_Kaiser Yeah. I'm that weird minority that still things the first game was the best game of the series. Sure it's a retro style platformer, but IMO it was actually a better Rare style game than a lot of Rare's games. They really made a stand-out platformer with this.
2...like you said, the controls are just bad. Even at the time it was bad. And while 2 was the beginning of ND becoming the cinematic story-driven studio they're known for being now, I still think it was a massively overrated game because of presentation rather than actually being a good game. Any time I go back and try to play it, it's like tank controls, but somehow less precise than other tank control games. And those camera cuts.....
I'd absolutely love to see the whole trilogy remade. 1 is great how it is and just needs a visual overhaul and some modern nicities. 2 really needs to be reworked. 3....ok they need to figure out what the heck 3 even wanted to be
Ever play the PSP Daxter! game? It wasn't made by ND, And it has some PSP weridness to it, but I swear that's my second favorite Jak game after 1.
I have to be honest i liked the first one a lot but the second one i just could not take the controls and i dont understand why they just wont put some effort in it to make it feel more modern.
Maybe just make number 4 and pull the Daxter game into consoles if its like first game they both deserve and Rachet and Clank style remake.
@Prime_Objective Bluepoint Jak & Daxter Trilogy remake would be dope. I'd buy it day one!
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