Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier Review (PSP)

After a short hiatus, the double-jumping Playstation powerhouses known as Jak & Daxter are back in full force with their eco-sage hottie friend Keira along for the journey.

The world is low on eco, and is tearing itself apart as a result. Of course, as the platforming duo you'll have to double jump your way through the game's pseudo-sandbox environments to restore it to its former glory.

Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier is part platformer, part dog-fighter, with air-based battles a huge part of the game.

It'll take you around six hours to beat Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier's single-player campaign, with numerous side-quests on offer to draw you back into the action.

Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier is a bright and vibrant looking game, with some rich characters and solid voice acting driving the story. While environments can look a little plain, the game's use of vibrant colours make it a very pretty game.

Alongside the typical double-jumping and shooting elements of The Lost Frontier, High Impact Games have thrown in a few special power-ups, which play a huge part in the puzzle elements of Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier. These power-ups allow you to slow-down time or create make-shift platforms over hazards. They're hardly going to set the world on fire, but they're fun to use and vary the gameplay.

A big emphasis of The Lost Frontier's gameplay is on dogfights. These make up a fair portion of the game and are really fun to play. The triggers are used for various weapons where as the D-pad allows you to perform barrel rolls. The controls feel really tight in these segments and the graphics are stunning.

There are lots of customisation options in The Lost Frontier, particularly regarding your ship. You're able to purchase new modules for your ship, upgrade them and totally overhaul your shuttle in a way that suits your playing style. This offers variety and gives you a reason to play around with your playing styles. You're also able to upgrade Jak, opening up new abilities to further vary the gameplay.

Occasionally, Daxter will be infected with a high quantity of Dark Eco. This turns the little man into a massive, lumbering monster and opens up The Lost Frontier's third gameplay type. These isometric God Of War-esque mash 'em up sections don't really fit in with the game's over-arching feel and, honestly, are a little tiresome to play through. They're not terrible, just the game's weakest element.

Many of the levels in The Lost Frontier lack personality. They look rich and vibrant, but they're just so sparse and forgettable. This is emphasised by the lack of ambient sound in the game world, which can make you feel very isolated.

This is a 3D platformer on the Playstation Portable. Is it fair to say: "go figure?" It's often hard to gauge jumps and control the camera due to limitations of the PSP hardware. Perhaps it's not fair to criticise Jak & Daxter for hardware issues, but hey, it's no less frustrating.