Trophy hunters and platforming fans take heed! The HD-remastered Jak and Daxter Collection is coming to a store near you in a few short weeks, packed with a trio of platforming masterpieces and more trophies than you can shake a ottsel at. More »
Today is the 10th anniversary of the release of Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy on PlayStation 2. Naughty Dog, the game’s studio, took a look back at the game’s decade of service and wants to be sure it’s remembered for its technical merit, too. More »
Some of my fondest memories of the PlayStation 3 era involve a pair of wacky mascot characters participating in some of the greatest gamers had ever seen. While we’re waiting for a Ratchet & Clank HD Trilogy from Insomniac, Naughty Dog’s gone ahead and confirmed one for Jak and Daxter. More »
Like God of War, Team Ico and Sly before them, Sony platform heroes Jak and Daxter will soon be getting HD re-releases on the PlayStation 3. [Game Informer] More »
MomoCon has filled the campus of Georgia Tech in downtown Atlanta with cosplayers, and video game fans are there in force. Check out characters from Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Miles Edgeworth, BioShock, Brutal Legend, and more! More »
There’s a fun and interesting little article over at the Escapist by Wendy Despain, on what she’s learned about game design thanks to the opinions of her youngest nephews. Her conclusions after presenting some munchkins with games like Star Wars: Battlefront and Jak and Daxter? Game designers could probably learn something from the bitter disappointments of toddlers when faced with game mechanics and features that most of us just take for granted as, well, what games do:
I’ve been to a lot of conference sessions talking about how to make games better than they are. I’ve read a lot of books about it and seen even more books on Amazon about it. The game industry likes to talk about this subject – a lot. And who knows? I may not have been able to identify what was annoying my little friends about these games if I hadn’t been studying the subject myself.
But I just can’t shake the feeling that all us game developers would learn these lessons better if we just sat down and played like a 3-year-old for a while. Even if we’re making games for grown-ups. As we get older we get jaded. We expect to be disappointed. We aren’t surprised by inadequacy and sloppy work. We tolerate mediocrity and even find comfort in the mistakes that have become tradition through repetition.
It’s an interesting perspective on some of the game design issues that have sparked much discussion in the industry.
Play Like a 3-Year-Old [Escapist Magazine]
