At the risk of making the rest of this review anti-climactic I’ll get to the point; in my opinion, Daxter is the best PSP game currently available. Ready at Dawn have managed to take a tried and true genre, polish and refine it to the point where it’s entertaining throughout an entirely new adventure, and then (as if just making an compelling game wasn’t enough) they squeezed it on to a handheld so you can take it with you anywhere. It’s hard to pick a specific detail that makes Daxter so engaging because, in actuality, there isn’t a singular aspect of the game that stands out above the rest. Instead the audio, visuals, control, and balanced gameplay all achieve a level of quality that’s above most other games available on any platform.

Daxter takes place in the two year time period between Jak & Daxter I and II. With Jak in prison, Daxter has pretty much been fending for himself working odd jobs to survive. When an old exterminator, Osmo, requests the help of Daxter, the “brave” ottsel reluctantly (or rather mistakenly) obliges. And it’s while working for the Critter-Ridder Extermination Company that the story unfolds, ultimately leading to you busting Jak out of prison (which is the beginning of Jak II).

While the story itself is pretty straight forward, it’s the presentation that will have you coming back. Even dialogue that I’d normally label as feeble and stupid actually worked impressively well within the context of the character(s). Believe it or not I laughed numerous times at situations that, if described in text, would seem far less than appealing (“Dude? Dddduuuuuuuuuddddddeeee” SPLAT “I’m Okay.”). And since the thin line that divides lame from hilarious in these circumstances comes down to the voice acting and cut-scene direction, it proves that both are done incredibly well (or at least to the point where they’re enjoyable).

Probably the most obvious strength of the game is its graphical fidelity. Between the surprisingly long draw distances, vibrant colors, considerably high polygon counts, unbelievably crisp textures, fluid character animation, and cut-scenes, the game looks gorgeous. Visuals that are as good as, or better than, what we’ve seen from most PS2 games, and easily the best looking game the PSP has to offer. To give you an example, Ready at Dawn have said the Haven City level in Daxter was a direct copy from Jak II, except the textures used were higher resolution than the PS2 version. And the variety of levels is also impressive: while Haven City looks somewhat muted and smoggy, the greenery growing on Emerald Isle looks lush and beautiful. Similarly, the bitter cold visualized in the Fish Cannery level is just as stunning. Ready at Dawn have also paid attention to graphical details as well. While individual blades of grass don’t move, in the forest levels foliage is abundant (pockets of grass, flowers and trees are scattered around, leaves fall, etc). The Daxtenator’s weapon upgrades are easily distinguishable from one another as well (when you switch between them the weapon changes in his hand), and the particle effects of each are visually noteworthy to say the least.

Speaking of weapons, the game only has two: an electrified flyswatter and a pesticide sprayer. While the flyswatter remains the same throughout the game, you can learn new moves with it and link together attacks to kill enemies quicker. As mentioned, the sprayer is also upgradeable and by the end of the game you can choose between three different modes. The coolest of which is something I like to call the “sonic-experimental-attachment-thinger.” It basically turns the sprayer into a high-frequency wave transmitter that can launch orbs of sound that explode on impact. It reminds me of the Jango Fett and Obi Wan Asteroid field chase in Episode II – the projectile fires silently and when it lands a giant sound wave of destruction proliferates outward with a “BWONG” (actually it sounds more like “bwount” said on an inhale).

The sound also kicks it up a notch, too. The background music, although not riveting, definitely fits the mould of the game and the audio effects are no slouch either. Lip-syncing, weapon sounds, and voice acting are all above what you may have come to expect from the PSP. Even switching between the different movement modes (upright and “Ottsel”) offer different footstep sounds. While this may not be as noticeable as the incredible visual quality of Daxter, it certainly adds a level of sheen to the game.

Simple and intuitive controls make learning to play Daxter incredibly easy. The basic idea is that you use the analog nub to move Daxter around, the D-pad to control the view (from 1st person to 3rd person) or switch weapons, and the shoulder buttons to manipulate the camera left or right. The face buttons are used to attack (one button for the swatter another for the sprayer), jump, or to crouch (called “Ottsel mode”).

Game mechanics are diverse enough to make playing through the game (multiple times) a blast. You never feel bored because you’re constantly switching between one style of play to another. Obviously the game is a platformer, so jumping (pressing jump twice gives you a double jump) and crawling are used quite a bit. More necessary (and cool) though is using your pesticide sprayer as a jet pack. While in the air you can hover for a short amount of time allowing you to reach areas that would normally be too far away. To add even more depth, different spray nozzles affect your hovering, and the world, in different ways. This increases the variety to how the game is, and sometimes needs to be, played; rather than just running and jumping, a little more strategy/timing is involved, which consequently spices things up.

Other than platforming there are also Quick Time Events, where you press buttons as they flash on screen, and vehicle-based levels. Not only do vehicular-based levels add to the range of gameplay, but also the levels themselves are among the most visually impressive in the game. So remarkable, in fact, that they almost have to be witnessed running on actual hardware to be believed. To spruce things up even further, after a certain point early in the game, you’re given a scooter to travel around Haven City, speeding up the process of getting to between missions.

Missions consist mostly of collecting a certain amount of bug jewels (kill a number of bugs) or destroying a certain amount of bug nests/eggs, but it’s actually a lot more fun than it sounds. As with all Jak & Daxter games, you can also collect Precursor Orbs, which will in turn unlock Dream Levels and secrets/extras. The dream levels are just fun little skill testing games wherein Daxter is the protagonist of a given, make-believe, situation. For example, the most accessible is a dream where Daxter plays the part of Neo in the Matrix Reloaded. The beauty about the dream sequences is that after you reach a given checkpoint you unlock new moves, increase your health-bar, or gain access to other extras. While only a small part of the complete game, it’s a neat addition.

Another cool inclusion is the multiplayer mode ‘Bug Combat’. Throughout the game you pick up various bug items that can be used to create the ultimate fighting bug. After building up your bug, you can fight the computer or another person. Using special boost items that increase your insect’s stats (Defense, strength, etc) you can make your insect that much more deadly. While Bug Combat is completely unrelated to the single-player game (other than the fact that you collect items in the game world), Bug Combat is a neat way to increase the longevity of Daxter.

Speaking of longevity, Daxter is on the short side. My initial play through was a little over 7 hours, and although I was rushing, I would think a regular play through would probably be no more than 10 hours. Fortunately, between collecting all the Precursor Orbs and bug jewels, and playing Bug Combat, there is plenty of stuff here to keep you going for a while (especially true if you’re the obsessive compulsive type that must get every last extra). Furthermore, because the game doesn’t drag on, the gameplay itself maintains its freshness throughout. Just when you think you’ve seen all the game has to offer you gain access to another mission that simply blows you away, whether it be unique level design, amazing graphics, a crazy boss battle, or cool cinematic.

Despite offering some of the highest production values and being my favorite PSP game to date, there are a couple of issues with Daxter that should be noted. The framerate, while 90% of the time runs at a smooth 30fps, drops at certain points. It doesn’t drop to the point where it’s unplayable, but there is a noticeable dip. Fortunately it doesn’t happen often, and when it does its usually in an area that doesn’t have any bad guys (eg. traveling around Haven City or the Port). Also, as with every third person platformer – ever - there are also a couple of times where the camera doesn’t go where you’d like (if Daxter is too close to a wall, or if he’s standing on a suspended crate). But even with these minor issues, the game is still an awesome experience. If anything, that should be a testament to just how fun it is.

If I had to hold one thing against Daxter (and Ready at Dawn) it’s that they raised the bar so high that it’s probably going to be a while before there is another PSP title that reaches this level of quality.