Jak X: Combat Racing Review by: m0ssb3rg935 - 7.5/10

This is one of those games you wish could have a sequel, but left absolutely NO room for one. This is a unique take on the racing genre, not just a need for speed or gran turismo rehash. Something with an intense sensation of speed, chaos and adrenaline. If you loved burnout, this is a game worth trying, even if you don't care for the jak and daxter series. This game is one of my all time favorites, right up there with burnout 3 and burnout revenge. And at the relatively low going price, its a value buy in my book.



====Graphics====

The visuals in this game are highly detailed with locations ranging from deep, lush jungles and dry, desolate deserts, to arctic tundra, city streets, and the sewers underneath them. The colors are bright, but never to an eye straining extreme. The explosions are big and frequent, but never take away from the emersive scenery. And the movie animations are done perfectly. One of the only negatives I could point out is that after playing for a while and taking lots of damage and crashing a bunch, the way the body panels come off and the way the frame bends and crumples give it almost a Lego-ish feel. 8/10

====Audio====

The audio is a perfect fit for the game. The weapons are loud, and startling when you are on the wrong end. The jumping, bumping, sliding, crashing and blowing up sound effects are great with a stereo system or nice set of head phones. The voice acting is done very well, with all the dialog sounding like conversation and not a half blind person trying to read from cue cards (Resident Evil). And although the soundtrack is not something I would have on an mp3 player, it sets a solid tempo and great rhythm in the game for you to fall into. 8/10

====Addictiveness/Replay Value====

This game can be greatly addictive. Every time I start a new play through, I play for hours on end and wind up beating the game again in as little as 2 days going about it casually, and I usually do a play through once every few months. It just keeps me coming back. The multiplayer in this title is where most of its addictiveness stems from. Even with just 2 people and a few CPUs, its a blast. If this game ever got a steam release with netplay capability, I would buy it and a new computer to run it just for the pure havoc that would be 6 player capture and death match. 8/10

====Story====

Not much I can explain here without spoilers, but I will say that being forced into a combat racing championship by a dead organized crime boss should get the writers some points for creativity. 7/10

====Depth====

This is the one field where this game is relatively lacking. While there isn't really any variety in gameplay, what is there is solid. And even with only a few locations, the amount of track combinations and race types they squeezed out of them is pretty surprising. Circuit races, time trials, deathmatches and a few other race types that are more unique hold your attention pretty well. 5/10

====Difficulty====

While this game took me forever to beat the first time, and I have never actually tried to speedrun it, its not a terribly difficult game, especially when you master the controls. There is enough of a challenge to get you hooked, but its WAY easier than something like need for speed carbon. I recommend the "hero mode" new game option in the shop after beating it if the game was too easy for you on your first playthrough. Another thing to really throw you off is the reversed course option that can be purchased. 6/10

====Gameplay Mechanics====

This is, in my opinion, a very important, and often deciding factor, in the playability and quality of a game, that's rarely ever touched on in a review. And I found that the controls and handling are intuitive and responsive. They come VERY naturally and one could master them with only moderate amounts of casual play time. The only gripe I have with it is its incompatibility with racing wheels like the Interact Blue Thunder Racing Wheel, which is something else I would like to see supported on a hypotheticle steam release. 9/10

My personal over all rating is 7.5

7.5