u/Cometmoon448

I've always liked putting fictional characters on charts like this!

I put a bunch of Jak and Daxter characters in the Political Compass Chart. I didn't include everyone of course, just some characters who I feel have more interesting political and social outlooks in the games.

For those unfamiliar with his chart, the axes are basically like this (to my understanding anyway):

More towards the top: Believes in authority and control. There are those in charge, and those to be commanded. The government or state should have power over the common people. Orderly.

More towards the bottom: Believes in individual freedom. Defies authority and attempts by the state to control people. Rebellious. Chaotic.

More towards the right: Believes that individuals should be responsible for building their own wealth and wellbeing. Every man for himself. Corporations and companies should be left to operate however they want. Greedy.

More towards the left: Believes that everyone in society needs to work together and support each other to survive. We are all in this together. Resources should go from those who don't need it, and given to those who don't have it. Collective society is more important than individual pleasure.

These are all just my subjective views of the characters of course. But I think some of them fit into their sections pretty well. If you'd like me to explain why I put a character in a certain area, feel free to ask!

So, I have never been a fan of Cyber-Errol. Just, as a concept. Even as a child I felt it was a strange decision, and as an adult, it just feels dumb.

I get the intention. The main threat of Jak 3 is more of a vague, apocalyptic force. The Dark Makers are a collective doomsday event, and Jak and Co need to figure out a way to avert it. However, when it comes to actual gameplay purposes, Naughty Dog needed a character on the ground to represent that threat. Someone physically present for Jak to spin kick and shoot with his Blaster mod.

So Naughty Dog could have just created a brand new character to be the game's physical punching bag. But since Jak 3 is supposed to the culmination of the trilogy, that would feel a bit odd. It would be very difficult to successfully pull off an epic climax with a battle against an unfamiliar face.

So, they brought an old villain back from the dead. A decent decision. But exactly who did they bring back? Errol? The second in command to Baron Praxis? Errol was always very down to earth and focused on pragmatic concerns with enforcing Praxis' regime. He was the cop who enforced law and order, he was the smug, petty a-hole who fought with Jak over Keira.

Errol is great, for the purpose he served in Jak II. I also love his cutscenes in Daxter on the PSP (look them up if you haven't seen them already). But absolutely nothing about Errol evoked "high stakes, world ending danger". Now in Jak 3, he may as well be an entirely different character. He is now leading an invasion of Haven City, after spending years of his life trying to defend it. He is spouting delirious ambitions of not just world domination, but straight up world DESTRUCTION. Erm, what?

So who could Naughty Dog have used instead? I think Gol would have been an interesting choice. Firstly it would tie in nicely with Samos' "the dark eco PROBABLY destroyed them" comment in Jak 1. Gol would also fit perfectly as a villain who is out to destroy the planet, as he was always a powerful dark mastermind out to rule the world. And of course, as the Dark Eco Sage, he would naturally resonate with the invading Dark Makers, much more than the former chief of police of Haven City.

It would also serve to make the three Jak games feel like more of a cohesive story, rather than isolating the first game too much.

What do you think?

We have a winner!!!

Sentinel Beach gave a valiant effort, and it is crystal clear how much the sub loves this level.

But ultimately, Lost Precursor City won out, and rose to the top as the best level in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy!

Thank you so much to everyone who took part in this series, and made it so much fun. It was great to hear all your thoughts and memories!

I've decided to pit all the different levels in Jak and Daxter against each other in random match ups. As we work through the ranks, we will find out which level is considered the absolute best.

What does "Best Level" mean? I am not referring to specific missions, I'm taking about overall areas. When deciding on your favourite, consider all kinds of criteria- music, aesthetics, how fun missions are in this level, how fun the secrets are, you name it.

Sandover Village sweeps away the competition!

And now the end is in sight- we reach the semi-finals! Sentinel Beach vs Rock Village.