Jak X: Combat Racing
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| My game case for the game. |
Here's a little throw back for you.
Some years ago I received a mailing that contained a demo disc of games that were due to release during the holiday season. It was like a little thank you gift for being a member of the Underground (as I still call it) and acted as a prompt to encourage future purchases. The demo disc featured samplings of games there were due for release to the PS2 console.
I sampled a little bit of every demo present along with viewed demo movies. Of the demos Soul Calibur 3, Jak X - Combat Racing and Shadow of the Colossus were hard to forget. Of the movies, Tekken 5 was memorable.
That said, they were pretty intriguing games of which the demos did the end products justice. Jak X was the first PS2 game I picked up two years later followed by SC3.
The Story and Gameplay
In a nutshell, the story revolves around Jak and company on their quest to find the antidote to the poison that was concealed in their drinks. The way things were arranged was for the crew to enter the Kras City Grand Championship racing tournament and win. To make sure a feverish attempt to win was made, the perpetrator of the poison included the antidote as part of the terms.
The terms were simple enough; however, there were bad actors every step of the way. The more you raced, the more you learned about the surrounding environment. Eventually Jak and friends successfully win the tournament; however, that win came with an unexpected twist.
Gameplay
As you can tell from the game cover, I played on the PlayStation 2 console. My gaming input came from the controller. I think I did some modifying of the controls so that the button functions could be more convenient.
The left joystick was used majority of the time to stir and the R/L 1-2 buttons were used for weapons and boosts. There were two main types of race environments: road racing and arena. The arena environment became a favorite after a couple of rounds.
The basic setup for the matches were okay but I had a tendency of adjusting the settings to the maximum along with removing time limitations. This made for interesting match-ups where you're basically watching the sun set and rise depending on your location.
Jak-X: Combat Racing is an engaging game with a variety of playable characters. There's also a nice variety of vehicles to
choose from along with a multitude of ways to customize each and every
one. There were also colorful non-playable characters along with an amazing
soundtrack.
OST (Original Soundtrack)
The music was enjoyable in both the demo and the full version of the game. Like Need for Speed and Gran Turismo, one's driving performance tends to improve when the right mix kicks in. type
With that said, I was a bit disappointed when one of the tracks from the demo didn't make it into the final cut of the game. I don't know the name, but do remember how it stood out from the others. The best way to describe it is that it had a mellow beat with claps and a guitar break.
I recorded it on a VHS tape while recording gameplay sessions back in the day. Unfortunately, the tape in question is in storage somewhere. If I find it, I'll share a clip because that was a favorite.
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