Jak 3 is a great game all around. It is a pretty good moral comparison to Grand Theft Auto as Jak 3 follows the gameplay of GTA very well, referring to the open-ended, mission-based gameplay. There are two different main worlds, Haven City and the Wasteland. Each one is huge. The Wasteland for example has Spartagus City (which is large in its own right but still small compared to Haven City), the enormous desert, an abandoned ghost town, and a large Zelda-style dungeon. Haven City features four sections: the Slums (ghetto), the Industrial Sector, the Corporate sector, and the Sewers. Like I said, each world is enormous.

Game Play

Unlike the last Jak and Daxter game, Jak 3 has plenty to do while your traversing the enormous worlds, like vehicle combat out in the desert and mini-games in Haven City. It mixes top-notch gunplay action with superb platforming and Zelda-like puzzles (essentially mixing the gameplay of Jak 1 and Jak 2). The gunplay action is really fun to do. It?s simple enough to learn and it?s also really fun to watch. The platforming is fun to do, bringing back the same kind of gameplay from Jak 1 but giving it more of a challenge. There?s also some puzzle work in the game, not too unlike that found in the Zelda games. The game is entirely free-roaming, is mission-based, and has some very cool driving sequences. Basically, it is the same kind of stuff that made the Grand Theft Auto games so popular, but without the immoral extremities. The driving is incredibly fun, especially with the dune buggies out in the wasteland desert. You have a machine-gun on the buggies to shoot the enemies in the desert. It controls very well and the sequences are really fun to do.

Graphics

The graphics for Jak 3 are top-notch PS2 graphics. All of the characters are animated very well. This lets them emote themselves in cut scenes wonderfully and gives them more life. Everything lacks the rough-edged look that typically plagues games for the Playstation 2. The physics engine is great with everything (from the driving engine to rag-doll physics). There is detail in everything (cities, weapons, clothing & armor, etc.).

Audio

All of the sound in Jak 3 is in place and fits in perfectly. Everything sounds just like it should (or what you think it should for the out-worldly elements). The music is done pretty well. Its not the best, but it?s a lot better than the first two games if anything. All of the voice actors do an extremely good job of bringing their characters to life. Combine that with the extraordinary graphical touches that bring them to life visually and you?ve got some very believable characters (that?s saying a lot considering the fact that they are all in a mostly fantasy setting).

Longevity

Jak 3 isn?t the longest game in the world, but it?s still pretty good with its longevity considering it?s mostly an action game. Judging from how I did, you should clock in at 15-18 hours with the initial run. I?ve also heard from other people that they took more in the 20-hour department. You?ll also want to add on time for all of the Precursor orbs to get the unlockable secrets, upgrades, and other miscellaneous things. I have not completed them (and not that far either). Using how long it?s taken me so far, I?d estimate up to another five hours if you plan to nab all of the orbs.

Appropriateness

This is probably the area where Jak 3 suffers the most. This game is pretty violent, but nothing compared to the game it was based on. Killing civilians and police officers are possible, but it?s not encouraged or even mentioned. There?s gunplay, but it?s clean (meaning blood & gore free) sci-fi stuff. Sexuality-wise, there are many women in the game with mostly skin-tight clothing that doesn?t leave that much to the imagination. Jak 3 does however lack the sexual jokes found in Jak 2. There is also some language in the cut scenes. The words are definitely on the milder end of the swear word spectrum. Also, like in the first two Jak and Daxter games (especially the first one), the story involves stuff about the Precursors, who are apparently the gods of Jak?s world, and eco, which is essentially a form of black magic. As you might have guessed, that doesn?t really fit in too well with the Bible. Overall, Jak 3 is a good alternative to Grand Theft Auto, the game it was based on. It takes the gameplay elements that makes GTA fun to play (speaking from a just a gamer?s point of view) and puts it in a much cleaner environment. It still suffers some from its own moral issues, but it doesn?t seem that much at all in comparison to GTA. As a game it?s done almost perfectly (I personally don?t believe it?s possible for a game to achieve perfection in that way).