It was always pretty clear Jak didn't like Krew but rather just reaped the benefits and his connections. A lot of the stuff he finds and discovers that help rebuild the rift rider and critically important info for the Underground
Yes, Krew had a deal with the Metal Heads, and he used Jak and Sig to allow the Metal Heads to attack the city. They were unaware that they were being played by Kor and Krew the whole time. The Ruby Key opened a door in the Underport that allowed the Metal Heads to invade the city when Kor shut the shield walls down after he learned it from Vin.
gotta talk about how Jak is still the one of the only games with open world hovercars. the dynamic analog walking system. versatility with movement. These games will always be my favorite.
I'm kinda disappointed seeing where gaming is going after revisiting the jak serie I sadly can't play the game so i watch a lot of videos I never understood how much ahead of its time it was back then But now seeing all the details, how deep the gameplay was etc i realise how great this serie is and why after so many years i still love it
@@HeyMomonia I think Modern games could be a lot better if they kept the small details these games had. Sure they look pretty and have cool kill animations. But even with Ghost of Tsuchima something is missing. But GoT was amazing.
The sewer one is pure genius. And krew did say he wanted to turrets gone so he can go back to smuggling. Such great writing. And I never noticed the metal heads studying the turrets. That's amazing.
It's hard to notice the metal heads looking at the turrets because the scripting of that moment is a little loose. Sometimes you don't reach the metal heads before they turn around to start attacking you.
Thank you so much for choosing my entry! I’m glad you enjoyed it, and I loved the way you edited it together with gameplay footage! Congratulations to the other winners and everyone else who shared some incredible details about the series! So many of the entries consisted of surprising facts that I never noticed before, and I was totally blown away by these revelations! One of my favorite parts about this series is that there always feels like there is more to discover, whether it concerns lore mysteries or small touches in the game design, so thank you Powercell Freak for providing an opportunity for the fan community to come together and share so many amazing observations about all the neat stuff buried in these games.
Also if you activate debug mode and go through the floor under mirror and back up you will be in the mirrored bar. But don’t exit flight or you’ll fall
I cannot get over how the original J&D was so phenomenal people still talk about it; the design consistency and creativity is almost overwhelming. The same can be said for the whole series with it's story, we are still learning more and speculating about it. I find it to be a much greater achievement than the dramatic and technological prowess of ND's more recent games.
Another neat detail about the sewers is that Krew is the one that always sends Jak to the sewers; later in the game Krew sends Sig to a suicide mission so that the Metal Heads can get in the city so Krew also sending Jak to sabotage the city's defenses without Jak realizing it is very in-character for Krew.
That entire last entry about the sewers blew my mind! As many times as I’ve played Jak 2 and 3 I’ve never thought of any of that. Makes me have a greater appreciation of the lore in the world
After that explanation on the Jak 2 sewers lvls makes me appreciate the game more on it’s story progression, difficulty, and the fact on why the lvls are set up this way.
Well Jak did technically travel through space and time to be flung into Haven City, he did fight alongside the precursors to fight the metal heads as Daxter is technically a precursor and Jak did go back to where he came from when his younger self went back in time to complete the cycle and start the journey all over again.
Jak wasn't heralded by his ancestors by the point of Jak 3, though. I mean sure, the sages called him a hero, but I wouldn't call it him being heralded by his ancestors. Also, Daxter isn't a precursor, he's an ottsel. The precursors are also ottsels, but that doesn't make Daxter a precursor himself. From the depictions of the temple in Jak 3, and the appearance of the dark makers, as well as the precursor spirits, it's likely that the precursors were actually human (At least in appearance) and at some point during the dark maker rebellion got transformed into ottsels. What makes a precursor is their power and knowledge/technology, not their appearance/race.
@@mar_speedman Actually the precursors are, in fact, Ottsels. At least as far as the lore ever goes. Due to them being small rodent-like Ottsels, they fabricated a mythos of large god-like creatures made of precursor metal, humanoid in stature with insectoid heads. Straight from the wiki. But it does also state that all known precursors are Ottsels, and all known Ottsels are precursors, but they don't know if ALL Ottsels are precursors. So until they make more jak and Daxter games, that's all we have to go on
@@dev1ljuce352 The wiki is just a fan site. The 'lore' is just fan interpretation of what we see in the games. Personally, I think the idea that precursors were always ottsels is unfulfilling and lame. Furthermore, it doesn't hold up to evidence Fact 1- Dark Precursors. They appear as corrupted versions of what the precursors were shown as in temples, which implies that it's the true form of precursors Fact 2- The depictions in the temple near spargas imply that precursors don't have actual insect heads. They appear to be headwear Fact 3- The precursor that appeared out of the precursor egg had a human form (Or elf technically, though the games call them human) Fact 4- Daxter, a human, turned into an ottsel when he fell into a pool of dark eco Ignoring Fact 1, you can make an argument for precursors always being ottsels and constructing a false mythos surrounding them. But with the first fact in consideration, it's far more likely that the precursors were highly advanced humans that were wiped out by their dark brethren, save for a rare few who survived falling into dark eco pools This is of course, just a theory, but it's no different from the other theory. Even if the ottsel precursors straight up claim that they were always like this, well those three are hardly a reliable source of information I prefer to trust more tangible evidence, like environmental storytelling
Wow, the details about the sewer were something I subconsciously knew but didnt actually think about in that much detail and I have played jak gamed since 2001 (im 25) that guy is awesome for pointing that out and naughty dog are fucking masters at crafting environmental storytelling. I always forgot how much of jaks story was told through just its enviroment.
Thank you for choosing me as one of the winners! Those two winning entries are AMAZING. I've been playing this series back to back since I was 5 and I've NEVER put any thought on those details. This community is just great, seriously. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who has contributed to this wonderful contest! And, of course, thanks to Powercell Freak for organizing it!
one thing that's very interesting about the hide mechanic specifically in Jak 2 that isnt mentioned in this video (though im sure many people know this at this point including Zeke) is that it actually also makes the countdown timer for the alert tick down *faster,* meaning by hiding you will lose the alert sooner!
I learned so much this video it hurts. I remember when I played Jak 3 I had no idea how metalheads overran a part of the city, but they must've gotten in through the sewers after Jak removed the defenses, and when people found out that it he did that, coupled with the fact that he knew Kor, the people of the city wanted him gone. Jaks exile FINALLY after all these years makes sense now. It's been years since i've played so please forgive me if I forgot something.
There's plenty of evidence that they wanted to reveal him as Mar though. We know he's at least Mar, son of Damas, and he even suggested the precursors call him Mar before getting on their ship (which in schizo-written style was faked out, as Jak shows up behind Daxter again, claiming to have never left). There's also all the J&D memorabilia in important places, like the totem pole you take a relic from. Daxter, Praxis, Brutter, and a precursor oracle. These figures are important to Mar and they're important to Jakmar. So until he's revealed to be Mar, he'll kinda always be simultaneously Mar and not Mar. If he's revealed not to be Mar, well, he's still simultaneously Mar and not Mar.
I always thought those red crystals were volcanic crystals since you were going into the Volcanic Crater, but now it makes a ton of sense that they'd be red eco crystals to be mined by the Red Sage!
You guys forgot about the skulls from ppl trying to escape the stadium in Jak 3 by the right entrance...very creepy. Such a dope video love these games
it requires a buttload of skull gems, its unlikely to pull it off in a regular run as you pretty much have to kill every single metal head as they onnly drop the gem once each. however on hero mode metal heads have their gems respawn so acquireing giant dark jak is much simpler
This was incredibly informative. Amazing job to everyone who noticed and pointed out these small details. I never even thought about how the sewers change over the course of Jak II. I'll never look at them the same, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Really helps me appreciate yet another aspect of one of my favorite games.
Anyone else notice the stone structures in the depths of the Sewers in Jak 3 look a lot like Dead Town's stone structures in Jak 2? WHich makes sense as that is probably the oldest area of Haven City?
2:50 I've never realized that's what that feature is for! When playing, Jak would randomly lean against the wall like that and I was like "umh...okay..?"
@@TheJuicyJediJester I've never had it happen by accident enough times to think about it. I just thought it was one of those weird flavour-things, like how Jak sometimes randomly falls over when you suddenly switch direction while running too many times.
WOW!!! This is one of the best Jak videos on UA-cam!! I don't know why I wasn't subscribed to you yet, this blew my mind about my favorite game series that I've thought to have scoured dry, and reminded me there's still much left to explore. I'm definitely taking a look at more of your videos! Awesome job!
I always found the Metal Heads watching the Turret to be odd, but I never connected this to the later missions. I have a bad habit of assuming a lack of interconnection when it comes to each of a game's missions, so it's really nice to see these kinds of details.
The whole sewer thing can probably be extended to a few more of Krew's missions and the resistance missions as well seeing as Kor is secretly the metal head leader and working with them. Another interesting note is during the final boss in Jak 3 the summoned monsters look like metal heads minus the well......metal parts so it makes you wonder if they were a creation of the dark makers
Question: at what point did Mar build Haven City if we have followed Jak from Jak and Daxter, and he never built Haven City? It would seem he would have to go back in time again... but he turned down the precursor offer to travel the universe and MAYBE space. So does that mean that OUR Jak unintentionally closed the loop by turning down the offer?
I think he’d have to go back in time again, whether as a causal loop in order to fulfill the present, or just discovering more precursor tech and accidentally going back in time and making the best of it. Which brought another thought to me: if Jak is Mar, and he’s also part of the House of Mar/a descendent of Mar as Damas mentions in Jak 3, does that mean he’s technically his own ancestor?
@@GideonGrimmGaming the perfect ending to the series is an older Jak, and idk much for the story, but in the End Jak and Daxter go back in time (intentional or unintentional) and build haven city… the twist I would add is that Jak acquires everything, mission done, some how does and has last words to Daxter that his job is complete and has no regrets, and Daxter lives on (maybe becomes human again or just use the idea of Jak to be Mar) but basically Daxter ends up being Mar, and is actually Jaks ancestor
@@GideonGrimmGaming rome wasn't built in a day so I guess you would just have jak go back in time and inspire people to build, maybe he saved them from an existential threat, and have a family of warriors take up the name Mar in honour of him. So he would not be his own grandfather and really he wouldve been the one to get the ball rolling on haven city and not be the literal builder of it.
Another piece of precursor translation: on the Precursor orbs in TPL it says “In Memory of Morgan,” the dog mascot for Naughty Dog. In fact, there’s a ton of translations like this: jakanddaxter.fandom.com/wiki/Precursor_alphabet
I’ve a theory that Haven City was built in a “dark timeline” absent of the player’s interventions and agency. Jak II takes place but without older Jak serendipitously time-traveling to save the day. Kor wins and metal-heads achieve dominance. Kor then sends young Jak back to an inhospitable place, thereby ensuring their future victory would come to pass. It’s the player’s agency which cause the games’ story to unfold differently, thus breaking the tyranny of Kor’s cycle.
Bro.. referring to the beginning of this video when you mentioned how Jak would need to travel back in time after traveling to the future to prove he is Mar. So in the end of the 1st Jak, and the beginning of the 2nd game.. Jak travels through the rift gate, dropping into Haven City through a hole in the sky (as Mar is said to have appeared) and the whole game involving the plot of the medalhead leader is to protect the child being taken care of by "the Shadow" (or young Samos. There is a level where you have to protect young Samos in Haven City Forest as he unlocks his sage powers with the seed. After doing this he has unlocked his potential as a sage. Towards the end of the game you are to escort young Samos and the boy, who happens to have the power to interact with precursor objects just like Jak can, through the gate after successfully building a teleportation device. In the third game when Jak meets Damos, he oddly refers to his son who he lost long ago very often. As you get further into the game Damos dies.. and on his deathbed Jak is at his side and he confides in him that his boy was named Mar.. and he gives him the seal of Mar (the same necklace that the boy wore) the boy was taken back in time by young Samos to be protected until he could reach his potential. As you open up the beginning scenes of Jak & Daxter 1, you hear Samos babble on about the time in a young man's life when he fulfills his destiny.. thus tying all three games together. Jak is Mar. He was sent back in time BY HIMSELF along with young Samos WHO IS FROM THE FUTURE so that he can grow up into the hero we play as in the first game and on to the rest of them.
i think the confusion is when people in the series say Mar built Haven City, its barrier against the metal heads and the eco grid. Jak 1 had no Haven City and nothing Jak did was city building. Maybe if you stretch it you could say opening eco vents and getting power cells was laying the groundwork, but doesn't really work when you look at it deeper. So teenage Jak gets thrown to the future of Jak 2 where Haven City is already built and stays there at the end of Jak 3. So who built Haven City between Jak 1's time and Jak 2's time where Jak disappeared due to the time jumping? Mar isn't mentioned in Jak 1 either. So only way Jak can be Mar is if he, after the end of Jak 3 and that PSP game nobody played, is he eventually used time travel again to jump to in between Jak 1 and Jak 2 to build everything.
So here's an interesting detail that's actually really cool because it fits a scene from Precursor Legacy into Jak II. In the sequel, we discover that Jak and Samos are from the future, and that Samos already knew Daxter's fate of becoming an ottsel. Young Samos claims he'd never forget a face like Daxter's, but more importantly, old Samos reacts to seeing Jak like he's shocked to see him, despite already having met him in the past. On the other hand, in Precursor Legacy, when Daxter shows up at his hut as an Ottsel, he shows no surprise at all. In fact, the way he talks and turns to address Daxter implies he already knew he was an ottsel before anyone had even said a word, which is an odd reaction to a human showing up one day as an animal, compared to one looking a little worse for wear. It's almost like Samos already knew Dax was going to become an ottsel, and was too frustrated to even pretend to be shocked, while with Jak, he actually made an effort to be shocked. This little detail wouldn't be a lot more than a cool, interesting one, if it weren't for the fact that the time travel plot was cooked up *after* the completion of the game, not before. It's actually really amazing how well the series holds up despite all the changes in direction they went in. Everything still gels together!
2:53 I totally randomly discovered this action when I had already passed the half of Jak 2. It makes a lot of missions easier, why doesn't anyone say Jak how to do it?
10:00 Ashlyn: they think your relationship with the crew help the metalheads get into the city. I never understood why people thought that when Jak was just basically a hired mercenary but now it makes a lot more sense
Cool thing about Jak 3's sewers is that you can definitely see that the metal heads have evolved to the sewer's environment and started to prioritize watery environments (fish like enemies) also the defence systems had been updated(more turrets and new defences) and jak who probably understood his mistake from the second game didn't even try to destroy any of the turrets/defences
Hiding from the guards in Jak II was clearly supposed to be one of the main mechanics. It didn't really work though, since hiding like this is time consuming and completely unnecessary.
Ayo is that last entry from SuperDuperfan92? That guy's a riot, he's posted some wild ass theories on the Jak and Daxter subreddit. Shit's so good it almost makes me like reddit. I could deadass tell by just how well explained it was, as well as paying proper attention to the story as opposed to the usual "Man I sure liked that game when I was a kid, better not think too much about it." thing around these parts...and also being called Super Duper. Next you'll tell me the guy who really likes Gravity Rush is gonna pop up.
Awesome stuff, it's so cool to see so many examples of environmental story telling and dynamic music in such an old game, Naughty Dog really outdid themself. Thank you for consistently making new content for one of my all time favourite series!
The world building in the sewer levels is awesome. That first mission i never would've guessed was connected to the later two outside of being in the sewers. The connections between the later two was obvious but it's awesome just to see how connected they are and its a testiment to the world building too. I haven't played the games for like 10 years (got stuck on thr damned Drill Platform in Hero Mode and gave up) but to still learn new things i never noticed back then is awesome.
Wow, this really helped me appreciate details of the world that I constantly overlooked playing this game when I was a teenager. Still my favorite video game trilogy of all time. Such a colorful world.
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The theme in Jak 2 changes not the main theme, but the arrangement of the theme. It's impressive that it's so smooth, when it can change so randomly. It's all about what the player does.
I love the idea of encountering an ancient and genuinely wise and powerful Precursor leading the Precursors of the ancient past… only to realise later in the game it’s an ancient Daxter who went back in time, got wise, and became the protector of the timeline to ensure things happened as was needful, so that one day the future would be free
Dude I never even thought of how they blamed Jak for the metal heads getting in. I always assumed it was the actions of killing the leader, not the sewer missions. That is insane. God I hope they make another Jak game soon this series world has so much more to be explored.
I feel like a sheep. Just following orders, I went into the sewers and deconstructed Haven City's Security Defense System. And I never noticed, let alone think about, what I really did.
A thing i appreciate about the Jak series, is that while there is a rich lore, and you get many hints and mentions about stuff that happened in the past, there isnt any forced exposition. You only get to see the world through Jaks eyes, focusing on the events that happen now and which Jak is actively participating in, giving you the feeling you as the player are actually him, existing in this awesome and fantasy world. We only have some vague idea about Precursors and Dark Makers, the creation of Haven City and many others. Specifically detailing those events like many other franchises do, would be extremely forced and unnecessary. Its the best way to tell a story cause it lets you fantasize and create your own little headcannon, which is much better that be spoon-fed every tiny detail.
@@r0bmir-c7z I don’t think you really can but its definitely the googles he has on. Or i could be wrong you might see him tilt it up or down .. im not sure becuase i havent played the game in a long time.
The goggles can't really be seen being put on or taken off and if you can see it it's really tough to catch, especially in Jak II and 3. However, the first game actually has some visuals to go with the first-person camera to look as though Jak is looking through goggles. That and one of the tasks says "Use your goggles to shoot gnawing lurkers," not "Use the first-person view to shoot gnawing lurkers."
I'm excited as I never got to play Jak 1 when I was a kid, only 2 and 3. So now I get to play a Jak game I haven't tried yet (thank goodness they ported them to PS4)
Did anyone also noticed the story behind the giant metal head worm and Sig? In Jak 2 in the underport Sig was nearly killed by a giant metal-pede; And then in Jak 3 he gets his revenge by killing the worms during the cave mission 😎
I thought this video was new but I'm now seeing it's about 11 months old lol. Still a great video and makes this game more interesting to me as a long time fan of the series!
1:38 OMG I had no idea you could double the size of Dark Jak. I know this wasn’t even the detail you were showing off, but I got Jak 1 the year it came out, platinumed it on PS3, and played the entire series 3x and somehow never knew this.
The Precursor text is the only one I haven't noticed/thought about, and is the most interesting imo. Probably not as definitively interesting as it doesn't explain answer the riddle (yet). I used to think a lot about the Jak world back in the day, and I used to explore every inch and get out of bounds etc. How orbs and power cells are treated in the different games, the maps... And this is why I love Jak 2 the most - Naughty Dog finally could put all their powers to work and create and rich story and vast world, which they sadly lacked in the first game
I purged these games to the last piece of content and I never noticed that you can hide against walls when pursued by the guards. I don't have that memory at least. Amazing
Dang you people are smart... most details I noticed were the fact Jak covers his face with his scarf and goggles in the Wastelands in Jak 3, most likely because of the sand.
Holy sh..! The sewers part in Jak 2 blew my mind, after having played the game for hours and hours this is the first time i realised that, just wow..what a game! Thank you for making such a video!
I'm replaying the Jak series and I'm on Jak 3. I love one detail is that Jak's hand movements switch whenever he switches gun mods. Another thing I like is that there is a reason the Metal Heads and KG Deathbots are located in the areas. Logically Metal Heads would have devoured and nested in the area of the farms and bazaars as they are the main food source for the city, not to mention any unlucky citizen that was stuck there when the palace fell. With the industrial area, KG Deathbots need resources to continue building more robots so of course, they would have taken resources in these areas. Also on Metal Heads, probably after the death of Metal Kor and before Cyber Errol took control, there was no leader or order for Metal Heads so only the strongest Metal Heads survived. Probably the reason we see some of the strongest ones in the sewers and in Metal Head city, Grunts and Stingers are some of the most common you see the most since they are some of the weakest and therefore less evolved of the Metal Heads.
Didn't get notified, a tad bit annoying... I'm flattered I got 2nd but after watching this I don't even know if I should qualify for the top 3. Jak fans are passionate as hell and it's a privileged to be alongside some of the more inquisitive.
I chose the winning entries based on whether or not they showed me something I'd never seen or realised in the series, which is pretty hard cuz I haven't stopped playing them since I was 4. So your entry totally qualified!
These details are so "!!!" I LOVE the JnD worldbuilding. I've got a doozy for you. Everything about Seem (monk leader from Jak 3) makes sense if you notice they're a Dark Sage. I WILL elaborate. Perhaps make my own video essay... Update: I have made this video! :-)
I have a theory that when Jak went with the precursors two timelines came into existence, one where Jak went with the precursors and left his friends to found Haven City and another where he stayed.
Here's an interesting detail for ya: All of the guns in jak 2 are based off the eco powers from Jak 1 with the only exception being the peace maker. Red eco melee power up = red short range gun. Yellow eco ranged power up = yellow long ranged gun. Blue eco speed power up = blue machine gun. Oh and the peace maker? Dark eco lighting powers = purple lighting ball launcher.
Jak fufilling the legend of Mar and going back in Time to kill metal heads and build haven ahs always been my head canon. I really hope they remaster the games like Rachet and Clank got and continue the series with a fitting end.
I think that's what they tried to forshadow since Jak 2. For example the fact that the Heart of Mar was in the statue, as if Mar knew already that it was necessary for Jak to travel back in time. Also when Krew's guys make the Mar statue explode Jak gets particularly upset
You can tell you have a good series when people are still learning new things about it 20 years later
For real, i wanna get into the series sometime soon! Probably make some fanart too since you really don't see enough.
Stop reminding me how quickly the passage of time is going lol
Still one of my fav games ever
it’s 20....
nothing has made me feel old that way that realization does
they needa make a new one already!
Damn, Jak's friendship with Krew really did help the Metal Heads get into the city, the Council wasn't wrong in 3
Ahahah! Yes... But it was more business than friendship
It was always pretty clear Jak didn't like Krew but rather just reaped the benefits and his connections. A lot of the stuff he finds and discovers that help rebuild the rift rider and critically important info for the Underground
Holy shit wtfffff
Yes, Krew had a deal with the Metal Heads, and he used Jak and Sig to allow the Metal Heads to attack the city. They were unaware that they were being played by Kor and Krew the whole time. The Ruby Key opened a door in the Underport that allowed the Metal Heads to invade the city when Kor shut the shield walls down after he learned it from Vin.
The second or third intercation jak finds out krew is selling echo to the metal heads
gotta talk about how Jak is still the one of the only games with open world hovercars. the dynamic analog walking system. versatility with movement. These games will always be my favorite.
Yo facts!
Some of the smoothest movements in gaming. Reminds me of the Spyro and Crash Games.
Jak II was truly ahead of its time
I'm kinda disappointed seeing where gaming is going after revisiting the jak serie
I sadly can't play the game so i watch a lot of videos
I never understood how much ahead of its time it was back then
But now seeing all the details, how deep the gameplay was etc i realise how great this serie is and why after so many years i still love it
@@HeyMomonia I think Modern games could be a lot better if they kept the small details these games had. Sure they look pretty and have cool kill animations. But even with Ghost of Tsuchima something is missing. But GoT was amazing.
The sewer one is pure genius. And krew did say he wanted to turrets gone so he can go back to smuggling. Such great writing. And I never noticed the metal heads studying the turrets. That's amazing.
You’re right holy shit that was amazing to hear explained such thought and love went into this game ugh miss it
It's hard to notice the metal heads looking at the turrets because the scripting of that moment is a little loose. Sometimes you don't reach the metal heads before they turn around to start attacking you.
Thank you so much for choosing my entry! I’m glad you enjoyed it, and I loved the way you edited it together with gameplay footage!
Congratulations to the other winners and everyone else who shared some incredible details about the series! So many of the entries consisted of surprising facts that I never noticed before, and I was totally blown away by these revelations!
One of my favorite parts about this series is that there always feels like there is more to discover, whether it concerns lore mysteries or small touches in the game design, so thank you Powercell Freak for providing an opportunity for the fan community to come together and share so many amazing observations about all the neat stuff buried in these games.
In Jak 2 if you walk in front of the mirror in crew's bar Jak will have horns on his reflection
I noticed that to! When I first saw that as a kid I thought I was just seeing things. But my brother also saw the horns to!
You made me remember this
At first i thought it was a glitch lol
WAIT WHAT?!
Also if you activate debug mode and go through the floor under mirror and back up you will be in the mirrored bar. But don’t exit flight or you’ll fall
I cannot get over how the original J&D was so phenomenal people still talk about it; the design consistency and creativity is almost overwhelming. The same can be said for the whole series with it's story, we are still learning more and speculating about it. I find it to be a much greater achievement than the dramatic and technological prowess of ND's more recent games.
Another neat detail about the sewers is that Krew is the one that always sends Jak to the sewers; later in the game Krew sends Sig to a suicide mission so that the Metal Heads can get in the city so Krew also sending Jak to sabotage the city's defenses without Jak realizing it is very in-character for Krew.
Remember when I found out that Keira didn’t know who Jak was behind that curtain because he never talked before that, was absolutely mind-blown.
That entire last entry about the sewers blew my mind! As many times as I’ve played Jak 2 and 3 I’ve never thought of any of that. Makes me have a greater appreciation of the lore in the world
After that explanation on the Jak 2 sewers lvls makes me appreciate the game more on it’s story progression, difficulty, and the fact on why the lvls are set up this way.
Well Jak did technically travel through space and time to be flung into Haven City, he did fight alongside the precursors to fight the metal heads as Daxter is technically a precursor and Jak did go back to where he came from when his younger self went back in time to complete the cycle and start the journey all over again.
Jak wasn't heralded by his ancestors by the point of Jak 3, though. I mean sure, the sages called him a hero, but I wouldn't call it him being heralded by his ancestors. Also, Daxter isn't a precursor, he's an ottsel. The precursors are also ottsels, but that doesn't make Daxter a precursor himself. From the depictions of the temple in Jak 3, and the appearance of the dark makers, as well as the precursor spirits, it's likely that the precursors were actually human (At least in appearance) and at some point during the dark maker rebellion got transformed into ottsels.
What makes a precursor is their power and knowledge/technology, not their appearance/race.
@@mar_speedman Actually the precursors are, in fact, Ottsels. At least as far as the lore ever goes. Due to them being small rodent-like Ottsels, they fabricated a mythos of large god-like creatures made of precursor metal, humanoid in stature with insectoid heads. Straight from the wiki. But it does also state that all known precursors are Ottsels, and all known Ottsels are precursors, but they don't know if ALL Ottsels are precursors. So until they make more jak and Daxter games, that's all we have to go on
@@dev1ljuce352 The wiki is just a fan site. The 'lore' is just fan interpretation of what we see in the games.
Personally, I think the idea that precursors were always ottsels is unfulfilling and lame. Furthermore, it doesn't hold up to evidence
Fact 1- Dark Precursors. They appear as corrupted versions of what the precursors were shown as in temples, which implies that it's the true form of precursors
Fact 2- The depictions in the temple near spargas imply that precursors don't have actual insect heads. They appear to be headwear
Fact 3- The precursor that appeared out of the precursor egg had a human form (Or elf technically, though the games call them human)
Fact 4- Daxter, a human, turned into an ottsel when he fell into a pool of dark eco
Ignoring Fact 1, you can make an argument for precursors always being ottsels and constructing a false mythos surrounding them. But with the first fact in consideration, it's far more likely that the precursors were highly advanced humans that were wiped out by their dark brethren, save for a rare few who survived falling into dark eco pools
This is of course, just a theory, but it's no different from the other theory. Even if the ottsel precursors straight up claim that they were always like this, well those three are hardly a reliable source of information
I prefer to trust more tangible evidence, like environmental storytelling
Wow, the details about the sewer were something I subconsciously knew but didnt actually think about in that much detail and I have played jak gamed since 2001 (im 25) that guy is awesome for pointing that out and naughty dog are fucking masters at crafting environmental storytelling. I always forgot how much of jaks story was told through just its enviroment.
Thank you for choosing me as one of the winners! Those two winning entries are AMAZING. I've been playing this series back to back since I was 5 and I've NEVER put any thought on those details. This community is just great, seriously.
Congratulations and thanks to everyone who has contributed to this wonderful contest! And, of course, thanks to Powercell Freak for organizing it!
Did he say your name right?
@@brojoe44 I actually couldn't believe it myself, but yes, he did
Your detail and analysis were amazing Mateo!
one thing that's very interesting about the hide mechanic specifically in Jak 2 that isnt mentioned in this video (though im sure many people know this at this point including Zeke) is that it actually also makes the countdown timer for the alert tick down *faster,* meaning by hiding you will lose the alert sooner!
I learned so much this video it hurts. I remember when I played Jak 3 I had no idea how metalheads overran a part of the city, but they must've gotten in through the sewers after Jak removed the defenses, and when people found out that it he did that, coupled with the fact that he knew Kor, the people of the city wanted him gone. Jaks exile FINALLY after all these years makes sense now. It's been years since i've played so please forgive me if I forgot something.
Congrats to the winners. I got to learn new things about one of my favourite series
I liked how mar was never really revealed to be jak for sure like it was lost to time seems fitting for this series
There's plenty of evidence that they wanted to reveal him as Mar though. We know he's at least Mar, son of Damas, and he even suggested the precursors call him Mar before getting on their ship (which in schizo-written style was faked out, as Jak shows up behind Daxter again, claiming to have never left). There's also all the J&D memorabilia in important places, like the totem pole you take a relic from. Daxter, Praxis, Brutter, and a precursor oracle. These figures are important to Mar and they're important to Jakmar.
So until he's revealed to be Mar, he'll kinda always be simultaneously Mar and not Mar. If he's revealed not to be Mar, well, he's still simultaneously Mar and not Mar.
I always thought those red crystals were volcanic crystals since you were going into the Volcanic Crater, but now it makes a ton of sense that they'd be red eco crystals to be mined by the Red Sage!
You guys forgot about the skulls from ppl trying to escape the stadium in Jak 3 by the right entrance...very creepy. Such a dope video love these games
holy shit my brain. I had no clue about the last 3 winners. ND put so much effort in these games and almost no one picked up on these things. amazing
Exactly! I had no idea as well, which is why I picked them, they were really awesome
1:35
I did not know there was a second stage to Dark Jak. Literally was my first time seeing that.
You only unlock after beating the final boss in Jak 2.
@@jagraajdulai3399 I beat the final boss!
..
Oh...
it requires a buttload of skull gems, its unlikely to pull it off in a regular run as you pretty much have to kill every single metal head as they onnly drop the gem once each. however on hero mode metal heads have their gems respawn so acquireing giant dark jak is much simpler
the thing i like about the hide animation is then when Jak turns his head, his ears actually move as they rub against the walls.
Hey friend, no lie. It’s so awesome to see someone that has such a love for this franchise like I do.
I'm going to be thinking about that sewer theory for years. That's brilliant.
This was incredibly informative. Amazing job to everyone who noticed and pointed out these small details. I never even thought about how the sewers change over the course of Jak II. I'll never look at them the same, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Really helps me appreciate yet another aspect of one of my favorite games.
Almost 20 years, two decades, and I still learn new things from a game series I loved to death.
Thank you for your content!
3:04 WELL THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL [insert montage of constantly being chased by the cops]
iirc the white eco vents have hints of red green blue and yellow eco particles in jak 3.
Anyone else notice the stone structures in the depths of the Sewers in Jak 3 look a lot like Dead Town's stone structures in Jak 2? WHich makes sense as that is probably the oldest area of Haven City?
2:50 I've never realized that's what that feature is for! When playing, Jak would randomly lean against the wall like that and I was like "umh...okay..?"
Really? You never guessed why?
@@TheJuicyJediJester I've never had it happen by accident enough times to think about it. I just thought it was one of those weird flavour-things, like how Jak sometimes randomly falls over when you suddenly switch direction while running too many times.
@@Uberdude6666 him falling over is to prevent you from moving too fast and giving the game an opportunity to load more of the city
Did people really not know about Jak hiding from guards in Jak II and 3? ive been doing that since before i made it to Krew as a kid.
lol I for sure didn't. I'd just hide under the bridges
I didn’t really hide I just fought them till I got to the next mission
It's been so long since i played the game that i don't even remember if i knew about it or not lol
Used to do this as a kid but completely forgot when playing it recently on PS4
WOW!!! This is one of the best Jak videos on UA-cam!! I don't know why I wasn't subscribed to you yet, this blew my mind about my favorite game series that I've thought to have scoured dry, and reminded me there's still much left to explore. I'm definitely taking a look at more of your videos! Awesome job!
I always found the Metal Heads watching the Turret to be odd, but I never connected this to the later missions. I have a bad habit of assuming a lack of interconnection when it comes to each of a game's missions, so it's really nice to see these kinds of details.
The whole sewer thing can probably be extended to a few more of Krew's missions and the resistance missions as well seeing as Kor is secretly the metal head leader and working with them.
Another interesting note is during the final boss in Jak 3 the summoned monsters look like metal heads minus the well......metal parts so it makes you wonder if they were a creation of the dark makers
Looking at the architecture of the old sewers one can assume Haven city once had a more roman/greek aesthetic
Makes me like the sewers a little more
Question: at what point did Mar build Haven City if we have followed Jak from Jak and Daxter, and he never built Haven City? It would seem he would have to go back in time again... but he turned down the precursor offer to travel the universe and MAYBE space. So does that mean that OUR Jak unintentionally closed the loop by turning down the offer?
I think he’d have to go back in time again, whether as a causal loop in order to fulfill the present, or just discovering more precursor tech and accidentally going back in time and making the best of it.
Which brought another thought to me: if Jak is Mar, and he’s also part of the House of Mar/a descendent of Mar as Damas mentions in Jak 3, does that mean he’s technically his own ancestor?
@@GideonGrimmGaming the perfect ending to the series is an older Jak, and idk much for the story, but in the End Jak and Daxter go back in time (intentional or unintentional) and build haven city… the twist I would add is that Jak acquires everything, mission done, some how does and has last words to Daxter that his job is complete and has no regrets, and Daxter lives on (maybe becomes human again or just use the idea of Jak to be Mar) but basically Daxter ends up being Mar, and is actually Jaks ancestor
@@GideonGrimmGaming rome wasn't built in a day so I guess you would just have jak go back in time and inspire people to build, maybe he saved them from an existential threat, and have a family of warriors take up the name Mar in honour of him.
So he would not be his own grandfather and really he wouldve been the one to get the ball rolling on haven city and not be the literal builder of it.
The Jak is Mar twist always feels like a late addition to me. Because when did he do it. That we never see anything about it makes it weird.
Another piece of precursor translation: on the Precursor orbs in TPL it says “In Memory of Morgan,” the dog mascot for Naughty Dog.
In fact, there’s a ton of translations like this:
jakanddaxter.fandom.com/wiki/Precursor_alphabet
I’ve a theory that Haven City was built in a “dark timeline” absent of the player’s interventions and agency.
Jak II takes place but without older Jak serendipitously time-traveling to save the day. Kor wins and metal-heads achieve dominance. Kor then sends young Jak back to an inhospitable place, thereby ensuring their future victory would come to pass.
It’s the player’s agency which cause the games’ story to unfold differently, thus breaking the tyranny of Kor’s cycle.
Bro.. referring to the beginning of this video when you mentioned how Jak would need to travel back in time after traveling to the future to prove he is Mar.
So in the end of the 1st Jak, and the beginning of the 2nd game.. Jak travels through the rift gate, dropping into Haven City through a hole in the sky (as Mar is said to have appeared) and the whole game involving the plot of the medalhead leader is to protect the child being taken care of by "the Shadow" (or young Samos.
There is a level where you have to protect young Samos in Haven City Forest as he unlocks his sage powers with the seed. After doing this he has unlocked his potential as a sage. Towards the end of the game you are to escort young Samos and the boy, who happens to have the power to interact with precursor objects just like Jak can, through the gate after successfully building a teleportation device.
In the third game when Jak meets Damos, he oddly refers to his son who he lost long ago very often. As you get further into the game Damos dies.. and on his deathbed Jak is at his side and he confides in him that his boy was named Mar.. and he gives him the seal of Mar (the same necklace that the boy wore) the boy was taken back in time by young Samos to be protected until he could reach his potential.
As you open up the beginning scenes of Jak & Daxter 1, you hear Samos babble on about the time in a young man's life when he fulfills his destiny.. thus tying all three games together. Jak is Mar. He was sent back in time BY HIMSELF along with young Samos WHO IS FROM THE FUTURE so that he can grow up into the hero we play as in the first game and on to the rest of them.
i think the confusion is when people in the series say Mar built Haven City, its barrier against the metal heads and the eco grid. Jak 1 had no Haven City and nothing Jak did was city building. Maybe if you stretch it you could say opening eco vents and getting power cells was laying the groundwork, but doesn't really work when you look at it deeper. So teenage Jak gets thrown to the future of Jak 2 where Haven City is already built and stays there at the end of Jak 3. So who built Haven City between Jak 1's time and Jak 2's time where Jak disappeared due to the time jumping? Mar isn't mentioned in Jak 1 either. So only way Jak can be Mar is if he, after the end of Jak 3 and that PSP game nobody played, is he eventually used time travel again to jump to in between Jak 1 and Jak 2 to build everything.
Wait, I thought jak being mar was revealed at the end of jak 3, it blew my mind as a kid lol
So here's an interesting detail that's actually really cool because it fits a scene from Precursor Legacy into Jak II. In the sequel, we discover that Jak and Samos are from the future, and that Samos already knew Daxter's fate of becoming an ottsel. Young Samos claims he'd never forget a face like Daxter's, but more importantly, old Samos reacts to seeing Jak like he's shocked to see him, despite already having met him in the past.
On the other hand, in Precursor Legacy, when Daxter shows up at his hut as an Ottsel, he shows no surprise at all. In fact, the way he talks and turns to address Daxter implies he already knew he was an ottsel before anyone had even said a word, which is an odd reaction to a human showing up one day as an animal, compared to one looking a little worse for wear.
It's almost like Samos already knew Dax was going to become an ottsel, and was too frustrated to even pretend to be shocked, while with Jak, he actually made an effort to be shocked.
This little detail wouldn't be a lot more than a cool, interesting one, if it weren't for the fact that the time travel plot was cooked up *after* the completion of the game, not before. It's actually really amazing how well the series holds up despite all the changes in direction they went in. Everything still gels together!
Clock in hip hog saloon will give an accurate indication of the in-game time
2:53 I totally randomly discovered this action when I had already passed the half of Jak 2. It makes a lot of missions easier, why doesn't anyone say Jak how to do it?
10:00 Ashlyn: they think your relationship with the crew help the metalheads get into the city.
I never understood why people thought that when Jak was just basically a hired mercenary but now it makes a lot more sense
Cool thing about Jak 3's sewers is that you can definitely see that the metal heads have evolved to the sewer's environment and started to prioritize watery environments (fish like enemies) also the defence systems had been updated(more turrets and new defences) and jak who probably understood his mistake from the second game didn't even try to destroy any of the turrets/defences
Hiding from the guards in Jak II was clearly supposed to be one of the main mechanics. It didn't really work though, since hiding like this is time consuming and completely unnecessary.
Ayo is that last entry from SuperDuperfan92? That guy's a riot, he's posted some wild ass theories on the Jak and Daxter subreddit. Shit's so good it almost makes me like reddit. I could deadass tell by just how well explained it was, as well as paying proper attention to the story as opposed to the usual "Man I sure liked that game when I was a kid, better not think too much about it." thing around these parts...and also being called Super Duper. Next you'll tell me the guy who really likes Gravity Rush is gonna pop up.
Player: Why is the last Sewer mission so hard.
Naughty Dog: You have done that yourself.
Awesome stuff, it's so cool to see so many examples of environmental story telling and dynamic music in such an old game, Naughty Dog really outdid themself. Thank you for consistently making new content for one of my all time favourite series!
I will never cease to be amazed by Jak II's Sewer level! It really is in a class of its own!
if you spin kick before you hit the ground of fall damage you won't take fall damage
The world building in the sewer levels is awesome. That first mission i never would've guessed was connected to the later two outside of being in the sewers. The connections between the later two was obvious but it's awesome just to see how connected they are and its a testiment to the world building too. I haven't played the games for like 10 years (got stuck on thr damned Drill Platform in Hero Mode and gave up) but to still learn new things i never noticed back then is awesome.
Wow, this really helped me appreciate details of the world that I constantly overlooked playing this game when I was a teenager. Still my favorite video game trilogy of all time. Such a colorful world.
The theme in Jak 2 changes not the main theme, but the arrangement of the theme. It's impressive that it's so smooth, when it can change so randomly. It's all about what the player does.
I love the idea of encountering an ancient and genuinely wise and powerful Precursor leading the Precursors of the ancient past… only to realise later in the game it’s an ancient Daxter who went back in time, got wise, and became the protector of the timeline to ensure things happened as was needful, so that one day the future would be free
Dude I never even thought of how they blamed Jak for the metal heads getting in. I always assumed it was the actions of killing the leader, not the sewer missions. That is insane. God I hope they make another Jak game soon this series world has so much more to be explored.
I feel like a sheep.
Just following orders, I went into the sewers and deconstructed Haven City's Security Defense System.
And I never noticed, let alone think about, what I really did.
A thing i appreciate about the Jak series, is that while there is a rich lore, and you get many hints and mentions about stuff that happened in the past, there isnt any forced exposition.
You only get to see the world through Jaks eyes, focusing on the events that happen now and which Jak is actively participating in, giving you the feeling you as the player are actually him, existing in this awesome and fantasy world.
We only have some vague idea about Precursors and Dark Makers, the creation of Haven City and many others. Specifically detailing those events like many other franchises do, would be extremely forced and unnecessary. Its the best way to tell a story cause it lets you fantasize and create your own little headcannon, which is much better that be spoon-fed every tiny detail.
Awesome detail in jak 3
If u will enter zoom mode by button R3 and will look at sky during rain u will have bubbles of water on ur screen
Thats becuase when you go zoom mode Jak puts on his goggles. Its an awsome detail!
@@Mr.PR2000 wooow but for real? How i can see him put a goggles?
@@r0bmir-c7z I don’t think you really can but its definitely the googles he has on. Or i could be wrong you might see him tilt it up or down .. im not sure becuase i havent played the game in a long time.
The goggles can't really be seen being put on or taken off and if you can see it it's really tough to catch, especially in Jak II and 3. However, the first game actually has some visuals to go with the first-person camera to look as though Jak is looking through goggles. That and one of the tasks says "Use your goggles to shoot gnawing lurkers," not "Use the first-person view to shoot gnawing lurkers."
I'm excited as I never got to play Jak 1 when I was a kid, only 2 and 3. So now I get to play a Jak game I haven't tried yet (thank goodness they ported them to PS4)
Did anyone also noticed the story behind the giant metal head worm and Sig?
In Jak 2 in the underport Sig was nearly killed by a giant metal-pede;
And then in Jak 3 he gets his revenge by killing the worms during the cave mission 😎
I thought this video was new but I'm now seeing it's about 11 months old lol. Still a great video and makes this game more interesting to me as a long time fan of the series!
Glad you liked it!
1:38 OMG I had no idea you could double the size of Dark Jak. I know this wasn’t even the detail you were showing off, but I got Jak 1 the year it came out, platinumed it on PS3, and played the entire series 3x and somehow never knew this.
The Precursor text is the only one I haven't noticed/thought about, and is the most interesting imo. Probably not as definitively interesting as it doesn't explain answer the riddle (yet).
I used to think a lot about the Jak world back in the day, and I used to explore every inch and get out of bounds etc. How orbs and power cells are treated in the different games, the maps...
And this is why I love Jak 2 the most - Naughty Dog finally could put all their powers to work and create and rich story and vast world, which they sadly lacked in the first game
This stuff is great man. Definitely my favorite series and learning new things about it blows my mind.
Jak 2 has a very complicated story, in a good way. There are lots of ambiguities, and unexpected twists and turns.
What a treasure trove this series has to offer... I wish there to be more mysteries to solve.
I don't recall if I knew about that stuff with the sewers back when playing this. Really cool stuff.
Ubisoft and EA can learn alot from this almost 20 year old series
honestly could walk through the story of every mission in every game in the style of the sewes explination
I purged these games to the last piece of content and I never noticed that you can hide against walls when pursued by the guards. I don't have that memory at least. Amazing
Dang you people are smart... most details I noticed were the fact Jak covers his face with his scarf and goggles in the Wastelands in Jak 3, most likely because of the sand.
Holy sh..! The sewers part in Jak 2 blew my mind, after having played the game for hours and hours this is the first time i realised that, just wow..what a game! Thank you for making such a video!
The new game Biomutant somehow reminds me of Jak and Daxter
what a good video there ! hope to see a jak and daxter 4 in the next decad..!
I'm replaying the Jak series and I'm on Jak 3. I love one detail is that Jak's hand movements switch whenever he switches gun mods. Another thing I like is that there is a reason the Metal Heads and KG Deathbots are located in the areas. Logically Metal Heads would have devoured and nested in the area of the farms and bazaars as they are the main food source for the city, not to mention any unlucky citizen that was stuck there when the palace fell. With the industrial area, KG Deathbots need resources to continue building more robots so of course, they would have taken resources in these areas. Also on Metal Heads, probably after the death of Metal Kor and before Cyber Errol took control, there was no leader or order for Metal Heads so only the strongest Metal Heads survived. Probably the reason we see some of the strongest ones in the sewers and in Metal Head city, Grunts and Stingers are some of the most common you see the most since they are some of the weakest and therefore less evolved of the Metal Heads.
Slinger is not one of the weakest, its 11th strongest Metal Head in the Jak series (out of all 30 metal head types).
this video was posted on my b day, always loved Jak and Daxter, cool details
Didn't get notified, a tad bit annoying...
I'm flattered I got 2nd but after watching this I don't even know if I should qualify for the top 3. Jak fans are passionate as hell and it's a privileged to be alongside some of the more inquisitive.
I chose the winning entries based on whether or not they showed me something I'd never seen or realised in the series, which is pretty hard cuz I haven't stopped playing them since I was 4. So your entry totally qualified!
Wow. I never once even considered the consequences of each time you go into the sewers. I was just like, "task? 'kay."
I didn't even realize that stuff with the sewers. By the Precursors! That gave me a brain blast!
There is always more to explore...
Fancy seeing you here! I remember you from your R&C videos.
I’m not sure if other ppl noticed this but I’m Jak 3, if u press the R3 button while on a vehicle, it goes into first person view
These details are so "!!!" I LOVE the JnD worldbuilding. I've got a doozy for you. Everything about Seem (monk leader from Jak 3) makes sense if you notice they're a Dark Sage. I WILL elaborate. Perhaps make my own video essay...
Update: I have made this video! :-)
The video is called "Jak 3: Is Seem a Dark Sage? (Precursor Monks Worldbuilding)"
Just a thought I had. The Metal-Head nest in Jak II is located in Misty Island from Jak I.
🤯That could be true! 🤯
I have a theory that when Jak went with the precursors two timelines came into existence, one where Jak went with the precursors and left his friends to found Haven City and another where he stayed.
Old sewer: deep in ground
New sewer: modern near surface
-makes video essay
Here's an interesting detail for ya: All of the guns in jak 2 are based off the eco powers from Jak 1 with the only exception being the peace maker. Red eco melee power up = red short range gun. Yellow eco ranged power up = yellow long ranged gun. Blue eco speed power up = blue machine gun. Oh and the peace maker? Dark eco lighting powers = purple lighting ball launcher.
knowing all those hidden lore details... a remake would be so f**** good. like a 9/10 ign game
And I thought I knew everything about Jak and Dexter series you learn something new everyday
I usually don't care to listen to theories n stuff because they're not cannon but these last two entries were amazing!
this is top quality stuff. thanks to everyone for sharing this info
The Jak 2 sewers are a masterpiece of game design and storytelling. I felt weird af to write that, but it's damn true
I love the details in jak, uncharted, and the last of us games
The first sewer mission scared me a lot as a kid.
I like how daxter was scared in the water cause if you swim too far out you get eaten by a bunch of fish or something
This was really freaking cool
I didnt expect to actually learn something lol.
Jak fufilling the legend of Mar and going back in Time to kill metal heads and build haven ahs always been my head canon. I really hope they remaster the games like Rachet and Clank got and continue the series with a fitting end.
I think that's what they tried to forshadow since Jak 2. For example the fact that the Heart of Mar was in the statue, as if Mar knew already that it was necessary for Jak to travel back in time. Also when Krew's guys make the Mar statue explode Jak gets particularly upset
@@AlessioTerzi3 maybe a few time jumps to open/close all the rift gates.