Reviewed: November 17, 2004
Reviewed by: Mike Gonzales
Publisher
THQ
Developer
Avalanche Software
Released: October 11, 2004
Genre: Platform
Players: 2
ESRB: Everyone
8
9
8
7
8.2
Supported Features
Once again Playstation 2 proves to be the king of platformers with Avalanche’s latest effort, Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams. Like so many PS2 games before it, Tak 2 is a fiesta of level after level of Crash Bandicoot-style jumping, smashing, and puzzle-solving. Most of you familiar with the Nickelodeon cartoon or the original Tak and the Power of Juju will realize right off the bat that this game was made by the same crew involved the first time around. Well this time Avalanche and THQ bring you another installment of our little hero, taking what made the first game so much fun and kicking it up a notch to provide our children, and those who still act like them, with another humorous adventure.
Of course, that brings up a few questions in my mind. After seeing so many platform titles on the PS2, like Jak and Dexter or Ratchet and Clank, you begin to wonder if any new titles in this genre will offer enough to keep us coming back. Will The Staff of Dreams offer anything new to gamers or is it just another attempt for some software company to milk their best series for all it’s worth? Well I’m pleased to say that Avalanche has done their homework on this title, discovering what made the first game a success and adding more to each of those aspects to create a solid, worthy sequel.
In Tak’s latest adventure, our young, shaman-wannabe can morph into twice as many animals as last time. The graphics also have been upgraded with an intense amount of style, especially noticeable during the dream stages. Finally, the game’s parent-friendly sense of humor is even funnier than the first release, making the title’s simplistic storyline come to life with a memorable cast of interesting characters.
Of course the game does have some faults, specifically the same camera issues that have been plaguing our consoles since the dawn of time, but let’s be honest. Isn’t that just a given these days?
As the game begins, Tak has a strange dream consisting of, you guessed it, a princess in distress. Naturally, despite his original objection, our hero accepts the task of saving the girl and thus, starts his tale. Right away, Tak veterans will notice the return of old moves like double jumping and jump-gliding during the first mini-level, which is once again a tutorial allowing the audience to get used to the basic control scheme without overloading us with enemies and obstacles.
The simple attack system returns as well, allowing the player to fight every enemy with only one attack button. While I would normally consider this combat system inadequate, you have to remember Tak 2 is a children’s game, meaning forcing them to learn a complex fighting system like that of Prince of Persia’s would only take away from their fun factor, a true no-no in the world of gaming.
Unfortunately, Avalanche was unable to eliminate everything detrimental to the gameplay. This latest Tak adventure is plagued with the same camera issues seen in the first game. It seemed like every other platform I jumped to resulted in a deadly fall and half of those times I felt the camera was to blame. It seemed to shift downward just enough to put Tak’s shadow off-screen, making the location of the landing impossible to predict. You would think someone would have come up with a solution to this problem with 3D gaming by now, but it seems we’ve not yet learned the secret. While I don’t think the camera issues are enough to make this game unplayable, even for kids, I do think it can cause enough frustrations to lose a few players. Of course, I should also mention that the game can be saved from any point by simply pausing the game, so this issue shouldn’t be as big of a problem as it is with most platformers. Nice save.
Finally, the single most impressive facet of Tak 2’s gameplay has to be the diversity in our hero’s objectives. Even though this game was specifically developed with children in mind, the design team has done an outstanding job of keeping the game interesting by incorporating fun ways to get from point A to point B. By collecting certain objects such as juju crystals and fruit, Tak can increase his juju power, allowing him to pull off special moves like speed bursts that enable him to reach places he couldn’t before.
They’ve also incorporated puzzles ranging anywhere from easy to mind-boggling, naturally increasing as the player progresses through the game. Tak will also come across points in the game that launch as a sort of short mini-game. For instance, after morphing into a flea, Tak’s mentor Jibolba will have you tossing him at squirrels in order to open a pathway. While this sounds corny, the actual process is really quite fun.
The Jibolba Flea acts as a heat-seeking missile controlled by the player from the flea’s point of view (think Solid Snake’s Nikita missile). It’s additions like these that keep the game from getting repetitive like so many other action titles and for a children’s game, Nickelodeon has obviously chosen a very wise developer to bring this cartoon to life.
Tak 2 also features some multiplayer opportunities with a series of mini-games that you must win in order to proceed up the pyramid ladder. Each time a player wins a game, they move up a tier to be the first one to the top. Most of the really fun mini-games are locked when you start but as you play through the story mode you will be able to unlock new ones. It's certainly not a party game by any stretch, but it does offer some additional gameplay.
Tak 2 is a very beautiful game from start to finish. Every character looks incredibly detailed and the colors are extremely vibrant throughout. Avalanche didn’t revamp anything visually this time around, but just added to the already stellar graphics of the prequel. Waterfalls and shrubbery all look very bright and realistic as the PS2 shows off its next-generation power. Even as the first cut scene launches everyone will immediately recognize that this game is far from a first generation title since polygons are as smoothed out as possible, eliminating those unsightly ridges seen in earlier games.
Characters also look hilarious in a very cartoon sort of way. The wildlife and enemies all share a very exaggerated appeal. Blue bears have long snouts and hunched backs as they mope from one point to another and enemies like the “Woodies”, the re-occurring foot soldiers in the game, hop about mumbling tribal gibberish during attacks. Avalanche has done a fantastic job of conveying the witty attitude of the game through the animations of the characters.
Tak’s dream world is also a very stylish element in Staff of Dreams. While in the dream world, Tak will be jumping from platform to platform while the beautiful landscape is replaced with trippy moving backgrounds of purples and yellows. While it’s nothing new in the gaming world (Soul Reaver) it’s nice to see Avalanche’s version of an alternate dimension. The colors all glow and twist together to provide the gamers of something other than the same old jungle brush. In fact, I feel it is techniques like these that separate a platformer from the rest of the pack and when you’re dealing with the PS2, there are a lot of games to compete against.
Every game targeted at a young audience relies on a certain amount of audio presentation. Character voices, sound effects and even music are all equally important in hooking youngsters’ interest. Fortunately, this is one of Tak 2’s best attributes. The whole sound department has done an excellent job of keeping the personality of the game consistent with Nickelodeon’s child-friendly organization. This title actually plays out just like a cartoon during the game’s many cut scenes and each of these scenes is as hilarious as the next.
Trust me on this one, I was practically raised by Bugs Bunny and The Simpsons, so I think I’m a pretty reliable source. Also, for those of you who follow today’s cartoons, it will please you to know that voice-over genius Patrick Warburton (Puddy from Seinfield, Family Guy) plays the role of Tak’s hilarious macho friend, Lok, adding to the game’s already stellar comedic value. Without fantastic writers and actors, games like these can easily meet the fate of so many other uninspired platformers. Luckily, after Tak’s latest effort, the series now joins the ranks of other hysterical veterans like Crash’s latest, Twinsanity.
As I stated before, the Playstation 2 has established itself as the ultimate platforming console. This creates a bit of an issue for games like Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams since the PS2 releases three times the action/adventure games of any other console and it seems to be increasingly difficult to leave a lasting impression. And while I appreciate the hard work the developer has put into Tak 2, I don’t have the confidence to consider it more valuable than many of the other titles in this genre.
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Jak 3, and Crash Twinsanity are just a couple of other great games competing for the same position and both of have their advantages. Sure, Staff of Dreams is a solid 10-hour game and definitely has a couple of incentives to replay, most noteworthy being the 2 player mini games, but I don’t think this is enough to be consider this game superior. In this reviewer’s opinion, innovation is the key to a great platformer these days and Tak simply polishes an already old concept.
Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams is a good 10-hour platformer that is sure to appeal to children of all ages. The gameplay, aside from some minor camera issues, is very solid and the graphics are some of the best in the genre. The fantastic cast of characters will keep us laughing throughout the adventure and the mini-games will allow us to involve an occasional buddy in our cartoon fun. Unfortunately, the PS2 already has dozens of platformers and Tak 2 doesn’t seem to add enough to the genre to rise above its competitors. If you absolutely adored the first Tak game, then this game will not disappoint. However, if you are looking for a new action/adventure hero, I recommend renting it first.