Following up the vehicular elements of Jak 3 with a straight-up racing game makes sense, and Jak X: Combat Racing does a good job in carving out its own spot. A bit like Wipeout or F-Zero, the high-speed intensity of Jak X's races and battles can be a lot of fun. It's not all about getting first, as the different challenges will test your drifting, boosting, and shooting capabilities. Some of these trials are a bit of mess, including one recurring type where you attempt to chaotically crash your way through oncoming traffic. The arena battles were also very hit or miss as I often found myself pushed up against an opponent, firing my machine gun in the hopes that his health bar would reach zero first. Fortunately, the controls work well and the handling is very good, so the better segments feel great.
The Adventure Mode also contains a reasonably interesting story that brings back all of the essential characters from the franchise, while correcting some of Jak 3's odd mistakes. It’s tempting to see this one through if only to see Jak and Keira's will they/won't they finally come to some sort of satisfying conclusion. I thought that the racing plot fit the world of Jak quite well and they found a suitable excuse as to why the gang would compete in such a deadly tournament. It's a nice addendum to the franchise that frankly serves as a better concluding chapter than Jak 3 did, even if the stakes are a bit lower.
Jak X's crippling flaw is the ferocious and frustrating rubber banding, where you'll never be able to put too much distance between you and your rivals even while boosting and turning flawlessly through a track. One item or slight slip-up and you are certain to drop a few spots in the pack, which is infuriating since it often feels like only the last ten seconds or so of the race really matter. Threading the needle with rubber banding to incorporate it smoothly while still making the game seem fair is tricky, and Jak X unfortunately misses the mark here. It's not a game I really enjoyed playing or could see myself coming back to for that reason. High-speed racing fans might get more mileage out of this game than I did, but I greatly preferred the gameplay style of the first three entries.
The Adventure Mode also contains a reasonably interesting story that brings back all of the essential characters from the franchise, while correcting some of Jak 3's odd mistakes. It’s tempting to see this one through if only to see Jak and Keira's will they/won't they finally come to some sort of satisfying conclusion. I thought that the racing plot fit the world of Jak quite well and they found a suitable excuse as to why the gang would compete in such a deadly tournament. It's a nice addendum to the franchise that frankly serves as a better concluding chapter than Jak 3 did, even if the stakes are a bit lower.
Jak X's crippling flaw is the ferocious and frustrating rubber banding, where you'll never be able to put too much distance between you and your rivals even while boosting and turning flawlessly through a track. One item or slight slip-up and you are certain to drop a few spots in the pack, which is infuriating since it often feels like only the last ten seconds or so of the race really matter. Threading the needle with rubber banding to incorporate it smoothly while still making the game seem fair is tricky, and Jak X unfortunately misses the mark here. It's not a game I really enjoyed playing or could see myself coming back to for that reason. High-speed racing fans might get more mileage out of this game than I did, but I greatly preferred the gameplay style of the first three entries.