Dark and brutal, in narrative and gameplay. Who could have predicted such a bold shift in tone and mechanics? Still retaining the basics of its predecessor, but transforming the franchise into something entirely different by simply ADDING to what already made it good. Nothing is really removed - at its heart, Jak 2 is still an open world platformer, only now with a dystopian twist and powers and weaponry at your disposal. Simply labeling it a GTA copy is doing the game a disservice and neglecting to acknowledge many of its strengths, both narratively and in terms of gameplay. The world is rich and varied, touching on a variety of genres while still retaining its own identity.

Still, it's not a perfect game - Hero mode was a nightmare and borderline impossible at points, and the constant moving back and forth between locations could get tedious. But overall Jak 2 was a great shove in the right direction; improved story, great characters, excellent atmosphere and level design allowing for gameplay that's challenging, satisfying and visually rewarding.