As requested by o2thoughtful
An ominous silence hung drearily over the desert like a shroud. A foul wind flung dust across the skyline. Jack Dillon stumbled forwards like a man possessed.
He was oblivious to everything: the howling wind, the bitter heat, the scorching sunlight. His fear was raw and real and his entire body dripped with sweaty terror. He was the survivor of a massacre and his enemies were hunting him.
He was a desert pirate; a sword hung at his waist and he knew how to fight. He had seen battle. He had fought a dozen enemies. Now everyone was dead and Jack was running away.
He tripped in the thick desert sand and emitted a tiny shriek of terror as he fell to the ground. He pulled himself shakily to his feet, glancing briefly over his shoulder. Silhouetted against the horizon was a single figure. Jack’s body was instantly paralysed with fear. Two pinpricks of hollow yellow light flickered maliciously from the figure’s face. The predator marched fluidly towards the terrified bandit. With a last burst of adrenaline, Jack scuttled frantically away.
Four days of flight had deadened his strength until his limbs throbbed with fatigue. But in his last moments his strength came gushing back in a flood of self-denial. With a roar of pain and frantic clawing terror he pressed on, his body alight with the fire of desperation.
As he scrambled on all fours the creature marched tirelessly, almost casually, towards him. The strong not-quite-human legs of the pursuer strolled powerfully and viciously in Jack’s direction. The figure was half hidden in a dust cloud, walking with an authoritive gait that hinted at arrogance; the calm, lethal stride of an enemy who knows he has won.
But it wasn’t over. Even as Jack finally collapsed a vehicle thundered out of the dust. It was a jeep with an armoured bonnet and three tons of attitude. With a last conscious breath Jack gasped as a man seized him from the dust. He slipped gratefully into oblivion as he was laid to rest on the dusty back seat.
+++
The group in the vehicle had pursued the creature for a week – despairing at a puncture and weeping stoically as they witnessed a village torn apart. Now at the heart of the wilderness they were ready for vengeance.
Jack’s rescuer was a seven foot tall giant named Cion: the kind of man who you would have instantly dismissed as a builder had he not been blessed with calm intelligent eyes and a large energy weapon. As it was he gestured warily to his followers with his gun. His squad leapt into positions: one a striking red-head with a cold smile, the other a young boy of fourteen with a mop of sandy hair. They calmly primed their weapons almost sub-consciously, their eyes carefully tracking the approaching predator.
They were all three of them dressed in black combat jumpsuits, with a collection of nasty weaponry strapped to every bolt and buckle on their body. Pistols, shotguns, machine guns, hunting knifes and crossbows adorned them and they wore them with casual indifference, the easy familiarity of seasoned warriors.
To say the predator was taken aback would be a gross understatement, he had, after all just been completely blind-sided by a commando squad with a small countries’ worth of armaments. He stood rooted to the spot, his rotten body illuminated in the headlights. He was a terrifying sight; an almost humanoid creature straight out of a horror movie; all decaying flesh and claws. But in the glare of the lights he was like a cornered animal.
‘Look at him,’ said the red-haired girl, ‘what a great big pathetic lump.’
If Jack had been conscious he would have argued his corner; pointed out the claws clogged with congealed blood, the fangs dripping with saliva and hatred. As it was Jack was a heap in the back seat.
The boy scoffed. ‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘let’s call out the animal rights campaigners. You saw what that thing did to the villagers. I doubt his mother will miss him.’
The creature was unable to talk but, if he could, he’d have probably told them to get on with it. The beast snarled and unsheathed his claws.
‘Stop arguing,’ said Cion, ‘we don’t have time for a debate.’
As if in agreement the creature leapt forwards and knocked the girl flying. She muttered something about the injustices of life and promptly pinned the creature to the bonnet with twelve rounds from her pistol. The boy leant over her.
‘Changed your mind have you?’ he said. He dodged a slap and grinned cheekily.
‘Shut up Cypher,’ she said, ‘and help the lady get to her feet.’
He helped her up. ‘I doubt the creature would call you a lady with a straight face,’ he retorted.
Cion turned and impaled them with a glare that would have thawed an iceberg. ‘Kate, Cypher: shut the hell up. We’ve got company.’ He gestured to the clouded horizon where dozens of figures began to emerge.
‘Great,’ muttered Cypher in a stage whisper. ‘The creature had a social life.’
Kate hurled him a flamethrower from the back seat. ‘Less babbling, more frying.’
Cion raised his rifle to his shoulder. ‘Show time.’
Cypher faked a groan. ‘We’re about to die and you used a line like that?’
Before the man could consider aiming at Cypher instead, the swarm of beasts roared and charged the human rescue party. They were a fearsome site to behold; a horde of monsters with dark eyes and sharp claws; every one of them six feet of fluid muscle and rotting tissue. There was no mercy in their fierce stride.
Cion blasted great burning chunks out of the leaders with his energy rifle, and the creatures fell with furious shrieks. As the beasts neared Kate raised her shotgun and coolly blasted three more into dark oblivion. Cypher hit a dozen of them with a prolonged burst of flame that scorched the flesh off their bones. By the time the creatures were in striking distance half of them had fallen to the desert floor.
They raised their wiry arms and leapt upon the humans, tearing at the air with their claws. Kate took a step back and drew a samurai sword from her back with polished ease. Three of the beasts were cut in half in the first swipe as she slashed expertly. Beside her Cypher had abandoned his flamethrower and stood brandishing a hunting knife with a trembling arm. He was so intent on keeping his arm straight that he didn’t notice a creature leap over the jeep and dive for his throat.
With a flip right out of a martial arts movie Kate landed on the roof of the jeep and did a neat pirouette, cleaving the creature apart. Cypher stared at her with wide eyes.
She sighed theatrically. ‘Why is it me who always saves your ass?’
Cypher grinned. ‘Is it because you love me too much to let me go?’
‘You wish,’ she scoffed as she slashed the heads off a pair of creatures. Their snarling heads hit the sand with a soft thud.
In front of them Cion pistol-whipped the last stragglers.
‘Game over,’ he said and Cypher groaned. ‘More video game one-liners,’ he muttered.
Well. As of today Jak 2 is finally over. I completed it early this morning. The last level was fantastically atmospheric and action-packed. If a little easy.
I have enjoyed the game tremendously and loved every second of the 40 hours it took me to complete it. Well apart from that turret level.
The plot was well concieved and initiated, the script was pacy and humourous and the gameplay was fun and fluid with adrenaline fuelled combat. The platforming sections were colossal and daunting in a gaspingly brilliant way that I have only encountered in games of Prince of Persia's calibre. Whilst you played you got the impression that you were indeed in another world. There was little restraint and there was always something to do. The whole of Haven City throbbed with life and the lack of loading times was a welcome addition.
But the moments I lived for were the breath-taking views of Haven City. Jak 2 is the only game I have played where I have spent 5 minutes just looking. The whole world is gorgeous in a oh-my-f***ing-God-just-look-at-that-scenery kinda way.
Buy this game.
