"Jak II proves Naughty Dog doesn't need realism to make great characters."

Jak is every bit as real as later Naughty Dog protagonists

- By Francis Kenna

Despite being critically well received upon its release in 2003, Jak II’s become one of Naughty Dog’s more divisive releases over time. After all, it can be easy to dismiss it as being a typical example of a soulless sell-out second release, given the first game was a family-friendly collectathon platformer whereas the sequel is a more violent sandbox action game inspired by GTA III, but it was made with a pointed intent beyond a misguided financial incentive.

This was where Naughty Dog really began to flex its storytelling muscles, weaving its penchant for cutting-edge presentation into a compelling narrative. It was the title that would begin to redefine the developer, the stepping stone to it becoming the industry-leading powerhouse we know it as today, even if the staff didn’t know it at the time.