Summary

  • Former Naughty Dog developer Josh Scherr revealed that Jak 2 overhauled its models after the team saw early screenshots of Kingdom Hearts.
  • According to Scherr, Jak & Daxter used to use the same models for cutscenes and gameplay, which meant that characters like Daxter didn't even have fully articulated fingers.
  • However, this was changed in the development of Jak 2 as Naughty Dog implemented higher-res models.

A former Naughty Dog developer has revealed that Jak 2 underwent a major overhaul after the team saw early screenshots of Kingdom Hearts.

"True story: on [Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy], we used the same character models for both gameplay & cutscenes (Daxter didn't have fully articulated fingers)," series lead cinematic animator Josh Scherr explained (thanks, GamesRadar).

"For [Jak 2], we saw early screenshots of Kingdom Hearts, went 'oh sh*t,' & made high-res models for cutscenes."

Scherr even attached a side-by-side comparison of Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy and Jak 2, highlighting how low-poly the models were in the original game. I've never looked at them side-by-side before, but it is a major upgrade, even if I still miss that bright blue tunic.

So, we have Sora and his Disney friends to thank for Haven City's denizens looking as good as they did.

Scherr Says That Graphic Fidelity Was A Bigger Selling Point In The PS2 Era

An interesting note Scherr makes in a follow-up tweet is that "graphic fidelity was a big selling point in the PS2 era, much more so than now". Just look at the huge leaps made with Grand Theft Auto 3, Silent Hill 2, God of War 3, and Metal Gear Solid 2.

How far graphics can go has long since stagnated, but there's still that pressure to take things even further. Just look at Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and how its announcement was criticised by fans for looking too similar to the first game, despite the fact there's simply no room for similar leaps to what we saw generations ago.

Regardless, it's a fascinating insight, and a big reason as to why Kingdom Hearts had such an impact on Naughty Dog. There was clearly a rush to take the PS2 as far as it could go, and with Kingdom Hearts setting a new precedent before it had even launched, Naughty Dogs raced behind-the-scenes to keep up.

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Jak II

Action-Adventure Third-Person Shooter Systems Released October 14, 2003 ESRB t Developer(s) Naughty Dog Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment Engine Proprietary Engine, Kinetica Franchise Jak and Daxter
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