The sport hunt icon.
Sport hunt is a type of combat racing event featured in Jak X: Combat Racing. One of Krew's favorite events,[1] the goal of a sport hunt is to kill more targets, either dozers or raptors, than your opponents before time expires (four minutes). The event is only featured twice in adventure mode, in the Dirt Stadium and Clifftop Battlefield tracks, but four times in total during exhibition mode, with additional tracks including Atoll Arena and Wasteland Isle.
History[]
G.T. Blitz first approached Jak about participating in a sport hunt as a side job for the Kras City racing commission. The dozers, which served to form dirt for the tracks, had gone berserk, and Jak was offered rewards for clearing the danger by taking them out.[2] This task was not exactly a sport hunt in this sense, though it appeared to be recreated later on for sport.
The circumstances surrounding the raptor metal heads remain unconfirmed, though their status as prey appears to be indicative of the fact that the once antagonistic race had begun to dwindle into extinction following the events of the Jak 3, with the death of both Kor and Errol. It is presumed that the raptors, who aside from their speed were defenseless, were captured and then released onto the tracks for entertainment purposes.
Gameplay[]
A raptor being tracked by Tracking Missiles.
While the goal is the same for other drivers as you, your opponents will sometimes attempt to take you out as well to inhibit competition, as should you. However, this is comparatively unimportant, as otherwise everyone will be preoccupied with being the first to hunt and kill prey. Targets are indicated on the radar by green dots, and also have a gray highlight on-screen. Their health is represented by the colored bar above their HUD indicator.
Dozers are very large, comparatively slow, and highly armored. Beware of their blades, which they will sometimes use to flip you away, causing moderate damage. Conversely, raptors are considerably weak but comparatively fast, and will do nothing but run away.
Strategy[]
The recommended strategy for this event depends on the prey, but also on the arena itself. For instance, the Dirt Stadium and Clifftop Battlefield have a relatively straightforward layout, but unlike the former which is mostly flat, the latter is quite hilly. Atoll Arena and even more so Wasteland Isle have a much more complex layout, hence you will often have to go out of your way to track down your targets.
Dozers, featured in the Dirt Stadium and Atoll Arena, are stronger and slower, therefore you should pick your most well-rounded race car with an emphasis on stable control, good handling, and an efficient turbo system. Focus first on snatching yellow eco pick-ups, as the default submachine gun is noticeably less effective than the grenade launcher, for example. Such a weapon is uniquely qualified during this event, as the dozers' large girth presents an easier target. However, tracking missiles and the Vulcan Fury work just as well.
On the other hand, raptor hunting, featured in the Clifftop Battlefield and Wasteland Isle tracks, is all about speed, so pick one of your faster vehicles (though good handling is still a factor). Moreover, in addition to picking up yellow eco, focus on getting plenty of blue eco turbo capsules. You can ram into raptors to kill them, and the default weapon works as well, but you will still notice that the Tracking Missile is particularly effective at tracking them down from a distance, so don't be afraid to rely on those either. All in all, whether or not you rely on speed or weapons depends on your circumstances.