Strategy guides

Strategy guides are instruction books and secondary canonical sources for games in the Jak and Daxter series. All games, excluding Daxter, have had at least one strategy guide released as companion material by a publisher, officially licensed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, and in some cases with contributions or cooperation by Naughty Dog or High Impact Games.

Three strategy guides were published for The Precursor Legacy, including one for North America and two for Japan. Jak II also had three strategy guides published, including one for North America, one for Europe, and one for Japan. Jak 3, Jak X: Combat Racing, and The Lost Frontier subsequently only had one strategy guide published, each for North America (though Jak 3's also covered Europe).

In North America and Europe, the series' strategy guide publishers have varied between Prima, BradyGames, and Piggyback. In Japan, all but one were published by Famitsu, the other being published by Shogakukan.

The Precursor Legacy strategy guide (Prima)[]

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy: Prima's Official Strategy Guide is a strategy guide and canonical source of information for The Precursor Legacy by Prima Games, written by Dave Winding, published by Random House Inc., officially licensed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, with contributions by Naughty Dog, Inc.

Originally released on December 11, 2001, a second edition was released to accompany the Greatest Hits edition of The Precursor Legacy on October 22, 2002. It was part of Prima's Official Strategy Guide Series^[1] before going out of print and out of stock in late 2004.^[2] It was also inducted into the Library of Congress upon publication.

Format and graphics[]

The strategy guide is authored by "Daxter, with Dave Winding", according to the book, and as such, "Daxter" narrates throughout. The dialogue is original of Dave Winding, however, and not written by writers at Naughty Dog. The book is chronicled with sticky notes and listicles of commentary by Daxter, and is illustrated with in-game screenshots along the way, as well as decorative renders in the margins.

The book starts out acquainting the reader with the various gameplay elements, characters, commodities, and factions in the game. Each hub location includes brief descriptions of the new characters. Each chapter is preceded by the game map with the relevant location circled, and starts with "Sage Advice" from Samos Hagai, listing the various prerequisites and requirements, as well as a stamped "postcard" and notes page from Daxter. The design and layout is credited to Tim Lindquist. The various promotional renders and exclusive artwork are original of Naughty Dog.^[3]

The front cover of the strategy guide utilizes the same art from the front cover of the NTSC-U/C version of The Precursor Legacy, with Prima's "Official Strategy Guide" red banner along the top. It advertises "All 101 Power Cells Located!" on the front, and "Secret power cell revealed!" on the binding.

Release and other media[]

The strategy guide was printed in the United States, and distributed across North America (United States and Canada), and in the United Kingdom, originally listed at USD 14.99, CAD 19.95, and GBP 9.99, respectively.^[4] The first edition was released December 11, 2001, eight days after The Precursor Legacy's North American debut. A second edition was later released on October 22, 2002 to accompany the Greatest Hits edition of the game.

The game manual for the NTSC-U/C release of The Precursor Legacy advertises the strategy guide, proclaiming "You've got the game, now get the guide!"^[5] Although the strategy guide was distributed in the UK, the PAL release of The Precursor Legacy does not mention the strategy guide.

The book is one of three strategy guides covering The Precursor Legacy, and the only English language strategy guide. There are also two Japanese language strategy guides, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Official Exploration Guide Book by Famitsu, and Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Official Perfect Guide by Shogakukan. All three are included in Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter merchandise collection.^[6]

The book is also one of two Prima Games strategy guides that covers a game from the Jak and Daxter series, the other being Jak X: Combat Racing: Prima Official Game Guide.

Originality and research[]

As a product officially licensed by Sony, published by the video game strategy guide imprint of Random House, Inc., Prima Games, the strategy guide is a canonical source of information. The guide specially thanks individuals from both Naughty Dog and Sony, including those charged with the canon, namely Dan Arey and Sam Thompson, each from their respective companies. Although Daxter's dialogue is attributed to Winding of Prima Games, the advertisement in the game's manual pronounces "Daxter's" tips as official. The advertisement also boasts original, exclusive artwork from Naughty Dog.

The Precursor Legacy strategy guide (Famitsu)[]

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Official Exploration Guide Book (ジャック×ダクスター 旧世界の遺産公式探検ガイドブック) is a Japanese tankōbon strategy guide for The Precursor Legacy by Famitsu (ファミ通書籍編集), written by Kyūsenpō (急先鋒), published by Enterbrain (エンターブレイン) and Tokuma Shoten (株式会社徳間書店), and officially licensed by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Title[]

The strategy guide's official name is "ジャック×ダクスター 旧世界の遺産公式探検ガイドブック", which literally translates to "Jack × Duxster Old World Heritage Official Exploration Guide Book" (Romanization "Jakku × Dakusutā kyū sekai no isan kōshiki tanken gaidobukku"). However, there are two official translations, both of which can be found on the book. The first and most common is "Jak and Daxter the precursor legacy official exploration guide book", while the other is "Jak × Duxster: The Precursor Legacy Official Exploration Guidebook".

Format and graphics[]

The strategy guide contains artwork similar to that of the NTSC-J manual for The Precursor Legacy, and promotional renders shared among all Japanese Jak and Daxter media. It also has its own original 2D illustrations and overhead 3D level maps. It also shares some screenshots, renders, and cut-outs from the manual. Each chapter begins with a complete overhead map of the new location, then features specific close-ups of certain areas throughout the chapter.

The guide is chronicled by pop-up boxes pointing to certain areas and illustrations, explaining the missions in a sequential manner. The maps also feature the locations of collectibles such as Precursor orbs, power cells, and scout flies. Messages from Samos himself are also present throughout.

The front cover of the strategy guide utilizes the same render of Jak and Daxter lunging into the air with a power cell from the front cover of the NTSC-J version of The Precursor Legacy, but placed on a plain orange background. An unfamiliar "Jak and Daxter" logo with both Japanese and English subtitles is situated at the top of the book.

Release and other media[]

The strategy guide was printed and distributed in Japan. The first edition was released some time in 2001 to accompany The Precursor Legacy's debut.

The book is one of three strategy guides covering The Precursor Legacy, and one of two Japanese language strategy guides. The other Japanese language guide is Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Official Perfect Guide by Shogakukan, and the English language counterpart is Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy: Prima's Official Strategy Guide by Prima Games. All three are included in Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter merchandise collection.^[7]

The book is also one of two Famitsu strategy guides that covers a game from the Jak and Daxter series, the other being Jak and Daxter II Official Complete Guide.

Originality and research[]

As a product officially licensed by Sony, published by Famitsu, a video game magazine company by Enterbrain and Tokuma, the strategy guide is a canonical source of information. The book also attributes direct supervision by Sony Computer Entertainment (now known as Sony Interactive Entertainment).

The Precursor Legacy strategy guide (Shogakukan)[]

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Official Perfect Guide (ジャック×ダクスター 旧世界の遺産公式完全ガイド) is a Japanese mook strategy guide for The Precursor Legacy by Shogakukan Inc. (株式会社小学館), written by Hiromi Miyauchi (宮内浩美) and Seitaro Nakamura (中村征太郎), published by The Hitotsubashi Group (一ツ橋グループ), officially licensed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, with contributions by Naughty Dog, Inc.

Title[]

The strategy guide's official name is "ジャック×ダクスター 旧世界の遺産公式完全ガイド", which literally translates to "Jack x Duxster Old World Heritage Official Complete Guide" (Romanization "Jakku × Dakusutā kyū sekai no isan kōshiki kanzen gaido"). However, the official translation is "Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Official Perfect Guide".

Format and graphics[]

The strategy guide contains artwork similar to that of the NTSC-J manual for The Precursor Legacy, and promotional renders shared among all Japanese Jak and Daxter media. It also has overhead 3D maps made of low LOD models of the environments from the game.

The strategy guide begins with a synopsis of the prologue, and an introduction to the main cast and central gameplay elements, including controls. Each chapter thereafter starts with 3D overhead maps of the main hub and surrounding areas, then continues with annotated walkthroughs of the following missions. The chapters are illustrated with screenshots from the game, original Japanese promotional renders, and 3D cutouts of characters and other elements from the game. Each hub area is preceded with a render of each sage the area belongs to.

The front cover of the strategy guide utilizes the same box art from the NTSC-J release of The Precursor Legacy, though the Japanese logo for the game is situated center top, with the "Official Perfect Guide" label in bold red Japanese text.

On pages 73 and 117, there are Jak and Daxter Korokoro comic strips.

Release and other media[]

The strategy guide was printed and distributed in Japan, released on February 10, 2002, a few months after the game's Japanese debut. It was released as part of Shogakukan's "Wonder Life Special", and was originally listed at JPY 905 (~USD 8.20).^[8]

The book is one of three strategy guides covering The Precursor Legacy, and one of two Japanese language strategy guides. The other Japanese language guide is Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Official Exploration Guide Book by Famitsu, and the English language counterpart is Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy: Prima's Official Strategy Guide by Prima Games. All three are included in Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter merchandise collection.^[9]

The book is the only Shogakukan strategy guide for the Jak and Daxter series. The brand responsible for the book's competitor, Famitsu, proceeded to make Jak and Daxter's only other Japanese strategy guide after The Precursor Legacy, Jak and Daxter II Official Complete Guide for Jak II.

Originality and research[]

As a product officially licensed by Sony, published by Shogakukan, part of The Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan, the strategy guide is a canonical source of information. The book attributes direct supervision and contribution by Sony Computer Entertainment (now known as Sony Interactive Entertainment), with cooperation by Naughty Dog, Inc.