Jak X: Combat Racing

For their final Jak and Daxter title on PlayStation 2, Naughty Dog opted for an unexpected genre leap, offering with Jak X: Combat Racing a full-fledged racing game with combat vehicle elements, drawing inspiration from the successful racing sequences within Jak 3. The story takes place after Jak is unjustly accused and, as punishment, is forced to take part in deadly races organized by the underworld, which serves as a framework for tying the career mode together with the series' distinctive humor and colorful cast.

Gameplay-wise, the game offered a wide range of weapons and power-ups, destructible tracks inspired by earlier locations in the series, and a deep vehicle upgrade system, letting races combine speed with tactical use of offensive and defensive abilities. Besides classic races, players also face arena battles and time trials, so the career mode offers a more varied program than just lapping tracks, and handling relies on brisk drifting and boosting rather than simulation-grade precision. The graphics engine, built on Jak 3 technology, allowed large numbers of vehicles on track at once and visually striking destructible environments, which was impressive for the hardware of the time.

The game also offered online multiplayer, still a relatively new feature for console racing titles at the time, along with classic split-screen play for duels on a single console. Although Jak X didn't commercially overshadow the series' main platforming entries, it was received by critics as a competent and enjoyable racing spin-off that gave a fitting close to the story of the Jak and Daxter trilogy on PlayStation 2. Critics especially praised the depth of the vehicle upgrade system and the game's fidelity to the series' signature humor even in its new racing-game guise. For Naughty Dog, it was also a farewell to the world of Jak and Daxter, as the studio subsequently went in a completely different direction and made its mark on PlayStation 3 with more realistically styled action-adventures.