Fans are Building the Best Way to Play Jak and Daxter on PC
OpenGoal Expands Game Preservation and History
Fan game design continues to go above and beyond expectation, bleeding more into full game development in many instances. One of the more exciting projects makes a classic far more playable with new quality-of-life features, potentially making it the best modern way to play. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is now playable as a full PC port thanks to extreme efforts by talented individuals bound together through a passion for the franchise.
By utilizing and unpacking GOAL, a programming language used internally by Naughty Dog for the Jak series, the OpenGoal project successfully enables players to use the game’s ISO file to compile a modern way to play. This includes things like brighter visuals, several display options, improved frame rates, and more but generally, this method creates a stunning lens for the timeless PS2 title. What’s exciting is that the otherwise hard-to-understand coding language is now far more accessible for historical purposes. Even better, this could open up the floodgates for custom levels and player-made content.
While the process does take more computer knowledge than playing the official Jak and Daxter port on a PS4 or PS5, extensive guides and FAQs have been created to make the process easy. The developers of the OpenGoal project intend to perfect the first game’s port, then add custom levels, and eventually move on to the other games in the franchise. Jak II is already in the early stages according to the project’s FAQ page.
While some game publishers have made considerable efforts in keeping legacy games alive through extensive porting and community content support, projects that have subpar modern ports can clearly be circumvented through fan creations. Hopefully, projects like OpenGoal lead to more official efforts in game preservation.
Footage of the game can be found on YouTube. Featured image courtesy of official project materials.
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