The third mainline Danganronpa game with the same structure as its two predecessors - a visual novel in which you investigate murders and then solve them in courtroom sequences. Sixteen high-potential high schoolers are once again held prisoner in an unusual school by recurring mascot villain Monokuma and forced to play the killing game, in which the only way to escape is to murder a classmate and not be voted the culprit at the trial. While it’s marketed as being a new story, make no mistake - this is a sequel and you are highly encouraged to play the prior mainline games first.

A darkly comic FPS with experience- and loot-based RPG progression. Level up by shooting a variety of enemies with a variety of guns, collect drops and loot containers for currency, ammo, and mostly-trash-but-sometimes-better-than-what-you-have equipment, rinse and repeat. There are a few character classes available, all starting with the same basic abilities but having different special moves and skill trees that allow for distinct builds as you level up.

A co-op dungeon crawl with hack-and-slash action for up to four players featuring surprisingly deep class design. The four classic heroes (plus a new one available as DLC) each play quite differently - the aggressive Warrior wades into groups of enemies and mows them down, the vigilant Valkyrie positions herself and her shield to prevent damage, the nimble Elf dodges attacks and picks off valuable targets from afar, and the versatile Wizard has a spell for every situation. Each class has its own playstyle that naturally leads to a particular combat role - my personal favorite is the Wizard who must read a situation, figure out which spell to use, and recall the correct button/element combination to invoke it. Sufficient mastery over your spellbook allows you to handle just about anything while feeling like a total badass.

A co-op dungeon crawl with hack-and-slash action for up to four players and a surprising amount of scale and complexity. There are many stages to brawl and shoot your way through using a mixture of attacks and combos, an extended leveling system for becoming more powerful, and tons of hidden and not-so-hidden items with varying effects. There are a number of playable characters with unique looks and animations, though movesets are basically the same and characters mostly differ by stat allocation.

A 3D platformer with varied gameplay and a lot of collecting. The structure is roughly hub-and-spokes with a handful of areas each containing several levels. The main collectible (“time pieces”) unlocks new areas at a brisk pace (the final boss is unlocked at 25 out of 40 time pieces). Side collectibles include yarn (which allows for the creation of new hats with new abilities), a currency called “pons” (which can be spent on badges that enhance or modify your abilities in various ways), and new skins and color schemes for the hats and the player character.

A compilation of the first three Jak and Daxter games (Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II, and Jak 3) remastered with a few visual and control improvements and the addition of trophy support. There are also some bugfixes, including for the save-file-ruining “Stadium bug” from Jak II.

The PlayStation 3 version runs at 720p 60fps and is arguably the definitive way to experience this fantastic trilogy. The Vita version unfortunately suffers a great deal from a reduced frame rate, awkwardly remapping the L2/R2 buttons to the rear touch panel, and input lag in the first installment. (Or so I’ve read; I only played the PS3 version.)

Another handheld followup to the Jak and Daxter series that - unlike Daxter - attempts to be a full sequel and evolve the formula with middling results.

The game is not open-world and missions are in a specific sequence. The setting is far removed from the areas in the previous games and very few characters recur. Gameplay does feature platforming and gunplay similar to what came before, but Jak’s moveset has been substantially changed. There’s more of an emphasis on combat then before but the aim-assist that enabled fast-paced run-and-gun gameplay in the previous games is missing.

A scaled-down spinoff of the Jak and Daxter series that puts Daxter in the spotlight with a game structure similar to Jak II or Jak 3 (open-world mission progression with varied platforming/combat/vehicle gameplay) but substantial mechanical differences due to the change in player character.

Taking place during the two-year time skip at the beginning of Jak II, the game follows Daxter working as a bug exterminator as he tries to find and rescue Jak. Daxter’s limited moveset is enhanced by a melee weapon (an electrified flyswatter) and a combination ranged weapon and jetpack (a bug sprayer with multiple firing modes) and he also gets to use a few different vehicles over the course of the game. Appropriately, Daxter feels less powerful but more agile than Jak, and his platforming challenges feel different but are just as much fun. His combat, on the other hand, is a bit less enjoyable. Most bugs can take several hits from the flyswatter which makes fighting slow and button-mashy. It doesn’t help that enemy variety is low and Daxter encounters the same bugs throughout the game.

A spinoff that expands the dune buggy gameplay from Jak 3 into a full game. Despite using the same characters and continuing the story and worldbuilding where it left off, this isn’t really the same kind of game as its predecessors. As implied by the title, you’re now spending all your time racing and engaging in vehicular combat.

A direct sequel to Jak II that builds on its foundation and adds more. The setting, mechanics, and abilities from Jak II are all present with new ones added on top - a second city to explore, new vehicles to ride, several new firing modes for the gun, and “Light Jak” powers added on top of the “Dark Jak” ones. The core remains unchanged - an open-world mission progression with a variety of polished gameplay against a backdrop with a somewhat dark tone but a strong sense of humor. The game is a bit more accessible than Jak II with slightly lower difficulty and slightly lighter tone, though still not on the level of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.