Jak and Daxter Collection Vita Review

Jak and Daxter get deported. 

The Jak and Daxter series stands as a testament to the awesome games of the PlayStation 2 generation, and also serves as the turning point when we really started to recognize Naughty Dog as a top-tier developer. Last year the original trilogy got a rather excellent HD upgrade and port to the PlayStation 3 with the Jak and Daxter HD Collection. This year the same trilogy comes to the PlayStation Vita, and while it's a thrill to have some of the best platformers ever on my portable system, I have to say that the Vita is the worst way to play these games.

As a rundown for the uninitiated: Jak 1 (full review here) is a classic platformer from the PS2 days, full of charisma and humor. It's got a kid-friendly vibe, and focuses more on the platforming than combat. It's one of those game genres that have been forgotten, and invokes the most nostalgia.
Jak 2 (full review here) takes things in a darker tone, and opens up into a bustling Grand Theft Auto-style action-adventure game. Guns get introduced to the series, and this entry features the toughest gun fights and boss battles in the series.
Jak 3 (full review here) finds a nice difficulty balance between the two, while adding in Mad Max vehicles and a sprawling desert. The world gets even bigger and
the game diversifies itself more than ever with racing and vehicular battling. All three games feature great characters and writing, and pushed the technical limits of the PS2 by offering huge, load screen-free, environments. And unlike some other collections (God of War, Ratchet and Clank), each feels different enough to feel like three unique games, and not three chapters.
But immediately upon starting up the Vita collection, there's some disappointment. The port to the Vita has left the Jak series feebled. The whimsical and beautiful Jak 1 suffers from framerate issues all throughout, as does Jak 3 during numerous spots. The middle game performs alright technically, but that's because the entire game runs at a lower framerate than the PS3 versions. In fact, the Vita ports often look worse than even the PS2 versions. Not terrible, just third best... out of three. So... the worst.
Troubles run deeper than that, sadly. Controls feel too loose and imprecise, a major sin in a series that often requires very exact platforming, vehicle races and battles, and gunner missions that have no room for error. In a necessary but awkward move, the L2 and R2 buttons have been mapped to the back touch screen. And, in an unnecessary and awkward move, touch screen controls have been added in to some of the minigames.
It’s also lacking in expected features. There's no cross-save support in here, seriously reducing the appeal for a shared PS3/Vita game. Boxed copies don't feature cross-buy support, either. Ignoring the oversight of these value-adding features, the games themselves are a hell of a bargain. But that’s a lot to ignore.
Here's the video review of the PS3 version - how it's meant to be played. (Vita capture setup's in the shop, sorry.)