"Jak II" received positive reviews. The game currently holds an 88% approval rating on GameRankings based on 79 reviews and a score of 87 on Metacritic based on 47 reviews. "IGN" gave it a score of 9.5/10, saying: "Naughty Dog weighs in with heavy guns, a dark story and mature content…And unlike pretty much every other platformer in the world, the story here is filled with characters who you'll either love or hate. It's the story that gives this game the feeling that it's an adventure, like "Indiana Jones" or even "Max Payne". Jak is far more likeable now that he speaks, and the fact that he's pissed off and owns honking big guns weaves in an unmistakable new level of emotion into the narrative." "GameSpot" said, "Everything in "Jak II" comes together to produce one of the best-looking, best-playing games on the PS2 so far" and continued: ""Jak II" is an enormous and ambitious game that succeeds on every level, the gameplay is rewarding, and the story twists and turns more than you'd expect from a game like this." "Game Informer" praised "having the freedom to tackle challenges in a less linear fashion" and likened the new gameplay to the "Grand Theft Auto" series.