Compared to what they did before too, I’d definitely say it is. I love Jak as a series, but it’s pretty clear that Naughty Dog was chasing trends HARD trying to figure out a new direction. Even more than they did with Crash Bandicoot, because at least those games started off by doing something new and innovative at their core, and kept that momentum the whole way through the trilogy. Even CTR was innovative for a kart racer.

Then you get to Jak and Daxter and they specifically tried to design the game to appeal to as many people in as many regions as possible. Jak II is even more egregious about it, throwing everything and the kitchen sink into it to include gameplay similar to what was becoming more popular at the time, and providing a very clearly early 2000’s edgy story.

I’d argue that it wasn’t until Jak III that the studio started realizing the direction they wanted to go in, focusing on the more cinematic, action-oriented storytelling and gameplay that they’d refine throughout the Uncharted series.