The Naughty Ottsel (sometimes known as the Naughty Ottsel Saloon),[1] formerly known as the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon (sometimes known as the Hip Hog Saloon[2] or just the Hip Hog),[3] is a location in Daxter, Jak II, Jak 3, and Jak X: Combat Racing. It is a bar and entertainment venue located in the Port of Haven City, and was a common destination for receiving missions in Jak II and Jak 3. The saloon was first owned by Krew, and then by Daxter who rebranded it as the Naughty Ottsel at the end of Jak II.
During the war in Jak 3, the saloon was expropriated by the Freedom League as an ad hoc military base, after a recapture mission left them unable to reconnect with their main headquarters. However, the saloon appeared to return to normal operations after the war resolved. In addition to serving food and drink, the saloon featured some form of secondary entertainment throughout its history, such as wrestling, exotic dancing, and televised combat racing. Another attraction was its numerous metal head trophy mounts, boasting their death at the hands of Krew's henchmen, Sig and Jak.
History[]
Before Jak II[]
Krew's wrestling poster.
The Hip Hog Heaven Saloon was named for the hip hog, after which the bar's illuminated sign was modeled. It was founded by Krew, a crime lord who used the business as a front for his illicit weapons and artifact trafficking.[4] The establishment appears to date as far back as Krew's younger wrestling days, decorated with framed pictures of a more physically fit Krew in wrestling wear, along with a wrestling ring in the center of the room. In addition to serving as a bar, it likely formerly served as a wrestling or other combat venue; though it is also possible the saloon was simply themed around Krew's former glory.
Concept art of the saloon, showing its layout.
The establishment's layout appears to have remained unchanged throughout its history. Four booths line both sides of the saloon, and are recessed into the walls. Each booth contains a table with seating on either side of the table (though there are also bar stools placed intermittently outside of the booths). In the back of the room is the actual bar, with six bar stools in front of it, and a mirror with shelves for alcohol bottles behind it.
Prior to and during Daxter, there was a similar establishment called The Bar located in the Industrial Section, just north-east of the Hip Hog. The Bar was seemingly much older, and its ownership (and whether it was different from the Hip Hog's) was never revealed. The two establishments' independent operations may have been the result of the segregation between the Industrial Section and the Port during that time, which could explain why The Bar was not present in Jak II when the two sections were connected.
Jak II[]
A poster of an exotic dancer from the saloon.
Jak and Daxter were first introduced to Krew and the saloon after being sent there by Torn in the mission "Make delivery to Hip Hog Saloon"; payment in the form of eco ore was due from the Underground for Krew's services, and Jak and Daxter were tasked with making the delivery. Torn instructed Jak to solicit information from Krew while he was there, who Torn described as "wired into the city".[5]
By the time of Jak II, Krew was no longer a wrestler, but a morbidly corpulent, gravity basket-dependent crime boss. The Hip Hog served as a business front for his black market activities in Haven City,[6] his Underground ties,[7] his high-profile NYFE racing-related gambling,[8] his arms manufacturing and distribution,[9] and his combat racing-related gang enterprise in Kras City.[10] Furthermore, the saloon was suggested to now provide forms of entertainment other than combat, with a pole emplaced in the center of the former wrestling ring, and posters of exotic dancers displayed inside and out of the establishment.
The saloon's decor of metal head trophy mounts was an additional source of attraction for customers. This was the objective of the mission "Protect Sig at the pumping station", wherein Jak and Krew's henchman, Sig, hunted metal heads to attract more customers.[11] Jak and Daxter would return to the saloon several times throughout Jak II to receive missions from Krew and Sig. Prior to one particular assignment, "Collect money for Krew", the duo met Tess, an Underground agent sent by Torn to spy on Krew (despite the supplier-client relationship).[12] Tess served as the bartender and was the only known employee, and would occasionally update the duo with information.
The Hip Hog Heaven Saloon bar sign.
Krew and his saloon were the subject of tough scrutiny from Baron Praxis' Krimzon Guard. Krew was developing a covert super weapon, the piercer bomb (which would later be revealed to be commissioned by Praxis himself),[13] and received shipments for constructing it through the Port.[14] Eventually, the Krimzon Guard deployed listening devices throughout the Port bay, and would not remove them despite Krew's bribes. Krew tasked Jak with destroying them in the mission "Destroy cargo in Port", promising the equipment would be bad for the Underground as well.[15] Soon afterwards, the Krimzon Guard followed up with audits of the saloon for "health violations" and "back taxes", which Krew interpreted as harassment from Praxis.[16]
The Hip Hog Heaven Saloon.
Although Daxter joked about Krew being too big to leave the Hip Hog (and in fact Krew is seldom seen outside of the Hip Hog),[17] Krew is shown twice in other areas. Before the Class 3 race began at the stadium, Krew appeared at the race garage to remind Jak to give him the ruby key that he found in the sewers. At another point, Krew left for the weapons factory to meet Baron Praxis and complete the piercer bomb. However, before doing so, he stashed a mysterious artifact in the saloon's Metal Head Mash game machine. Tess observed that Krew "looked really nervous" in doing so.[18] After Jak and Daxter killed Krew (leaving the saloon owner-less) in the mission "Beat Krew in weapons lab", they returned to the saloon. Daxter was then able to dislodge the artifact by beating the challenge in "Beat the metal head mash", and discovered it was the Time Map, an important artifact the group had been looking for.[19]
Near the end of Jak II, the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon was the site of the group's celebration after defeating the Metal Heads and overcoming Praxis' oppressive rule following his death. With Krew now dead, Daxter took the saloon as his own, rebranding it as the Naughty Ottsel, and using the celebration as its grand reopening. Daxter took down Krew's wrestling posters, replacing them with his own, and replaced the largest one in the back of the room with a massive trophy mount of the vanquished Kor.[a] Furthermore, the neon sign above the bar now read "Daxter" rather than "Hip Hog". Daxter also replaced the hip hog sign out front with an illuminated ottsel sign, holding a pitch fork in one hand and raising devil horns with the other.[20]
Daxter[]
Although Daxter served as a prequel to Jak II, its epilogue appears to take place some time between Jak II and Jak 3, in the Naughty Ottsel. The Naughty Ottsel and Keira look as they did in Jak II, Daxter's portraits are seen hanging on the wall rather than Krew's, but Kor's trophy mount has been taken down.[21] Interestingly, there are also two trophy mounts of a babak, whereas in Jak II, the only lurkers mounted on the wall were lurker sharks. This is likely merely a cameo rather than actual trophy mounts, considering babaks were no longer viewed as a threat to humans, but instead were kept as pets,[22] slaves,[23] or treated as civilians, in some cases.[24] Furthermore, the babak mounts do not appear again in Jak 3 nor Jak X: Combat Racing.
In the epilogue, Daxter is seen concluding the story of how he saved Jak from prison, surrounded by Jak, Tess, Samos Hagai, Keira, Osmo, and Ximon, with Taryn in the back of the room, who gives a wink to the hero.[25] This suggests that at some point in the game, the events of Daxter began to be narrated by Daxter in the Naughty Ottsel, rather than Samos as in the beginning of the game.[26]
Jak 3[]
A poster of Daxter displayed in the Naughty Ottsel.
Earlier on in Jak II, when the saloon was still owned by Krew, Daxter drunkenly re-envisioned the saloon with "more dancin', more mac'n, [and] more women", saying the place could be "a real swingin' joint" but telling Krew he "has no vision".[27] Daxter followed through with this upon claiming the bar for himself at the end of Jak II, and it remained his establishment throughout Jak 3.
However, when Jak was banished to the Wasteland in the beginning of Jak 3, Daxter voluntarily stayed behind with him, leaving the Naughty Ottsel in the hands of Tess.[28] War had erupted in Haven, and at some point the KG Death Bots took hold of the entire south side of the city, including the Port and the saloon. Veger eventually sent Torn and a Freedom League contingency on a "suicide mission" to reclaim South Town. While they were successful in doing so, they ended up being cut off from their northern headquarters[29] due to a barrier emplaced by the KG at the Port–Industrial checkpoint.[30] As such, Torn used the Naughty Ottsel as a provisional southern headquarters, replacing the wrestling ring with a tactical holo-viewer,[31] taking down all the trophy mounts, using the room for arms storage, putting up old Underground posters, and using the ottsel sign out front as target practice.[32] This presumably also resulted in the business's temporary closure.
The Naughty Ottsel bar sign.
Upon Jak and Daxter's return, Torn informed them of what had transpired, to Daxter's dismay. Soon after, death bots began mobilizing against the Port, headed for the Naughty Ottsel. Torn tasked the duo with defending the headquarters, in the mission "Destroy incoming blast bots".[33] Daxter also soon thereafter used a missile launcher outside the Naughty Ottsel to break through the barrier, in the mission "Destroy barrier with missile", allowing the southern force to break through the KG barricade.[34]
The duo would continue to return to the saloon frequently to receive missions and information, as in Jak II. In one particular mission, "Hijack eco vehicle", Jak and Daxter stole a shipment of eco from the death bots, and used decoys placed around the Port to misdirect the missiles that were subsequently launched at them. With one decoy too short, Torn illuminated the Naughty Ottsel sign at full brightness and directed Jak to use it as the final decoy. He did so, causing the head of the sign to detach and land back on the pitchfork askew, again to Daxter's displeasure.[35]
The southern and northern forces were finally able to reconnect when Jak directed a bomb bot from the saloon into the final barrier at the Slums–Industrial checkpoint, in the mission "Break barrier with blast bot". Torn then left the Naughty Ottsel, leaving it back in Daxter's hands.[36] Although Tess was not seen in the saloon in Jak 3 (but rather working on designing weapons at the nearby gun course),[37] it is known that Daxter left the establishment in her care while he was away.[38]
Jak X: Combat Racing[]
The Naughty Ottsel during Jak X: Combat Racing.
The Naughty Ottsel returned as the backdrop to a few scenes in Jak X: Combat Racing. Little changed, apart from a large new bar in the middle of the room, replacing the former holo-viewer from Jak 3. The bar is enclosed and surrounded with seating, and inside of it is a large cabinet for drinks. Atop the cabinet is a Road Blade model used as the centerpiece of the room. Above the Road Blade is a column of several television screens that serve to broadcast combat racing (more specifically the G.T. Blitz Show). It was here and on these screens that G.T. Blitz televised Mizo's mercy offer in the scene "Mizo Offers a Deal". There are also smaller TVs placed around the room, as well as a larger one in the back of the room above the bar.
Daxter, Rayn, and Jak at the bar in the Naughty Ottsel.
Trophy cups appear to replace the former trophies of metal heads or other creatures, presumably from winning races. This includes a chrome Road Blade trophy displayed on the left side of the room above some booths. There are also non-chrome Road Blade models placed above other booths, though it is unknown whether these are trophies or merely decor. Many of the former posters of Daxter and exotic dancers remain in-tact, and there are also new combat racing-themed fliers featuring Jak, Razer, or race cars. Among other decor includes tracking missile rockets, large heavy-duty wheels, and racing banners. Interestingly, the mirror in the back of the room was never repaired, after being broken throughout Jak 3.
Behind the scenes[]
The name "Naughty Ottsel" is a nod to the game's developer, Naughty Dog, combined with Daxter's species, ottsel.
Despite Daxter serving as a prequel to Jak II, the saloon is indicated as the "Naughty Ottsel" on the game map, and it is also placed on the west end of the Port rather than its actual location. The saloon itself is never actually visited in-game, however, but it can be seen in its correct spot in the distance from the east Port tower.
The Naughty Ottsel briefly appeared in PlayStation Move Heroes in Jak and Daxter's introduction cutscene. The duo zoom past it in a zoomer, where one can see that the ottsel sign has been repaired, and the poster on the outside has been replaced.
In Jak II, if the player walks up to the mirror in the back of the room, Jak will have his Dark Jak horns in his normal form (though only while the player is walking or crawling).
In the original PlayStation 2 versions of Jak II and Jak 3, there is an easter egg in the form of a group picture of the developers inside a box on the roof of the Hip Hog/Naughty Ottsel. However, the Jak 3 easter egg was removed in the Jak and Daxter Collection. Because the later PlayStation 4 release was a direct emulation of the original, it can still be seen in that version.
Notes[]
- Annotations
- ↑ However, the Kor trophy is not seen in-game after the epilogue.
- Citations
- ↑ Jak 3, guide
- ↑ Jak II, "Make delivery to Hip Hog Saloon"
- ↑ Jak II script § "The Job Offer"
- ↑ Jak II, guide
- ↑ Jak II script § "Torn's Delivery"
- ↑ Jak II script § "The Job Offer"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Torn's Delivery"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Krew Makes a Threat"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Krew's Baby"
- ↑ Jak X: Combat Racing script § "Krew's Diary"
- ↑ Jak II script § "The Job Offer"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Whine, Women, and Song"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Krew's Baby"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Destroy cargo in Port (gameplay)"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Destroy cargo in Port (gameplay)"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Krew Has Another Job"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Krew's Sewer Job"
- ↑ Jak II script § "The Game Player Steps Up"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Getting the Time Map"
- ↑ Jak II script § "The Celebration"
- ↑ Daxter script § "Epilogue"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Propaganda stations"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Krew Has Another Job"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Save More Lurkers"
- ↑ Daxter script § "Epilogue"
- ↑ Daxter script § "Intro"
- ↑ Jak II script § "Whine, Women, and Song"
- ↑ Jak 3, guide
- ↑ Jak 3 script § "Torn is Surprised"
- ↑ Jak 3 script § "Destroy barrier with missile (gameplay)"
- ↑ Jak 3 script § "Daxter Gets Heroic (commentary)"
- ↑ Jak 3 script § "Torn is Surprised"
- ↑ Jak 3 script § "Torn is Surprised"
- ↑ Jak 3 script § "Fish in a Barrel"
- ↑ Jak 3 script § "The Ottsel Gets It"
- ↑ Jak 3 script § "The Daxtinator is Back!"
- ↑ Jak 3 script § "Tess and Daxter Reunite"
- ↑ Jak 3, guide
References[]
- Video games
- Naughty Dog (2003). Jak II. PlayStation 2. Sony Interactive Entertainment.
- Naughty Dog (2004). Jak 3. PlayStation 2. Sony Interactive Entertainment.
- Ready at Dawn (2006). Daxter. PlayStation Portable. Sony Interactive Entertainment.
- Naughty Dog (2005). Jak X: Combat Racing. PlayStation 2. Sony Interactive Entertainment.
- Bibliography
- Schrader, Nathali (2003). The Complete Official Guide to Jak II: Renegade. Piggyback Interactive. ISBN 1903511453.
- Shrader, Nathali (2004). The Official Jak 3 Guide. Piggyback Interactive. ISBN 0761549285.