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The manic head (also known as the swiper) is an enemy in Jak II. It is a metal head commonly found in Mountain Temple and the pumping station, but was also deployed for a short while at the dig site.

History[]

Jak II[]

Manic heads were the first metal heads encountered by Jak during Jak II.[1] They were spread throughout the pumping station in the mission "Find pumping station valve". They were later found in large amounts at their apparent home, Mountain Temple,[1] in the missions "Find gear in Mountain Temple" and "Find shard in Mountain Temple". Later, they were deployed in the invasion at the dig site in the mission "Get seal piece at dig".

Characteristics[]

Appearance[]

Manic head concept art

Concept art.

Bearing many typical bio-mechanical Metal Head traits, the manic head is a tetrapod metal head, with a completely metallic head,[1] pointed ear-like pieces on the side of its head, a medium-sized skull gem, with two medium-sized eyes directly over its lower jaw, with two smaller eyes placed slightly above those. It has a red complexion, with a slightly lighter red underbelly, with a large torso, yet extremely small abdomen. It has very minimal armor, in contrast to most metal heads, only having forearm pads and shin guards. It has a thin fin going down it's back, with a long tail ending in a metal point.

Behavior[]

Manic heads typically group with other manic heads, pacing either up and down or in circles, lying in wait for prey. When they sight an enemy, they will let out a screech, pause in a battle stance, and pursue their enemy.[1] Other than this, they have no special behavior, and tend to have a drone-like personality, very similar to their industrious relative, the grunt. They typically screech or growl to communicate.[1]

Habitat[]

Per the name "manic head", these are typically found in tropical/forest environments, naturally at home in Mountain Temple and the pumping station. They typically like to thrive in grassy terrain, though can adapt to many environment types. They were even found for a short while in the volcanic, rocky environment of the dig site.

Combat[]

Scatter Gun gameplay from Jak II

Jak firing the Scatter Gun at a group of manic heads.

The manic head has two melee attacks; the more common being a lunging attack where it reaches its two front arms up and "slashes" with its claws, creating a small lunging motion. It can also simply bite its target. Evasion is rather simple. Any maneuver will suffice. They are easily defeated without the use of a Morph Gun mod, however, if at long range, the Blaster is suggested. For multiple enemies Scatter Gun is recommended for its large range-of-fire.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Naughty Dog. Jak II. (Sony Computer Entertainment). PlayStation 2 (2004). PlayStation 3 (2012). PlayStation Vita (2013).
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