JJ + Jeff
Reviewed by Michael LoCascio
J. J. and Jeff was a very poor attempt at making a
Mario-style, run-and-jump platform game for the
Turbografx-16. This title was actually met with a great deal
of praise by video game critics upon its initial release
(who knows why.. some of those guys probably liked Deadly
Towers too, but what do they know). I was one player who
wasn't at all pleased with it, and I found its many attempts
at humor to be lame and pathetic more often than not.
J. J. and Jeff are a couple of bumbling detectives who are
hired to solve a kidnapping case. You can play as either one
of them (there is no two player mode). The poor sap who you
don't choose will show up many times during your quest,
either to help you out or just to annoy you. The action
proceeds from left to right; you run, you jump on moving
platforms, you kick a few enemies out of your way.. and
that's pretty much it. There are some secrets to be found
(usually just by kicking every inch of the screen until
something pops up), but the game is basically too repetitive
to keep playing it for very long.
One of the more annoying elements of J. J. and Jeff is the
fact that you have a vitality meter which goes down as time
goes by. You can go on for stages without getting hit, but
if you don't collect enough health-reviving items (food),
you'll die. I don't understand the logic behind this system
at all, and it becomes extremely frustrating in the later
levels where you can't afford to lose health points just
because a few seconds went by.
The game really tries its best to be funny, but it doesn't
succeed very often. In the Japanese version of the title,
one method of fighting off bad guys was to let out a big
fart at them. They replaced the farting in the U. S. version
with a spray can. Yes, a spray can... hilarious, huh?
Wait until you hear the 'voices' in this game. For
example, there is a short scene at the beginning of each
game where our two detectives answer the phone and learn
about the case. As they speak on the phone, their words
appear in a bubble above their heads. But while the screen
may say 'This is the J. J. and Jeff Detective Agency', all
that comes out of their mouths is 'Bock bock bock. Bock
bock. ' Yes, I realize that this is another attempt at
humor, but seriously, it just comes off as another lame
aspect of the game.
If you really enjoy the Super Mario style of games, maybe
you'll enjoy J. J. and Jeff. I personally found the game to
be completely void of any depth, and there isn't much reason
to play it again once you finish it. It's far more
repetitive and shallow than any Mario game, and even the
awe-inspiring voice acting can't save it. 'Bock bock bock!'
Overall: 3 out of 10
OR
Credit Cards - Free Ringtone - Wester Union - Credit Card - Loans 