The PC Engine (Japanese name for TurboGrafx-16) has always been a console to attract weird games. If you've ever played Toilet Kids and Photograph Boy then you will know what I mean.
This particular game started out life as Kato Chan & Ken Chan in Japan, aside from the characters being changed to Americans the only other real difference is JJ and Jeff can spray baddies with a aerosol can while facing them rather than turning around and farting on them! This is a great shame as the flatulence attack was quite inspired! Spoil sports!
For those of you keen to know the plot, JJ and Jeff are detectives on a case to find a missing millionaire. You can pick between the two characters but there isn't really any different between them in terms of how they play. The character attacks are ridiculously weak with the aforementioned spray move, bouncing on heads Mario style and a weedy kick being your own way to defend yourself against poo dropping birds, frogs and creepy crawlies who often move in quite random patterns.
Whilst this game might have been forgiven at the time of release for its clunky gameplay and tired level design these days it is really showing its age. It plays much like Sega's Wonderboy (the first one) or the Adventure Island games but without the precise control and fluency that those games have. It is really annoying how the player skids and keeps moving when you just want to stop! Some of the jumps featured in this game are very difficult to pull off, and as a game mechanic this is not much fun.
JJ and Jeff is worth playing purely just to see the silly ideas the developers came up with. A man having a wee in the street and weirdos hiding in the trees is something you normally don't find in videogames (more like Hampstead Heath late at night). Unfortunately the sum of the parts do not add up to a good game here.
If you found Bevis and Butthead a laugh-riot then you'll probably mess your pants chuckling away with this, but everyone else should give it a miss.
1. Bass X0
27 May 2007, 11:10 GMT
Looks like its one crazy game but underneath the craziness it looks to be just an average platformer.
2. LiquidStorm
28 May 2007, 07:52 GMT
Are you kidding me?!?! NOOOO!!!! This game sucks....why on earth would they even THINK about releasing this??? What a waste....
3. Taint Smack
28 May 2007, 21:10 GMT
Lol, this game looks pretty sweet. Too bad it sucks.
4. michinmuri
29 May 2007, 00:47 GMT
I hate this game more than any other game. If you waste money buying it, it's either because you are morbidly curious or just plain hard-up. Should have been rated one star or less. You've been warned.
5. Cowmansr
30 May 2007, 16:42 GMT
It seems too bad that companies aren't trying to at least release quality games the second time around. Releasing garbage once is one thing, but twice...
6. Dudeduh101
01 Jun 2007, 03:58 GMT
Dude, this game rocks! Yea, its totally copying mario and wht not but i still find it quite enjoyable.
7. Bass X0
25 Jun 2007, 12:41 GMT
Well, I'd say that if all the good games ever made were released in the first four months, then the virtual console would be pretty unprofitable and nobody would be interested in it anymore. sure we would get all our games we want at the cost of a short lifespan. its plain to see that known good releases are being staggered to allow obscure titles shine a little bit more. known bad games are probably only released simply because they have to be. its more profitable for nintendo to get a few downloads from a bad game than to not release the bad game. whereas super mario rpg will be a hit whenever its released.
8. Aray!
21 Aug 2007, 21:13 GMT
Among the comments are a lot that say this is a simple and repetitive "average platformer." I'd agree that this is simple, but I've never played a more difficult game in my gaming career. Wacky antics do play a part in the game, but laughing at them and continuing on is a part of gaming nowadays anyways.
This may have not been the best of choices for the VC, but if you're looking for nostalgia, or just looking for a fun platformer that you will probably pick up again and again, I think this is a fair choice, especially for $6.
9. GFrag
29 Aug 2007, 10:24 GMT
Buh. That's the last time I download a game without any prior knowledge on it. Ohwell, I might just try and give it a run-through to see the crazy stuff in there.
10. KJ
30 Aug 2007, 02:39 GMT
This isn't so much a bad game in itself, but the physics are rather ridiculous. For those who have downloaded or are curious about playing it, I have two tips:
1) Green springs send you back to a previous level. I suppose this is to let you collect a key that you missed, though I've not gotten far enough yet to know the purpose of said key (PS: it's in a trash can in 1-3).
2) When you see the Game Over screen -- and you will see it very often -- hold 1 and 2 and press + to continue. Otherwise you'll start right back at level 1-1.
Anyway, it's a mildly amusing take on the Adventure Island/Wonderboy formula. It's worth playing for at least a little while, but there are much better uses for 600 Wii points.
11. zq
21 Sep 2007, 22:15 GMT
Green springs warp you anywhere. In 1-4 there's a hidden one that takes you to warps to 2-1, 3-1, or 4-1. And if I recall correctly, you can hop from 3-4 to 6-4, use the 6-4 to 6-3 spring to collect the key, and finish the game.
Keys are required to fight the bosses.
12. Dood77
29 Jan 2008, 05:30 GMT
The first game I played on the turbografx. I never played it again... until the virtual console.
13. DEMON212
02 Feb 2008, 19:42 GMT
This looks terrible. What a 100th game. Hope the 200th is better.
Then again, we're at 186 now I belive, so I won't have to worry about a 200th for quite a few months. Infact, 09 seems about right.
14. slangman
03 Apr 2008, 11:37 GMT
LOL sounds like a crazy game judging from the review. Such a shame the gameplay sounds a bit rubbish though.
15. TRON
27 Apr 2008, 06:59 GMT
If there was a Japanese counterpart to Beavis and Butthead, this is it. I remember wanting to like this game so much, but it's almost unplayable.
Making farting sounds with your armpit is more fun than this game.
16. Eltigro
11 May 2008, 23:19 GMT
I remember showing this game to my parents as a reason why I wanted to get a TurboGrafx-16. Believe it or not, as a child, my family nickname was J.J. and my best friend is named Jeff (known him since Kindergarten). So the fact that someone made a game named J.J. and Jeff was an amazing coincidence. Too bad the game isn't that fun. I bought it from Ebay a few years ago and haven't really played it much. Jeff came over after I got it and he played it for a few minutes. I just didn't find it to be that much fun. (I also started/created the J.J. and Jeff entry on Wikipedia.)
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