J.J. and Jeff and Don't Bother
PlatformOVERALL
TurboGrafx-162.00
Overall 2.00
When I popped it this game I was expecting it to be a goofy version of Double Dragon or Final Fight – mindless two player beat ‘em up side-scrolling – the kind of fun that anyone could enjoy for 20-40 minutes with a friend.

What J.J and Jeff is, is a generic one-player 2-D side scroller that plays like a cheaply made licensed knock-off off without the actual licensed characters. Or at least I hope that these are not licensed characters because if they were there is some god-awful TV show or theme park with two of the most anemic private investigators as their bread and butter.

Yes, J.J. and Jeff are private investigators set out on an east-bound scrolling mission to… I think save someone who is kidnapped. These are men, armed with what all detectives would not leave home without – an aerosol can of paint and their legs. These men with the over-sized heads are apparently capable of foiling kidnappers, but in order to do so must escape such deadly foes as large boulders, bees, birds with diarrhea and holes in the ground. If you’ve played Bart Simpson’s Escape From Camp Deadly or Toy Story II for the GameBoy you will be familiar with this dangerous array of enemies.

There is no need for this game to exist, let alone a reason for you to own or play it.

(This is a game for the TG16)
Posted by aspro Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:46:17
 
Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:21:22
J.J. and Jeff is based off of two Japanese characters: Ken and Kato. In the Japanese version of the game, the spray-paint is actually them squatting and farting at their foes.

I knew what I was getting into, one summer sooo many years ago when I rode my bicycle to a nearby Child's World to pick up this game. I knew it was a platformer. It was the time when platformers were KING.

The graphics were extremely solid for a game from that era. It was humorous; there were tons of secret doors, platforms and areas where you could jump to get coins, fruit, etc... You needed ALL the help you could get, as the game was pretty hardcore!

Look at this game versus other contemporaries at the time and you might understand its appeal. The sprites were HUGE! ...and frankly, could you imagine a Mario Bros. game where you play as Mario and witness Luigi peeing in a bush in the background?!

Yeah. J.J. and Jeff was all that! I'm not really trying to defend it; just realize people love different games for a whole host of different reasons! Nothing but good memories from this one!
 
Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:22:07
I just watched a gameplay video a few weeks ago regarding that Ken & Kato Chan game; bathroom humor galore!
 
Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:01:00
In honor of your efforts Leo I will give JJ & Jeff a re-trial. This review was written a few years ago.
 
Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:13:15
You don't really HAVE TO, if you felt this strongly about it originally. Taken out of its time and place, it may be pretty much impossible now to understand its appeal. It's pure platforming, it has somewhat slippery controls... Now it may be too tough and the lack of a modern-style rewards system for playing it may make it hard to keep you motivated. It was unique back then; now you've had decades of side-scrollers come after it, diluting the original freshness of it. It's a part of my childhood, so I see it through rose-tinted glasses. The combination of the potty-humor and reminiscing about what was going on in my life when I originally played the game, brings a big smile to my face, despite the dated play. Anyone else wouldn't have all of those good memories to fall back on. Take it for what it is (think Hudson's Adventure Island with poo!) and maybe you'll get a glimmer of what I saw in it.
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