J.J. & Jeff Review - Screenshot 1 of 2

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.

J.J. & Jeff Review - Screenshot 2 of 2

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.

Conclusion

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 Beavis and Butthead a laugh-riot then you'll probably mess your pants chuckling away with this, but everyone else should give it a miss.