Nostalgia takes shape as true platforming lunacy which manages to raise a smile every time.
As a child I loved this series, and with it's inclusion on the Wii's Virtual Console, I have [finally] had the opportunity to re-visit the world of Jim I so fondly remember.
800 points, thank you nintendo!
The game loads, an i'm treated to a small sprite of Jim flexing in his "Ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit", before his trousers fall down, revealing some love heart patterned boxer shorts. A smile emerges on my face as my inner-child come out to play.
The game is exactly how I remember it, extremely fun to play, if a little on the challenging side at times. Jim's weapons include his trusty gun and his own earthworm form, which he can pull out of the "Ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit" to be used as a traditional whip, as both an attack, and a means to cross perilous gaps and ravines.
It's definately the humour that adds all the charm to this game, within the first 20 seconds of opening level 'New Junk City' you'll have dropped a fridge on a dangerously placed log, consequently sending a cow miles into the atmosphere, before a message appears on the screen, reading:
'Cow Launched'
Hilarious.
The characters too, are works of genius:
Professor Monkey For A Head
Bob the Goldfish
Princess-What's-Her-Name
The Evil Queen Pulsating, Bloated, Festering, Sweaty, Pus-filled, Malformed, Slug For A Butt... (charming)
and perhaps most ingenius
Psy-Crow.
So yes, the comedy is purile, but also witty.
In between each level, you'll be treated to a space race against Psy-Crow, riding Jim's trusty Pocket-Rocket (Smut, I know), if you fail to win the race you will be forced to fight Psy-Crow. These races help to break up the game, and make a nice change of pace from the standard levels.
There are a couple of problems with the game, most of which are due to irritating sections of levels, mostly in the way of pretty nasty difficulty spikes, but these can be overlooked, as a result of the game's overall quality.
For a download of 800 Wii Points, this game is definately worthy of your consideration, particularly if like me, you have fond memories but no longer own your original copy.