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Saving the world gets old, man. There are only so many gigantic tutu-wearing space bananas
one can stand before just going berserk, throwing the country A-K rack out on the street, and
going to work at a *** Megastore and never looking back. Eventually, peace must reign,
else those who fought for it were just wasting their time. But even in times of peace, trouble
lurks in the most benign of places. Like a little kid who�s lost and needs an escort
home. So we turn to Robbit, twice-hero of the Jumping Flash series, who�s now just
picking up odd jobs in the service of the Universal City Hall. He�s here to... well,
to do pretty much anything that needs doing, as that Baron Aloha jerk�s taken a powder
and he�d be kinda bored otherwise. Behold, Robbit Mon... Jya? I realize that French and
Japanese don�t scan very well against each other, and that I�ve been called out for
my own pronunciation issues, but come on.
We return to the high-flying, 3D platforming gameplay that typifies the Jumping Flash series,
but with an entirely new modus operandi: more specialized, mission-based challenges as opposed
to the standardized �Collect four things and split� goal of the previous two games.
You might be busting ghosts, or delivering a time-sensitive package, or scouting locations
for a hot spring. It serves to mix up the action a bit, which I�m on board with...
but at the cost of the kind of intensity that really made the original sing. It�s largely
up to you to determine whether you prefer this more laid-back style of gameplay, but
I personally feel it�s ever-so-slightly off the mark. Not at all �Bad,� mind you,
just a little too far removed from the groundbreaking jump-and-gun crazyness of the previous two
games in the series. Sure, there�s still jumping, and there�s still gunning, but
it all comes in much smaller doses, all the better to reuse one particular area over and
over again for different missions. (In other words, the Super Mario 64 effect.)
But in an attempt to make up for it, you�ve got some brand-new challenges that aren�t
at all about helping people... they�re about putting your robbit-piloting skills to the
test and, frankly, showing off. Now this, I can get behind. Bouncing around in a high-risk
environment, racing a clock... wait a sec, I�ve been here before. It�s PILOTWINGS!
They�ve tried to turn Jumping Flash into the PlayStation�s answer to Pilotwings!
Tumbling through rings during a freefall, bouncing from platform to platform... supported
by a pretty awesome soundtrack... in a blind taste-test... well, you wouldn�t be able
to tell, because these are video games and you can�t really play them blindfolded.
But it�s just the kind of goofy, arcade-ish 3D piloting that kept me glued to my N64 back
in the day, just... on a PlayStation.
But, unfortunately, the Jumping Flash series didn�t catch on here in the states as it
might�ve, so this version was on thin ice from the jump. Add to that an extensive vocal
performance, which would�ve required a heck of a lot of redubbing and a hardcore translation
effort, and... well, you could see why Sony didn�t bother. For those brave souls considering
importing this one, I�d say don�t hold back, especially if you�re a fan of the
first two Jumping Flash titles. The gameplay is pretty straightforward, even if - like
me - you were too busy trying to get a new battery in your PocketStation and missed some
of the exposition. So if you�ve seriously got a thing for robotic rabbit peacekeeping
escort ghostbusting... um... things... man, that�s a lot of hats. Look into Robbit Mon...
Jya. And groan at the pronunciation on your own time. I�m sure Felicity in Worcestershire
certainly did, as she�s so much closer to France than us here on the Intergalactic Underwater
City Arcade Hall. Of science.