"Jeep Jamboree: Off Road Adventure" Review (Posted on 11-18-2018)
No matter what kind of video gamer you are, we all have played at least one racing game. It's hard to imagine knowing someone who has never played Super Mario Kart or at least played the Daytona series. Along comes a game for the Game Boy that isn't just a racing game, but a racing game driving a Jeep! Growing up, my parents suggested that a Jeep Cherokee would be the best first car for me to drive. I never got to, but racing with a Jeep? I don't know about that.
The introductory music of the game sounds like something from an Atari game or, heck, even a Sega Genesis game. Anyway, you enter in your player name as normal, then you move on to the next screen which features the Game Set-Up. The options are as follows:
Difficulty level..[Novice / Intermediate / Pro]
Speed....[km/h / mph]
Steering...[Left / Right]
Track map...[On / Off]
Chevrons...[On / Off]
Position Flash..[On / Off]
You'll find that a two-player option is possible via Game Link (what are the odds of two players having/owning this game?). Then you have the choice whether you want this race as "Practice" or to play the official racing season with either a Short, an Intermediate or a Championship race. For Practice Season, the race options are as follows: Arch Canyon, Maine Mountains, Hole in the Track, Lost Coast and Cajun Jamboree. Whichever you choose, you get more information about the race track and the conditions from the track itself to the weather.
Time to race! Starting at the 20th position, your goal is to finish the race in 1st place position, or at least in the 10th position to advance to the next race. Playing this game prior to review, it's harder than it seems. The controls are a bit weird—press the directional pad too hard and the jeep makes a sharp turn, but pressing the pad gently doesn't nudge the jeep slightly. The jeep reacts when it can but isn't as responsive as it should be, as sometimes pressing the D-pad gently could make the jeep veer past the track! While you can get used to it, there's no question it will become a frustrating experience. Sure, it depends on the race track being played but that's a tough excuse to accept when the controls are this wonky. There's no music playing during the race which should make you focus on claiming your goal a little better, despite some players wanting music as an option. The sound effects are what it is but is so-so at best. The graphics are fine, however the motion of the game seem like it's a slideshow than actual video-like movement.
Here's a table of the race tracks of the Short season under Practice:
Arch Canyon
Maine Mountains
Hole in the Rock
Lost Coast
Cajun Jamboree
Location: San Juan County, UTAH
Practice 5 Laps of 1.395 Km
Dry desert roads
Fast track with
some hills
and no hazards
Location: Bethel, MAINE
Practice 5 Laps of 1.147 Km
Good dry roads
with fast corners
few hills
with no hazards
Location: Blanding, UTAH
Practice 5 Laps of 1.400 Km
Dry Desert roads
with 3 sharp corners
few hills
and no hazards
Location: CALIFORNIA
Eureka & Fort Bragg
Practice 5 Laps of 1.457 Km
Good dry roads
with rocks in road
in one part of track
gentle rolling hills
Location: LOUISIANA
St. Francisville
5 Laps of 1.023 Km
Good roads
bumpy track, sharp
bends but no hazards
rolling hills
Here's Intermediate:
Adirondack Trails
Palo Duro Canyon
Mohawk Trail
Pine Ridge
Location: NEW YORK
Lewis County
5 Laps of 1.488 Km
Dry desert roads
sharp bends with
rocks in the road
1 very steep hill
Location: Amarillo
TEXAS
6 Laps of 1.188 Km
Dry desert roads
sharp bends and
rocks in the road
no big hills
Location: Charlemont
MASSACHUSETTS
7 Laps of 1.079 Km
Wet roads with 2
very sharp bends
but no hazards
almost flat track
Location: CALIFORNIA
Shaver Lake
6 Laps of 1.160 Km
Good dry roads
sharp bends, bumpy
track, gentle hill
lanes closed
Then I failed to qualify for the final race. Continuing on, I decided to give the Championship race a try and have only raced in this:
French Lick
Location: INDIANA
French Lick
4 Laps of 1.274 Km
Dry roads with 2
very sharp bends
gentle rolling hills
but no hazards
That Championship race was very tough, and only having four laps to get to at least the 10th position really posed a challenge.
The Short races were easy, thus showing my completed finish here. Other than that, it gets challenging in the upper races and that's about it.
I'm quite underwhelmed at the game overall, despite the flaws and the racing challenges given. The controls never did it for me, as controls are crucial for intense games like racing. The graphical motion also weren't done as well as I would like, but this is for the Game Boy so only so much could've been done.
It's an okay game, but not one you'll remember as the years go by. I'd recommend another racing title or stick with the racing games for the consoles that require connection to a TV.
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