Thank you to FleeFleet for introducing me to this game!
Damn, I love this game. Um Jammer Lammy pretty much fixes my major issue with Parappa the Rapper, while still being a great game in it's own right. I finished this one in about two days, and I genuinely had a good time for most of the run time. Here's my notes:
This game is completely bonkers. Alot of people have told me that this game's plot is like a trippy fever dream which I assumed was an exaggeration, but nope, this game is NUTS. I'm watching these ludicrous cutscenes wondering what the hell I'm even viewing and I love it. Somehow all the events in this game take place in like 15 minutes which makes zero sense but I think that's the point. Don't ask questions and just enjoy the madness being shown before you.
Also, I really like Lammy as a character herself. She has major social anxiety AND is left handed (just like me fr!), and is generally just a charming protagonist especially for the time. I think I slightly prefer her over Parappa, but both are undeniably great.
Going back to the presentation, this game absolutely digs into that trippy aesthetic, especially with stages 3 and 6. The series art style really feels correct for this game's insanity. The music is also pretty good too! I think I overall prefer Parappa 1's iconic track selection, but there are some BOPPIN tracks here 100%. I like that stage 1 is a spin on Master Onion's rap from the first game, and how it actually predicts all the events that will happen in the game, for example. I didn't find the lyrics as memorable this time, but I'm pretty sure it's because I'm playing a guitar rather than repeating what my "teacher" sings first. Regardless, the lyrics are still as cheesy as ever.
GUYS THE GAMEPLAY IS GOOD HERE. After Parappa 1's ball crushingly strict note timing, Lammy is MUCH more lenient on the input window here, making the game feel more balanced then last time. Believe me, I still struggled, especially on stages 4 and 6, but most of the time I felt my failures were my fault. Another change is that now you can earn cool mode without having to beat the game first. I actually pulled this off in the entire latter half of stage 7 and it was the greatest feeling in the world, I was so happy. It was such a fantastic way to wrap up this journey. This game ALSO has plenty of extra content, with a mode to face off of Lammy's doppelganger Rammy, as well as an ENTIRE campaign to play through stages 2-7 as Parappa himself, with new lyrics and note charting making it a fresh experience.
In short, I adore this game. It's definitely very hard for me still, so I won't revisit it very often presumably, but I'm glad I pulled through this charming PlayStation classic. I definitely recommend playing this one if you liked Parappa 1, or if you couldnt get behind Parappa 1's difficulty and want something more fair on the player. Now I sure hope that I actually wrote this review and that it wasnt just all in my mind.
Damn, I love this game. Um Jammer Lammy pretty much fixes my major issue with Parappa the Rapper, while still being a great game in it's own right. I finished this one in about two days, and I genuinely had a good time for most of the run time. Here's my notes:
This game is completely bonkers. Alot of people have told me that this game's plot is like a trippy fever dream which I assumed was an exaggeration, but nope, this game is NUTS. I'm watching these ludicrous cutscenes wondering what the hell I'm even viewing and I love it. Somehow all the events in this game take place in like 15 minutes which makes zero sense but I think that's the point. Don't ask questions and just enjoy the madness being shown before you.
Also, I really like Lammy as a character herself. She has major social anxiety AND is left handed (just like me fr!), and is generally just a charming protagonist especially for the time. I think I slightly prefer her over Parappa, but both are undeniably great.
Going back to the presentation, this game absolutely digs into that trippy aesthetic, especially with stages 3 and 6. The series art style really feels correct for this game's insanity. The music is also pretty good too! I think I overall prefer Parappa 1's iconic track selection, but there are some BOPPIN tracks here 100%. I like that stage 1 is a spin on Master Onion's rap from the first game, and how it actually predicts all the events that will happen in the game, for example. I didn't find the lyrics as memorable this time, but I'm pretty sure it's because I'm playing a guitar rather than repeating what my "teacher" sings first. Regardless, the lyrics are still as cheesy as ever.
GUYS THE GAMEPLAY IS GOOD HERE. After Parappa 1's ball crushingly strict note timing, Lammy is MUCH more lenient on the input window here, making the game feel more balanced then last time. Believe me, I still struggled, especially on stages 4 and 6, but most of the time I felt my failures were my fault. Another change is that now you can earn cool mode without having to beat the game first. I actually pulled this off in the entire latter half of stage 7 and it was the greatest feeling in the world, I was so happy. It was such a fantastic way to wrap up this journey. This game ALSO has plenty of extra content, with a mode to face off of Lammy's doppelganger Rammy, as well as an ENTIRE campaign to play through stages 2-7 as Parappa himself, with new lyrics and note charting making it a fresh experience.
In short, I adore this game. It's definitely very hard for me still, so I won't revisit it very often presumably, but I'm glad I pulled through this charming PlayStation classic. I definitely recommend playing this one if you liked Parappa 1, or if you couldnt get behind Parappa 1's difficulty and want something more fair on the player. Now I sure hope that I actually wrote this review and that it wasnt just all in my mind.
Josh_The_Fourth
1 year ago