Whether people like it or not, LJN will go down in history as one of the slimiest and worst video game companies of them all. Who can forget their stunning masterpieces such as Friday the 13th or Karate Kid? One reason why LJN is hated by so many people is because of how they take critically acclaimed movies like Back to the Future and JAWS, and butcher the franchise to the point where it barely resembles the movies they’re based on. Regardless of what movie they got the rights to license, it was always the same result; a broken down mess of a game. Common complaints for games made by LJN include broken controls, bad graphics, and an overall poor job. JAWS for the NES is no exception. This may be the most boring NES game I have ever played and that’s quite an accomplishment considering this is the same system that brought us fun games like Contra and Ninja Gaiden. Let’s dive in and see what the fuss is all about.


Graphics - 6


While the graphics aren’t horrible, they aren’t great either. These graphics are okay for NES standards but there are so many better looking games. And it’s not like you can use the excuse on how this was an early NES game; this game came out in 1987, the same year as did Castlevania and Ikari Warriors, so there’s no excuse. The overall map looks alright but at this point, you’ve seen better looking maps from other games such as Metroid and Legend of Zelda. The underwater section of the game looks dull and uninteresting. There’s also a small amount of enemies when you get in the water; there’s stingrays, jellyfish, baby sharks, and Jaws: THAT’S it. And before you ask, let me answer that question. Yes. Jaws is the only boss in the entire game. Altogether the graphics are mediocre at best. The game shows no effort trying to capitalize on the NES’ graphics and is an overall a poor job. My score for the game’s graphics is a 6/10.


Sound - 5


The sound is also mediocre at best. There’s only 5 songs in the entire game: the title screen, the overhead theme, the underwater theme, the final battle with Jaws, and the end credits. Along with having a limited amount of music, each theme is forgettable and boring. It’s sad because we’ve seen the NES do so much better in the music department. Even Silver Surfer partially redeemed itself with having an upbeat and killer soundtrack. But not this game. As mentioned earlier, each theme is blaze and boring offering second rate tunes. Never do you feel a sense of adventure when listening to these tracks One of the great aspects of Jaws was its suspenseful music but this game does the opposite and you’re left bored by the game’s graphics and forgettable soundtrack. Overall, I give this game a stale 5/10 for it’s music.


Story - 5


As mentioned earlier on, this game is based off the movie JAWS, or is it? Throughout the game, you get no mention on Sheriff Martin Brody, Matt Hooper or Quint at all. Not to mention, the boat that you ride in looks nothing like Quint’s boat the Orca. From what I’ve gathered, this game isn’t based off of JAWS at all but at it’s 3rd and final sequel, JAWS: The Revenge. Before you ask, yes, there were 3 sequels after JAWS and yes, all of them blew shark guts. What’s that? You were expecting the story to be based off JAWS? Well gosh! I don’t know how you could think of a stupid idea like THAT! Seriously though, the title on the cartridge is simply JAWS. Who would think that this was actually based off of JAWS: The Revenge? No one would! That’s another 5/10 for LJN’s lack of consistency for this game’s story.


Addictiveness - 3


I’m not gonna lie, this is one of the most boring and uninteresting games I’ve played on the NES. That’s quite an accomplishment, even by LJN’s standards. 10 or 20 minutes in, I felt like shutting off my NES. The lack of addictiveness is due to a seriously big flaw: THERE IS NOTHING TO DO. Other than searching for Jaws, you have no objective. There is nothing that keeps you from shutting off your NES and finding another game to play. By the time you finally get to Jaws you don’t care about killing him; you’ll just be glad that the game is almost over. Unfortunately, Jaws is stronger than a tank; his life bar goes down very slowly. By the time he loses a bar , you go back to your ship and continue cruising. When you return to your boat Jaws’ life is fully restored. How can you increase your strength you may ask? Simple. You visit one of the two harbours in the game as they help increase your strength level. Both harbours are situated at the very end of the map far away from each other. And it’s not like you can visit the same harbour twice. You have to go to each harbour one at a time. This is the only thing that keeps the game going. My score for the game’s addictiveness is 3/10.


Depth - 3


The game has very little when it comes extra content. You can get starfish and crabs but those only act as points. In order to level up your strength at the harbours, you need to collect sea shells that you get when you dive underwater. Yes you read that right; the sea shells act as a currency for this game. How do you get sea shells? By killing as many stingrays, jellyfish, and baby sharks as you can. And it’s not like you choose when to go into the water; the game works like Pokemon where you’re thrown into a short battle until the game decides to bring you back to your boat. Once in a while you get this mini game where you’re in a plane throwing bombs at jellyfish. I have no comments. There’s also only one power up you can get in the entire game and it’s a remote controlled submarine that shoots harpoons. It acts as an extra hit you can take. One hit and the submarine is gone. The submarine is also smaller and more maneuverable than the diver. Something that’s always puzzled me is how the diver can fit in such a small submarine. Other than the submarine, there’s no power ups, no upgrades, and no alternatives to your harpoon. Altogether this game has a serious lack of depth which is why I give it a 3/10 for it’s depth.


Difficulty - 3


One feature that I forgot to mention about this game is that you die in only one hit. Normally, this would make the game incredibly difficult but JAWS remains one of the easiest games to beat on the NES. As long as you constantly shoot harpoons in your direction, nothing will go towards you. But every now and then you die simply for being too careless in your environment. When you die, your strength goes down a level. The game preys on your boredom; as long as you are cautious about your surroundings, you’ll be fine. There’s also a glitch that you can do when you fight Jaws. If you swim to the surface, Jaws can’t attach you, but you also can’t attack Jaws. Overall, the difficulty is stale and there’s no sense of challenge, even when you fight Jaws. The final score for the difficulty is a low 3/10.


Overall - 4.1 BELOW AVERAGE

I’m not gonna lie, this was one of the hardest games to sit through. Never did I feel any sense of excitement when playing it. JAWS for the NES is one of those games that you can find in the bargain bin for about $5. Do I recommend it? Absolutely not. JAWS is one of the many examples of how to NOT do a movie based game. It sits with Friday the 13th and Karate Kid as the worst game ever made by LJN. The game is a big disappointment overall. Who would’ve liked to play as the trio (Brody, Hooper, and Quint) as they searched for Jaws? The movie is one of the greatest films of all time and it got turned to a broken mess of a game. The game is plagued by the usual issues LJN games suffer: bad graphics accompanied by terrible music, no addictiveness whatsoever, no depth and no consideration to its source material whatsoever. Is it even a wonder why LJN went out of business? No. Overall, this is a title you want to avoid if you have an NES. It may be tempting but you’ll soon regret getting it. If you like water themed games get Startropics or Adventure Island. If you still feel tempted to play this game, go ahead. But at your own discretion.

Hun, I did not even know such a game existed. Anyway your just wrote a masterpiece my friend. Excellent structure, lots of details AND comparison with other games to show how terrible it was. I can not wait to read your next review!

janus : I've just finished an Action 52 review. Check it out when you have the time.

This review was very interesting to read. I've heard all kinds of bad stuff about LJN before and this review just proves how bad they are. You did an excellent job with adding many details as to why JAWS the video game is so bad. I'm definitely staying away from this game.

I didn't even know this game existed. I will check it out sometime when I get a chance now that I know about it xP. Great review. You were very detailed and had nice structure. Keep up the good work