One of the best aspects of the 80s was its unapologetic sense of machismo, action, and adrenalin. Well, at least when it came to the decade’s action films. You got Terminator, Total Recall, Die Hard, Rambo, Lethal Weapon, Predator: the list could go on. These kinds of films would have made great games that could have been enjoyed by both moviegoers and gamers alike. But unfortunately, movie based games are terrible for the most part and sadly all of these movies suffered the fate of being butchered into horrendous excuses for games simply made to get a quick buck. But every now and then, you get a game that fills in the void made by all of the garbage titles. Jackal is one of them. Just look at that cover: a soldier eagerly shooting his machine gun ontop a jeep while his driver cheers him on as a helicopter flies past by. It doesn’t get any more 80s than that. This game, along with Contra, was Konami’s love letter to all of those great action flicks that the decade was responsible for. But is it as fun as when it came out? Or is it an outdated piece of pop culture? Let’s find out.  


Graphics - 8

            Surprisingly, the graphics for Jackal are pretty good. But then again this is Konami we’re talking about. This game came out at a time when the company was making critically acclaimed games nonstop such as Castlevania and Contra and it shows. The game has pretty good visuals for the time. And considering how it’s a 2-D shooter, that’s a bonus. A lot of the NES shooters like Tiger Heli and 1942 are alright games but they lack any pastiche and come off as dull and drab. While Jackal isn’t exactly a visual masterpiece it still shows a decent amount of effort to look pleasing to the eye. The character sprites all look good and the background is pretty well done. And keep in mind that like Contra, Jackal is also an arcade port. And let’s face it, arcade ports are terrible for the most part. Jackal is one of the few exceptions where the NES counterpart looks visually enjoyable. Konami made great use of the limited resources they had at this time. While this isn’t the best looking shooter for the NES, Jackal shows a decent amount of effort in its visuals which is why it gets an 8 for the graphics.


Sound - 7

            Along with having decent graphics, Jackal also has good music. Its tracks range from short and cheerful, to adrenalin pumping. With that said the music can become a little dull and tiring after a while. It’s not that the music is bad by any means: it’s just that this kind of music is common when it comes to these 2-d shooters. It makes Jackal hard to stand out from all of the other shooters that the NES offers. With the exception of Castlevania, Konami hasn’t been well known for their music in their games and it’s not hard to see why. Lack of original music aside, the sound effects save the game from going a little mediocre. The sound effects can be summarized in one simple sentence; it sounds fun when you shoot and kill. The sounds are the saving grace in this department; they’re just so satisfying. Everything from shooting your gun to watching tanks and soldiers explode sounds awesome in the warped 8 bit kind of way. And it’s not just Jackal that did this; Konami also used realistic sounds to great effect when they did Contra. While the music may be lacking, it’s the sound effects that save it from going mediocre which is why it gets a 7.


Addictiveness - 7  

            For the most part, these old 2-D shooters tend to get boring after a while. Many of the older NES shooters leave you shooting a blank background half of the time. This game manages to stay addictive for one reason: there’s always something to shoot. The game has the same philosophy as Contra where the gameplay involves you gunning down dozens, if not hundreds of enemy soldiers and obstacles. Because of this, the game keeps you on your toes, punishing you if you decide to get careless. There’s a rare instance when the game decides to get calm but for the most part, you’re left by yourself against hundreds of enemies and obstacles. Because of this, the game is pretty enjoyable and shows how capable Konami is when making something as simple as a 2-D shooter. But the biggest reason why this game is enjoyable is the fact that the screen doesn’t scroll. You read that right: you move at your own pace. This deviates it from all the other shooters in the NES library as it gives you more freedom to move around the stages. But at the same reason, it gives you less of an excuse to get yourself killed by enemy fire. The only problem is that it can get boring after playing for a while because of how you’ll repeatedly come across the same enemies. But for what it is, this issue doesn’t really hurt the game’s overall enjoyability which is why it gets a 7 for its addictiveness.


Story - 8  

            I’m not gonna lie, Konami isn’t exactly the most original when it comes to the stories they come up with for their games. Why do I bring this up? Because Jackal uses what is essentially the same plot as Contra and Rush n’ Attack: it’s up to the likes of one brave soldier and his ally to save the world from an evil terrorist organization that wants nothing but complete domination regardless of how they get it. So now you’re asking why the rating is so high. Simple: it’s so refreshing to see a story like this nowadays. Let me explain. A story like this would be made all serious and gritty about how Democracy is good and how Communism is the scum of the Earth. Nowadays games like Call of Duty and Battlefield have stories that feel more like propaganda than they do actual stories. With Jackal’s story, it’s done right; it doesn’t take itself as this serious dramatic borefest that so many new games do. It also helps that the story is short and simple; save your fellow soldiers and the world from the forces of evil. Why is it that modern games and even movies somehow make this cool idea about as exciting as reading the phone book? Jackal gives you a plot that doesn’t care about every single little detail. No mention of any country or type of government trying to take away the freedom of Democracy. None of that garbage. The story itself is like the action movies I mentioned; an entertaining premise that doesn’t take itself seriously, allowing its viewer to actually care about the story. Because of this, Jackal gets an 8 for the story.


Depth - 7

            When it comes to these old 2-D shooters, they tend to lack any sense of depth. It’s as basic as it gets: You shoot down enemy aircraft and obstacles to win. Jackal unfortunately suffers from this. The main issue is that aside from your gun and grenades and rockets, you have nothing else to use when killing the enemy. One of the most enjoyable aspects of any shooter, whether it be run and gun, first person, or 2-D, is the amount of weapons you come across throughout the levels and stages. Because of this, it can get really boring after the first few stages with the same 3 weapons. But with that said I do like how your Jeep is also a weapon. That’s right: you can run over enemy soldiers with it. Well played Konami, well played. However, the game also doesn’t really have a variety of enemies. You have your standard foot soldier with his gun, your enemy tanks, your bosses, boats, and helicopters. With that said, it’s understandable how there’s only so many kinds of enemies when your game has a military feel to it. So I can’t give the game that much fault. The game does have a sense of depth but it leaves more to be desired which is why it gets a 7.


Difficulty - 8  

            Along with Konami’s other NES titles, Jackal is a rather difficult game. Just like many games from the shooter genre, the game is far from boring. While the first two stages aren’t that engaging or difficult, the game gets harder and harder with more enemies and obstacles. As you get to the later stages it begins to feel more and more like Contra; you find yourself facing dozens of enemies all while avoiding showers of bullets and rockets. And as usual, one hit and you’re dead. Because of this, the game requires you to get good and fast. But what makes the game difficult is how your Jeep works. You see, you have two ways of killing enemies: 1) Your machine gun and 2) Your grenades. Sounds straightforward right? Wrong. The first issue is that regardless of what position your jeep is in, your machine gun can only shoot up ahead. I’ve tried countless times and never has the machine gun shot anywhere below. This leaves you vulnerable to enemy fire from below. But then you have your grenades. You can upgrade them into rockets if you gain enough points from finding enough prisoners and getting the upgrades. With the grenades, you can shoot anywhere you want. Sounds like the only weapon you'd use right? Well it comes with a catch. The grenades have a delay unlike the machine gun which can fire infinitely. This can be frustrating at times; either you ignore the enemies at the bottom of the screen and risk getting shot at, or you use the grenades and dodge enemy fire so that you can reload your ammo. Because of this, the game gets a difficulty of 8 because of how it gets you to multitask about your weapons.


Overall: 7.5/10 - AVERAGE  

            When it comes to many of Konami’s NES games, Jackal is one of their more overlooked. With that said, it’s not hard to see why. While it might not be as engaging as Contra or Castlevania, it’s still a rather fun shooter. To me, this is how a lot of the action movie based games should have been like. Rambo, Terminator, Mad Max and countless other titles would have benefited from being a run and gun shooter like Contra or a simple 2-D shooter like Jackal. But today, those games are forgotten and for a good reason; the companies that made them cared more about their wallets than they did creating an enjoyable game. My final score is a 7.5/10. While it’s far from the best 2-D shooter for the NES, it’s still a rather enjoyable game that gives you a good run for your money. Not to mention, there’s no excuse not to get this game on the NES. It remains one of the cheapest games for the system; people sell copies of this game for less than $10. I recommend this game to anyone who’s fond of the 2-D shooter genre. And for those who really liked Contra, it wouldn’t hurt to try this game. Overall, this game is one of the best to get if you’re just starting out with NES collecting: it’s affordable and it’s enjoyable. What more do you need?