Story: Lammy is a shy lamb with little self-esteem who's a guitarist
in the band Milkcan. On the day of her debut concert, she gets up late
and only has 15 minutes to make it in time. On the way, she puts out a
fire, puts babies to sleep, pilots an aeroplane, saws a guitar right from
a tree and goes to hell, literally.
Review:
Those who've played Parappa the Rapper will no doubt compare the sequel and the original. I have never played the original Parappa because I did not have a PSX when it was first released (Oh Deej, I think I saw that demo copy in your house...), thus, this review is based on a first-time experience.
I've heard about Parappa, mind you, and I know it's about rapping rhythmically. In Um Jammer Lammy you don't rap, but you play the guitar. For those who're somewhat rhythmically off, there's a little bar on top that shows you which buttons to press when a little icon passes through the buttons. Unfortunately, when you do this, you're not really going to pay attention to anything else BUT the little bar on top.
Yours truly is guilty of this.
I never paid attention to the graphics when I was playing. I may be slightly rhythmically inclined <cough>, but unless you really know how to do it right, you'll be neglecting the graphics forever. However, the cut scenes were really cute. I liked them in all their paper-thinness. It's definitely something unique in a sea of 3D polygons.
A note for those first-timers: If you are not playing with a manual and you're playing for the first time, keep in mind that R and L are the R1 and L1 buttons. I didn't realize this until the 3rd time I couldn't get past the 1st level. The Select button is for choosing stuff which can enhance your playing (It works wonders for your rating in the 4th level or so). After finishing the game, you get to play as Parappa.
Play it with the analog pad. It's really cool. Of course, this is just an opinion, so you don't really have to follow it.
Can't really say anything else about it. If you liked Parappa, you're going to compare it an awful lot. So approach this game with an open mind. And enjoy it.
Verdict: A-
+ It's fun.
+ You don't see games of this kind.
+ You've *got* to play something new after all those 3D games!
- There's the eye-hand coordination...