Cheap at Chuck E. Cheese's: Let's Go Jungle

Image Courtesy of Birmingham Vending Company

When I was not studying at the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, I would be either too young or too cash-strapped to go into the bars.  Not far away from Tallahassee Mall, A family amusement center, Fun Station, was right across the street.  However, a discount movie theater, an ice cream parlor, and a Chuck E. Cheese's was at a strip mall.
The thing is that when people think of Chuck E. Cheese's, people expect to bring their children so they can eat the mass-produced pizza, watch the animatronic shows, and play the video games, many of which have cabinets refit for an average six year-old.  However, given their one-token policy on games and/or rides, I only went in to play the video games and nothing more, especially when I was waiting for my movie to start right down the way.  Among the good value of the games, I came across this late Sega game: Let's Go Jungle: Lost on the Island of Spice.

Let's Go Jungle is an interesting game, following up in mechanics to the game Ocean Hunter.  In an attempt to keep the kindle in their relationship alive, Ben and Norah go on a jungle tour in the far East, only to be greeted by killer flies, overgrown venus flytraps, giant spiders, large bullfrogs, and predatory praying mantises.  Armed with machine guns, slingshots, and oars, You and your partner play the role of Ben and Norah as you navigate through five stages to the safety of a helicopter base.

Like some other Sega games like Magical Truck Adventure and The House of the Dead 3, this game is built around teamwork.  There are tasks where you may have to work with your partner, such as navigating a jeep, clearing a jump, and timing a shot.  These tasks often use the joystick-mounted gun controllers or the action buttons adjacent to them.  Apart from the tasks, there are bonuses involved in getting joint shots on the enemy or performing rescue shots to keep your partner from getting killed.  At the end of each level, not only are you assessed for points and extra life bonuses, but you are also assessed for how well you and your partner work together.  Especially factoring that the difference between a good ending and a bad ending is a matter of teamwork, it is imperative that you and your partner can trust each other, even if it means stealing kills from him/her.

The two ways you can beat the game and the compatibility factor in the gameplay allows good replayability.  The near-HD graphics on a Sega Lindbergh, however, are a little bit glitchy, but it does not really deter from any of the gameplay.
In conclusion, in the respect for Chuck E. Cheese's video games being family-friendly, Let's Go Jungle is a fine example of making a low-violence game with good playability.  There are neither blood nor human targets to be noticed in the game itself.  If you find it at your local Chuck E. Cheese's, you will only have to pay 25 scale cents versus at least 75 scale cents at many other "grown-up" arcades.  This goes down in my book as a great arcade game and I look forward to the sequel, Let's Go Island.  I really hope that it ends up on the PS3 or the Wii.