Top-down explosions await you.
PLAYERS: 1-2 simultaneous
PUBLISHER: Konami
DEVELOPER: Konami
GENRE: Action
RELEASE DATE: September 1988
You crazy for this one, Konami! Jackal is every ridiculous action movie from the 80s all rolled into one. Terrorists, explosions, Uncle Sam smoking a cigar: all the essentials are here. If you’re rockin’ one-player status, you play as Colonel Decker and Lieutenant Bob in a foolhardy, nothing-to-lose green Jeep. If it’s a table for two (players), then your buddy will be controlling Sergeant Quint and Corporal Gray in a more introverted, but still subtly terrifying brown Jeep. These particular rag-tag group of misfits have a lot of friends in low places and said friends have happened to get kidnapped by the Cambodian rebels. Blow up some terrorists, their digs, their equipment, grab your buddies, and get the “sam hill” out of dodge. There are six stages for you to perform your various killing tactics and, like all NES games, the stages eventually get ridiculously hard. Your jeep is equipped with standard ammunition, and grenades or rockets, depending on your upgrades. Don’t worry, if ammunition is too boring, you can always squash the enemy with your Jeep – seriously. Just mind the shots: one shot from any enemy, whether it’s a shrimpy dude with a pistol or a tank looking to tango, can destroy your fun time. When your Jeep explodes, another one instantly appears in its place, but any guys you’ve rescued scatter to the wind so you’ll have to retrieve them again. Four lives are nothing to squint at and Konami has always been gracious with their continues. But, like any war-time situation, it still behooves you to be careful.
B+
Latest posts by Dylan Cornelius (see all)
- By Request – New Ghostbusters II - April 4, 2014
- The 86 Worst NES Games – Part 4 - April 1, 2014
- The 86 Worst NES Games – Part 3 - March 29, 2014
6 replies on “#312 – Jackal”
Ah, one of the many classic Konami action titles, like Rush N Attack, Kontra, Lifeforce – Jackal was one that I liked quite a bit as I recall.
I had an NES emulator on my laptap when I was stationed in UAE a few years ago, when I was still in the Air Force. I mostly played this game, Double Dragons I and II, Contra, and Kung Fu. Nothing like punching and shooting 8 bit people to get out latent aggression, I say…
LOL@Kurdt – some of my favorite titles there. I spent so many hours on Double Dragons 1 & 2 – especially #2. Something about that end level just really struck a great chord with me.
Konami action titles are great pick-up-and-play games. They’re what I expect from the NES, truthfully, unless I’m playing an RPG or a Koei game.
This is one of my favorites from growing up. Not to be nit-picky, but I believe the manual mentioned it takes place in southeast asia, Cambodia I think. The mission was to rescue POWs.
-J
Konami made a lot of great games. They were good for their soundtracks if nothing else.