Jett Rocket Review
With few other 3D platformers on WiiWare, Jett Rocket stands out as bringing a typically larger experience to a smaller scale. Unfortunately, something is lost in the transition, resulting in a boring and bland game that is over almost as soon as it begins. This is one platformer that fails to get off the ground.
The story is you’re trying to recover energy stolen by the Power Plant Posse, some sort of organization bent on destroying Yoroppa. There’s virtually no investment in the already threadbare plot, which would be more excusable if the gameplay was more elaborate. Instead the platforming action in Jett Rocket is terribly simple and generic, with largely empty stages that give you little interesting scenery to explore. Over the course of a measly twelve levels, there are few moments of exciting or innovative gameplay.
Not surprisingly, your jet pack is vital for crossing long distances, or just getting the drop on enemies.
Each stage follows the same basic premise of “get to the end of the level” that all platformers use, but the problem here is that the obstacles between the starting point and the finishing point are not engaging. Almost every enemy is a pushover–and even if you are hit, you have three hit points and can collect more–while obstacles range from basic gap-jumping to simple and obvious puzzles; it’s hard to even call many of them puzzles when the solution requires one short step. Each level has a number of solar cells to collect, and while finding all of them in each stage can be a challenge, it’s hardly rewarding when you only need the base amount to progress. You are occasionally given a vehicle or item–such as a jet ski or parachute for gliding–but these also fail to liven up the gameplay and are instead minor diversions that fail to energize the game. When it comes down to it, this platformer is just too bland to warrant much attention.
You’ll only ever need to move, jump, and shake the Wii remote to attack, but the motion controls just feel unnecessary. When both the C and Z buttons aren’t even used, shaking the controller feels genuinely gimmicky and could easily have been replaced. The other problem with the controls is the camera. You can use the D-pad to adjust your view of the stage, but it’s not as smooth or as convenient as it should be for a 3D platformer like this. The controls are still manageable, but these issues become grating as the game carries on.
As sharp as the visuals are, there's not much to look at.
Jett Rocket boasts some particularly colorful and cheery graphics, but the glamor wears thin due to a lack of unique art direction. Stages are largely empty, with many flat or repeated surfaces, and what few enemies there are in each stage are repeated as well. The music suffers from a similar lack of inspiration; the soundtrack is hardly noticeable at times and unfortunately generic at others.
On top of the flat gameplay, Jett Rocket is a surprisingly short experience. The game barely lasts two hours; potentially even less if you collect only the bare minimum of solar cells. There is an achievement system that is meant to incite you to replay levels and explore everything, but the game is simply too dull to warrant replaying. Despite the hint of a Jett Rocket 2, this game is best left buried.
In the end Jett Rocket is not necessarily a bad game, just painfully simple. Everything from the gameplay to the presentation and even the controls begs for something more complex and exciting. For a lower price it might be worth trying out, but 1000 Wii points can go a long way toward better WiiWare experiences.
Rating: 
