Game:

Cool Cool Jam (2000)

Duration: 15:19

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Cool Cool Jam is a fun and innovative Japan-only music/rhythm game developed by SNK and released in Q3 2000, and was one of the last game's that the old SNK would develop or publish along with games like "Cool Cool Toon" (Dreamcast, released alongside CCJ), Big Bang Pro Wrestling (NGPC), etc. The game was slated for an overseas release, but was cancelled midway due to SNK's financial woes, though there is an interesting English demo ROM of the game floating on the web which shows what could've been (with altered character artwork and a general overview of the game and system). The game can be played along with Cool Cool Toon for Dreamcast to upload and download content/extras back and forth. Cool Cool Jam features a largely different cast of characters, though some characters (Like Lan-K or "Lanke") reappear in the Dreamcast game.

Playing as either "Wave" or "Midi", two cool kids who were originally jamming at an establishment known as the "Blue Moon" at the "Lazy Lion", you follow a suspicious character at the establishment until you're separated from all the other ravers and are confronted by a mysterious being who separates the two, transporting the player (whoever you choose in the beginning) 1000 years into the future to a world of demi-humans, radical monsters and fanatical music lovers. The area, known as "Musey Town", is broken up into several areas each with their own themes and music genre. Upon arriving, you meet the main authority of Musey Town, Lan-K (a bass guitarist), who makes you aware that the only way you can return to your world is to become a musical sensation and impress the higher-ups. So in a non-linear fashion, you have one week of game time to talk to as many people as possible and form a band (where each member specializes at different instruments) that will knock the socks off of anyone who hears you and gain the admiration of the "Jazzy Egg"! There are hidden characters, a variety of songs to play, and the game flow is rather interesting with light RPG elements such as the ability to shop with picture pieces and level up a member's playing abilities. You can further save your data and carry over unlockables to other modes. As you can imagine, the game also has some replayability as you don't need a full-fledged band to reach the game's conclusion (and you always have at least one member by default to challenge others, Lan-K).

The bulk of the game's main mode consists of conversing with a variety of NPCs and "Clapping" in a rhythmic fashion (one of the main character's specialties) to get the attention of characters in the area, which is often needed to start up new conversations, trigger quest events for new band members, challenge certain characters in "Jam Sessions", and earn items. The actual musical portion is also represented rather well as the various instruments function differently and may require you to hold the NeoGeo Pocket a different way for better orientation. The music is great given the hardware (not as good via an emulator, but it at least runs in a playable fashion unlike Super Real Mahjong, so I may have to take a camera to that one...) and the graphics are decent with good character illustrations and clean transitions between areas. One of the few downsides is that you can't stop Clapping sessions as you see fit and the game is pretty strict, usually requiring a perfect clap session to trigger events worthy of an NPC's time (thankfully, it's pretty easy for the most part). You can also play various sessions outside the main game and play against others. Speaking of Sessions, each participating character gets a turn or two to play an instrument and alter the musical beat. It's good stuff.

Overall, CCJ isn't the most exciting rhythm game I've ever played, but is a delightful and innovative change of pace in a genre that would soon lack much in the ways of originality. CCJ and CCT are both worth importing if you'd like to take advantage of the data importing feature. We have a video of the Introduction and a Game Sample (which is what we're known for). Enjoy.