| Average Rating: 74 out of 100
Owned by 130 users
On 128 wishlists
55
First lets cover the graphics. Well I would say the graphics are some of the best on the PSP so far although it's a shame that the gamepay is pretty poor. The levels aren't very intresting though and they all seem the same. The controls are okay although the camera is quite good and isn't such a pain unlike other PSP titles.Load times are average consideing the amazing graphics they're loading, the sounds are very repetetive and get boring quickly. The gameplay is poor and it is has lots of button bashing. Only experienced gamers should this game if they really want it because unexperienced gamers might find it very frustating most of the time.
73
Although the game is great to play, I played it many times over, it is still lacking. It can't compete with the consoles of today in terms of power but does offer most of it. The only real problem is the amount of lag you get in the game. Often the game will slow to a crawl. And you can only see a short distance in front of you. Other than that this game derserves a buy. Recommended if we ever get the Best series.
93
Death Jr. was quite a wierd game. All the familiar faces of horror are there, Death, Pandora, a dead guppy. This game has both childish, and a bit more mature elements in it which could easily please both crowds.
Gameplay - 80
The gameplay suits platform fans very well. With an array of combos that seem to go on and on provided you have enough enemies, you'll probably find yourself tapping buttons just to kill one monster in enough moves to gain points. Almost anything in the board is destructable, and as the grim reaper himself, doing so gets you points. The only issues to be dealt with gameplay wise are the sometimes unforgiving camera angles, and the demons which at times can just spawn right behind you and send you half way across the level.
Graphics - 90
The graphics are simply amazing. Cut scenes are eye catching, wonderfully colored, and the fluid animation of hair, limbs and animation cycles makes you forget you're actually playing this game on a handheld system.
Sound - 95
The sound is also well done, not overkilled with blaring goth music (which would find it's way into this game had it not been done so well), or oddly absent. The voice acting fits all characters, and makes you grow even more attached to them, as funny as they are to watch.
Replay Value: Very high
I love Death Jr, it's a fun game, especially if you love platformers, and is worth picking up, or at least renting for a roadtrip, when the power goes out, or if you just want another game to play.
80
This game's pretty fun when you start, but after you keep playing levels over and over again, it kinda get's boring. Rent!
30
I frustrates me to have to say that Death Jr. Is a waste of time and money. I truly wanted to like it. I wanted to love renting it so much that I'd return to it to the store later in the evening and say, "must have this to keep!" But I couldn't. After an hour's worth of frustrated gameplay, I knew I wouldn't enjoy it another minute. I turned it off, and returned to the rental store.
Normally, I would be skeptical of a review based on less than an hours worth of experience. But I can honestly say that I had "no fun at all" with this platformer. And here's why: the camera is dreadful, and the lighting is too dark, even if you can figure out how to make the camera work easily.
I don't care about story, and I don't care too much about the graphics. They aren't the things that make a platformer playable; at least for me. I simply found this game too hard to see, and too hard to control. It's hard to find where the enemies are coming from, and hard to tell how close they are, and hard to get the "lock-on" to actually lock onto the target. One might say that "if I had given it fair time, the controls would become easier." While that might be true, it seems ridiculous, to me, to expect that I should have to spend more than an hour learning how to control a platformer.
I'm really glad that I rented this before buying it. I only spent $9 and while that's an expensive hour, I'm glad I saved myself $30 more.
99
Death, Jr. was THE reason I got a PSP. Sure, some of the other games looked cool but this game looked sweet. How can you go wrong with death AND C4 Hamsters? Well, the game delivers in most areas but it does contain a few flaws but nothing that can't be over looked once you get the hang of it. Let's get this review started!
Death Jr's story is fairly simple. Death, Jr. And pals are at the museum for a fieldtrip. Pandora finds a box that she just can't resist opening. However, she tries and tries but can't get it open. DJ (aka Death, Jr.) uses his trust worth scythe to open it. Now he's gone and unleashed Menoch and he has taken the souls of DJ's friends! Now DJ needs to get those souls back and put Menoch back into that box before his dad finds out. I may have gotten the villains name wrong but oh well. The plot is along the lines of The Nightmare Before Christmas, being that it has a twisted sense of humor. The characters are neat (Dead Guppy is just classic) and I think the creator just had funny (Stigmartha is great also and I love the scene of her hiding her eyes when her soul is taken). The plot isn't deep and never really goes anywhere but it's just fun and entertaining.
The graphics in the game are rather good. Enemies are a tad bland looking at a distance but up close, they look rather good. Fair amount of variation on them also. The levels are full of stuff and a lot of it can be destroyed and they want you to destroy it because you get more points, but more on that later. I really liked the designs of the characters, except DJ, he is kind of bland looking but I guess Death's son wouldn't be all that great looking. I never ran into any jaggies or anything like that, it all runs smoothly, looks smooth and is nicely detailed.
The sound in the game is a bit of a mixed bag. The weapons all sound good, and I just love the sounds of the hamsters as they run to just be blown up within seconds. Enemies let out different types of screams so it's varied there. The music is just wow... It's really good and it actually adds a bit of fun to the game. I really love the music for Seep's levels. The voice acting is a bit ho-hum. Not great but it does work but a few voices were just really bad. All in all though it isn't that bad and it's nice to have voice acting, even if it isn't used all of the time.
Now, most complaints are based on the control in this game. Let me just state one thing quickly. The camera is horrible when you're doing bad run and gun. It's perfectly fine during scythe action. See, for some reason the targeting system goes haywire during the run and gun moments but it isn't that bi of a problem, except in hall ways and that’s only in the 3 school levels which isn't too bad. Of course the camera still isn’t perfect but it's more manageable when you know that. The L button centers the cam; it doesn't work well while having a gun out and you must tap to center because holding L goes into stand still look around mode, which is good for using the electric gun on power stuff. You jump with X, use scythe with square, circle is gun and triangle is dodge. It all works well. The are button is used for strafing which I found myself using a lot during the run and gun stuff but it also targets enemies for you.
Is a lot like that found in the Ratchet and Clank series. There are 17 levels in the game and one thing that I like is out of the first 3 worlds, you can pick any and work your way through the 3 areas in each. Not all have bosses and some of the bosses are in the first level or at the end, it keeps it mildly exciting... While I'm on the subject of bosses, let me tell you about them. They are large and provide a challenge until you figure out what to do. I found the later bosses to be rather hard, even when knowing what to do.
The worlds in the game are rather amusing at times. I love Dead Guppy's levels; Meat World is just a blast to play. The level designs are just fun. There are 2 things you need to do in a level. Kill enemies until you have enough souls to open the giant eye doors and then get the puzzle piece at the end of the level. However, there are 7 power up items hidden in each stage, tons of extra enemies, destructible items, ect. At the end of a level you get a report card and you're graded on each category of enemies killed, hidden items found, combos and destruction. I tried to get it all in 1 run but I found that hunting for the secret items makes combos hard to maintain. The hidden items carry over anyway so you only have to find them once.
The enemies are rather varied. They attack in different ways and require different methods to be killed. Some are a pain, like the blue slug ones. The kamikaze ones are hard to fight because they run at you and instantly blow up. The larger enemies need to be taken out from a distance. I enjoyed scythe action over the run and gun game play but guns are needed in certain spots. Oh and the guns are fun. Some of them stink at first, like the shotgun, but after a while they each have their own purpose. I really liked the upgraded electric gun, great for combos.
Let me explain the power ups. There is the Pandora icons which when you collect four adds an extra special attack thing. Just fill up the Pandora meter and it stocks an attack. You just hit circle and triangle together to use it, deals massive damage and slows down time. I rarely used it but it's neat. There are little heads of DJ which when you collect four give you more life, I never could tell though... There are also weapon widgets which at first are used to buy new moves and then later sued to upgrade your weapons into even cooler machines of destruction. The widgets are a must find I found because it makes the larger swarms of enemies easier and the later bosses are a major pain.
The platformer moments in the game do provide a bit of challenge, due to the camera mainly. It does break up the action a little and keeps the game from getting dull. There isn't a ton of platforming though, but there is enough. Just think Ratchet and Clank, with less platforming and more melee fighting.
The game is fairly short, around 10 hours but it isn't THAT short. There is plenty to do like find all of the power ups. After that, you can always replay the levels, which I actually did a few times. Another complaint is that the game does not give you a check list of the levels and how many power ups you have gotten. So, as a warning, make your own list when you get a report card and keep track.
Should you buy or rent this game? I say buy it if you like this type of game. The game does deliver a lot of action and the levels are fairly long if you search them for everything. Also, who doesn't love the destruction of random items?
90
I've read lots of bad reviews on this game and they all say: SUCKS! But it's not that bad! What we have to remember is: this is a handheld system, people, and the games may not be the best but I think we can bear with when it comes to Death Jr.
Audio/Video
Great. Awesome graphics. There's really nothing to complain about. In fact, these are probably the best on the PSP so far. The music is great. I got the special edition with the soundtrack and I listen to the songs on da PSP all all of de time, maan.
Gameplay
The Not-so-goods: I admit, this is really where DJ sucks, but not too bad. The camera is mainly the problem. In order to see the desired location to "hop" DJ to, you must press L and the camera will snap to the place. No free camera to turn it around, 'cept free look which I rarely use except when aiming. You WILL get used to it. The other problem is his sheath jump; but not a big prob.
The Very-nice-s: I love DJ's control system. Switching between guns, the flame thrower, the C4 Hamsters, the Sword. It's all good. I find it extremely fun. This is a hack n slash and not at all bad for a handheld. You can upgrade with different moves and features and such - me likey. DJ himself is a great little guy to control.
Story
This is where DJ goes ker pooey. The beginning is all there really is and then the action. Barely any comedy at all. I kind of like this. Just hack away for me. On the go, I don't have time for story. I mean, on the gameboy, when was the last time you actually looked forward to a story? (Except for Kingdom Hearts: CoM yay!)
Loading times/Level design
Barely any. Just a small green swoosh and you're there. There are plenty of levels to keep you occupied as well. I for one feel the levels add a great deal of variety.
Overall: PICK IT UP! It's defidentaly worth getting! This is not a bad game! If they had made this for the PS2, yes, it would suck. But this is a handheld, people. And frankly, with all this lack of good games for the PSP, I say this is one of those that you should get. Of course, I haven't finished the game, I just got it yesterday, so if I play this all the way through and I don't like it, I will inform you. I will not end my review on a bad note! IT IS GOOD! GET IT!
60
Well, it's here, the game that was so hotly anticipated. I picked up the collector's edition pack from work, the cases are kind of nice and the comic is cool, but otherwise it's just the standard game.
Graphics: 8/10
Good graphical style, consistent with all the worlds and the main cast of characters. Stigmartha, Pandora, DJ, they all have really cool character design, reminiscent of Tim Burton. I particularly like the Dead Guppy (He's, well, a dead guppy). You won't be disappointed here, but the majority of the development apparently went into character design.
Sound: 7/10
The game has some good music, and cool sound effects. Unforunately, you know that song you hear at the beginning of the game in the suburbs? Cool song right? That's going to be the song you will hear throughout 90% of the game, outside of the central hub area (The Museum).
Gameplay: 6/10
Interesting, but lackluster. It's a platformer-meets-shooter reminiscient of Ratchet&Clank. Neither aspect is particularly innovative, but it does both relatively well, at first. There's nothing new here (you'll get tired of C4 Hamsters relatively fast). You have the options of using your relatively powerful melee scythe, or choosing from a host of guns that you get at the end of each stage (courtesy of the conjoined twins, Smith & Weston). You can upgrade your weapons and learn new moves, but this only goes so far, and many of the upgraded moves are near useless (like the defensive shield).
It's passable, but really nothing groundbreaking. What ruins it comes next.
Controls: 2/10
Abysmmal. Horrid. Worst controls ever. Any of these descriptions would accurately reflect Death Jr's control scheme. Particularly at fault here is the camera, which can make or break platformers. It broke this one.
The only ways to manipulate the camera are to enter a first person 'free-look' mode (in which case, you're very vulnerable for combat purposes) or to snap the camera behind DJ (which by the way, is very disorienting and not smooth at all). Neither is an option during combat, which this game has a lot of. If one enemy gets behind you and you fight him, you have to manually reposition DJ then snap the camera around to see the rest of the enemies. There's no way to snap around to lock onto enemies behind you, they have to be in your frontal cone of vision.
I've died a good twenty times because of the camera control scheme. Nothing is more frustrating. The camera of course, also ruins the platforming aspects. Just wait until you get to the hook jumping in the advance training level, it'll make you scream (and only gets worse in actual gameplay, with enemies firing at you).
The controls can make or break a game, and they just devastate this one.
Story: 4/10
It seems to be really cool at first, but that first five minutes of story is about the extent of it. There are a few captions throughout the game, but it's mostly just going through random levels to recover pieces of your friend's psyche. Not much to speak of here.
Overall: 6/10
It would have been a strong game if the controls were taken care of, and the developers took advantage of the wonderful characters they made to create more of a story. Mediocre at best, I tried my best to like this game, I really did. It can be fun, but it's frustrating more often than not.
66
Death Jr. Appealed to me in early screenshots (and helped get me into the PSP as this was the game that was used to hype it up). The characters and style (gothic with a cartoon touch) got my attention. The best game I can compare it to is Blasto. Comic style characters, shooting, jumping and a sense of humor. Its a nice package (the limited edition was nicely done: fold out stock with 2 UMD cases, a 3" cd-rom contatining a high and low res version of the comic, music from the game and the foil cover on the box inlay). The presentation is an A+. But it needs that presentation to pull the weight that the actual game itself is lacking.
The programming feels unfinished. Polygon walls disappear if you get too close and reveal some other polygons of some room behind it, the camera is horrible and when you center it behind Death Jr., it just "pops" into place instead of smoothly transitioning into it, the inbetween loads feel jerky as it happens between an animation transition and Death Jr. feels like he should be called Death Tiny because his proportion is so small and you feel disconnected from him.
This game is dark. Dark in the sense that with your brightness cranked all the way up, you lose your bearings in the blackness. It just feels like so much effort went to the characters and building a franchise out of Death Jr. Instead of the actual gameplay.
The intro is terrible and is pretty much summed up by Death Jr. Opening his bedroom window, smashing a bird by accident.
The music is catchy, fun, dark, video-gamey. Nothing memorable (I didn't keep the mp3s on my PSP that were included on the disc). It supplements it fine.
The game itself feels unpolished, but I was a sucker for the characters and presentation. No depth at all and feels like a hollywood movie franchise ported over to a game. Go with it expecting that. I'll keep pushing for the golds on WipeOut Pure long after Death Jr. Is resting in peace.
Pictures of the Limited Edition
 Box Box Box Box
88
This game has awesome music and great gameplay.
90
Death Jr. Turned out to be way better than what my friends and I had expected. It is a very good game when you get the hang of all the controls, Death Jr. shows that maybe a shooter type game would be acceptable in portable format. With the lock on feature you don't need to aim at all. This game was amazing from start to finish.
62
Ok, I really, really, really, REALLY wanted to like this game. But the wonky camera, wake sounds, less than average controls, and the thin story made that difficult.
Graphics - 4/5
This is where it succeeds. The graphics in the opening sequence and the in game graphics are just fun to look at. And that's that!
Audio - 3/5
Ehh... The sound. You WILL get sick of the sound over time. The constant bullet sounds and monster sounds just make you wanna set your PSP down, and sleep.
Playability - 2/5
The camera, oh the camera, you suck. Controlling DJ is a nightmare, and pretty much the biggest obstacle in the game. Not the enemies, not the difficult platforming portions, not the intense fire fights, just the controls. You'll see yourself fumbling with the controls over and over and over.
Summary
I wanted to like the game, but with all the bad controls and camera, it just forced me to return it.
48
With all the hype, all hopes were up. Two reviews before me were right in all aspects of the game.
The game is just pure hype by Konami. I think they only were thinking on how to market the game with toys and other stuff instead of concentrating on the game itself. Too bad, the characters are very original. This could have been a very fun game.
The worst part of this game is the save game option. When saving, the game brings you back to where you started. It seems that the developers knew that this was going to be a short game and use this option to add time to the game.
Overall, this game could have been a very Deathly game, instead it turned up a wimpy.
91
I played the demo at comic con, it was pretty cool. The comic is awesome.
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0
I get to smugly show my boyfriend how many more hiden items I've picked up compared to him (sucks that I can't look at the report cards again after I've finished a level -- I have to write how much I've cleared a level in a notebook to remember. It may take me an unreasonable number of attempts to jump to tricky spots, but watching DJ waddle around in his merry little way cheers me up a little.
