Jaws (video game)

Infobox VG
title = Jaws


developer = Westone [http://www.westone.co.jp/title.html]
publisher = LJN
distributor =
designer =
engine =
version =
released = vgrelease|NA=1987 [cite web | url = http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/520726.html| title = Release date | publisher = Game FAQs | date = | accessdate = 2008-08-12]
genre = Action
modes = Single-player
ratings = vgratings|ESRB=not rated
platforms = Nintendo Entertainment System
media = Cartridge
requirements =
input = Nintendo Entertainment System controller

"Jaws" is an NES game based on the film franchise of the same name, specifically "", the fourth and final film in the series.

Gameplay

In the game the player pilots a boat across the sea, randomly encountering groups of hostile sea creatures. When the boat snags something in the overhead map, the perspective changes to a side-view. The player's boat releases a diver who battles various undersea threats such as jellyfish, rays, and smaller sharks. Occasionally, Jaws will appear on the map in the form of its familiar dorsal fin breaking the water's surface. If players collide with Jaws' dorsal fin, they can momentarily control their boat in the side-view encounter in an attempt to attack Jaws with depth charges. Jaws will always collide with the boat and release the diver into the water. Jaws will also appear after a brief moment if the player snags something in the overhead map with Jaws nearby.

Items encountered include crabs (increases movement speed of the diver), stars (bonus points), and conch shells which are used as currency in this game. Equipment and upgrades are purchased by alternating between two ports on the map. The first port visit gives the player a receiver, which tracks the location of Jaws relative to the boat on the overhead map; the faster it beeps, the closer Jaws is to the player. Future visits to ports afterwards increases overall attack power against Jaws. Touching a hostile sea creature during the side view undersea encounters will kill players and penalize them with a power level drop by 1 (if they had upgraded their attack power), the loss of the tracking device, the loss of half of the conch shells accumulated to that point, and complete health replenishment for Jaws. While the player is always able to confront Jaws during the game, it is only practical to do so after reaching a sufficient power to take away all of its health using spears and/or bombs. The power level should be at least '3' to be most efficient.

Killing a specific number of smaller sharks will trigger a bonus game. In this bonus game, an airplane travels back and forth in a side-view perspective and drops cannonballs on jellyfish, which assume formations and movement patterns similar to the enemies in the Challenge Stage of Galaga. Players can adjust the speed of the airplane, depending on what direction it is traveling. The player is rewarded the number of conch shells equivalent to the number of jellyfish killed divided by 3, rounded down.

The player can also find a submarine which appears at random places in the game map. The submarine is an upgrade with two weapons (torpedoes and depth charges) and much less inertia than the diver. The submarine is fragile, however. One collision with an enemy will destroy it and release the diver. This will not kill the diver, thus the only penalty for collision while occupying the sub is loss of the sub itself.

Once Jaws' health has been reduced in the side view encounter, the game changes to a "" view of the player's boat. Players are given three charges for their strobe device to force Jaws to breach the water's surface. Timing is essential in order to force Jaws to breach at the proper distance from the bow of the boat. Players can also jut the bow of their boat forward at any time. In order to fully defeat Jaws, the player must jab it with the boat's bow at the proper distance when it breaches from the strobe device. This can be quite difficult and require much patience. Jaws makes random movements backward, forward and side-to-side which makes for a hard final kill.

Reception

"Computer Gaming World" praised the game in its review, saying "The graphics, animations and game play in Jaws are all first rate."citation | date = August 1988 | last = Kunkell | first = Bill | periodical = Computer Gaming World | title = Video Gaming World | year = 1988 | pages = 45]

ee also

*"Jaws Unleashed"
*"Shark Jaws"

References

External links

*moby game|id=/jaws|name="Jaws"
* [http://www.nesplayer.com/jaws/jaws.htm Jaws Walkthrough]