The rapping that had become so popular in PaRappa would now be gone, replaced with a rock and roll beat. Hearing this, I became weary whether or not they would be able to successfully pull it off. I wasn’t able to get my hands on the Japanese import, so months went by and there was no way for me to find out if Sony had succeeded once again. Now that the American version is completed, I am very happy to say that it seems Um Jammer Lammy is just as good as the PaRappa, if not better.

PaRappa’s story made almost no sense, and the same goes for Um Jammer’s. It starts out with Lammy waking up and finding out that she is late for her band’s concert. She runs as quickly as she can to where it is being held and finds out after the first song that she was playing a vacuum instead of a guitar. Master Onion makes an appearance and says that that her guitar is in her mind, not in the object she is holding. All of a sudden Lammy then wakes up to discover that what she just had was a dream, but she vividly remembers it. The dream almost was like a telling of the future, as Lammy then realizes that her concert starts in just a few minutes. Rushing out the door, she heads to the concert arena. When she leaves her apartment, then the game’s wacky story kicks into full gear.

Unsurprisingly, the graphics have not changed that much from PaRappa. All of the characters are still flat, 2D paper cut outs, but have that irresistible charm that prevents you from disliking how they are designed. Each of the singers that one encounters throughout Lammy’s adventurers has a unique look, and whenever you run into someone new you’re always wondering what type of song you’ll be rock ‘n rolling to next.

Remember how catchy PaRappa's lyrics were? Were you like me where you were humming and saying the lyrics well after you finished the game? Well, the main thing that worried me about Um Jammer was that it wouldn’t share that same quality. My first run through the game (and as reflected in the first impressions article I posted) gave me the feeling that there were not any songs with that special touch that made you want to sing along. However, this was a game I was willing to play through many times. After making it to the end and back a few times, I ended up really enjoying two particular songs, the fireman (2nd stage) and the second Milkcan concert (last stage). I find myself humming and singing those two songs during the actual level and after the game has been turned off.

There have not been any major gameplay changes created. It is basically the same as PaRappa except with new lyrics, new characters, and new songs. When Lammy’s name passes over a button on the top of the screen the player has to press that corresponding button. If you don’t press the buttons correctly a meter on the left side that judges how well you are doing will go down. If at the end of the level you do not have a ‘good’ rating you will not pass the level. Each time you press the button combinations correctly the meter will go up. Except when it hits ‘good’ it won’t move up to ‘cool’ unless you go out of your way to perform difficult button combinations. When one makes it to ‘cool’ they are allowed to make up their own button combinations to achieve extra high scores. There are no restrictions on what buttons you can and cannot press.

Completing the game with Lammy is not all that hard (with the exception of the Vital Idol stage), which would make it seem that the replay value would go down the drain. Thankfully, there has been more than enough extra options put in Um Jammer that it will keep you playing for at least a week (which is long for a game like this). For example, once the game is completed with Lammy, you can play through as PaRappa with re-mixed songs. Other options include PaRappa vs. Lammy battles and Lammy vs. Rammy (Lammy’s opposite).