Review Fix Exclusive: Inside Log Jammers on the NES

Review Fix chats with Mega Cat Studios’ Fred E. who discusses the new sports game on the Nintendo Entertainment system and how the arcade classic Wind Jammers helped inspire it.

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Review Fix: How was this game born?

Fred E.: We really wanted to make something for the NES that had a low learning curve, fast action and arcade fantasy styling.  We all love Windjammers, and there’s nothing like that commercially available for the NES.   We liked it so much we did a PC Upmake (https://www.logjammersgame.com)

Review Fix: What was development like?

Fred: It was equally challenging and rewarding.

Review Fix: What makes this game special?

Fred: The simple yet fun gameplay and the variety of gameplay modes – single player tournament as well as various multiplayer options.  Couch co-op is something we’re all crazy about, and any time we can help create that type of atmosphere it’s fulfilling.

Review Fix: What games influenced this one the most?

Fred: Definitely Windjammers – we strove to re-create the fun and intense experience of that game on the NES and I think Log Jammers really hits that mark.

Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Fred: I ended up doing a lot of testing for this game because I wanted everything to be perfect. I even had some friends playtest with me a few times. I remember the first time we did that they got totally addicted to the single player mode – they were just determined to beat it. I sat back and watched this unfold and at that point I realized we had something special in this game.

Several months later at MAGfest, we had a small line queing for people to play it. For anyone who’s attended MAGfest in the fast, it’s action-packed and there is no shortage of games to play.  One of the most exciting things for us is seeing people enjoy the games we’re working on, and MAGfest attendees gave that to us in spades.

Review Fix: Who will enjoy this game the most?

Fred: Anyone who enjoys couch co-op games with their friends that are easy to pick up and difficult to master.

Review Fix: How do you want this game to be remembered?

Fred: I would like this game to be remembered as a fun accessible game that was able to breathe some new life into the NES.


Review Fix: What are your goals for the game?

Fred: I would really like for this game to go out and be something that’s easy for people to pick up and play with their friends, but challenging enough to be a fun experience. Where learning complicated rules and having hours and hours of experience isn’t a pre-requisite for just having a good time.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Fred: This game will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first NES homebrew game I ever worked on. There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing or hearing about it whenever I see or hear about someone having a good time playing it.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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