Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Hi, long awaited review but I finally started…

EYECANDY (10%)

I don’t intend on writing too much on this section, however all I can notably say is;
- This level uses the set in a manner that is slightly atypical, the level is mostly made of the logs and the wooden structures of the tileset.
- This level features a cool effect using one of JJ2+‘s later features (scripting) allowing a “glimmer of light” to show from the top of the level, showing the player that they are in some sort of woodland with light showing through the greenery above.
- In terms of distinguishing what is masked and what is not masked, this level is pretty simple once you play it for at least 5 minutes; most of the masks are wooden, and there is one section through the middle (which most existing players) will recognise as passable terrain. There is one section spanning form about 9, 19 to about 29, 29 which looks massively plain but a little amount of carebears are present…
- Unlike a lot of levels in this type of tileset, the use of greenery isn’t overdone and is in fact rather “minimalist” in a pleasant way. It doesn’t clutter the level and it just positively adds to the look of the level.
- Functionally, it’s not hard to distinguish between what is decoration and mask, so the level is fairly easy to navigate, so this isn’t a negative factor.
- Cool Devan events in the box!!! And also the text xoxo

GAMEPLAY – (90%)

Okay this is most of the weighting of this section:
- The main balancing factor of this level (in comparison to the remake) is the fact that it boasts a system that makes the team not matter. It’s not really the “balancing act” i was hoping for, but it does balance the level anyway…
- Rather than just one powerup (which the original level pretty much revolved around in the past), this level features three; all of which can be used to different effects and can drastically alter the gameplay from the vanilla version. These powerups are seeker, bouncer and RF. In addition, the level also features a Lightning Shield which can be obtained for the duration of 10 seconds. This also drastically changes the gameplay of any CTF in a dramatically interesting way. The lightning shield has a huge effect on when you have the advantage of the flag, however, 10 seconds probably isn’t enough to break a game, but it is enough to “dd” for a few extra seconds (which makes a huge difference) in a team-game.
- Moreover the “box” from the original level now has a 20 second timer, by the end of which, Devan “devours” you and causes you to die (and subsequently lose the flag). This removes the quirk of control and camping the box, but adds a further degree of control. What I would have liked to have seen was a range of different warp targets from the box though, as now this poses the problem of making the box as a whole, a hazard to begin with…
- Since the bases follow a 2x “onespot” system, the level seems, on a glance, balanced between the two colours. While this is a balance fix, I feel it isn’t quite the fix I was hoping this contest would sprout but, still a fix nonetheless.
- There’s quite a few areas I would much rather be Spaz, but no notable areas I would rather have the ability to copter; not something I penalize, but something I take note of…
- A lot of the spring/layout changes are very fitting to the level and drastically improve the flow, however there are some areas I kinda don’t like as much, mostly around the top right and top left. I feel most of the areas in the level serve no purpose and since this level runs a “one-spot” system, most of the gameplay relies on finding appropriate places to hide and camp once you have the flag, and then safely rush to a score spot. I feel the small narrow area under the right “spot” is very very good for this purpose. The “campiness” of the bases is still somewhat maintained however, since you can jump around these areas, but the main obstacles which made them safe have been removed, so perhaps not…
- I outright feel there’s a severe lack of ammo in this level and it would greatly benefit from a slightly higher amount, especially since their delays are quite long… Perhaps this level is more suited for smaller numbers, and there are more powerups but I really think the level would benefit from a bit more ammo.
- One of the main layout changes in this level is the giant vertical “log” in the middle of which you can drop down. The poles have been removed and I am quite thankful for this change. This makes the level slightly more fluid…
- There is a copter at the bottom of the level which can drastically increase your “climbing” speed in this level and I feel it’s a really awesome add to the level.

There’s not much more I really wanted to add to this review, but I did like the level all in all. Thank you very much for making this stellar level, FireSworD and I hope the review was mildly worth the wait.

EDIT: I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO MAKE MY STUFF INTO BULLET POINTS. FU

Well, this one is a fairly interesting attempt at making a remake of one of the classic CTF levels from the beginning of times. It comes with two versions; One that is basically a typical CTF level with classic open bases like in the original level, and the other one being a more typical level author-wise.

So how well does this remake pay tribute to the original level, one may ask. Well, in sense of level designing it is indeed quite different than the original and most of the original level’s awkward flow issues are gone. The use of a different tileset and a completely different and creative theme makes the level look like it’s own for some parts, but the most important dw trademarks are still there, such as the basements, the cramped carrot box and the seeker power up area. Angelscript has been used to some extent as well; A player entering the carrot box will receive a time limit until which the player must exit the box, or receive penalty in death.

I personally do think these changes are good and refreshing for the base level, but I have yet to see the level in proper competitive play to solidify my opinion about the level. The amount of eyecandy in the level is massive, which is supposedly used to cover the otherwise rather bland looks of the original level. While I do appreciate this, and I do agree the level looks more interesting this way, I still think it could have been slightly scarcer in a few places, especially the ones with lots of foreground eyecandy.

FireSworD as the author did want to make the players less dependant on the control of the seeker power up in the level, which resulted in him adding RF- and Bouncer power ups into the level, to spice the gameplay up. I will be looking forward to competitive play to see how it works in practise, but for now it seems good enough. I am personally quite undecided whether or not the “one spot concept” in the first edition of the remake is good in practise for a level like this, but at least the edition with classic CTF bases should be a fun level to play.

Download recommended!