Violet CLM
May 25, 2005, 11:21 PM
<b>Jazz Jackrabbit</b>
Ah, Jazz. Why would you name a green rabbit Jazz? What does Jazz mean?
"Jazz music", of course! Well, maybe not. Jazz music doesn't really seem to fit Jazz's character, let alone his games. Jazz is a style of music which originated in the Southern United States, based on African-American slave chants. It's characterized by lots of improvisation and syncopated beats, neither of which are at all similar to Jazz Jackrabbit, who is almost completely an amalgamation of what has come before. Here's a recent quote from CliffyB, designer. (May 2nd 2005)
"I was just ripping on the platform games I loved as a kid when I made that title. Not an original idea in sight - it was simply presented in a good, proper package on a platform that had yet to see that kind of gaming."
How does that fit in with improv and beats placed where you don't expect them? Nothing unexpected came of Jazz until 1998, when JJ2 turned out to be a cross between a platformer and a FPS... but seeing as it took them four years to make, it's certainly not improv. Jazz was designed to seem cool and be what was already approved. So, "Jazzy", then, as in "Cool", or "Brand of Wheelchairs", or maybe even "Jazzed Up" as in to add quality to already existing substances. That could be it.
So, and this is the important part, why do you just shoot people all the time? Couldn't you send him to a rehabilitation center where they get an education and then walk around all day wearing a T-Shirt with the word "JAZZED" on it? That would have been a lot more original, too.
<b>Spaz Jackrabbit</b>
What do we know about Spaz? We know he moves around wildly, shows little control, and probably isn't all that bright. He's excitable. Technically, the definition of "Spaz" is "Clumsy and Inept", but nobody really uses it that way. In essence, Spaz is exactly what his name implies, only moreso... young, uncontrollable, dangerous. A Spaz is what you call your little brother (or sister, if you work at Game Titan) when he shoots you with suction cup arrows. And... whoa, that would be an interesting weapon, actually.
Really, what is there to say about Spaz? He's undeveloped. He's by no means useless - he let Jazz out of prison, right? - but he's hard to use. Later on, JJA years, he just gets lazy. Sucks.
<b>Lori Jackrabbit</b>
Assuming you count Lori as canon (I'm iffy on this), it's only fair to wonder exactly what her name is supposed to imply. "Crowned with Laurels"? Doesn't fit at all. And really, what is she doing here? She never got developed as a character, she's just another sibling who was barely even given a personality. She looks confident, so people make her talk like Jazz. Oh, but no, she's sarcastic, too, so she's stolen Eva's thing. That's why we never see Eva around anymore, you know. Lori got in the way. Get rid of Lori and we have a nice strong female base again.
But, uh, names. Right. I guess it's just supposed to be pretty or something. Pity she's in a universe where names are supposed to be a little more interesting than that... it's like "Soapy, Slappy, and Doc". According to Google, "Lori" is a tribe of nomads who do a lot of weaving. I guess that works. Explains where she was all those years, right?
<b>Eva Earlong</b>
Ok, first, Earlong. Haha. It's like, y'know, her ears... they're long. Which is all very cool and all, but it's sort of picking on the rabbit species. When was the last time you met someone named Howard Bigtoe, or Nancy Pigtails, or Jeffery Thirdarm? It's just an extension of the ridiculous naming policy that began with Carrotus. (Don't even get me started on the planets... who named Turtemple, and if it's listed with that name, why did nobody ever notice the SECRET TEMPLE OF THE TURTLE?)
Anyway, Jazz's wife is named Eva, which is Hebrew and means "Giver of Life". That's pretty cool, and Nick's smart enough that he probably knew that. It's fairly appropriate, too, as Eva is very giving and helps Jazz out a lot... Episode 6 end, Episode 2 Premise, Episode X('94) end, and of course she gave Spaz the key back at the start of JJ2. Not only that, Eva provided the excuse for the plots of both JJ1 and JJ2, and got Jazz made into a prince. Not bad, Eva Furryfoot.
Not only that, she's spirited, and gives it to people. I bet, if Jazz hadn't come to rescue her, Eva could have reduced Devan's operations to a shambles by herself. See, the thing is, Devan is fine with killing Jazz, but Eva is his hostage... yeah. More on Devan later. Anyway, Eva is a generous soul who can fight back if persecuted. What's there not to like? Except for that one picture in the JJ2 manual where she looks all frightened and it makes you sure that picture was intended for Lori even though she hadn't been invented yet.
<b>Devan Shell</b>
As we all know, Devan is by far the most complicated character, having actual motivation besides "think of the merchandising rights alone!". Devan is fighting for his race's freedom - there were a couple of stories related to this a while back, check the War Tavern - and he's viewed as the bad guy. Anyone notice his cool name? It's like Heaven and Hell, but turtle-like. Somehow "Shell" isn't as bad as "Earlong", either, you can see James Bond walking into a pub and saying "Where is Shell?".
Basically, Devan is a strange mix between good and evil, but he's really bad at what he does, and should probably try to make his point through politics or something where he won't get shot at every time he makes an appearance. Heaven Hell. Devan Shell. He's usually called Devan, but I guess most characters are generally called by their last names (unless you're making some single player pack where the enemy calls you "Mr. Jackrabbit"), so that doesn't mean much.
<b>Chuck</b> the Hip-Hop
Chuck is the ultimate in non-committal scorn. Even his name is saying "Chuck everything, I'm going home". He's a hip-hop bird, a species which really had nothing to do with the galactic conflict of Rabbit vs. Turtle in the first place and was brought in accidentally. When the going gets tough, Chuck gets going and flies off the top of the screen... "Chuck this!"
Hip-hop is a type of music about young urban rappers and loose clothing and turn tables. Chuck seems very symbolic of this. He's a well presented character with a fitting name, and unlike Spaz, his missing backstory isn't much of an issue as he's a minor character. Go Chuck.
<b>Zoe Cottontail</b>
This is ironic, or I assume it is. You remember I said Eva's name means "Giver of Life"? Zoe's name means "Life". I kid you not. Anyway, like Eva, she's got a generic rabbit last name, only worse. Not much to say about Zoe... I kinda like her, but there's something about that scene at the end with the cage and I won't spoil it for you.
<b>Razz a ma Tazz</b>
Desperate attempt to cash in on the Jazz/Spaz thing here, which is particularly messed up when you consider that Razz is Eva's cousin, not Jazz's. I'm not quite sure what Razz is supposed to mean, either, seeing as the only stuff we have of Razz is a couple of pictures by Noogy. The best guesses I have is that he either refers to sticking your tongue out at people, or seven card stud poker played with the lowest hand winning. The first seems more likely, relating to a sassy personality, but he doesn't look sassy in the pictures, and it would probably end up being similar to Spaz. Huh.
Comments? Is this not how you see the characters? What's your view?
Ah, Jazz. Why would you name a green rabbit Jazz? What does Jazz mean?
"Jazz music", of course! Well, maybe not. Jazz music doesn't really seem to fit Jazz's character, let alone his games. Jazz is a style of music which originated in the Southern United States, based on African-American slave chants. It's characterized by lots of improvisation and syncopated beats, neither of which are at all similar to Jazz Jackrabbit, who is almost completely an amalgamation of what has come before. Here's a recent quote from CliffyB, designer. (May 2nd 2005)
"I was just ripping on the platform games I loved as a kid when I made that title. Not an original idea in sight - it was simply presented in a good, proper package on a platform that had yet to see that kind of gaming."
How does that fit in with improv and beats placed where you don't expect them? Nothing unexpected came of Jazz until 1998, when JJ2 turned out to be a cross between a platformer and a FPS... but seeing as it took them four years to make, it's certainly not improv. Jazz was designed to seem cool and be what was already approved. So, "Jazzy", then, as in "Cool", or "Brand of Wheelchairs", or maybe even "Jazzed Up" as in to add quality to already existing substances. That could be it.
So, and this is the important part, why do you just shoot people all the time? Couldn't you send him to a rehabilitation center where they get an education and then walk around all day wearing a T-Shirt with the word "JAZZED" on it? That would have been a lot more original, too.
<b>Spaz Jackrabbit</b>
What do we know about Spaz? We know he moves around wildly, shows little control, and probably isn't all that bright. He's excitable. Technically, the definition of "Spaz" is "Clumsy and Inept", but nobody really uses it that way. In essence, Spaz is exactly what his name implies, only moreso... young, uncontrollable, dangerous. A Spaz is what you call your little brother (or sister, if you work at Game Titan) when he shoots you with suction cup arrows. And... whoa, that would be an interesting weapon, actually.
Really, what is there to say about Spaz? He's undeveloped. He's by no means useless - he let Jazz out of prison, right? - but he's hard to use. Later on, JJA years, he just gets lazy. Sucks.
<b>Lori Jackrabbit</b>
Assuming you count Lori as canon (I'm iffy on this), it's only fair to wonder exactly what her name is supposed to imply. "Crowned with Laurels"? Doesn't fit at all. And really, what is she doing here? She never got developed as a character, she's just another sibling who was barely even given a personality. She looks confident, so people make her talk like Jazz. Oh, but no, she's sarcastic, too, so she's stolen Eva's thing. That's why we never see Eva around anymore, you know. Lori got in the way. Get rid of Lori and we have a nice strong female base again.
But, uh, names. Right. I guess it's just supposed to be pretty or something. Pity she's in a universe where names are supposed to be a little more interesting than that... it's like "Soapy, Slappy, and Doc". According to Google, "Lori" is a tribe of nomads who do a lot of weaving. I guess that works. Explains where she was all those years, right?
<b>Eva Earlong</b>
Ok, first, Earlong. Haha. It's like, y'know, her ears... they're long. Which is all very cool and all, but it's sort of picking on the rabbit species. When was the last time you met someone named Howard Bigtoe, or Nancy Pigtails, or Jeffery Thirdarm? It's just an extension of the ridiculous naming policy that began with Carrotus. (Don't even get me started on the planets... who named Turtemple, and if it's listed with that name, why did nobody ever notice the SECRET TEMPLE OF THE TURTLE?)
Anyway, Jazz's wife is named Eva, which is Hebrew and means "Giver of Life". That's pretty cool, and Nick's smart enough that he probably knew that. It's fairly appropriate, too, as Eva is very giving and helps Jazz out a lot... Episode 6 end, Episode 2 Premise, Episode X('94) end, and of course she gave Spaz the key back at the start of JJ2. Not only that, Eva provided the excuse for the plots of both JJ1 and JJ2, and got Jazz made into a prince. Not bad, Eva Furryfoot.
Not only that, she's spirited, and gives it to people. I bet, if Jazz hadn't come to rescue her, Eva could have reduced Devan's operations to a shambles by herself. See, the thing is, Devan is fine with killing Jazz, but Eva is his hostage... yeah. More on Devan later. Anyway, Eva is a generous soul who can fight back if persecuted. What's there not to like? Except for that one picture in the JJ2 manual where she looks all frightened and it makes you sure that picture was intended for Lori even though she hadn't been invented yet.
<b>Devan Shell</b>
As we all know, Devan is by far the most complicated character, having actual motivation besides "think of the merchandising rights alone!". Devan is fighting for his race's freedom - there were a couple of stories related to this a while back, check the War Tavern - and he's viewed as the bad guy. Anyone notice his cool name? It's like Heaven and Hell, but turtle-like. Somehow "Shell" isn't as bad as "Earlong", either, you can see James Bond walking into a pub and saying "Where is Shell?".
Basically, Devan is a strange mix between good and evil, but he's really bad at what he does, and should probably try to make his point through politics or something where he won't get shot at every time he makes an appearance. Heaven Hell. Devan Shell. He's usually called Devan, but I guess most characters are generally called by their last names (unless you're making some single player pack where the enemy calls you "Mr. Jackrabbit"), so that doesn't mean much.
<b>Chuck</b> the Hip-Hop
Chuck is the ultimate in non-committal scorn. Even his name is saying "Chuck everything, I'm going home". He's a hip-hop bird, a species which really had nothing to do with the galactic conflict of Rabbit vs. Turtle in the first place and was brought in accidentally. When the going gets tough, Chuck gets going and flies off the top of the screen... "Chuck this!"
Hip-hop is a type of music about young urban rappers and loose clothing and turn tables. Chuck seems very symbolic of this. He's a well presented character with a fitting name, and unlike Spaz, his missing backstory isn't much of an issue as he's a minor character. Go Chuck.
<b>Zoe Cottontail</b>
This is ironic, or I assume it is. You remember I said Eva's name means "Giver of Life"? Zoe's name means "Life". I kid you not. Anyway, like Eva, she's got a generic rabbit last name, only worse. Not much to say about Zoe... I kinda like her, but there's something about that scene at the end with the cage and I won't spoil it for you.
<b>Razz a ma Tazz</b>
Desperate attempt to cash in on the Jazz/Spaz thing here, which is particularly messed up when you consider that Razz is Eva's cousin, not Jazz's. I'm not quite sure what Razz is supposed to mean, either, seeing as the only stuff we have of Razz is a couple of pictures by Noogy. The best guesses I have is that he either refers to sticking your tongue out at people, or seven card stud poker played with the lowest hand winning. The first seems more likely, relating to a sassy personality, but he doesn't look sassy in the pictures, and it would probably end up being similar to Spaz. Huh.
Comments? Is this not how you see the characters? What's your view?