Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

I had the pleasure of playing this excellent battle level online and must say that while I am a CTF lover, this is one of those few levels that actually makes me consider playing more battle levels (not that I’m un-lazy enough to get around to doing so.) If you thought that there was no room for battle levels in Carrotus to get anymore (or any less, for that matter) innovative, you may want to rethink your assumpitons, let alone your entire world view. Most battle levels fall into a fairly narrow margin of creativity. A lot of them are fashioned off of the gameplay of Battle1, and these days the sight of one that truly attempts to put some strategy into the realm of battle is a rare commodity. While it does not go as far as to revolutionize the entire gameplay as a whole or introduce some psychadelic funky eyecandy set, it does what it does best: be a really, really, really good and solid Carrotus battle level.

When you first start playing the level, it is hard not to compare it to Every Other Carrotus Level Ever Made. After all, Carrotus levels have been stereotyped more than Michael Jackson has had pretend skin diseases. This level is not predictable in any way, shape, or form. That’s why it is so strikingly different from other Carrotus levels out there (I am not saying the tileset can not be used with interesting gameplay, it’s just that levels using Carrotus often are similar in gameplay – solid but uninspired, much like the tileset). Gameplay is always very good. Weapon placement is one of the two areas, however, that were not perfect and could have been improved if it was thought about enough. While most powerups were fairly well-placed, certain areas had an overkill of powerups that seemed a little too out in the open. While I can’t say that this effected gameplay that much, it still was just one of thost things that annoys me without actually mattering that whole too much. However, WCS (Weapon Clumping Syndrome) is annoying beyond belief, and this level has a very minor case of it. A few weapons moved around here and there would be nice. The second area that could use some minor improvement was eyecandy. Generally, the level looked solid and had sufficient eyecandy to keep you interested, but in many cases there were small overlookings in the scenery. A few tile errors here and there did not exactly help how the level looked, but unless you were specifically looking for them, it probably won’t bother you too much. Since I informally beta-tested it, I must say that I am disappointed that the author did not fixed either of the two mentioned tile bugs after we pointed them out, but nonetheless that doesn’t detract a huge amount from the overall feel of the level. Flow was excellent for a battle level. Flow isn’t as important in battle levels as it is in Capture the Flag, but that doesn’t mean I like to see levels just ignore it, and this one certainally pays due attention to this often overlooked aspect of the battle genre. Another interesting thing which may fall under the “pros” column or the “cons” column depending on personal preference is the use of coins and a bonus coin warp in this level. You don’t see this often in battle levels, since the “roast as fast as you can” additude of battle levels does not exactly lend itself to hunting for various coins to get a powerup which you will probably lose after being killed a minute later. Still, while few people were able to get this powerup, the coin price seemed fair, and its inclusion certainally did spice up the level a bit.

What you have here is an example of a Carrotus level at its best. While it may not echo every other Carrotus level ever created, it achieves the hard-to-garner goal of being new and lemony-fresh without being so revolutionary puritist players who refuse to play anything more revolutionary than Chemical Warfare won’t play it. It bridges the large gap between classic and innovative, and bridges it quite well. While it may have a few quirks, the amazing level of concentration, ability, and knowledge of how gameplay structure works in a new JCSer is about as common as unpoisoned water in Death Valley. Even if you aren’t a fan of battle and aren’t amazed by this rating, it is definitely worth a download just to see the great skill of a new level designed. I seriously recommend you download this pack, and I think that a 8.2 rating, while it may not seem extraordinary, is still quite high. This may be the highest rating I’ve ever given someone’s first officially released level, and I really hope to see future releases from this level’s author. Rockingham II is really that good.

Hmmm. I saw it on the internet a few days ago. Good layout and everyhting… The music kinda bothered me a lil bit. Didnt suit it. Neways this was a medium-good lvl. Download reccomended.

This level uses the overused Carrotus tileset, but i dont mind that, since i have no hatred for Carrotus, and will continue on with the review. The level name, Rockingham II, is creative but doesnt relate to anything i can think of right now. The eyecandy here is basically good, and basic. There are some secrets here, which add to the fun of this level. Im not to fond of the music though, for it sounds like the level is race or somethin’. Although the eyecandy may confuse some people, it is used to hide springs, coins, and much more. The tileset use is good, and creative, like those carrot ladders etc. I found some bugs in the walls, but they didnt affect the rating im giving it much. There have been good vine placememnts etc here so thetileset use was good. The ammo, however, lacked creativity and was placed in boring square-like shapes. I also felt the blaster powerup was to much in the open and could of been placed better. The toaster powerup has been placed great though. There HAS been some creativly placed ammo here, but not enough to give a really high rating for this column. The coins were very well placed though, and i have no disagreement about coin placement. I think that there should of been more Full energy carrots, considering the blaster powerup is in the open and reachable, and that it does 2 heart damage. I felt as the electro-blaster was to close to the carrot, but other than that it was placed well. I have no idea why those poles and exit sign where there to signify that the warp was there, the poles, ok, the exit sign, i have no clue why it was placed there….. I feel that you should of made that gold coin and toaster poweup accesible ONLY by finding the hidden spring, but ill let that one go. I found a few eyecandy errors in the place where the bonus warp leads, and the powerup which you get after collecting 20 coins and going to the warp makes a better reason to include more full energy carrots in this. I thought that those “sparkles” used in the cave walls were VERY creative and added more fun and interest to the level. Although i must say that they were originally used for the thorns to make them look sharp, but this is another creative way of using the so called “sparkles” (at least thats what i call them). The gameplay was good here, a circular level which is good, and well placed springs, although i felt some places needed more springs. A well done Battle level by Merlyn this is.

OVERALL: This is one of the more finer carrotus battle level you’ll see out there. It has strenghts at every point, and weaknesses which are barely noticable. It has fun and interactive gameplay and it makes you look at carrotus for the better. I hope you weill continue making levels like this, Merlyn, for they are creative and fun to play making them show you how well an original tileset made level can turn out to be. I’ll give this a big fat 8 and a download reccomedation!