I'm an oldie, left a while ago and I'm not offically back so I'm not going to use my real username. anyway I got jazz gba the other day and I've been playing it pretty much nonstop, wasn't sure what to expect but the game turned out really really good. it's not totally like the originals but after seeing the first screenshots I wasn't expecting it to be. if you go into it thinking it's going to be jazz 2.1 you're bound to be dissapointed, this is a different game and should be treated as such. anyway the gameplay is a lot stronger than I expected, always something to do and never gets boring (although it is a little on the short side, most gameboy games are, they're made for quick plays).

most of the game is your standard jazz really - shoot bad guys, collect new guns, shoot more bad guys, kill boss, next stage. it's nice to finally get to see new guns instead of just new ammo, definite plus for the game. the art isn't exactly like the pc games but then again it's a totally different system. i found the animations to be really fluid and the multi scrolling backgrounds are some of the best I've seen on the gba. the sound rocks and doesn't sound like gameboy-like bleeps and bloops at all, it's actually pretty pleasing to the ears. the cutscenes are actually a lot cooler than they look in the screen shots, there's movement all over and several different pictures to go along with the text. The story is "whatever" (i could care less about story in this kind of game) but the text is pretty funny most of the time.

only got a chance to play multiplayer on single-PAK mode since my bro has a gba but doesn't have the game. it's really fun even in this limited version, pretty much like playing j2 only the other player is right there next to you (the cords are short too). if the single-PAK is any indication, the multi-PAK probably rocks hard.

it's not all great though, there are a few problems. it could be a little longer (the difficulty levels help that a lot, you can crank up the difficulty big time), there's not enough of the awesome sound effects, and i guess they could have kept the look closer to the pc versions to keep some people happy although it doesn't bother me anymore, I kinda like the new look now that i'm used to it. i really hope this game does well, people playing it will think highly of jazz i think and that means there's a much better chance of finally getting j3d! overall it's a great game jazz or not and I recommend it. don't miss this game just because you're still whining about the look. my score would be 9.2/10.0, great but not perfect.

there's a review of for it on nintendophiles (http://www.n-philes.com/php/epupvaapvkayffkvkpk.php), check it out. they give it a 9.0/10.0 which is the same rating they gave golden sun 2 and advance wars.