Originally Posted by Iam Canadian

I think that, taking single player only into account (as JJ1 has no multiplayer, so there's no fair comparison there), Jazz 1 is better.

First, Jazz 1 is harder. Jazz doesn't have as many fancy techniques in the first game and there's also a time limit breathing down your neck. The monsters are also more aggressive in JJ1; a good portion of JJ2's enemies just walk back and forth and only a few are actually likely to hit you.

Off the top of my head, the only enemies in JJ2 I can think of that actually are somewhat of a challenge to avoid are the Bees, Beeboys, Dragon Flies, and possibly the Fencers. Also, if I may use empirical evidence, I can breeze through JJ2's hard mode in one life. Yet I still die sometimes in JJ1's NORMAL mode.

Second, Jazz 1's levels have more variety to them. For one, the enemies are a lot more varied in Jazz 1. I don't think there's a single monster aside from the Turtlettes that is in one or more planets; just a few palette swaps here and there.

Conversely, in JJ2, there's a handful of monsters that appear just about everywhere (Lizards, Norm. Turtles, etc.) and one or two new monsters per tileset.

Aside from monsters, JJ1's levels also have more unique "gimmicks" than JJ2's. By gimmicks, I mean level features that aren't standard tiles, enemies, or basic events you can find in just about any level (springs, ammo...). What is there in JJ2? There's water (Marinated Rabbit), trigger crates (which may not count as they're basically everywhere), sucker tubes, rotating platforms, and...anything else?

However, there are a lot more unique gimmicks in the JJ1 levels to vary the gameplay. For example, JJ1's Nippius levels have Jazz slipping and sliding on the ice. Or the Lagunicus levels, where the lighting varies depending on how deep you are in the water. Or Dreempipes, where you have to pull switches to alter the water level. Or Orbitus, with its antigravity walls.

Even Pezrock had platforms that move horizontally. JJ2 didn't even have those. They're a platform gaming staple and yet JJ2 didn't even include something that simple. You get the idea.

The 3D bonus stages in JJ1 are also to its credit. JJ2 has nothing really like them.

Finally, JJ1 is longer. It's just got more of almost everything: more levels, more secret levels, more tilesets, more bosses. JJ1 just feels like a more complete game to me.