Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Battle in the castle (1.1)
Level rating: 7.9
Rating
7.2
Heh, this is the first review I have done in over a year. “Battle in the castle” is a battle level using the standard Epic castle tileset. Anyways, let’s get started on the review. Gameplay: This was definitely the aspect of the level I disliked the most. A few things bothered me, and one of which was how every spring was how almost every spring was put inside a hole. This bothered me for one reason, and that reason is because it ruins the gameplay. Having to stop, fiddle around with the left and right controls just to get inside the spring to get to the next platform is a huge mistake in any type of level. It may look better in some cases, but it’s definitely not worth it. Springs should always be made for easy access, and this was not the case. On the other hand, their actual placement was good for the mostpart. It got me to where I wanted to be, with the exception of a few un-needed springs. What I didn’t understand was this one area where you had to jump over two red springs to get to one area which could have been easily accessed by a green spring. When it comes to a level, springs being as convienant as possible is what you want. One other thing I noticed was that it had a few deadends in it. Although they were all supported by either a powerup or ammo, that doesn’t excuse the reason why they are there. Deadends are extremely annoying, and can always be averted by a sping, sucker tube, or a new direction to go besides where you left off. I also happened to notice that for the 10 coin warp, all you recieved were a few measly fast fire weapons. I do not think that having to run around looking for coins just for that is a very good idea. Something better, like a carrot should have been added and/or replaced in that area. On the other hand, it was good that you need 20 coins for the seeker powerup. Very appropriate. On the last note, I would like to point out that some parts of the level were way too flat, which made it boring to play after a while. Overall: The gameplay was good, despite some of the deadends and spring issues. It was relitively easy to move around in, with plenty of room. The level is.. kind of Jazz friendly, with the exception of what I mentioned earlier. Eyecandy: I didn’t really have any big issues with the eyecandy, here. I noticed very few mistakes, other than this one bridge that seemed to be held up with nothing but air. Other than that, I couldn’t find anything else. The eyecandy was not very original at all. It lacked anything different I have seen in other levels in the past using this tileset, and after a while it got rather boring. Try to add more curves, and ups and downs to your levels to make it not only look better, but more fun to the person(s) playing it. The backround was very good, but still unoriginal. Not every layer was used, to my disappointment. The more layers that are slabbed onto a level, the better it usually looks. But the layers that were used, were used relatively well, and that’s a good thing. Also, I would like to point out the good use of ambient lighting on the fire animations. Overall: Overall, the eyecandy was very good, yet unoriginal. Basically every tile was where it should have been, and most layers were used, and used well. Not too many issues with eyecandy. Weapons/Placement: I really couldn’t find anything wrong with the weapon placement, and most of the ammo was placed with nice decorative shapes and sizes. There was an almost perfect amount of ammo, but I thought there was a tad too much ice and TNT, and not enough seekers. Most of the ammo was easy to get to, whether it was Jazz or Spaz. I’m not sure if that amount of fast fire was good enough, and it should have been replaced and put elsewhere. As I said earlier, 10 coins for something as unused as that is kind of a ripoff. Other than that, no issues. Overall: Very good weapons/placement in the level, but a bit overdone with the ice and TNT. Basically everything was placed where it should be, and easy to get to with any character chosen. To sum things up, “Battle in the castle” is an above average, well made level that will have guaranteed fun for battlers everywhere. Overall, I give this level a 7.2. I recommend you download this level, and enjoy!

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Miniature Diamondus Warzone
Level rating: 8.2
Rating
N/A

I really can’t rate this level. It’s pretty much a replica, except for a few minor changes and the size. I personally don’t like it as much as the original, the gameplay seems a little off. I suppose it would be good for a 1vs1 match or something, but nothing else. I didn’t really put too much care into looking at this level, I saw pretty much all I needed to see.

Anyways, there’s one of my shortest reviews in a while. It means pretty much nothing, so I’ll give it a N/A mostly because the whole concept doesn’t fit into Diamondus Warzone.

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Trio Space War
Level rating: 6.5
Rating
6.5

Mmh.. I’m tired, leave me alone. TRIO SPACE WAR IS IT’S NAME, LET’S DO ANOTHER UNNESSESSARY LONG REVIEW, SHALL WE?

Eyecandy: Not too much to say here, slightly above average eyecandy I suppose. It was a bit plain, the tiles didn’t involve much more than a few crators and simple colours. Strangely enough only one planet had a backround other than the default one which was a mountain in the backround that didn’t move. To tell the truth, the eyecandy was a bit boring. Though this is true, I didn’t see any mistakes, either. Not bad, I’d say. Gameplay: Meh.. I didn’t like it that much. There are blue springs that get in the way of your narrow path in certain areas, and confusing warps. I have to say, the warping scheme was a bit odd. You didn’t always start off with a powerup, infact I rarely did. When you start off you get to pick between three planets to battle in. I don’t at all consider this survivor, other than “grouped battle.” Again, I have my good points to this level. It was very Jazz friendly, fairly easy to get around for most areas. By the way, you never made it so it’s impossible to get the powerups without having to warp, eg.(ice powerup) Other than that, not bad. Weapons/Placement: Again, I wasn’t too impressed with this aspect of the level. Yes, the weapons are sparse, and no, they don’t really have much of a variety to them. Rectangular shaped ammo is quite boring. Add more variety to it. As for placement, I didn’t have a problem with that. Good placement, there. My additional comments to the level are as follows. “Trio Space War” is more a battle level than it is an Assult/Survivor level. I found it a bit boring, not much layer three or sucker tubes or anything, mostly just running around in circles killing people. I didn’t think this level requires too much if any strategy at all. The idea of yours is okay, but it can use improving. As for the rating, overall you get a 6.5 Yes, it’s a little disappointing but you have potential. Keep working on it! Download Recommendation, maybe.. It depends all on what you like, really.

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Orbitemple!
Level rating: 6.3
Rating
N/A

I don’t specialize in music, so this one won’t be rated. Anyway, on to my not-so-long review.

Personally, I enjoyed “Orbitemple.” It’s a satisfactory music file fit for many different types of levels. It was clear and crisp for the mostpart. One problem I had with this music file was the repetitiveness. I felt that it was a bit too short to be repeating the same pitch over and over again. At times that can be annoying, especially if you’re hosting a level with it. Of course, the repeating sounds aren’t half bad. I’m not really sure what else to say, since I don’t listen to music. Anyway, “Orbitemple” is a good s3m for most anyone. Keep workin’ on those sound tracks! (insert rating here)

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: This Level Is Untitled
Level rating: 8.4
Rating
8.2

Ah, yes. “This level is untitled” coinsidently is a title. Anyway, I’m too lazy to think of another good opening sentence, so I’ll just start my review.

Eyecandy: What can I say? I enjoyed it. Mike added at least a few backround layers which consisted of MOVING snow, and mountains ect. The foreground was basicly all of the one-way events, which I liked. I never really used those in my levels. The bottom of the level has some foreground trees, the backround also has stuff like that. Good effect. No eyecandy problems that I saw…or did I? No wait, no.. I didn’t. Gameplay: Good gameplay is nessessary in a CTF level, of course. I didn’t mind it too much, I spotted a float-up event where it was needed. It wasn’t quite effective, though. There are two copters throughout the level, I think one is enough. The copter by the blue base is just awful, it’s too easy to defend when there’s basicly only one way to go unless you’re there at the right time. (I hate copters) The other one was placed nicely, no problems there. The level wasn’t too flat, it had its usual ups and downs, and such. Simple gameplay, really. You can’t go wrong with simple gameplay. Weapons/Placement: I was a bit disappointed with this aspect of the level. Almost everything seemed to be square or rectangular, not much variety of shapes or anything. Though the level is fairly large, I think there was just a tad too much ammo. There needs to be a better balance. As for the powerups, no problems. There are 2-3 powerups in the level, that’s quite enough for CTF. Other than that, not bad. “This level is untitled” is another quality CTF level by EvilMike. Luckily, I don’t rate titles. ;P Overall, I give this level an 8.2 GOOD JOB, M8.

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Metal Mania Assult
Level rating: 8.5
Rating
N/A

Well that’s just pointless.

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Spider Swamp
Level rating: 8.5
Rating
8

Ehh… I haven’t done this in a while. Oh well, here goes again. Spider Swamps is a meduim-sized battle level fit for almost anyone that enjoys battles. Sorry for the unoriginal idea, I’m tired right now. Anyway, let’s get started.

Eyecandy: “Spider Swamps” uses Agama’s newest tileset, which most of you should already know. I was quite impressed with the eyecandy used in this level. Defalcon made an effort to use as much eyecandy in different varities as he could. Layer 8, I can’t say much about. It’s perfect really, no flaws there. Layer 4 and 5 is amazing. The use of backround leaves throughout the level creates a realistic jungle affect. Not only leaves, but things like spider webs and platforms has also been used to improve the eyecandy. Use of layer 3 was great also. Again, he used much variety in this backround and foreground work. I can’t say anything negative about this portion of my review. Gameplay: Though I didn’t bother to test the level with Jazz, I already know what his capibilities would be in this level. It’s quite Jazz friendly in most areas, although some spots require some effort to get from place to place. Other than that, I noticed one other minor problem. I noticed a few areas that seemed to need springs. It’s not something to worry about, though. The spring placement was pretty good. To make the gameplay more interesting, Defalcon added many curves and twists throughout the level. I noticed the top of the level was still a bit too flat for my likings. BOO TO YOU FOR NOT LISTENING! ;P Anyway, other than that I had no problem with the gameplay. I have to say, that this level isn’t nearly as confusing as his last level, thank goodness. Weapons/Placement: What else can I say besides… almost perfect? The placement of the ammo was just perfect, in my opinion. Not everything is rectangular, again it has variety of different shapes and sizes. There wasn’t a lack, or too much ammo either. I found it was just right for that size of a level. The powerups were placed well, too. The only mistake I found was at the seeker powerup room. Though the secret was well placed (thanks to me ;P) Defalcon forgot to add the destruct event that blocks all weapons from getting through to those seekers. Other than that, the weapons/placement was A-OK. Overall, I give this level an 8. I was struggling to decide to either a 7.7 or an 8, but I know Defalcon worked hard on this, and it deserves every point. I highly recommend you download this, now. Good job, Deffie!

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago (edited 25 May 09, 20:02 by Stijn)
For: Bleached Diamondus
Level rating: 8
Rating
7.7

Bleached Diamondus, a rather obvious title for a level with such a tileset. Let’s start with my usual, lengthy review.

Eyecandy: The tileset used in this level is of course, Diamondus. Yet it is overused, that is not an issue due to the quality of the level. There was a nice backround with trees, the usual. Not much to say about that. There was a good creativeness used in layer 5, or whatever layer was used for those patches of blue whatever they’re called. That made the eyecandy look rather nice. There was a good use of trees and flowers and such, not too little yet not too crowded so you can’t see what you’re doing. I didn’t notice any eyecandy mistakes, although at the time I wasn’t looking very hard at that aspect. What gave the eyecandy that extra zip of pleasure was the fact that it’s bleached. Very nice. I’m sure every layer was used in this level, or at least pretty close.

Gameplay: The gameplay in this level was unique in certain ways, and common in others. Either way you look at it, the gameplay was pretty good, especially for a CTF level. Good use of one-way events, used where nessessary. Good use of springs, also. When you enter the blue or red base, you’ll notice you can go left or right, which go in two opposite directions. Very useful, because you don’t want your opponent camping at the spot where you’re always going to end up. There was many ups and downs, curves and sharp spots. A good variety of gameplay. When you reach the carrot warp, you fall into the carrot, then descending down to a warp. The really interesting this about this is that by the warp is water, so you can stay in that carrot room if you think your opponent is going to try to get it. An interesting camping technique used.

Weapons\Placement: The number of weapons used in this level was perfect, since the level is a bit smaller than most CTF levels there wasn’t too much. There was a good variety of ammo, they weren’t all clustered up into a rectangle. They were spread out into many patterns which makes the level fun. There were only two powerups, which is perfect for a level that size. Good choice on powerups, too. Seekers and bouncers are used often in CTF levels. I didn’t have any problem with the use of weapons.

Overall, Bleached Diamondus is a good CTF level, good for as little as 1vs1 duels, or as much as 3vs3. I didn’t really see any flaws in the level at all… It’s above average in my opinion, but it’s still missing something. Something to give it that extra zip of tenderness.. So overall, this level gets a 7.7. Good job, FS!

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Chromosphere
Level rating: 8.4
Rating
8.5

Cracks his knuckles ready to do another review Okay, another Cell level, we just can’t get enough. ;P

Eyecandy- Very good use of the tileset. Not too simple, there is a large variety of different tiles scattered, (not randomly) throughout the level. I didn’t notice any eyecandy mistakes, pretty much just a nice simplicity without too much blinding foreground and such. Good use of layer 3, using tiles to cover certain platforms to make the level look more interesting. The backround is just beaiutiful, with it being paralaxed, and a few raindrops in the sky to add the perfect touch. Also, an amount of layer 5 blocks were added to create pleasure to the eye, and also creativity. When I turned on the Ambient lighting option, I was just stunned. The flames glowed, and the lighting produced such a realistic feeling in the level. I was very impressed with this.

Gameplay- I can’t say too much about the gameplay besides very good. The level is Jazz friendly, and there are no deadends or points in the level that make you stop dead in your tracks. Very smooth, and a bit flat. Not too many curves, not too flat. I’d say it’s balanced out pretty good. Springs are convieniantly placed. No problems there.

Weapons/Placement: Perfect. A large variety of weapons, scattered throughout the level in different shapes and forms. There are only two powerups, but two is more than enough for such a small level. Again, I didn’t see any problems there.

Chromosphere is the ideal level for a 1vs1 duel in CTF. I wouldn’t say it’s good for anything more than that because of its size. Excellent level, Cell. Download recommendation? Yes!

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Shaped Wonders
Level rating: 7.5
Rating
6.7
Shaped wonders is a level I stumbled upon while playing TSF, hosted by Umbaman himself. Now let’s get started with another very long review by MaGoo…

Eyecandy- For a tileset that isn’t used much, I can’t say that much about the eyecandy. Although some parts are definitely not used properly which makes the level look a bit… trashy. There are many ups and downs, curves and such. I don’t think there are many places where you can get stuck, well I never found any. There are some animations in the level, although they seemed to be misplaced.

Gameplay- I found a few gameplay flaws in this level, first of which was deadends. I found some deadends, with no ammo or anything to make the empty space useful. I suggest you always make some way out of a deadend, it can be anything from a spring to a sucker tube. Use of springs was okay, I can’t say much about that. The floating event was well used throughout the level, although I don’t think those pinball things at the top of the level were nessessary.

Weapons/Placement- The amount of weapons used was pretty good. Not too much, and not too little. Also, well scattered throughout the level, in many varietys. The amount and placement of the ammo wasn’t disappointing at all.

I find that Shaped Wonders is an average level for the average Jazzer. It can be a fun level, depending on what you like. Download recommendation, sure, not bad for an average level.

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Mad Structure CTF
Level rating: 6.5
Rating
6.2

Mad Structure CTF, ahh yes I need to rate some more. Here goes!

Eyecandy: This CTF level has fairly simple eyecandy. Nothing too detailed or complicated. It consists of mainly square blocks and some grassy areas at the bottom. There are a few ups and downs in the level, but still very boring and simple. Layer 5 has no variety, just the same old thing. This goes with almost all of the other layers. Try to add more detail and excitement in your eyecandy to make the level more interesting.

Gameplay: I have little to say about the gameplay. Again, sort of simple. It mainly consists of platforms with springs leading to one another, which I have to say doesn’t make the level very pleasurable to play in. Nothing special in this catagory.

Weapons/Placement: The amount of weapons was sparse in some areas, yet too many in others. Try to put ammo in all different areas of the level to make it more interesting (as I have said before.) All of the powerups were hidden at the edges of the level, where you had to find the warps to get them. The problem I had with that was that if you don’t really know the level, you have a disadvantage when playing because you have no idea where any of the powerups are. I think 1 or 2 powerups can be hidden, but no more than that.

Mad Structure CTF is a fairly plain and simple level. I can’t really give a download recommendation, sorry Maddie.

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Battle Out VI
Level rating: 8.1
Rating
N/A

Just to let you know, the few “deadends” on the level contains ammo or something of use to fill it up, so that isn’t really considered a deadend.

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Grassy Battle Fields Pack
Level rating: 3.8
Rating
3.5

This level pack contains levels that are all pretty much the same, but with different tilesets. I’m not going to rate each level individually, because there’s almost an exact similarity between all of these levels.

Eyecandy: The eyecandy in these levels is very simple, underused, and not used properly. There are very few changes in eyecandy throughout the levels, and there are no patterns or variety in the way the eyecandy is set up.

Gameplay: The gameplay in this pack is very bad. Very few curves, or anything that can make the level more fun to play in. There are springs leading to the next platform, which is very simple and boring. These levels mostly consist of square platforms with springs leading to one another.

Weapons/Ammo: One thing I found completely annoying was that all of the powerups were beside eachother. You can never do this. You must put powerups in all different parts of the level, so it isn’t so easy to get powerups, and to avoid camping. Other weapons are scattered throughout the levels, and I don’t have too much of a problem with the weapon placement, other than the powerups.

Grassy Battle Fields Pack is a very simple and poorly planned battle pack. I suggest you use more variety in your levels next time. I give this pack a 3.5

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Carrotus battle
Level rating: N/A
Rating
N/A

You can’t really rate something that doesn’t have your design concept. Sort of pointless…

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Deserted Debris
Level rating: 8
Rating
7.2

Deserted Debris, the level that I got a chance to play in Fire’s server. Let’s get started from another lengthy post from Magoo.

Eyecandy: The tileset has fairly detailed yet simple eyecandy. It’s not that hard to go wrong. This level has interesting designs placed in spots. It has a good use of vines ane One-Way events. Although there are a few spots in the level where you can easily get stuck. For example the one way near the carrot. You can get stuck, because there is no event above the silver blocks. Same goes with some of the designs. Corners lead to getting stuck. The eyecandy isn’t too complicated. Nice and simple, and not too confusing.

Gameplay: I was a little disappointed in the gameplay of this level. Some places aren’t very Jazz friendly. Also, there are plenty of spots that suddenly stop you in your tracks, and then you have to go around that object. You should always try to keep everything smoothed out, or at least have a spring so you don’t have to waste any time. The positions of the CTF bases were good, although it’s a bit hard to get in and out due to the space you have. That’s a bit bad for gameplay.

Weapons/Placement: Alright, I must say the number of weapons was pretty good. Plentiful, yet not overcoming. There was a good amount of different kinds of weapons in this level. One problem I had, was the bouncy powerup room. The event to prevent guns from going through the walls was around the powerup. Which prevents you from shooting people inside the room. Try to make the event inside the walls. Other than that, the weapon placement was pretty good also. No problems there.

Overall, Deserted Debris is a good open type CTF level. It’s also good if you like playing with Spaz. :P Overall I give it a 7.2

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Anniversary Bash 4 level pack
Level rating: N/A
Rating
N/A

You aren’t supposed to rate it.

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Inside the Glue Factory
Level rating: 8.8
Rating
8.2

Where’s the glue? :P Anyway, let’s get started.

Eyecandy: Delightful. I have to say most of the eyecandy was pretty interesting. The backround was greatly detailed. The amount of eyecandy was also very good. Not too much, Jazz and Spaz can move around, and not too little. I found a few eyecandy mistakes, but nothing huge. The only huge bug I found was the large sucker tube. I kept getting stuck on it. I also think that it should go a bit faster. Going through that tube is a waste of time in my opinion.

Weapons/Placement: The amount of ammo was almost perfect. A bit sparse in a few places, but all in all pretty good. Good amount of powerups, too. The placement was also good, I don’t really have much to say about the placement exept that it is in good spots.

Gameplay: For such a large level, the gameplay wasn’t too bad. Easy enough to move around with Jazz, although some parts I had to do the uppercut to get up. Try to avoid that. Good spring placement, although I was a bit confused as to where some of them were. Try not to hide so many.

P.S You spelled Access wrong. :P Overall, “Inside the Glue Factory” is a fun and exciting level, especially with a lot of people because it’s so big. Good Job! I give it an 8.2

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Stagarious Warzone - Point Zero
Level rating: 6.7
Rating
6.2

Ah, another battle. Let’s get started.

Eyecandy: I can’t say much at all about the eyecandy in this level. The eyecandy is simple, yet a bit too simple. No vines, not much backround or foreground. Just a few blocks, with a tree near the bottom of the level. There aren’t many features, which may make the level a bit boring.

Weapons/Placement: The weapon placement was pretty well done. Most of it was tucked within corners. Some beside walls. The amount of ammo was fairly well, not too much not too little. The only problem is that too many powerups seemed hidden in walls.

Gameplay: The gameplay was fairly good, no trouble for Jazz or Spaz to run through the level. That’s a good point of not having much details in a level.

Overall, I recommend this to people who enjoy a simple level with good gameplay. I give it a 6.2

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Downward Hop
Level rating: 7.3
Rating
N/A

You race laps to win.

Review by MR MAGOO

Posted:
Posted more than 20 years ago
For: Operation: Tunnel Torment
Level rating: 8.7
Rating
8.5

The level Tunnel Torment is a CTF made by an experienced level maker. Okay folks, let’s get started.

Eyecandy: The eyecandy in this extreamly underused tileset was unique and really well done. It is a very large and circular level with lots of neat eyecandy with flashing animations and such. I didn’t really have a problem with the eyecandy at all. Although once in a while the springs may get in the way. Otherwise, no problem. As well with the backround, very interesting.

Weapons: The weapon placement was almost perfect. The amount was pretty good. One thing I didn’t see was ice. I
can’t remember if there is ice in that level, but try to add just a small amount. I think there should be at least 1 more powerup too.

Gameplay: The gameplay was exeptional. Pretty Jazz friendly, although like I said before, the springs can get in the way at times. But other than that, I didn’t have much of a problem moving around. The tunnels that went across the level were fun and quick. Again may I mention the uniqueness of this level.

Another well done level by Cell. Download recommendation? Uhh… Duh!

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