Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Ah yes. I have returned temporarily, just long enough to review this level pack, maybe longer.

Anyways, from the outset, I’d say that the level pack does a few things right. For one, it only puts the first level in the level list, which is good because it prevents confusion. It also does a very nice cutscene with some great animation and stuff, which somehow manages to go to the next level without the usual end-level fanfare that is found normally.

After that we hit the first level. It looks pretty good, with good music and a nice tileset choice. The storyline is very vague here, but that’s not much of a problem. What IS a problem is a few gameplay problems. For one, insta-death pits galore. Also, it wasn’t totally clear what could and couldn’t be stepped on.

There’s this one graphical element here I don’t like though, which is this repeating land mass which creates depth at the top and bottom of the level, but also obscures stuff and looks odd at the beginning. Otherwise, the only major complaint with this level is that the final boss is an icy pile of snow that shoots flails at you and summons flails from the ground and walls.

The next level is a hotel. I’m not kidding. I have no idea why, but it is. It’s supposed to be a base or something, I think, but I couldn’t help feeling I was playing as Jason or something as I slaughtered tons of what must be tourists. The eyecandy was very busy, and not that good, with screwed up perspectives at different times. The enemy placement wasn’t that good either, with just tons and tons of enemies, even when it didn’t make sense.

So then we magically get onto a satellite in space after that. Then we navigate through three satallites which are actually mazes before we have to take out a very hard “communications array” consisting of three hidden queens. Afterwards, we are treated to a nice “cutscene” (as it’s just a still image) of Jazz jumping down to the planet from the satellite… this looks alright, but is a bit weird. Jazz says he want to take over Devon’s planet. Huh.

So then we’re in central park, which looks really nice, but isn’t particularly good or bad, except there are still a ridiculous amount of enemies.

And after that is the city. This is probably the worst level, as it feels unfinished. Not even any music. Not really much in the foreground, though there is a big background which looks great. This level requires a lot of leaps of faith, often into but often not into insta-death pits. At last we make it through and fight Devon Shell in a big open arena. He then actually pleads for mercy as Jazz says that he is going to take over the planet, muhahaha.

Then there is another of these cutscenese. Then the game crashes.

Yes, when it says “first half” it does not mean “chapter one” it actually means the download is split into two parts. I don’t see why. It would’ve been nice to put a “To be continued…” or something, and quit gracefully.

Last thoughts?

It’s an okay pack, with a semi-interesting storyline I could not take seriously because of the variation and odd choices in the levels. I’d say download anyways. You’ve got nothing to lose, and there’s some interesting stuff anyways. So yeah, not that great, but not bad either. It’s okay. 6.5/10

Well, there’s not much to really say. The levels are exactly the same as the standard Treasure Hunt levels, except with ammo instead of gems. One thing I was very pleased with was that the author did not simply do a mass replace of gems with ammo, but actually took some time to consider placement. Overall nothing really new, or particularly great.

Here we go:
This is the sequel to Invasion of Deserto, another very good pack.

Gameplay:
Very good use of baddies, triggers, and bonuses. The levels are long, yet fun. (My personal favourite is hopping from spaceship to spaceship. That was fun.) The major problem is difficulty. At some parts, surviving is harder than the puzzles!
9/10

Eyecandy:
Well done! No problems that I could see, and good use/choice of tilesets! There was some very good use of lighting and bosses, and awesome effects made using layers.
10/10

Placement:
The baddies are sometimes hard to deal with, and sometimes too close. Another problem is sometimes proximity of dangers, with no pause in-between. Nothing seriously wrong.
8.5/10

Originality:
Pretty average, yet the choice of endings is new to me. Also, the pack uses events in ways I haven’t seen.
Very good!
8/10

Overall:
DEFINITE download recommendation. As the description says, download the previous episode first. Yet if you need a challenge, download this pack!
9.5/10

And now the review:
Gameplay: 4/10
-It’s CTF, just to let anybody know.
-Lots of jumping required. Slows down process of getting around.
-A bit confusing as to where you are. Too much like a labrynth.This makes it hard to remember how to get to your base.
-Bases too close together. A standard game (10 captures) would finish in a couple of minutes.

Eyecandy: 7/10
-Neat tileset chosen.
-The contrast actually works very well. Easy to see difference between background and forground.
-Little forground.

Music: 10/10
-Very good tempo
-Synthesizer in there? Fits the tileset and level.

Placement: 4/10
-Why were there warps in some places? Why did you end up at a computer? This made things VERY confusing.
-Too many seekers. They require little skill to kill with, and are one of the most powerful weopens in the game.

Size: After running around a bit, it looks suitable for about 5-6 players. Not necessarily good for a CTF level.

Bonuses:
-Tileset is a crossbreed between Tubelectric and… something grey.
-Makes me feel claustrophobic.

Overall: 7/10
A good level for a LAN party, but not online play for a big server in my opinion. It has ok eyecandy and good music, but the gameplay is confusing and makes things a bit too complicated.

Download Reccomendation: Yes, but only if you intend to play with less than 7 people, because the level is a bit small and the bases are close together, making it easy to finish the level in a couple of minutes..

Hmm. This is a much better pack than I expected. It has rather good eyecandy, though there were some layer problems at points, and some of the tile choice seemed odd. The pack had some problems with enemy placement as well, because sometimes the enemies didn’t move. A certain maze puzzle was used quite a lot, but it didn’t really bother me. The boss battles were quite well done, and the music choice was very good. I didn’t manage to get the secret level, but it is overall a rather easy levelpack (on easy, haven’t tried hard.)

Overall:
Good, and I’d download it, but it’s over pretty fast. Even so, it deserves a place on the good list. 7/10

This has got to be the best (if not one of the best) level packs I have seen in a long time. Each level has a great layout, and may I say that I can’t even understand how most triggers worked.

Pros:
-Amazing continuation of a great storyline.
-Mission type levels help make the game feel more suspenseful.
-Great eyecandy, which just compliments already amazing level layout.
-Strange, yet amazing, combinations of triggers that expand the use of the level, allowing much more realism.
-Great soundtrack that really fits the mood of the levels.
-Amazing work with layers to produce effects almost impossible with animating tiles.

Cons:
-Difficult at some parts for rookie players.

Overall:
As I already said, an amazing pack which deserves it’s place in your levels.

-ShadeJackrabbit (In case you don’t recognise my j2o user name)

[Another “ignore me” edit. ~cooba]

Wow. This is a pretty good CTF level. First thing I’d like to say is that there is lots of space, and the bases are far enough apart. Didn’t really like the inclusion of seekers, but I don’t think it damaged it too much. Excellent eyecandy, which made the level look very lush and similar to a greenhouse. Only odd thing were the floating things in the background. I’d say about… 8/10. Really good, definitely worth a download.

Okay… it’s a okay level to begin with. It’s nice, has lots of space, and good weapon placement… kinda.

EYECANDY: 7/10
Well… it looks good, but also kinda boring. There aren’t any landmarks or anything to distinguish where you are, and too much looks the same. Even so, there aren’t any real problems with it, so I’d say it’s good.

WEAPON PLACEMENT:7/10
You know, I would love to see way less seekers in the game. They require almost no skill to use, and if you fire enough of them it’s hard to miss. There was a seeker powerup right where I started. Bad idea in my opinion. There are also lots of other powerups. As for normal ammo, it had good placement.

ORIGINALITY: 7/10
I’m not seeing anything that sticks out here. I mean, it looks very bland… the eyecandy I mentioned was okay, but it looks very much like standard carrotus. The level is very platform oriented, which I haven’t actually see that much of.

GAMEPLAY: 7.5/10
I liked how the trees blocked the ammo, which was good because it added a bit more stratagy. The level is very platform oriented, which can become quite a nuisance at times. Anyone who gets the bouncers can sit on a high platform and shoot down at people. People could retaliate with seekers, but I think it would have been been better not to have either weapon there.

OVERALL: 7.2/10
An okay level, but I honestly wouldn’t play it because there’s nothing that really stands out about it.

DOWNLOAD RECCOMENDATION: Iffy.
Sure, if you’re low on battle levels, but there is better out there. Sorry, but I really can’t say either way.

Nice job! I have to say that the tileset looks really hard to use, but yeah, you can get a great end result with it.

The graphics are ripped from the game, (as far as I can tell) but it manages to look like it has some sort of order, which is good (especially when dealing with these angles). I think that must have been pretty hard.

Overall, a good tileset, but you should only get it if you’re willing to take the time to get things right.

Good job!

(NOTE: You should rename the level so JJ2 can understand it.)

Lethal liquid. Sounds dangerous.

Gameplay: 8/10
First off, I found the level very easy to navigate. And it did NOT have a mirror base. (The level was not symetrical.) There were some interesting warp placements, that actually made a bit of sense. Bad? I think there might have been too many sucker tubes used. But not really, because it fits well.

Eyecandy: 7/10
Looks very nice. Layers were done well, and animation was smooth. There was a bit too little eyecandy in an area or two, but other than that, good.

Placement: 7.5/10
Everything fit where it was placed. Only one seeker powerup, with no extra ammo. That is a good thing in multiplayer. The bases were far enough apart, and there were interesting warp uses and placements.

Overall: 7.5/10
A very nice level that I will keep around for that LAN Party, or maybe to host online someday. Either way, I think it has a good mix of gameplay and eyecandy, while still staying CTF at the core.

Download Reccomendation: Yes.

Pinball yay! …right?

Gameplay: 1/10
Well, the idea is pretty original, and it is interesting for a few minutes. I can see why it is for Tresure Hunt, but it has some of bugs. First, I got stuck in a wall shortly after starting the level. This was something I could see as being able to have been tested. I noticed that some surfaces would not have springs, while others did. I found myself pressing “jump” too many times for a pinball game. It was also cramped, so I had a hard time doing anything.

Eyecandy: 1/10
Well, it looks like a pinball machine. Kinda. The springs were simply… disgusting. They made my eyes hurt. A different tileset could’ve hidden them better.

Placement: 3/10
Ok, there were simply too many springs. Springs here and there. Why not use other events? Springs don’t make the world go round.

Bonus:
-Very original idea +0.5

Overall: 2.2/10
Good idea, but just doesn’t work. I could think of a few things that would make it better. Maybe make it bigger. And use LESS SPRINGS.

Download Recomendation: No, because it doesn’t work. There is another pinball level or two, get them instead. [Fixed review – ZAPPER]

Maybe it is as bad.

Gameplay: 3/10
This level is quite big, but also very odd. There was this one area with lots of parallel ropes, with nothing else there. There just wasn’t much there, including ammo. It looks like it is one of those levels where you fill the empty space with players.

Eyecandy: 7/10
This level uses the background items for Medivo properly, which is something kinda confusing. The rain looks proper, along with the lightning. There were a couple of problems, like one awkward block section, where it should have been filled in but… wasnt. There was also very little eyecandy in the foreground and 4th layer., which makes the level more boring.

Placement: 4/10
This level has a lot of wide open spaces, but there shouldn’t have been as many. This level had an odd warp target which was unrelated to where you last were. This is confusing and makes things more complicated.

Overall: 4.7/10
It is kinda neat, with an underusd tileset, but is too confusing and has too little of anything to make it usefull.

Download Recomendation: No, there is much better out there.
[I have redone my review. Sorry for my previous one. – ZAPPER]

Now let’s see what this is…

Gameplay: 5/10
For such a big level, I expected more… things in the level. The ammo had the right amount grouped together, but there wasn’t really enough. I suppose it could work on a big server.

Eyecandy: 6/10
It uses Diamondus, which is nice, because it is well done. The background is very nice, and there are a good amount of gems in the ground. Lighting effects on caves work well too. I only have one major problem, and that is the lack of foreground. Complete lack of foreground. It makes the whole place seem less real. Some trees would have been fine.

Placement: 7/10
There are a lot of wide open spaces, and the whole place is easy to understand. I didn’t really get lost, but as I mentioned before, weopen placement was dissapointing.

Notes:
-It isn’t a good idea to write a readme with MS Word or other special programs. A readme should be readable by Wordpad or Notepad, because not everyone can open .doc files.
-The left side of level is open which makes a glitch possible where you are invincible..

Overall: 6/10
An okay level. But I can’t see myself ever playing it. It just doesn’t have what would make it fun.

Download Recomendation: No, because I don’t see a reason for using it instead of, say, Aztec Battle.

A music review… Never done one before…

Pros:
This is an interesting song with a suspenseful beginning. It has a very good beat,and has some nice repetition. The instrument choice kinda reminds me of Final Fantasy, but also of Mechawarrior or James Bond. One or more of the instruments seemed to be a choir. Surprisingly it fit in. Overall, kinda dark, but still has a slight appeal.

Cons:
Unfortunatly, a few things were less than perfect. Some parts of rhythms overlapped, in a bad way. It didn’t really fit. There was also too much repetition at a few parts, and sometimes it just doesn’t feel right (“xylophone” 10 times is too much. There was a a strange use of what felt like “James Bond” but was also felt deep. These feelings conflicted.

Overall: 6
An okay song, but I wouldn’t really want to hear it as I kill lizards and turtles.

Download Reccomendation: I can’t say, because it depends for what. Listening? No. Shoot-em-up level? No. Something like Cracco Land of Golden Coins? Maybe.

NOTE: Updated to follow rules and suggestions of Fquist. Sorry ‘bout that.

Okay, this level is okay. If you just started playing Jazz 2.

Gameplay:
Only good part was when you attack the crates and turtles fall.
0.5/10

Eyecandy:
So-so. So-so bad. Bad. Only one layer used. Not good at all.
0/10

Originality:
None, less than none. You don’t even find luigi.
0.5/10

Bonus:
No.

Music:
None
0/10

Placement:
Mmmmmmmm…. Alright I guess. Not enough badguys. Bad length.
0.7/10

Overall:
Don’t download.
0.3/10

(Can’t rate that low. Guess it’ll be a 1)

I’ll review this level by level.

Dad! Come to see here!:
Gameplay:
Classic find something to win. Quite challenging. I missed some coins and cheated to win.
3/10

Placement:
Enemy placement is so-so. Most of them can’t move, which makes them easy targets. The goodies are placed pretty well, except the ungettable ones on the very left.
3/10

Eyecandy:
Alright. Not much in terms of layering, and some of the eyecandy you can get stuck on. Okay though. Not sore on the eyes.
2/10

Originality:
I haven’t seen many of these yet.
4/10

Overall for level:
3/10

Burg des grauens:
The second level.

Gameplay:
You must defeat the scwartzengaurd. Reminds me of Carrotus. Not to hard, yet fair.
4/10

Placement:
Better enemy and goodie placement. None of the previous problems. Only know, there are too many badguys.
4/10

Eyecandy:
Definantly not sore on the eyes. Still the sam layering problems, but at least you don’t get stuck on stuff. Gets better near the end.
4/10

Originality:
None really.
1/10

Overall:
3.9/10

Reich der Affen:

Gameplay:
Uhg. I spent 5 minutes going in the wrong direction. This level can be beaten in 30 seconds.
0/10

Placement:
Not good. The layout can be very annoying, cause you don’t know where to go!
1/10

Eyecandy:
Good. About the only good thing in this level.
4/10

Originality:
None whatsoever.
0/10

Overall:
2/10

Grand Overall:
3/10

Download Reccomendation: Yes.
But make sure you know the file names so you can delete it when you are done.

Okay. This was entertaining for a few minutes.

Gameplay:
Actually tricky at some parts. Mainly because of lack of directions. And It is possible to win before you go throgh the whole thing.
1/10

Placement:
Enemies are in bad posistions. Fish out of water? Not enough of them. No bonus items like berries or soda.
0/10

Eyecandy:
No layers, lack of directios, and the level was not built to look good.
0.5/10 (For the effort)

Originality:
None.
0/10

Overall:
0.75/10. But since it is the first, 1/10.