Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

o.O! This took me by surprise….
a hyper-long review by Trafton!

Level 1: NiP Start (Emerald Isle) (NiP_Start (EM).j2l)
I don’t know if the levels were made in any paticular order, but saying that is about the only introduction I could come up with for this level. I shall review it, and then review the other levels, and then see how Trafton’s review dwarves mine to all get out and beyond.
STORY: Having a “STORY” section for each and every level seems a little pointless. I suppose I shall tack it onto the end as an extra part of the review if I remember to do so. In the meantime, this remains here to be utterly pointless and irritate all who read it.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: N/A

TILESET/TILESET USE: The tileset use is ok, but really nothing amazing. It looks exactly like you’d expect from a Diamondus level, exactly like you’d expect from a Diamondus level. To tell the truth, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Diamondus level which looks different. Unsettling. Regardless, this has normal background eyecandy, no foreground (the author used the foreground trees in the background), and snow. Yes, snow. This level, for reasons unknown (maybe he wanted it to look more interesting) has light blue snow in it. I’m not sure how I feel about this, as it looks kind of weird but is easily ignorable (thank goodness for gradients). Anyway, there is nothing too bad here, but there is nothing really good here, either.
Pros: Everything fits together, the various layers work.
Cons: Nothing too interesting, some bugs with the background trees (check for little black lines), foreground somewhere else.
Rating: 7.5

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: There were hardly any weapons at all, really. There was a little Pepper ammo in a secret, and a Pepper Spray powerup which you could access with a coin warp (I found 0 of the 20 coins! YAY ME!), and that’s really about it. Unless you count the single TNT ammo which you use to blast your way out of the current area. As for enemies, I can’t say I liked the enemy placement too much. It seems the author (Spaztic, I seem to recall) wanted to stick in as many enemies as was humanly possible without giving them too much variety. The sky is filled with bee hives and Float Lizards (paticularly in small passages), the ground is littered with groups of Tuf Turtles, which are made almost harmless by the equally numerous Normal Turtles that accompany them on all their excapades. Fortunately there are lots of slopes, and somehow the enemies (despite feeling way overdone) manage to kind of balance out with Jazz’s durability. The Normal Turtles add a kind of gambling feature to the level, as there’s a possibility you’ll get carrots, but you might not, so who knows? Oh, and items were pretty good, nothing spectacular or anything, but the sugar rush seemed pretty nicely timed. The author placed food not everywhere, but spread around enough that the level doesn’t feel as barren as it could otherwise.
Pros: Everything’s done pretty well.
Cons: To be honest, there aren’t too many cons. There may be too many enemies, but I’m not sure (and don’t feel like digging through Trafton’s review to find out). Let’s just say I would have replaced the TNT with a trigger crate, dropping a crate with TNT in it in front of the tree trunk thing, and leave it at that.
Rating: 8.5

ORIGINALITY: The level is, for the most part, a big solid Diamondus level, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t smidgeons of originality (which are a little less necessary for Single Player then Multiplayer) here and there. The roller coaster which sends you through walls is a nice touch, though it’s a bit underplayed (no special effects at all), and some of the invisibility stuff is pretty cool. There ended up being several things in this level I’m not sure I’ve seen before, but there was also a lot of stuff which I had certainly seen before.
Pros: Some parts are original, and it balances out pretty well.
Cons: The roller coaster (if such it is) comes off pretty boring.
Rating: 8.0

DIFFICULTY: This level is reasonably difficult, but not excessively. I play everything without an episode file (and even them) on Normal mode, so I don’t know what it would be like otherwise, but that’s really beside the point. Yes, there were a lot of enemies, but you can certainly get them to come at you “one at a time” for easy killings. There are also a whole lot of Tuf Turtles, but the normal turtles make up for this. The puzzles (which are MUCH better then the ones in SXR, which consisted mainly of finding the TNT and Trigger Crates behind masses and masses of layer 3) are not too hard, but not too easy, either, and I look foward to seeing more of them in the latter levels, assuming I survive that long. Ok, so I died ONCE.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 8.5

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: This level is pretty entertaining. It has the potential, of course, to have the fun ruined by the enemies, or other things, but the author has managed to avoid this and it ends up making a pretty fun play suitable for all ages who are willing to give it a try. Ashcroft doesn’t count, of course. Basically, what this level is a fun play, nothing spectacular, but pretty good nonetheless.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 8.2

OVERALL (not an average of ANYTHING): One thing that didn’t seem appropiate to mention in the other categories, which is prominent about this level, is that Spaztic uses Wall Secrets. Not just a few, but almost everywhere. It got to the point where I’d expect them in every wall I saw. This could, as could many things in this pack, easily be a rating pitfall, but it ended up working out pretty well, though one or two places were a wee bit too much in my mind. Ach, ah’m not Scottish, laddie. (I have so got to stop writing reviews at late hours) Anyway, hold the rambling, this is a good single player level with no real plot to speak of. There are some interesting parts, and I could almost envision it in the normal JJ2 rotation of levels, but not quite (too many trigger crates). This level, though not quite as good as I was expecting from the ratings (if not the reviews) of FoD and Trafton, was quite well done.
Pros: It’s just a good level.
Cons: One or two eyecandy errors, and it’s all kind of done-before.
Rating: 8.5

Average rating for Level 1: 8.0

Level 2: Fungi Jungle (NiP_fungi.j2l)
I didn’t like this level as much as the last level. Maybe it was because I had just reviewed the last level and thus was growing a little resentful towards the pack (typing!!!), or maybe because it’s just not as good in my mind. It was kind of short, and kind of boring, too.
TILESET/TILESET USE: This level uses, as you might expect, Jungle. Again, tileset use is mostly as you’d expect, JJ2 SP style, with a few exceptions. One exception is, of course, the evil wall-as-layer-5-cave thing. It’s ok if the wall is mostly black, but it’s not, and ends up looking solid instead of background. And there are a few other instances, like the actually cool area where you are jumping from fruit platform to fruit platform with various jungley stuff. One thing I noticed (well, didn’t notice) about this level is that there basically seemed to be no leafs (or I can’t remember any!). There were certainly trees (there were a few masking troubles with said trees, and I’m debating whether or not this is actually Spaztic’s fault), and branches, but I don’t recall any green foliage stuff. Oh well. Other then what I have mentioned, the tileset use was very standard – undergrowth in the background, nothing in the foreground.
Pros: Everything fits together right, the swinging platform area looks cool.
Cons: Still.. kind of…… boring.
Rating: 7.7

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: This didn’t stick in my mind nearly as much as it did last time, so don’t expect such lengthy thoughts on the matter. Weapons were ok, there was some Toaster (including some helpfully placed Toaster in case you can’t shoot down), and a little RF which I could have done without as its sole purpose seemed to be shooting through some blocks right ahead of the ammo itself. Items were also done fairly well, and the enemies were about what you’d expect as well, with a few exceptions (such as the Monkeys in the wall). There was nothing all that notable about this part of a level, but this level was pretty not too notable Anyway (meaning no offense).
Pros: It works.
Cons: Few.
Rating: 8.0

ORIGINALITY: Once again, this is a fairly straight foward level with a few bits of originality. The moving platforms are interesting, and I like the bouncing trigger crate (though it could just as well not be bouncing). This level was probably less original then the first one, but it’s probably less in everything else (including size) as well.
Pros: Some.
Cons: Not much.
Rating: 7.5

DIFFICULTY: This level was pretty easy. It lacked the interesting enemy combinations of the first level, and though the author tried his best with Spikes, Vines, Dragon Flies and Monkeys, it’s still pretty simple and straight foward. There were very few puzzles, too, so overall this comes off (at least to me) as a kind of boring play.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 7.2

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t really enjoy playing most of this level. Some parts were cool, like the area with all the vines, or the swinging platforms, and the windy tunnels were ok (though you weren’t exactly the one playing them), but for the most part this level (to me) is… well… kind of boring. I really have got to stop comparing it to the first level, but the fact is, they might have been a bit better off being switched around. You might play this level if you’re bored and choose it randomly, or if you’re going through the pack, but otherwise there’s not too much incentive to reliving it.
Pros: N/A
Cons: Boring.
Rating: 7.0

OVERALL (not an average): There are, as you might expect, more wall secrets. Also some interesting parts, some decent eyecandy, some decent gameplay. But the fact remains that this is not the best level I’ve ever seen, nor paticularly close, for that matter. It is simply a single player level, ok on its own but not quite deserving (or so I hope, from the above ratings) to be in this pack. Again, I might have liked it more if it were the first level…
Pros: It’s a good level, true.
Cons: But not too entertaining, nor new, and it’s rather short.
Rating: 7.5

Average rating for level 2: 7.5

Level 3: Sticks and Stones (NiP_sticks.j2l)
After some thought, I have decided that the explanation for the name of the level is the number of Skeletons, which send bones flying all over the place when you destroy them (though one stays sometimes, depending on how it is killed). There were a few sticks here and there, as trigger scenery, and a bunch of stones did end up breaking my bones. Thankfully, there was an extra life in the 25 out of 20 coin warp.
TILESET/TILESET USE: This level uses MidN’s School v3 tileset, and I could almost grow to like it this way. The playground stuff continues to look bad, but parts of the level almost look good. The background eyecandy isn’t what it could be – a hovering planet, and nothing else – but layers 3/4/5? were all done fairly well. I’m not sure if I completely approve of isometric walls in layer 3, if nearby they’re not, but alas and alack and alas. Anyway, the level does not end up feeling too much like a school (even the teacher does not act like a teacher), so I presume it’s just some area with buildings and underground stuff (I can’t say I care for the look of the underground too much).
Pros: The author manages to use School v3 so it doesn’t look like the worlds next Blinding Variety of Inane Colors award.
Cons: Some parts, no matter how hard you try, just won’t look good. The underground area, for example. And there are some tile bugs with the bricks.
Rating: 8.2

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Weapons were ok – not too many, not quite too few. As you might expect, quite a bit of the ammo is for getting through puzzles (Ice, TNT and Electro Blaster), but I seem to recall a little ammo remained for other purposes. I’ll admit it’s not too necessary, but that’s another story and will be told at another time. As for items, they’re pretty good. I managed to mess up the CTF-base-death thing by getting 25 coins out of a possible (or so I assume) 20, but other then that it was all fairly well done. The puzzle ammo was placed in sensible places, there weren’t too many carrots, and there were some nice goodies. As for enemies, this level might have overdosed just a little on them. True, it mostly consisted of a bunch of skeletons on the ground and three ghosts in the air, but I’m saying mostly. As in, most of the level. The ground was practically littered with skeletons (I think some might have generated, not sure), and the air is pretty undead too. Some monkeys made a nice respite near the end, but really, Spaztic should have shown the same attention to enemies as to some other factors. Overall, though whether this will be the conclusion for this section or not, I don’t know yet, everything is placed well except for maybe the enemies, who seemed overdone and kind of pointless. YES let’s get tons of points by ducking and shooting!
Pros: Weapons and Items placed well.
Cons: Enemies could use some work.
Rating: 8.2

ORIGINALITY: This level is significantly more original then either of the previous two, possibly because it uses a custom tileset and thus has less room for been-there-done-thatism. There’s CTF bases in combination with a spring crate (Do not be afraid to die and lose your hard earned fastfire), mazes, rocks, ammo puzzles (I have still yet to see a puzzle where you must shoot Pepper Spray diagonally….. shame), and other fun stuff. I also don’t think I’ve seen this paticular kind of eyecandy used for this tileset, but of course I could be wrong. Really, this is more original then the last two, and I like originality. ;)
Pros: Yes.
Cons: No.
Rating: 8.7

DIFFICULTY: This level is not too difficult as a whole, but there were some parts where you were likely to get hurt. Some things with the rocks were rather dangerous (I liked the place where they were rolling back and forth), and the skeletons were overdone in some places (like the underground trek to the brick place), but overall it was a fairly simple level denoted by some puzzles, none of which were extensively difficult, but most of which were fun. I really don’t have too much to say about the difficulty of this paticular level, but call it a “medium” challenge and move on to the relatively useless Pros and Cons.
Pros: Puzzles strike a good balance with the rest of the level.
Cons: Enemies are overdone in some places.
Rating: 8.5

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: This, at least for me, was the most entertaining level so far. It mixed normal gameplay with brain stuff in such a way to make me give it a high rating, whether this was intentional or not. I read Trafton’s review of this level last night (while writing this one), and he does not seem to have liked it as much, but to each their own. If you’re like me, you will find this to be a very entertaining level which you Will play again (I had to play it again myself, due to stopping last night in the middle of reviewing this level, and didn’t paticularly mind), and maybe even often. While not as good as the Top Secret levels in RHG:TF, this is not saying much, as few things are.
Pros: Quite fun.
Cons: The underground place is a little extreme.
Rating: 8.7

OVERALL (n07 4n 4v3r4g3): Yay. I truly enjoyed this level, and though reviewing it found a few flaws, it was overall a good level. I have not seen the levels following it yet, but I hope they will be the same or better quality, as this is just good. Objectively, of course, this level has problems, but it still makes for a very good play. One fun thing is that I got a sugar rush by the coin warp both times, hit the green tendrils (which turned out to be ceilling spikes), and hung there for the full 20 seconds, spewing tons of bee pieces. Fun to watch.
Pros: Yes.
Cons: A few eyecandy problems, the CTF base puzzle is kind of boring (and allows you to cheat), and some parts didn’t seem quite right.
Rating: 8.5

Average rating for Level 3: 8.5

Level 4: Shock Core (unsure of filename)
TILESET/TILESET USE: As you might have guessed, this level uses Tubelectric Night. We all (I should think) know Tubelectric has a lot of possibilities, but once again, Spaztic ops to use the standard, intended-by-Nick method of using Tubelectric, and it ends up looking just a little bland. The background eyecandy is normal, the foreground eyecandy isn’t, and layer 4 uses everything as you might expect, other then a whole lot of tile bugs. Tubelectric, like Carrotus, is very often prey to tile bugs, and this level makes that mistake. The shading on the background bricks is placed all over the place, randomly, and the normal brick walls look kind of off, too. The yellow stuff seems to fit together, but there wasn’t much of it, adding to the blandness. Once again, originality in Single Player levels’ eyecandy is less common then in Multiplayer’s, but the same old stuff Does get boring.
Pros: No major problems, the level looks presentable.
Cons: Brick tile bugs, the eyecandy’s kind of boring.
Rating: 7.7

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Once again, there were few weapons. Spaztic does not seem to be much of a fan of giving you weapons to use, but the enemies are so easily dispensable with Blaster, it barely matters. Regardless of the usefulness, weapons Do make a level look better, and weapons are something this level lacked. Items were placed pretty well. There was a largish amount of food (I’ll have to ask Hugela if Tacos are appropiate in Tubelectric), and a few carrots now and then. There’s not too much to say on the items front. As for enemies, they are placed well, much less extreme then in some (if not all) of the other levels, leaving you to be able to play the level instead of shooting constantly. There were, basically, a few sparks flying around, and some Tuf Turtles on the ground, and now and then some float lizards where the oppurtunity presented itself.
Pros: The items and enemies are placed pretty well.
Cons: Few weapons, and by this time this has gotten to be a noticable problem.
Rating: 7.7

ORIGINALITY: In the originality section, this level does not fair incredibly well. Yes, the Copter/Trigger Crate “puzzle” (I want brain stuff) was new, and I think a few other things were as well, but for the most part this was not too new and different – merely a very cramped, standard, into-the-ordinary Tubelectric single player level. As I already said, the eyecandy’s unoriginal as well, so this level (complete with an irrelevant name) does nothing more then give you a few minutes of normal SP gameplay.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 7.0

DIFFICULTY: Despite the lack of weapons, enemies were sparse enough so as they weren’t too difficult, and the main challenge was just playing the level (which comes out sounding bad, but isn’t quite as bad as you may think). It’s not paticularly hard, other then trying to get through those annoying pinball bumpers, so you’re free to wander around and smell the daisies, or in this case, the electricity.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 7.5

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: This level is mildly entertaining, but it is by no means my favorite, and probably wouldn’t get too high of a rating even without being compared to the rest. I’ll admit the place with the Copters and the Trigger Crates was mildly amusing, though I’m not sure why the author chose to place a non-float-lizard copter there, but the rest of it was quite ordinary. Strangely it reminded me of some parts of RHG, though I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.
Pros: Mildly entertaining.
Cons: Only mildly.
Rating: 7.2

OVERALL (it is not an average, you can not Make it an average, unless you pay me for some odd reason): I’m not sure if this is the worst level so far or not, or if it’s just in comparison to Sticks and Stones, but this isn’t the best level around. Still, on its own, it is quite good, and sort of enjoyable. The eyecandy, while bland, is sufficient, and the gameplay’s decent as well. So this level is, basically, good but not great.
Pros: Eyecandy mostly works, the level is mildly entertaining, and it’s not nearly as bad as you may get the impression of.
Cons: Some tile bugs, and it’s kind of boring.
Rating: 7.2

Average rating for Level 4: 7.5

Level 5: Toxic Sunsets (unsure of filename)
The author says that this level and another one are the ones he is actually proud of, and this one certainly does stand out from the previous levels.
TILESET/TILESET USE: As with Sticks and Stones, Spaztic seems able to put interesting graphics into levels which do not use default tilesets. There are walls consisting of grey, black and green, transparent backgrounds, or caves with blue things sticking into them. The yellow caution thingies slope around in connection with green or brown walls, and strange looking spikes stick out of diagonal walls. Tileset use is probably this level’s main feature, so you might want to take a look at it while you’re there. Regrettably, despite some of the open spaces, there is nothing at all (absolutely NOTHING) in the way of background eyecandy.
Pros: Some inventiveness, looks pretty good.
Cons: Some things look kind of off, no background eyecandy at all.
Rating: 8.2

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: There are actually a few weapons this time (to deal with the ravens?), and while it is still far below average in terms of quanity, I actually ended up having full RF missiles. Items seemed, in comparison at least, a little low – few carrots, and not too many other goodies, either. As for enemies, there were Skeletons (I think) on the ground, and Ravens in the air, though what they have to do with the theme (apparently in 16-bit the green background fades into bright blue) of the level, I have no idea. There are also a few float lizards. For the most part, and as usual, the enemies seem to be placed just randomly, wherever there aren’t enough enemies nearby, plop some down. Ravens aren’t much problem, of course, as Jazz, but I wouldn’t want to have played this level as Spaz, and I pity anyone who does.
Pros: A few weapons.
Cons: Not many goodies, randomly placed enemies, too many ravens.
Rating: 7.0

ORIGINALITY: There is, of course, originality in the tileset use, but what do you expect from Spacey Universe? However, the level itself is not too negligent either. Horizontal springs, cliff face, normal springs, spike balls, and various other stuff combine to make this an interesting play, though I’m not sure if it’s my favorite Spacey Universe level or not. I’m not sure how all you people do so well without animations. Anyway, this level, unlike the default tileset ones, is pretty much anything but Cliffy style leveling. Avoid the standard JJ2 tilesets from now on, Spaztic.
Pros: Some things are quite interesting.
Cons: I still refuse to like that warp maze.
Rating: 8.5

DIFFICULTY: This level was indeed kind of difficult. Whether you actually have to go up the spike platforms four times or not, or if that was just my being confused, I don’t know, but it got a little tiresome. The random enemies got a bit annoying now and then, and the float lizard’s bombing (you should know the one I mean if you played this level) was irritating, but as a general rule this level’s difficulty toed the line and w as pretty acceptable. There were some puzzles, of course, though it’s hard to tell where to draw the line between puzzle and normal levelness here. Good.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 8.2

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: Once again, Spaztic’s levels just seem much better when they do not use the official JJ2 tilesets. This is easily more enjoyable then the Jungle or Tubelectric levels, and possibly Diamondus as well. I’ll admit anywhere in this level with moving spikes is kind of annoying, but other then that this is a most enjoyable play, though not quite as enjoyable as some levels I’ve seen. I’d play this one again.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 8.5

OVERALL (not an average): I’m getting this horrible feeling of repeating myself. repeating myself. repeating myself. Still, this is a good level, in most every way (most. The background eyecandy and placement need work), and is certainly one of the better levels of the pack. of the pack. of the pack. There is, of course, no story, and I’m not sure the name makes sense either, but this level was built for the graphics and gameplay, afaik. And the cliff face is pretty cool.
Pros: Pros: Pros: Goodish layers4abouts eyecandy, pretty good gameplay.
Cons: Not the best placement, no background eyecandy, some annoying parts.
Rating: 8.5

Average rating for Level 5: 8.2

Level 6: All that Glitters is Cold (NiP_gold.j2l)
This is the other level Spaztic says he is pleased with. I’m not quite sure I share the sentiments.
TILESET/TILESET USE: I have never liked the Sirius tileset a lot, and this level goes nowhere near changing my mind. It is, in fact, possibly the worst good use of Sirius I’ve seen yet. Let’s go over it objectively. There is practically no background eyecandy, half the level is transparent, tile and masking bugs abound, and it’s all rather boring to look at. The blue walls don’t flash at all, the cavey area looks dull, etc. Maybe it’s just me, but I really did not like most of the eyecandy in this level. As a few saving graces, the 64×64 gems actually were done pretty well, and there was a cool pulze lighting (though nothing TOO new) thing at one point.
Pros: One or two good parts.
Cons: Read above.
Rating: 6.7

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Nothing in this factor stuck in my mind at all, really, but that could be because I was so anxious for this level to be over. Let me see. There were weapons (Toaster, I think… a few in a secret, and some boxes before Bolly), and a little TNT to blast stuff away, and thus not counted as being a weapon. I think the items were placed ok. As for enemies, they were probably (and I have no wish to go through it again to check) placed randomly, as they are in practically every other level of this pack, with no thought to creative defeating methods. I am considering copying and pasting parts of my review by now, like Trafton evilly did, but my ethics have taken the upper hand and forced me into submission.
Pros: Decent weapons and items.
Cons: Not sure.
Rating: 7.5

ORIGINALITY: Well, the spike balls were kind of original, and I suppose some of the tileset use was. However, I don’t have much to say about the originality of this level, as I just learne from sitting staring at the screen for a few minutes, as my train of thought was ambushed and the passengers robbed of their metaphorical belongings. Basically, some things are original.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 7.0

DIFFICULTY: This level was not too difficult, and not too easy either. The randomly placed enemies did not add too much of a challenge, and neither did the occasional hurt events. As for puzzles, there weren’t many, and this ended up being way too much of an action-oriented level, adding another level to my general displeasure. I sincerely hope I can end this review on a high note with the next level.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 7.7

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: In case you have not gotten the message yet, I did not enjoy this level at all. However, Trafton seems to have liked it somewhat, so I am going to N/A this section and decide it was probably just me.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: N/A

OVERALL (you know what it’s not): This is probably a good level, but I don’t care for it. The eyecandy is ok, though not too good, the lighting is a bit annoying, but the gameplay is ok in places. Now let me stop typing and play the next level.
Pros: It’s… ok.
Cons: Maybe it’s just me, but I took no shine to it.
Rating: 7.0

Average rating for Level 6: 7.2

Level 7: Mines of Moria 2 (NiP_moria.j2l)
TILESET/TILESET USE: Well, this uses Mez01, as I’m sure you already knew. It is probably one of the better uses of Mez01, which I keep typing Mex01, though that’s not saying too much. The stars/rain/whatever in the background is kind of interesting, but when the author shows off the pipes and stuff at the very end, it kind of made me wish the rest of the level had looked good too. Most of the level consists of walls made out of green, blue and white blocks, with a few slopes and blue pipes. There are also some green/blue tubing for walls, blue sucker tubes, and blue doors. In short, what you’d expect from Mez01. Kind of colorless (needs more red), though the parts where the author tried to use eyecandy do look good. (Jesus moved to Canada because of the war?)
Pros: One of the better uses of Mez01, some parts look good.
Cons: Way too bland.
Rating: 7.2

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Weapons and Items were pretty much ignored in this level. As for enemies, there are a bunch of dragons. I am not about to imitate Trafton and repeat the word Dragon (Dragon) over and over (Dragon), but it is true that there are lots (Dragon) of Dragons (Dragon). At one point there are some devils which charge at you out of the wall, too. It is hard to place dragons strategically, so having a larger variety of enemies might have been a good idea.
Pros: Not really.
Cons: Not enough weapons or items, too many dragons.
Rating: 6.5

ORIGINALITY: Most of the originality was in the tileset use, as there’s very little you can put in a Mez01 maze level which hasn’t been done before, muched on thoughtfully, and abandonded in search of better levels. Still, the air obstacles are kind of interesting, though it gets confusing figuring out where you can or can’t jump.
Pros: Some things are original.
Cons: Sadly, Mez01 mazes just end up being Mez01 races.
Rating: 7.7

DIFFICULTY: The level itself is, of course, the main feature. There are enemies, but they’re more of a minor event, so devote your attention to beating the maze. Most of it is a lot easier then MoM1, or QoB, though the tube maze gets a bit annoying. I think you’re not supposed to be able to TNT the crate in the tube maze, as there was an area of the level I never seemed to be able to access, but I can’t say I mind. The hardest parts of the level were probably the tube maze (I’m not sure why, but it ended up taking me like a half hour), and the air obstacles, though those maybe because it’s hard to tell what’s a warp and what isn’t. Relieving.
Pros: Not as hard as it could be, allowing a little fun.
Cons: Still a Mez01 maze level.
Rating: 7.5

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: This sort of level is unlikely to be fun for most people. I kind of enjoyed it, until it bogged down, but I like puzzles (ok, I like PUZZLES, but this sort of thing is ok too). You may not. I am not going to rate the entertainment value of this level, as it varies drastically between people.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: N/A

OVERALL (not an average): Well, this is an interesting maze level, though I think I might have liked the original a little more. I believe you can get stuck, and it’s a little boring at times, and the eyecandy generally needs work, but you CAN see the author spent time and thought here, and so…. it gets a rating.
Pros: It’s a decent level…
Cons: with some quirks, of course. Wrong next level setting.
Rating: 8.0

Average rating for Level 7: 7.5

STORY: The pack has no story. Mines of Moria 2 aludes to some stories, with various LoTR sounding (sort of) names, and there are a few other instances of such, but overall the levels are not linked in any paticular way. They are not meant to be. This is more Spaztic’s level designing talents then an episode or anything like that, and I have decided to not rate this, after all.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: N/A

Average rating for non-level factors: N/A
Average rating for levels: 7.7

However, 7.7. is a little low for this pack, as it fails to account for the amount of work spent, which wouldn’t really fit into any of the categories. The rating is raised from a 7.7 to an 8.5 and a download recommendation.[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

Ah! Something of good quality (I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m assuming) that is actually the author’s original work. About time.

THEME: The theme is.. well, it’s a nature tileset. There are also a bunch of grey blocks for structures not supported by the ground ground, and of course a big crashed spaceship or something.
Pros: Feels like a nature tileset, though I’ll admit that’s not paticularly hard.
Cons: The spaceship just does not fit in. It is of much lower quality then the rest of the tileset as well.
Rating: 7.5

GRAPHICS: The tileset Looks great. Textures, shading, abstractness.. you get the idea.
Pros: Almost everything has great graphics.
Cons: I do not care for any of the destructable blocks, the brown tree could use a little work, and the spaceship should be thrown out entirely.
Rating: 8.7

INVENTORY: H/V poles, vines, signs, and various block types.
Pros: The more common stuff is there.
Cons: No hook, spikes (I suppose it does seem to be an exclusively multiplayer tileset, but still), sucker tubes…
Rating: 7.5

ORIGINALITY: No matter how hard they try, nature tilesets always seem to end up being not paticularly original. The ground feels like (though it isn’t) Easter Island, the layer 4 background Carrotus, a good deal of the tileset Forest, much of the foliage Oasis, etc. I suppose seeing as it makes no attempt to be original I shall make no attempt to rate this factor.

COMPETITION: Any nature tileset has tons of competition. This one looks great, but the fact is there are better ones out there, which are actually 1.23. Nature’s Ruins, for example.
(No pros given)
(No cons given)
(No rating given)

EASE OF USE: This tileset is fairly easy to use, though you may spend a few seconds now and then hunting for just the right tile. However, sometimes, the right tile will simply not be there. Several things are missing from this tileset, such as some cage-edges on slopes.
Pros: Most things are where you’d expect them.
Cons: Some tiles are hard to find or just don’t exist.
Rating: 7.2

MASKING: The masking is mostly good, sensible solid/unsolid stuff.
Pros: Mostly good.
Cons: The spaceship is masked badly, some of the vine-attached-to-wall tiles are left automasked, and the slopes are a bit too bumpy for my tastes.
Rating: 7.2

OVERALL: This is a great looking tileset which suffers from a slight lack of much to back up the graphics. There is really nothing new or exciting about this tileset, and there’s no textured background. This is most certainly a multiplayer tileset.
Pros: Looks great, decent masking, useful stuff included.
Cons: Not paticularly new, some masking problems, spaceship still looks horrible.
Rating: 8.2

Edit: Waz, ok, here is what I can tell you about the 1.23/1.24 thing.
1.24 is the TSF version of JJ2, costing money. 1.23 is the “normal” version. 1.24 can run anything 1.23 can, but not vice versa, so it’s best to make things 1.23 whenever possible (I.E. if the tileset is less then 1030 tiles, or if the level uses a 1.23 tileset). You, however, ONLY have TSF, so you can not compile your tilesets in 1.23, but it Is possible for you to send the normal file and the mask file to someone who does have 1.23 to compile it for you, which is what people would appreciate if you did.[This review has been edited by Violet CLM]

Bloodbunny’s Lair, Happy Semiconductor CTF AND Diamondus Warzone got in here, so I refuse to review any of them.

What did I do? :)

Level 1: Officials VS Competitors (original name unknown)
Trafton’s copy of this level may have come from an OVC match, but I always have and probably always will identify it with Team Battle, a game mode it is ideal for. This level, using the Medivo tileset, has good (though nothing spectacular or new) eyecandy, great gameplay and design, and the standard music. I find I can not say anything bad about this level at all, in fact. Yay whoever made it (Mike?).

Level 2: e-Line Circuits
This is another of my favorite battle levels. I have been told it is grossly underplayed (I don’t join servers as a general rule, so I’m taking their word for it), and I can’t see why. The eyecandy is/was new, though just a little on the sparse side, and the rest of the factors are great. The multiple warp targets idea is used well IMHO. So far, this pack is turning out great.

Level 3: Mystic Forest Cave
Oh well. A lot of people like this, but I can not say I really care for it. Battles end up converging around the Toaster powerup, and the flow is horrible. Still, despite the fact that I do not like it, I suppose it’s a good level.

Level 4: Universal Warzone
Several of the levels in this pack seem to be levels I hosted as Newer Rabbitaria pregames, and I’m beginning to wonder if that’s how I helped. Anyway, this is a good level using a good tileset. The main problem with this level is, of course, the infamous bug where you get stuck if you hit a certain spring. Trafton/whoever was apparently able to do nothing (or didn’t bother to) about this, sadly, so it’s still there. Other then that, this is another great level.

Level 5: Toxic Waste (no, not THAT Toxic Waste, the OTHER Toxic Waste)
I can not say I really like this tileset all that much, but this level (as do seemingly all that use it) uses it pretty well. There is nothing revolutionary or amazing about anything in this level, it is just a solid battle level which takes few chances. The flow could use just a little work.

Level 6: Chocolate Lamp
This level is HORRIBLE! Boring background (just a flashing color with some moving bubbles), single (for the most part) colored walls, incredibly sparse ammo placement, tons of chocolate.. you name it! The whole level looks like it was made by a hyperactive kid on a sugar rush in two days with an urge to add every powerup imaginable! The top half of the design is ok, I’ll admit, but the bottom half is either too cramped or too open, and plainly uninspired. As a saving grace, there are some nice sucker tube things, though the vertical ones on either side could have been done much better.

Level 7: Carrotus Squash
This is possibly the best example of an unoriginal, solid level I have ever seen. The author knew what he wanted (I think) to present with this level, and suceeded – normal Battle gameplay, but at its best. This is, simply, a great level all around. The eyecandy is nothing amazing, the gameplay is nothing new, the design is standard, but all put together they come out AOK.

Level 8: Shine-o-Rific Land
This is another example of a good, solid level that doesn’t rely on dazzling special effects to generate fun. My only real complaint about this is that the background is too plain.

Level 9: Sandstrand O’Hazes
I do not recall seeing this level before. Regardless, it’s an interesting level, but while like the last two it shows nothing new or exciting, it does not execute this well enough to make it super cool. I am not too fond of this, but it’s ok.

Level 10: Doomsday Darksdream
Now, THIS level I have seen before. I can not, however, think of too much that is interesting to say about it. Everything in it is done well, except for one or two spots where I think it’s a wee bit too cramped, and the background doesn’t work in 8-bit (not entirely the level maker’s fault). Still, this is another great level for this great (as of yet) pack.

Level 11: Green Beret
I never want to see this level again. Not that it’s very bad, in fact it’s good, but I am so incredibly sick of it!

Level 12: Hectic Housewars
One of the most recent levels of this pack (I’m not sure how many of the levels were actually Made in the previous year, but probably not too many), this is interesting but I think it’s grows a bit boring after extended play. The tileset use is, of course, good, and the design is good, but there’s just something wrong about this level I can’t put my finger on.

Level 13:
Never seen this one before! It uses Blade’s Oasis tileset, and I can only assume the level’s theme is an Oasis as well. This level is overall good, but I have one gripe with it, the background. It’s nice that Mike found tiles in the tileset that could be textured, but it really needs support from the other background layers to not look so incredibly dull, especially in conjuncture with the lack of color of the rest of the tileset. (The level needs more greenery) Apparently there’s a shield in this level, but I don’t know where.

Level 14: Forsaken
A good level by BlurredD, using one of the most complicated tilesets in existance (certainly harder then Metal Mania). For some reason I thought this was a Treasure Hunt level at first. Anyway, there is really little to say about this level, as it feels like any other Egypt level based inside the temple and not outside.

Level 15: Virtual Headache
Umm.. this level, using the Jungle tileset, was made by a variety of different people and comes out with multiple types of eyecandy, gameplay and design, if not music. It is actually kind of hard to review, and besides, I worked on it (though it’s hard to tell as almost everything I did was cut out by someone later on in the chain).

Level 16: Higher Fragging Rate
I’ve reviewed this one before, and I don’t feel like doing it again. Let it just be said that this level is a very vertically oriented piece of work with some nice strategy.

Level 17: 60,000 Feet Under
This is another good, solid level with nothing much all that interesting. My main gripe with it is the eyecandy, as it uses Dam Nation in such a way as it looks like the most boring tileset in existance, which it isn’t.

Level 18: Rockingham II
This, like Carrotus Squash (a better level, however), is a simple solid Carrotus level with nothing too amazing, just bringing normal tileset use/gameplay to its best. I am not quite sure if the two of them belong in the same pack, but oh well.

Level 19: Dark Fortress
VERY interesting choice to come after the last two levels, as it contrasts with both of them so incredibly. While 60,000 feet under and Rockingham II were solid normal levels with mostly standard tileset use, this is different. The author takes chances and usually suceeds, with fun gameplay, good design (a little too vertical, but oh well), and eyecandy which you can look at it without getting dizzy. There are also a lot of coins, several morphs (!), and some TNT (…) to round out this very interesting level.

Level 20: Spider Swamp
I find the only thing I can say about this is “I never knew Swamps had an owl”.

Level 21: Chemical Reactions 2
Ok, who made this (..oh, MidN), how did it get in here (I see, MidN made it), and why on earth is it Battle and not Treasure Hunt? This would make a GREAT treasure hunt level, but it seems to be Battle instead. Anyway, it feels amazingly like the official multiplayer levels, in that it’s rather linear and has several dead ends. The eyecandy is a lot more daring then in the official levels, but I’ve never been a fan of layer 4 walls in the background without at least a transparent black tile in front of them. While this is interesting, and probably the most different level in the pack, I still say it should be Treasure Hunt instead.

Level 22: Where Warriors Fall
WAHHHH MEMORIES!!!! I learned to fight in this level…. . did you know you can push Monolith all the way from the coin warp back to it again? Umm, anyway. This is a good, oldish level, but I find that it makes a pretty good last level. As with many of these levels, it’s a good solid play.

Overall, this is a great pack composed of some of the best levels around (and one or two others). My main complaint is that there are too many good, solid levels and not enough exciting ones like Dark Fortress.[This review has been edited by Violet CLM]

I like how you’re saying that you don’t know of any bugs and you want to change that.
STORY: From attempting to read the end text (which needs some @ symbols), I’m guessing the story is as follows; Bubba has a playground with diamonds but you don’t like him having diamonds so you kill him.
Pros/Cons: There are some times when Pros and Cons are completely useless. Let’s just say I don’t care about the story and leave it at that.
Rating: N/A

TILESET/TILESET USE: The author uses, as I’m sure you know, the Dam Nation tileset. Layer 4 is used pretty well, with no apparent tile bugs (other then a few masking troubles), but I can not say the same for the other layers. There are some boney skeleton things hovering strangely in the foreground, and transparent lava doesn’t look right in the background. There is little that is inventive or interesting to speak of here.
Pros: Layers 4 and 8 fit together.
Cons: Poor other layers, nothing interesting, the bridges look weird.
Rating: 3.7

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: I suppose this was ok. Nothing bad stuck in mind, but nothing good did either.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 5.0

ORIGINALITY: Well, there are giant red gems in the walls around the playground.
Pros: Some originality.
Cons: Not much.
Rating: 3.2

DIFFICULTY: This level is rather easy, to tell the truth. What with the blaster powerup and the lack of any serious threat from enemies or the level, Bubba is the hardest part and he’s not dangerous at all.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 4.0

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: This level is kind of fun to play, but I find it unlikely that I would play it again unless I come across it while randomly selecting levels while bored. It is just not paticularly interesting.
Pros: Not bad to play.
Cons: Not paticularly interesting.
Rating: 4.0

OVERALL (not an average): This level is.. ok. However, it suffers from worse-then-average eyecandy and nothing interesting to speak of.
Pros: Some good,
Cons: some bad. Eyecandy needs work.
Rating: 4.5

TILESET/TILESET USE: This pack uses Labrat for one of the levels (presumably the unfinished one), and Tubelectric Day for the other three. I can not say I paticularly like the eyecandy in any of the levels. The tubelectric levels are probably the best in the eycandy department, as it’s hard to mess up its background eyecandy, but the walls are still messed up (and some of the shading). The Labrat level is just tile buggyness.
Pros: The sucker tubes fit together, some other things work.
Cons: Not nearly enough work here (“You shouldn’t really have too much” indeed)
Rating: 3.0

WEAPON/ITEM/BASE PLACEMENT: Let’s go over these in order. Weapons were very sparse, and the items consisted of carrots laying here and there. I personally would advise replacing two carrots together with a full energy carrot in CTF, but oh well, to each their own. As for the bases (in the levels that were CTF), they were ok, semi-opposite ends of the level. Still, I felt they could have used some work.
Pros: Ok bases, ok carrots.
Cons: Little more then ok, sparse weapons.
Rating: 4.2

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: The levels have varying design. The Tubelectric levels (two of which are the same level only one with CTF bases) consist of a bunch of rooms connected with small passages, sucker tubes, or annoying warps. No, not like in Auqa Zone or Rat Race. The Labrat level is a bunch of tiny platforms with money where you buy shields and powerups (more on that later). I really can not say I like the design for any of these levels, except for TubeCTF.j2l which is kind of ok.
Pros: TubeCTF kind of ok, some saving graces.
Cons: Most of the levels are substandard, not enough freedom of movement.
Rating: 4.0

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: You could have some fun here, but I’m unsure enough to not give any rating to this factor.

OVERALL (not an average): This section doubles as a bug report. The main problems (other then the levels themselves) are that not one of the levels has a working next level setting (several don’t even have anything put in), and that in the Labrat level, if you buy the bouncy powerup you’re pretty much able to get all of the other things for sale without paying. The walls are just that thin, and there’s nothing preventing you from shooting through the sucker tubes. Anyway, the levels aren’t too good. Work more on eyecandy, scrap the Labrat level and fix up the two double levels a bit and I might rate this higher.
Pros: Some things are good.
Cons: And some things aren’t.
Rating: 4.0

First I’d like to say that King of The Hill is by no means new. It is possibly the oldest custom gametype around, though I’m not sure how sucessfully it has ever been engineered. What with one thing or another (such as the tileset being Diamondus) I did not have the highest hopes for this level.
It was worse then I feared.

TILESET/TILESET USE: Ummm… no background eyecandy, no foreground eyecandy, layer 8 not textured, a few tile bugs. That pretty much sums this factor up.
Pros: Layer 8 tiles, not that many tile bugs.
Cons: See above.
Rating: 1.2

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: At the top of the “hill”, there is a high number of generating Seeker/Ice ammo (which generates fairly fast). I do not even know why seekers are up there, as it seems sort of useless in such a small area. RF or TNT I could understand, but not seekers. Regardless, very little thought appears to have been spent here.
Pros: There is ice.
Cons: Very “click click click done”.
Rating: 1.5

ORIGINALITY: There is really nothing original about this level. If the author had added some cool automatic thing to give a point to whoever the winner was and then start a new round, that would have been ok. As it is….. just no.
Rating: 1.0

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: The level consists of a four tile wide “hill” with a pit on either end leading way down into some water beneath. There is no way to get back up for the next round, so the host (assuming there is one) would have to use Project Controller.. not that there’s a next level setting!
Pros: Hey, it’s King of The Hill..
Cons: ..executed poorly. The platform is way too small for more then two people, and the ammo doesn’t really help either.
Rating: 1.5

REPLAY VALUE: There are, simply put, better KoTH (or similar) levels out there.
Pros: No.
Cons: Yes.
Rating: 1.0

OVERALL (not an average): One fact not mentioned in the level uploading process is that this is a BETA. I suppose I should be relieved, except for the fact it means the author will probably post a second version later on. Anyway, this is a low quality level which looks like the author spent two minutes on.
Pros: The author managed to avoid placing invisible tiles on top of the pits.
Cons: The author managed to avoid placing quality.
Rating: 1.2[This review has been edited by Violet CLM]

TILESET/TILESET USE: The author uses Diamondus, but there is no background eyecandy. However, most of the tiles seem to fit together, and there is nothing horribly bad or something like that.
Pros: Fits together decently.
Cons: Doesn’t manage to look good.
Rating: 4.5

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: No. Just.. no. There’s an easily accessible (go into the warp next to the start) bubble shield, and the warp on the right will give you some seeker ammo, or seeker/blaster powerups.
Pros: No.
Cons: Yes.
Rating: 1.0

ORIGINALITY: There is little that is original about this level. The easily accessible bubble shield has been done before, only better.
Pros: Umm.. the warps between leafs was kind of original.
Cons: Yes.
Rating: 1.5

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: The design is a flat surface with warps to goodies on either end. The gameplay is getting the bubble shield, finding someone who doesn’t have it, then trying to roast them while they desperately attack you with their powered up seeker and/or blaster.
Pros: No.
Cons: The good stuff is way too accessible, the level is way too flat.
Rating: 1.2

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: Just.. no. No.
Pros: Still no.
Cons: There is very little fun to be had from this sort of gameplay.
Rating: 1.0

OVERALL (not an average): There is CHEESE ahead! Unless you’re going left. Anyway, this is a flat level with too much power for the players, not enough alternate routes, etc. It’s also rather Jazz-biased.
Pros: Some interesting things, showing that the author’s talent may mature.
Cons: No eyecandy to speak of, poor design, doesn’t look fun to play.
Rating: 1.5

Just in case you plan to, please do not post a review *censored*ing me to suffer in torment forever, writing long reviews with a computer that crashes just as they are almost done. I rate levels on their merits, and not depending on who the author is. CelL could have uploaded this and gotten the same basic review, with a few exclamations of surprise added on.

A Disguise tileset, with 14 downloads, and no one (at the time I started writing this) has reviewed it. Something MUST be going on here.

THEME: The theme is underwater. Nononowait, that was the earlier version. The theme is some sort of land of agony, where souls writhe in torment, and you play CTF. ….yeah! Anyway, with the proper music and good use of the eyecandy, you can indeed get it to feel like a land of agony.
Pros: The theme is carried out well by the tileset.
Cons: No shrubbery (j/k), looks a bit too underwater.
Rating: 8.0

GRAPHICS: This tileset has four different textures, really, three not counting the textured background (more on that later). They consist of the layer 4 background, the orangish viney stuff, and the pinkish coral. I’m sorry, it just does look like coral. Sadly, there are practically no variants for either the coral or the orange stuff, so you have to blend them together quite a lot to get an at all interesting wall (more on that later). The layer 4 background has the same problem, but it at least has some stuff to put on top, and it’s more distant so it makes less of an impression. I think I was supposed to be talking about graphics. They look good, except for some of the background eyecandy and the layer 8 (untextured) itself. However, while they look good, they do not look great, and if Disguise had spent more time here in addition to the various masking tricks, I wouldn’t complain.
Pros: Everything looks good.
Cons: Not enough tile variation, not as good as it could be.
Rating: 8.0

INVENTORY: I don’t feel like listing things that are here.
Pros: Everything for a tileset is here..
Cons: except for a hook.
Rating: 7.7

ORIGINALITY: This tileset is fairly original, but I can’t seem to give a rating here for some reason.

COMPETITION: The only tileset similar to this is Unreal Imagination, and that only sort of. Overall, I’d say this has the monopoly on the land of agony for lost souls department.

EASE OF USE: The author brags (if that’s the right word) that the tileset is very hard to use, but with the small strips of instructions, it looks rather simple. The only part that looks difficult is figuring out which of the orange viney stuff tiles is which, as their edges are not paticularly dominant in their appearance.
Pros: Looks pretty understandable, thanks to the instructions included in the tileset.
Cons: The orange stuff is a bit strange.
Rating: 8.2

MASKING: This is one of the areas the author seems to have spent the most time in, and it shows. You can create quite a lot of platforms and stuff with the tileset, and I can’t find any masking bugs at all. But I really need to show those leaves to Disguise and get his opinion on if they are used badly or not.
Pros: Everything is well done, though the masking for this is rather simple.
Cons: Few, if any.
Rating: 8.5

OVERALL (not an average): This is.. interesting. While I can not say I like it as much as some of the author’s other tilesets, it is very different, and hopefully will spawn some nice new levels (sadly they will probably be CTF, this feels like a CTF tileset (like Swamps..))
Pros: Good graphics, great masking, turns into a good tileset.
Cons: No hook, the textured background only Almost works, you have to use layer 5 (though I suppose this can’t be helped), some of the background eyecandy looks bad, no non-red/blue platforms.
Rating: 8.5

Edit: Oh yeah, and the night version is poorly done. The author appears to have simply adjusted the brightness for everything (including the sprite colors) instead of doing a little work on creating a good looking dark time.
Second edit: Rating fix, calculated the average incorrectly before.[This review has been edited by Violet CLM]

First of all, JelZe, if you think all JJ1 tilesets are blocky, you have much to learn.
Now, Battleships was always one of my favorite JJ1 planets (though it’s not exactly a “planet”), and I was not paticularly pleased with CelL’s last conversion of it, so here’s hoping (I haven’t seen it yet) for a good job.

MISSING TILES: I can think of no tiles that this is missing. The various slopes, the grey pipes, it’s all there.
Pros: All there.
Cons: None.
Rating: 9.0

ANIMATIONS: The animations would seem to all be there, too, and I don’t think they’re missing any frames (though of course I could be wrong).
Pros: Almost all there.
Cons: I think the fireball is supposed to be animated.
Rating: 8.5

COLORS: The colors look great. I don’t see any color bleaching or anything of the kind, and CelL seems to have overcome the multiple-palette problem.
Pros: Everything looks great.
Cons: None to speak of.
Rating: 9.0

ADDED TILES: Conversions often seem to fail in this category. CelL has added blocks (a mixture between stuff already in the tileset and the JJ2 blocks), vines (icky icky), poles (stolen from JJ2), sucker tubes (smaller versions of the larger ones) and some signs (the JJ1 ones).
Pros: A decent amount of stuff is there.
Cons: No hooks, no belts, a lot of it is ripped, no spikes (a flame jet pointing up, maybe?).
Rating: 7.0

MASKING: The masking is all done well except for the CPU boss things, which should probably have a mask that you can shoot through but not walk through (so shooting has some effect). While other tiles in the tileset can presumably be used, it would be nice for the CPU back to be like that, instead of just a spider.
Pros: Everything looks pretty good.
Cons: CPU needs a little work, a few of the little tiny blocks seem a bit off, the fins are a little messed up.
Rating: 7.5

OVERALL (not an average): This is a rather good conversion which does great in getting the original tiles but not quite so good at making them into a tileset. I hope to see more conversions of this quality (well.. slightly better, actually) in the future.
Pros: Everything looks to be there, the colors are great, lots of animations, added tiles.
Cons: Some things ripped, some things missing, a few masking problems, a little confusing (the slopes in paticular) in a few places.
Rating: 8.5

Ok, I didn’t plan to review/rate this, but it is so hideously overrated I feel it is my duty as an unbiased reviewer not associated with J2O.

THEME: The theme is a space station. It does feel kind of like a space station, I’ll admit, but there are nowhere near enough animations (or even things that Could be animated, but aren’t), and the background doesn’t make you feel like you’re in space so much as standing against a big drawing of outer space.
Pros: It feels kind of like a space station.
Cons: Not too well executed (needs more support from the background in paticular).
Rating: 5.5

GRAPHICS: Graphics are about the most important factor of a tileset, but this tileset doesn’t do too well here. The whole thing reminds me of Vector Reality, a previous tileset by the author which I think I liked more. Most everything in this tileset is a gradient (a grainy grey gradient, in fact), with very little color to speak of. Most of the color is in the background, which should be kind of muted in contrast to layers 4 and 3. As for the rest of the stuff, it’s not that great. The warp would look great if it was animated, but it’s not. It’s also too hard to make out the numbers on the countdown blocks.
Pros: Some things are ok, it’s not all single color.
Cons: Not too well done, and it still needs more animations.
Rating: 5.5

INVENTORY: H/V poles, spikes, a warp, warp target like thing, */!/4321 blocks, hook, vine and a sign. While high tech tilesets should probably have belts, this tileset does do fairly well in the Inventory category.
Pros: Most everything is here.
Cons: The countdown blocks are hard to see, no belts. Some background eyecandy would be nice..
Rating: 6.2

ORIGINALITY: Look, it’s a not-too-well-drawn space station, which is fairly common. It’s just not (for the most part) original.
Pros: All right, the satellite thing is kind of original (though tiny).
Cons: Nothing much to speak of here.
Rating: 4.0

COMPETITION: This tileset has a great deal of competition. Vector Reality (same author) is probably better, Space (Blade) certainly is.
(No pros given)
(No cons given)
(No rating given)

EASE OF USE: This is a fairly simple tileset, and quite easy to use.
Pros: This tileset does well in this category.
Cons: Too much layer 5 necessary, not enough possibilities.
Rating: 6.2

MASKING: The masking for this tileset is all pretty good, though I do not approve of the diagonal things being automasked, or the masking for the hook. (and the vine looks a bit questionable)
Pros: Everything’s pretty good.
Cons: A few things need work.
Rating: 6.0

OVERALL (not an average): This is a rather average small tileset, and horribly overrated. You can not do much with it, and most everything you can do can be done with other tilesets.
Pros: It’s ok.
Cons: It’s merely ok. There are some problems.
Rating: 5.7

“But it still is a good level.” That’s for us to decide, and you to find out!

TILESET/TILESET USE: The level uses the white and blue Mez tileset which I somehow forgot the number of. There is some inventive tileset use, such as the waterfalls and the pool in the bottom, but overall I don’t really like the eyecandy. The background, to be honest, is uninspired, and looks too solid. The waterfalls would do better in the background, and there is not much to speak of in layer 4.
Pros: Some interesting parts.
Cons: Didn’t really captivate me, too boring, background looks solid.
Rating: 6.0

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: The weapons are really just placed semi-randomly. There are also a few caches of large quantities of food, which is actually a rather good idea, as you need a significant amount of food to get a sugar rush.
Pros: The food is done well.
Cons: Everything a little too random for my tastes, and the seeker powerup is way too powerful for a level covered in one ways.
Rating: 5.5

ORIGINALITY: The level is a series of platforms, and I can’t say I care much for the eyecandy. I will, however, be lenient and not rate this factor.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: N/A

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: The design is pretty unthinking, as you might expect from an incarnation of “boredrom”. There is little that is interesting about it, and gameplay will probably consist of running around shooting powered up seekers around randomly. Not my favorite part of this level.
Pros: The level is playable..
Cons: Too random, too seeker based.
Rating: 5.2

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: This level, by the looks, is not too entertaining, as it does not seem to be paticularly skill based. Sugar Rushes are not paticularly useful except in cramped levels, and this is quite certainly not cramped.
Pros: You can hold a battle here for a while..
Cons: ..before people end up getting bored.
Rating: 5.5

OVERALL (not an average): This is a bland, uninspired level, with eyecandy which needs work but is kind of good. I’m not really sure I recommend it for download, but that’s up to you.
Pros: I’m probably underestimating this level, the eyecandy’s decent.
Cons: I don’t really like the design.
Rating: 5.7

I’d just like to say this is the perfect example of how not to upload a level. Not to mention how not to make a level. Four of them, in fact. The author claims the levels may work in multiplayer, and yes, that is a bad sign.

STORY: The story, I think, is this. Devan (one of the few words spelled correctly) has captured Pinces Chip, so you run off to P*k*m*n land and fight some Queens.
Pros: There is a story.
Cons: It makes no sense.
Rating: 1.2

TILESET/TILESET USE: The author uses two tilesets – Chip’s Challenge (not included) by Link, and some P*k*m*n tileset by Splash, and I’m not sure if it’s included or not. The tilesets are used insanely bad, with countdown blocks/blue tanks for ground, and ice/Splash and Ash thing for background. The only thing remotely good about this is that the author managed to get the green mover thingies to line up right. Pity they don’t do anything..
Pros: No.
Cons: Yes.
Rating: 1.0

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Enemies? There were.. enemies? Anyway, in the first level, you get a huge cache of gems and ammo. Then you go off to fight a queen in the second level. However, the next level setting for the second level is wrong, so you don’t get to keep it. Anyway, as you might expect, this factor failed miserably.
Pros: I’ll admit shooting tons of super red gems is fun.
Cons: Sadly, it was probably the best part of the entire pack.
Rating: 1.5

ORIGINALITY: Huh?
Pros: No.
Cons: Yes.
Rating: 1.0

DIFFICULTY: There are two difficult parts about this. One is finding your way through the first level. The other is fighting the three queens in a row in the fourth (I believe) level, with no pits between them. Not that you get to fight them – a defeated queen pulls you back and you fall off of the level.
Pros: No.
Cons: Yes.
Rating: 1.2

REPLAY VALUE: No.
Pros: No.
Cons: Yes.
Rating: 1.0

OVERALL (not an average): No.
Pros: There is hardly a good spot to this pack, to be honest. The levels are mostly unplayable, too many queens, practically no enemies, clumping of events, non-working events, bad next level setting.. you name it! This easily beats “ZA’s bad side”, and possibly “Jazz’s house… or is it?”.
Cons: Yes.
Rating: 1.0

I am sorry I sounded so negative in this review, but I couldn’t help it.

This is the sixth upload I have downloaded in a row that is below average. This is not a good sign.

TILESET/TILESET USE:
WOW! EVERYTHING FITS TOGETHER!
Possibly one of the best parts of this level is the fact that there are no major tile bugs. In fact, the only ones I remember seeing are the hooks, which suspend themself from nothing. I am not totally sure why this is done, anyway, but I guess it does look better that way then it would if they were attached to seriously long chains attached to the top of the level.
WHERE IS EVERYTHING?
I refer, of course, to the background. Layer 8 is a single black tile, and the only background eyecandy (if you can call it eyecandy.. I can’t) is a little hovering thing pointing towards warps for Bad Fans and Good Fans. This is inventive tileset use, I must admit, but which would you rather have? Good eyecandy, or one little bit of inventiveness? That was a rhetorical question, and I do not expect you to answer it.
Pros: Few noticable tile bugs.
Cons: No background to speak of.
Rating: 4.0

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT:
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BALANCE?
All right, so it’s not that bad. Still, some places have lots of weapons, and some places (in paticular the flat bottom) have none. The author manages to place the weapons better then in his/her last level, but it still is not, sadly, very good. There is entirely too much ice (even an ice powerup) to be understandable, and there’s TNT, as well.
AND, UM.. ITEMS?
Sorry, no. There are several carrots laying here and there (..five, maybe?) but the level is big, and the carrots are small. There are (unless you count the not working Fast Feet) no real other items, and so this is a shortish subsection.
Pros: The weapon placement is kind of ok.
Cons: However, it’s unbalanced, and I can’t say I really like the carrots either. It is, however, hard to have good carrot placement in a level that is mainly flat with hooks, so I was not quite as harsh here as I could have been.
Rating: 3.0

ORIGINALITY:
ORIGINALITY? IS THAT, LIKE, EDIBLE?
The sole originality in this level (though I’ll admit it Is interesting) is the Good Fans/Bad Fans area somewhere in the level. It’s big enough I find it hard to give you approximate coordinates. The Good Fans (the invisible, easily missed warp on the left) get an ice powerup and some fastfire, the bad fans (the easily missed warp on the right) are stuck in a room with torches and told it is hell. However, it’s easy enough to get out of them, so worry not.
Pros: The part that is original is original.
Cons: Nothing else is, and I think it could have been better executed as well.
Rating: 2.2

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN:
PEOPLE LIKE EVERYTHING TO BE FLAT, RIGHT?
No, that’s in masking. Levels should NOT be flat, and this one just is. The bottom is mainly a one tile high plain, with a few slopes here and there. There are a number of small platforms floating in mid air, which can be reached by hooks, or spending long seconds in helicopter-earing to them from other platforms.
SURELY IT’S NOT AS BAD AS ALL THAT. THE OTHER FACTORS?
Well, let’s talk about events. The author, to his/her credit, did get the hooks to work. And the H-poles (though they’re just a little questionable). However, he/she did include two factors which I can not approve of. The first of these factors is the radioactive area. The author shows that he/she has no experience in online play, and so has you turn into a frog and be kissed by Eva. There are also two very wide bridges. Now, bridges are fine, IN THE PROPER CONTEXT. I.E. platforms which you go up through from below. These could just as well be completely solid and they wouldn’t effect the gameplay, other then to lower the chance of DBZ (Divide by Zero) errors.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND ANY OF THAT. LET’S PLAY IT!
No, let’s not. The gameplay, as you might expect from the design, is bad. The whole level is way too big, and way too empty to have the bigness be usable. I would be slightly (I think) more lenient here if it were a CTF level, as they are normally bigger, but this is a “Planet of Battle” and is not CTF. Add the size to the fact that hooks are really annoying to jump between, and you get non-satisfying gameplay that, in combination with the other factors, will send anyone in your server running away back to the server lists.
Pros: Ok, to be honest, there is ONE place that is almost well done. The very bottom right corner looks like it’s playable.
Cons: “Yes.”
Rating: 2.2

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR:
DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN.
I just got through telling you that it isn’t fun to play. You may feel like staying around for a few minutes to stare in horror, but unless you/the host is Very witty, the clients are unlikely to enjoy themselves.
Pros: There are one or two interesting places.
Cons: “Yes.”
Rating: 1.7

OVERALL (not an average):
SO LET’S COME UP WITH SOMETHING GOOD, SHALL WE?
Yes, let’s. There are very few bugs in this level, unless you count the Eva/Frog area’s not working in multiplayer, and the H-poles not being perfectly aligned with the thing they are on. Again, there are few tile bugs, as well. I don’t know if this was beta tested or what, but the author did seem to make this relatively functional. Functional is, of course, a rather broad term.
AND THE FINAL VERDICT IS…..
No. Don’t download this. This is worse (imho) then Auqa Zone, Dimension3, and several other recent uploads.
Pros: The layer 4 tileset use is actually pretty good, there aren’t too many bugs, and parts of it are interesting.
Cons: Too many hooks, the bridges are kind of pointless, the Eva/Frog area won’t work in internet play, and the gameplay is just bad.
Rating: 3.0[This review has been edited by Violet CLM]

THEME: The theme, of course, is Pigs. Pigs pigs. Sadly, nothing BUT pigs. There is nothing but pink platforms with such piggy features as circles, eyes, snouts, and a tail (one of the best parts of the tileset). It does indeed feel like a pig tileset, and the example level shows it can be made into several pigs. But it is missing pig byproducts, and thus is nothing but a few pigs, and not a planet of the pig.
Pros: Theme is carried out very well.
Cons: There is not enough to really make an interesting level.
Rating: 3.2

GRAPHICS: The graphics are one of the worst parts of the tileset. It is, with a few exceptions, a solid light pink with a darker pink outline of two (I think) pixels. The background is a single blue color, and the eyes are just circles with dots. This shows that the author spent time on this, but not enough to make it at all textured, if pigs can have textures.
Pros: Few.
Cons: No textures, shading, etc.
Rating: 2.0

INVENTORY: Well, there are platforms, a background, and background eyecandy (a pig with a dubious wing). The author made no attempt to give the pig a second wing, sadly, or even make it animate, but I suppose that can’t be helped. Still, this tileset is missing a great number of things which I won’t even bother listing.
Pros: There is background eyecandy.
Cons: There is hardly anything.
Rating: 2.0

ORIGINALITY: Ok, it’s original. Unless you count the fact the entire idea comes from the legendary “Planet of the Pig”.
Pros: It is original.
Cons: Ok, so it’s original. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. It needs MORE.
Rating: 1.7

COMPETITION: This tileset (unless you count FiShY for some odd reason) has NO competition. None. Nada. Zip. Which is a shame, because there’s nothing I can recommend to use instead.
(No pros given)
(No cons given)
(No rating given)

EASE OF USE: This is probably the tileset’s best feature. Everything looks very easy to use, and is logically placed, with the possible expection of some of the 1 tile wide/high platforms.
Pros: Good.
Cons: Few.
Rating: 5.0

MASKING: Oh, and um.. masking is good, too. Everything is understandably done and there are no real jagged edges. While the author did not have to spend much work here, he spent enough to make it work.
Pros: Good.
Cons: Few.
Rating: 4.7

OVERALL (not an average): This is an interesting tileset, but I can not really recommend it in it’s current state. There are a great number of things that could be added to this tileset, but I suppose we shall have to wait for the author to finish his “PSP 8” tileset. Unless (horrors of horrors) that was Townsville 2 Night. I’m rambling.
Pros: Interesting enough to make me give it a pointlessly long review, good masking, easy to use.
Cons: Not enough stuff by any means, poor graphics.
Rating: 3.2

Before downloading this level (which is actually called Turtle in the Battle), I notice two things. One is that all the battle levels made by the author previously have not used tilesets. The other is that he can not be bothered to spell Hellraiser or UnKnOwN correctly.
Before PLAYING the level, I noticed one thing. This is that the author does not know what tileset the level DOES use, and so has included two.
I also do not have the time to give a full review for this, but it doesn’t really deserve one, anyway. It uses Hellraiser’s excellent Mario tileset (I don’t know if was in the .zip, though..), and as we all know, it is hard to make levels using Mario tilesets look bad. The tileset use is actually fairly good.
However, other then tileset use, there isn’t too much that is good about this level. Ammo is either clumped or non existant, it’s way too flat (I have a strong suspicion the level is 256×64), and there’s little in the way of design. Did I mention the level has an enemy (the turtle in the battle) and some other events which don’t work in MP as well?
Look, just don’t download this. I don’t feel objective right now, but it’s just not very good. Actually, if you’re good at long reviews, download this and do what I didn’t feel like doing. Long reviews make people feel goooooood.

First, let me congratulate the author on actually deciding what the name of this level is. Now, I am rating this as a bug fix, and not a seperate level, because I’m too lazy to type out everything again.
TILESET/TILESET USE: The author has, since the last upload, added some more eyecandy. However, I liked the white rings in the background better then the very prominent gems in the foreground.
Pros: Things do look better then last time.
Cons: Still not used very well. Choose a tileset with more possibilities, Gen.
Rating: 4.0

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: There’s a full energy carrot, two powerups, some fastfire, and a little Bouncy/Toaster ammo. There is, simply put, not enough ammo and too much of everything else.
Pros: A little more thought seems to have been spent here then last time.
Cons: Still not very good. Seekers are kind of a must for a level like this.
Rating: 3.5

ORIGINALITY: The level is decidedly more original now, because I’ve never heard of using springs/vines to move vertically, and sucker tubes to move horizontally. :P
Pros: It’s original.
Cons: The originality doesn’t really work (I’ll explain soon), and I still can’t say I care for it.
Rating: 3.2

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: Ok, here’s the main problem (Bjarni was right, btw). The sucker tubes do not work. You can not go through them. Thus, both teams are condemned to stay on their own side of the level, unable to get at each other.
Pros: None.
Cons: It is simply NOT playable.
Rating: 1.0

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: In the level’s current state, there is no replay value.
Pros: None.
Cons: It is, again, NOT playable.
Rating: 1.0

OVERALL (not an average). This is an interesting level, but I must say I liked it better before. Especially because you could play it then.
Pros: It’s interesting.
Cons: You can’t play it, the gems in the foreground are annoying, and there’s not enough ammo.
Rating: 3.2

Before I start, I would like to say I do not know what the level’s name is. It is uploaded as Warp Z0ne. The .zip file is called Warp Z00ne. The level is called Warp Zone. The filename is Warpwarpwarp. You see my problem.

TILESET/TILESET USE: The author uses (I think) “Fantasy Land” (it might be Fantasy World.. I forgot) by someone. I have no idea who. The author has used this tileset before, and while neither time was done very well, I think I liked the other use better. Not that all that much can be done with the tileset. Anyway, layer 4 consists of a bunch of Deserto pipes, and for background eyecandy there are some moving white rings. Now, layer 8 itself is not fully solid, and is partially transparent. However, this does look kind of cool, so I am willing to forgive the author as long as he doesn’t do it again without a good reason.
Pros: The background is a rather interesting effect.
Cons: The tileset doesn’t look good, and not much of it is used at all.
Rating: 5.0

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: The weapons and items are scattered among the various warp rooms, and are not in too much quantity. (there are Fastfires and Toaster) There are also a few rooms with coins in them, and some powerups which can only be obtained by paying 50 coins (both powerups cost the same, oddly enough).
Pros: Some parts show some thought.
Cons: Most of it is rather randomly done, and there isn’t all that much ammo.
Rating: 5.0

ORIGINALITY: This level is not paticularly original – a bunch of rooms connected by warps. This is done better in Onag’s Rat Race (a bunch of rooms connected by sucker tubes), and probably other places as well.
Pros: Few.
Cons: Just not very original.
Rating: 3.0

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: The main focus of this level is Gameplay, but I’m not sure it really suceeds in giving a satisfactory type of this. Some rooms have only one way out, and since there is no electro blaster, camping is quite possible. If you try to access the powerup rooms from below, you end up in the room directly above them. And all the rooms are about the same size, so you don’t have multiple rooms to go to in the same direction from one room.
Pros: It could easily make for some interesting play.
Cons: “Interesting” does not always mean good, and a little more thought spent on this factor, in addition to all the others, would have been nice.
Rating: 6.0

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: This level would probably not be paticularly fun until you learned it, but there aren’t too many rooms, so that shouldn’t be incredibly hard. However, the camping and lack of anything very new or interesting makes it not paticularly enjoyable.
Pros: It is different, and may appeal to the “different” crowds.
Cons: It’s “different” in the wrong way.
Rating: 4.5

OVERALL (not an average): While I like this a bit more then Trafton appears to have, it is still not a very good level and shows that beta testing might have been a good idea (though I am unable to trigger flag bug, despite not trying). Still, the author does show some promise, though I advise he makes ordinary (read: platform/tunnel based) levels until he gains more skill with JCS, and then persue the more original ideas he evidently comes up with.
Pros: The level does show some promise.
Cons: The eyecandy and lack of time spent on the level kind of cripple it.
Rating: 5.0

I’m too lazy to give this a full review with averages and everything, but I’ll try to give a general idea.
This pack is great. It’s far better then any of the author’s previous works, as in it’s playable, it isn’t a ton of hurt events, and it’s not a tileset.
The eyecandy is good. Other then the levels using the author’s own tileset (Spaceport, I think), it was all executed well. I saw no major tile bugs.
The design is also good. There are a few parts I didn’t like, such as the “puzzles” level (whatever you may think, hiding a crate behind layer 3 is NOT a puzzle), and I didn’t want to have to do Quite so much backtracking in the third and fourth levels.
Gameplay is good, difficult but not too difficult (no save points, but who cares?), and with good enemy/weapon/item placement.
The plot is followed through the levels and not abandonded to go off chasing dragons or anything like that. It is helped along by cut scenes, information given to you by “Jungle babe”, and frequent appearances of the Magic Cat him(/her?)self.
If you like single player, go ahead, download this. If you don’t like single player, don’t download this, because it is single player.

If this had come out sooner, it would have had less tiles and far more bugs. :)