Basic Game Types

  • Local Play Splitscreen

    Have a few friends or an unusual number of arms? Then local play splitscreen mode may be for you! Play in either the pre-made default levels or custom levels that you make yourself or download from websites. LPS is designed so two to four players can battle it out on one computer. To get more than two players, however, you'll need some joysticks---only two players can use the keyboard. Although the number of players is more limited than in Internet multiplayer, no Internet connection is required for LPS. Although similar to online play, LPS has a number of differences you should know about.

    • Cooperative

      Having trouble with single player mode or want to train a new player? Cooperative, or "co-op," mode offers an excellent choice that is not by default available online (note that there are community-made programs that will let you play in most of these modes online, though.) It is identical to single player, except multiple people can play at once. The first player to get to the end of the level will allow all the people playing to go on to the next stage. Fancy a race?

    • Battle

      Duke it out in a battle for the title of most powerful and skilled player! Whoever reaches the set number of roasts first will be the ultimate victor. Battle levels often have more ammo. Only the strongest will come out victorious!

    • Race

      Get to the end of the level before all of the other players and win in this exciting and fast-paced game type. Sounds easy, right? Well, you'll have to make it through obstacles like springs and wind tunnels. Only the fastest and most agile players will excel in this all-around test of playing skill.

    • Treasure Hunt

      In the words of Jack Nicholson, "greed is good." And that is pretty much the idea behind Treasure Hunt. Collect gems until you reach the limit and then get to the exit before your opponent does. Beware, though. If you get shot, you will lose some of your gems and your opponent is able to pick them up! Treasure Hunt often comes down to a very close race to see who gets to the exit first. Can you handle the pressure?

    • Capture the Flag

      Unfortunately, a coding bug means that this mode doesn't work in LPS. Fortunately, it's one of the most actively played Internet-based modes. If you aren't connected to the Internet, you can still start an Internet game, though, to play with your friends, even if other people will be unable to join.

  • Internet and Network Play

    There are a few differences in play between LPS and Internet, although both are fun! Internet play fixes the bug in LPS that makes CTF unplayable. However, Race and Cooperative are both missing here. You can download a community-made program that allows you to host them, although both modes are buggy. Race levels are actively made, although they are designed to be hosted under Treasure Hunt mode instead.

    • Battle

      The online version of Battle mode is identical to its Local Splitscreen Mode counterpart and is extremely popular. You've never played until you play a good battle game with a lot of other Jazzers from all around the planet...oh, and of course, beat them to a pulp!

    • Capture the Flag

      Prefer a battle of wits to that of brute force? Capture the Flag offers a good balance between in-depth strategy and ability to handle weaponry. Capture your opponent's flag and make it back to your base to score. It's more complicated than that, though: You can't score if your opponent has your flag! If you sit still for a moment, an arrow will tell you the direction the base or the enemy with the flag is. Capture the Flag, or "CTF," is a favorite of some of the best JJ2 players in the world.

    • Treasure Hunt

      Treasure Hunt is the least often hosted of the big three online, but you can still find a good Treasure Hunt game going online every once in a while; or, of course, you could host your own! More often, other game types (such as hotels and Survivor) are hosted as Treasure Hunts.

  • Unofficial game types

    Thanks to Jazz Creation Station, or JCS, players are able to design their own levels and gametypes! Although there are too many to list, here are some of the most popular.

    • Hotels

      Hotels go in and out of popularity. In their first incarnation, they were simply for display. People would buy rooms, and the owner of the hotel would add their room the next time the level was hosted. Nowadays, there are more complicated hotels that allow automated purchasing with coins within the level (this trend was started by a breakthrough level by EvilMike.) Some players love hotels, while others loathe them. However, hotels are a good idea for a simple-to-make first level!

    • Survivor

      Although "Ground Force" is the technical name for this gameplay type, just about everyone knows it as "Survivor" after BlurredD's stellar pack of the same name for this mode. Although there are many variants, a typical Survivor level has many blocks with a pit below it. As players shoot the blocks, they go away. When you fall into the pit below, you're out - so be careful! The last one remaining wins. Can you keep balance?

    • Team Battle

      Typically played as a JDC (Jazz Duelist Challenge) event, Team Battle is hosted under Capture the Flag and uses a complex strategy that allows two teams to battle it out in standard battle mode, except with teams! Note that the scores are reversed in Team Battle--killing someone will give a point to the opposing team. Whichever team makes the other team reach the set number of points first wins! It's the perfect mix of the strategy of Capture the Flag and the all-out carnage of Battle.