Single player, by 
This took a while to write, and there probably are quite a few errors, mostly because, well, I am tired and I wrote this all in somewhat of a rush. It is not as long as I wanted or thought it would be, but oh well. This level pack is fantastic, and there simply is no excuse in the world that I can reasonably think of to not download it. It really is that good.
For those interested in seeing the original SXR, you can download it here. It was recently fixed and everything, so yay. It’s a great pack, as is this, and might be good to play before playing this pack. Besides, it’s a killer pack, anyway, even if you do not play this one, which I hope you do play. But anyways…
To start off, this is sort of a followup to the legendary SXR pack, but not really. It features no storyline, but it is by the same person, and the general level style is the same. I hope this review sheds a bit of light on what is, in my opinion, a fantastic level pack. We’ll see.
First of all, I would like to apologize for the short review. I did not really have all that much time this weekend to work on it, and it seems to be a little inconclusive to me. But it is good enough for now. I might edit it again, because I can not stand keeping this review so short when there is plenty of useless rambling that I could do to add onto it.
Well, this is apparently Spaztic’s followup to the legendarily Shellion’s Xtreme Revenge pack. It has been quite a while since the original SXR was released (which was, for its time, and even now, an amazing level pack), and I was questioning how good this pack would be. From what I have seen so far upon writing this, though, the wait was worth it. This is simply a really good pack. While it may not have as many levels as Rabbit Honour Guard or some packs that have came along, it still features quite a number of enjoyable levels that are generally well-made. There is not a storyline, which is probably a complaint that will be heard a lot, but that is not as important as gameplay. I would rather have a level pack featuring absolutely no storyline but amazing gameplay to a level pack with a great storyline but horrible levels any day of the week. Storyline or not, NIP is a gripping pack from the start to the end. It well balances the traditional puzzle-like elements of SXR with a few areas of action and makes for a challenging, enjoyable experience. I highly recommend this pack, and it is definitely one of the best packs to come along in quite a while. It does have a few flaws, and not all of the levels are great, but all together, this is one of the most creative and well-crafted level packs to come along in ages. Above all, it was a pleasure to review, even though it took ages to write. Now that the intro is over with, let’s review, shall we?
NIP Start (Emerald Isle)
GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: The first level in the pack, unlike the original SXR, puts you right in the middle of the action – no storyline yet. A text sign, and a bee, introduce you to the N.I.P. (Nothing in Partcicular) pack and then you start playing. When I first began playing the level, I noticed quite a few parallells to the previous incarnation of SXR. Namely, the level emphasised searching for hidden secrets as much as action, and possibly even more. At times, this caused a lot of confusion. For instance, there was one part where I was stuck for quite some time, and another where I just could not find how to get out. There was one area (with bouncing crates and springs) in which I suddenly just self-destructed for no apparent reason. I tried again, this time with jjgod, and the same thing happened. I’m interested in knowing what caused this and if I’m missing something, but if it was supposed to be some sort of puzzle…well…it could use instructions. Gameplay was still really well-done and generally SXR-like. I have no major complaints, although it was, at times, a tad confusing. Still, that can be good in some ways.
PROS: Fun to play and challenging.
CONS: For those who like a lot of ammo and a lot of enemies, you may be disappointed.
RATING: 8.5
TILESET/TILESET USE: Eyecandy was also good, although near the area where there were many enemies at once before the bouncing springs, I noticed a few tile bugs. The tileset used is Diamondus, which is really quite overused, but still came out looking more or less spiffy. The background was nice (Carrotus and Diamondus, for all of their overuse, are capable of making some derned pretty backgrounds), and the rest of the eyecandy was lush enough to keep interest. Still, there is no getting past the fact that it is, after all, Diamondus, and Diamondus is as overused as heck. Although I can’t fault this level in tileset use – it certainally uses the tileset to the best it can be used without going overboard or doing anything ultra-strange.
PROS: Good looking in many parts.
CONS: Dull.
RATING: 7.7
WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Enemy and weapon placement was also good, although the later was a bit sparse. There were plenty of enemies and for the lion’s share of time, you’ll be fighing them with nothing more than your trusty blaster. There are a few weapons scattered about, but really most of this is simply aiming and shooting with the blaster. Different ideas about different weapon placements, I suppose. There was also some food in this level, although not enough to make sugar rushes a huge possibility.
PROS: Challenging.
CONS: Very little ammo.
RATING: 8.2
REPLAY/FUN FACTOR/ORIGINALITY: This level is enjoyable to play again, although it is fairly linear. There is only one possible route to the entire thing, and after playing it once, one knows all the secrets, so the second time is not quite as fun. After not playing this pack for a while so all the secrets are forgotten, playing it again would probably be fun. That is not the fault of the author as much as the fault of the nature of this pack. Still, it’s fun to play several times, mostly because it is challenging, and definitely original.
PROS: Fun to play and definitely original.
CONS: Not a great replay.
RATING: 8.2
OVERALL (not an average): Overall, this level is quite good. For those who are not used to playing levels which make use of secret hidden elements, this may be quite a challenge. It is about as difficult as SXR was, and has many similar chararistics. The puzzle-secret elements are similar, and the enemies seem to be placed in a similar fashion. Before beta testing this pack, I was worried that this would resemble SXR a lot and would not have progressed along with the general levelmaking quality. Fortunately, it seems to have progressed well and so far, this pack is superior to SXR in most ways. There were a few areas in which gameplay or eyecandy was dull or uninteresting, but that was the minority of the time. Generally, this level was enjoyable, well-made and challenging. Well done so far.
PROS: Great gameplay.
CONS: Uninteresting eyecandy.
RATING: 8.2
GAMEPLAY: A
Flow: A
Layout: A
Creativity: A -
Bugs: A -
EYECANDY: B+
Tileset use: A
Eyecandy look: B+
Creativity: B+
Bugs: A -
PLACEMENT: A -
Weapons: B+
Enemies: A
THE FINAL GRADE: A -
THE FINAL RATING: 8.2
Fungi Jungle
GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: Much like in the original SXR (here I go making paralells again), all of the levels use somewhat the same formula. What I mean by this is that they are all centered around the same general idea – moderately difficult enemies and some hard-to-find secrets that constitute the puzzle elements. It, much like the previous level, also features a good balance of the two that benefits the gameplay spectacurally. It’s fun to play, much like the last level, and is challenging as the rest of these levels are, although a bit less hard than the previous level, perhaps. The puzzles are slightly more challenging, though nothing huge has changed since the past level. Like the former level, this level is fun to play and challenging, but does not do anything revolutionary.
PROS: Enjoyable. Puzzles.
CONS: Not enough action for some.
RATING: 8.5
TILESET/TILESET USE: Yet again, a tileset that is used fairly often – this time the Jungle tileset. Fortunately, Jungle is used significantly less than Diamondus, and thus ends up looking fairly good. There were few tile bugs, and although there was a few places in which eyecandy was more or less plain, generally it looked good enough. I feel as if I am repeating myself a lot from level to level within this pack, but they bare many similarities. That is not to say, of course, that they are too similar so that they are not interesting. It’s just that there are generalizations one can make from level to level in this pack fairly easily. And, of course, when it’s quality that is the rule, I have absolutely no objection to the generalizations being there.
PROS: No errors.
CONS: Nothing amazing, again.
RATING: 8.5
WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: As you would expect with a level that is placed within the jungle, there are quite a few Monkey enemies. Yet again, there are not a ton of weapons, nor is there none, but overall there seemed to be few weapons. Some players may love this, and some may despise it, but I’m sort of inbetween the two opinions. Sure, it may be more difficult, but that can be a good thing, too. Most weapons are oriented to the various puzzles. Enemy placement was good, although I wish there were a few more non-Monkey enemies.
PROS: Well-placed enemies.
CONS: Very little ammo.
RATING: 8.0
REPLAY/FUN FACTOR/ORIGINALITY: I could put the exact same thing as last time here. The level is emphasised on a combonation of action and puzzle elements, and generally, since the puzzle elements are mainly secret-based, the second play the level will be significantly easier for those who happen to have a better memory than I do. Originality was also similar – there was nothing that really stood out about these levels, but they are high-quality, and therefore original in some ways. The way the secret-based puzzles work was more or less revolutionary in SXR, and, while it is no longer as amazing, it still is different from most levels that you see.
PROS: Fun to play.
CONS: Not extraordinarily original.
RATING: 8.0
OVERALL (not an average): Overall, this level is quite good. For those who are not used to playing levels which make use of secret hidden elements, this may be quite a challenge. It is about as difficult as SXR was, and has many similar chararistics. The puzzle-secret elements are similar, and the enemies seem to be placed in a similar fashion. Before beta testing this pack, I was worried that this would resemble SXR a lot and would not have progressed along with the general levelmaking quality. Fortunately, it seems to have progressed well and so far, this pack is superior to SXR in most ways. There were a few areas in which gameplay or eyecandy was dull or uninteresting, but that was the minority of the time. Generally, this level was enjoyable, well-made and challenging. Well done so far.
PROS: Fun to play and well made.
CONS: Nothing spectacular.
RATING: 8.2
GAMEPLAY: A -
Flow: A -
Layout: A
Creativity: A -
Bugs: A -
EYECANDY: A -
Tileset use: A
Eyecandy Look: A -
Creativity: A -
Bugs: A -
PLACEMENT: A -
Weapons: A -
Enemies: A -
THE FINAL GRADE: A -
THE FINAL RATING: 8.2
Sticks and Stones
GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: “Sticks and Stones” (which is apparently an inside joke that I miss) is a School v3-based level with some interesting gameplay, although it is not all that different from the previous levels. In this level, it seems that action is relatively more emphasised than puzzle elements. Sure, there are still quite a few puzzles, but most of them revolve around trying to find your way through layer 3 hidden elements, as opposed to finding crates and such. There are quite a number of enemies in this level, and there is a stretch where there are absolutely no puzzles but plenty – and I mean plenty – of enemies to kill you. A sign after that area reads “do not fear death” which is sort of odd, since it is positioned over a small grass pit that instantly kills you (do not fear it, even though it kills you? Eh?). The rest of the level was more or less similar to the previous ones, with a few crate puzzles, but it still seemingly had more enemies than the last few. I did not find any major gameplay errors that detracted from the fun, although at some times gameplay was more or less confusing. Still, good overall.
PROS: Well designed with some more action than the previous levels.
CONS: Some of the puzzles are a bit stupid.
RATING: 8.5
TILESET/TILESET USE: The “School v3” tileset is fairly cartoony, and Jazz is not exactly made to be in cartoony environments. If you look at most sucessful tilesets, you find one thing in common – the tilesets are either equally or less cartoony than Jazz himself. And using “School v3” presents a problem to level builders – frankly, the tileset really does look significantly more cartoony than most others. This level sort of uses a Who Framed Roger Rabbit approach in that it mixes cartoony tiles with the more realistic grass and park-ish tiles. This works well for the level, and in general, eyecandy came out to be very well-done and did not look bad at all. The extremely cartoony tiles, such as the teachers, were used in minimum – probably a good choice overall because, while they are funny, they just would not look right in this pack, which mainly features tilesets that look equally or less cartoony than Jazz. Tile bugs were relatively sparse. I could not find any while playing and not expressly looking for them, and that is what is important. There were a few, mostly really small, insignificant ones, but that is to be expected. A good level eyecandy-wise, as well.
PROS: Good use of a fairly difficult to master tileset.
CONS: Nothing amazing in the foreground or background.
RATING: 8.5
WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: As I said previously, this level certainally does make quite a lot of use of enemies. The main enemies you will encounter whilst playing this level are rapiers, stand monkeys (often humerously positioned on top of ceiling lights), and skelletons. The rapiers, with their annoying going through walls, often are the most annoying enemy in this level, although not being able to get a stand monkey dead that is throwing bananas at you can be fairly agitating, as well. There are more weapons in this level than in the last two, mostly in the form of powerups. The freezer powerup is, as usual, more or less useless, but there are others. If you like lots of enemies and a challenge, you will definitely like the enemy placement in this level. However, if you are a fan of a lot of weapons, you will probably be disappointed.
PROS: Good for those who like lots of enemies.
CONS: Bad for those who like lots of ammo.
RATING: 8.5
REPLAY/FUN FACTOR/ORIGINALITY: Unlike the past few levels, this level does not suffer that much from the knowledge of the puzzles. This is mainly because the vast majoraty of the difficulcy involved is the enemies. There are many more enemies in this level than in the past few, which definitely makes it both harder and a better replay overall. The puzzles in this level are sort of lame and cheap at times, but generally they are fairly fun and worth another play (after you forget the combonations, that is). Most of the crates are easy to find and everything, so that’s not particurally interesting. Regardless, this is fun and mostly original, although not the world’s best replay-wise.
PROS: More action means better replay value.
CONS: The puzzles in this level are definitely inferior to the ones in the previous levels.
RATING: 8.5
OVERALL (not an average): So far, this is the most “action-packed” level of the pack, if you will. It does not, however, slack in the puzzle category too much. Most of the puzzles do involve simply finding where layers are, but that’s not a huge problem. In fact, in most packs, that would be a welcome puzzle addition. The fact that this makes it below average for this pack in the puzzle category is simply a testement to how well-designed most puzzles in this pack are, and that is a good thing. For those who like action levels, this will probably be so far your favorite level in the pack. Puzzle-oriented players probably won’t absolutely love this level, but it is still worth a play, as it is well-made and a good example of a balance of a challenging amount of enemies while still making it possible to beat.
PROS: Action-filled and well-done.
CONS: Some of the puzzles are bleh.
RATING: 8.5
GAMEPLAY: A
Flow: A -
Layout: A
Creativity: A -
Bugs: A
EYECANDY: A
Tileset use: A
Eyecandy Look: A
Creativity: A
Bugs: A -
PLACEMENT: A
Weapons: A -
Enemies: A
THE FINAL GRADE: A
THE FINAL RATING: 8.5
Shock Core
GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: “Shock Core” (hasn’t that name been used before?) is a level using yet another really, really common tileset (much like nearly all of the levels in this pack) – Tubeelectric. Personally, this is so far my favorite level in the pack. I am a sucker for the use of springs to get the player from one place to another, especially if they are done in a fairly complex sequence, and this level is chock full of that sort of thing. This level seemed to be much more focused on action than anything else, although there was not exactly a ton of it. This level was relatively easy compared to the others, but that is not a huge problem. In fact, I like it this way. It is sort of a nice break between all of the action-filled levels preceeding it. Generally, this level’s gameplay just seemed to have a higher quality to it. I am not sure exactly why. Towards the end, everything seemed a little bit more rushed, but that is nothing huge, as the rest of this level was absolutely fantastic. So far my favorite gameplay-wise. Great job on this one.
PROS: Very well-designed.
CONS: Possibly too easy to some.
RATING: 8.7
TILESET/TILESET USE: I will admit that Tube Electric can look really good when a lot of effort is put into it, and a lot of effort definitely was put into this. The eyecandy of this level is some of the best I have ever seen in Tube Electric. There are very few areas in which there are any boring patches. It is good to see a level that can start with great eyecandy (and gameplay, for that matter) and continue with such good looks until it is entirely over. Levels that hold quality standards like this get high ratings, and this level gets a high rating, too. There were no eyecandy errors that I found, but this level does generally keep the player on his or her feet, plus there are areas in which stopping is completely impossible. Still, from what I have seen, there are no major eyecandy errors to speak of, and everything looks quite good. Nice job, Spaztic Face Head Head Face. Oh, yes. And reg. ;)
PROS: Great Tube Electric use.
CONS: None to mention.
RATING: 8.7
WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Enemy placement was spiffy, as was everything else about this level. There were not many chances to get ammo, but that is not a huge problem. The focus of this level is using blaster in order to kill the various enemies, and I have no problem with that. As for enemy placement – enemy placement was good. The eyeballs are very annoying, but in some respects, that is a good thing. The level is not all that challenging, as I mentioned previously, but that is neither a con nor a pro. It is simply a fact. Generally, the enemies seemed to be placed well. There were less of them than in the previous levels, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Well done overall.
PROS: Well done.
CONS: Possibly too easy for some enemy-wise.
RATING: 8.5
REPLAY/FUN FACTOR/ORIGINALITY: This level is definitely original, and I like it a lot. Tube Electric has, of course, been used in this way before, but then again, Tube Electric has nearly been used in every way possible. Still, the gameplay is the unique part of this level. There are not many levels that use this exact sort of gameplay, and it works well. The combonation of sort of “cutscenes” of bouncing around on springs (not really cutscenes, but they aren’t really part of gameplay, so they are sort of the equivilant) and actual gameplay is intriguing and works well for this level. It is original and fun to play, and definitely deserves the 8.7 it is getting in this category. Well done, Tic Face.
PROS: Great fun to play over and over.
CONS: The easiness might be a con for some.
RATING: 8.7
OVERALL (not an average): In my opinion, this is the best level of the pack so far. There are no real glaring problems in this level, unless you consider it being easy one. I like the cutscene-esque spring use and the eyecandy. In fact, there is very little about this level that I do not like. The only thing I gave less than 8.7 was the weapon and enemy placement, but that was mainly because it was easy and there were not all that many weapons to rate. That does not mean at all that this level is bad in that category. It is far above average, in fact. Other than that, I gave everything 8.7, and definitely, it deserved it. This is a really cool level, both gameplay and eyecandy-wise, and I highly recommend that everyone play this.
PROS: Very well-done.
CONS: Pretty easy, if you find that a bad thing.
RATING: 8.7
GAMEPLAY: A
Flow: A+
Layout: A
Creativity: A
Bugs: A
EYECANDY: A
Tileset use: A+
Eyecandy Look: A
Creativity: A
Bugs: A
PLACEMENT: A
Weapons: A -
Enemies: A
THE FINAL GRADE: A
THE FINAL RATING: 8.7
Toxic Sunset
GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: This level is weird, and I mean that in the best way that it can be meant it. This level uses Disguise’s space-themed tileset that I am sure you are all quite familiar with, and does a very nice job of using it. What is truly strange, however, is some of the gameplay elements. This level bares absolutely no resemblance to any other of the levels so far in the pack, but that does not at all mean it is bad. Many of the features of this level revolve around jumping and climbing – skills that are usually not used in this SXR-ish gameplay that this pack has caused me to get used to. There are more crate-related things, but this level does not have nearly as many layer-searching things as the previous ones did. Most of the secrets hidden by layers are actually things like gems and such that are interesting, but not really essential to gameplay or anything.
PROS: Very well-designed.
CONS: Possibly too easy to some.
RATING: 8.7
TILESET/TILESET USE: Tileset use was good, although it was nothing amazing, and there were a few small errors that I did not exactly like. Still, it was nicely done and I like the tileset, so I will give it an overall 8.5. The space-themed tileset is somewhat of a departure from the previous levels, which mostly use nature-themed or electronic tilesets. This level sort of does not fit in the middle of the pack, but that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s, in fact, a refreshing break. If there was one complaint I could have said about the original SXR, it would be that it was far too much of the same thing over and over again. This gives a good break from the general SXR gameplay and is not a slouch in eyecandy, either. The eyecandy is not all that different from the other levels, but it is still good. There were a few very small errors that brought down the rating slightly, but not really all that much. Nice job overall.
PROS: Great tileset use.
CONS: Small bugs.
RATING: 8.5
WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Enemy placement was spiffy, as was everything else about this level. There were not many chances to get ammo, but that is not a huge problem. The focus of this level is using blaster in order to kill the various enemies, and I have no problem with that. As for enemy placement – enemy placement was good. The enemies were very annoying, but in some respects, that is a good thing. The level is not all that challenging, as I mentioned previously, but that is neither a con nor a pro. It is simply a fact. Generally, the enemies seemed to be placed well. There were less of them than in the previous levels, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Well done overall. (And, yes, I am aware that was simply a copy and paste of the review on the previous level. However, the fact that it is quite relevant mixed with the fact that I am quite lazy makes this sensible. So do not complain or I will throw fish towards your general direction, fiend.)
PROS: Well done.
CONS: Possibly too easy for some enemy-wise.
RATING: 8.5
REPLAY/FUN FACTOR/ORIGINALITY: This level is definitely original, especially compared to the other levels in this pack. It does not have the same cutscene thing going for it that the last level had, but it had its own share of interesting ideas. There is nothing that I can exactly point out to attest to this fact. You simply have to play the level to understand what I mean. There were some areas in which everything seemed to be repetitive, but those were the vast minority. The only problems I found related to replay. There are not all that many enemies, nor are the puzzles extremely difficult. Still, this is offset by the originality of this level, and definitely, this level is worth playing again. Fun factor is also high, especially because it is so different from the other levels in this pack. Well done.
PROS: Great fun to play over and over. Original.
CONS: The easiness might be a con for some.
RATING: 8.7
OVERALL (not an average): There were a few bugs that brought down the score of this level some. If I could, I would give it 8.6, but unfortunately I can not. I will lower this to 8.5 due to the bugs, which often did not fit into one single category. Still, this is a nicely done level. It is different from all the rest in that it features both different eyecandy and gameplay. The gameplay is probably more different (pardon my poor English use) than the eyecandy, namely because it is a lot different than the rest of the levels. Still, the eyecandy does have some notable differences. My favorite part of the level, however, might have been the order in which the arrows near the spike platforms went. If you were to follow them, you would go around in a continous circle. What help.
PROS: Very well-done.
CONS: Pretty easy, if you find that a bad thing. Bugs.
RATING: 8.5
GAMEPLAY: A
Flow: A
Layout: A
Creativity: A
Bugs: B+
EYECANDY: A -
Tileset use: A -
Eyecandy Look: A
Creativity: A
Bugs: B+
PLACEMENT: A
Weapons: A -
Enemies: A
THE FINAL GRADE: A
THE FINAL RATING: 8.5
All that Glitters is Cold
GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: The classic phrase “All that glitters is gold” is manically twisted in order to create the name of this solid Dimensions (aka Sirius, by Agama) tileset. This is a good level gameplay-wise, but there was a fairly major bug that caused quite a lot of problems. Namely, it is the masking in this tileset. This was, I believe, one of Agama’s earlier tilesets, and it sort of shows. Not to say that this tileset is bad. It’s great. However, the mask needs some SERIOUS work. What I mean here is that it is really easy to get stuck in a corner of a tile. In fact, I did it several times, completely on accident. Other than that, the gameplay is mainly good. I will give this an 8.2, although I probably should give it lower, but it is still a good level in general. That bug should be fixed by placing warps around it, though, first.
PROS: Gameplay was generally good other than the few small bugs.
CONS: The mask of Sirius causes some major problems in this level, and warps should have been placed in their correct positions so that this would not cause the player to get stuck (eep!).
RATING: 8.2
TILESET/TILESET USE: Tileset use was good, although it was nothing amazing, and there were a few small errors that I did not exactly like. Still, it was nicely done and I like the tileset, so I will give it an overall 8.5. The space-themed tileset is somewhat of a departure from the previous levels, which mostly use nature-themed or electronic tilesets. This level sort of does not fit in the middle of the pack, but that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s, in fact, a refreshing break. If there was one complaint I could have said about the original SXR, it would be that it was far too much of the same thing over and over again. This gives a good break from the general SXR gameplay and is not a slouch in eyecandy, either. The eyecandy is not all that different from the other levels, but it is still good. There were a few very small errors that brought down the rating slightly, but not really all that much. Nice job overall. (Yet again, I am lazy, but this remains still accurate. Yay for lazy accuracy.)
PROS: Great tileset use.
CONS: Small bugs.
RATING: 8.5
WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Enemy placement was spiffy, as was everything else about this level. There were not many chances to get ammo, but that is not a huge problem. The focus of this level is using blaster in order to kill the various enemies, and I have no problem with that. As for enemy placement – enemy placement was good. The enemies were very annoying, but in some respects, that is a good thing. The level is not all that challenging, as I mentioned previously, but that is neither a con nor a pro. It is simply a fact. Generally, the enemies seemed to be placed well. There were less of them than in the previous levels, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Well done overall. (And, yes, I am aware that was simply a copy and paste of the review on the previous level. However, the fact that it is quite relevant mixed with the fact that I am quite lazy makes this sensible. So do not complain or I will throw fish towards your general direction, fiend.) Oh, yes, and a few more things to add. There are very few weapons in this level, although there are a few more enemies. But not many.
PROS: Well done.
CONS: Possibly too easy for some enemy-wise.
RATING: 8.5
REPLAY/FUN FACTOR/ORIGINALITY: Beyond getting stuck, this level is more or less enjoyable. It is not extermely original, although the tileset use definitely is. Still, this is deteriorated by the bug that was caused by getting stuck. Had this been fixed, the replay would probably have received a bit of a better score. Other than that one fairly major blemish, this level is mostly fun to play. For some reason, Sirius/Dimensions looks a little dim to me. That is a tileset problem, of course, but not a big one, and that really is not the fault of the levelmaker. Other than the bugs I just mentioned, the level was fun to play and a good replay, although there were not all that many enemies.
PROS: Great fun to play over and over. Original.
CONS: The easiness might be a con for some. The major bug.
RATING: 8.2
OVERALL (not an average): Again, the major thing that is causing problems for this level is that one bug that causes the player to get stuck. Other than that, this level is more or less very well-done. There are a few problems, and this level just suffers from an overall lack of excellence. There is not anything that is not in any other levels in the pack, and while the layout is good, it is not anything that is really all that notable. A solid level, but probably nothing to write home about, other than the bug which I hope is fixed quickly. Luckily, this is single player, so there is not a huge problem with simply typing jjnowall/jjfly to get out, but I would much rather see that the bug was fixed instead of having to go around it. Other than the problems I mentioned, it was nicely done.
PROS: Nicely done.
CONS: A few small bugs and one fairly major one.
RATING: 8.2
GAMEPLAY: A -
Flow: A
Layout: A
Creativity: A -
Bugs: B
EYECANDY: A -
Tileset use: A -
Eyecandy Look: A
Creativity: A
Bugs: B+
PLACEMENT: A
Weapons: A -
Enemies: A
THE FINAL GRADE: A -
THE FINAL RATING: 8.2
Mines of Moria II
GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: Mines of Moria was my least favorite level in the original SXR and, well, this dismal distinction continues on into NIP. I just do not like this level in many ways. Mostly because the eyecandy is really, really uninteresting. But, then again, how interesting can Mez01 get? The answer is not very interesting at all, save for the occasional miracle which I have not seen happen yet. If this level has one thing going for it, though, at least it is gameplay, more or less. Gameplay is generally good. It consists of getting lots of crates and keys and is definitely good for those among us who are fans of puzzles. For everyone else, though, this level is fairly boring. There are a lot of Dragons, too, and it shapes up to have okay gameplay, but redundant and sort of uninteresting. Unfortunately, this is not much of a conclusion level and probably the least interesting one of all the pack. Needs work, and definitely a new tileset.
PROS: For those who are fans of running around collecting things, you have met your perfect level. Congratulations.
CONS: For those who are not fans of running around collecting things, you have met your perfect enemy. Congratulations.
RATING: 8.0
TILESET/TILESET USE: This is sort of off-topic, but I just realized that I have spent this entire review and several others typing “Tileset/Tileset Use” instead of “Eyecandy/Tileset Use.” Oh well. Anyways, this level uses the fantastically dull Mez01 tileset by Mezz. This tileset, for its day, was quite good. Unfortunately, its day was exactly 24 hours long and happened nearly four years ago. Today is not its day, nor was the day the 9535345423523498549230573498572348952347985234759753409
2857342089534728590347509823475023498573409572349085734095
8347250942375872340985723490852347598275049728905723489057
3408952347523457234-59834572340546545468367356908769857654th Mez01-based level released its day. This level makes okay use of Mez01, although that is not saying much. I suppose that this is about as good as Mez01 can get, but that really is saying quite little. Just uninteresting tileset use and everything. This remains the least interesting level of the pack, in my humble opinion. The finishing tube thingy was, however, quite well-done and looked really cool. Still, that does not make up for the relatively mediocre quality of the eyecandy in pretty much the entire rest of the level. Oh well.
PROS: Great tileset use.
CONS: Small bugs.
RATING: 7.5
WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Personally, I would rather have had this level completely left out. It is really annoying. The enemies mainly consist of the following: dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, and then possibly a few more dragons. Sound fun? It is not particurally fun. You get the idea.
PROS: It’s okay. And if you like dragons, well, you’ve found the perfect level.
CONS: Dull. Repetitive.
RATING: 7.5
REPLAY/FUN FACTOR/ORIGINALITY: This level is not fun by any stretch of the imagination. Sorry.
PROS: Collectors will like this.
CONS: Everyone else won’t.
RATING: 7.5
OVERALL (not an average): Dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, dragon, key, and dragon. That is the most accurate summary of this level possible.
PROS: Fun for collectors.
CONS: Dull gameplay and eyecandy.
RATING: 7.5
GAMEPLAY: B+
Flow: B+
Layout: B+
Creativity: B+
Bugs: B+
EYECANDY: B+
Tileset use: A
Eyecandy Look: B+
Creativity: B+
Bugs: B+
PLACEMENT: B+
Weapons: A -
Enemies: B
THE FINAL GRADE: B+
THE FINAL RATING: 7.5
AND NOW THE VERDICT…
FINAL PACK RATING: 1.0
…OR NOT…
…NOW THE REAL RATING…
…SERIOUSLY…
…IT’S COMING…
…AND HERE IT IS…
…THIS IS IT…
…IT IS…
FINAL PACK RATING: 9.2 (rounded up from 9.1).
This level pack is, for the most part, absolutely fantastic. Despite the last level being annoying as it could possibly be, this level pack is solid, skilled, and overall fun to play. There are a few small things that could be changed, and I would probably like to see a storyling and a suitable ending level. Still fun. Well done, Spaztic. Definitely worth a download. One of the best packs to come along in quite some time, and positively a great effort. It is not often you see a pack that demonstrates not only such a great deal of levelmaking skill, but also a dedication to finishing it. While it would have been nice to have a storyline and everything, this is a great pack, and all things considered, a storyline is not all that necessary. If you look, you can find plenty of errors in the levels and everything. But nothing is perfect. If you look hard enough, you can find errors in everything. But that is not important. I give this upload a 9.2 because it demonstrates a great pack with a lot of effort. Sure, there may be a storyline missing, and it may not have a climactic ending, but it does what it is supposed to do – be a very good and well-made level pack – with near perfect accuracy. If you look close enough, you can find plenty of problems. True. But that is true about anything. What is important is how much quality there is in something and how much effort is put into it. The original SXR was, all things considered, not perfect, and definitely not perfect by today’s standards. But nothing is perfect, and that is the point I am trying to get across. This level pack does not reach the level of effort which it probably took to create such masterpieces as Rabbit Honour Guard and Tomb Rabbit, but it should not be compared. This is not an ultra-huge project or anything, nor is it something which is attempting to revolutionize the JCS levelmaking field. It is just a pack, and a great one at that. You may notice that my final rating is much higher than any of the individual level ratings. This is, of course, adjusted. After all, it makes no sense to give the same score to a single level which deserves an 8.2 and two levels which both deserve 8.2 – one has to take into account the effort required to create two levels. And, of course, one can not give two levels that deserve 5s a 10 – it does not make sense. So I find a balance, and in this case, that balance is at a very respectable score of 9.2. To my knowledge, this is not the average of anything. In fact, in all truth, there is no practical reason behind how I arrived at the score. It is simply gut feeling. If the levels were to be released seperately, I would give none of them 9.2. But together, even though they are not as much a pack as they are a group of levels with no storyline, but they are still quality works. While the rating may not make sense, there is one thing that always make sense. And that is reg ;). So, as I finish this unfortunately short review, I beg you all to remember to reg ;) well and reg ;) often. Oh, yes, and download this level pack. Now. I promsie you that in no way will you be disappointed. If ever there was a deserving sequel to SXR, this would be it. Complaints? Some. Sure, it has no plot line. And it really does not have that much of a continuous flowing point (which can be explained by the lack of the storyline). And, yes, the last level is not exactly the best in the world. Still, the pack is what it promises to be – a very solid collection of very well-done levels from Spaztic. Nice job, Spaztic. I recommend everyone download this, and quickly. It does not get much better than this.
Oh, yes, and reg. ;)
- Trafton, who will probably end up not typing anything for about two weeks after this. Or at least he wishes he wouldn’t. Oh well.
-Trafton
[This review has been edited by Trafton AT][This review has been edited by Trafton AT]
