Episode Two: The Rebirth of Evil

  • Rating: 9.6

Reviews and comments

    Blackraptor 28 Apr 2006, 22:39 (edited 28 Apr 06, 22:39)

    10Recommended:

    I felt like reviewing something so I did. I’m not going to bother writing up a long review as there’s enough reviews for this upload that will state what I said anyways.

    I’ll start off by saying that this is probably the best single player pack I’ve played, so it’s already pretty obvious what rating it will get ;P.

    The pack features heavily on storyline, even incorporating two seperate endings into the pack so you will play through different levels depending on the decisions you make near the end. This is also one of the only packs I’ve seen that incorporate story into a pack extremely well, as most other packs I’ve played that included storylines either focused too much on them which in turn detracted from the quality of the levels gameplay wise (most of them ended up being alike to cutscenes) or seemed like the story wasn’t complex enough, flawed, or seemed like the author(s) came up with it after they put together the levels. This pack contains beautiful levels and the story certainly did not steal attention from them, and overall greately increased my enjoyment of this pack. The beginning cutscene is also very well thought out and executed.

    Some of the levels included in this pack are colossal. Deserto Orbital Base is simply a masterpiece. There are also many interesting tricks put into the levels which add to the sheer amazement you would probably be feeling after playing the pack. I think the weakest area in the pack in terms of level design is probably the Battleships levels. They’re not particularly long and definately don’t seem as open to exploration as some of the other levels, and Battleships isn’t a particularly interesting set.

    Eyecandy is well done. Despite the amount of times I’ve replayed this pack the levels, beauty and story of the levels kept me too busy to look for eyecandy bugs for the most part, and there weren’t any that stood out. The alternative ending that features the sideways Deserto Base level seems like it could cause seizures, btw ;P.

    Difficulty was pretty well done. I did find myself needing to cheat in a few areas, but I’ve managed to pass every area in each level of the pack without the need to cheat. The puzzle in the Desert level is slightly irritating as crates tend to be buggy sometimes. Running around with one heart in the Deserto Orbital Base was certainly refreshing.

    One of the best things I find in this pack is the replayability, which is among the best I’ve ever seen. Not only are some levels huge and weilding many optional areas and secrets, but the pack has two alternate endings which means you’ll definately miss a level or two if you play it only once. I’ve replayed the pack around a total of 4 or 5 times since I’ve betatested it, and I’ve never gotten bored during any of the replay runs.

    This review wasn’t originally intended to be long, but it seems it has come out this way anyways, probably because there’s too many good things to say about this pack. I know I’m definately awaiting the release of Devres 3, and I am glad to have betatested this pack and that I’ve played it. I haven’t rated anything a 10 since 2002, but I can say that this pack certainly deserves it.

    Congratulations on this masterpiece.

    11 people found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    MoonBlazE 19 Oct 2005, 21:42

    10Recommended:

    While I’m not really a talented reviewer, I’ll give my best shot commenting on this pack. Some of the cons was the eye candy. While Evilmike sure did focus on getting the levels huge, there was no special touches in this that drove you..

    What am I saying?!? This thing rocks. Go download it now. The levels are worked well through, the music zooms you into the levels. Jumping from spaceship to spaceship and destroying a whole fleet, performing advanced missions such as destroying central computers, this pack brings an amazing new style.

    Go save the universe, fanboy!

    11 of 15 people found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    sonicnathan 1 23 Jun 2007, 22:59 (edited 25 Jun 07, 09:29 by Cooba)

    10Recommended:

    Wow….

    Eyecandey:
    HOLY Shit! The eyecandey is asome. Even for the space levels Mike used every last bit of eyecandey you can get in all of the tilesets he used! He used lots of eyecandey in the backround but most of the eyecandey is in the sprite layer. He did it so well the orbital base looks like a orbital base! It really looks like something you would see in a futuristic movie. Mike also used lots of special effects and cutseens. He did things That I didn’t even know were possible with Jazz 2! Great work!
    10/10
    Gameplay:
    Jaw drop. Wow. This is asome! There’s lots of enemys in the pack making it difficult but not impossible. The ammo and food placement is amazing as there’s enough ammo to play thought the episode and the food is used so well that you can only get a sugar rush every 3 or 4 levels. On hard mode there’s more enemys and things like that. I like how he made it a little easier on easy. The puzzles are amazing. Even though most of then are trigger crate puzzles the way you have to destroy them are amazing. The opening doors are cool and the boss battle with Devan is so epic. The levels are long. Like the Deserto Orbital Base is about 30 minutes long! There’s lots of traps and the bonus warps are hard to access. There’s lots of secrets and the storyline is amazing. The cutseens are amazing and there’s lots of levels. The enemies are put in stretegic locations and the choses are very well done. Great job mike!
    10/10

    Score:
    10
    Rank P (Perfect!)
    DR/ YES!

    [Filter bypass removal/”!” reduction. ~cooba]

    2 people found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    Superjazz 14 Dec 2005, 13:47

    10Recommended:

    I must admit this to be one another fantastic episode. I already played both the Invasion, and this one through with an another computer, both as medium-difficulty. ;p

    So, the storyline is really well written, which actually is sort of an afterlife of the main jj2 single-player story, but still a good one. The episode also kept me all the time known about what’s happening, and nothing necessary was left out. Hope you know what I do mean. :D

    The fact that there are even two endings to choose of, I haven’t ever seen in any other jj2-epis. As the previous episode was mainly focusing on one a single-planet, Deserto, this had a style of Space-adventuring and more freedom to do stuff so I guess I’m preferring this over the previous, it seems. I’ll review that episode also sometime.

    The eyecandy is great enough and really gives a realistic feeling for the playing, but still doesn’t confuse. It couldn’t just have been done better, everything seems to fit.

    There were plenties of original or underused concepts used for the levels, like the puzzle in the first level, followed shortly by tunnels with rocks coming towards you, shooting cannons and so on. I really agree the few custscenes were a nice add. The difficulty made me die sometimes even now as I couldn’t save every minute, anyway I always wanted to go on with the levels instead of usually just getting too bored to try again with some sp-levels from a save-point. So I was still able to finish it with enough will to try things, but took some time for example to think about; where should I go next?

    The amount of ammo and other goodies was suitable enough as well. I really needed some special type of ammo in some cases and especially the Devan-boss, instead of just using blaster or toaster through all levels. Good nothing was overused, and I liked the gem-thingy as well.

    I guess I’m giving it a 9 and a half so far. Nothing was really too bad as a reason not giving it a 10, but it seems that this was only an another part of story and might be continuing later. I really wish this to continue. :-)

    I didn’t actually find all music fitting the levels too often however…and most music-files were already been used for some other levels. If the continuation of this serie depends of us fans, then I’m here to give this a yet another review and a vote for Evilmike to continue it all. There would have been so much of nice sweet candy to report more about this whole episode in this review, but I just can’t remember it all by now. Hope I didn’t forget anything important I was thinking about while writing this.

    Anyway…Great Job, Evilmike!

    -SJ

    1 person found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    SPAZ18 9 Aug 2006, 08:08 (edited 23 Sep 06, 10:35)

    10Recommended:

    You want more reviews? Well here’s another.

    This level is perhaps one of the BEST EVER I have played on JJ2.

    EYECANDY: WOW! The eyecandy is MAGNIFICENT! I love the way the Story is presented in the intro. Very cool. LOTS of the tiles are used. No repetitive backgrounds or foregrounds. The Spaceship levels make it look as if you are really in Space. 10/10

    GAMEPLAY: LOTS to do. The levels are VERY LONG AND HUGE. There are 15 levels in total in this pack (2 save points, 1 intro). There are TWO endings to get in the pack, a superb idea. The password system in one of the levels is a fantastic idea. 10/10

    DIFFICULTY: This pack is hard, even on easy. On Hard, the puzzles are made much harder. 10/10

    MUSIC: I really love the music used in this pack. All the music goes well with every level. 10/10

    ENEMIES: Not too many or too less. Enemies are not found in annoying places like on the end of platforms. They are very well placed. The way the Bilsy bosses are used is SUPER. 10/10

    OBSTACLES: There are LOTS of obstacles on each level. Hidden Destruct Scenery, secret passages, lots of Trigger Crates and lots of Trigger Zones to find. 10/10

    EVENTS: The eventing used in this pack is REMARKABLE! I love the way the Escape Pod moves with Jazz in it. The way the TNT events are used in the Spaceship are also fantastic. 10/10

    TOTAL: 70/70 (10.0)

    BONUSSES:
    This pack is compatible with 1.23, so you don’t need TSF to play this. +0.5
    The whole pack is only just under 200KB. It’s amazing that you can fit that many levels in just that size. +0.5
    TOTAL BONUS = +1.0

    FINAL MARK = 11/10
    But it will have to be 10 since scores like that are impossible. I would have done 11 if it was possible.

    DOWNLOAD RECOMMENDATION?

    Darn right, I reccomend this! So, what are you waiting for? Download this NOW!

    GRADE: S (Better than A!)

    BTW, this is my second 10 rating now!

    @Donda97 & Lori98: READ the level description. There’s a link you can click on to download the music and tilesets. Otherwise if EvilMike did include the tilesets and music, the level pack would be OVER 5MB and the limit on J2O is 2MB.

    1 of 2 people found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    ZAPPER 27 Oct 2007, 03:11

    10Recommended:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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    Neo--> 28 Aug 2008, 14:27

    8Recommended:

    Good levels, but Very Hard :(

    This is a short review. It has less impact on the upload's score.

    Spaz.Spaz.tg 27 Nov 2008, 04:18

    10Recommended:

    This Episode seems so real and the enimies are placed very well but i dont relly find it difficult all you got to do is to shoot a path for you to cross

    Story line:Sad But Nice=2/2

    Eyecandy Perfect=3/3

    lvls Size=5/5

    =10/10

    Download recomation=Yes

    This is a short review. It has less impact on the upload's score.

    White pinguin 26 Sep 2012, 10:53

    10Recommended:

    Not only was this fun to play but it also moved me. You have great creative powers and I think you’re also quite smart. Great piece of art or whatever. Good work.

    This is a short review. It has less impact on the upload's score.

    arjandevries 24 Nov 2005, 08:41

    10Recommended:

    Evilmike asked formore reviews here I have one. It’s very short but ok.
    This episode with invasion of deserto are the best packs I’ve ever played. I thought the first one was very good but this one is just GREAT. It has great story, it is difficult and has many new things in it. Well I hope there come more reviews soon because I can’t wait for ep3

    Arjan

    0 of 1 person found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    OM2004 27 Dec 2005, 01:25

    9Recommended:

    I think it has a great story behind it, but the levels are very confusing for playing the first time. In some levels you have to die if you do something worng, or it seems as if that is your only option…overall through I still think it can be alot of fun.

    This is a short review. It has less impact on the upload's score.

    NewSonic 9 Jan 2006, 21:17

    10Recommended:

    Hi Guys!
    This is my first review on this Site since 2 Years. Before them I got a new PC and it was the first time I was able to play 3D games like Serious Sam.

    Now I Returned to here because my search for Original and just Fun entertainment, which I cant find in today Games.

    But now to this Download:

    The only thing I can say to this is that peoples like you are keeping that community alive with ever and ever new ideas how to create levels…
    This pack is amazing-
    The Gameplay is so good and after almost every Level you ‘‘get payed off’‘ by an animation lvl, which are made as just better than the Standart J2 Animations (You know, I mean the Intro and Outro’‘Movies’‘.
    It is just fun to play this, and I hope to get my Gamepad back from my Friend soon- because with my Keyboard I cant finish it in Normal Mode!

    0 of 1 person found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    Dorian 24 Jan 2006, 17:50 (edited 24 Jan 06, 17:53)

    10Recommended:

    over the years, after i played rhg and tomb rabbit and a few other sp’s i began to think that making a sp like those i mentioned is something that a few people can do, not many becouse it’s hard work and the fact that those people have to be very creative with their levels, so what i’m going to say is: The Rebirth of Evil is the best sp i ever had the plessure to play with. the levels, the tilesets, the amazing music and a great story are the things that make TROE the best, for my opinion sp ever.i would like to say that making so difficult sp is a thing that not many sp designers can pull off, it’s hard, it’s requires patins and a great love for jazz jackrabbit. so for the end i want to say, EvilMike you’re a good level designer and you deserve the highest score from me. hope you release the third episode quicly becouse i can’t wait. by the way, cool eyecandy, delicios.

    0 of 1 person found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    patrickstar_2005 18 Mar 2006, 17:12 (edited 18 Mar 06, 17:13)

    10Recommended:

    Probably my favorite level pack in the site. Even better than the first level pack. Here are my ratings.

    Difficulity/Replay Value: 9.5/10 This was challenge for me on any mode, even on easy.

    Tileset/Placement: 9.5/10 The tileset fits in with the story, and the levels very well. Great Job!

    Eyecandy: 10/10 Great Eyecandy. ‘Nuff said.

    Music: 10/10 The music also fits in very well in the story.

    Pros: Almost everything
    Cons: Game’s too hard on most modes (even on easy).

    Bonuses/Subtractions: I’ll give you a 1 point boost, for a nice sequel, making your average above 10!

    Download Recommendation: YESSSSSSS!

    This was a rollercoaster ride through the whole game, and the Invasion of Deserto was also a good Level Pack. Keep the good work waaaayyy up!

    0 of 1 person found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    Valco 21 May 2006, 00:13 (edited 21 May 06, 00:15 by gerard244)

    10Recommended:

    OH My GOD!!!!! How on earth did you impress me so much??!!

    Here’s your review-

    Story

    A better story had never existed. Congrats! 9/10

    Eyecandy

    Every little wee detail was added! Also, I love your “powerdown” affect on the V.I.P cell area! 10/10

    Gameplay

    Quite confusing for the most of it, but secrets, enemies, food, and puzzles were perfectly placed! 9/10

    Music

    It really feels like your IN the space station, or, on a speeding rocket fleet! 10/10

    Sound

    Not many sound effects used, but when they were used, they were definitely used properly! 9/10

    Cutscenes

    You make the best cutscenes! It’s so realistic, with amazingly cool effects! 10/10

    Bonuses

    I’d give you 2 extra points for your cutscenes and special effects.

    Too bad there isn’t such a rating as 10.5!!!

    Download: Yes Yes Yes Yes YES!!!

    0 of 1 person found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    Puffie40 12 Jun 2006, 23:49

    9Recommended:

    I have to say, this series could very well be the Half-Life of levelsets.

    The only problem I could find in this levelset was the last part felt rushed. Maybe it’s because I was not doing my usual procedure of clearing each part of the level I went into, but it definatly felt shorter than invasion of Deserto

    I am a mediocre reviewer, so I cannot go into detail on various level traits, but Level 2 (Deserto Orbital Base) is my all-time favorite. The eyecandy is jaw-dropping, and the constant use of “features” throughout the series will mean this will be a must-download for a long time.

    Keep up the good work. We will be eagerly awaiting the next episode.

    0 of 1 person found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    Ischa 18 Jun 2006, 07:22

    10Recommended:

    Rating The Rebirth of Evil:

    Before I start rating… this is my 100th rating! That means a new rank: I’m a Jazz Jackrabbit now!

    But all right, the rating.

    Plus:
    The levels are hard. And long. Filled with puzzles, enemies and traps.
    Also the story is great. It is a good sequel on ‘The Invasion of Deserto’. And there are lots of different levels and the filesize is just 199.42 small kb! There is nothing to complain about.

    Minus:
    N/A

    Conclusion:
    Every fan from Jazz Jackrabbit really should play this pack! It is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo amazingly super that I can’t give you even a 9,9.
    It is a big, fat 10! What is better than give a well-deserved 10 on your 100th rating?

    Mark: 10,0
    Download recommendation: YES, OF COURSE

    0 of 1 person found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    Tuetle-123 1 Oct 2007, 14:09

    10Recommended:

    That level is exelent…

    Gameplay – 90/100 escacly HARD
    Eyecandy – 100/101 My eyes has been jumped from my head…
    Enemy placement – 95/100
    Story – 90/100
    Music – 100/100
    Originality – 100/100

    Ranking – 9.7

    This is a short review. It has less impact on the upload's score.

    PurpleJazz 17 Sep 2006, 08:18

    10Recommended:

    This level pack is the greatest on earth!!!!!!!!!!!

    EYECANDY
    Absolutely perfect eyecandy. It really looks as your in space.
    10/10

    STORY
    This story must of taken you 5 years to design!
    10/10

    GAMEPLAY
    The gameplay is full of action and you can never get bored playing this again and again.
    10/10

    TOTAL
    30/30=*10.0*

    PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    2 of 5 people found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    hungabiesjozsi 15 Dec 2007, 13:47

    7

    This file has many adventages.
    First of all, you play easy, and hard skill, not only normal. Secondly, you build on one story, and the game make a new adventure. Finally it isnot boring, but very hard in the hard skill (i always play in hard)
    But the other hand, it is too hard for the 6-10 years old Jazzers. I think it is IC, becouse not enough 1up in the game. add the checkpoint is too far of theme. and the big thing in the game what’s make me angry the save. When i not on the savepoint level and save the game when i like to contine it is OUT OF MEMORY. so i need to start again at the savepoint.

    rating:

    -Story: 10/10

    -Long of levels: 10/10 (+5)plus points

    -enemys: 10/10

    -objects,sounds: 10/5

    -secret areas, foods: 10/10
    -weapons: 10/5
    -others: 10/7

    -trigs: 10/10

    -background: 10/10

    -layers: 10/10

    ———————————————————-
    100/87
    +5
    -10 (for the out of memory)
    -10 (it is too hard for the younger children)
    ———————————————————

    Total:
    so 100/72 —-> 7.2

    0 of 4 people found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    FireSworD 19 Oct 2005, 01:33 (edited 19 Oct 05, 01:49 by Fire Sword!)

    An extremely solid episode containing a few revolutionary concepts involving the aforementioned alternative endings. The deepest most involving story to have ever been told in a jj2 pack and debatably any other two demensional game. The author has spent a great deal of time perfecting this episode, there are very few if any aspects that seem tacked on or reflect the author being lazy at all.

    There is nothing more to be said. This pack is for everyone. It doesn’t get any better than this. You won’t be disappointed.

    fs

    6 of 7 people found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    EvilMike 25 Nov 2005, 00:55

    There wont be one unless this gets more reviews.

    Evil Hare (aka) General 13 Apr 2006, 16:37 (edited 27 Apr 06, 22:23 by Fquist)

    This is problably the best single player i’ve played so far. It even gave me a movie’ish feeling. I like the intro too. Very unique. Good luck with the next episode.

    [Unsupported (10) rating removal – FQuist]

    FOX282 5 Apr 2007, 16:01 (edited 5 Apr 07, 18:08 by Cooba)

    RATING THE REBIRTH OF EVIL

    Gameplay: 90/100 *Very hard.
    Eyecandy: 100/100 *I Loved it!
    Enemy placement: 95/100
    Story: 95/100
    Music: 100/100
    Originality: 90/100

    OVERALL RANKING: 95/100 ->9.5

    P.S: Good Job! Contine it!
    Download-YES

    • Works also on 1.20 but i don’t recommend it.
    [Unsupported rating (9.5) clearance. Please provide more support for your rating. For more information on writing a proper review, see the \Review Rules\. – Cooba]

    1 of 2 people found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    Nippius Rabbit 6 Jun 2006, 03:29 (edited 6 Jun 06, 04:33 by Violet CLM)

    GREAT! i fused both episodes in 1 (invasion of deserto and rebirth of evil). I can´t wait to the 3rd part to complete my colection (at least there will be a 4th part).
    I feel the history as I am the protagonist. Is GREAT! , yes you are GREAT!. DOWNLOAD IT NOW!!!!
    PS:sorry for my bad english, i am chilean and i usually speak spanish:
    hola, hablo español y no entienden lo que digo aquí.
    (Unsupported rating (10) removal. Your line about history and the protagonist is the only part of this review relevant to the content of the upload, aside from perhaps the word “GREAT.” For a better review, consider explaining the various qualities of the upload and why those particular qualities resulted in your chosen rating. ~Violet)

    0 of 1 person found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    Jazz Hyper 10 Jul 2006, 08:09 (edited 10 Jul 06, 18:45 by Violet CLM)

    Good level but it will be nicer to have a little more levels.
    (Unsupported rating (9.2) removal. ~Violet)

    Donda97 8 Aug 2006, 20:20 (edited 24 Aug 06, 13:30)

    Why didn’t you upload the tileset! when i’ll write the real review I’ll reduce (No need reducing mark “0.5”~Donda97, my reviews edit revises) mark.

    EDIT:

    When I run the level (Rebirth of evil)

    IT ALWAYS SAYS:

    Error:

    Cannot find level or tileset for “######’

    Please make sure that Jazz Jackrabbit is installed properly or if a problem presits re install jazz jackrabbit.

    Back, please tell me the problem!

    Donda97 and Lori98 Team.

    for Spaz18 Okay then, why he didn’t seperate to several pieces 2 MB for as much allowed of mb to each levels with tilesets and music?and the music gave over 4 mb with tilesets to make that take lots of time to download?, Donda97

    0 of 1 person found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    protomanz 3 Apr 2007, 15:01 (edited 3 Apr 07, 19:29 by Cooba)

    Its great I tell u!The enemys are placed beutifully the elevater is a good Idea.And I love the moving escape pod!This level is flawless and It seems like u are in ur characters shoes!And The story is absoloutly PERFECT!so u deserve a 10!!!

    Download recommendation:YES!!!!!!!!!
    U MUST SEE FOR YOURSELF!!!!!

    [Unsupported rating (10.0) clearance. Please provide more support for your rating. For more information on writing a proper review, see the \Review Rules\. – Cooba]

    0 of 1 person found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

    Skitter 9 Jan 2011, 14:03

    nice , but idk how to pass devres17 ;(

    [Please rate the pack when you’ve finished playing it only. Original rating 9.7. ~cooba]