Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Heh. This is an incredibly small tile set…
But it’s a usable one [as extremely surprised as you may be, any tileset can be used]! Jusst barely. It’s a good thing its set to n/a comment, or you might get some baaaaad vibes. Only a few repetitive lines of blocks. Minimal eye candy. If anyone could make a decent level with this, i’d be so amazed. Oh well. Your call about dl’ing.

I liked this [I am referring to all 5 parts in this here review.] upload. And I’m sorry that you’re leaving. Hope you come back again!
The five parts contain Jazz1-accurate songs, which are handy when creating levels themed with JJ1. No glitchy spots, no messed up instruments, this pack[s]‘s got it all! However, some very minute [very much so] deviationson notes does occur,but not too badly. A good addition to the J2O community.

Hmm… I think I saw this in a pack once upon a time…
Nice, nice, nice! Fields of Gold [by Quickz] is a nifty little battle level, with good eye candy, better tileset, hardly buggy, and yet with a strange shortcoming. That shortcoming would be “what’s with the out-of-place music?” I know, it almost sorta fits. But not snugly. The haunted track doesn’t really fit with the heaven tileset. I would instead recommend “hgwill.xm” as a music, as it fits a bit better.
The tileset has enormous possibilities, and sure enough, is used to a good extent. The clouds in the background [forgot which layer…:(] give it a lofty, other-world-above-ours feel. The rest of the level used the flamingoes, the statues, the pictures, the whole lot of it is coordinated pretty well.
FoG didn’t have really any shortcuts, like hidden passages or sucker tubes, which I feel increases appeal to most stages. Level sizing was excellent. Buggage wasn’t really there.
So in short, this level is sweet, though not perfect. Give it a dl, and see for yourselfs!

Very nice tools, quite useful indeed. Only the Episode Manager appeals to me, though, as JCS is able to open files by itself easily and the JJ2 launcher doesn’t search on filename AND level name. Maybe you could implement that, too?

Otherwise, good job. Recommended download.

CP’s are placed really well, carrot-placement is okay, PU’s not that much. Eyecandy is not spectacular with this set, but quite okay. Terrible background imo, but well, it matches with the levelname. Nice tube, by the way. Some parts feel a bit empty, lacking either ammo or EC. Complicated, original and interesting layout, that’s for sure!

Awesome level by EvilMike with Agama’s Swamps-tileset. Time for a review!

4 PU’s in this level, with the Seeker PU being in a box. It might be a risk to go there, on the other hand: you don’t really need it with RF and Bouncers being just as useful here. Even the Gun 8 PU fits this really open really well. The ammo is scattered through the whole level, so it won’t be hard to find the particular ammo you’d like to use. Two Full NRG’s too, both in the lower half of the level, which is great, since the connection between them is quite fast. That results in making this level being good for both duels as teamgames with a huge ammount of players.

The springs are placed at exact the right places and platforms are placed so well that the flow of ‘The Marshland of Evil’ is nearly perfect. Moving through the whole level is really easy and stuff is easy accesible. The bases are quite far from each other, but you will notice it isn’t hard to reach them, since there are a lot of choises you can make here and because the level is so open. Both bases are good to defend, but attacking players won’t be chanceless. Tubes are used well and are a good alternative for springs here.

The eyecandy of this level is really good. I especially like the fact where even the platforms, without needing the leafy background, look great (f.e. the left carrot-area or the Bouncy PU-area). The leaf-tiles are used at the right spots, which really adds to the great atmosphere here, and it just all feels quite realistic.

Definitely download this classic, since it looks okay and it plays great in large teamgames or even duels!

Great theme. At first I thought the top right being empty was a bad idea, but the layout seems complex enough to make up for it. So it’s a unique layout that just barely accomplishes the feel of being on a shore, which is amazing. Other theme-related stuff was cool, like the condensation. The level plays good. This level is all-around good.

Okay, this is part of some kind of review-exchange and I’m really happy to review ‘Extraterrestrials’. It’s really unique and I’m glad Sacrush included a drawing of the layout. This points out again why this level is so unique. Anyway, let’s start reviewing!

First of all, the bases are actually quite close to each other. However, trigger scenery avoids a really fast connection. Instead, there’s a copter above the pits which leads to the Seeker PU. It might seem a bit campy, but I’m sure most people appreciate a save spot in CTF, and it’s actually quite hard to get with the pits. The other two PU’s on top of it’s wings, a Bouncer at the blue side and a Toaster at the red side, are placed where you would expect them. This level has 3 carrots, with two of them being +1’s. The Full NRG is at the very top of this level, only accessible by taking a copter to it. This is also the only part where you can find Gun 9, which could be really helpful in this level. Nice thinking, making valuable ammo hard to get. Gun 9 can also be used to hit carrot campers. Taking the +1’s makes you fall down, but it isn’t hard to get back to the middle of the level. At least it makes them non-campy.

When I used to think about ‘Extraterrestrials’ my first thought always was: “Oh right, it’s that level with narrow passages”. But now I see it really isn’t that cramped. The only narrow places are the vertical passages and you really don’t need much space there. Also, the springs are at exactly the right heights, so you won’t bump into walls all the time. The horizontal area’s are more open, so it’s actually really balanced. You might not expect it, but since the flow is really good ‘Extraterrestrials’ is actually quite fast-paced. Nice paradox, right?

About the eyecandy, it isn’t as appealing to me as other EC I saw in this set, but it’s definitely good. You can see Sacrush put a lot of time in doing the EC, since it’s really detailed. Also, Sacrush didn’t flip the level but built both halves separately, compliments for that, since this layout is quite complicated. The concept of a creature-layout is still great, though, it really sets this level apart from others (I’m not sure if you can call this EC, but oh well..). Also, the moving background really looks good and the fade fits the level.

Now a thing I don’t like. The middle part of this level seems a bit vulnerable for camping, since a lot of paths end here: the two tubes from the outside-legs and the one way above the Seeker PU. And it’s obviously the connection between the creature’s upper and lower half. This means it’s possible to trap people in the lower half of the level, since both the Full NRG and the +1 carrots are in the upper half. Since the warp targets are also close to this area spamming seekers might be enough to cover the whole area (I didn’t test this though, but it really seems possible).

So should you download this level? Yes. Why? Well, it looks good, the atmosphere is quite okay and simply because this layout is so unique and it really sets it apart from other levels. Also, I bet this will play well, but I wouldn’t play huge games in it, 2vs2’s or maybe 3vs3’s. I think it won’t play particularly well in duels, either, but as I said, it should be fun in small teamgames!

Hmm…
this prog was okay. Certainly better than some space invader clones I haveseen floating around, but I’m afraidit’s rather primitive. It is almost completely bug-free, except for theone Lark pointed out. Still, it is a fun little program to play,
even though I was never at all good at Space Invaders. :(:(:(
Oh well.
dl rec, I suppose, and nice work.

I liked this. It contains a lot of useful information about things that can be done with JCS. And yes, it includes things that I never knew were possible. Like the weapons launchers [generator on hook spawns seeker turret, etc.]. And the shield bullet spawners. And there’s another glitch my brother discovered: If you freeze a superbot, it will stay frozen for I believe a long period of time!
Anyway, good job, dl rec, and goodnight.

I have no idea why Piccolo keeps up with those annoying reviews, but I wish he’d/she’d stop overrating things. It makes it hard for others to see what it should really be rated.
This one was dislikable, just as the other two were. However, I would have to point out that the Turtemple song WAS slightly better than any of the other previous ones. But it didn’t contribute too much to the pack, and certainly not enough to warrant a dl rec.

Ohh, more of same old! This is I’m sorry to report bad like the others. Especially Muckamuk.I thought it sounded hideous in JJ1!
Still, you could make out the sounds, if only too well. As is with the other Xmas remixes,theonly instruments are air guitar, drums and bells. Not even any work involved, just replacing voices with other sounds. I disliked it, and will give you a 2.0

Paranormalio?! what on earth?
I agree totally with Danyjel, I hated this pack a lot.
The songs were trash. Okay trash, but trash nonetheless. I don’t like cracking down on people, but I gotta ask here “what’s the finking deal!” All the instruments not counting drums are replaced with either the semi-ugly JJ1 guitair or the very-ugly bells. It just doesn’t cut bait with me, and I cannot justify a dl rec. 2.1 sound about right.

Okay, so what we have here is a nice little group of songs, which like MaliceX said, span JJ1 and some JJ2, sadly not JJ3D [I call it 3D Because that’s what it actually is. Go find the leaked version online]. There are 2-3 different variations of every song, each uses slightly different instruments. I liked some of them, like the Haunted ones and the the Diamondus ones. [that’s my opinion, don’t downsize my review because of it]. But, I didn’t like some of the others, like the medivo and letni ones. They weren’t quite so hot to me. But nice work, and n/a dl rec.

Wow. That was the one word that came to mind when I ran this. It delivers what is promised and more (The JCS launcher, however, doesn’t work :() and does so with the touch of a professional.
The episode manager is easy to figure out, it tallies up all the episode files in your Jazz2 directory [as long as you unzip the files there], tells you how many more you can put in there before the program will crash, gives you the options of deleting the extra episodes, or deactivating them [which has the same effect as deleting, except you don’t lose ‘em], tells you the name of the episode, and if it is activated or not. Very spiffy, no bugs detected there.
The Jazz2 launcher is even better: It totals up all the levels in your JJ2 directory and puts them into a giant list. You can delete any number of levels. It will also tell you how big each level is, and when it was last modified. Then, if you select “run”, it will give you a host of options, ranging from using a spy window, to keeping game logs, to detecting joysticks, to detecting hardware, to even safe mode! It bypasses any passwords, essentially pulling the “save and run” trick in JCS, but without the JCS. Very neat! Again, no bugs.
The one thing that saddened me was the fact that despite its amazing potential, the JCS launcher fails to send the knockout blow. It is essentially the same thing as the JJ2 launcher, but runs JCS instead, and obviously doesn’t have the graphics options. But when you hit “run level”, it gives you a runtime 53 error! Oh well, maybe it’s just missing a file or something. But that is a huge bug, and perhaps the only one of its kind in this[these] progs.
Since my primary JJ2 directory is TSF, I of course tested it [all three] there and found to my delight that it worked! Yay!
So to wrap up my critique, I’d like to saya few things about RedJazz’s Jazz 2 Utilities program bundle. Very, very well done, only one outstanding bug, prompt and quick. I was truly amazed by the usability factor of it, and how incredibly easy it was to pick up and learn. This will definitely be a big help in my level testing and episode managing in the future, and I heartily recommend downloading it. It’ll be something you’ll appreciate as I do for the rest of your gaming days!

EDIT:
I need to take back what I said about the JCS bug, because I figured out the problem! Here’s the scoop: The JCS launcher will not work if you rename your jcs from “jcs”. It needs to be named jcs in order to work. SO I’ll raise you to a 10, accordingly. Again, great work!

Amazing pack. Three really different levels with each of them having great EC. Demon Rampart’s layout is really clever. These 3 levels are all so different, especially Distorted Research Site. Definitely download this pack, since all 3 levels will play well and they all look amazing.

Oha, the episode manager sounds pretty useful, and will hopefully encourage people to start including J2E files for their packs since the “but it might crash jj2!” excuse doesn’t really apply if you include a warning to use this.

I don’t actually have JJ2 installed at the moment so I can’t really give a proper review, but I can imagine the use of these apps.

“Hall of Legends” is a battle level made by PurpleJazz with the tileset BoredSet Cold. I played this several times and now I finally found some time to review it!

First of all, compliments on how you use all area’s really well and make them useful to visit. Thanks to the variety in shapes of platforms you mixed the gameplay up – some parts are really fast paced while others aren’t that much. I know how hard it is to fill up the whole level, the corners etc, without making it feel generic. You did this really well and were able to spread all important things like carrots and PU’s well.

The eyecandy in this level is definitely good. I especially like the background and the variety of it. The dark background definitely adds to the atmosphere, which overall is really good, by the way. Also, you used probably the whole tileset in useful ways. I really liked how you used the treetops in the upper right corner.

I really like the variety in gameplay. Some places are really fast paced, horizontal and open, (RF’s and Gun 8 will do great there), while other area’s are quite vertical and other ammo, like bouncers and seekers, will be really helpful. The ammo is well spread and you won’t have much trouble to find the ammo you like. 4 PU’s here and 3 carrots, spread through the whole level and all helpful in their own way. Also, the Seeker PU and one +1 are in pit-area’s, which makes them risky to get. I usually don’t like pits that much, but they are here with a reason and avoiding them shouldn’t be too hard.

Also, all passages/platforms are built kind of around the tube in the middle. This is great, since this makes player movement a bit more predictable. This might sound weird, but it’s really helpful when you play games with a few players, like duels.

Definitely download this, since this will play really well with any ammount of players.

After reading Rag’s mini-review in the contest results, I couldn’t help but download this right away. After a quick game, I’m ready for my review.

Gameplay: Clean
After playing this for five minutes, I couldn’t help but notice that this level actually is fairly small. Though it measures 120×58, it feels denser than the numbers may suggest. This may be because of the large open airspace. The level consists of platforms connected through caves or water.

The control points are both placed on the left half of the level, while most of the ammo and carrots are placed far from the CPs. In fact, the only PU in the level, good ol’ Seeker PU, is hidden far away from the battlefield in an underwater tunnel. This setting makes the player choose between defending a CP with little or no ammo or going out there to get some protection, leaving base unguarded. Controlling the lower base isn’t exactly hard, since the use of Seekers when down in the water makes for a perfect defence. You can hardly be hit down there, and once the player decided to run for a spree of Seekers, the CP is easily recovered. The upper base, however, placed the player with his back to the wall, cornered and outnumbers against the possibility to be killed from below or from the right. Bouncers will easily kill a target at a large distance.

Healing shouldn’t be a problem in this map, in which three carrots are scattered across the caves. Only one is near the CPs, though, so the defence will have a hard time on this match, whereas the offence can hit and run and easily heal.

Atmosphere: Amazing
Pearl-Shell Shore uses a tileset that is somewhat overused, but at the same time, totally unseen. Quickz utilizes the tileset’s beach tiles to the fullest extend of it’s possibilities, and it surely shows. The level has a serene beach-feeling painted all over it. Among the sand, one can find a few rocks and even bits of the rocky grass tiles. The background is oddly two-toned in pink and yellow, yet strangely doesn’t seem bad at all. A quiet lake sits comfortably in the background, surrounded by a few mountains.

The beach tiles and the shallow water make for a comfy feel for the whole level. The music only adds up to the Relaxation-bar. Some may say that it’s bad for the gameplay, but I find a relaxing game more worthy than a rushy game. Points to YOU, Quickz!

Eventing: lame Quite good
The level contains a wide array of ammo and a Seeker PU. The PU is harder to get, but it surely does make your team the winning one. The use of bouncers can be fully utilized with the upper CP, which will surely come in handy.

The carrots are nicely spread out over the map, with only one being near the CPs, which are, by the way, very nicely placed as well.

Springs are placed all over, for easier access to the platforms. The only spring I didn’t like was the rightmost green spring, which kind of killed the flow because you will always bump in the ceiling when running into it.

There is little more for me to say on the event front. Nothing too special here, but it all works properly.

Overall: It works
This level is very fun to play and certainly put a smile on my face. The well-chosen winner for Rag’s DOM contest stands before you.

Download Recommendation: NOW
I didn’t say no, I said NOW!

Score: 8.4 8.9
This level deserves a way above average score, and with respect should it be called the best Domination level so far.

Nice