Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Well as i saw the level was very small ,and you were right about the shield i did cheated with laser cause there wouldn’t be another way to win.And at first i couldn’t even find the level witch you made hide from the list!So i changed it and the level was Stupud and I mean it!!!

Okay, I know the reason. It’s because I’m horrible at creating CTF levels, and lazy, and wanted to upload SOMETHING, and for some weird reason, I chose to upload THIS garbage. Because I do not know how to delete it, I’ll have to wait for it to slip out of the recent downloads section. EVERYONE UPLOAD MORE STUFF OK THX

Hmm, i guess im better off at making lvls than music, coz of the other crap music i uploaded earlier. anyways, when i have time, i will get rid of the graphical bugs:P and ummmm, arti, why does ur rating keep dropping???

EDIT: Ah.. I see…

I think this should be uploaded as ‘Single player’

And now, the review:

The tileset is used well, but the allover game was a bit boring and confusing.
Eyecandy was nothing special.
The last level was literally filled with enemies, making it hard and very annoying.
When I finally managed it to survive the last level, I got an error saying that there wasn’t a next level.

A 6 would be enough for this one, though the idea of making castles for CTF is good.
I’m not sure about bownload recommendtion; download it for a good CTF tileset. Don’t download it for the levels.

(Regrettably unsupported rating removal. Try actually reviewing the tileset as a tileset, not as a level pack. ~Violet)

I listen to MIDIs with a custom self-made SoundFont bank on a Sound Blaster Live! card. Here is my opinion, especially on the Turtemple soundtrack which seems to be the most criticized file in the archive.

Turtemple : 8/10

Yes, eight. If you listen to this song with a good wavetable synthesis which does not sound too “classy” or “factory-made”, the Blown Bottle sample that annoys everybody here can sound very good. Mine sounds like a real flute while being more “synthy” than a Pan Flute. The problem is that most “factory” wavetables (eg. uncustomized, like when you’ve got your synth) offer a bad Bottle Blow patch which wants to be too realistic, with a weird noise like when you blow in a bottle, giving a pretty unusable sound. The “Roland-ish” MS Synth and most Yamaha synths are the most affected by those kinds of sounds. Using Gravis UltraSound samples, for example, it sounds correct. Anyway, the author of this MIDI file has made an error, IMO. If you look at the original S3M soundtrack, the main instrument used is named “Shaka” which means it is a SHAKUHACHI patch, and, judging from its sound, it comes from one of the most popular Roland synths of the late 80s, either a D-50 or a U-20. So, fatalM4, you should have used a Shakuhachi (MIDI program #77) instead of the Bottle Blow MIDI program (#76) in this MIDI, it would have sounded far much better for most people. Anyway, the rest of the soundtrack is very good and the instruments are well chosen, especially the Power drums.

Nippius : 8/10

The main bass is very good and is the MIDI patch (Synth Bass 2, #39) that reflects best the original S3M soundtrack, but it requires a very fat and strong synth bass sound like in Yamaha’s synths or some Roland wavetable synthesis (except the MS Synth, its second synth bass is awful). But, according to vanBasco’s Karaoke Player, the MIDI patch seems to be mistakenly defined in the MIDI file (on my Live!, it is not recognized as a GS patch, but is replaced with the GM Synth Bass 2), which explains that it can be skipped with non-fully GS-compliant synths. MaliceX, try listening to that MIDI with vanBasco’s (www.vanbasco.com) or other MIDI player which is able to correct MIDI errors. This should fix the problem. Danyjel, I do not agree at all with you regarding the quality of the lead sample. It’s the MIDI program #98 (Crystal), which sounds excellent on most synths (especially Rolands, I think) and is the most appropriate patch if you consider the XMas-style instrument used in the original soundtrack (probably a sound from a Roland D-50, it sounds very close to its famous Fantasia pad). IMO, if fatalM4 used the Fantasia MIDI program (#88) instead of Crystal, it would have sounded very bad on many synths – the Fantasia pad is a mix of mallet and synth strings sounds, which may give a very bad sound in some situations. But I completely agree with you that the final instrument, which is accurate (it’s a Overdriven/Distorted Guitar like in the original), is absolutely out of tune. It should have been at least two octaves lower, and even with that, it is not played with the correct notes. Only for that, an eight instead of a nine or ten for that song.

Orbitus : 9,5/10

Very good MIDI conversion, the patches are the most accurate (Voice Oohs and Bass & Lead, #53 & #87) and sound very good even on the weakest synths (like that one from MS) which use “doo” voices instead of real “ooohs”. But IMO, it should have been one octave lower…

Slugion : 8/10

I do not have a fully GS-compliant synth, so maybe that the lead sample sound correct on appropriate material… but on my Live! synth (and I think that it is like that on a non-GS synth), the main patch is GM #84, which corresponds to Charang, a mix of electric synth guitars and eventually clavinets. And it sounds inaccurate compared to the original soundtrack, which uses a very strange lead synth sound. But, it’s the same problem as Nippius: GS instruments are recognized incorrectly on non-GS material, but it may be a mistake on your MIDIs; usually, on my Live! synth, GS or even XG MIDIs are correcly played if I have GS or XG instruments loaded on my soundcard (which I’ve done to listen to your MIDIs), the instruments are recognized as GS or XG, even if they are replaced by a GM equivalent if I do not have the appropriate instruments in memory. fatalM4, you should look at your MIDIs with a player like vanBasco’s Karaoke Player, and see if it correctly setups the GS instruments on your material.

Dreempipes : 9,75/10

The best MIDI conversion of the archive. All the instruments are well chosen (a non-synthy electric bass like that Picked Bass was the best choice!), the gunshot is very well used as an enhancement of the snare drums, even if you could have skipped its use because you’ve already used Power drums. And, on my soundcard, the third Piano is the most representative of the one used in the original soundtrack: acoustic with a little electric tone. Nearly perfect, with a little and very minor bug: the Gunshot patch is changed to a Piano 1 when the main pianos start, and as soon as the MIDI is switching to Standard drums…

Hope that this very long review will be useful for the author and the people who will listen to those MIDIs.

I can’t even hear it ,does somebody know in which program i can hear it?

There were very few gems because gems are stupid worthless items that do nothing important. I only used them in cases where they created an effect.

Ok, it seems the newer folks have never even seen the original Jazz Jackrabbit from 1994. Back then the graphics were far more… primitive than they are now, think of… Super Mario Advance :P This tileset is a conversion, so the graphics were already made. Labratkid merely ported them to JCS, so it needs to be approached from a different angle than, o say, a whole new level. This review will first focus on the regular 2005 version, then explain the differences between that and the evening version.

Conversion Completeness
Violet will probably disagree, but I don’t see anything missing, and I do mean nothing is missing. Aside from the expected stuff like brick and stone platfroms, windows and whatnot, there are some other things in JJ1 nicely reproduced. Advertisement of the Gravis Gamepad? Got it. “Enjoy Epic”? you betcha. The missles you could ride? They’re back, as animated sprites. Platforms moving at insane speeds? What do you think? City Background, transport tubes, Epic Pinball and One Must Fall, this set’s got it all. Sorry, couldn’t resist. :P

Added extras
In this era of J2O, people expect a conversion not only to be complete, but to have some extras as well. JJ2 has more features than JJ1 and it would be a shame not to use them. Check off time!

- Vines: check, with all three kinds of background tiles.
- Poles: same story
- Hooks: none
- destructable blocks: only two, the * and ! kind.
- Sucker Tubes: see previous sections
- Conveyor Belts: none. In an urban world like Industrius he could have easily put some in.
- 3D Background: it’s there but… why is it blue? I suspect palette issues have something to do with it, but it would have been if it was pink like in JJ1, call me a purist if you will. At least it works in 8-bit.
- Text signs: based on the JJ1 ones.
- Trigger blocks: only the outlined ones.
- Inivisible tiles: check.
- Rain and Lightning: check.
- Sun and Moon: technically it should be in the previous section, but Industrius had neither in JJ1, that’s why it’s here. Check.
- Credits: Check.

Masking
Perfectly smooth, nothing jagged. It’s always interesting to see those hidden mask messages. Of course, it’s all nonsense. Keen fans can rejoice, there’s a message written in SGA (Standard Galactic Alphabet). If only I could decipher it…

Evening version
The evening version is a simple palette edit, but it’s… not all the way perfect. Everything now has a more orange/rusty tint, and I do mean everything. Labratkid has edited the standard game colors too, so they have the same effect. Intentional or not, i’ll consider it a “happy accident” and will hold nothing against it. I do wish there’s more variaty of shades or colors, I have a feeling a coupel of shades have two entries in the palette.

Example level(not counted to rating)
Just a smal battle level, its biggest goal is showing how to use the set. Those who have played Unreal Tournament may feel right at home, not only because of the music, but the overall setting. There are two mini-arenas next to the main one, an interesting idea. It’s only a tad heavy on the pickups in some areas. Not the best level, but it serves it’s purpose.

Final Verdict
A perfect conversion, but the added stuff isn’t quite perfect. More could have been done. That aside, it’s a recommended for those JJ1 tileset lovers :P

[edit: Thank you Cooba, I now see they are invisible slope tiles. Next time, instead of posting a comment, drop me a PM, ok? I’m not amused at the way you just pointed out mistakes in my review]

- JelZe GoldRabbit =:3

The tileset is nice but the stuff in it is lame so, I’d like to give you 6 i hope you like it.
(Basically unsupported rating removal. And… uh… I really don’t know what you’re saying, anyway. What’s the difference between the tileset and what is in the tileset? Are you rating the .j2t file format or something? ~Violet)

Good but not good enough!
(Ummm… ok. Unsupported rating (5.2) removal. I really don’t know if you downloaded this. There is no proof at all in this review. ~Violet)

Hmm. Interesting, really. I mean the level design was cool: 5 points for it. Monsters were well placed: 2 more points. But the interesting part: Don’t you think, I’ts a bit boring to return to the Temple again & again??? So I think, that’s -3 points. But the ending was very cool, so I think, it worth 5 more points, so in the end: 9 points.

Download recommendation: YESYESYES – Download it now…

An amazing level pack!

A huge level pack with lots of fun! Here’s my review:

Good points: The levels are huge, hard to beat and enjoyable
The enemies and ammo placements were really good!
Also there were wonderfull ideas like collecting purple gems can bring you some awards!
And Rocket Turtle Boss was amazing!! I didn’t know that you could make him move with Area ID. It really rocks!
And the use of tileset was also fine! I liked the tilesets. (Except the castle one) And they were used intelligently!

Bad Points: In a level, it causes an error and you have to start from the begginning!
The levels were reallly good, but you were always at the same place, and saying i’ve been there! And this made the level a bit boring.
The goodies could have been placed better. There would be more gems and carrots.

Overall it could make 8.5, but the rocket turtle idea impressed me, so it makes 8.7 :)

Jungle Rabbit’s Cave

I start this review for the 2nd collaboration level for XLM now. It’s made by Satan and Yasco, but Yasco did the most important work. I like eye candy more, but placement and layout are better together. I have to say the layout is something different for once.

I’ll start with the eye candy this time. Like I said, Satan made the eye candy for this level. The level is pretty dark, and it uses some interesting light effects. One place is pretty light, though. This level provides a sort of cave, and I guess the name of the level fits it well, because a cave has to be dark. There are also some animations. Every layer is used in the level. The tileset use is excellent as well. The eye candy isn’t the best I have seen with this tileset, but I think it’s good enough.
Rating : 2.4 out of 3.0

The level has more height than width, which is something that doesn’t happen alot. The layout is quite original, and it has some ideas. The tubes in the level could use a sign to where they are, because I can run in a tube without knowing there is one. The base placement is quite good, but there is a small advantage for the red team. The blue flag is harder to defend than the red flag. The spring placement is quite good, and the copter is useful. The level is quite cramped in some places, but it’s playable for me. It takes quite long to reach the other base, but it’s no problem(or I am just slow) The level isn’t too easy to learn, but if you play it enough times, you’ll know it fast. The flow is good, but not perfect. It needs some work, probably because of the amount of tubes. The springs under the carrot prevent that people camp under it. It was hard to find all the different tubes in this level.
Rating : 3.0 out of 4.0

I’ll now go on with the placement. The level has some big groups of ammo, and smaller ones. The good thing is that there is no overuse of ammo this time. The level has 3 Power-Ups, and you need to get 2 of them with Gun9 once again. The 3rd PU is obtainable by a normal way. There is some fastfire that’s placed in the northwest area of the level, which is close to the blue base. The level has one full energy carrot that’s placed good enough. In my opinion, Seek PU vs. Bouncy PU is a bit unfair, but it’s no major problem of the level. The choices of ammo are good enough, but I wouldn’t place too many groups with different types of ammo in them.
Rating : 2.1 out of 3.0.

Conclusion : a quite good level by Satan and Yasco. I am giving this a 7.5 and a download recommendation.

I don’t feel like writing a review on the level because there’s nothing about it that’s interesting to thoose who’d download it. The author is indirectly saying that he would not care about the comments this level would recieve from the reviewers. The level has been under construction for about an hour, plus the layout is symmetrical, bit of a turn off huh?

Symmetrical layouts work when done right, but it’s extremely risky if you are not familar with the basics on how to create symmetrical layouts for CTF levels. Next time you make a CTF level, make sure you know what you are doing if you plan to design a layout that’s symmetrical or it will look so incredibly boring! I cannot emphasize any further.

I know, you could care less, but you made this level for some reason. Come on…

Looks good to me. A test level might’ve been a good idea, though. Some of us are too lazy to make one ourselves, afterall! X3

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene. . . Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

this is flawless and great=D
the main tile thingies u can flip for extra eyecandy. i dont see any tiles missing. and u aded lots of extra eyecandy.

Introduction:
Marbelara, done in a sort of fast-paced style. Not really “club” so much as “techno”.

Song Analysis:
The arrangement of this song isn’t very good. It’s basically Marbelara with some added drums, a very basic bassline, some xylophones, and a pitch climb about 3/4 the way through the song.

Sample Analysis:
Samples bad. Samples very bad. Period.
The xylophone is well out of tune with the electronic trumpety sound. Also, the pre-fab drum samples have been done to death. I know it saves on song space and crap, but it gets boring after a while.

Final Analysis:
Rather boring for something this fast and furious. If it wasn’t so noisy, you could probably put someone to sleep with this tune. Heck, it’s making me yawn. Heh.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene. . . Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
Familiar with Sonic CD and it’s “Good Future”/“Bad Future” arrangements of its music? Yeah. . . That’s kind of like what this is. “Technoir Bad Future”.

Song Analysis:
I’m entirely not sure what to say about the arrangement of this song. It’s unique to say the least, but it’s just plain too busy for its own good. Too much going on at once. A million channels flying off at once does not always make a good song, particularly in this case.

Sample Analysis:
The song starts out really nicely with the weird guitarish thing in place of the normal “dumpa-dongs,” then quickly turns to pot thanks to most of the samples being out of tune with one-another. Additionally, I hear some Jazz 1 samples in there, mixed with Jazz 2 samples. Not very original.

Final Analysis:
Have I mentioned the volume control on ModPlug Player is too sensitive? Anyway. . . This song isn’t too thrilling to me. C’mon, man. I know you can do better’n this.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene. . . Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
A. . .unique take on Jazz Belmont from Jazz Jackrabbit: the Secret Files. Supposedly. I sure don’t hear it.

Song Analysis:
Initially, and I’m being blunt here. . . Initially, it sounds like crap! Seriously. And it takes about half the song length to actually get anywhere, unfortunately. Then once it starts going somewhere, it kind of destroys itself a little ways after. This file actually makes me wince.

Sample Analysis:
The samples are all of very good quality, and I guess they work well for what they were going for, but what exactly were they going for? It’s hard to tell, needless to say.
In addition to that, some of the samples are simply not in tune with one-another. Period.

Final Analysis:
This song is definately a sort of “hip-hop” sort of song, but it sounds like something early MOD artists might have come up with, as opposed to something Alexander Brandon wrote. On that note, I truly cannot hear the Jazz Belmont part of this song, outside of the very start. This song isn’t very good at all, but it doesn’t deserve anything much lower than a 3.7, so it’s not a complete flop.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene. . . Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
Muckamok done up in metal stylings. Sort of. Heh.

Song Analysis:
The song starts out sounding exactly like the original Muckamok, then goes off into a frenzy of metal samples. Really. . .really crappy ones. But more on that below.
The song itself is pretty much the normal four-channel Muckamok piece with some really nice additions to it. Not just echoes, but some original stuff as well. It’s just a shame the samples chosen don’t quite work. . .

Sample Analysis:
Oh gods. . . This song leaps so high only to fall so darned far due to the choice in crappy samples. . . Or perhaps it’s the fact that all the samples cut out so much. Now if it were me, I’d try this again, but replace the metal samples with something else. It could still work.

Final Analysis:
As I said. This song would be freaking sweet with the right samples. As it is, it’s a wonderful arrangement. . .but the samples hold it back so very much! Man. . . I still recommend this, though. It’s just that neat.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene. . . Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2