Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Like it…

I found this quite enjoyable. It may not be overflowing with innovation, but it shows a consistent individual level making style rather than an imitation of Epic’s. Stijn’s review lists most of my issues, I’d also say throw out the secrets one is forced to find to continue. Also there really could’ve been an outro level to finish the storytelling.

Quite cool. It doesn’t provide any challenge or innovation though. Also, at some places the levels look empty or flat. Other areas look ideal for pickups but don’t contain any. One thing I would especially suggest to look into improving is the secret placement: avoid placing unmarked secrets in the floor or spikes because nobody will find them.

It’s not particularly interesting but can be fun for a single playthrough. Definitely worth a download for those who enjoy the official JJ2 campaign, but not those who are looking for originality or a challenge.

Can’t tell if the test was properly tested, since there are some parts I can’t figure out how to complete.
Also, there are only 4 tests in total. The ideal number of tests in a test event is around 20, and they should be not too easy, but there still must be a way to complete them.
And the Top Secret ]|[ tileset is way overused in test mode.

This level is way too small for a CTF level, but it has almost everything a decent CTF level needs, and it shows a different way to use Overlord’s tileset. Even better than most of the levels using that tileset that I’ve seen on J2O.
The players can pick various paths, and various weapons. But it will get messy if 32 players play at once.

In this half futuristic, half natural cityscape, you can even walk on clouds. The sky is cloudy, but you can see the sun in the horizon.
There are 2 parts of the level: The one above the clouds, and the one down in the city. In each you can find a variety of weapons and power-ups.
This non-scripted level is complete of tactics, eyecandy, rain, vines, hooks and even sucker tubes.
Paths are smooth, but not too much. You’ll still have to carefully grab the hooks or jump from palm to palm to make your way back sometimes. And the opponents are always lurking around.

One of the best battle levels I’ve ever seen here on J2O

A rich level made out of a not so rich tileset, without using AngelScript.
Here, we find ourselves in a dark and lifeless cave with a thermal waterfall and a lake. I like levels with water in them. At the center of the cave is some kind of hydroelectric power plant.
The level is very playable, and Battle is one of my favorite multiplayer modes. There are no camping spots. Just a big arena with a lot of paths.
Being this a thermal spring, the only ammunitions that can be found here are flamethrowers and upgrades for your blaster. This makes a good challenge for players who are specialized with any other weapon, like the seeker or the 3 way missile.
Jumping and running isn’t the only way to get around here. Besides having to swim, here you have to bounce on springs, climb on ropes and grab on handles.

Once again, it’s hard to make such a good level with a tileset like this. Download recommended, totally.

This level is rather small, especially for a CTF level, but got everything needed for an enjoyable CTF event.
The weapons are well placed, except the RF PU, which should be placed somewhere hard to reach, perhaps swapped to the bouncer PU.
The eyecandy is lacking, but not missing. Also, it’s hard to create a good looking JJ2 level with a JJ1 tileset, so nice work, I guess.
A bug in the new JJ2+ makes the background transparent, so the level can only be played properly with the regular JJ2. I hope this gets fixed.
Next time try making your level a little bigger, especially if it’s going to be another CTF level.

This is fun. (Although frustrating too but in a way that is entertaining) Probably the best test level ever.

Despite its apparent simplicity, I consider this one of the best CTF layouts to date. It offers enough paths for strategy to matter but doesn’t overcomplicate it. It’s universal and matches games of a variety of sizes. Carrots are where you expect them and power-ups are easy to find, although I’d debate collective spawn times of the latter.

This is something I never expected: a test I actually enjoyed. While the skill level may be a bit high for filthy casuals like me (I only made it to lv8 so far), the balance between fun and frustration is well done. In particular I like how the test requires some thought to play. Also kind of irrelevant but visually this also looks nice.

This level is a brilliant example of how you don’t necessarily require the ability to script in order to be innovative. The ammo/shield concept combined with the theme is honestly pure genius. While the level may have somewhat one-dimensional gameplay as a result of the lack of weapon variety, it more than makes up for that due to fun factor.

One of the few battle levels that’s genuinely suitable for games of 16 players and up. Despite being very large, thanks to a well designed layout with a variety of distinctive areas and paths, navigation is intuitive. This style of level design and approach to placing pickups should act as a template for all event sized battle levels to come.

During my duel in this level I learned that I really enjoy its layout and carrot placement. It’s easy to learn and intuitive. My main issue turned out to be weapon balance: bouncer is extremely powerful and toaster barely useful. The highlight of the level is its heavily scripted atmosphere, something we’ll hopefully see more often thanks to it.

The first test with actual level design.

@PurpleJazz: If you’re finishing in less than 5 minutes, there’s a LOT you’re missing out on ;)

@Blaze The Movie Fan: thanks for the great review!

A new CTF arena, this time in an aztec castle.
There are some good paths here, and to get a full arsenal of weapons, you have to move away of the bases, either above or below.
It’s quite easy to take the flag here and there if you know the map. But ofcouse your opponents may be expecting this, and you could encounter one every 10 feet.
There are a spot with a full health carrot, one with a fly carrot and one with the fastfire. And if you’re lucky enough, you could even find a power up.
The arena is made so that there are not too few or too many paths the flag carrier can take.
As for the eyecandy, it’s pretty hard to work on it with a Pezrock conversion. You used them well, though. And the dark tunnels are a great addition to the level.
I don’t really like that you use the original Pezrock palette, but this is acceptable. The things that bug me are that the fade color is darker than the textured background and that the textured background speeds are too high. You used AngelScript, so why not set jjUseLayer8Speeds to true?

Nice level. Download recommended.

An eerie CTF arena in the midst of nowhere, and a variety of tactics to take down your opponents and paths to carry the flags around.
Most ammunitions are in midair, so it takes some time to grab them, time in which your opponent can take you down.
There are 2 carrots, one here, one there, so your opponents have to split up to keep you away of them.
The amber spring works more or less like the red one, but it’s still good to have different colored springs.
The eyecandy placement is simply perfect for a tileset like this. Animated tiles included. The best looking barracks ever.
The whole arena is big enough for a battle arena, but for CTF, I prefer the arena to be a little bigger, so the flag carrier has more space to run around and avoid opponents, and the opponents need a good strategy to patrol all the possible ways the flag carrier could take.

Can’t miss this one! Download recommended, totally!

Beside the fact that Test is my least favorite kind of upload, there are some things making this level not very enjoyable.
First of all, it’s way too short and easy for a test. I completed the second two tests in less than 3 minutes. The first one, I had totally no clue how to complete. Did you test your test before uploading it? (pun intended)
The tests theirselves are ok, especially the one with the wind currents. You need to calculate your running and jumping carefully to make it through. And there are flags indicating the checkpoint, which is good too.
As for the eyecandy, there is a lot of blank space, and the only notable eyecandy used is some leaves on the foreground, a few trash bins here and there and a properly used background layer 6-7.
Another bad thing is that the fade color is darker than the textured background, making it unrealistic, AND you didn’t set jjUseLayer8Speeds to true, so the textured background shifts faster than the sprite layer, and that’s definitely unrealistic.

I don’t recommend the download of this, but it doesn’t mean you should stop trying. You have potential.

EDIT: About the first one, I tested it in SP and there were no platforms. That’s why I though it wasn’t properly tested.