tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91128668318036085312024-03-13T10:24:58.297-07:00EvilMike's Jazz Jackrabbit 2 BlogReviews of some of the best JJ2 levels, and other stuff too.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-31424456578574061382009-07-05T17:19:00.000-07:002009-07-05T17:25:28.547-07:00Review: Shade Castle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjPcQwraK7ZXsMR4ApLk7qrL1jNsUh7Dh2-SQcoupoVVJ0YF_spvHjCO9zKcx1cnA1Jq-k7azyeSkgjsHtLjFf419_1CMwWvteCQ9CU5sZvAuWD_lzuD_MKu1MFVw_dHN6ianOt6xfL0-/s1600-h/sc1.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjPcQwraK7ZXsMR4ApLk7qrL1jNsUh7Dh2-SQcoupoVVJ0YF_spvHjCO9zKcx1cnA1Jq-k7azyeSkgjsHtLjFf419_1CMwWvteCQ9CU5sZvAuWD_lzuD_MKu1MFVw_dHN6ianOt6xfL0-/s200/sc1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354906846770997010" /></a><b>Author: </b>Violet CLM<br /><b>Year: </b>2006<br /><b>Genre: </b>Single Player<br /><b>Filename: </b>FSPIID.j2l<br /><b>Download: </b><a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=4436">J2O</a><br /><br />I was a bit harsh in my review of Violet's <span style="font-weight:bold;">FSP: Rent Collection</span>, so I decided to be a bit nicer and review what I believe is his best level released. I've been intending to do this one ever since I reviewed <span style="font-weight:bold;">FSP</span>, and I should have done it a lot sooner.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Shade Castle</span> was meant to be a preview of sorts to the sequel to <span style="font-weight:bold;">FSP</span>. I don't know how much Violet ever made of this sequel, but I'd like to hope something of it might still come out one day. It would be a shame if it was abandoned like so many other projects, because while this is only a single level - and not a very big one at that - it shows a remarkable improvement over the design of the original <span style="font-weight:bold;">FSP</span> episode. None of the complaints I made in my prior review apply here.<br /><br />This level, like the ones in <span style="font-weight:bold;">FSP</span>, requires you to collect a certain number of coins in order to win. The level is open-ended, so the only way to win is to explore. That's where the similarity ends, though. Unlike <span style="font-weight:bold;">FSP</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Shade Castle</span> is actually designed like a JJ2 level. This means it has plenty of ammo, and special moves are encouraged rather than prohibited. Furthermore, enemies are actually used in a sensible manner. While I did find one annoying invisible wall, it was nothing serious and could only be found using RF jumping anyway. Another change is to the coin-collecting mechanism itself: in <span style="font-weight:bold;">FSP</span> you would win immediately after collecting all the coins, but in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Shade Castle</span> you have to collect all the coins and then go to the coin warp. This is only a minor difference, but it's worth mentioning.<br /><br />One of the main draws of this level is that the tileset use is absolutely stunning. Violet claims he made it in a rush, but I can't see any sign of that. The level uses a tileset that is notoriously difficult to work with, and yet he's managed to pull of a completely unique look which I haven't seen in any other level. Everything has been placed perfectly, making this one of the best looking levels that I have played. One of the neat things is a lot of the eyecandy is actually made via "unintentional" use of the tiles. This sort of creative tile placement is used by many people, but often it looks more ugly than not, especially when people try to get too creative. Violet managed to sustain a good balance in this level, since it looks great. My only complaint in this area is that the spikes are often hard to see: I ran in to them by accident several times.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOS4wwZTYuq5hLZu_R0P8Cth9dEtRydpXLEY4V1bM6rGGjCxpa5OymKuBZTp1feaephI5ciRxmCj6ZpeCPAYBL1nx9I4klstSsZAqAxAb4wYkd2tD58444B7ie29aRhyKraGpb0DuuECw/s1600-h/sc2.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOS4wwZTYuq5hLZu_R0P8Cth9dEtRydpXLEY4V1bM6rGGjCxpa5OymKuBZTp1feaephI5ciRxmCj6ZpeCPAYBL1nx9I4klstSsZAqAxAb4wYkd2tD58444B7ie29aRhyKraGpb0DuuECw/s200/sc2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354907445469571890" /></a>As for the actual design of the level, it's creative too, with a lot of fun little details thrown in to keep the player interested. The heavy use of trigger scenery really adds to this element. There aren't too many enemies, but they are used in a way that gives the player a decent challenge. Overall this means the level is fun, balanced, and dynamic. I especially liked the part where you hit a trigger crate, causing a bunch of goodies (and enemies!) to appear in a corridor you just passed. There are also plenty of moving platforms: those tend to be one of the best elements a level designer can use, because so much of JJ2 is about movement, and when the level itself moves the game becomes far more interesting.<br /><br />Unfortunately, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Shade Castle</span> is not perfect. The exploration element is taken a bit too far at times, and when playing, you will probably find yourself having collected seven or eight coins (out of the required ten) and then wonder how to get the last few. Those last ones might take you a while to find. I took about twenty minutes myself. The problem is that in order to progress, you will need to find a trigger crate, which opens access to another area (which might be on the other side of the level). This area has another crate, which opens up another area, and so on. In other words, you'll be required to explore the level over and over, to find out what you just unlocked. The order is completely arbitrary, and rather unintuitive. It makes the level easy to get lost in. Also, one of the crates is <span style="font-style:italic;">very</span> well-hidden, and you will probably miss it unless you look very closely. I'll give you a hint: it's on the same screen as one of the locked doors.<br /><br />I don't consider these problems to be too severe. The occasional item hunt can be fun, and because this is just one level, it doesn't get boring. I'd have a different opinion if this were a large series of levels where I got stuck in each one: in that case, it would probably be too much, and I'd get annoyed. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Shade Castle</span> is a very good level, and I highly recommend that you play it if you enjoy open-ended gameplay. It's also a good example of how to design a good non-linear level. I know from experience that it's easy to fall into the trap of making a level <span style="font-style:italic;">too</span> non-linear, and winding up making something that feels more like it belongs in multiplayer. Finding a balance is important, and this level has it. All it really needs is to be a bit more intuitive. These sorts of levels often work best when the player is given small hints on where to go next, especially when triggers are being used. Text strings are the easiest method of doing this, but having arrows appear in mid-air is another useful method.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7BRBDGMg-OaSXjIZnMlO6Uxh4gov6c3kFJAQ7P4U5Wl-DkA35EiAUask_H1aYZcHG5MsNBpfBFq_IgvoNpAWKl6Yq_5H9hkyPvFgtL5xot1F8NtHHSpx_mQ_0VQ5rRibfd8HutjJtFXr/s1600-h/sc3.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7BRBDGMg-OaSXjIZnMlO6Uxh4gov6c3kFJAQ7P4U5Wl-DkA35EiAUask_H1aYZcHG5MsNBpfBFq_IgvoNpAWKl6Yq_5H9hkyPvFgtL5xot1F8NtHHSpx_mQ_0VQ5rRibfd8HutjJtFXr/s200/sc3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354907562788455186" /></a>As a final note, I recommend that you save the game regularly in this level. Don't abuse the feature (since that is basically cheating), but don't underuse it either. A good idea would be to save every time you collect a few coins. The reason for this is the level does not feature checkpoints - the open-ended style prevents that. Therefore, if you die, you must play the whole thing over again. Also, saving the game in this level won't cause any problems, unlike some others which tend to crash... (and that is something I will be discussing in my next review).<br /><br />I don't see any reason not to give this a 5.0. It might not be groundbreaking or anything, but it masterfully accomplishes what it sets out to do, and doesn't have any serious failings. New ideas aren't always necessary for a level to be great; often, it's better to simply take existing ideas and try to perfect them. That, I think, is something a lot of people forget, regular players and level makers both.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good:<br /></span><ul><li> One of the best examples of open ended level design<br /></li><li> Has virtually none of the problems seen in <span style="font-weight:bold;">FSP</span><br /></li><li> Very good eye candy<br /></li><li> Good music (from Mega Man 7!)<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad:<br /></span><ul><li> You might have trouble finding the last few coins<br /></li><li> Spikes are hard to see<br /></li><li> No checkpoints means you have to save the game on your own<br /></li><li> Forces you to explore certain areas in an arbitrary pre-set order<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Score: </span><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com144tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-65680215700028006362009-07-04T22:07:00.000-07:002009-07-04T22:10:24.285-07:00Game board tilesetViolet has pointed out to me that the tileset I reviewed last year, Game Board, was actually uploaded to J2O. The version on J2O is called "MattBoard" and contains 20 extra tiles. It is also for version 1.24 rather than version 1.23. The different name and version of the tileset caused me to miss it completely.<br /><br />I've added a review to reflect this, and updated the download link. The rest of the review remains unedited, but it's probably a bit obsolete now.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com188tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-81361861172833977962009-07-02T19:50:00.000-07:002009-07-02T19:53:58.568-07:00Review: Jazz Unleashed Demo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gSAsEvcStacgQlJKyGFot_-5cJT9e5_xey8PYlr4fdA-L5U6ufupT7e2CIh_Eurtai0VOAV5mMp5ynWj4MvGgniOaPdmscHm9hOHTDs0Vyd-ujyr9su21Dj8YTsL_2zi6puDiAzQdmH8/s1600-h/jud1.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gSAsEvcStacgQlJKyGFot_-5cJT9e5_xey8PYlr4fdA-L5U6ufupT7e2CIh_Eurtai0VOAV5mMp5ynWj4MvGgniOaPdmscHm9hOHTDs0Vyd-ujyr9su21Dj8YTsL_2zi6puDiAzQdmH8/s200/jud1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354055961026772274" /></a><b>Author: </b>BlurredD<br /><b>Year: </b>2003<br /><b>Genre: </b>Single Player Episode<br /><b>Filename: </b>UD-Intro.j2l<br /><b>Download: </b><a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=2640">J2O</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Jazz Unleashed Demo</span> is a short episode by BlurredD, who is well known for being the creator of the JJ2+ patch, as well being the creator of a large number of multiplayer levels he has made over the years. He has even a few tilesets. His levels are known for being highly polished, and tend to feature some very creative ideas. This happens to be his only released single player pack.<br /><br />This episode is not for the faint of heart. It may only be a somewhat obscure, short demo of five episodes from an unfinished (and probably never to be finished) episode. It is also, however, unarguably one of the most difficult JJ2 episodes <span style="font-style: italic;">ever</span>, featuring some of the cleverest, most diabolical, and perhaps mean-spirited level design I have seen. Personally, this is the hardest episode I have ever played. It goes from fairly easy in the first level, to basically impossible in the fifth one, with everything in between being "just" extremely hard. I recommend you play this episode <span style="font-style: italic;">only</span> if you have played a fair amount of JJ2 single player, and find most stuff to be rather easy.<br /><br />It is not possible to exaggerate how hard this episode is. There are no carrots in the levels, so the only way to get them is if they are dropped by enemies. Checkpoints are common, but not common enough. There are no extra lives unless you play on easy mode. The number of enemies is not overwhelming, but they are placed in the most creatively evil ways possible. And to top it all off, bottomless pits are <span style="font-style: italic;">everywhere</span>. (It's also worth mentioning that this episode is the first one to use instant-death pits extensively, though this is a common feature now.) Easy mode could be accurately relabeled as "extremely hard". Medium mode ought to become "soul-crushingly difficult". And as for hard mode, I'm too afraid to even think about it. Save often if you want to retain your sanity (F5 and F6 are the hotkeys), and expect to get game over several times. This is the only episode I know of where it's hard to win even if you use cheat codes to make yourself invincible.<br /><br />Difficulty is not the only thing that this episode has, however. Practically nothing in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jazz Unleashed Demo</span> is mundane; the entire thing is packed with challenges and puzzles which cannot be found anywhere else. In fact, nearly every screen features something unique, and every level has its own distinct feel. This level of originality and variation is unparalleled, and it gives the levels a very professional and polished feel which usually can't be found elsewhere. At least, that applies to the first four levels. The fifth is a different story... more on that later.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ypjPvqPN1LqJm-1G7lH7-LJz1BLtrv_pW8WMFEmLUVzPw9yWqpoZHj04yfqMytrSwSn-jk1SmV8GSrA-ujG0eFluDn5SXAIKa2KJUG73WSODGq5e82SesSdmjHXmyj-FYBSykwWWv0aQ/s1600-h/jud2.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ypjPvqPN1LqJm-1G7lH7-LJz1BLtrv_pW8WMFEmLUVzPw9yWqpoZHj04yfqMytrSwSn-jk1SmV8GSrA-ujG0eFluDn5SXAIKa2KJUG73WSODGq5e82SesSdmjHXmyj-FYBSykwWWv0aQ/s200/jud2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354056106327636610" /></a>When playing this episode, I couldn't help but think of the NES game Battletoads. There is a real similarity here: Battletoads is a game that is known both for its extremely brutal difficulty, and for its tendency to have a different sort of gameplay in each level; it was totally groundbreaking despite the fact that virtually nobody could beat it. These days it's a bit easier, with the advent of emulators and savestates, but back in the early 90's none of that was available. The game was <span style="font-style: italic;">hard</span>, and that was at a time when games were a lot harder than they are now. It's worth mentioning that it also had very good graphics for the time. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jazz Unleashed Demo</span> has a similar level of difficulty, and like Battletoads, it is also is characterized by its varied gameplay and good eyecandy. Suffice to say, I enjoy both, and also enjoy the feeling that comes with finally beating the damn thing. On the other hand, many people have the opposite opinion, and prefer to give up in frustration than play through until the end.<br /><br />If I were reviewing just the first four levels of this pack, I'd give it a perfect score without hesitation. The first level is easy and simple, but fun, and is designed in a way reminiscent of old platformers. The second level takes place on a train, and while the level design itself is limited and cramped, the theme of the level makes it fun. It is the only decent (released) level that I know of which is set on a moving train, and it manages to convey the idea rather convincingly, even though the tileset was never designed for that. The third level is where things become really unique, and it is probably the most famous level of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jazz Unleashed Demo</span>. In it, you ride a floating rock to the other side of the level, and have to avoid all manner of obstacles along the way. It's an extremely hard level, since you have such a small space to stand on (not to mention the fact that it's moving), but at the time it was the only level of its kind, and is still quite fun - and still better than whatever shameless ripoffs have been made since. As for the fourth level, it's not as good as the other three, but still memorable: the start is particularly unique, since it forces you to run through a large cavern without running out of time. The time limit is very short, which makes for a frustrating experience when you run out a few tiles from the end, but again, this level was the first of its kind, and still the best. The rest of the level is more generic and not as interesting, but it's really the first few moments that defines it. The only complaint I have with that level is that it has an annoying block pushing puzzle that requires an obscure trick to solve.<br /><br />So far so good, right? Well, unfortunately, there is one more level after that, and it is absolutely <span style="font-style: italic;">horrible</span>. I said if I were reviewing the first four levels, I would give this pack a perfect score. Well, the opposite is true of the fifth level: if I were to review it on its own, I would give it the lowest score possible. It's that bad. The problem? The creator of this level himself has never beaten the fifth level. It is not impossible, but it requires such a superhuman level of skill that it might as well be. The lack of checkpoints and carrots doesn't help, but what really sets it apart from the rest is the fact that you can't save the game. The difficulty of the other levels is offset a bit by the save feature. Here, you have no such safety net.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">No one</span> has ever beaten this level without cheating. And no one ever will. In my book, that means it is unplayable. And if something is unplayable, it deserves a big fat 0. Or maybe a 0.5, since the scale I use here doesn't really go below "half a carrot". But maybe I'll make an exception in this case. It's that annoying!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjG5m3k903tLZyhuYPviqIO08_whs1JuVv16ltgCfKM36_wfSsrWHHZi5itHmpjSlucngjo-3DTL3cyZlS7xUVivw3usYKCt9Ey7rsN_j6dZvs85biDWGOoDU6LQclaopZD1oCzCbtbN7_/s1600-h/jud3.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjG5m3k903tLZyhuYPviqIO08_whs1JuVv16ltgCfKM36_wfSsrWHHZi5itHmpjSlucngjo-3DTL3cyZlS7xUVivw3usYKCt9Ey7rsN_j6dZvs85biDWGOoDU6LQclaopZD1oCzCbtbN7_/s200/jud3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354056296001979890" /></a>However, not all is lost. Because <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jazz Unleashed Demo</span> has no story, and is really just a series of unconnected levels, you really don't lose out on anything if you decide not to play the final level. You can just skip it. You won't lose out on any plot, or even a little "congratulations" message at the end. I characterise this as an "episode", but the term only fits loosely. This could just as easily be a pack of five standalone levels: the only thing that really makes it an episode is that it is, technically, a demo for a larger project (which presumably has/had a storyline). Therefore, the terrible fifth level does not harm the other levels as much as it would in a normal episode, because it is not strongly connected to them.<br /><br />I think I can safely say that <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jazz Unleashed Demo</span> is still one of the best JJ2 episodes ever, in spite of how it ends. Still, it's not good enough to get a perfect score. You can play the first four levels and quit. You can even pretend the fifth level doesn't exist (and I recommend you try). But one day, you'll want to see just how bad it really is, and you'll play it. And then you'll hate yourself for not listening to my advice. Due to this, I can't give this episode a perfect 5: a thing as awful as its last level is impossible to ignore completely.<br /><br />And don't say I didn't warn you!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good:<br /></span><ul><li> Extreme difficulty<br /></li><li> First four levels are excellent<br /></li><li> Some of the most creative level design ever<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad:<br /></span><ul><li> Extreme difficulty<br /></li><li> Fifth level is utterly horrible - just pretend it's not there<br /></li><li> No carrots!<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Score: <img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrKGsZOfnI/AAAAAAAAADc/OazETHviAT4/car2.png" /></span><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-31180793448396412782009-07-02T16:54:00.000-07:002009-07-02T19:34:40.202-07:00Oh yeah, this thing...Hello!<br /><br />I went on vacation, and when I came back I kind of lost interest in this blog. It's been about a year. In that time, I have mostly been working on finishing my single player series.<br /><br />Well, it's done now. And since I'm done making JJ2 levels for quite some time, I think I might as well go back to writing about them. Plus, a few people have been bugging me to revive this thing.<br /><br />As usual, I'll be focusing on single player, though I might mix it up with something else too. I also might finally get around to posting about my *own* projects, since for the first time in quite a while, I'm not actually working on one.<br /><br />Can't say how long I'll keep this up before inevitably losing interest again. It really depends on how long before something else distracts me. Though, if you're interested in me keeping this up, feel free to tell me, or if you wish to, post comments.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-39021688846019927152008-07-08T19:19:00.000-07:002008-07-08T19:22:56.242-07:00No updates for a whileI haven't been able to do any updates in the last week, and there won't be any coming for the next two weeks either, since I will be on holiday. I'm just posting this so you know I haven't abandoned this blog or forgotten about it. I still have ideas for new reviews and some unfinished stuff waiting to get posted, and plan on doing a bunch of writing once I get back home.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-75862645515433057592008-06-25T01:30:00.000-07:002009-07-02T19:55:34.799-07:00Review: FSP: Rent Collection<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyp2XGJhB2ooo3RDjJpy03TVIfMFMfxFS0w60TSQ-5M0BAfLHuZo6f8i1grH7MJ8iOK7aDK04VAOJ7W6aNaKhL1jre6UOS-5_Di8oI7c3E1K-jfcD0chtazyD88Ie-myqBwyPWaedly-u/s1600-h/fsprc1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyp2XGJhB2ooo3RDjJpy03TVIfMFMfxFS0w60TSQ-5M0BAfLHuZo6f8i1grH7MJ8iOK7aDK04VAOJ7W6aNaKhL1jre6UOS-5_Di8oI7c3E1K-jfcD0chtazyD88Ie-myqBwyPWaedly-u/s200/fsprc1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197520183699078946" border="0" /></a><b>Authors: </b>Violet CLM, Black Ninja and LRK<br /><b>Year: </b>2004<br /><b>Genre: </b>Single Player Episode<br /><b>Filename: </b>fsp0.j2l<br /><b>Download: </b><a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=3482">J2O</a><br /><br />In 1994, a modestly popular 2d platformer called Hocus Pocus was released. It was a shareware game, so the first episode was free to play and the rest required the game to be purchased. In 2002, Violet converted the entire first episode of that game to be playable in JJ2. The conversion, called <span style="font-weight: bold;">Time Tripping - JJ2</span> was a nearly perfect replica, with the only difference being the game engine itself. It was, and still is, a rather strange release, seeing as the gameplay really was a bit off. That should make sense considering that the levels would naturally be a lot more playable in their original game. The conversion was something that could only come from somebody with a rather unhealthy obsession with both games, and even though the end result turned out awkward, it was cool to see the amount of dedication that was put in to it.<br /><br />Violet's obsession with Hocus Pocus didn't end there. Precisely two years after the release of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Time Tripping - JJ2</span>, another episode styled after Hocus Pocus was released: <span style="font-weight: bold;">FSP: Rent Collection</span>. The difference is that in this episode, every one of the levels is completely original. No conversions here; the only things shared between the two games are some of the graphics, and of course the gameplay.<br /><br />Before going any further into this review, I feel that I should give a little backstory here. The FSP in the name of this episode stands for "Foo Single Player". This has a rather odd history to it. A few years before this episode was released, a pair of level makers known as Black Ninja and Spotty made a very large number of multiplayer race levels. The levels were rather unusual in that they had an ongoing, completely nonsensical, vaguely Hocus Pocus themed storyline, along with a set of extremely low production values. The whole series was basically intended as a joke, and became somewhat popular. I even contributed a level or two to it. Later on, Spotty made a bunch of flash movies, which weren't as popular but still got a decent number of views. <span style="font-weight:bold;">FSP: Rent Collection</span> basically takes the gameplay style of Hocus Pocus and combines it with the overall feel of Foo Races. It's weird, but that just makes it more entertaining.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwjRjs-7-vRUbY-0OLvk6b9yYWQlM5GZNAeUkyumNp2cb-XL0ygeGMz6PQyxw25rPYv26NJsr5kS9U2o0AWLjg2Yz05NWw0pGX0QG-n7VPSnmdGySb1ngfD1xroAT5GPSwHej2o5XcLuP/s1600-h/fsprc2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwjRjs-7-vRUbY-0OLvk6b9yYWQlM5GZNAeUkyumNp2cb-XL0ygeGMz6PQyxw25rPYv26NJsr5kS9U2o0AWLjg2Yz05NWw0pGX0QG-n7VPSnmdGySb1ngfD1xroAT5GPSwHej2o5XcLuP/s200/fsprc2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197520351202803506" border="0" /></a>Emulating the gameplay and level design of Hocus Pocus is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that it means having a very non-linear style of level design, requiring (and rewarding) exploration. Beating a level doesn't mean finding the exit. In order to win, you have to find a certain amount of objects, in this case coins, and once you do you automatically beat the level. Many levels have used this type of design in the past, but <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rent Collection</span> is one of the best examples of it. If I had to compare this style of level design to something I have featured on this blog previously, the closest example would probably be <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dino Station</span>.<br /><br />If the extent to which <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rent Collection</span> emulates Hocus Pocus ended there, I would have no problem giving this episode a perfect score of 5.0. Unfortunately, and in my opinion rather foolishly, Violet decided to go beyond simply copying the overall style. He made the choice to make this episode play <span style="font-style: italic;">as similar to Hocus Pocus as possible</span>, to such an excessive degree that it feels like Violet would have preferred to make an episode for Hocus Pocus instead of one for JJ2. Of course, only one of those games has a proper level editor and runs on modern operating systems, so he had to settle for JJ2.<br /><br />This passage from the readme file stands out in particular.<br /><blockquote>These levels have been designed in the gameplay and graphical style of Hocus Pocus, a 1994 game by Moonlite Software, published by Apogee. To preserve the feeling of Hocus Pocus, you are advised to play the levels without running, stomping (unless in case of crates), upper-cuting, sidekicking, copter-earing, double-jumping or karate-kicking. All levels have been carefully designed and tested to be possible under these conditions</blockquote><br />Yes, you read that correctly. These levels were designed with the intention that you do not use any special moves, or move faster than a normal walking speed. It doesn't end there, though. To go even further in "preserving the feel of Hocus Pocus", <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rent Collection</span> only features one, rare, ammo type (toasters, if you're curious) in addition to your normal blaster, because that's how things were in Hocus Pocus. There is also no food, because in Hocus Pocus there were no items with those properties. Enemy placement can also be bizarre at times, with things like bats magically floating in the middle of the air. I don't even want to know what the explanation behind that is, but I bet it has something to do with Hocus Pocus! Finally, there are a number of "switch puzzles" that are more tedious than anything, but luckily the ones in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rent Collection</span> are fairly easy (whereas in Hocus Pocus they were just stupid).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_6daTWUbS1O9hPap6U9b1QzDlZnoAgf2P2FWxs0-20DnpZvDAlivTuzSKZUjZ79B51lsQT6cmiTwc4a1XrqFJ4loMbM8yjKoDIH9eXVfbZDVKZwmiVQl-fDSMTqepd25r8pfxoL24ybl/s1600-h/fsprc3.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_6daTWUbS1O9hPap6U9b1QzDlZnoAgf2P2FWxs0-20DnpZvDAlivTuzSKZUjZ79B51lsQT6cmiTwc4a1XrqFJ4loMbM8yjKoDIH9eXVfbZDVKZwmiVQl-fDSMTqepd25r8pfxoL24ybl/s200/fsprc3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197520544476331842" border="0" /></a>Now, if what I just described was the whole picture, I could simply write that off as a quirk, and not be bothered by any of it: after all, I could choose to play the episode in the recommended way, or I could choose to play it in the Hocus Pocus way. Too bad that's not the case, because in a decision that defies all belief, Violet chose to put stuff in the levels that obstructs any player who tries to move in a way that goes beyond what is recommended in the readme file. And here's the kicker: <span style="font-style: italic;">the stuff put in to obstruct the player doesn't even work properly.</span><br /><br />I played this episode in the way that was recommended. I only used special moves when absolutely necessary (like when hitting a crate), or by accident. I made sure to walk through the whole thing, and avoided doing anything else that could make me walk faster or jump higher. And yet, more times than I could bother to keep track of, I encountered invisible sucker tubes and invisible tiles that would stop me from doing something.<br /><br />These invisible obstructions are practically <span style="font-style: italic;">everywhere</span>, and show up where you'd least expect it. In a lot of cases there doesn't seem to be any logical reason for them to be there at all, other than to randomly annoy you. Sometimes, you will try to make a tiny jump on to another platform, and instead be pulled towards the ground several screens below. Sometimes they even dump you into lava or spikes. I would like to repeat that this happens regardless of whether or not you limit your movement like the readme says.<br /><br />Why the hell does this happen? What kind of harebrained idea is behind that? It doesn't make the levels more fun, it doesn't make them that much more challenging, and it all ends up being very, very annoying. I'm sure there is at least some reasoning behind it, but none of that reasoning could possibly matter. Gameplay elements in a level should make the level better, or more fun, or cool, or <span style="font-style: italic;">anything</span>. This idea on the other hand does nothing but frustrate players. It can't even be justified as making the levels play more like Hocus Pocus: that game, last time I checked, doesn't throw you around randomly when you try to jump.<br /><br />What frustrates me even more is that the levels in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rent Collection</span> are actually very good. Like I said, I really wish I could give this pack a 5.0. There is so much creative stuff here, including two custom bosses made with animated tiles. The level design is for the most part top-notch, with only a few small issues, such as the level of difficulty suddenly spiking once you reach the Nature Castle, and one small section of a level that you are forced to repeat several times. Other than that, there is virtually nothing I can find at fault with the level design.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-F6k4Obn-OHcNwTHSygPUACtZny89wudai9PWp_6lpOG_bNbV1GUIsHF0VOlfxwKdu6hMezu0YsMu13tQwPbhsjLhvGNrqYaUnW6RjJOs5an95abcs-hJiJof45f3-DaHCvjk7neSItq7/s1600-h/fsprc4.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-F6k4Obn-OHcNwTHSygPUACtZny89wudai9PWp_6lpOG_bNbV1GUIsHF0VOlfxwKdu6hMezu0YsMu13tQwPbhsjLhvGNrqYaUnW6RjJOs5an95abcs-hJiJof45f3-DaHCvjk7neSItq7/s200/fsprc4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197520699095154514" border="0" /></a>There is also an entertaining story present here. The story is more silly than it is serious, but it manages to entertain you all the way through, via NPCs (or as I like to call them, talking signposts) scattered throughout all of the levels. The execution couldn't be any better, complete with a very professional introduction level. Even the credits level is fun, since rather than having some text scroll by, the credits in this episode are actually interactive.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rent Collection</span> should by all means be perfect, and it would be if it wasn't for the invisible barriers popping up at every turn. It's a shame, because there is so much lost potential here, and I actually consider Violet to be one of the best level makers ever, as well as one of the few people who have truly mastered JCS. This episode shows how one bad idea can spoil everything else.<br /><br />Despite all of my negative criticism, I still think there is more good here than bad. In fact, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rent Collection</span> is quite fun once you look past the flaws, so it's definitely worth playing. Just know, the score of 4.0 that I am giving it is not a reflection of the problems I mentioned being relatively minor: they are actually very serious issues. The score I am giving to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rent Collection</span> is rather a reflection of how amazingly good everything else is, and how that easily outweighs any problems the episode has.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good:<br /></span><ul><li> Fun, non-linear level design<br /></li><li> Quirky story keeps the whole episode entertaining<br /></li><li> Custom bosses are a nice touch<br /></li><li> Overall the quality is very professional<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad:<br /></span><ul><li> Random invisible obstructions spoil an otherwise excellent pack<br /></li><li> Difficulty starts off modest in early levels, and then quickly spikes to being very hard<br /></li><li> One small section requires pointless repetition<br /></li><li> Tries too hard to be like Hocus Pocus<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Score: </span><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-8192861416122058552008-06-11T18:31:00.000-07:002008-06-11T18:47:34.833-07:00RabbitjournalOne of the ways I try to promote this site is by posting summaries on J2O of all the recent reviews I have done in the last few months. The section of the site I use is <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/rabbitJournal/">Rabbitjournal</a>, a part devoted to community driven news. Being an admin, I could simply make a normal news post on the site, but I thought that this would be a good opportunity to draw attention to a very underused section of J2O. The idea is that other users can vote for good entries posted there, and have them appear on the front page. Unfortunately it's not integrated very well, so practically no one remembers it's even there any more.<br /><br />About a week ago I made a post there but so far it has gotten no votes, besides my own. Because of this, I simply feel like pointing out that this feature exists. If you read this blog and feel like spending 5 seconds, I ask you to go and vote for the post I made. Otherwise, I'm probably just going to resort to normal news posts in the future, and while that would be a lot easier, it would also make <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/rabbitJournal/">Rabbitjournal</a> even more irrelevant than it is already.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-3442057790931865892008-06-11T00:00:00.000-07:002009-07-02T17:02:25.080-07:00Review: Jungle Trouble<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbzUPZxOHsWH-cVVND2V58VH1IUhFcBPUKGEy9dvECqGQsycDuns027hdQ8YkpyexImeXXQtJNcxtmir7ZF7AzlQLulYnRJNVGQTi5XguwDI4OPWccs2Ol9TV3XGbli5FHFmShRGVYpTX/s1600-h/jt1.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbzUPZxOHsWH-cVVND2V58VH1IUhFcBPUKGEy9dvECqGQsycDuns027hdQ8YkpyexImeXXQtJNcxtmir7ZF7AzlQLulYnRJNVGQTi5XguwDI4OPWccs2Ol9TV3XGbli5FHFmShRGVYpTX/s200/jt1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196858363598503666" /></a><b>Author: </b>Disguise<br /><b>Year: </b>2001<br /><b>Genre: </b>Single Player Episode<br /><b>Filename: </b>Jt1.j2l<br /><b>Download: </b><a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=845">J2O</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Jungle Trouble</span> is a short episode by Disguise, commonly known as one of the most prolific tileset makers ever. He also happens to be one of the most prolific level makers ever, having made more levels than I can count, of practically every gametype, but mostly capture the flag. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jungle Trouble</span> is interesting because it is his only major single player release.<br /><br />The story of this episode is fairly simple, and is told entirely within the levels themselves. At the start there is very little information other than that your village (or whatever) is being attacked by bad guys, and something in the jungle is causing it. As you set out you quickly discover that a clan of witches is behind the trouble, and behind them is an even greater enemy (guess who). <br /><br />What really sets the levels here apart from most others is the fact that they are <span style="font-style:italic;">huge.</span> Sure, there are other examples out there of gigantic levels, some of them even bigger than the ones here. They are definitely rare though, and it's obvious why: they are quite time consuming to make. Sometimes they wind up being so big that they have to be split into multiple parts due to technical limitations. This was in fact the case with <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jungle Trouble</span>: the second and third levels (still quite large by themselves) were originally supposed to be one massive level.<br /><br />This episode does have more going for it than the fact that it has big levels. Arguably, the real driving factor in these levels comes in the storyline, namely how it uses the witch enemy. This is an enemy that is rarely ever seen in other levels, and in JJ2 itself was only ever used in the shareware episode. This lack of use probably stems from how hard the enemy is to use: her attack turns the player into a frog, and she takes a massive fifty hits to kill. In order for this enemy to work, the level needs to be designed in a way that specifically acommodates the witch. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jungle Trouble</span> manages this well. You will face several witches throughout the episode, sometimes in direct fights where the only way to proceed is by killing them, and sometimes in situations where the best course of action is to run away. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwcqtD_xbBOQyxGnLkh0KJGWgbNDNZ0j5fg9yn5Xtmavzs2LlXLH4DXk0-zyBg3cPRDBeJRpQsOsHf7Yljps2zK5tdqrPyf9oIV931s1eABRR5N-vzTKcsffhpSGy73LIWnDt-4Pm9WAX/s1600-h/jt2.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwcqtD_xbBOQyxGnLkh0KJGWgbNDNZ0j5fg9yn5Xtmavzs2LlXLH4DXk0-zyBg3cPRDBeJRpQsOsHf7Yljps2zK5tdqrPyf9oIV931s1eABRR5N-vzTKcsffhpSGy73LIWnDt-4Pm9WAX/s200/jt2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196858586936803074" /></a>If you do get turned into a frog, no worries. There is always a way to transform back to normal, and the levels are designed so that the relevant sections can be navigated in frog-form. In fact, there are some areas where you are <span style="font-style:italic;">required</span> to play as a frog, as well as a section where you are transformed into a bird. The constant transformation you undergo is a defining aspect of the levels in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jungle Trouble</span>, and with that it offers a type of gameplay you won't find in very many other levels.<br /><br />As I mentioned, the levels here are quite large. Sometimes this kind of thing can be problematic, as big is not always better. Big levels can start to feel monotonous after a while. Thankfully, the levels in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jungle Trouble</span> do not exhibit that problem. The gameplay is varied enough to keep things interesting. The constant risk of being turned into a frog is part of that, but besides that there are plenty of other challenges to get past, such as a large number of falling rocks and a section where you have to find a number of trigger crates. The levels also aren't entirely linear: in several places, the path forks, allowing you to choose where to go instead of being forced along a pre-defined path. This is both a blessing and a curse however, because in a few places it's possible to actually go the wrong way without noticing, until you arrive back at the place where the path initially diverges. A few arrow signs would have worked well here.<br /><br />The levels present a modest challenge, with plenty of well-placed enemies and just enough carrots and checkpoints to keep things from being frustrating. Ammunition is pretty scarce though, so you will have to make sure to conserve it, especially if you want any chance at winning the final boss fight. Speaking of the final boss, it's actually pretty hard, with two witches helping make life difficult. You'll have to kill them if you want to kill the boss itself, and that's definitely easier said than done. Jazz has a distinct advantage here over Spaz, because his uppercut can kill witches instantaneously.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkY8Kywt07XFaDad0JC1-V8QkqcSF_gX2O9NZROf5FQLJU0bwekWyiSjKo8vawgZ94G95zsDtIkxgREWGSNVOZTyssoZFxFVUYJo0dOH0eOXwMUbSh7fD3RiEFAQA1yylGGUpDS_V38WN/s1600-h/jt3.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkY8Kywt07XFaDad0JC1-V8QkqcSF_gX2O9NZROf5FQLJU0bwekWyiSjKo8vawgZ94G95zsDtIkxgREWGSNVOZTyssoZFxFVUYJo0dOH0eOXwMUbSh7fD3RiEFAQA1yylGGUpDS_V38WN/s200/jt3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196858737260658450" /></a>One thing these levels lack is a good amount of items. There is some food here and there, a bit of ammo, and a few carrots, but overall it's very scarce. Too many places are completely devoid of pickups: no gems or food or anything. Combined with the fact that these levels are very open, this leads to some sections feeling very plain. Items are important because they make players move around in a more dynamic way. Without them, there isn't much point in exploring a room, and jumping becomes something that is only done when necessary. The scarcity of items in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jungle Trouble</span> also leads to the episode feeling a bit rushed, as if the tile placement was finished but the event placement wasn't. In fact, I would bet that this is the case, since it's a problem I have encountered when making my own levels.<br /><br />The eyecandy can also get a bit dull at times. Usually it's of a fairly high quality, but in some areas there is hardly any. Again, this contributes to some parts of the episode feeling rushed. Eyecandy doesn't always have to be beautiful. In fact, in a lot of cases it's better for it to be designed in a way that it is not even noticed. And, there are cases where it is also a good idea to have none at all, creating a minimalist look. But when the level of eyecandy suddenly drops off for no particular reason, as it does in some parts of <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jungle Trouble</span>, the only effect is has is to make the player notice that there is something wrong. It has a rather jarring effect, not only making that particular section of the level look bad, but undermining the good parts of the level as well by allowing the player to notice the difference. <br /><br />Another problem is that since all of the levels use the same tileset, it all starts to feel the same after a while. All of the levels using the same music file doesn't help either.<br /><br />If you like big levels I recommend you download <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jungle Trouble</span>, and the same goes if you like levels that give you a wide variety of challenges. It's not a great episode, but it's certainly not bad either. I am therefore giving it a 3.0, which stands for "good".<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Warning: JJ2 may crash if you save in these levels, due to a memory limitation that fails to handle big levels. Play through the whole thing in one go if you can; it shouldn't take that long to beat.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good:<br /></span><ul><li> The levels are very big<br /></li><li> Sections where you have to play as a bird or frog add variety<br /></li><li> Uses witch enemies, which are rarely ever seen in other levels<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad:<br /></span><ul><li> Every level has the same music<br /></li><li> Certain areas feel a bit rushed<br /></li><li> Lack of pickups tends to make the levels feel empty<br /></li><li> Sometimes possible to go the wrong way without noticing<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Score: </span><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-22356476658714715732008-06-01T01:44:00.000-07:002009-07-02T17:02:36.428-07:00Review: The Hydrotronic Amplivolumator<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB6CQH454JGXtIJw4JYEEUt5ZBriWktViK0FtBnCR3YquhOW2yZk76ZgAlnd0TBslx0dzq_YACTMgWheaD3B18OZn3Dvpwq3fEOmdDNU_JhNHuAAlTLEsUJvI_ZUTk7WLrIhhOJ_Dr2pa/s1600-h/ha1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB6CQH454JGXtIJw4JYEEUt5ZBriWktViK0FtBnCR3YquhOW2yZk76ZgAlnd0TBslx0dzq_YACTMgWheaD3B18OZn3Dvpwq3fEOmdDNU_JhNHuAAlTLEsUJvI_ZUTk7WLrIhhOJ_Dr2pa/s200/ha1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196029452090244738" border="0" /></a><b>Author:</b> Toxic Bunny<br /><b>Year:</b> 1999<br /><b>Genre:</b> Single Player Episode<br /><b>Filename:</b> Flood.j2l<br /><b>Download:</b> <a href="http://milesba.com/%7Ejazz2city/levels2/Hydro.zip">J2C</a>, <a href="http://www.evilmike.mynuts.org/jj2/blog/Hydro.zip">Mirror</a><br /><br />I normally use this blog to review things that are in some way noteworthy, but sometimes it's fun to take a look at levels that aren't. It gives you a chance to play something that you probably haven't even heard about, and it gives me a chance to do an in-depth look at something I normally wouldn't bat an eye at.<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Hydrotronic Amplivolumator</span> is an example of this. It's a fairly more or less standard episode from 1999, which uses official JJ2 tilesets and official JJ2 music, and for the most part uses a type of level design that mirrors the official JJ2 levels. The most noteworthy thing about it is probably it's creator, Toxic Bunny. Today he is mostly known for his tilesets, which are all pretty good and are still used today. I think this episode was made before any of his tilesets were, and as far as I know it's his earliest ever release.<br /><br />This is a pretty short episode, containing only three levels of modest length. There is a bit of a story attached to it, but it seems to be more of an afterthought, being contained mostly in the readme file. The story is basically Devan Shell being up to no good again. This time his evil plot is using some sort of evil device to flood Carrotus for no particular reason other than the fact that he likes to be a dick. The plot is pretty thin, but you can't expect much from only three levels, and it does serve its purpose. Even a mediocre story is enough to give an episode some direction, and motivate the player.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhha2q082YOIO3UObtvdFOWFjwhnqVtgYQQ_XK8-rf6gQZvHooXM6u5iVt8hG0s4ntEaBpw3lRnsSs43ucSfhdnxEBArHyjhxQXeIUASRFASxXOQEJM2Je1nHeTpfgJLHrMd97-ziuzG6Q7/s1600-h/ha2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhha2q082YOIO3UObtvdFOWFjwhnqVtgYQQ_XK8-rf6gQZvHooXM6u5iVt8hG0s4ntEaBpw3lRnsSs43ucSfhdnxEBArHyjhxQXeIUASRFASxXOQEJM2Je1nHeTpfgJLHrMd97-ziuzG6Q7/s200/ha2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196029550874492562" border="0" /></a>Story is something that is very important for episodes to have. That cannot be stressed enough. Without a story, levels can start to get boring, and the whole thing feels directionless. A player can go through one or two levels with no plot and still come out fine, but anything longer and the attention span starts to wane. A story helps unify the whole thing, and keeps even the dull segments somewhat interesting. This is because even in a boring segment, the player knows what to expect in the future, and still has a goal to work towards besides "get to the end". <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Hydrotronic Amplivolumator</span> illustrates this well: even a simplistic story is better than none at all.<br /><br />When it comes to the level design itself, this episode is pretty average. The first two levels are fairly typical for 1999. Eyecandy is somewhat sparse, but passable. Some of it feels a bit like a rehash of the official JJ2 campaign. Difficulty is low-to-medium. There are a few tile and masking bugs here and there, but nothing serious. The only truly unique thing about them is the fact that changing water levels comes into play. This was a fairly novel concept for the time, and even by todays standards it helps the levels feel a bit less bland.<br /><br />The third level is the main reason I am reviewing this. Unlike the first two levels, the third one is actually pretty original, and the level design is a lot better. The level has a lot of gameplay tricks, and challenges that go beyond "get past some enemies". For example, there is one area with a whirlpool that can suck you down and kill you. Many areas use sucker tubes in fun ways, and springs are fairly common as well. Even though this level is still pretty average overall, it's fun and way more dynamic than the other two. Because of that, I can feel safe in giving this pack a 3.0 instead of a 2.0. The difficulty in it is also a fair bit higher than the first two levels, which is appropriate (after all, an episode ought to get harder towards the end).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLh85mZCq7eGsXCMKbo55k70X966-YZx4zxW8dr5K_V45KYbh8JDACaWLIsUmhThrE-FU9JtHePbI0QpKonyw_OxC4DOTCBdAIDozs6RClBpubTiYD_1UxU4u9mZSwKygfexmoIwV-4WC/s1600-h/ha3.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLh85mZCq7eGsXCMKbo55k70X966-YZx4zxW8dr5K_V45KYbh8JDACaWLIsUmhThrE-FU9JtHePbI0QpKonyw_OxC4DOTCBdAIDozs6RClBpubTiYD_1UxU4u9mZSwKygfexmoIwV-4WC/s200/ha3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196029701198347938" border="0" /></a>The design of the third level isn't groundbreaking or anything. Most of the stuff in the level is probably stuff you've seen before, being standard features which you could find in other levels. The key here is that it really comes together in a way that is fun, and presents a lot of variation throughout the level. Instead of doing the same thing to get through each room, you have to face different challenges throughout the whole level, using different sorts of movement and different tactics. The word I use to describe this is "dynamic". Single player levels should always strive to be as dynamic as possible, as this is the one of the best ways to keep a level interesting all the way through. If a level is dynamic it means that each of its areas plays differently, ideally looks different, but still avoids feeling disjointed. This does not mean avoiding repetition completely, but it does mean that any repetition should serve some sort of purpose, or have some sort of logic behind it. It helps to avoid monotony. Part of the reason why I like this episode is that the third level really demonstrates this, especially when contrasted with the other two.<br /><br />Don't expect a whole lot when playing <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Hydrotronic Amplivolumator</span>. It's not going to have any lasting impact on you, and it's definitely not a classic or anything like that. On the other hand, it's fun. And besides that, its age gives it value if only for the sake of curiosity. This episode got three stars on J2C, which was the highest possible rating on the site at the time. Today this episode would probably get a score from around 6.5 to 7.5 on J2O. It really shows how much things have changed, and especially how standards today are a lot higher than they used to be.<br /><br />In the future I will probably continue to feature less noteworthy episodes from time to time, once every few months or so. For the most part I'll keep the focus on "important" levels, but there's also something enjoyable about digging up stuff that basically no one remembers any more. You never know what you're going to find.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good:<br /></span><ul><li>Entertaining, despite the merely average quality</li><li>Not too long; not too short</li><li>Good third level</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad:</span><br /><ul><li>Eyecandy is pretty bland, and a bit off in a few places</li><li>The first two levels are mediocre</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Score:</span><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrKGsZOfnI/AAAAAAAAADc/OazETHviAT4/car2.png" /><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-17352949430361556532008-05-21T01:50:00.000-07:002009-07-02T19:56:14.834-07:00Review: The Library / Banana Beach<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vs03YRZ018cLd9GUc1Z_ZSB2HcqNKOUGgbSPnh6aYZQeHUd7jfqqi_AAowYWEQc2oyLG3y9n9ZROssxONXVcxcnZ9Pq5-wVDleSCjH7yXBpv3lf8iIxRiN3PQoCysm8ltcNN7oOkezkk/s1600-h/lbb1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vs03YRZ018cLd9GUc1Z_ZSB2HcqNKOUGgbSPnh6aYZQeHUd7jfqqi_AAowYWEQc2oyLG3y9n9ZROssxONXVcxcnZ9Pq5-wVDleSCjH7yXBpv3lf8iIxRiN3PQoCysm8ltcNN7oOkezkk/s200/lbb1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196379285766438578" border="0" /></a><b>Author: </b>Kejero<br /><b>Year: </b>2000<br /><b>Genre: </b>Single Player<br /><b>Filename: </b>LIBRARY..j2l / coast demo.j2l<br /><b>Download: </b><a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=163">THE LIBRARY</a>, <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=197">Banana Beach Demo</a><br /><br />Kejero is mostly known for two things: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tomb Rabbit</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tomb Rabbit 2</span>. The first of these is arguably the most popular JJ2 episode of all time. The second was an attempted sequel, that was released recently in an unfinished state but is still very good. In the future I intend to review both of these episodes.<br /><br />What a lot of people don't know is that Kejero also worked on a third episode, one that has to this day never seen the light of day. The two levels I am covering in this post, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Library</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Banana Beach</span>, are the only levels from this unnamed project that were ever released. Both of them constitute the first two uploads that Kejero made to jazz2online.com, and were intended to serve as a demo to the episode he was working on. While they were uploaded separately, they were still part of one big project, and so I have decided to review both of them with one post.<br /><br />If you have played Kejero's other levels, you will know that he has a fairly distinct style. His levels tend to have a large puzzle element, with a lot of secret areas and places where you will have to stop and think about how to get past an obstacle. Often these puzzles involve triggers, using them in a fairly novel way. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tomb Rabbit</span> has a lot of this, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tomb Rabbit 2</span> has this sort of thing being an integral part of every level. Another thing that Kejero is generally known for is his use of custom-made tilesets. As far as I know, all of his levels, including the two I am reviewing here, use tilesets that he made himself. Finally, his levels tend to be very hard. One reason is a lack of carrots and an abundance of enemies, but another reason is that the enemies usually regenerate.<br /><br />The first of these levels, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Library</span>, is definitely the lesser of the two. The biggest problem is that the tileset isn't very good. The colours in it are far too bright, and this causes the overall look of the level to be rather crude. The author admits this in the readme file, explaining that he made the tileset in MS paint. I would guess that this is one of his earliest levels ever, as well as one of his earliest tilesets, probably being made at least a year before it was actually uploaded. His later work tends to be much more polished than this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61XthaIaRJVD96v7Y_I4mFSQV_yJCurL585iTsWFkMNDgCULlOefe3tw4OjE6BpLghhhFEg-RjnyEuxWDNUd3hHfy4M69zl8M67yDwPkA4m7IVJek1e7uhMCgew6hgPGkQcqIH7f1RnkT/s1600-h/lbb2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61XthaIaRJVD96v7Y_I4mFSQV_yJCurL585iTsWFkMNDgCULlOefe3tw4OjE6BpLghhhFEg-RjnyEuxWDNUd3hHfy4M69zl8M67yDwPkA4m7IVJek1e7uhMCgew6hgPGkQcqIH7f1RnkT/s200/lbb2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196379440385261250" border="0" /></a>Looking past the ugliness of the tileset, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Library</span> is a fairly decent level. It certainly doesn't have the originality of some of Kejero's later levels, but it is still well-designed and has a few areas with unique gameplay. It never gets boring, and there are plenty of secret areas everywhere to keep you from wanting to just tear through the level as fast as you can. Really, the only serious problem with this level is that it has one area where the lighting becomes almost pitch black, forcing you to either blindly run through and get hurt a lot, or move excruciatingly slowly so you kill everything in front of you. Luckily, this section of the level is short, and it is very much possible to get through it without being hurt.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Banana Beach</span> is a much better level. For one thing, the tileset is pretty good, containing a lot of fun details that aren't found in other tilesets, like pier things that stick up out of the water, and beached jellyfish that hurt you if you step on them. One thing I like about it in particular is the background. At first it seems to be a simple view of the ocean stretching to the horizon, but if you pay attention you'll notice that there are actually boats sailing across the screen.<br /><br />The level also has a lot of stuff that is quite illustrative of Kejero's style, in a way much more obvious than in <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Library</span>, like an emphasis on puzzles and a higher than average difficulty. Triggers are extremely integral to this level, and one area has you navigating a sort of maze with at least ten crates in it that open up the path to the next area. It's good when levels do this (in moderation, of course): it makes it so you can't get through them by relying on reflex alone. Play some of the official JJ2 single player levels and you'll see what I mean. You can beat a lot of them with barely any thought put into it at all, especially if you are good at the game.<br /><br />Still, it's not perfect. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Banana Beach</span> is very good up until a point near the end, where the path forks. You are given the choice to either take a route with a heavy puzzle emphasis, or take a route with a heavy combat emphasis. The problem is neither route is very good. The puzzle route is simply too hard (a lot of stupid memorization stuff), and you will most likely fail it, getting automatically dumped into the fighting route. And the fighting route is bad because instead of trying to give a challenge via clever enemy placement or level design, it just has a huge number of enemies. The best thing to do in this section is try to get a sugar rush, and when you do, run as fast as you can, making sure not to miss any trigger crates. I thought this section felt pretty lazy, and it really detracts from the rest of the level.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp-KgLTl0u8QAcAehtXBHqggInqZ-S_93DL6qdSPGUgG88uR26KdQmgGp_Y0zdfvrsSEokdoCfjYhl39HcuXWgq5tSwyhnWbD9RNwK6sjE_frd0MLyIwXFg-e9a_VIY99WjOBUjteax0t/s1600-h/lbb3.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp-KgLTl0u8QAcAehtXBHqggInqZ-S_93DL6qdSPGUgG88uR26KdQmgGp_Y0zdfvrsSEokdoCfjYhl39HcuXWgq5tSwyhnWbD9RNwK6sjE_frd0MLyIwXFg-e9a_VIY99WjOBUjteax0t/s200/lbb3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196379680903429842" border="0" /></a>One problem that both of these levels have is that it is possible, in some areas, to get dumped into an earlier section of the level. This can happen through warps or it can happen through falling off a ledge. When this happens your only choice is to trek through the entire level all over again to get back to where you were. And since enemies regenerate, this basically amounts to playing the whole thing over again. It's really annoying when levels do this sort of thing. Backtracking is fine, but it <span style="font-style: italic;">must</span> serve some sort of purpose. If the reason for it isn't much more than "Ha ha, now you have to play this all over again!" then it's simply bad level design. A lot of levels do this, including, I have to admit, some of my own.<br /><br />These levels are good, but they're not great. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Banana Beach</span> is the better of the two, but I recommend playing both it and <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Library</span>. They offer an interesting glimpse into the early work of someone who was soon to become one of the greatest JJ2 level makers, and they show how his style progressed from being somewhat mundane into being something totally unique.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good:<br /></span><ul><li> Beach tileset<br /></li><li> Interesting level design, for the most part<br /></li><li> Comes from the person who made two of the most popular level packs ever<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad:<br /></span><ul><li> Library tileset<br /></li><li> Beach level is pretty bad in the second half<br /></li><li> Library level has an annoying dark section<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Score: </span><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrKGsZOfnI/AAAAAAAAADc/OazETHviAT4/car2.png" /><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-21997997630465619062008-05-11T01:00:00.000-07:002009-07-04T22:12:43.518-07:00Review: Game Board (tileset)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWtUIS9bW09_-eLKKL-dlHt4GY0s1C3vw8AfRKQ60RsWY3VOZymxFWHWR1g-Lp8MvgUxcpUV5Q9KgkOI20vZiuym5eselxiCzvW4jgSiBSlZoPcgHO2vRZVYfVW476-hmiCW1AaawDIA-/s1600-h/gameboard.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWtUIS9bW09_-eLKKL-dlHt4GY0s1C3vw8AfRKQ60RsWY3VOZymxFWHWR1g-Lp8MvgUxcpUV5Q9KgkOI20vZiuym5eselxiCzvW4jgSiBSlZoPcgHO2vRZVYfVW476-hmiCW1AaawDIA-/s200/gameboard.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196455396881891042" /></a><b>Author: </b>T-boned T-raex T. Teupac<br /><b>Year: </b>Likely 1999 or 2000<br /><b>Genre: </b>Tileset<br /><b>Filename: </b>Game board.j2t<br /><b>Download: </b><a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=1132">J2O</a><br /><br /><i><b>Update (July 2009)</b>: It turns out this tileset is actually on j2o, albeit with a different name and version. Seems it got uploaded without me noticing. I've updated the download link to point to it. The rest of the review has been unedited, and refers to the original version.</i><br /><br />What? I'm reviewing a tileset? And who the hell is T-boned T-raex T. Teupac? What kind of name is that?<br /><br />While I have no idea what could possess someone to pick a name like that, I do have a good reason why I have decided to do this review. Simply put, this is a very good tileset. It's a bit hard to use, and not perfect, but it also happens to have a great theme, and has a few features which are almost completely unique to it. And to top it all off, I can guarantee that almost none of you have ever seen this tileset, or even heard of it.<br /><br />My memory is foggy as to how I even came into possession of this tileset. I've looked on the archives of Jazz2city, and it's not there. It's definitely not on Jazz2online, since the tileset predates that site. I also checked the archives of universejazz, a website that existed for a short time after J2C went down and before J2O went up. It's not there either. So where the hell did I get it? I'd actually like to know this, because it came with a <span style="font-style:italic;">very</span> good example level which I have unfortunately lost. The example level was the whole reason I wanted to find it and do this review, but since I could only find the tileset, I now have to settle with reviewing the tileset alone. Note that a lot of the information I have about using this tileset comes from that example level; thankfully, my memory isn't <span style="font-style:italic;">that</span> foggy.<br /><br />Most of the tiles in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Game Board</span> take the form of a pseudo-3d chessboard, complete with a few pawns and even a queen that you can place on it. The background takes the form of a bunch of mountains made up of playing cards. There are also tiles that you can use to build fortresses out of dice, and houses of cards. All of it looks good too. What this means is <span style="font-weight:bold;">Game Board</span> is a good looking tileset that has things that no other tileset does, with a theme that is almost completely unique. If there was a textbook definition of "good tileset", it would probably include those points.<br /><br />The tileset also has a few things which are not exactly related to the theme, but are cool anyway. For example, it has a few tiles of slimy goo you can place on the ground. By putting a vine event on top of that, you can make it so bits of the floor are sticky. You can step on them and jump on them fine, but you can't walk or run on them. If you have ever played Donkey Kong Country 2, remember the beehive levels with the sticky ground? It works exactly the same way here.<br /><br />Another thing this tileset has is multicoloured pits of water. Some of the colours are pretty useless, but what makes it interesting is that it is possible to animate the water so that it goes from blue (normal) to red (hot). Using the right sort of animation, you can make water pits that the player can only enter for short windows of time, and that allows for some pretty interesting level design. There is also green water, which can serve as a sort of slime pit.<br /><br />There is also a tile which you can place on a wall. It looks like a nozzle of some sort, or maybe a speaker. The intended use for it is to generate smoke rings that will confuse a player's movement. It's a pretty interesting touch, since this is probably the only tileset that has a tile dedicated explicitly for that purpose.<br /><br />There are a few problems with this tileset though. For one thing, the textured background doesn't work, so you have to leave it flat. Also, there are a couple of masking bugs in the tileset which make it harder to use, and limit its potential somewhat. The pseudo-3d look also makes it hard to use, so this isn't a tileset I'd recommend to new JCS users. Overall <span style="font-weight:bold;">Game Board</span> is more suited to single player than multiplayer, though it could certainly be used for either.<br /><br />Possibly the biggest advantage of this tileset is the fact that it has never, to my knowledge, been used for anything other than the example level it came with. What that means is if you use this tileset, your level will be the only one of its kind. Considering the moderately high quality here, I think that's a pretty good deal.<br /><br />Two versions of the tileset are provided. Game Board 2.0 is simply the same tileset with a different sprite palette. Unfortunately there is no example level. If you somehow have the level this tileset originally came with, please send it to me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good:<br /></span><ul><li> Best game board tileset there is<br /></li><li> A lot of cool features not normally found in other tilesets (e.g. sticky slime)<br /></li><li> Mint condition!!<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad:<br /></span><ul><li> Textured background doesn't work<br /></li><li> Difficult to use<br /></li><li> Some awkward masking problems<br /></li><li> Probably only good for single player levels<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Score: </span><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Note: I do not normally review tilesets, and I was a bit hesitant to give this a score at all. When I rate levels, I have other levels to base the score on. But in this case, I don't have that luxury because this is the only tileset I have reviewed. Keep that in mind.</span>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-91245157538807041522008-05-05T23:01:00.000-07:002008-05-05T23:09:32.833-07:00More reviews comingI have done a lot of writing in the past few days, and have finished a number of reviews. I want to avoid posting them all at once because I want to try to keep this site going for as long as possible. For now I have things scheduled so that updates will come three times a month, on the 1st, 11th, and 21st. That way there can be a new review posted roughly once every ten days. That also allows you to know when to check for updates, if you don't feel like using the <a href="http://jazz2.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default">Atom feed</a>. <br /><br />So far I have four reviews waiting to be posted, and a few more that are still unfinished. So at the rate things are going, it looks like I'll be keeping this blog alive for at least a few months. Better than my previous record, at least!Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-7031749836714392482008-05-01T23:56:00.000-07:002009-07-02T17:03:10.733-07:00Review: Dino Station<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEFaO51j_vPYkuJPykx26tbg348-WTERcRyHt52KOmbp0hU7DRTWo25XU5RL9nC0GOL_Vlp3n2nefYX4AarfIn2UMwCQFqB7x5RiTQZLnDodkLoW1l9NymznusYcY0lMkgEZSdMqnjUOR/s1600-h/ds1.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEFaO51j_vPYkuJPykx26tbg348-WTERcRyHt52KOmbp0hU7DRTWo25XU5RL9nC0GOL_Vlp3n2nefYX4AarfIn2UMwCQFqB7x5RiTQZLnDodkLoW1l9NymznusYcY0lMkgEZSdMqnjUOR/s200/ds1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195682513222008370" /></a><b>Author:</b> Steven Wakeman<br /><b>Year:</b> 2000<br /><b>Genre:</b> Single Player<br /><b>Filename:</b> dinostat.j2l<br /><b>Download:</b> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=33">J2O</a><br /><br />I started this blog with a review of Wakeman's first two single player levels, so I might as well revive it with a review of his third, and as far as I know, last level. <br /><br />Out of all three levels that Wakeman made, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Dino Station</span> can safely be called the best one. It has a very unique feel to it, with a layout that is very puzzle-oriented. It's simply impossible to beat this level without thinking, and if you're not good at finding secrets you will have a lot of trouble here. Luckily, the layout is quite non-linear, and it basically impossible to get lost. This means you won't have to comb over a gigantic maze where all the rooms look the same, looking for the one tiny secret needed to progress to the next area. <br /><br />At some points the level might be a bit too confusing. There is a lot of scenery in the foreground which tends to obscure the view, and there are a few places with invisible barriers that are somewhat unintuitive. Thankfully, the smaller than average size of this level means that you will never get too frustrated, since once you learn the overall layout (and it really doesn't take that long) you can focus on finding all of the necessary secrets. The confusing aspect of this level actually is a good thing, in some ways. It's very rare for a level to pull that off and still be fun.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVFd_pa2vq9J5wQj1CXOzD5CsbbKc2nYxsQmvVbnoDsLCDjKY98tix0aCRkpDgNLUEqsj82U0CyMWN_o7YooG3b8XiJM7ExQvjcmLwM35TaHRE-1cqQVIuhFwF37sAoyiRqxG7rhTVSw5/s1600-h/ds2.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVFd_pa2vq9J5wQj1CXOzD5CsbbKc2nYxsQmvVbnoDsLCDjKY98tix0aCRkpDgNLUEqsj82U0CyMWN_o7YooG3b8XiJM7ExQvjcmLwM35TaHRE-1cqQVIuhFwF37sAoyiRqxG7rhTVSw5/s200/ds2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195682770920046146" /></a>The difficulty here is pretty high. I recommend saving frequently, and only playing on hard mode if you are up for a real challenge. The level is never unfair with the difficulty however, and in one particular area it is actually quite diabolically creative. This area has you climb up a shaft where the only platforms available are covered in spikes. There is health along the way, but that's only good the first time you run through the area. You will have to visit this place at least twice, and maybe a third time if you can't find everything. Eventually, the carrots will run out, and going through this area will mean serious damage. I thought that was a pretty clever way to put pressure on the player, and it is definitely something that I have never seen before or since.<br /><br />The main portion of <span style="font-weight:bold;">Dino Station</span> has you searching for trigger crates to open up the path to the next area. After that comes a boss fight. The boss isn't terribly difficult if you have found the powerups, but it isn't a total pushover either. There also isn't a checkpoint before fighting it, which is a bit problematic. Also scattered throughout the level are ten coins, which are required to access one of the trigger crates. It is possible (albeit unlikely) to miss some of them and render the level unwinnable, so be wary of that, especially at the start.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4j4V58Fu2Ttyj9pGLH50y5PCoXDfEif89aD4G_S42lIfvLX0J_XhX7zZol-C2U2Z-KLopoM-xCPFkfue2YV-WjSLxEOmv6fG0PEy8WQKOvpBvxmsXMTbRY_5apD-_inmn3k9XRYxQfRwf/s1600-h/ds3.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4j4V58Fu2Ttyj9pGLH50y5PCoXDfEif89aD4G_S42lIfvLX0J_XhX7zZol-C2U2Z-KLopoM-xCPFkfue2YV-WjSLxEOmv6fG0PEy8WQKOvpBvxmsXMTbRY_5apD-_inmn3k9XRYxQfRwf/s200/ds3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195682934128803410" /></a>There is one fairly annoying bug in this otherwise solid level: it is possible to get stuck in the wall lining the sides of the tunnel to the boss. It is pretty easy to get stuck here if you aren't careful, so it would be good to keep that in mind. Thankfully, it is a very minor part of the level and you only have a high chance of encountering this bug if you hit the crates in a certain order.<br /><br />Even if the gameplay here doesn't suit your tastes, this level looks really, really good. The attention to detail here is extensive, with great use of the tileset and a heavy focus on lighting effects. Some of the foreground does get a bit obstructive, but in single player that's not such a huge problem. The music selection is also great. This, along with the level design, combines to give the level a totally unique feel, which is an important characteristic for standalone levels to have. Since story is not something that is normally present in standalone levels, something else is needed to make it memorable and interesting. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Dino Station</span> accomplishes that.<br /><br /><b>Good:</b><ul><li>Unique layout</li><li>Requires more thinking than most levels</li><li>Excellent eyecandy and music</li><li>Never gets boring; stays good all the way through</li></ul><b>Bad:</b><ul><li>A bit too short</li><li>Eyecandy can be a bit obstructive</li><li>Sometimes confusing (e.g. invisible walls)</li><li>Easy to get stuck in a wall</li></ul><b>Score: </b><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-49725106790301205132008-05-01T20:02:00.000-07:002008-05-02T02:54:02.222-07:00Thinking of bringing this backNot many people still visit this blog, but I might as well make this post.<br /><br />It's been forever since I posted anything here, and to be honest I completely forgot this blog existed. Sometime in 2007 I found I didn't have the free time to post there, and then when I finally did I have the free time I neglected this thing anyway.<br /><br />I'm taking a break from school at the moment, and that means during my free time I can focus on writing things that aren't assignments. Maybe I'll start posting here again. Plus I just released a big JJ2 episode and I'm tired of JCS right now, so this will give me something to do.<br /><br /><strike>Too bad the J2C archive is down. There was a lot of good stuff in there, and I would have liked to continue to write about really old stuff. If I do wind up getting back into this, I'll have to focus on what is on J2O for now.</strike><br /><br />Never mind, it's back up! Thanks Brian!Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-11656454244281195652007-10-03T20:18:00.000-07:002009-07-02T17:03:43.158-07:00Review: hunt for red october<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP3y3nbjDyxTgw9QFYNgW-RUcsoIjXKKEJzD9HbVcED57tg7xqB5CB7trMnqvztH53Rc2yCiIfubKJMhxIWHaTbc-D98LXdTOYGv0jc-L8Voy72pDY6lxfDmbVJNDwYO113Nwn6HsCsGe/s1600-h/ro1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP3y3nbjDyxTgw9QFYNgW-RUcsoIjXKKEJzD9HbVcED57tg7xqB5CB7trMnqvztH53Rc2yCiIfubKJMhxIWHaTbc-D98LXdTOYGv0jc-L8Voy72pDY6lxfDmbVJNDwYO113Nwn6HsCsGe/s200/ro1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117326032390444642" border="0" /></a><b>Author:</b> Qaz<br /><b>Year:</b> 2001<br /><b>Genre:</b> Single Player<br /><b>Filename:</b> redoct.j2l<br /><b>Download:</b> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=406">J2O</a><br /><br />This level is being reviewed because it is the only JJ2 level where you get to pilot a submarine. Plenty of levels have had cutscenes which take place in some sort of vehicle, but this is the only one which lets the player actually control the thing. It's probably one of the coolest gimmicks ever done using JJ2.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hunt for red october</span> is a pretty strange level, all things considered. It was made by someone whose only other releases (that I know of) are completely forgettable; at best, they mediocre. Indeed, even <span style="font-weight: bold;">hunt for red october</span> has its issues: the gameplay difficulty tends to be unbalanced due to a lack of carrots, and the tileset usage, while entertainingly unorthodox in parts, can be bland and even sloppy. If it wasn't for the submarine segment, which takes up the bulk of the level, this level would be forgotten today.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFTHGkmnH4WjxyRFQ3bOhNlFlqfxdOE8URpAmwRr4HaVc15_irS9GxizAR6gqhyoW0lNH028s_5HPyRwNmJIViCiYw20-_46Hhdqf5HnzRrpeSjYBIlrejRhHfXw9qL4hUjc6NhGmfENV/s1600-h/ro2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFTHGkmnH4WjxyRFQ3bOhNlFlqfxdOE8URpAmwRr4HaVc15_irS9GxizAR6gqhyoW0lNH028s_5HPyRwNmJIViCiYw20-_46Hhdqf5HnzRrpeSjYBIlrejRhHfXw9qL4hUjc6NhGmfENV/s200/ro2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117326169829398130" border="0" /></a>The authour created the submarine segment in this level by using a number of clever JCS tricks that have to do with layering (background and foreground), and a number of invisible tiles. The overall result is quite compelling, and someone not familiar with the methods used here would be left wondering how it was done. There are, of course, a few cracks in the illusion, but it's as good as it can possibly get using this game engine.<br /><br />The choice in using the Tubelectric tileset for this level is an interesting one. It has the necessary tiles to make a good submarine, but it completely lacks the material needed for an outdoor setting, which <span style="font-weight: bold;">hunt for red october</span> seems to be try to convey regardless of this limitation. The result is a rather surreal environment, with trees growing out of metal tubes, and subterranean caverns lined with red bricks snaking their way beneath the ocean.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIih6ukd52qEMkd2YN_UUnZ0LYZv_dgTI-GQYqyTPmvO1rOpI3D4ENLi8Bb8ZRQiWHw2iSl6gvrf1tTP3vFVrDEBr7yLzDpTADaRSa2aq2ekntH8JNs9VzIwosEsHiLhgZVXFxWHcQQun9/s1600-h/ro3.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIih6ukd52qEMkd2YN_UUnZ0LYZv_dgTI-GQYqyTPmvO1rOpI3D4ENLi8Bb8ZRQiWHw2iSl6gvrf1tTP3vFVrDEBr7yLzDpTADaRSa2aq2ekntH8JNs9VzIwosEsHiLhgZVXFxWHcQQun9/s200/ro3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117326835549329042" border="0" /></a>The level ends in a boss fight against an enemy submarine. Innovative as the rest of the level, the boss fight manages to use a normal boss enemy in a unique way, turning it into a missile turret. Gameplay-wise it's actually kind of awkward, but the sheer fact that a submarine battle could actually be pulled off in JJ2 is entertaining enough to make the fight worth it.<br /><br />Overall, this is an astonishingly unique level that is all about showing just what is possible if you are creative enough in making levels. I can't give it a perfect 5.0 due to the gameplay issues, but this is still one of those levels I recommend to absolutely everyone.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good:<br /></span><ul><li>The one and only submarine level<br /></li><li>Defies normal conventions of what is possible in JJ2<br /></li><li>Can be a real inspiration to level makers<br /></li><li>Surreal eye candy can be entertaining<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad:<br /></span><ul><li>Lack of carrots and checkpoints creates artificial difficulty; save often<br /></li><li>Submarine control can be awkward, getting stuck in corners sometimes<br /></li><li>Some sections, particularly the tunnels, are ugly<br /></li><li>No music (at least, none included in the zip file)<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Score: </span><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border:none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrKGsZOfnI/AAAAAAAAADc/OazETHviAT4/car2.png" /><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-40937697825397886972007-09-21T17:51:00.000-07:002009-07-02T17:04:16.890-07:00Review: Darn Mosquitoz<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDP3HyBOO5D2gj9tDv8pdn4cPOGyxg1s0__4F_N-A9mIhbhEjPlazV3TomXRA2fcb9Xu63PdaduYVrBn3pOlcXNBSPBdCuOAAGyll-tVYB1YTGcMij1Lku8LVQy08OWFmjS9RjNW402sIm/s1600-h/dm1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDP3HyBOO5D2gj9tDv8pdn4cPOGyxg1s0__4F_N-A9mIhbhEjPlazV3TomXRA2fcb9Xu63PdaduYVrBn3pOlcXNBSPBdCuOAAGyll-tVYB1YTGcMij1Lku8LVQy08OWFmjS9RjNW402sIm/s200/dm1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113107829044926002" border="0" /></a><b>Author:</b> [Dr]Dre@m<br /><b>Year:</b> 1998<br /><b>Genre:</b> Single Player<br /><b>Filename:</b> C_diam3d.j2l<br /><b>Download:</b> <a href="http://milesba.com/%7Ejazz2city/DrDream1.zip">J2C</a>, <a href="http://www.evilmike.mynuts.org/jj2/blog/DrDream1.zip">Mirror</a><br /><br />This level is an old favourite of mine, and is probably one that most of you haven't played before. It's not perfect, and even has couple of serious flaws, but it also has a certain charm to it which I think is lacking in many other levels. Perhaps this is sentimentality speaking, but I think this level has a very unique style of design, and one that engages the player far more than most levels. And despite that, what it really all comes down to is the fact that <span style="font-weight: bold;">Darn Mosquitoz</span> is simply <span style="font-style: italic;">fun</span>. That alone makes it worth playing.<br /><br />The defining aspect of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Darn Mosquitoz </span>is the open-endedness. While there is a definitive path from beginning to end, there are so many branches along the way that the player must actually explore the level to complete it. There is a real sense of freedom and openness, and the whole thing feels more organic. On top of that, the level is loaded with secrets, making it more fun for those who enjoy exploring every nook and cranny.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT75J8tsmtrKQ-l1AfIrisem7UXuyBdladIy5m6cPChhKnjUbQTMqBp8fjdqJ4LDWeHzwBovesNnvf0sh0pb4hyphenhyphenjTAu_2cWYAF3srCmkuhQnE386ysi1SbtQUwJxceBb1CLPSu5ypuVVfL/s1600-h/dm2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT75J8tsmtrKQ-l1AfIrisem7UXuyBdladIy5m6cPChhKnjUbQTMqBp8fjdqJ4LDWeHzwBovesNnvf0sh0pb4hyphenhyphenjTAu_2cWYAF3srCmkuhQnE386ysi1SbtQUwJxceBb1CLPSu5ypuVVfL/s200/dm2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113107970778846786" border="0" /></a>On top of the non-linear design, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Darn Mosquitoz</span> has a number of other design features that make it unique. Water plays a large role in the level, and is not set at a static height like in most other levels. Certain places will cause the water to rise up or go down, determining which areas of a room you can access. TNT is used in an interesting way, since the level has it in a limited supply and there are several areas where it is required to progress further in the level. Finally, the background and foreground layers are lined up with the level in a way that shows a high attention to detail, an example of this being certain places where the parallaxing foreground obscures secret areas.<br /><br />As I mentioned earlier, there are a few problems with this level. The first is that this level is very difficult, yet lacks a decent amount of checkpoints. Save often unless you want to be frustrated. Another problem is that the TNT, which is required to beat the level, is in a small and finite supply, so squandering it can render the level unbeatable. There is also one area with a fatal bug; a misplaced event that causes the level to stop scrolling. To avoid this, I suggest that you save the game when you see a text sign that says something along the lines of "You need perfect timing for this." The bug is a little ways after this area. Of lesser severity, there are also a few tile bugs in the level which, while ignorable, do tend to detract from the otherwise attractive use of the tileset.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlwW60E0ccZMA9vFvCuWv1qkV-3logtp6_gurqyIdeK05AfKTPv8tuC8TzTKiqV4XOLNjY1cnsCrml_aLAeXzqoIE0NhADPBL9XqQ5fsXKyV8DF6KRTyCxE199JqOkF0WZN3b-iL1JTca/s1600-h/dm3.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlwW60E0ccZMA9vFvCuWv1qkV-3logtp6_gurqyIdeK05AfKTPv8tuC8TzTKiqV4XOLNjY1cnsCrml_aLAeXzqoIE0NhADPBL9XqQ5fsXKyV8DF6KRTyCxE199JqOkF0WZN3b-iL1JTca/s200/dm3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113109482607334994" border="0" /></a>When I first played this level, it served as an inspiration for me when making my own levels. I don't know why it had such an impact on me, but even today I still find it fun to play though. It's flaws do prevent it from having the same sort of professional quality as some of the more famous level packs out there, but where <span style="font-weight: bold;">Darn Mosquitoz</span> lacks in professionalism it makes up for in sheer fun. And sometimes, that's all that matters.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good:</span><br /><ul><li>Non-linear design</li><li>A fun level to explore</li><li>High difficulty level</li><li>Unique tileset usage</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad:</span><br /><ul><li>Lack of checkpoints makes saving necessary</li><li>Fatal bug due to a misplaced "Limit X Scroll" event<br /></li><li>Can become unbeatable if TNT is wasted</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Score: </span><img style="border: none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><img style="border: none; padding: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" /><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-85124049276276035472007-09-16T15:21:00.000-07:002008-05-06T03:31:40.488-07:00A small changeI said in an earlier post that I will be doing reviews chronologically, starting from early years and working towards the present. While I thought that was a good idea at the time, I realize now that I don't really want to restrict myself in that way. This does not mean I will be focusing only on recent stuff from now on, it just means that I will be picking levels to review in a less predictable manner.<br /><br />My next review is actually going to be of a level from 1998, but I felt like making this post just so no one bugs me later on about how I somehow skipped five years.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-49334378883320445262007-09-15T15:33:00.000-07:002009-07-02T17:04:29.419-07:00Review: Queen of Board<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1dTijFu_ir0u8uHdBITzCe5RBNUKbC9JlknY9FUxV8Wy5kMcKyk59zlsF1M73BFk-2FlNsPFpcEBZbyCXCLhW7q10I54CzO12wz_trI9zCd7JV-8I2MfGsgdRjOwa7ymgI8xAXtNT-55/s1600-h/qob1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1dTijFu_ir0u8uHdBITzCe5RBNUKbC9JlknY9FUxV8Wy5kMcKyk59zlsF1M73BFk-2FlNsPFpcEBZbyCXCLhW7q10I54CzO12wz_trI9zCd7JV-8I2MfGsgdRjOwa7ymgI8xAXtNT-55/s200/qob1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110730034930821138" border="0" /></a><br /><b>Author:</b> Dethman<br /><b>Year:</b> 1998<br /><b>Genre:</b> Single Player Episode<br /><b>Filename:</b> ml_qobmenu.j2l<br /><b>Download:</b> <a href="http://milesba.com/%7Ejazz2city/ml_qob.zip">J2C</a>, <a href="http://www.evilmike.mynuts.org/jj2/blog/ml_qob.zip">Mirror</a><br /><br />I hate this level pack.<br /><br />No, really. Out of all episodes ever released, this one is my least favourite. And that includes some <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> bad ones, many which are objectively worse than <span style="font-weight: bold;">Queen of Board</span>. I admit, I'm biased here. My bias stems from a fairly simple reason: this level pack has received way more praise than it ever deserved, with people calling it things like "brilliant" and "epic". <span style="font-weight: bold;">Queen of Board</span> is neither, and while it may be a bit innovative, it's simply not very fun.<br /><br />The main part of<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Queen of Board consists of three levels. The first is a sprawling maze, the second is a bonus level of sorts, and the third is a more standard level that culminates in a boss fight. Most people, when they think of this episode, only think of the first level. One reason for this is that the first level is the biggest one by far, and it is the most original and challenging. It's also the namesake of the level pack. A more likely reason why people only remember the first level though, is that most people can't even get past it.<br /><br />The maze level is one of the hardest levels ever made, and it doesn't even have any enemies. The difficulty comes from finding the right path through the level, and getting past obstacles that require mental work rather than reflexes. It's a unique concept, to be sure: instead of making a level challenging by loading it with enemies and various other standard obstacles, make the challenge a more intellectual one. Unfortunately the execution is poor, and ultimately results in a level that is boring, repetitious, and <span style="font-style: italic;">extremely </span>frustrating.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGGXg_K822oEtjSIaUTeyIE_u8ZZxchoXWs2FyotxUTk4u_xCOLRiXEN1YekqhUhqj1lJFIZY2JgIJCOR7zJtqhHFehr0SXexjytsLYYglROiVXaYBNvzQByZC4yuXZdA-dwMCKWJb_KL/s1600-h/qob2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGGXg_K822oEtjSIaUTeyIE_u8ZZxchoXWs2FyotxUTk4u_xCOLRiXEN1YekqhUhqj1lJFIZY2JgIJCOR7zJtqhHFehr0SXexjytsLYYglROiVXaYBNvzQByZC4yuXZdA-dwMCKWJb_KL/s200/qob2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110730743600424994" border="0" /></a>The biggest problem is that many of the obstacles are simply unfair. One example is of a section near the end of the level where the player has to guess which one of eighteen different paths is the correct one. Guess wrong, and that's it: <span style="font-style: italic;">Sorry! You lose. Try again.</span> It wouldn't be so bad if there was a checkpoint before this area and some sort of hint, but unfortunately there is nothing like that, and the penalty for failure is starting the (very, very big) level all over again. There is actually a warning before this point that advises you to save the game, but it neglects to mention that a memory limitation in JJ2 means the game will likely crash if this is attempted. Oops!<br /><br />For the few players who manage to get past that little guessing game successfully (or for the vast majority of players who just cheat), an even more asinine challenge awaits: the blind maze. In this section of the level, a large maze is completely obscured by an opaque green foreground, and the goal is to get through it while finding a number of "secrets" hidden in the maze. There are no hints. And the penalty for getting through the maze without finding all the secrets (which is a very likely situation)? You guessed it! Death! You get to play the level all over again!<br /><br />As for the other two levels, they are more forgettable. The second level is just an easy bonus level, a nice break from the other two, much harder, levels. The third level is more original, and uses "MCEs", basically glitched events, to make clones of Jazz that attack you. It has an interesting design, being a gigantic vertical shaft with the boss at the very bottom. Sadly, this level too has some annoying design decisions, such as invisible enemies in arbitrary places, and a bizarre feature (perhaps bug?) of having Spaz start near the end of the level and Jazz start at the beginning. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Queen of Board</span> also includes a menu level at the beginning which contains the credits and the story (which is amusingly vague and has nothing to do with the levels), a credits level at the end, and a short parody level hidden after the credits. Of particular note is the menu level, a rather original, though superfluous, concept that became popular to use in episodes for a few years due to its use here. Today, menu levels are pretty rare.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTGNRwvZOQwGWXlSVrkVoUL_lniAcHlot3W8ibqgN7CgWUqHVS_xKhHWHAJS5JJTXYhAzj6nqa5Y__fPMPtVX0yA9AZ2khqYju_HoimCeaNnyoYmmkf2a8L_5myo1dF3zK0N5wq9UTKLA/s1600-h/qob3.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTGNRwvZOQwGWXlSVrkVoUL_lniAcHlot3W8ibqgN7CgWUqHVS_xKhHWHAJS5JJTXYhAzj6nqa5Y__fPMPtVX0yA9AZ2khqYju_HoimCeaNnyoYmmkf2a8L_5myo1dF3zK0N5wq9UTKLA/s200/qob3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110730984118593586" border="0" /></a>Despite all the vitriolic disdain I obviously have for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Queen of Board</span>, I will acknowledge that it has some degree of lasting, positive influence. It can be credited with inventing a new type of level: big, non-linear and objective based, contrasting with usual fare of a quick, straight path from left to right. It also makes use of triggers in a way that was at the time totally new, and it deserves credit for that. Unfortunately, unlike <span style="font-weight: bold;">Another Story</span> which is still fun to play, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Queen of Board </span>has aged poorly. Today there are far better examples of the kind of gameplay and level design that <span style="font-weight: bold;">Queen of Board</span> helped pioneer; ones that won't leave you smashing your keyboard on the floor in frustration. The fact that this episode managed to break new ground is enough to save it from a score of 1.0, but not enough to make it worth playing for more than the curiosity of it being the first to do something.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good:<br /></span><ul><li>Introduced a new style of level design</li><li>Good tileset usage (and one of the first packs to use custom tilesets)</li><li>Very influential (especially when it comes to menu levels!!)<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad:<br /></span><ul><li>Bad design choices lead to it being more frustrating than fun</li><li>It's unlikely that anyone has ever beaten this without cheating (this includes using JCS)<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Score: </span><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com205tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-35904024150499591992007-09-13T01:19:00.000-07:002009-07-02T17:04:39.966-07:00Review: Another Story<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4yLoIWKIaeNfavXQfLlEU7hV1JQ5BsR27c2wWa4vO0up1pfjvWeB-g3kMGeF_RoUsVIUsDfGhn8v0espym2U1bjvnKkXR41qDnJ2-_zHdpgZ9-XaKWL8wzTm72hvdRtoRDmINGogI7pL/s1600-h/tmcas3.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4yLoIWKIaeNfavXQfLlEU7hV1JQ5BsR27c2wWa4vO0up1pfjvWeB-g3kMGeF_RoUsVIUsDfGhn8v0espym2U1bjvnKkXR41qDnJ2-_zHdpgZ9-XaKWL8wzTm72hvdRtoRDmINGogI7pL/s200/tmcas3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109785631751972834" border="0" /></a><b>Authors:</b> stripe, Bluez, Buster and Roaster<br /><b>Year:</b> 1999<br /><b>Genre:</b> Single Player Episode<br /><b>Filename:</b> tmcintro.j2l<br /><b>Download:</b> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=12">J2O</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Another Story</span> is, in my opinion, the most significant JJ2 episode ever released. It may seem strange to say so when considering the facts about this episode: it's rather short, the gameplay isn't that spectacular, and there is really no challenge to speak of at all. In fact, only a few of the levels even have you encounter anything that can kill you, and even then there's virtually no chance at all of dying.<br /><br />You may be wondering then, what makes this level pack so great. The answer to this lies in the episode's name: it has a story. Sure, other episodes before this one had stories, but they generally fit the same mold: Devan Shell is up to no good and you have to stop him by traveling through a series of vaguely-connected levels and fighting him (or some other boss) at the end. After the initial exposition in episodes like that, there's really no plot at all. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Another Story</span>, on the other hand, actually has a unique plot which unravels as you progress through the episode, and even though it might not be the most engrossing story out there, it's certainly good enough by video game standards.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6eppJCR2TYixKET8yYzys5EAQxlxmjI-bH3CdXpJHQzEpKi5Dx-SxWRtSeWnAVz5rTWhl6h87R4QK65YsE_fapaUjCTn4itTBaOOfk39vQI6PefAr64bKkBEeYk2YN7iHw79veAmn-7Q/s1600-h/tmcas1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6eppJCR2TYixKET8yYzys5EAQxlxmjI-bH3CdXpJHQzEpKi5Dx-SxWRtSeWnAVz5rTWhl6h87R4QK65YsE_fapaUjCTn4itTBaOOfk39vQI6PefAr64bKkBEeYk2YN7iHw79veAmn-7Q/s200/tmcas1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109785958169487346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Another Story</span> was created as an entry to a level making contest called the Try Me Competition, run in the early days of JJ2. In this particular phase of the competition, I believe the goal was to make a JJ2 level or episode that focused on plot rather than gameplay. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Another Story</span> won, and was far and away the best submission that was received. This is probably because the episode takes the idea of storytelling to the fullest potential within its medium, doing something that no JJ2 level had ever done in the past, and few have done since.<br /><br />The reason I think so highly of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Another Story</span> is because it shows what can be done with Jazz Jackrabbit 2. Episodes don't just have to be a series of generic levels. They can actually try to do more, by immersing the player in what is happening. Instead of the player just focusing on getting from point A to point B, the player actually has a reason to care about what happens between those two points. It makes the levels more interesting, more fun, and more memorable. And on top of that, most of the stuff in the levels actually seems to have some sort of function, from air ducts to tree houses to elevator shafts. This is a fresh break from the typical style of level design where the scenery is really only there to look good.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-k9_QeDia9FGH1EoCMgK6dsbMKA2k9E2XnSj-csXXyeAkAYu6nAAr35NQ2n8i8mF093MQ0_QaJWe0wRvqvXdEjcoPIMNT61hXWoZdwnc62ub-wZ-RdeR-PQ05WLaGly26YEFFIWZdIz9r/s1600-h/tmcas2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-k9_QeDia9FGH1EoCMgK6dsbMKA2k9E2XnSj-csXXyeAkAYu6nAAr35NQ2n8i8mF093MQ0_QaJWe0wRvqvXdEjcoPIMNT61hXWoZdwnc62ub-wZ-RdeR-PQ05WLaGly26YEFFIWZdIz9r/s200/tmcas2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109786379076282370" border="0" /></a>Another important thing to note is that this episode is the first one to ever use any sort of in-game cinematic. What I am talking about is the sort of level where the player is left to watch some series of events unfold, and has little if any input. Plenty of games do this sort of thing, and while the JJ2 engine doesn't exactly facilitate the making of this type of level, it's certainly possible, as shown here. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Another Story </span>contains a few of these cutscene-type levels (the most notable being the spaceship sequence of which I have included a screenshot), and all of them remain entertaining and interesting to this day.<br /><br />Held up to today's standards, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Another Story</span> is pretty average, and maybe even a bit dull due to its lack of difficulty. Keeping the context of when it was made in mind though, this episode is nothing but groundbreaking: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Another Story</span> is the basis for every plot-focused JJ2 level that has been made since. I personally consider this episode to be the biggest influence on my own level making, and I would say that any level maker who plans on making a single player episode absolutely needs to play this one to see what is possible. Perhaps this means <span style="font-weight: bold;">Another Story</span> is of higher value to level makers than it is to normal players, but I would still recommend it to both groups.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good:</span><br /><ul><li>Story keeps things interesting all the way through<br /></li><li>Cinematic levels make for a unique experience<br /></li><li>Excellent choice of music</li><li>Groundbreaking design<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bad:<br /></span><ul><li>No real challenge to speak of<br /></li><li>May be boring to people looking for action-oriented gameplay<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Score: </span><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-83695097452839831782007-09-11T01:34:00.001-07:002009-07-02T17:05:14.384-07:00Review: Peach Beach / Carrot Cream<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJa0jVOUWEYnPyu2PfirjpGirFyWOIeaCu3ez6sOwgi69rZXVYCw6W-V5941LHdJEjNIuTV5YhFtRyszZBnpWuj-TJN3T4YLdnNblzg4Jd1w3cCEeiFUNF8pn7IYnPa7nVyTVZ_pJpQ6g/s1600-h/Screenshot.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJa0jVOUWEYnPyu2PfirjpGirFyWOIeaCu3ez6sOwgi69rZXVYCw6W-V5941LHdJEjNIuTV5YhFtRyszZBnpWuj-TJN3T4YLdnNblzg4Jd1w3cCEeiFUNF8pn7IYnPa7nVyTVZ_pJpQ6g/s200/Screenshot.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108870433313388626" border="0" /></a><b>Author:</b> Steven Wakeman<br /><b>Year:</b> 1998<br /><b>Genre:</b> Single Player<br /><b>Filename:</b> Peachb.j2l<br /><b>Download:</b> <a href="http://milesba.com/%7Ejazz2city/peachb.zip">J2C</a>, <a href="http://www.evilmike.mynuts.org/jj2/blog/peachb.zip">Mirror</a><br /><br />For my first review, I have chosen a compilation of two of the earliest user-made JJ2 levels around. These were made by Steven Wakeman, more commonly known as Wakeman, a prominent figure in the early JJ2 community and primary maintainer of the original community site, Jazz 2 City. While he's not usually recognised for his JJ2 levels, he did have a degree of talent as these early efforts show. <b>Carrot Cream</b> is the older of the two, and is of noticeably lower quality, while <b>Peach Beach</b> has a much more professional feel to it.<br /><br />Both levels are fun to play, and pose a reasonable challenge, especially since they have a high degree of support for the different difficulty levels the game has to offer. <b>Peach Beach</b> is by far the superior level, being more fun, better looking, and structured better. It's the main focus of this download, since the other level seems to be included as more of a bonus than anything. The problem with <b>Carrot Cream</b>, besides the lackluster eye candy and somewhat amateurish feel, is that it has no real structure to it, being essentially a series of unconnected rooms linked together by warps, arranged in a fairly arbitrary manner. This makes the level rather uninteresting and linear. <b>Peach Beach</b> on the other hand allows some degree of freedom in exploring the level, and allows the player to get from point A to point B in a far less convoluted manner.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fYGkjctvC_y4skW54thVRsrFAxulAQemNgfLbL8d4dUFmKW-8hRS19YP6755DMTfHV4ZLq_r7Hj5MEqxtWDe__-i-daumw9VDEGd8V1oNO-9i0geJYU9hpPZqV5GscWCOEAYy1Kl3Ewy/s1600-h/peachb1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fYGkjctvC_y4skW54thVRsrFAxulAQemNgfLbL8d4dUFmKW-8hRS19YP6755DMTfHV4ZLq_r7Hj5MEqxtWDe__-i-daumw9VDEGd8V1oNO-9i0geJYU9hpPZqV5GscWCOEAYy1Kl3Ewy/s200/peachb1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108871717508610146" border="0" /></a>An interesting note is that both of these levels take place, to a large degree, under water. This makes them have a similar feel, despite the difference in visual design and quality, and helps tie the two levels together in what would otherwise be an unrelated pairing. Some of the design choices for the submerged areas are a bit strange, for example monkeys who live at the bottom of the sea, but overall these levels use water purposefully and effectively.<br /><br />Overall I would consider this a worthy download, and while it's not the best collection of levels out there, it's certainly worth playing.<br /><br /><b>Good:</b><ul><li>Entertaining; short enough to never get boring</li><li>Good support for difficulty levels</li><li>One of the first custom levels made</li></ul><b>Bad:</b><ul><li>The second level isn't very good</li><li>Nothing spectacularly original</li></ul><b>Score: </b><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/evilmike/SBrIB8ZOfmI/AAAAAAAAACg/cpEG32Dg_-c/car1.png" style="border:none; padding: 0px;" /><br /><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-76271046438970689002007-09-11T00:00:00.001-07:002007-09-11T01:42:24.955-07:00About Jazz Jackrabbit 2Jazz Jackrabbit 2, or JJ2, is a 2d platform game that was developed by what is now Epic Games and released in 1998. It's the sequel to the DOS classic, Jazz Jackrabbit, a game which many people remember fondly. Though the original game is much more of a "classic" than its sequel, it is the sequel which has managed to withstand the test of time and sustain a vibrant, if small, community dedicated to it for almost ten years to this date. The reason is twofold: unlike the original game, Jazz 2 comes equipped with both a level editor and internet multiplayer.<br /><br />The editor, while somewhat limited when compared to advanced level editors such as UnrealEd or Hammer, is still powerful enough to be satisfactory. The community has used it to create literally thousands of levels, the best of which are much better than anything that comes packaged with the game. As for the multiplayer, it manages to be simple and easy to grasp on the surface, yet deep enough to be comparable to any other online game. Competitive CTF play is especially challenging, with new strategies still being developed. Not to mention the fact that the game is extremely fast paced, with the time it takes for a good player to run between two CTF bases rarely being greater than fifteen seconds.<br /><br />While the gameplay can basically be summed up as "run around and shoot enemies", there's enough variety to keep things interesting. There are nine normal weapons (plus three special, rare ones), each of them serving a unique, useful purpose by behaving in completely different ways. Six of those weapons can also be powered up to more useful forms, if you find the right item. Some weapons simply travel in a straight line, others can go through walls, one is affected by gravity, and one of them is actually a flamethrower. You can even "rocket jump", if you know how to. Another important fact is that all of the weapons are affected by momentum: if you are running when you shoot, the weapon will travel much farther, sometimes even in ways that defy physics. In single player, the amount of damage each weapon deals is hard to quantify, but in multiplayer, normal weapons will take off 1 heart (out of 5 or 3, depending on game mode), and their powered-up forms will take off 2 hearts.<br /><br />There are three playable characters, and each one has three special moves. Some special moves double as attacks, and all of them are useful for mobility purposes. These moves range from stomping on the heads of enemies to jumping in mid-air. Special moves also tend to be highly damaging, killing enemies in one hit and dealing 2 hearts of damage to other players. Some single player levels even have entire sections which can only be accessed by one character, making the levels more replayable.<br /><br />Since this is a very old game that never sold that well, it's considered abandonware now. This doesn't mean that it's entirely legal to download a copy of it for free, but it does mean that the developers tolerate such a practice due to the game no longer generating any money. A good site to find the game is Home of the Underdogs. You can find it under "links" on the right side of this page. I have linked the 1.24 version, which serves as a standalone expansion pack of sorts, and has more features than the original game. You can also find the original JJ2 though (v1.21 - v1.23), if you look for it, and it might be worth getting since the two versions are incompatible with each other in multiplayer. Note that 1.24 levels will not work in 1.23, but 1.23 levels <i>will</i> work in 1.24. Most people make their levels with 1.23 because of this, but some people don't, so that's why I have linked the 1.24 version, also commonly called TSF (The Secret Files).Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112866831803608531.post-2121161296670932872007-09-10T00:11:00.000-07:002007-09-10T14:04:45.102-07:00About this blogJazz Jackrabbit 2 is a very old game, and over the years there have been many custom levels created by players. There are so many levels out there now that it can be difficult for someone to know what's worth downloading and what's worth ignoring. With this blog I hope to solve this problem by posting about the best levels (and level packs) JJ2 has to offer. I will be focusing primarily on single player episodes, since I feel that they are much more memorable, and besides that, multiplayer levels are easier to come by (just join an online game!).<br /><br />I'm a level maker myself, and I have been making JJ2 levels on and off since 1999. Because of this, I have seen almost every noteworthy level out there, and I feel that I'm fairly qualified to run a blog like this. Besides that, this blog gives me a way to promote my own levels, which is always a plus!<br /><br />I enjoy making levels, and I also enjoy playing them. Hopefully with this site I will be able to get other people to enjoy that too. There is a lot of stuff out there that is very under-appreciated, or even forgotten about. Even if you are a long-time JJ2 player, you might come across something here that you have never seen before. And if you just got the game, this site should have everything you need when it comes to finding good levels!<br /><br />When I make a post about a level pack, I will do it in the form of a review with a score out of 5. I'll also try to include screenshots, and as much info as possible, as well as a summary of what's good and what's bad about the pack. I don't expect to be giving anything a 1, but there are actually a few "classic" episodes which I'm not too fond of, and maybe deserve a 2. I'll be picking levels on a roughly chronological basis, starting with the very earliest ones and working up to the present. I don't know how often updates will be, but I'll try to make at least 2 a month. No promises.<br /><br />On top of review posts, I will also make posts about my own projects, from time to time. These will be done in a different way from the reviews, since it would be a bit conceited of me to review my own levels.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331002544251090644noreply@blogger.com3