Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (PC, 1998)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-7 Control-7.5 Challenge-6.5
Level Design-6 Frustration-7 Fun-6.5/7* Originality-4
Overall Score-6.5
*2-player
+
Carrots (health) aren't used up when at full health
Transform into the other character once in a while (their different abilites are underused in the levels)
Some good bosses (first one, devil, Robotnik rip-off, final boss)
Resolution and control options, difficulty options
Save feature (four slots) plus checkpoints
Weapon inventory and cycling button
Hidden items
Mid-level shops/bonus boxes (need to explore thoroughly in maze-like levels to buy stuff)
Bird companion (follows you around and shoots) and floating disk (hover board) are back
Two different playable characters (somewhat different move sets)
A few nice remixes of classic music tracks and backgrounds
Cheesy one liners in-between stages
2-player co-op (play split screen through the normal game) and vs. party modes
Invincibility and shield power ups
Includes the demo levels as an extra
Weapon upgrades (sometimes marginal changes)
+/-
Borrows heavily from Sonic among others (Yoshi's Island moves, EWJ guns and crows)
Very zoomed out default resolution (makes it easier to react to danger when going fast but also somewhat takes you out of the game - can be adjusted anyway)
It's possible to accelerate mid-jump (Super Meat Boy-ish)
Can't shoot up while moving (can shoot to the sides while moving)
Delay on the air stomp move (but there's invincibility time while charging it which can be exploited on bosses)
Cutscenes are better animated and detailed but still look somewhat sloppy (poor backgrounds and lines)
Focus on collecting generic items (the shops are an improvement to though giving it more meaning)
Most levels have a maze-like structure
While you can make turtle shells bounce around they don't seem to affect anything
Character voices (not constant fortunately)
-
Hit detection bugs (chopper enemies can fall and get stuck in walls, sometimes stomping two blocks or crates at once won’t work, your character won’t shoot his/her weapon if standing next to and facing a crate which is positioned next to a wall, you can get permanently stuck in walls, invisible walls where there's near flat ground, final boss can get stuck outside the screen if you use explosives on him, some enemies can be touched through thin walls or platforms, the spike traps in episode 2, "platforms" in the middle of seemingly flat walls, non-registering tree in the beginning of episode 3 that you're supposed to push to make a bridge and odd animation when pushing blocks on slopes - not a big deal but still)
Some control/interface issues (keep jumping when pressing the button (can lead to accidental extra jumps in platform heavy areas), somewhat finicky float move with a short duration time (which is also set, so it can't be canceled mid-way), can't jump down through platforms that can be jumped up through (no good reason for it afaict), when overwriting a save game the game auto-erases the name of the old save, odd water physics (need to counter steer upwards or you'll move diagonally downwards, can't swim near the surface (looks like Jazz drops from the sky when reaching the surface)), annoying bounce from standing too close to the blast from your own rockets, odd pinball physics, )
Small bosses and enemies
Sometimes lacking or non-existent feedback (killing enemies)
Uneven difficulty (first boss in episode 1 is the toughest)
Some bland boss and enemy patterns
Lacks unique mechanics with any depth to them
Some ineffective weapons (rockets shoot at an angle so you don't hit things right in front of you)
Some tacky looking effects (speed trail, how enemies explode into confetti, how blocks break)
Mostly forgettable music
Some annoying points of no return near goodies
Can't destroy bee nests?
Blocks that need 4x hits to break and a delay when swinging around poles (pointless ruiners of flow!)
Some enemies blend into the background (especially when using the highest resolution)
Since Jazz has the speed of Sonic but not the spin and somersault attacks you can't get the same flow in this game and movement is somewhat more floaty
The 2nd player bugs out when reaching game over in certain parts in co-op mode (the sprite shows up but isn't controllable when moving on to the next level)
Final boss bugs out and dies in one hit if you kill the first form by stomping it, can’t replay specific levels with your collection progress saved (the generous save feature helps but due to the points of no return it can get very tedious to try and collect everything)
Notes:
-Occasional crashes
-Try secret files and Christmas chronicles
-JJ2+ fixes some bugs (doesn’t fix the issue of enemies touching through walls/platforms, or not being able to fire when standing right next to and facing a crate next to a wall, or enemies getting stuck in walls, or not being able to stomp two blocks at once and there are still some cases of platforms within walls), increases level editor versatility, improves online stability and adds Turbo difficulty
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 & Secret Files (PC, 1998)(GOG) - 2022
Graphics-7.5 Sound-7 Control-7.5 Challenge-6.5
Level Design-6 Frustration-7 Fun-6.5/7* Originality-4
Overall Score-6.5
*2-player
+
Carrots (health) aren't used up when at full health
Transform into the other character once in a while (their different abilites are underused in the levels)
Some good bosses (first one, devil, Robotnik rip-off, final boss)
Resolution and control options, difficulty options, separate music and sfx volume sliders
Weapon inventory and cycling button
Hidden items
Mid-level shops/bonus boxes (need to explore thoroughly in maze-like levels to get enough coins (about 20 per level so it's an optional collectathon element) to buy stuff and you don't get to pick what to buy)
Bird companion (follows you around and shoots) and floating disk (hover board) are back
Two different playable characters (somewhat different move sets - Jazz can temporarily hover and stomp (Yoshi's Island)+super jump (SMB2 though here it also breaks some blocks); Spaz can )
A few nice remixes of classic music tracks and backgrounds
Cheesy one liners in-between stages
2-player co-op (play split screen through the normal game) and vs. party modes
Invincibility and shield power ups
Includes the demo levels as an extra
Weapon upgrades (sometimes marginal changes)
Can use some weapons to reach optional items (bouncer to destroy certain blocks, freeze shot to freeze spring obstacles (odd but ok) and flamethrower to unfreeze frozen ones, )
Secret Files:
One more playable char ()
+/-
Save anywhere (5 nameable slots) plus mid-level checkpoints
Borrows heavily from Sonic among others (Yoshi's Island moves, EWJ guns and crows)
Very zoomed out default resolution (makes it easier to react to danger when going fast but also somewhat takes you out of the game - can be adjusted anyway)
It's possible to accelerate mid-jump (Super Meat Boy-ish)
Can't shoot up while moving (can shoot to the sides while moving)
Delay on the air stomp move (but there's invincibility time while charging it which can be exploited on bosses)
Cutscenes are better animated and detailed but still look somewhat sloppy (poor backgrounds and lines)
Focus on collecting generic items (the shops are an improvement to though giving it more meaning)
Most levels have a maze-like structure
While you can make turtle shells bounce around they don't seem to affect anything
Character voices (not constant fortunately)
Can't aim upwards while moving nor aim diagonally
-
Hit detection bugs (sometimes get semi-stuck hanging in mid-air when pressing against a wall to go into a smaller passage beneath it, chopper enemies can fall and get stuck in walls, sometimes stomping two blocks or crates at once won’t work, your character won’t shoot his/her weapon if standing next to and facing a crate which is positioned next to a wall, you can get permanently stuck in walls, invisible walls where there's near flat ground, final boss can get stuck outside the screen if you use explosives on him, some enemies can be touched through thin walls or platforms, the spike traps in episode 2, "platforms" in the middle of seemingly flat walls, non-registering tree in the beginning of episode 3 that you're supposed to push to make a bridge and odd animation when pushing blocks on slopes - not a big deal but still)
Some control/interface issues (keep jumping when pressing the button (can lead to accidental extra jumps in platform heavy areas), can't jump nor break after using one of the sonic-style pins that wind you up to speed you up, can't stand on the side of a horizontal spring (Sonic), somewhat floaty jumps - slow fall after hitting the peak of a jump, somewhat finicky float move with a short duration time (which is also set, so it can't be canceled mid-way), can't jump down through platforms that can be jumped up through (no good reason for it afaict), when overwriting a save game the game auto-erases the name of the old save, odd water physics (need to counter steer upwards or you'll move diagonally downwards, can't swim near the surface (looks like Jazz drops from the sky when reaching the surface)), annoying bounce from standing too close to the blast from your own rockets, odd pinball physics, can't see when the temporary flight power up is about to run out+can't walk or stomp while it's on, slow block pushing)
Small bosses and enemies
Sometimes lacking or non-existent feedback (killing enemies, movement after hitting springs or when using the super jump as Jazz (down+jump) isn't snappy enough)
Some bland boss and enemy patterns
Some trial & error (some annoying points of no return near goodies, hidden teleporter locations - the visual hints aren't good enough, various hidden paths aren't properly hinted at)
Since Jazz has the speed of Sonic but not the spin and somersault attacks you can't get the same flow in this game and movement is somewhat more floaty in general
Lacks unique mechanics with any depth to them
Uneven difficulty at times (first boss in episode 1 is the toughest)
Some ineffective weapons (rockets shoot at an angle so you don't hit things right in front of you)
Some enemies blend into the background (especially when using the highest resolution)
Some pointless ruiners of flow: blocks that need 4x hits to break and a delay when swinging around poles, no item magnet (Sonic 3)
Some tacky looking effects (speed trail, how enemies explode into confetti, how blocks break)
Mostly forgettable music
Can't destroy bee nests?
The 2nd player bugs out when reaching game over in certain parts in co-op mode (the sprite shows up but isn't controllable when moving on to the next level)
Final boss bugs out and dies in one hit if you kill the first form by stomping it, can’t replay specific levels with your collection progress saved (the generous save feature helps but due to the points of no return it can get very tedious to try and collect everything)
Overly high collecting quotas in various levels considering the frequent points of no return
Annoying how a temporary helicopter pack disappears after like 2 seconds during use or if you land+disappears after a few seconds after an enemy drops it - could've been an interesting tool for getting to out of reach items if it lasted just a bit longer
Keep finding ammo that you already have a full stock of
Bugs:
-Crashed once when loading a save in the first level
-Getting the temporary helicopter pack from enemies in level 3 sometimes doesn't work
Level Design-6 Frustration-7 Fun-6.5/7* Originality-4
Overall Score-6.5
*2-player
+
Carrots (health) aren't used up when at full health
Transform into the other character once in a while (their different abilites are underused in the levels)
Some good bosses (first one, devil, Robotnik rip-off, final boss)
Resolution and control options, difficulty options
Save feature (four slots) plus checkpoints
Weapon inventory and cycling button
Hidden items
Mid-level shops/bonus boxes (need to explore thoroughly in maze-like levels to buy stuff)
Bird companion (follows you around and shoots) and floating disk (hover board) are back
Two different playable characters (somewhat different move sets)
A few nice remixes of classic music tracks and backgrounds
Cheesy one liners in-between stages
2-player co-op (play split screen through the normal game) and vs. party modes
Invincibility and shield power ups
Includes the demo levels as an extra
Weapon upgrades (sometimes marginal changes)
+/-
Borrows heavily from Sonic among others (Yoshi's Island moves, EWJ guns and crows)
Very zoomed out default resolution (makes it easier to react to danger when going fast but also somewhat takes you out of the game - can be adjusted anyway)
It's possible to accelerate mid-jump (Super Meat Boy-ish)
Can't shoot up while moving (can shoot to the sides while moving)
Delay on the air stomp move (but there's invincibility time while charging it which can be exploited on bosses)
Cutscenes are better animated and detailed but still look somewhat sloppy (poor backgrounds and lines)
Focus on collecting generic items (the shops are an improvement to though giving it more meaning)
Most levels have a maze-like structure
While you can make turtle shells bounce around they don't seem to affect anything
Character voices (not constant fortunately)
-
Hit detection bugs (chopper enemies can fall and get stuck in walls, sometimes stomping two blocks or crates at once won’t work, your character won’t shoot his/her weapon if standing next to and facing a crate which is positioned next to a wall, you can get permanently stuck in walls, invisible walls where there's near flat ground, final boss can get stuck outside the screen if you use explosives on him, some enemies can be touched through thin walls or platforms, the spike traps in episode 2, "platforms" in the middle of seemingly flat walls, non-registering tree in the beginning of episode 3 that you're supposed to push to make a bridge and odd animation when pushing blocks on slopes - not a big deal but still)
Some control/interface issues (keep jumping when pressing the button (can lead to accidental extra jumps in platform heavy areas), somewhat finicky float move with a short duration time (which is also set, so it can't be canceled mid-way), can't jump down through platforms that can be jumped up through (no good reason for it afaict), when overwriting a save game the game auto-erases the name of the old save, odd water physics (need to counter steer upwards or you'll move diagonally downwards, can't swim near the surface (looks like Jazz drops from the sky when reaching the surface)), annoying bounce from standing too close to the blast from your own rockets, odd pinball physics, )
Small bosses and enemies
Sometimes lacking or non-existent feedback (killing enemies)
Uneven difficulty (first boss in episode 1 is the toughest)
Some bland boss and enemy patterns
Lacks unique mechanics with any depth to them
Some ineffective weapons (rockets shoot at an angle so you don't hit things right in front of you)
Some tacky looking effects (speed trail, how enemies explode into confetti, how blocks break)
Mostly forgettable music
Some annoying points of no return near goodies
Can't destroy bee nests?
Blocks that need 4x hits to break and a delay when swinging around poles (pointless ruiners of flow!)
Some enemies blend into the background (especially when using the highest resolution)
Since Jazz has the speed of Sonic but not the spin and somersault attacks you can't get the same flow in this game and movement is somewhat more floaty
The 2nd player bugs out when reaching game over in certain parts in co-op mode (the sprite shows up but isn't controllable when moving on to the next level)
Final boss bugs out and dies in one hit if you kill the first form by stomping it, can’t replay specific levels with your collection progress saved (the generous save feature helps but due to the points of no return it can get very tedious to try and collect everything)
Notes:
-Occasional crashes
-Try secret files and Christmas chronicles
-JJ2+ fixes some bugs (doesn’t fix the issue of enemies touching through walls/platforms, or not being able to fire when standing right next to and facing a crate next to a wall, or enemies getting stuck in walls, or not being able to stomp two blocks at once and there are still some cases of platforms within walls), increases level editor versatility, improves online stability and adds Turbo difficulty
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 & Secret Files (PC, 1998)(GOG) - 2022
Graphics-7.5 Sound-7 Control-7.5 Challenge-6.5
Level Design-6 Frustration-7 Fun-6.5/7* Originality-4
Overall Score-6.5
*2-player
+
Carrots (health) aren't used up when at full health
Transform into the other character once in a while (their different abilites are underused in the levels)
Some good bosses (first one, devil, Robotnik rip-off, final boss)
Resolution and control options, difficulty options, separate music and sfx volume sliders
Weapon inventory and cycling button
Hidden items
Mid-level shops/bonus boxes (need to explore thoroughly in maze-like levels to get enough coins (about 20 per level so it's an optional collectathon element) to buy stuff and you don't get to pick what to buy)
Bird companion (follows you around and shoots) and floating disk (hover board) are back
Two different playable characters (somewhat different move sets - Jazz can temporarily hover and stomp (Yoshi's Island)+super jump (SMB2 though here it also breaks some blocks); Spaz can )
A few nice remixes of classic music tracks and backgrounds
Cheesy one liners in-between stages
2-player co-op (play split screen through the normal game) and vs. party modes
Invincibility and shield power ups
Includes the demo levels as an extra
Weapon upgrades (sometimes marginal changes)
Can use some weapons to reach optional items (bouncer to destroy certain blocks, freeze shot to freeze spring obstacles (odd but ok) and flamethrower to unfreeze frozen ones, )
Secret Files:
One more playable char ()
+/-
Save anywhere (5 nameable slots) plus mid-level checkpoints
Borrows heavily from Sonic among others (Yoshi's Island moves, EWJ guns and crows)
Very zoomed out default resolution (makes it easier to react to danger when going fast but also somewhat takes you out of the game - can be adjusted anyway)
It's possible to accelerate mid-jump (Super Meat Boy-ish)
Can't shoot up while moving (can shoot to the sides while moving)
Delay on the air stomp move (but there's invincibility time while charging it which can be exploited on bosses)
Cutscenes are better animated and detailed but still look somewhat sloppy (poor backgrounds and lines)
Focus on collecting generic items (the shops are an improvement to though giving it more meaning)
Most levels have a maze-like structure
While you can make turtle shells bounce around they don't seem to affect anything
Character voices (not constant fortunately)
Can't aim upwards while moving nor aim diagonally
-
Hit detection bugs (sometimes get semi-stuck hanging in mid-air when pressing against a wall to go into a smaller passage beneath it, chopper enemies can fall and get stuck in walls, sometimes stomping two blocks or crates at once won’t work, your character won’t shoot his/her weapon if standing next to and facing a crate which is positioned next to a wall, you can get permanently stuck in walls, invisible walls where there's near flat ground, final boss can get stuck outside the screen if you use explosives on him, some enemies can be touched through thin walls or platforms, the spike traps in episode 2, "platforms" in the middle of seemingly flat walls, non-registering tree in the beginning of episode 3 that you're supposed to push to make a bridge and odd animation when pushing blocks on slopes - not a big deal but still)
Some control/interface issues (keep jumping when pressing the button (can lead to accidental extra jumps in platform heavy areas), can't jump nor break after using one of the sonic-style pins that wind you up to speed you up, can't stand on the side of a horizontal spring (Sonic), somewhat floaty jumps - slow fall after hitting the peak of a jump, somewhat finicky float move with a short duration time (which is also set, so it can't be canceled mid-way), can't jump down through platforms that can be jumped up through (no good reason for it afaict), when overwriting a save game the game auto-erases the name of the old save, odd water physics (need to counter steer upwards or you'll move diagonally downwards, can't swim near the surface (looks like Jazz drops from the sky when reaching the surface)), annoying bounce from standing too close to the blast from your own rockets, odd pinball physics, can't see when the temporary flight power up is about to run out+can't walk or stomp while it's on, slow block pushing)
Small bosses and enemies
Sometimes lacking or non-existent feedback (killing enemies, movement after hitting springs or when using the super jump as Jazz (down+jump) isn't snappy enough)
Some bland boss and enemy patterns
Some trial & error (some annoying points of no return near goodies, hidden teleporter locations - the visual hints aren't good enough, various hidden paths aren't properly hinted at)
Since Jazz has the speed of Sonic but not the spin and somersault attacks you can't get the same flow in this game and movement is somewhat more floaty in general
Lacks unique mechanics with any depth to them
Uneven difficulty at times (first boss in episode 1 is the toughest)
Some ineffective weapons (rockets shoot at an angle so you don't hit things right in front of you)
Some enemies blend into the background (especially when using the highest resolution)
Some pointless ruiners of flow: blocks that need 4x hits to break and a delay when swinging around poles, no item magnet (Sonic 3)
Some tacky looking effects (speed trail, how enemies explode into confetti, how blocks break)
Mostly forgettable music
Can't destroy bee nests?
The 2nd player bugs out when reaching game over in certain parts in co-op mode (the sprite shows up but isn't controllable when moving on to the next level)
Final boss bugs out and dies in one hit if you kill the first form by stomping it, can’t replay specific levels with your collection progress saved (the generous save feature helps but due to the points of no return it can get very tedious to try and collect everything)
Overly high collecting quotas in various levels considering the frequent points of no return
Annoying how a temporary helicopter pack disappears after like 2 seconds during use or if you land+disappears after a few seconds after an enemy drops it - could've been an interesting tool for getting to out of reach items if it lasted just a bit longer
Keep finding ammo that you already have a full stock of
Bugs:
-Crashed once when loading a save in the first level
-Getting the temporary helicopter pack from enemies in level 3 sometimes doesn't work