This is the first Xmas version of Jazz Jackrabbit (there are two, the second one is Holiday Hare 1995). The scene is set in winter so Jazz shivers when he doesn't move. Also there are some Xmas decorations. However, this game is OK to play all year round. Other than that, it's the same Jazz action with some whole new levels! Run fast, shoot turtles!
If you like Jazz Jackrabbit download this for a few extra levels.
Reviewer: Dos-Games-Online Jazz jackrabbit was made around the time when platform games were all the rage. It was made around the same time when shareware was all the rage, where you go to your local market and buy a shareware version of the latest game for a few bucks.
The game is pretty simplistic were all you got to do is shoot things, collect things much like the original Jazz, clear worlds and kill big bosses. Nothing new there, but the gameplay was pretty good, and smooth, traits that were clearly lacking in other platformers around 1994. The controls were pretty simple, all that needed to be used were the arrow keys and the space bar to shoot. The graphics had a Christmas feel to it. The audio tracks were cool, with the Jingle bells reworked and remixed. All in all, a good game for it's time.
Reviewer: Dos-Games-Online Anyone who remembers and loves Jazz Jackrabbit from his other adventures will be sure to fall in love with this holiday special video game starring the adorable little animated bunny. Jazz Jackrabbit quickly became a favorite among video gaming enthusiasts, taking the part on the personal computer that Sonic the Hedgehog occupied on the SEGA gaming systems and that Super Mario Brothers took up on the Nintendo. Jazz Jackrabbit’s Christmas Edition, like the other Jazz Jackrabbit games, was released by Epic MegaGames. The first game appeared in the middle nineties, and there was a wealth of games following the original. All were instant hits because of the vibrant animated colors that were so unusual for personal computing at the time. They were also ported to several other formats after achieving success in the DOS operating system, its initial platform. The Christmas Edition came out in two consecutive years and was alternately titled “The Holiday Hare.” The play of Jazz Jackrabbit Christmas Edition does not differ greatly from the others. It is a fairly standard side scrolling platform game. The basic concept of each game always involves Jazz Jackrabbit facing his number one nemesis, Devan Shell, who is a turtle and leads a horrid little group of renegade tortoises against Jazz and his girlfriend, Eva Earlong. The rabbits live in Carrotus and must defend their land against the turtle onslaught. The basic concept of the game is based on a fun and clever perversion of Aesop’s fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.” Therefore, in each version of the Jazz Jackrabbit series, Jazz has to fight different kinds of little turtle commandos.
In the Christmas Edition of Jazz Jackrabbit, the most unusual thing that sets it apart from the regular episodes, spin offs and sequels is its theme. It has a very cold and wintery appearance to run consistently with a good old fashioned northern Christmas. The menu features snow covering the selections and if Jazz Jackrabbit stands still for too long, he will begin to shiver to prompt the user into making a move. There are some specifically Christmas aspects to the game, such as the ornaments hanging in the air that Jazz can collect, and also presents and specific Christmas gifts.
This is certainly a fun little game and a definite holiday favorite…way more fun than the games of memory featuring candy canes and Christmas trees on a grid. It is sure to be asked for each year during the holidays by kids and adults alike, and may even become part of the next generation’s holiday traditions.
