Jazz Jackrabbit 2

This was something of an outmoded game when it came out – a side-scrolling 2D platformer in ’98 and it must be said, not vastly different from the first Jazz or for that matter ‘Sonic the Hedgehog.’ Despite its on-release obsolescence against early 3D console platformers it is still, however, good fun.
The only major departure from the original Jazz is the introduction of a second player character: Jazz’s aptly-named brother Spaz – the two aren’t just clones – different graphics, animations and some tactical changes – Spaz can jump a second time in midair while Jazz has limited flight thanks to his ears (which is different from flying as a result of a big tail how?) – with the two-player setup it is possible for simple LAN or modem connection multiplayer and there is a map editor so Jazz 2 has kept up with its contemporaries in some important ways.

The game feels retro rather than outdated, and has aged better than something like the first ‘Tomb Raider’ as a result of it – the graphics are cartoonish and belong in the 16-bit era, but the early 32-bit attempts at three-dimensional realism were similarly cartoonish.
Anyhoo – you are a rabbit – either the titular Jazz or aforementioned Spaz – and like common or garden rabbits must run, guns blazing, after an evil turtle. It is a very fast-paced, balls-to-the-wall game for 80% of the time which makes it very good for quick relaxing bursts of play. Anyone expecting a deep story or intricate game mechanics that reward dedication had better go somewhere else – its easily mastered and sits in a simple frame tale. But if you’ve already played Jazz or Sonic and can now negotiate the maps and jump puzzles easily enough that they are becoming boring you may enjoy this.
On that Sonic angle – though it is a third person shooter rather than a body-contact combat system, there is a Sonic-ness to the artwork and animations, to certain gameplay features like the jump pads and powerup-filled televisions and to the overall ‘while running, don’t think’ feel to things and a haunting familiarity to one of the villains. On the angle of not being very removed from the first Jazz – it recreates the worlds Diamondus, Tubelectric and Medivo from the shareware opening episode of Jazz Jackrabbit and retains the same turtle-themed villains and arch-nemesis. The engine was duplicated for Christmas ’98 and Easter ’99* additional episodes – released commercially rather than as shareware. (The Easter ’99 game – Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Secret Files featured a third character, Jazz’s ambiguous sister and/or cousin Lori, had its own shareware demo and was not released outside of European markets :-))