Jazz Jackrabbit was a beacon of light for PC gamers who wanted to play Sonic the Hedgehog but didn't have a Genesis. As the creators themselves have said, the gameplay is Sonic with a gun: you run swiftly though levels and then leap from platforms all while shooting everything in sight. Its very simple but very enjoyable, having a similar feel to Sonic's running with the addition of firing various unique weaponry. Each level feels different from the last with its own style and dangers and plenty of cool secrets ranging from power-ups to whole new levels. The graphics and music are also of top quality, the sprite work is excellent and the music is probably some of the best music in a platformer I have ever heard! So why am I giving this a 3 outta 5? This game sounds extremely fun! And it is... Sometimes. More often than not though it is a test of patience and the worst of twitch reflexes. Jazz is a bit slippery and goes from 0 to 100 miles an hour way too quickly, so when the game decides to be more precise with its platforming (which is surprisingly often) it becomes a clunky nightmare. The game's biggest flaw though is its camera: it is WAAAY too zoomed in! I lost track of the amount of times I got hit by an enemy I could never have seen in time at the speed the game wants you to go at, forcing me to lightly tap the movement keys in order to avoid being destroyed by frequently cheap enemy placement. Also get ready for a sore hand, unless you find the rapid-fire item (which you lose when you die) you have to mash the fire button for every shot you take! I assure you Jazz Jackrabbit is a classic, but just like "2001: A Space Odyssey" its not a classic that has aged well at all. I do think the game is just good enough to overlook its severe shortcomings, but even then its not easy to do without a heavy amount of DOS nostalgia. Frankly: just get the sequel, It fixes all this game's problems and has a ton of epic new content from co-op to a level editor.
It can be easily argued that the new races in Master of Orion's sequel are more memorable than the original races: the eerie aquatic Trilarians, the all female psychic Elerians, and the space leprechaun Gnolams. One of the best things about Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars was how it gave actual great personalities to the classic races and balanced their powers, the races of MoOII have gotten the game awesome treatment. You can play the game without these races and the game is still a lot of fun, but while not necessary the addition of these races makes the game even better (which is how DLC should be). My only true con with this is the rather high price for the races, I recommend grabbing this when its on sale.
