Developed by: Epic Megagames
Published by: Epic Games
Date of release: August 1, 1994
Date of re-release: November 30, 2017
Price: $9.99 (GoG)
Back in the early 90's, videogame consoles reigned supreme when it came to home entertainment. With their action-packed sidescrollers, it seemed like PC gaming would never catch up to the likes of Super Mario Bros and Sonic the Hedgehog. The PC generally suffered from the inability to show smoothly scrolling playfields in the way that consoles could. Many attempts were made with games like Commander Keen and Duke Nukem being notable examples, however no developer seemed to be able to replicate the smooth console experience. But then in the summer of 1994, Epic Megagames surprised everyone when they released Jazz jackrabbit to great acclaim.
The first thing noticeable about Jazz Jackrabbit in addition to how smooth the playfield scrolls is the speed at which it does so. Perhaps even a bit faster than the original Sonic The Hedgehog games, Jazz moves along at an impressive clip. Don't try to jump on your foes or you'll just get hurt, Jazz isn't packing that gun just for show. There are plenty of gun upgrades to pick up along the way, providing Jazz with a serious arsenal. Now, as great as the graphics and gameplay are, the soundtrack is another amazing element of Jazz Jackrabbit. Done in a streamed Amiga Tracker style format, the soundscape is vast and impressive, with each world having it's own particular theme music.
Speaking of the worlds, there is one helluva lot of variety in this game. The version on offer at GoG is the second release of the CD-ROM version, which has 9 complete episodes, as well as bonus Christmas levels in an episode known as Holiday Hare. Kudos to Epic Games and GoG for working together to bring Jazz back, as for years there has been no legal way of obtaining this amazing game. Now with the re-release of this masterpiece, gamers can and definitely should check out this classic, and just in time for the holidays too.
