Gamepads? Who would seriously try playing old DOS platformers with Gamepads? They don’t work half the time, and when they do, they are still more clumsy than a good old-type keyboard. 🙂
Gravis gamepads in particular are very far from what they are cracked up to be. They are way too sensitive and introduce unintended diagonals all the time.
Back on topic…
Having played through all the Jazz Jackrabbit episodes ages ago, I can agree – the levels are mostly identical / forgettable. Then again Sonic (the inspiration) is not very different in this regard. However, unlike Sonic, even the boss battles in Jazz are mostly generic / easy. The Episode 6 boss (final boss of original release) is a memorable exception.
Some gameplay issues I see with Jazz are:
1. The levels are packed with secrets, but the running countdown deters exploration.
2. Bumping the skill level hits you in both aspects at once – Jazz has fewer hitpoints and less time, too. It seems ‘Medium’ is the only reasonable skill level to use. ‘Easy’ is too easy, ‘Hard’ may be frustrating.
