TSRevolutionary's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Blue Custom!]

Not Quite There

Here's the thing...you have this excellent environment, with unique looking creatures and a very detailed backdrop, and you have the ability to explore both the sea and air, a twist I was pleasantly surprised to discover. On top of that, there is plenty of things to collect; purple pills for points, yellow pills for "God mode", white balls for boosts, and I already covered the wings. So why does this game get boring so fast?

The problem is we never get to engage the environment or the game. Once you've snagged the yellow pill and the wings once, you've pretty much done the most exciting things in the game; there's no incentive to continue other than to gain more points, but lets face it, who really cares about points? I never look at the scoreboards myself, escpecially considering 99% of the time somebody hacks them. What's more, your little guy never gets stronger and only has one life, so instead of exploring/enjoying/etc. the lush environment, you're focused purely on evasion.

My suggestions? There's the obvious "make the fish grow larger so it can eat larger fish" route, which admittedly would work, but that's been done before. What I do love is this whole "grab some wings and explore the sky" concept, so here's my grandoise vision for Blue 2-3...

This time, there are four different spheres you can traverse, all of which are stacked vertically: earth, ocean, sky, space. You enter each area the same way you do in this game, by picking a power-up, except this time, the power-up lasts as long as you stay in that area. In the water, obviously, you swim; underground, you have a drill and you dig; in the air, you have wings again; and in space THRUSTERS mwah ha ha. You have seven stats, which you can increase as you level up (by eating other fish); size, speed, acceleration, wings, thrusters, drill, and tailfin. Upgrading size, obviously, makes you larger and you can eat larger fish. Speed and acceleration should be obviously. Upgrading the last for stats will affect how well your creature maneuvers in the four spheres. Here's the catch, though; getting eight purple pills still multiples your score, but the pills will be split evenly amongst the four areas. You could make each sphere of movement either have different controls or different types of enemies; either way, you could upgrade your drill if you suck at underground movement and leave your wings alone if you're good at the air.

Damn, dude, as Jimmy Neutron would say, "brain blast." Yeah, I just quoted Jimmy Neutron. Deal with it. Seriously, this long response is brought to you by boredom and insomnia. Good luck, kiddo.

jjwallace responds:

luckly insomnia was able to help me read all this reviews... thanks a lot for the input dude...
i am currently working on red custom and blue custom 2... i will be putting in a couple types of play...
http://jjwallace.newgrounds.com/news/
post/215300
if you have any ideas just send them to me.. when i have a beta version ready you can test it if ya like..
just shoot me a message some time.

[Sonny]

Superb!

Well, seeing as this game has an average of 9.5/10, is currently #1 on the Top 50, and has almost 800 reviews, I'm sure you know that you got a lot of things right with this game. With that said, I'm gonna skip over the compliments and jump to the few criticisms I have. Just know that this is the best game on Newgrounds, for sure.

My biggest complaint is story-related; not necessarily the plot, but the game's background as a whole. For a game which is all about seeing things from the zombie's point of view...it doesn't do a very good job of putting you in a zombie's shoes. I don't have a very strict definition of zombie, either. The only way we know Sonny is a zombie is because 1) we're told so, and 2) he's green. No other characteristic displayed by Sonny (other than his reaction to the Devourers) could be considered "zombie-ish". Even if that weren't so, the story and the world itself don't seem to synch up either. Since when do zombies dress up in neo-SOLDIER outfits (FFVII, anyone?) with swords and guns, casting magical spells? And what zombie game features spirits? Samurai swords? Shamans? The only plot-related zombie element are the soldiers trying to kill you, but that just doesn't seem to be enough. My point is, half-way through Zone 2, I had completely forgotten that this was a zombie game.

Well, I had a second complaint, but I forgot it, so it can't have been too serious. Rock on, brotha'

Krinn responds:

Haha thanks!

The things you say about the story I agree with, although the point is that you're not supposed to FEEL like you're playing a Zombie. I'm just using this whole concept of being something 'bad', but from your own point of view, you seem completely normal. Anyways, storyline is on the fix list for the next game.

Thanks
- Krin

[Rage 2!]

Great, But Not Without Flaws

Its hard to say something negative about a game like this, and for two reasons. First, your major flaw is trying to tackle too much at once, and since that additional content is really for all of us too lazy to make our own damn game, it feels a bit petty. Second, its just hard to say something negative; its that damn good!

The fact of the matter is, almost everything about this game is better than the original. There's a shitload of firearms, four different melee weapons, a total of five rage powers, a wonderful slew of generous cheats, sleek graphics with suprisingly little lag, a rewarding adventure mode, AND a rewarding arcade mode. There's very little you don't give us in this game, although I will admit that when I first saw the tanks, I was a bit dissappointed I couldn't ride in it. But seriously, damn man! This is a game that rewards you for playing it, which would explain why I actually sat down and played the whole thing through. The style is perfect, and your little details here and there (I didn't even notice the money symbols until someone else pointed it out) really help to make it a visual experience, despite being stick figures. The sound was great, escpecially on level 3, although I didn't care for the menu music. Speaking of which, where are the credits for the music? Couldn't find em anywhere.

The problem I see is that you tried so hard to give us what we wanted that you opted for quantity over quality. The game really isn't very streamlined at all, which wouldn't be too bad in a lesser game, but when everything else is professional quality, I expected the gameplay to be just as good. It isn't. Fighting just isn't fun, man. I don't feel like using my gun, because the ammo costs too much and it doesn't cause even damage to make the money worth it. He whips out the gun too high, which makes it very difficult to hit certain enemies; anything below his head isn't going to get hit, which is a shame considering how tall the bastard is. He also sticks the gun so far out, and the guns can be so particularly long, that you just can't shoot someone if hes anywhere close to you. Why? Because the barrel is sticking past his body. The melee weapons are a nice touch, but other than wacking out a few extra coins and health balls, they don't do much to make fighting easier, escpecially since enemies can easily break through the attack and hit you (for a really large amount of damage, I might add). Other people have pointed out the problem with hit detection, so I won't expand on that, other than agreeing with them. The rage powers are nice, but the bar fills so slowly (and the attacks take so much out of the bar) that it isn't a reliable safety net either. The control scheme feels a bit jumbled; why you decided to wedge the shoot button in between two buttons that change weapons, I don't know, but what results is a system where you keep accidentally pressing the wrong button. Too many times, I'd go to shoot, and instead change my gun back to the starting (and useless) pistol, or I'd go to attack with my sword and through a grenade. You can get used to the controls, but it would help if they were more intuitive. Ooh, and one more little thing. The multitude of guns was nice, but since none of them are any different from each other, it didn't really matter. There wasn't any strategic use to the guns; finish a stage, get a new gun, and from then on out you use that gun (until the next gun, of course). In the end, you wind up using the flame gun, the grenade launcher, and the rocket launcher, and EVERYTHING else is just a nuiscense that you have to cycle through every now and then. Whats the point of multiple guns if over 75% become obsolete minutes after you get them?

Ultimately, this game is amazing, hence the 9/10 and 5/5 score I'm giving it. It definitely deserves the recognition its recieving, and I can tell you worked your ass off on it. But there is a lot of problems that can't be ignored. I won't cross my fingers for a Rage 2.5, but...I can always dream. Good luck, man.

Cosmoseth responds:

Holy shit, you just gave me some ideas for rage 3.

[The Death Trap]

Hmm...

First and foremost, I played the entire game through, and I have a cable connection, so I'm not another kid whining because he can't wait long enough. While your method of informing might not have been as tactful as it could have been, I can understand your frustration; all that time and effort, just to recieve zeros because people don't have a brain.

What you did fairly well was create a sense of atmosphere. You had the right timing at the right time, which is why I continued to play through the game. It was intriging, I suppose, and so I felt compelled to continue; I wanted to see what happened. I think you have a natural knack for the genre, and if you keep working on it, I think you can produce some amazing stuff.

There were a lot of minor issues I had, but I'll focus on three. First and foremost, which you've already heard, there really isn't any originality here whatsoever. I mean, this IS Saw. I was hoping that at the end of the plot, there would be some sort of alternate motive for the killer, thus making this more than a Saw clone. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The motive "because I want to" is pretty damn anticlimatic, man. The two things point and click games need to have (in my opinion) is plot and atmosphere. You've got the atmosphere, so work on plot a little.

The second thing was the voice acting. Someone said this very well in an earlier review; it sounds like someone trying to play D&D. I mean, we've all heard bad voice acting, but I'd prefer naturally bad to forced bad any day. The second the clown guy started talking in the beginning, I immediately thought, "wow, somebody was trying a BIT too hard." Just try and be a bit more natural.

Finally, the animations could use some work. The backgrounds were nice...but I'm willing to bet you didn't make them. And if you did, why make such great backgrounds, and then have shitty animations? The fireplace was pretty damn bad, all things considered, and the animations you used to be "scary," such as the zombie and the demon in the mirror, just weren't...scary. The key and the book obviously didn't fit in with the backgrounds either. Ultimately, it reminded me of someone taking a photo, and then drawing pictures on top of the photos with Paint. It didn't help the atmosphere at all.

Oh, actually, one more additonal thing. The game was pretty linear; there isn't many options or choices to add variety. Maybe work on that a bit.

Ultimately, however, I did enjoy it, and I look forward to future work. While you only get a 6/10, I am giving you a 5/5 to compensate for all the idiots who probably scored you a 0 just because they didn't wait for it to load. Good luck.

ramster83 responds:

Thanks for the great review- i love this sort of response which actually helps me to improve my work.

[Year of the Snake]

Ooooh!

Well, this is an odd situation. Let me put this plainly: this game is BEAUTIFUL. The graphics are superb, I can't put it any more simply than that. And damn, is it stylish! The streaks the sword leaves behind, the fluid animations, the dynamic camera, the nice backgrounds (escpecially when you get to the burning town), the well-drawn enemies and the variety they pose...damn, is this one-well drawn game. Alot of games out there are fun to play, but look pretty shitty. This game is actually the opposite, it looks BRILLIANT, but...its just not that fun.

Here's what this flash needs in order to get First Page. This isn't saying "here's what this flash needs, and then it might get First Page." No, you do this, and First Page is guarenteed. First, fix the sound! The sound isn't bad, per se, but it just isn't nice to listen to, and its hardly dynamic at all. I liked the nature sounds when they were in the main menu; but when you start playing the game, you NEED some music. Nature just made it...boring. Aside from background music, the sound effects are pretty bad too. I mean, for a sword that looks that cool in action, it sure as hell doesn't sound cool. I'm not sure what to tell you specifically for this category, but...make it sound like a SWORD, not a BATON.

The second thing is, give us some variety! There's not even a second attack button! That would be fine, if we could get different weapons, or upgrade the sword, or something; but its literally the same damn combo over and over and over again. And no matter how cool that combo looks, it eventually get old. The game is really just me running around hitting the same button over and over again for the same effects. We need something more to satisfy us!

Ultimately, this is a GREAT game visually and stylistically. But the fun factor and sound need a significant boost before it moves up in my eyes. Oh, and I just noticed; this is your first submission? DAMN. I have my eye on you, my talented little friend.

Void24 responds:

Thank you (and all reviews for that matter) for the insight. I really wanted to set up a more dynamic fighting system, but as my deadline for the contest loomed over me, I had to cut features :(. I also understand that the sound could use work. I recorded all the FX myself, and have no experience in that field. Im glad you liked what you did, and thanks for taking the time to write out a review.

[Growth Homicide]

Great Game!

I'm feeling a little under the weather, so while I'd normally write this review all flamboyantly, I'm just going to tell you what I liked, and suggestions for improving it.

What I liked: First of all, the music is bloody brilliant. Absolutely LOVED it. The only thing I would change to give the Sound category a 10 is perhaps some sound effects. Not for the laser, though, because after a while that would just become annoying. The style is pretty interesting, and the gameplay was fun, although lacking variety. Damn, do those things keep coming at you. My wrist hurts from the effort :) . Anyway, your game makes it so you can't stop paying attention for a second, and that's a good thing. Oh, I also liked how you get to choose between getting points added to your score, or cash. Reminded me of Dirge of Cerberus.

Suggestions: First and foremost, when a level is over, make us press enter or something before you go the shop. I bought too many things I DIDN'T want to buy, because there's no warning when the level is over. All of a sudden, the baddies are gone, and I'm rampantly clicking the "+10" laser size button, or converting more score to cash than I'd like to do. Definitely add that in. Another thing I'd do is depower the Wave attack. All you really have to do is save 1200 cash and buy it, and then you just click the mouse every now and then to eliminate all the enemies. It makes the game WAY too easy at that point. Oh, it'd also be nice if we could upgrade the shield without having to lose it first. Just a thought. Finally, the graphics need a little tweaking, make em a bit more polished. Escpecially the menu, it just looks rushed and...unspecial.

Ultimately, it was a very fun game, and I played it for a good 5 or 10 minutes, which is long considering my attention span. Just clean it up a bit, and I actually think you have some FP material here.

Over-Kill responds:

Thanks for the review!
I'll update the game soon with those ideas. THanks.

[Mario kart mini-game]

Fun!

This was actually pretty enjoyable; it reminds me of a game I have on my cellphone. Anyways, I'm hoping that you might consider expanding this minigame into something full fledged.

I enjoyed how, if you press up at the right time, you get the speed boost. Just like the real Mario Kart! Although, I don't reallly know if I got the boost or not; couldn't really tell the difference. Maybe my timing just sucks. What I would suggest is lengthing the track; the coins and pipes come at you too fast to really react, and there is really no transistion into the curves. If you could make those changes more fluid and allow more reaction time, I could enjoy the game alot more.

If you do make a full game out of this, I'd be curious to see how a multiplayer mode would work out; you know, with a Player 2 on WASD. I normally don't play 2-player flash games, but that would be genuinely fun, I think. Something to consider.

Anyway, nice work! Just expand, expand, expand, and you've have a great piece of flash.

tank2tank responds:

I'm not a genius, so it might be a while till I manage to make an expanded, 2 player version of this. But I might do.
Anyway, you should hear a sound effect and see a wind effect if you get the speed boost.
And as for the coins and pipes coming too fast, I didn't notice that, but that's probably cos I made the game and I know exactly where they are.

[60 Seconds til Graduation]

I Guess "Cute" Would Be The Right Word

Well, what can I say? Its a fun concept, pretty unique at that. Hell, whoever thought of shooting grades with a laser beam on a jetpack? I also liked the little combo system, where you can line up multiple bad grades and shoot them for extra credit. Ultimately, however, it just...wasn't fun. I know this isn't meant to be a full-feature game, and its really more of a short, cute diversion. However, if you're looking to improve it, or want suggestions for future submissions, try to give more options to the player. All I did was fly into As and shoot occasional Fs; not a lot of variety there. Maybe some powerups, different weapons, upgrades for the jetpack, etc. would help the fun-factor. Still, its a nice submission, and congrats for getting front-page.

JohnMazz responds:

Yea, thats deffinatlly a good point. I'll keep that in mind next time. Thanks for the review.