Score: 9

"Heavy on the weapons, action and fun"

submission: Heavy Weapons

date: June 1, 2009

Weapons. I adore them. What I adore most about them however is when people take the time to develop something new. Take Turok for example, easily my favourite weapon based game for its sheer volume of original and unique designs for culling the masses. While it was a FPS genre, here in a top down ship based shooter I felt right at ease.

The weapon effects were clean and 'pretty', and menu screens that showcased polish. While the majority of the backgrounds for the action were indeed lovely, a couple of them were a touch plain jane. The black on wireframe made for a nice challenge in locating the spawn points heh.

Another fine aspect to the action was the arcade-like sounds of the weaponry. In a game that is going to sound repetitive after long amounts of play it didn't nag for a moment. Along with the mild ambient music accompanying the fire fight it made for pleasant enjoyment both on the ears and eyes, but consider perhaps more 'energetic' music options for some users who like it a bit faster paced.

For the majority of the weapons I say well done. My weapons of choice ended up being lighting, rail and the laser cannon towards the end, but it was fun to mix it up and try new types time to time. Device weapons like the Vortex and Slow Time I also appreciated for their ability to change gameplay. I felt that some weapons however were a little too sluggish for their own good (and ultimately my good). Sadly I agree with others in wishing Duck Death to be improved. Going back through earlier stages or not, for 500k it lacked when compared to its cheaper and highly more functional brother Big Laser.

While it was a intensely enjoyable game with long playability, it needs additional features. I know you feel standoffish over ship/weapon upgrades or temporary power-ups, but don't be afraid to introduce them. They would add another dimension to gameplay and a source to sink the high amount of credits remaining towards the end of the adventure. Even a level system with tech trees would give players the chance to create different builds and increase re-playability tenfold.

In the end I enjoyed it very much and my hope is that you will take back what feedback you get from this release and provide a sequel with even greater options and of course, greater weapons. Thank you both.

Score: 10

"An arrow worth firing time and time again"

submission: The Arrow Of Time

date: May 16, 2009

While not as technically complex as some of the games we have seen in flash, The Arrow of Time personally is one of if not the best. When I say technical do not lose heart, it is still an incredibly well designed piece of art.

Graphically this game is crisp, unique and submerges you in this bizarre little story. The changes from era to era time wise with their vastly different feel's were a pleasant and welcome surprise. A minor request which couples into the game play as a whole is that I felt it could have included a few more periods. However, I understand that sometimes simplicity and not over doing a project can make for a better product.

From the crackling of the lighting arcs to some very odd sound effects on a couple of the arrow types, it was enjoyable to see some thought go into a range of sound. The music accompanying the action and on the menu were hauntingly beautiful until it started to grate just a little bit at my ears towards finishing off the last two achievements.

The learning curve was a nice steady pace from level to level allowing for weapon build up and working out how to tackle groups en mass. The clicking was fairly responsive and took a little getting used to as did the seemingly high gravity. Neither of these took away from the pure enjoyment of game play and trying out an above standard variety of arrow types. The personal touch of making the third level of some of the arrows have a vastly different effects like the lightning bolts from the sky was wonderful. Achievements for The Arrow of Time were obtainable with little effort so a tweak might be required for challenge.

Only the ease of the game is the only thing I could fault for The Arrow of Time if I were nit picking.

Anyone involved in this project should be congratulated. In a genre I adore and have spent countless hours playing this is by far one of the happier memories I have had. Your art work is immaculate and very much your own. As someone else suggested, this game would be a godsend to the Nintendo DS. The potential for a game house to give you resources to add to this, create a sequel, and give the game a versus or co-op multiplayer mode are there.

Thank you for making a true gem.

Score: 9

"Sin so close to making the mark"

submission: Sin Mark

date: January 13, 2009

Firstly I just wished to express my thanks to Con-Artists for what you do. Your works on the Last Stand series were sublime and I quite enjoyed your Warfare game.

Sin Mark from the very start with the D2 like loader and the fact it was a runic power based game had my attention. Runes are one of those things that we sadly don't see enough in the gaming world and they are just as good a vessel for an ability mechanic like any other.

As always your UI and graphics have all been polished to a high mirror shine, with a daunting but suitable wartime soundtrack in the background. Points to you on it also not being repetitive in the annoying fashion so many achieve. I adored both the methods of acquiring the runes, as well as their combination to create spells. Honestly it seemed all you needed was fear to complete the game, but experimenting with the others was a nice glimpse into new effects on spells of old.

I was fortunate enough to get the quick draw trinket fairly early on, I don't know if this was a common drop or not. It did however stem the problem early on that.. the bow was an annoyance. A light tweaking of the minimum power on the bow might have made those few levels a little more fun, instead of having to spam melee so quickly so close.

The game itself also had one minor flaw. The final boss was pathetically easy. A step back to miss the hammer, dodge a little fire. I was excited when I saw the dragon spawn a few mobs and thought hey, if this keeps up I may have a fight on my hands. Sadly it wasn't to be, and I hope that you might up the spawn rate for the fight. But I'm just nitpicking on what was an enjoyable adventure.

It was an extremely fun filled 15 minutes of my time and again you've shown to other authors out there the caliber games one can put out via flash. I read your comment on your continuation of your Last Stand series and I wait with baited breath on playing it soon. Best of luck and again thank you for your hard work, we all appreciate it.

Score: 6

"Perhaps just a desert pistol"

submission: Desert Rifle

date: January 13, 2009

What started as some what entertaining quickly started to show a few bugs that needed some serious ironing out. Fixing these would not only make this game playable but perhaps re-playable.

Now my gaming PC is pretty heavy end so I don't know how exactly it was occurring, but there was a constant stream of halting of game play for about 0.5 seconds duration which made targeting pretty abominable in some parts. The mobs in this came out pretty thick and fast, having to deal with that issue on top of it wasn't the most enjoyable experience.

The volume of mobs also. I understand you are here to create exciting fast paced action thrills which is great, alas the pacing part I mentioned was a problem. Too many mobs, of varying kinds. I know we had mines to solve that issue but sometimes even mines weren't enough.

Guns seemed a little inefficient. I decided on the shotgun towards the end for no nonsense stopping power, as the assault rifle seemed to churn through ammo even with use in burst fire far to quickly. Having to spend half this game in reload time I would also suggest reducing the time it takes.

Lastly, the credits system. Towards the end of the experience it starts getting pretty clear that whats been offered credit wise grossly lacks for the war effort you yourself are apart of. If you're expecting people to get it from the level up system, frankly the points are needed elsewhere. This would point to a break down in balancing and should be reviewed.

There were a lot of saving graces for this FPS. The fact it was an FPS is bold in itself. The leveling system all be it needing review as I mentioned did give the game another level of interest to explore. The graphics were clean cut and did their part, perhaps with exception to the blood decal which took up half the screen.

Spend some time on this. Come back and re-post it after having a look at some of the issues and the masses might be able to sit down and enjoy a bloody, cheap thrill. In a website full of puzzle games, while they have their place you Dr Qi have found a niche.

Score: 7

"Ninja'ed my 15 minutes, plundered by laziness"

submission: Ninjas vs. Pirates TD

date: January 12, 2009

Yinan my header may seem a little harsh but hear me out. This game is a TD and the genre has been pretty well set out as far as quality goes. Unfortunately it lacked on a few levels.

You had the seven or so towers to choose from, and a few maps but it was more or less the same. For a TD it didn't offer a lot for me. If anything it would be slightly under par for TD game play compared to what we have seen on Newgrounds and other flash gaming sites. This may be a first attempt for you and if it is, I'm sure we will only see you rise from here.

Some notes to improve upon. You have the ability to upgrade towers which is a good thing, and they are clearly labeled what level they have reached. Perhaps changing the graphic for each level, or at least every second level may have feel a little more fore filling. Example, starting off standard ninja, then perhaps a boost in size with a combo of uniform change, to finally morphing into a highly menacing entity for its end level.

Medium also seemed very simple, more challenge is required. Having finished all waves I was then treated... nothing. I'll understand if you do not have the technical capabilities at the moment to send a players score to a central database to compare with other players, but a screen to reward our efforts in completing the game would have been nice.

After all that being said, I still had a few minutes of fun and the graphics were cutesy. I'd look forward to seeing what you may produce as far as TD's in future, and hope you wont be afraid to really push the boundaries and perhaps do a little research into what some of your other competitors are doing with their games. Thanks for the entertainment.

Score: 9

"Frantic truly was the perfect word"

submission: Frantic

date: November 11, 2008

Its been a while since I have reviewed, but playing this it absolutely warranted a 'pen to paper' so to speak.

Frantic is reminiscent of the old fighter games of old many of us enjoyed as a child, depending on how long we've been on this Earth heh. Fast paced space fighter action with players required to either bring some serious reflexes and dexterity to the table or lose out fairly swiftly.

For a flash graphically Frantic didn't have all the shine and glamor that has been seen on some projects here on Newgrounds, but what it does utilize was appropriate for this style of game. The sound effects used all be it a little repetitive which would speak more about the genre were clear and crisp and made you believe for that briefest of moments that indeed you were blowing countless hundreds of alien craft back to their makers.

Included in the game was the standard weapons upgrade which all good space shooters of this nature require and the fact time was taking to include this was appreciated. Apart from simple weapon upgrades a couple of random other bonuses were thrown in that mixed it up a little.

Frantic unfortunately did have a couple of small issues but don't lose heart because this is indicative of most newer/first series games. The mouse responsiveness fell a little short. To test this simply move your mouse at high speed in any direction and see the lag taken for your ship to move to the location. You get used to it and sure players are fine, but its sill a point I'd point out for a fix in the future. Background music was a little repetitive, try mixing up tracks between levels. I also felt for the number of slots given to players for weapons was one to short. Having upgraded the stock standard fields and having money to spare the upgrade for 1-UP weapon upgrade would have been nice, but sadly zero space to put it.

Ultimately I'd admit I am a bias towards these games from the nostalgic feel from as I said days as a kid enjoying them. They are also a quick hit of action in an upgrading based environment. Ahhh games that allow you to upgrade, it was the crack we had for this addiction before WoW the destroyer of lives came to be. Sorry back to the point, great game and enjoyed the full 10 levels. I'd sorely hope that we see a sequel in the future that you pretty up and really explore some mind blowing upgrades and effects.

Score: 8

"Pandemic appeal, still suffered from some bugs"

submission: Pandemic II

date: August 6, 2008

Being in the midst of a Science degree and a massive love for pathology in particular, this game caught my eye instantly. How nice it was to see someone do a simulation of a subject that has the potential to someday occur, such as we saw with the Black Plague decades ago.

The gameplay for this was solid, even addictive. I think I must have run through at least 12 different prototype pathogens, and in doing so came close to conquering the world three times. Two times Madagascar failed to take anything up, and another time Argentina. I cant help but notice as I took a skim over some other peoples comments about Mada in particular, and how something sorely needs to be done about it. Sadly unless starting in said country, it feels as if luck is the only element in getting Madagascar secured in the race for Armageddon. It really did leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

The governments did seem a bit quick to raise their barriers at the first sign of a small nation having a problem. I suppose in real life no precautions are taken but I feel at least in this game it added a non-required difficulty to the game. Boarders also, as much as one country and try shut a boarder down, people will get through if not vectors (animals carrying pathogen).

Graphically your game was solid but should you edit this or make a third installment, which I so hope you do, a bit of polish wouldn't go astray. The one piece of looped music made it 3 pathogens before I had to turn it off. It set the scene, but some variety would be nice.

At the end of it all, I would like to put a small case forward to you. This game is wonderful, for the ability to wipe out our entire planet in a fun, interesting and fairly medically correct fashion. Let people enjoy that more by taking down the 'hard' factors you've implemented into this game. Number of evolution points, paying for tiers, government closures, fixing some countries and the boarders. Let us as a player wipe out the human race in different and fun ways, and leave the time spent doing so the goal or score factor for the competitive people. I'm sure you would have a greater game for it, and something I would return to endlessly in my afternoons to enjoy.

Thank you for your efforts.

Score: 10

"Lived up to its name precisely"

submission: Awesome Gaiden

date: June 20, 2008

Well to start i'd like to thank you again for taking the time to do your work. Yours is a style Egoraptor that has been well established by now and something we've all loved from the word go. I don't know if you've been keeping an eye out, there have been a few tributes turning up on Newgrounds. I think we all appreciate your work for the in your face action comedy it is. And now onto the serious review stuff.

Not a whole lot to mention here. You've been around and know what you're doing. I did note the black outlines seemed to be a touch pixelated but I'll need to go back to your previous works to see if it were the same. I love your animation style of exaggerated anime-like features and don't need to go overboard in detail.

Pacing was always at its best with fast thrills. Also enjoy how you're script for the voice acting and story in general works so well at such 'high speeds'. Only a couple i know to do this really well and far as NG is concerned, kinda made it your own.

Voice acting as i said was brilliant effort yet again. Having already been there and done that for all your other works thats little surprise, but credit where credit is due. Nice to see a small cameo from 'Meryl' in this too.

Honestly i enjoyed this a touch down from the Metal Gear series but was still great to watch. Favourite moment would be the ninja's final plunge of the katana into the strategy guide's highly yellow body, and the slow head turn and stare in its aftermath. Tip, katana upon exit wound needs a little blood perhaps? Faint red stain would be fitting.

Thank you once again for providing me with a couple of minutes of quality laughs. Yours is a talent I'm sure many people aspire too and i look forward to seeing your next title's release Egoraptor.

Score: 9

"More like a rocket then a pedestrian"

submission: Streetcrossing

date: June 19, 2008

I took a lot of pleasure watching this film. Sticks have grown more complacent with being the great starter for new flash animators. Its always refreshing to see when an artist comes along and brings new life into a tiring genre.

While i wasn't sure on the main characters grainy odd looking leg shape the rest of the animation worked nicely. The leg thing is merely nitpicking to be honest, i spose people have to make sticks look different somehow. Anyhow, use of light softer blues and yellows for the visualization of energy was lovely. Just the right tones to offset from the rest of the black and white background. Your splashes of vibrant colour here and there helped to turn the usually boring generic scenes we see in sticks up a little. Debris from the varying cars exploding etc could have been a touch more detailed.

As anyone who's read my stuff knows I'm a fan of sound that syncs with the actions on screen its assigned too. This was done here with the appropriate volume and without big noises falling into the crackles of distortion. Well done. The song you chose was pretty standard for that kind of scene but hey, i didn't mind.

Anyhow took me by complete surprise and would be happy to watch it a second time. Mindless violence on a quiet night brought a smile hehe. Thank you for the film.

Score: 7

"Even underwater good things come in small packages"

submission: Underwater Collab Part

date: June 18, 2008

Very sharp, short flash. I was actually a little disappointed to see that it ended where it did. Everything was looking so neat, and then just as fast taken away heh.

For a stick this had more of the glitter then you'd usually see. The flares you placed on powering over the water, charging up, and even creating water displacement in waves were all great touches. The action also from this was full pace without any loss in FPS so thank you, you didn't get lazy and skimp on this. So many do in sticks.

Sound was well timed, no distortion which all i can say for that is keep it up, really. I mean apart from the disappointing short length it was a quick breath of fresh air on a night NG's been a little sluggish. Thank you Peatrit.