Score: 6

"Good implementation, old idea."

submission: The Unfair Platformer

date: February 19, 2008

Reminds me too much of Syobon Action. Doesn't seem like much originality at work here...

Score: 4

"Good effort, but needs a solid programming base."

submission: F2Jam The Music Game v1.0

date: July 26, 2007

I have several big problems with this game (on hard mode at least). First, the timing was bad in nearly every song, especially in Mad World where some notes are left out entirely and some are thrown in inappropriately (I did better when I watched each note go down instead of listening to the music). Second, the programming was flawed. The failure bar rose far too quickly and fell far too slowly, accuracy was extremely biased towards hitting sooner rather than later, and if two notes followed each other and I hit in between, I tended to miss both. Third, I get the feeling that the difficulty ratings corresponded to "easiest to make", not "easiest to play". The Naruto theme consisted entirely of three chords: SJ, DK, and FL. Defcon Zero was actually the hardest, because, as with Mad World, some parts are thrown in haphazardly, and every missed note (especially in the "1 2 3 4 5&6&" parts) contributed to a quickly-rising failure bar that was hard to push down again.

Programming might not be your forte, but if you have a solid script behind the game it would be much more enjoyable. It would also help to spend time making your notecharts more creative, such as having the notes rise and fall with the actual melody of the song (like Guitar Hero and Beatmania does). Make sure to follow only one lead at a time, unless the song changes and another instrument takes the melody.

As a final tip, try not to choose songs that loop or fade out. If they loop, edit them in an audio program and make a fade-out. If they fade out, stop your note chart before the fade. There is nothing more frustrating than continuing to push keys after the music is inaudible.

Score: 9

"Very cool, all around."

submission: Starfire

date: October 21, 2005

I liked the customizability in the Shop area, and the prices were all very fair. My favorite weapons were the Vulcan, Plasma Thrower and Laser Cannon; I didn't find much use for the Spread shot (it just wastes energy) or the Laser (I like to mow down enemies by strafing, not to snipe them one by one or hope I don't miss) Larger engines and energy sources are essential in the game, and both were implemented just right: engines are key to getting those coins left behind, and you simply can't survive in the later levels without a good weapon that's kept fueled. The shields were also nice, but largely unnecessary in the light of below.
My major beef with the game is how many instant-kill attacks there are. I died so many times on the first boss because he moved so quickly and unpredictably. The worms on Level 2 are also instant kill for anything less than maxed shields and armor.
My other issue is the difficulty in picking up coins. Make them perhaps 6 pixels wider, or redo the "collision" code to make it more real-time. I passed through coins many times when my engine was too fast.

The soundtrack was nifty. You did a good job in choosing engaging music from NG Audio (another plus for effort) Most of the sound effects for the weapons were good, but I got a little irritated at the sounds from the larger Spreadfire, the larger Laser Cannon, and the drones.
Also, the jukebox at the end is awesome. I'm totally rocking out at Flames In The Sky :P

Score: 9

"Awesome!"

submission: MMZ- The Last Cataclysm 2

date: September 23, 2005

This was a great sequel to the first Last Cataclysm. I liked Harpuia's explanation of their motives and the way they split the enemies between them. The voice acting was at its greatest when Zero shouted "Fefnir!" That really sounded genuine, in my opinion. X's stuttering was also a nice touch, but Omega and Weil's voices were a little forced.
The battles, awesome. Sometimes it's a little cheesy when you see three or four of them killing enemies in the same shot (Zero and Fefnir shooting back to back and then jumping down, letting Harpuia finish the air enemies, for example) Harpuia's fight with the beast reploid (I don't know his name) was well thought-out, and Foxtar actually being disabled by electricity was a nice touch as well, and evened the odds nicely.
I'm really anxious to see the final fight. It has "awesome" painted all over it, but please keep the exposition to two scenes or less, especially at the end. I want my mouth hanging by its hinges while the credits roll :P

Score: 8

"Getting better."

submission: Tiger form

date: July 15, 2005

I've seen definite improvement since last year, when you made LightShadow. In that work, the bullet-time effects were a little forced, and the fighting itself was very twitchy (plus, you could see the wireframe grid sometimes) In this one, you did a great job by focusing on just the one fighter, and both his movements and the camera sweeps were smooth. You also used a higher quality import into Flash, which is a welcome addition.
The music was also a nice choice, but there are ways to optimize sound size (I predict you could cut the filesize from 4.5 MBs to about 1.5) First, change the sound quality to 64 KB/s or below (use the "test" button to see if it has enough clarity) I see that you know how to set the music on Stream, so the only thing necessary is to alter the movie to fit the music. Possibly, by making more moves for the fighter to perform you could hit a suitable stopping point, or you could make full credits to account for the rest of the music.

Good job on the 3D animation. I think you're really getting the hang of it. In a while you could make a full-blown movie, so keep it up!

Score: 9

"I know proper grammar!"

submission: Numa Sprita dance

date: June 12, 2005

That was awesome! Some of the shots were a little forced, like Strong Bad and Megaman, but others were really inspired, especially Tails' sequence near the middle. I liked how Proto Man refused to do anything but sing it (he's too damn cool for that silly dance!) and Wario posing endlessly. Luigi was also funny to watch.
The colored trails behind each character was a very nice touch. If it weren't for that, I'd believe Tails was just jumping around randomly, but instead it leaves an impression of TEH AWESOME. Very nice job with all of the extra spriting.

Score: 10

"To Derek Flood..."

submission: Say Cheese!

date: February 1, 2005

This is one of the most fluid pieces of 3D animation I've ever seen. If animation is your calling, just show this to any cartoon/game company.
The rat was a little grotesque to look at, but he was extremely detailed and moved very smoothly. No inconsistencies here; even when the cat rubbed against him there wasn't much clipping, and you did a good job of his expressions too.
As a final note, that cat is cute ^_^

Score: 9

"Awesome DDR tribute."

submission: Onigirls DDR 14'th MIX

date: December 4, 2004

GRAPHICS: 8
Loved the background, and the faces were good.

STYLE: 9
I suppose DDR is always a good game (for me, at least) I didn't like your other mixes as much, for varied reasons. This one was well-synced, had a cool background, and had a nice song to go with it.

SOUND: 10
Nice choice of song. Calm intro, trance/dance body with game sound effects (?), and the piano work was awesome. Although I can't seem to find it on the ONOKEN site, can't find the right links :/

VIOLENCE: 0
It's a dancing game!

INTERACTIVITY: 8
The spacebar always threw me off when I was starting out, but it's easy enough to learn. It also distinguishes this game from the HUGE mass of other DDR sims.

HUMOR: 3
Laughing at myself for the spacebar jumbles :D

OVERALL: 9
This game is simply awesome, as far as DDR sims go. Had a great song, a new concept, and was synced much better than any other I've seen, especially Flash Flash Revolution.
I have to thank you for finding a great (yet obscure, in the States) Japanese song out of the masses, and especially for letting me dance to it!

Score: 8

"Creative and well done."

submission: Sonic Blox

date: October 3, 2004

This is perhaps the best Tetris clone I've ever seen. The three-block piece was a welcome addition, and I liked how Robotnik came by every minute or so to destroy a few pieces. Even more creative was the Knuckles, Tails and Sonic combos, because in Tetris nothing happens by clearing multiple lines at once (then you collect the rings). And of course, if you get a Sonic combo (or others, I'm not sure), you can bop Robotnik for an extra 300 points! Very very creative additions, and they fit in very well with the Tetris style.
There are a few things I found bothersome, though. The music never changes (and while Wind Hill is a good song, it gets repetitive), and the combo characters keep moving after you hit left or right (I end up with Knuckles driving a perfectly vertical line, then shifting over a column, leaving a gap in the lower levels. Very aggravating)
I would suggest, perhaps in an upgraded version, music that changes every level, and characters that only move while you hold a button. Maybe something else for the title screen too, but it's fine as it is. By the way, is there any difference between Tails and Knuckles? Is Knuckles unable to bop Robotnik, while Tails can if he hits a block first?

Score: 8

"Very awesome transformation sequence."

submission: Mario & The Wiggler

date: July 26, 2004

The best part of the whole movie was the transformation sequence. Mario looked about to crap his pants ^_^ I was a little disappointed at how quickly he died though, but it was so fast I had to laugh.