Score: 6

"Only average."

submission: File Wars

date: August 19, 2007

This game had a lot of potential, but most of it was wasted, which is a huge pity. First the good. I liked the smooth graphics, even though the flashing lights gave me a headache after a while, and the music was splendid. So far so good, right? I also enjoyed the theme of shooting at various files and the graphical representations of those files were good as well, and they blew up darn good!

Now the bad. The game is simply too dull at the default. It's very easy, in fact it's ridiculously easy. A couple difficulty levels would have made this much, much better. The lack of special objects and unique enemies also hurt the bottom line. New threats, new powers, and maybe multiple levels would have picked this up and made it into something fun.

As it stands now, this is just too simple and dull to make it fun for more than a minute or two at most.

Score: 8

"Simple and fun, a good time-waster."

submission: Asteroid Miner

date: August 18, 2007

I'm usually bored quickly with games that only end once you lose, but this one scores well will me for several reasons.

One is the graphics, which are smooth and extremely stylized and fit the mood perfectly. Another is the music, which is nice and pumping and allows you to turn it off if you dislike it. And thirdly the game is accessible for players of nearly any skill. There are three difficulty choices and three speed choices, making the game a good time-waster on easy, medium, or hard depending on what you want. I also must compliment the smooth control scheme. So simple, yet so flexible.

This game is fun without being cluttered.

Score: 9

"Classic old-school goodness."

submission: Jump by Neodelight

date: August 18, 2007

Let me begin by saying that if you've ever played an arcade game in the '80s then you owe it to yourself to play this game! You control a little guy who collects golden dots and avoids enemies out to hurt him; that's it, the entire plot. But this isn't a game about narrative, it's about fun, and it most certainly is! The graphics are instantly reminiscent of those old arcade delights and the sound is equally perfect. The controls are simple enough to grasp and move your little guy smoothly. The only thing missing from this ensemble piece is the sound of quarters being put into the machine.

The levels are also great, filled with myriad dangers and plenty of opportunities for point collecting. And though the game starts out easy, it soon gets challenging.

I think this will be enjoyable to anyone, so long as you don't go in expecting top-flight graphics or sound. Expect some old-fashioned fun and that's exactly what you'll get. Perfect way to waste a half-hour.

Score: 5

"Good concept."

submission: TimeEscape

date: July 20, 2007

First off, try writing some instructions; if you toss your players in with no idea what they're supposed to do then you've already lost. Okay, now that that's off my chest, time for the good and bad.

I actually liked the simple graphics, but a larger screen size would have helped, and an option to turn off the (admittedly decent) music is always a plus for me. I also loved the concept of the game; stay away from the enemies long enough for the door to open and then make a break for it. Unfortunately, as several reviewers have already pointed out the game is too short. Adding more levels makes it longer and more memorable.

Overall, this was fun but weak. With some more work it could be great. The idea is a keeper and would make an excellent sequel.

Score: 6

"A good attempt, but needs improvement."

submission: Balloon Escape

date: July 19, 2007

I was skeptical, but then I tried it and said "This is actually a cool idea!". The graphics were poor and could use some work, especially the backgrounds, but the gameplay has a lot of promise.

Simple yet challenging, the perfect mix. I also liked the option to turn off the annoying music; any game that does that gets a plus in my book!

I think a sequel is in store. Add some cooler graphics, improve some of the bugs (e.g, popping all the balloons automatically allows you to win, some balloons don't drift away when they're supposed to, and some characters can go off the sides of the screen.), and maybe make the characters smaller so it'll be more challenging. All in all, this is more like an Alpha build of a great game, than a finished product. I'd like to see the idea carried on though.

Score: 7

"A decent Virtua Cop clone."

submission: Virtual Police (Stage 1)

date: July 19, 2007

This is solid, if unoriginal, rail-shooter. The graphics are decent for Flash, and the animations are pretty good; it reminds me of those early rail-shooters I loved so much. But the characters need a bit of work here and there, and the enemies aren't random so you shouldn't have too much trouble getting through this (quite short) single level.

Some people have complained about the game's difficulty level, but I actually didn't find it too excessive. The author gives you two skill choices and reloading isn't too hard. I think it offers just enough challenge to be fun.

This isn't a great game, but it is a decent shooter and can probably kill a good coffee break if you're good enough.

Score: 3

"Weak, but for a game made in a day, not bad."

submission: -:Endless Killing:-

date: July 19, 2007

Well, this game had no replay value, no fun, and very little in the way of technological advances. But since you made it in one day, I have to say good work. The graphics were bland stickmen and the animations were dull, but the music was nice and the controls worked well. Personally, I don't think it's much of a game, but it is an impressivle example of what you can do with your free time. I could only imagine that if you really put your mind to it, you could create some pretty cool stuff.

Score: 6

"Kind of bland."

submission: Metal Slug Rampage

date: June 4, 2007

Graphics: I realize these are just sprites taken from Metal Slug, so there's not much I can say. They look okay, but some original stuff would've rocked.

Style: You go to the right, shoot everything, and try to avoid getting blown up. Nothing new here.

Sound: The music was incredibly annoying, and most of the sound effects were tedious as well. The voices sounded good though and fit the mood.

Violence: This is a personal thing. I don't really like killing things that don't fight back. Still, nothing graphic. You probably won't be offended.

Interactivity: The controls worked, most of the time. Occasionally I had trouble doing one action immediately after another, which made it annoying at times. Also, more things to interact with in the background and so on would have been nice.

Humor: I suppose the premise is kind of amusing, right? Didn't really make much of an impression.

Final thoughts: This is weak. You might enjoy it, but only for a little bit. Multiple difficulty levels would have been a plus, and maybe some actual enemies instead of the paltry number of things that fire back. Overall, it's only a brief waste of time. You could do better.

Score: 4

"Needs work."

submission: Rick Versus Vegeta

date: May 26, 2007

Graphics: Nice animations, though the backgrounds were awful. I don't really know what to say, since they were sprites and all, but I think with some more moxie this would've been cool.

Style: Seen it. Seriously, the whole plot, the whole idea, and I'm pretty sure the dialog is familiar as well. Add a real story, and you're set.

Sound: The punching sound effects were okay, but I couldn't stand the music. Music is supposed to build up to the roaring heavy metal, not blow your eardrums off before you can prepare yourself. I realize this was a little short to do any such thing, but anyway...

Violence: The action was slick and cool. It felt good and it was very colorful. Pity it was so short it didn't really have a point.

Interactivity: This was a movie, remember?

Humor: No chuckles here.

Final thoughts: I don't mind sprite animations, and I've seen some genius ones here at Newgrounds, but this was too short for a real movie, and too underdone for a quick short. Usually, the shorts are supposed to grab your attention immediately and give you a reason for spending time watching it. You got the potential, now to put it to use.

Score: 3

"Good premise, weak execution."

submission: Fishing for Trouble

date: May 26, 2007

Graphics: These hurt the final quality quite a bit. No real animations to speak of and very bright, obnoxious colors. These definitely need improvement.

Style: Weak, but then again, I've never really seen a game like this before. It kind of reminded me of that old fishing game on the Atari 2600. With some improved gameplay, this could be a winner.

Sound: The music was good, but very inappropriate. It would have fit beautifully for something else.

Violence: It's fishing. Enough said.

Interactivity: The controls didn't really feel responsive, and I found it annoying how the lure could come out of the water.

Humor: Nope, did I mention it's fishing?

Final thoughts: This is an interesting idea, mostly because I haven't seen anything like it before on Newgrounds. Work on the graphics a while, and please improve your coding. Bugs ran rampant, such as the time changing crazily, and the fish clipping everywhere. With some spit and polish, and a couple of extras thrown in, this could be fun.