Bezman's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[King of Buttons]

Nice idea. Could be expanded further.

Nice song. Quite amusing in this context. Graphics work well, though are a bit derivative. (Are they stock buttons?)

Time attack is probably the most obvious mode. Nicely done. Maybe needs a bit more pizazz?

Reflex - another obvious idea. Also nicely done. Though with the time the button animation takes, I think the theoretical top score would be more like 50-60.

Endurance mode was fairly inventive, conceptually, but a bit ridiculous and not much potential for fun, I felt. I actually think it would have been better (not necessarily from a fun-game point of view but from a keeping-the-ridiculous-angle point of view) if the scores were hidden. But that would only really work if the list was longer.

I like the notion of being told you're #xxx in the high score list, but not actually knowing how much higher you'd have to go to go up a place. It'd just add to the whole element of 'stop when you think you've done enough'.

Challenge - my favourite mode. Inventive, with some nice ideas, which took some picking up on, like the 2 shades of red and the upside-down buttons. Maybe it'd have been nice to have had some moving buttons too? Also, I have a feeling a lot of folk may have real trouble with the deep red differentiation, if they're even marginally colour-blind.

I got to 39. I noticed that scores seem to only show for that instance. Strange stuff.

On a related note, it'd be nice to have a personal high-score list, given the circumstances. That holds for all modes.Specially time attack and reflex.

Be nice to have more modes maybe. Challenge mode could perhaps be expanded further. With maybe one 'easy' version, one 'hard' and one 'randomised positions, which ensures the buttons don't overlap but is otherwise randomly positioned.

And maybe a timing game. Pressing the button and trying to get a count-down as close to 0000 as possible?

Other than that, I think you've covered a good variety of game modes.

My only remaining reason for not giving a higher overall is the inherently limited nature of the game.

Stay funky,
- Bez

GAMECUBICLE responds:

If it would have to check what place you are in the highscore list every click it would mean sending the variables every click... lets say that like 10 clicks is 5kb... THAT WOULD TAKE A DAMN LOAD OF BANDWITH :P
So i couldnt do that, this takes too much bandwith as it is right now anyways...

O yeah, the button wasnt from flash itself, i made it in 3d studio max :P

[A Chain Reaction Game v.3]

Fun, for a minute.

I liked the 'gravity' option. It did feel more interactive, as you intended, but it'd have been nice if it had a seperate high score table, being a different form of play.

Maybe a different way to bring more control into our hands would be to have us control where the bombs/whatever come on-screen? You could maybe have different tunnels where things come from. Then click on a tunnel to make things appear. Maybe give each tunnel a 'stock' which runs out but gets replenished, to stop people just making a long line from a single tunnel.

Having said all that, maybe that theoretical game would end up with folk working out some sort of pattern, which could last theoretically forever...

Anyway, as it is, the game's interesting and fun, but only for a minute or so. It is one that can be returned to and enjoyed again though.

The gravity option is a nice idea, as I said.

The 'hippy' layout looks horrible, as does the 'atoms' one. The bombs were fairly nicely made.

Why fewer music tracks than v.2?

It would be nice to have some sort of ambient sfx for the explosions. Maybe something abstract, like a soft 'ping' like a dulled glockenspiel note? Have a few random variations, and that could totally work.

The difference in scores - to me - is simply further proof that the voting on NG is totally inconsistent. I suppose that sorta makes sense, for things that only a few hundred have voted on. (I mean, how many of those votes will be from the same folk who voted for the other one?)

I suppose with a large userbase like this, it can never be anything but somewhat arbitrary.

[Lunatic]

Good stuff, but needs a 'last score' variable.

Excellent game mechanics. Nice rules. Graphics are nicely simple, with great lettering for 'LUNATIC' and the AS motion gives birth to some lovely patterns.

My main gripe is the fact that it's hard to tell how well you did after dying. You should perhaps have a 'last score' variable, to allow us to check that very thing.

As it is, I never really have any clue how close (or far) I was from beating my personal best.

I like the way you use cookies (I presume).

Programming's nice. Music's OK, but there should be a sound toggling button.

Overall, though, novel and fun.

[Gravity based movement]

A bloody massacre

The Blue army had fallen victim to a rebellion. Surprising all around him, one man had struck out against his leader, slaying him in an instant. Unwilling to let this traitor stand over their former leader, many more rushed to seek vengeance.

The traitor was now slain, but their blades had tasted blood and could not be sated. Swords clanged and bodies fell into bloody heaps.

Now, it was almost over. As quickly as it had begun. 2 men circled each other, one a titan, the other a young newcomer to the fight, who simply wished for his life and nothing else. Sparks flew and blood was spilled. In the confusion, it was impossible to tell who was on the recieving end of the blows; who would soon be lying on the ship's deck.

Miraculously, the youngster managed to emerge victorious. The ship pulled into land. It was here that they were to fight the orange savages. As the ship pulled in, he suddenly saw a hundred appear in front of his eyes. As if in slow motion, he witnessed the savage beatings and senseless killing before him. It was then that he realised the true horror of the world he had been born into - never would men be able to co-exist, never would more than one be at peace. This was a world where no man was a friend. Only enemies existed and an invisible force urged them all to fight for all eternity.

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I'm excited to see what game you'll make out of this. The interesting thing, in my mind, is that it could be pulled in so many different directions. Controlling an individual element, battling against increasing odds. Training and caring for a lone fighter. Maybe taking charge of armies, in some sort of 'defense' game, buying more troops, healing people and so on. Maybe even a gambling game.

Even before you start to add rules and make this into a 'game' rather than a 'plaything' as it currently is, I suggest the following though:

Show life remaining. Maybe have the numbers turn black as the life is depleted? This seems a nice way to be able to tell who's on their last legs at a glance.

Make damage sparks colour-coded. Make them spark the same colour as the trail of the element being damaged. As it is, it does seem a bit too confusing.

A reset button. To clear the 'board' of all elements.

Add options. Someone suggested that levels should be transferred in death. (i.e. if a 4 killed a 2, it should become a 7(? 6?)) Though you think it's nicer as it is, it would be nice to be able to tinker with such things. I'd also like to be able to change the duration the trails last. Also, I'd like to try plonking on elements, already at a fairly high level if I want.

Ideally, I'd like to be able to place elements of more colours (bodies) and maybe have it so that certain colours won't attack their own kind. So I really could stage a battle between different coloured bodies.

Maybe allow us the option of controlling multiple elements. Maybe make multiple elements only gravitate towards the mouse.

Maybe even allow us to really control the nitty gritty with a few sliders, allowing us to change the max. speed, acceleration, and all the other variables of individual elements.

So we could have a bunch set up differently, maybe making different patterns, or just playing around.

As a plaything, it'd be nice to have that sort of control. To play with the nature of the toys themselves.

As it is, it's a lovely piece of work. I enjoyed seeing the colours form the patterns, kinda like splashing paint. I found controlling the blue thing rather hard (could only get up to level 2) but enjoyed trying to place elements in a position to raise a big orange one. Only got up to about level9.

It's a good fun plaything and has the ability to spark the imagination.

If you offered us full control over everything though, its potential as a plaything would be fully realised.

[Magnetism Demo v. 0.25]

A nice idea.

(caveat: I got to level 10, then quit.)

The idea seems conceptually sound, but I personally found that whilst it was fairly fun to play with the laws of physics (as it generally is), completing levels seemed to be weighed more in favour of luck and trial and error that I'd like.

Maybe it would be nice to have a faint filled circle centred around the magnets, so we could see their 'force fields' as it were.

Also, it may be nice to have larger end-zones, or maybe an option for larger end-zones.

However, the main complaint remains that I never really felt in control. Passing a level was more of a relief than a triumph. It is obsenely hard to predict the motion of the ball correctly, something that showing the force fields may help with.

Also, the fact that having the ball stick to a user-controlled magnet 'kills' the ball seems a bit arbitrary. It would be nice to be able to have it stick, then turn off the magnet and have it roll off.

Overall, I like the idea but don't feel like continuing the game. Graphics and sound were fairly nice.

[BR III: Gemini]

ending on a supremely high note.

First: Woah! A different ball! Any real reason? Or just for variety?

BGs much nicer than Andromeda. Nice textures with not too much pixellation.

World 1: Nice. I like that you've brought back the power ups from the early games. An easy start for part 2.

Abyss: yeah, really loving all the power ups.

3: Not too impressed with the last 2 levels, as they seem to require a fair amount of trial an error. I liked the others though. I think you handled the lights better than in BR2.

4: Enjoyed. The 'spokes' with 2 stuck together looked a tad sloppy but not too bad.

The beginning: I really liked the idea of going back to basics. Personally, I'd have gone further, maybe after 3 levels of only stationary bars having one or 2 using the theme of most of the other worlds.

The bosses were the best yet. Not too enamoured with the spiky thing, but I loved the transformations, and the rotating lasers, stream of missiles and homing laser were a fun match.

A brilliant game. Definitely the best yet and though it's not yet perfect imo it is really, really awesome.

I congratulate you for wanting to end on such a high note, though maybe in a few years when you want to return to it, your message about this being the end will be but a nuisance. ;-p

[BR III: Andromeda]

Best yet.

Starting this review before finishing, so I don't forget what to say.

1st world - fun to play. Maybe a touch too hard too early imo?

2nd world - nice level design. low quality .jpg (?) is horrible. Maybe you should have made the picture smaller in size and repeated it somehow. Starting to notice how disorientating the sorta reverse parallax is (bg scrolls faster than foreground - opposite to irl.

3rd world - I like the fans. Familiar with a lot of these elements, but you have played about a fair bit. Like level 27 (fan/switch on right, need to head back left). I do think though it would have been nice if we'd have had particles showing which way the wind is blowing. Maybe an option to turn them off, with them being generating by AS if you're worried about lag.

4th - I'm loving the way you have the 1st level of each world be an easy introduction into the 'theme' of that world. Starting to really dislike the fake exits. I just think there's no point in necessiating trial and error.

5th - really love the gravity here. Not so keen on the squids, which can sometimes require a long wait before a level is completable.

Boss - good fun to begin with, but too much repetition imo. Not much fun doing exactly the same thing 10x. Not unless there's some ability to try different tactics for a score or whatever. Having the one 'attack' last for 10 rounds (it seems) is a mistake, I feel.

I've concentrated on the negative aspects as it's them that allow you to improve.

Overall though it was great fun. Maybe have more feedback regarding the score throughout - maybe have a 'par' and a 'personal best' and those would be displayed as you progress so you see just how well (or badly!) you're doing.

Think I've covered all the negatives. I enjoyed it all throughout and though it could have mebbe moved on a bit more from v2, it's definitely the best yet, even disregarding the 2nd half. Presentation is better as are the levels, generally speaking. I love the way the ball returns when you die.

Maybe have it rest on the death point a tiny bit longer though. Like maybe 0.2s longer, just so we're in no doubt as to what killed us.

Awesome work.

[Rumble ball field 1]

Gameplay seems a bit lacking.

I really love the aural rewards associated with getting longer chains. It does provide an extra point of interest and really encouraged me to attempt to link as many yellow balls as I could.

But by the time level 5 came around, I was a bit bored of the basic premise, having heard the little trills enough and not feeling much of a compulsion to expand my score.

When I was thinking about my score, there was some interest in working out how to optimise the bounces, but the level design could have done more to encourage or make use of that and it would have been really nice to have had some more variation. Maybe change the levels a bit more or add more items or obstacles.

I must say though - the presentation is wonderful.

GameBalance responds:

Thanks! I need think up something.

[NG BuddyIcon 1.0]

Nice idea.

Don't have AIM myself so can't use it. But seems a worthwhile thingy.

A few wee niggles:

Why only dark for the levels? In the 'more levels' bit, 'previous page' doesn't work.

Some icons aren't 'nicely' arranged. e.g. on the first page of 'more levels', the top and bottom of the icons in each row don't match up. They should be in a perfect grid.

Why no tank icon? No pico screeny?

Still, seems fairly worthwhile for those wanting such an icon and without an image-editing program I suppose.

[Traffic Control 2]

Presentation could be better. Slows down badly.

It was a simple, fun idea but I felt you didn't realise its full potential. There were a few niggles that could really make the game far superior to its current state.

Firstly, the fact that the game runs slowly in 'high quality' mode. I had played about 3 games, thought it should be faster, went to low quality, and the cars really started zipping along!

You should make the movement based upon how long has passed between frames. (use the getTimer() function). Keep the movement constant. The game is, after all, basically a competition between our speed of thought and the on-screen action.

Having the speed vary so much in slower computers (and mine's no slouch, with 2GB RAM, 2.86GHz CPU) means that comparison of scores is meaningless. For me, after around 120, the slow-down became noticable, even on low quality mode. I got 173 anyway.

secondly, desaturate the environment to make the cars stand out more. I'd make the streeets and ground close to grey. Make the lines in the road white. Keep the cars pretty saturated and then they'll stand out instantly (as will the traffic lights), cutting out some of the unnecessary learning curve and make it more instantly appreciable.

Thirdly, I suggest that instead of showing a counter about the queues, you have the map expanded somewhat. Then, the losing condition could simply be that if the cars reach the edge. Maybe once that happened, that stretch of road could turn amber, then flicker red, then turn red for another second before we lose.

Otherwise, the game was fun.

I'd like an option to turn off the music.

Also, I'd like to be able to click on the text in the menu - not just the traffic light.

It's a quality game.

But there's still a couple of points you could sort out to make it more fun yet.