Bezman's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Zwill(Game) UPDATED!!]

Impressive but could be better designed

This really impressed me - I mean, it's a large environment and - whilst slightly flawed (your method of having platforms stop a descent makes for bouncing at all times and collected items flash up briefly when revisiting a screen) - the engine does seem really well built.

The graphics are really nice, and the sound - whilst annoying after a while - is good too. I'd have rather there was a 'music off' button tho'.

The controls worked well and the front-end was nice enough.

However, I just felt the general design could have been a lot better.

When I started, I didn't realise the collection of cheese and stars was the whole point of the game - I collected them, but concentrated on getting to the end. It was only then that I realised I'd basically have to go through the game again, this time making sure to collect each item. If I'd known from the start, that would have saved a fair bit of frustration.

Also annoying is the falling, general re-treading of paths already trod and the fact that I fell a couple of times into the first screen, wherupon the checkpoints seemed to be reset and I started again from the mouse hole.

The level design seems nice enough (definitely as good as Asterix on the SNES anyway) but there's nothing that seems genuinely inventive, no surprises but a couple of sections that seem slightly flawed in their design. (Much like the aforementioned Snes game.)

Still, I'm comparing you to a professionally-made game and so I hope you take that as the compliment it is.

I just felt that this wasn't nearly as enjoyable as it could have been had even more thought been put into the design.

[Who Wants To Be A NG Fan?]

Pretty fun, but feels a bit pointless...

If you re-made this with random questions (from a response below, I understand you now know how) it would be so much better.

Just now, if you lose, the fact that you can get up to the same point simply by using your short-term memory does make the whole thing really lack re-play value and seem like a case of memorising some facts, rather than a test of knowledge.

Also, you should structure it with 'cheat detection' frames between questions that send you to the start if you try to right-click play.

A re-make of this could well be one of the best things ever.

As it stands, it's boring to repeat questions if you lose and there's no point in playing again if you win.

If you were feeling really ambitious, a cool feature might be to have the whole game re-play, in an attempt to win a 2nd million, then a 3rd and so on. If you pooled loads of NGusers for questions, I'm sure you could get hundreds of good questions, and you'd be able to have a high score table.

[Windows XP Version 19.914]

Maybe the best Windows sim I've seen.

The way you opened real-life internet windows (specially the number you opened for personal hygiene) was rather irritating.

However, for the most part, this was an enjoyable and amusing game to play.

Some of the attention to detail really impressed me, specially the way the windows showed up on the taskbar and the way you could click on pretty much anything you'd be able to in real windows (the clock being the only exception).

There are a few jokes you could have done that you missed out, like having windows pop up, or having crappy downloads.

However, there were a fair few that I wasn't expecting and the game actually made me chuckle!

Top stuff, although it could still undergo some improvement.

[indiana jones]

An enjoyable little thing

Well, that seemed fairly well made and enjoyable to play through.

The graphics and sound were quality. However, I felt the gameplay was less than perfect.

I wasn't too impressed with the warps later on - specially the level made up entirely of warps. It just seemed more annoying and down to trial and improvement than any game has a right to be.

Also, the Indiana Jones reference, whilst I suppose it might have influenced some to play, did seem utterly needless and showed itself to be a mere gimmick by the end.

The picture of getting a key, gotten from the Zelda picture, seemed a bit tacky.

However, the coding seemed solid enough and as I said to begin with, it was a somewhat enjoyable play.

Maybe had you used more imagination and thought a bit more about the level design this might have been a true classic rather than 'just' another good game.

[Where's Waldo 2]

Good for a quick laugh. :)

After playing your first effort and reading the description to this, I was expecting 9 picture scanned in from the book.

Instead, I saw 9 you had created - with some genuinely amusing positions I must add.

Great work!

By no means the best laugh I've had of late, but somewhat funny while it lasts. :)

[Where's Waldo]

An enjoyable diversion for a few seconds.

However, I'll have to knock off a point because you simply scanned in a picture from a book.

Also, having to zoom in seems like a bit of a problem, and having an arrow appear when you hover over him really isn't the best idea.

Still, fun for a few seconds.

Stay funky,
Bez

PimpMasterKDOG responds:

No, I didn't simply scan a picture from a book. I d'loed somebody else's scan and added a pretty arrow. >:(

-->KDOG

[Target Practice v.1.0]

Some serious flaws

- sometimes, you can shoot the target, blow the head off, but still lose. This seems to happen when you shoot at around the last possible moment and is incredibly annoying. You should get all the time it takes for the target to disappear before you lose.

- the fact that the targets always appear in the same place makes this as much a memory test as a reaction test.

- you could easily sort out the possibility of folk cheating using some different goto commands.

- having said all that, it's obvious you put a fair bit of work into this, and it does look rather nice.

So good job. But just keep at it and I'm sure you'll improve.

Stay funky,
Bez

[Clock Invaders *game*]

A flawed space invaders clone.

Seriously, I was expecting something a bit more original than just another clone...

- You shouldn't be shooting clocks in a clock game.

- The enemies should shoot back. It's far too easy as it is.

- There should be a screen explaining the controls. Or at least tell us them in your author's comments.

- After defeating all the enemies, something should happen. Maybe just a congratulatory screen. Maybe start the level again with some numbers changed, to make it a bit harder. Maybe have multiple levels with more imaginative differences.

[I Was Board Slide Show]

I don't like slideshows.

Well, not ones like this anyway.

Some of the pictures made me smile a bit, but none of them were that great imo.

The music was annoying.

The thing around the cursor was really nice though.