Bezman's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Ambridge Mansion-Day2]

the 2nd one

I almost feel like a dick for reviewing this after not spending the requisite time to see it through. I just came back though, and as you've got 3 reviews, I thought I'd give you my thoughts.

What I did: I started the game, looking round all the rooms. Tried clicking on everything, no response... after a few rooms, I got really frustrated and started using the 'tab' key to work out what was clickable.

Carried on, room to room, kinda getting lost... eventually, just as I was thinking of closing it, I found the book that sent me to the 'real' game. I collected maybe 5 items, then was killed after clicking on a spooky-looking thing.

Closed window. Restarted. This time, was killed in the lab/greenhouse.

Decided I probably wouldn't play it again.

++++ The effect with the monsters shifting in/out of the shadows is fairly effective.

+++ Slightly disturbing sfx.

-- There's a few doors that I just wouldn't have seen had I not used the tab.

------ I just hate the way that I died that 2nd time. I feel that there was nothing to suggest I shouldn't have done that - the whole game seems to be based around clicking around to pick things up. So to kill us after opening one door seems unfair. It's something I couldn't have really known before the fact. I had no clues to suggest I shouldn't have opened that cupboard door. So it just seems like an annoying random killing, which we only get past by prior knowledge.

---- Text at start is a terrible colour. Dark red on a dark background? It needs more contrast!

+++ Some cool design of monsters.

==
It seems like a lot of work's gone into this. I love the noises and could have maybe gotten lost in the atmosphere. But the lack of interaction at the start and the randomness of the deaths (particularly the 2nd one) just made me feel that the game wasn't really trying to let me have fun.

I felt as if it was boiling down to too much play-by-rote and trial-and-error.

jimgray responds:

Why did you have to close the window to restart? The game should take you to a continue screen and you restart with no penalties. As for the picking things up and dying thing that's part of the genre. You're supposed to beat the game by clicking on things and trial-and-error. However, I know a lot of people don't like the genre, unfortunately.

[Newgrounds Quiz!]

it seems pretty

+++ Nice tune

++ kinda cool comments after each q.

++ appropriate pics.

-------- Some answers are wrong. I honestly think it's basically the responsibility of anyone making a quiz to pick questions that have answers that won't change - or at least not for a long while.

Asking who made Tankmen or who Tom's bro is is good in this regard. Asking about stats, which fluctuate, positions... bad.

---- Incorrect info after the question regarding Pimp, you say that he has the highest allowed amount. In fact, experience points can get infinitely high.

-- Could be prettier.

--- I'd have much preferred it had you kept track of how many I got right first time for me.

==
Nice idea, but it seems pretty pointless now that answers have changed.

Billy-Bean responds:

Yes.. I agree completely with you, this quiz was a bad idea. If I could I would remove it from Newgrounds, but I don't have the option to. And I can't update the questions anymore, considering I had my computer reformatted and lost all of my work. I guess we'll just have to live with it.

[Crazy Squash]

around half-way through

Started game. Got stuck. Read your comments. Started again, pressed space, carried on, a bit after the reversal power-up was introduced, I started getting bored but slogged on through. Finished.

+++ Kinda cool ball movement.

---- Suffers from that age-old annoyance of not feeling fully able to guide the ball when a few blocks are left. When the 'r' came along, it made a massive difference - I felt I was actually in control enough to guide the ball in through the slots (which seem a bit too small normally).

--- Not enough variation between levels to really sustain enjoyment.

-- No bgm/sfx.

++ Cool secret.

+++ Nice clean gfx.

==
Seems kinda cool, but I started to get bored around half-way through.

Maybe moving blocks, moving obstacles and more power-ups could be introduced?

Maybe enemy balls, which fire at the right and we must avoid?

Maybe allow us to influence the ball in some other way constantly?

trig1 responds:

you have a lot of good ideas... im now thinking about making a sequel to it now. i think the reason why it hasent got very good reviews or score is because i submitted it before it was properly finished (no idea why i did that).

[Spot the Difference:Girl]

motivated to get

+++ Cool intro. Visually impressive and dynamic looking.

+++ Fonts, colours, design of timer... all nice.

-- I don't like the method we use to spot differences. On a couple of occassions, the difference lay on a line/corner (the spot near the centre of the bra and the removed pants of the centre girl in the line-up) and I wasn't sure which would be correct, even though I could clearly see the difference.

-- Circle looks kinda ugly and isn't relative to difference at all.

---- jpg of girl lying down with rose petals is really bad quality.

-- no bgm. Something soft would be lovely.

++++ Lovely photos of beatiful women. Great lighting and poses.

++++ lots of differences. 10 for each pic, is it? I really like how they all come up randomly.

==
Enjoyed it, though I don't feel motivated to get the full version.

stu-vaz responds:

Thanks for taking the time for such an in depth review.

I'm glad you like the intro, it's gone through many revision to get to this point!

Unfortunately the differences are the way they are so that the game works well on mobile devices (phone + PSP) In the future it would be nice to make a version for the PC that doesn't have the same restrictions.

The game is actually scaled up to be easier to play in the browser, unfortunately this stretches the images. When played on the devices the photos all look very nice indeed :)

Good idea about music, we'll look into that.

It's actually 15 differences on each pic, and yes they're completely random. So much so that even though I "painstakingly" created each of the differences I am still able to enjoy the game as even I don't know what's coming up next!

Remember the game is only a few pounds, and in return you get a unique game with many hours of enjoyment. Well worth the investment!

Stu

[Newground Quiz]

ions, but ove

+++ Cool tune.

+++ Some cool questions. I liked the one about the first daily feature and Tom's height (though the latter was too early).

--- Time-specific questions are annoying. The one that asked what was #1 when you made this. How should we know? It's of no lasting importance, even if you consider NG 'important'.
Also, I disliked the Yuyu/Littlefoot one as sometimes the correct answer changes (and I doubt it'll change in the quiz).

----- I really dislike quizzes that send us back after a mistake. Seriously. Learn variables. Keep track of our score and display throughout. Type 'correct/wrong' after each question depending on our answer. Maybe give a comment. Then we can mebbe run through it 2 or 3 times if we so desire to get it all right.

--- The checkpoint idea wasn't too obvious. You should maybe have had a message pop up, saying 'incorrect answer - sending you back to the previous checkpoint' or whatever. And have a checkpoint icon maybe pop up when we passed the checkpoint question.

-- poor design. The various fonts don't really sit comfortably together. Buttons are an ugly flat colour when beside those bgs. Doesn't go. Kinda too garish.

+++ I liked all the different bgs you had. How did you make them?

==
Some good questions, but overall sub-par. You could make a good quiz with a bit more effort.

HomerDough responds:

Great review. Thanks a lot I'll fix that

[Cursor]

re are mu

Played through from start to finish. I died a few times on the invisible level (finally right-clicking to make my outline appear), died a few times on the level with spinny blades (and started cheating through the levels I'd already done), died once during the AI levels and died once on the final level (rushed in).

+++ Cool music.

--- Poor gfx. You don't necessarilly need to make them more complex, but at least clean them up, eliminating bumpy edges and coners.

--- Disappointment from lack of 'very original' obstacles. Although few mousegames have AI, even that has been in a fair few versions.

----- the 'invisible' level just felt unfair. You could have mebbe increased the size of the exit to fill the whole end. I had enough trouble with a wacom and can't imagine many managing with a mouse.

--- Lack of warning on spinny blade level seems unfair. What I did on an unreleased mouse game is sorta dim each level until you click in the right spot to start. This can be done easily with a big semi-transparent button (and maybe a little button to activate goto).

---- old-hat concept.

++++ Varied obstacles. Text, though easy compared to the previous level, was fairly cool. Rotating things cool...

+++ No stupidly thin gaps. Instead, you provided challenge by more interesting means.

==
Entertained me, though there are much better examples of the genre around.

With some rethinking, I'm sure your skills will continue to improve though.

Keep improving!

Numenos responds:

i see you got a little frustrated with the invisible mouse, well theres a little hint...

of course, not all of the mouse is sensitive, you can drag the tail of the mouse along the wall without dying and still see where you are

thankyou for your review, i know there are some problems, but rest assured i will completely redo them.

[Music 101 (Treble)]

with a tiny

--- Slow speech. Sounds as if you needed a rehearsal or maybe another take.

+++ I like how here you're forcing us to sorta play the notes.

--- The keys don't really approximate a piano or any other instrument. I mean, we're practically just learning to click in a certain position - not even really learning the letters (which mebbe you can't do anything about...)

It'd be better if you had us play them on an piano graphic. Or maybe instead of the mouse, use the keyboard (maybe middle row, each button represents one key).

---- Last level is terribly glitchy. After pressing each button, it jumps forward a tiny bit (different each time, so impossible to compensate for).

--- Window within which to play a key is too short.

==
Again, I like your aims but not your execution. This one though, with a tiny bit of work, could have been much, much more solid. And also fun.

ShrimpFryRlCE responds:

i totally agree on ur suggestions, bad timing and rythmetic on my part, i am the last chair of my percussion class XD congratz on your release of four second firestorm by the way

[Chinese 101 (canton)]

I was coming

++++ Love the aim of teaching folk.

--- Simply translating phrases ain't the way to do it.

Check a formatted language tape, like Pimsleur's series. (Check torrentspy if you want.) In there, stuff is explained, we're encouraged to repeat (which we can do here of course) but then... we're later prompted to recall words or phrases. We're prompted o work out new combinations. Actually forcing us to remember facts is the only way to help us ensure we do.

--- There are only 5 things here I'd want to know.

++ Cool kanji at the start.

-- ugly in-game gfx.

==
I was coming to learn, but left disappointed.

It's certainly possible to make learning more fun with a game, but it requires more thought than this if we're gonna learn anything much.

Still, having the sounds on a soundboard has potential...

ShrimpFryRlCE responds:

Thx again for reviewing my educational films XD congrats on fire storm collab by the way

[NG Review Game #1]

eat stuff

Started. Got them all correct. On the 2nd last flash, I decided to test some other options out. Messed around with it. Finished.

++++ Love the idea. It's a good way to try and teach folk. The format and the mechanics are all great.

++++ Great edit of the NG bg. Specially like the details - tankmen13.5. heh.

+++ Great presentation generally (in the NG bit anyway).

-- I'm not entirely sure I agree with your examples. Mainly because some of the things were so innappropriate to the subject matter. Telling someone to add bg/bgm to that lousy thing would be bad advice. Better advice may be to advise them to actually think about maybe having a story/joke/something of entertainment value. And generally have characters that look more like living things.
And the last one - 'some of the effects need work'? C'mon. 'some'? How about, 'Kinda funny message but the graphics need more work.'

-- Having [bla bla] is kinda lame. I think you should've had an example of a good but short review actually written out.

--- The tunes were way too long. Whilst writing this review, I listened to all the tune for after we get one correct and thought, 'no-one'd normally hear all that'. Same with the cheese tune. Pointless waste of file space. Set it to stream mebbe, with a few frames for it to play on, and it'll cut out afterwards itself and not compile the rest of the tune.

--- I don't think you should have the whistler for the positive but stupid reviews. Some of those would never be whistled. Instead, maybe suggest we add some crit. to make the flasher learn or whatever.

--- don't make your site open in the same window. Set target to '_blank' and it'll open in a new one.

- The drawn gfx - mainly the big happy face - could use a bit of work. Maybe cleaning up and also some shading.

==
Great stuff.

I'd love to see this redone with a few changes. It could be yet more enjoyable and effective than it is just now.

You mention below that you're looking to make a fuller version. If you need any help or if you'd like any feedback or anything before submission, let me know.

Stay funky and keep up the great work!

Looking forward to seeing this taken to the next level.

Little-Renastair responds:

Yeah, I think I'll change the way the reviews go next time.
And for the flashs, I have some people who are ready to help to compensate for my lack of drawing skills.

For the website, I thought it did open in a new window but nevermind.

I'll remember to set it stream next time.

Thanks for the review.

[Dot Dodger]

it to some

Played. Lost a fair few times around 6, then 7. Got bored and killed myself. Started again and won with maybe 5 lives lost.

+++ Intuitive primary goals.

+++ Well explained main rules governing speed and win/lose criteria.

--- But I had no clue how score was calculated.

++ Going up/down based on performance is an interesting idea.

--- However, it can result in 'stalemates'. Maybe have finite lives?

---- Success can seem too dependent upon the RNG. Maybe have more factores determine the layout. Actualy keep track of the total size maybe... ensure it doesn't go above a certain amount... you could keep a certain # coming from each direction, maybe ensure they're a certain distance apart... basically make it so that we don't ever feel a victim of the RNG.

+++ I like how they pulse - means we can get through if we time it right.

- Offers little new.

==
Enjoyed it to some extent. I like the simplicity here. Maybe with some cleaning up, maybe different bgs for different speeds... a few tweaks... this could totally rock.

Stay funky,
- Bez

SushiMan0001 responds:

Thanks for the awesome review. I'll be trying some of your suggestions out.
(The score is how long you stayed alive. It just seemed kind'a pointless to have no scoring system at all, granted, the current one could use some work.)