Seawana's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Katamari Flash]

Not worth it's front page slot.

I have never seen nor heard of "Katamari Damacy", so this game makes very little sense to me. Furthermore, it is not very polished or fun, so I have no idea why it currently has a score over 3.5. If name recognition does that for a submission, I'll call my next submission "HALO 2" no mater what it actually is.

I can make an educated guess as to why this game has made it to the front page. Politics. Specifically the politics of page hits. If there are a lot of people who enjoy "Katamari Damacy", then this game will gain page hits for Newgrounds. Outside of that, I see very little of redeeming value in this submission.

Honestly, I played this game the other day when it first hit the portal and I figured it would get blammed. Then when I saw it on the front page I thought it must have be re-submitted with some major enhancements. Alas, it's the same exact boring game.

Now, don't get me wrong, this has potential, but it is NOT front page material yet, IMHO.

Foreverkul responds:

I figured it would get blammed
It had and even HIGHER score before the front page, I found this comment to be quite entertaining :)
You really need to look up Katamari Damacy too. Plus I dont decide if my stuff recieves front page.

[Sudoku!]

Very well done, though a bit lacking.

Nice work on this project!

I (also) recently discovered Sudoku. I've been playing a flash version of it on another website for a few weeks now and really enjoy it. You interpretation is nicely done, although there is definitely room for improvement.

Suko, I am unfamiliar with. I like it, but I prefer Sudoku for the challenge.

I noticed a few odd bugs in my travels. Note that I am using FlashPlayer 7 because 8 apparently does NOT want to work in Firefox 1.06. Sigh. Any how, the timer seems to count by thousands, thus making getting on the high score list nigh-impossible.

Also, I found that once a puzzle was completed, when you play again, it start with the empty completed puzzle and you have to click "new" to play a new one. That may not be a bug, but it was a bit odd.

Overall, this is quite well done. I don't see any real need to add sound effects. It's a brain puzzle, so sounds are not really needed (the other version I play I turn the sounds off anyhow). I would like to see a way to temporarily mark a space to help solve the spaces. Perhaps a "pencil" option or something like that. Otherwise it ends up requiring a lot of memorization.

Zen1th responds:

Hi there.

Soku is my own implementation of sudoku for the beginners who think sudoku is a bit hard. It's fun for fast gaming it's way easier to fill. Unlike the word Sudoku the word Soku does really exist in Japanese meaning speed, so there you go ;).

The timer counting in thousands is the idea. If you look at the highscore list you'll find a lot of scores above a million meaning that's more then 1.000.000/1000 = 1.000 seconds = over 15 minutes. So it really is possible to get in the highscore list. If I can do it, why wouldn't you be able to ;).

The "new" thing you pointed out seems like a little bug. Doesn't seem nice but it won't affect the game since you can just hit "new" to regenerate the puzzle.

I thank you for your time and for writing me a usefull review.

[How to Draw The Simpsons]

Meh.

There's really nothing new or exciting here. You took some pictures of Simpson's characters and traced them in steps and named each step. Exactly how is that a tutorial on how to draw them? To my knowledge, drawing such characters is a more complicated process than just "add eyes", "add nose", "add this", "add that" ... especially if you want to be able to draw them in more than one pose.

Also, it sounds really stupid to write, "Ignor the Spelling Mastakes, if there are any!" in your comments. I really hope it was tongue in cheek becasue it itself is full of spelling mistakes. You wrote a tutorial that is full of spelling errors? That's like writing a music tutorial whcih is full of incorrect notes. You should really either do it right, or don't bother submitting it until it is fixed. Spell check comes standard in tons of software, so you have no excuse to be this grammatically lazy and still expect high scores. You sure won't get a high score fom me.

Aprime responds:

1, i didnt trace them, so i must be so good that even a 32 year old thort i traced it!

2, Its a how to draw, not a how to spell!

3, Whats that I see, it says on the last line fom insted of from!

[Via Sol <RTS Sim Game>]

Nice, but needs some tweaking.

This is a very cool game. It is pretty simple when it comes to an RTS, but it has good gameplay and is a solid foundation for more. The graphics are okay, the sounds are good, and the game isn't too long. Overall it's really well done.

Things I would like to see:

1. Add a skip button to the starting sequence. After the first time through it gets painful to wait through. (Yes, I'm impatient)

2. Put more inclusive instuctions in the game itself. I didn't bother to read the "Author's Notes" the first few times I played and had no idea I could scroll around the playfield. I know, I know. There is a link to more complete instructions on a website. Still, This is info it would make sense to include within the game itself (a failsafe in case your site goes down). Besides, I'm sure you can fit "Use arrow keys to scroll." in the game somewhere.

2.1. As an aside, since I didn't realize I could scroll around, I built lots of buildings on top of one another because I was out of real estate. That really doesn't make sense and probably shouldn't be allowed.

3. Change the goal of the game. It is NOT a 5 minute game. Even if the timer did count down the seconds (which it doesn't, unless minutes suddenly have 99 seconds in them), the game can lag and the timer no longer counts by seconds. Change "minutes" to some new term like "Sols" or something so that it is technically accurate.

4. It would be nice to have some idea of how much material, food, and energy new construction will use up or produce BEFORE you build it. Perhaps the buttons to build new items could be ghosted or otherwise inaccessible when you don't have the right amount of resources to build the item.

5. A little more animation for the buildings would be great. For instance, the ranch looks neat, but it looks "dead" because nothing is going on in it. Same for the quary. Maybe add some little dots (people) or machinery moving around to give it some action. If the player powers down the building, the animation could stop.

6. Finally, (and this is a biggie) it would be great to have a few more building options. I know how hard it is to build a good RTS where everything is balanced, because I've done it. I see you took a simpler approach by only adding a 5 distinct building types. The addition of one or two more building types would really add a lot to this game. Or how about different terrain types so that some buildings would work better in certain areas?

Anyhow, I really enjoyed this game. I found the little things noted above somewhat annoying, but overall, this is solid work. Nicely done.

Flyborg responds:

Notes I've made to date:
>Add prices.
>Return to menu skipping scene except when the game's first started.
>Add "use arrow keys to scroll" at the start of the game.

Stuff I can't really do:
>I can't add more buildings. Every building exists "inside" the one before, and every building also has its own code which slows the game down even more. It's the same reason I only animated the construction yard.
>I know that time slows down, so its less accurate on slow computers, but still, it's just that; time slows down. It IS 5 minutes - it's just a very slow 5 minutes. :p (It's like slow computers get "bonus" time, but not really)
>Instructions... Hmmm. I know they're confusing. I didn't want to just sum up the main points in the brief instructions, as I know many people will ignore the game guide, so I stuck in some other stuff, and now it's confusing. :/

[Hell Noodle]

Great start!

Wow! This is a really great start for a more complete game. I only just beat it with my last life.

The graphics are fairly lacking, albiet in a funny way. The style is interesting, but I only think the game has this graphic style because you are not an accomplished artist (I'm guessing this because I am in the same boat and can't draw well either).

The gameplay is good, but needs a little work. I found it annoying that I move at the same speed as the enemies. That meant if I was standing on a box or something it was very hard to avoid bullets they fired upwards at me. The jumping movement seemed a little odd, and it would make sense if crouching slowed the players movement down.

I also noticed that when I change directions, my gun continues to aim in the direction I was walking. It may not be a bug, but that was annoying for a while.

The mini-bosses are good, and not too tough. The last boss way VERY hard and almost immediately killed me about 5 times ... until I found a place to stand that he couldn't hit me and thus didn't pose any threat. Then suddenly he was laughably easy. He should probably be a little easier, without leaving the player such a "safe" location.

I also expected more levels because at the beginning it says "Mission 1". I suppose more missions might be coming in later updates (?).

Overall, this is a great game. I hope to see more of your work in the future.

FrostedMuffins responds:

WOW!!! I am so glad to get such a complete review! Thank you very much. My skills with drawing are pretty bad, so yeah. Thank you for pointing out to me that the speed of the enamies was annoying! I will fix that right away. As for the gun direction, it bugs the hell outta me, but I can't find out why it does that. I've checked my coding and it seems like it shouldn't be happening. As for the crouching, I tryed that, and then for some reason, when you jumped, it got screwed up. I'm still a begginer w/ scripting, but I'm sure I'll get better. Thank you sooooooo much, this is the best review I've recieved :)

[Noodle Squad 2]

Intersting.

An intersting game idea.

Oh, and I found a bug. Any noodles you kill will be invulnerable on the next "level".

sejumaw responds:

Yea.. that happens after playing once. Exit and open it again to fix that problem. I'm trying to find out why its doing that.

[Operation Red Broom]

Could be good, but many problems hinder this game.

Well, I tried really hard to play this game and enjoy it, but I just can't. It's just too "glitchy" to be any fun.

Here are the problems I found:

1. The controls are in very odd places. Either put them all next to each other or allow the player to define his own keys. What is up with choosing /, n, \, and shift instead of a more reasonable keyset like q, w, e, r or z, x, c, v? It's a very annoying selection.

2. The gameplay is lousy. The enemy fires at you while still offscreen. The player movement is incredibly stilted and sluggish. The player MUST crouch to shoot straight (?). Jumping over sandbags doesn't work well. There is no way to avoid enemy fire. If you get shot, you "jump up" from a kneeling or prone position. Bonuses float on screen forever. Crap graphics all over the foreground hide everything else (including the info screen and gun shop fer cryin' out loud).

3. The design sucks. ... How much ammo do I have? Am I healthy? Do I have any money or armor? The only way to find out is to drop everything I'm doing and point the mouse at a the top of the screen to get the info screen to show up. That's not good design. Add a HUD so people know what's going on without performing special tasks.

4. This is the most important problem. The game is not fun. Due to the issues above, the replayability is close to zilch.

I'm sure you are very proud of this game because you built it. I'm also sure you think everything is working correctly because you have played the game so many times that you understand what is happening and exactly how to win. However, there appear to be many problems and the game's rank will suffer until they are fixed.

Finally, before you tell me that I am wrong about all the points I have made, consider this. Just because you don't find problems with the game doesn't mean everyone else is wrong when they DO find problems. Think about the remarks people make in their reviews and you will create games that will go far. Until then, be prepared for a lot of negative reviews.

Anyhow, I know this all sounds harsh, but I am honestly trying to be helpful. I hope you continue to develop this game. It could be great.

Russian-dogg responds:

1. The movement keys are pretty close to each other, I guess most people don't fit my idea.
2. I designed the engine that way, or else you will see enemies popping up in thin air, that won't look realistic.
In real-life you probably can't shot straight when you're running or standing. You shouldn't have any problems with the bonuses, you have to crouch down to get them.
3. I designed it that way to reduce lag. If you put too many graphics at once, the game will slow down.
4. I'm a realistic type of person, considering that most people submit crap compared to mine. I worked close to a year on this game, and people just don't like realism, I consider realism to be fun. I was planning to add an expansion with more weapons, but I guess I have to redesign it...

[Invasion 3]

Much better, but still rather disappointing.

There's a lot to be said for persistance! Frankly, version 1.0 of this game stunk. Version 2 was an improvement. This version is much better. The visuals and sound effects are far superior to the previous versions. The bulk buy and easier troop deployment are also welcome additions.

That said, there are a few things I would definitely change if this were my project.

1. It's way too easy. If you just buy all archers all the time, you pretty much can't lose. It's basically the same thing for the infantry or any other weapon (once you can afford them).

2. The different weapons aren't really all that different. The infantry, cavalry, saboteurs, and cannon may fight differently, but one arrow kills any of them. The advantages of the $1000 cannon over the $50 infantry is slight when they die so easily. By the time you can afford an amount of cannon to be worth much, the arrows take out so many they are a huge waste of money.

3. The upgrades to the barracks, etc are nice, but how am I supposed to know what I have upgraded and by how much? Some kind of display of how much upgrading I have done and what that does for me would be a good addition. After a while I just upgrade by ridiculous amounts to make sure I am "on track" with the castle defenses (which I always far outpower anyhow. See #1 above.)

4. The quality button is good to have handy since you have hidden the right click menu options. However, forcing the user to re-click it every time a new battle begins gets old. Why not save that quality setting for the battle sequences and do it automatically?

5. What's the point of surrendering? If you got to regroup and buy more troops to attack again it might make more sense.

6. I really liked the intel on the castle in the last version. I wish you had expanded on that in this version rather than dropping it completely. Imagine if each castle had different weak points for which a paticular type of troop would be best. That would be sweet.

I know this all might sound rather harsh, but these are honestly my gripes with the game. It's a big improvement from the last version, but the gameplay just is not balanced enough, IMHO. I hope you will spend some more time making this good game into a great one.

VENGEANCE-GGG responds:

1.) Ever tried balancing out an RTS? It takes several minutes just to export the game, and it can take about seven tries just to get something right.

2.) The problem is, it's almost impossible to think of a new type of unit that's different in more than one way.

3.) Why would anybody care how many times they have upgraded? I could add it in a couple of seconds if it was really that important, but how would you know how much any number of improvements would modify your damage?

4.) I do save the quality setting. Ever tried going into options instead?

5.) Well, I had to have some way of leaving the fight.

6.) If I kept the intel, then there'd be no room in the interface for an upgrades bulk buy. It never seved much use, since it's very easy to figure out what changes occur on each new level.

[Super Path game v1]

Well made, but rather dull.

I've seen a lot of follow the paths games. You have done a great job making a simple and yet fairly addictive version that is still pretty fun.

Now, I only got to world 3-1 so I may not have made it to the "cool" stuff. I would liked to have seen something more than just a linear path that you must follow. A path with alternate routs for instance, or moving portions of the path, or enemies, or bonuses to pick up, or something a little more exciting than just ... a plain path.

I do really like the concept of having worlds that you must complete to have a "save location". Also, I like knowing when I need to clean my mouse ... like right now.

Overall, a pretty good game.

VivaKraken responds:

yes the levels get more interesting once you got to level 5

[Extreme Mini Golf]

Nice work.

This game certainly lacks the professional polish of some, but it's still solid work.

I would like to have seen a running stroke tally as I played the game rather than just at the end. I do, however, like the grade at the end. I got a "c". :-(

Also, (other than on the "ice" surface) I think the ball ought to slow down much faster than it currently does.

The graphics are not great, but they get the point across. Spend some more time on the graphics and you'll have made a huge diference in the overall quality.

XSDSX responds:

I've done an update on the graphics. They should be better than what they were before.