sqykly's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Stabika ep.2: Carnage]

Very good game

My only complaint at all is that I want it to be longer. I guess that's a merit, in some way. Also, the action & animation were smooth & varied; I could tell you put a lot of effort into the wide variety of ways this guy can move. It never felt like I was always hitting a button to jump or punch someone, it's always something cool & different. Felt like watching a kung fu movie or something.

I think some new mechanics would add some depth to the game. For instance, you could do some really cool stuff with a life bar. It seems like messing up on most of the stuff the character does would be invariably fatal, but in some cases, it would be nice to have some breathing room, or even have varying degrees of success. For instance, maybe you're fighting someone, and the struggle bar comes up, but you only get 3/4 of the way through it. Instead of having to start over, you could just lose some life.

Bonuses, like an adrenaline shot that slowed time even more before an action, would make things interesting and could be rewarded for precise timing or something. Alternate paths through the level would be pretty cool, too.

I'm not complaining about the way it is right now, though; if the next one plays just like this one, I'll be more than happy.

TheMillz responds:

Hey man, that's kool. If your looking for more of adventure mode, you can check out episode 1: Escape. It's alot more simple in some respects, but it's always something to play if you want more fluid action like in this one. The multiple paths thought came up, but it would require alot of work. After all, adventure mode is basicly an interactive movie. I like the bonus adrenaline shot idea. Definetly something to consider for a sequel. Thanks for reviwing. Stay tuned to Stabika, because the third one will take the story in a wild new place. ;)

[Swords & Sandals Crusader]

Mixed feelings - don't give up

You know, I ought to give you a lower score just because this could have been really, really good. There are some really excellent ideas and concepts here, and it has all the makings of a great game. It has elements of classics like Risk, plus the beginnings of a simple and fun tactical system with some RPG in the mix. Even some neat little details, like birds flying between the trees make this stand out.

But the game falls so short, I don't know if I can give you credit for the scope of the project. Did you beta test this? There are so many glitches with the summons and the little battle status window, like getting the collossus's HP wrong all the time. And a lot of stuff just isn't very well thought through, too, like the morale system. It's a good idea, and integral to the battle strategy, but as far as I can tell, there are only two ways to improve your troops' morale: killing a collossus or using the leadership skill. Since collossi are rare, you're pretty much doomed without that spell. The balance is way off, with ranged troops and summons doing so much damage that melee troops can become pretty trivial. The lag isn't as irritating as the fact that the blur effects that are causing it can't be turned off. Finally... twenty bucks!?! Twenty fucking dollars?!? I don't know how that's going for you, but my guess is that the game is not going to attract that kind of money unless ALL of its issues are resolved and it becomes the game it was meant to be.

So don't give up (except maybe on the $20 part). My recommendation is that you get rid of the sales pitch and hold an open beta with all of the skills unlocked (I bet the rest have issues, too) and a limited version of the conquer-the-world mode playable with just the same leaders featured, plus anything else that you want to show off. Beta needs replay value to ensure reporting, and it wouldn't hurt if reporting testers got a free copy of the final version, either. You need this because you need people to tell you all the little specific things that are wrong, and someone playing this version of the game on NG is not going to remember every one of the many bugs he encountered, and probably isn't going to come back for more if he gets to level five and sees the mission objectives include "get out your credit card". Hope this helps, and I really hope you keep working on this project.

[Frag Assault]

Critics are a bunch of daffodils.

Yes, the inability to carry more than a single clip in a single gun was annoying. But don't listen to those losers whining about the difficulty. If you don't like using the sword, freakin AIM! Don't get another gun until you can't finish the next wave with your remaining ammo! If you can kill multiple enemies with a grenade, DO IT! Don't waste any ammo on those spider things! KILL THOSE GODDAMN FLAMETHROWER GUYS FIRST, and when you do, DON'T just mash on the trigger! Stay calm and fire 1 or 2 shots at a time, or you'll miss, run out of ammo, and get fried. I figured this stuff out in two minutes, and I get to around wave 30 every time, which I think is not too bad.

Over all, a very good game once you adapt to its quirks. It's like a lunch break sized Crimsonland. Then again, Crimsonland is lunch break sized, so this is probably cigarette break sized. Don't change the difficulty, and don't change the blood! That has so much more style than a life bar. And really, shouldn't things get harder after you've got 3rd degree burns and a tank shell stuck in your leg?

My only real gripe is that I can't figure out what those numbers mean at the end. The ones like "You've killed 728 tons of radio shack equipment" or something. I don't get it. But whatever. Good game.

ZT responds:

Heheh, kinda like a mini strategy guide in this review. The numbers at the end are part of a super duper secret code. Thanks for playin, man, I'm supa glad you liked it :)

[zombie hord3!!!]

hell. yes.

You've taken the best GTA games (the first two, of course) and Crimsonland (which rules for blowing off steam), blended until smooth, and garnished with Resident Evil. Fantastic. If you're gonna do another, I humbly suggest that you add some character building besides equipment upgrades - like choosing to improve your headshot ratio (I know, no headshots in this one, but you know what I mean) versus being able to dash like a maniac, aong other options. I think that would be cool, but I can imagine that some others would find it obtrusive, or something. Finally, I suggest you let me do your music =).

Seriously, bravo. I haven't seen a flash game with this kind of ambition in a long long time.

painisenjoyment responds:

email me. we'll talk about possible collaborations. :D

[Mutants II]

Great, but runs slow

This game was awesome; it felt much like zelda with guns or something. Enemies, bosses, etc. were very well put together and, for the most part, didn't use the exact same strategy to kill you. The only problem I saw was that the game often slowed to a crawl, and to a stop when I got to the monster that turned invisible periodically, causing the browser to freeze. Maybe that's just my laptop though. Overall, very good game.

[Mobile Weapon Episode 1]

Very cool!

This game is great! I liked MW:Zero, and this made a lot of improvements in graphics and battles. I like the ideas behind the battle system a lot. There are a few things I would consider revising, though: It's very possible to waste an attack on an enemy that's about to die if you're not careful; the ranged weapons need to be more powerful, because as is, their power doesn't make up for their slow speed; it took me FOREVER to get the third screw-looking thing, maybe a fluke, but still irritating when I had maybe 15 gears.

Anyway, great game, very nice looking and innovative. I'm looking forward to the next episode!

[The Elder Scrolls: K.C.]

Awful

That was a complete waste of my time. Mysterious stat changes, the same two monsters ad nauseum, NO new spells to learn, NO new items to find, a tiny square island with nothing interesting at all to explore, thirty three identical effing caves?!? Heroin is a more productive activity.