MalTheDestroyer's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Super Doggy]

Eh, okay.

You're the guy that did Bomb It, aren't you? You're a talented game designer, though I don't think this particular offering is nearly as good.

Graphically, Super Doggy all right, though a little cartoony for my taste. I give this a 10 in sound, though, because the music is so good (though to be fair, it doesn't really loop properly, and it's a lot more serious than everything else in the game).

Where this game really falls short, in my opinion, is in the game mechanics.
--For one thing, Super Doggy (your character) moves REALLY slowly. Aside from the fact that this makes gameplay drag on too long, I don't see how you can walk that slowly and still be a super hero.
--As with other flash games I've played that attempt the "jump on enemies to kill them" approach, this game won't always register it properly if you jump onto an enemy from an angle. Several times, I'd jump onto an enemy and knock them off, but get hurt anyway.
--The super powers, which presumably are the things that are supposed to make this protagonist stand out, are kind of lame. I mean, in the original Mario game, you could spit bouncing fireballs out of your mouth. And it didn't take 20 fire flowers to do it, either--it just took one. And what's more, it lasted indefinitely (unless you got hit). So you can understand my skepticism at having to collect 20 power-ups for a short burst of...well, being able to do what you can do on most games on Newgrounds anyway, which is simply to punch people. Is this supposed to impress me?

I'm sure there are better powers later on, but the truth is, I just got too bored playing this. To compete with flash platformers like Fancy Pants Adventures and Flash Sonic, you're just going to have to brainstorm a better gameplay dynamic.

[Mardek Rpg: Chapter 1]

Much better than I expected!

When I first started playing, I had some doubts about this game. It didn't seem to take itself seriously at all, there was only one enemy type, the music was so-so, and the dragon fight was taking forever. The more I played it, though, the more I really liked it. I won't give away plot spoilers or anything, but I like where things went right after the dragon battle. ;) Very cute. It explained the weird dialog at the beginning, at any rate.

Things I like about this game:
--the graphics during battles are fantastic! (I especially like the flying fish, for some reason.)
--the in-game menu, the multiple save slots--just the GUI in general is very well done.
--the "hit A to do extra / avoid damage" system, while not exactly new at this point, is still a nice plus that makes battles more engaging.
--the plot is pure, classic FFIV, with a little Phantasy Star thrown in for good measure. Much better than I was expecting!
--The sprites in the exploration portions of the game remind me a LOT of the older Final Fantasy games. While they didn't really mesh too well with the battle graphics, they do their job, and make me a little nostalgic. That's a good thing.

Things that need work:
--having to select things with the mouse in combat is a little annoying, particularly since you have to immediately use the keyboard afterwards to bonus on damage. It would be much better if you simply used the arrow and A keys to select everything.
--the dialog. Some of it is funny and clever, but townspeople make knowing asides just a little too often (e.g. "Don't let the bed bugs randomly battle you!") It's amusing, but at some point it just takes you out of the game.
--the music is a tad inconsistent in its quality. Some tracks (like the music for the grove when going to find the fallen star, and the battle music in that area) are actually really great. Some of the other tracks, though, aren't too catchy, or seem to meander a bit without purpose. They're not bad or anything, but the quality of everything else in the game surpasses them.

Anyway, over all, this is a really, really well-made and enjoyable game. You get my 5, and I look forward to seeing what you plan to do in subsequent chapters!

Pseudolonewolf responds:

Why does everyone like the Forest Fish? I've had so many comments on that! o_O

But hm... I suppose I realise now that the beginning segment wasn't the best idea in the world; people (not you, but others) are judging the entire game on that and not getting to the *actual* plot at all... Good to know some people have though and like what the proper plot's like!

Ah, I actually think make it so then you use the arrow keys in battle rather than the mouse... Probably. I meant to do that before, ages ago, but I must've forgotten.

Hm... I like my games to be amusing and light-hearted rather than too serious... But I suppose a lot of people don't share my mode of thinking. Most of the plot dialogue in all the chapters is probably serious for the most part though.

And... interesting. I consider the music in the forest to be the worst track in the game, and really like a lot of the others (I mean, I DID compose them myself; they are my childrens!) but it's, well, interesting to see how peoples' opinions differ!

[XENO TACTIC]

Not bad

I like it, but I've decided that Mission 4 is impossible. :P You should tone down the difficulty on that one a little, I think.

[Submachine: FLF]

Wait--that's all?

Like a midget hooker, this game was short and easy. I beat this in under 10 minutes. It seemed like there was so much...more...that just wasn't used. Red herrings, if you will. Like the toys and other things that made noises. Considering that this was themed after a band, I was expecting some good audio puzzles. I was expecting to have to match up those objects to the noises they made, but no such luck.

I hate to say it, but this comes across as more of an interactive ad than anything else. It simply lacks the length, depth, and diabolical trickery I'm used to in submachine games. And as well-made as it is, that's going to hurt the score I give it.

[World of Dreams]

Pretty good

This game was pretty cool. I liked the dreamy, fantastical setting, and the Boss Hog was pretty fun (though easy). You get a humor of 7 for the bouncy pigs and the flipping gnomes. :D

Only one thing really got on my nerves during this game: if you are standing on a spinning platform and you use the sound attack to spin another platform next to you, unless you're standing on the very outer edge of your platform, it will spin yours also, and drop you. This was merely annoying in the beginning, but when I got to the room with the rising spike floor, it got me killed. This really obnoxious part of the gameplay got your Interactivity score bumped down to a 5. I strongly recommend you fix it.

Paranoia responds:

But where's the fun in making it so easy? XD

[Caravaneer]

No save feature? Are you kidding?

This is a really fascinating game you've produced, a little like the offspring of Fallout and The Oregon Trail (clearly, you've been heavily influenced by Fallout, at the very least). Unfortunately, the tutorial you've put up for this game is entirely inadequate. I spent about 10 minutes trying to get everything I needed together for a trip out of town, only to find that I was "over weight" and couldn't leave, despite not having bought certain essentials. I tried again, this time hiring someone and buying him a scimitar...except that I apparently didn't equip it, so he went into combat bare-handed.

Once I've figured it out, though, it's actually rather fun. There's only one problem. Gameplay is very slow. Clearly, this is a game designed to reward people with patience. I'd be okay with that, except that there seems to be no save feature! This is a big no-no for a game that takes so long to get going in. You can't just use a "high score" method of charting progress for a game like this, where you have to play for a minimum of 30 minutes before you get anywhere at all.

If you'd included a save feature, this game would have easily made it into my favorites. My advice: add one, then re-release this.

D-mah responds:

As was said in one of the next reviews, the save feature exists. You even have 5 save slots. However, it doesn't work very well. I'm working on the bugs it has.

You are ABSOLUTELY right about Fallout. The only reason I created a game like this is because I'm a BIG fan of Fallout, and most of my RPG gaming experience has to do with this game. If I wasn't a Fallout fan, I would create shooting or breakout games with 100 lines of code.

As for The Oregon Trail, I've never heard about it. It's a pure coincidence.

[Newgrounds Rumble]

Very, very impressive

This is an extremely well-made game. Here are the many, substantial good things about it:

--The game runs extremely well, and the engine is one of the best ones I've seen in flash for a fighting game (if not simply THE best).
--The graphics and animation are extremely good. (Then again, with two of the best animators on the site working for you, they'd better be!)
--Good, well-produced fighting music. 'Nuff said.
--Nice combos, good play balance.
--Cool interactive levels worthy (in my opinion) of Super Smash Bros.

While this game easily earns a 10, there is still some room for improvement: in particular, in the area of character selection. I haven't heard of probably half the cast of characters here (Alloy? Samurai Asshole? Huh?), and some obvious choices are missing (Bitey of Brackenwood comes to mind).

Also, the AI is a little...erm...not challenging...on default. Playing with a long-reach character like P-Bot, I barely have to work to kill most enemies. (I don't think anyone has deal more than 55 damage to me in a bout yet.) The obvious solution: make a multiplayer version of this game! :D

NegativeONE responds:

Alloy and Samurai Asshole are definite NG icons, they're just from further back. Hell, look at the icon for the fighting game collection. That's Samurai Asshole ;) I would love to have Bitey in the next one though. We'll see.

[Pacco]

Very well-produced, but frustrating

I liked the music, the sound effects were nice, the graphics did the job, the gameplay was smooth, it ran well on my computer.

So why the low rating? Because the gameplay was positively abysmal, and that's the thing that actually makes me enjoy a game. Might I suggest a less obnoxious control scheme next time?

[Star Island]

Good, except...

I like the graphics, music and sound effects--they all seem very professional, if cartoony and simplistic. The gameplay is good, except that the game doesn't seem to consistently register it as an attack when you jump on enemies. Half the time, it seems you just get hurt. This makes the game way more frustrating than it ought to be. Fix that, and I'd say you've got a winner on your hands!

[Toast of War]

Ha ha ha

Nice--I like this game a lot. The controls are nice, the gameplay is simple but fun, and it's all very funny. I like how the entire game is a piece of toast trying to survive an onslaught of giant sticks of butter (and...uh...butter bats, I guess.)

The one thing I'd like to see in this game (besides, of course, a final boss in lieu of the "out to lunch" sign) is the occasional power-up to restore your health a bit. Obviously I made it to the final boss without any, but still, just one or two would be nice. Maybe a little floating container of bread crumbs or something. :)

sinaiman responds:

Hehe, sounds like a good idea, we'll see what we can do :) Glad you enjoyed it!

- Reza