Rhete's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[TANK MAN]

An awesome Mega Man clone

It's rare to find a retro tribute that so perfectly gets the feel of the original game just right, and this did it. I was a bit disappointed it was only one level, but still a lot of fun.

Lambtaco responds:

Thanks. I get the feeling many complainers never played the old Megaman games. Before most Newgrounders' time, I guess.

I was thinking that if this game turned out successful I might expand and make a full game, but that doesn't look like it's gonna happen. :(

Who voted this review down? Weird.

[Bus Hostage by Policeman]

Ahh this takes me back

Stuff like this is what Newgrounds was founded on, back in 1999-2000 when the site was about killing celebrities and offending as many people as possible. The fact that this feels so dated and similar to the stuff Tom was making back then just adds to the charm. Great job.

[The Annoying Little Game]

Frustrating

I'll never understand the genre of intentionally shitty platformer. The game breaks it's own internal rules by the second jump and becomes a series of memorizing what instant kill trap is coming up next. This isn't fun, it's just annoying and repetitive.

tap5y responds:

Read the title much?

[Raider: Episode 2]

I gave up

I wanted to see this through to the end like I did episode 1, but 33 minutes in I was forced to quit, after seeing 9 or so vines in a row, with spikes between them, above a pit of lava. I shouldn't have to deal with 1 hit kill crap like that on beginner, and it was a bit disappointing to see a brick wall like that after getting through so much.

One big problem I noticed was that even though it's only the second level, you seem to have already run out of ideas. This level didn't really introduce anything new, and just focused on dodging spikes the entire time. The enemies felt like more of a formality than anything else, they were just standing in your way to give you an excuse to press the S or D key a few times before going back to dodging spikes. Even the tutorial had better use of enemies with the sole laser turret. The only enemies in the stage itself of any note were the ghost things, which also happen to be immune to attacks, so they may as well be floating spike blocks.

I would like to see a better balance between platforming and combat, though that may be hard since the combat controls are pretty stiff. Why can't you move on the ground when attacking? It's pretty strange given that you can still jump and move in the air while attacking, so you can just bounce around everywhere while firing the laser anyways. I don't expect you to change the engine in the middle of a series like this, but maybe our hero could receive a combat upgrade power-up or something...

The reason I mention combat so much is because there are only so many ways you can make the player dodge spikes before it gets old, and this level definitely pushed that boundary as far as I think it will go. After constantly jumping between ladders, abusing gravity by jumping into a ceiling, or falling down pits onto spikes, it gets a bit repetitive, and I'm wondering if you plan on making the remaining levels like this as well. I'm still looking forward to the next one, I just hope you focus more on combat and timing obstacles, and less on pixel perfect jumps determined by how long you press the A key.

Pseudolonewolf responds:

This seems to be a matter of preference for some people...

I for one find *combat* tiring and dull, but jumping around trying to find my way past obstacles - even if they're the same obstacles, just in a different order - far more appealing. I like games like Tomb Raider, for example, where the enemies were rare and dull to 'fight', and the main focus was jumping around very much the same obstacles in different layouts...

So this game is designed with my own preferences in mind, apparently. I suppose I made what I like, I made a game I'd want to play myself.
It's unfortunate that my preferences don't match up with everyone's, but oh well. I notice enough combat-focused games around and didn't really see the need to add yet another to the mix.

Episodes 1 and 2 were made basically at the same time, before I decided to release the levels as separate games, which is why there's not much of interest in this one compared to the first. It seemed easier to get away with when they were both levels of the same game/file.
Episode 3, which I've made most of, has more variety in its obstacles (I don't know about combat though; as I say, this isn't meant to be a combat-focused game; you have no advanced weapons for a reason).

Anyway, uh, I'll keep feedback like this in mind for future games, if not necessarily for future instalments of this particular series...

Thank you for taking the time to write a detailed review anyway.

[When Pigs Fly]

Too easy

This game is far too easy. I expect an update soon that will kill you for bumping your head, standing on solid ground, or pressing the space bar.

In short, while technically a good game, this is also possibly the most annoyingly frustrating game I've ever played. Near constant deaths (and I really do mean constant) that never felt like they were my fault, but the fault of the loose controls/character movement that has way too much momentum and loves to send your piggy into walls for an instant death. Combine this with sadistic level design that requires near pixel perfect movement to navigate and it's a real recipe for frustration. IMO something is wrong when every single screen is a checkpoint, and simple tasks like moving down a staircase become arduous.

[OCD+]

An absolute masterpiece

It's rare for a game to come along and be immediately recognized as a modern gaming masterpiece, but OCD+ is one of those games. No flash game, and very few console games come close to the level of immersiveness that this game provides. And to think, this collection contains five full length games, each of them unique masterpieces! For the reader who has yet to play this game, here's a rundown of them all

Big O
The easiest game in the collection, but by no means a pushover. You compete against two crafty AI players who will try to outwit you at every turn. Big O is not just a battle of endurance, but one of wits and physical prowess as you struggle to keep up the pace against your competitors. A great introduction for the games later to come.

SHUT
There are a lot of war themed games now a days, the genre has become stale with so much competition and so little innovation. Enter SHUT, a game that is far and away the most accurate war simulation ever created. John McCain would be proud of this one. My only complaint is that the game is fairly short and can be completed in the better part of an afternoon, however the escape sequence at the end was unexpected and definitely worth the effort.

The Pianist
Another genre bending game that flawlessly combines a typing tutor and a language teacher. The game includes English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, and Polish, and the typing segments are paced gently enough for even amateurs to be able to keep up. All of this is done to in a fun and exciting way as the game seamlessly blends in aspects of the music genre, type along to the computers beat and rock your way to victory! I now type 10,000 WPM, speak 8 languages, and can play piano on a professional level. Bravissimo!

K
A simple game that does a great job recreating the atmosphere of the 8-bit classics we grew up with. Back when a single hour was enough time to completely beat a game, and controls were limited to only a 1 or 2 buttons. K's twitch (or lack of) gameplay kept me glued to my seat for exactly 1 hour and 3 seconds.

208
The tour de force of this collection. The one people will be talking about. The game Lost: Via Domus wishes it could've been. A game that transforms not just your PC, but your entire world into that found in the TV show Lost. I found myself living the life of Desmond, sitting around bored out of my mind listening to records, eating candy bars, then being woken up at 3am by a loud beeping sound. At one point during the game, someone broken into my house and shot my computer, just like in the show! I've yet to complete this game as it is about twice the length of most full length RPGs, clocking in at around 72 hours in the single player campaign. That's right I said single player, 208 also contains an exciting cooperative multiplayer mode where you can team up with friends to tackle the monumental challenge together. In my experience it works best with 3 players, but you can play with as many as you want!

For all this gameplay and entertainment to be packed into one 2.3 meg flash is simply astounding, my hat goes off to you sir. 10/10 troll wouldn't play again ;)

[Dual]

Good game, poor execution

This is a pretty good game, I like that someone else is making a more traditional Contra style action platformer rather than going with the new mouse to aim fad, which I hate.

However there were a lot of flaws in presentation that I think dragged this down a lot. The first being the tutorial, that seemed far too long for such a simple game. It needed to be a lot more concise, arrows to move, A and S to shoot, ctrl to duck. If there is more than that I missed it because I got bored with how long it was taking to actually get to the game.

The stages themselves are good, but there wasn't a whole lot of variety between them (I got through most of the jungle area) Same basic enemies with maybe a few upgrades, the music was also nearly the same in all areas, and to be honest I didn't like the music at all, and it really didn't seem to match the game at all.

I liked that there were multiple paths to take in a lot of places, but in the end the game felt a bit lifeless, a combination of the static and generic backgrounds, bad music, and repeating enemies. The core gameplay is good though, but couldn't hold my interest through the entire game.

PhobiK responds:

Thanks so much for all your advices. Yeah, I tried to go the Contra style, it's good you liked it. And thanks for pointing out those weak points, I noticed some of them, and it's good to hear of the other ones I didn't notice. Yeah, the tutorial is too long, but I wanted to cover all the stuff the game involves there, that's why I created the quick help window when you press '9' if you didn't want to go all the tut long.

With the music I wanted to add some metal to the game as I like the way it sounds in some games, and I like rock :P but I know the quality isn't too good.

I'll take your advice in mind and again, thanks so much for the review :)

[FWG Knight]

Goes nowhere

Fun for about 10 seconds... and then you've seen the whole game. An infinite loop of the same 3 enemy types over. Good for the easily amused I guess. Artwork was nice at least

[ClickDragType 2]

Great game

I finally beat all 10, total time was 1:23. Awesome puzzler, I enjoyed it a lot

[gogo Happy & Smile]

Amazing

One of the best flash games I've ever played, amazing job!

The graphics are simple but very polished, and the animation is great. All the characters and bosses look great and very distinct. Its also not hard to spot enemy bullets coming at you, which can be hard to achive when theres a lot of action on screen. The screen size changing at points was a very nice touch, and very surprising the first time it happened

Sound was well done as well, from the sound effects to the music. The music changing pace at boss fights was well done.

The only real downside was that its REALLY hard, which is a little daunting at first but with practice it gets easier. Definitely a game for those who want a serious challenge. Great work