Score: 8

"Simple, fun and addictive."

submission: Skywire

date: June 9, 2008

4/5

I haven't played a good game on NG in a long time, so this was a pleasant surprise. It's easy to learn, simple to play, and a great deal of fun. I played much longer than I should have. :)

The graphics are simple, cute and colorful, and the music is very, very catchy and well-done. Just goes to show that you can make a good video game without resorting to fancy graphics and violence and all that stuff. You just need a good concept and you have one here. Great job!

Score: 9

"Simplicity. Perfection."

submission: SHIFT

date: February 7, 2008

5/5

An ingeniously clever concept, simple in design, challenging, fun and even a little humorous at times. The graphics were exactly what they needed to be, the sound fit the tone of the game (or perhaps made the tone just right), and the controls were spot-on. I loved it - I just wish it were longer!

Score: 6

"Very simple and cute, maybe too cute..."

submission: JJ

date: October 28, 2007

3/5

This is a nice and original concept for a game. The graphics and art style are really nice and refreshing, and I enjoyed your choice in music. The complete lack of sound effects did bug, however. I wanted to hear the dog barking and running and the squirrels making those squirrel sounds that they make.

Controls were nice and simple, and the game was easy to learn and win. Probably too easy - some difficulty options would have been nice.

I have a feeling that the main complaint of this game will be, "Where's the VIOLENCE???" There's no blood and guts, no squirrel eating, killing or maiming of any kind... so I would expect to hear a lot of that. :)

But overall, a nice little game.

Score: 7

"Simple, addictive and fun!"

submission: Mass Attack

date: October 28, 2007

4/5

What an ingeniously simple concept! Like all good puzzle games, it required a lot of thought and skill to master. The game mechanics were spot-on, and the learning curve was nice and steady. I was instantly hooked.

The only downsides in my opinion would be the graphics (a little sparse and colorless) and the lack of extra features (difficulty levels, more scales, etc.). But these don't detract from the excellent gameplay one bit. Great job!

Score: 9

"Wow, that was crazy!"

submission: Tornado Button Smashing

date: October 8, 2007

4/5

That was the jolt I needed tonight! What a great concept! I love death and destruction, and I love tornadoes, so this is definitely the game for me. The graphics were fun and colorful, the action fast-paced, and the sounds were pretty funny. Yeah, hitting the Enter button was carpal-tunnel inducing, but it didn't affect me too much because I was having so much fun. I was laughing the whole time I played the game

And there should have been tiny people running for their lives, so you could suck them up. I'm just saying...

Score: 8

""I can explain!""

submission: Pac Makeup

date: August 29, 2007

4/5

Ha! That was hilarious! It was short and to the point, and I loved the clean, crisp animation and sound. Keep it up! I really hope you make more of these.

Score: 6

"A good concept, poorly executed"

submission: A Walk in the Park!

date: June 14, 2007

3/5

I really wanted to like this game. It has a great idea behind it, and the mechanics of the game design are novel. But it has a lot of notable flaws.

First of all, the visual design and look of the game is kind of bland and dreary. That, combined with the mellow music, works against the concept. It should be bright and sunny and cheery and exciting - instead it makes me want to stay indoors.

And the big problem is that the game is very slow. I could understand maybe a leisurely pace, but it's so slow that in the end, it's not very much fun to play.

Now, I actually enjoyed the idea behind the game, and the game itself is cleverly made. But it needs to be fun, fast and exciting.

Score: 8

"Clever, challenging gameplay"

submission: MindScape

date: June 11, 2007

4/5

This game really grew on me. It takes a moment to get used to the game mechanics, but once you do, it's a really clever and well-constructed game.

First of all, your graphics are perfectly suited to this concept. They're simple in design and color schemes, which helps keep things from getting too confusing. I've always liked your art style, and the game is really reflective of your work in general. The backgrounds were simple and clever. The main character and the enemies are very clearly delineated and well-animated.

The game mechanics, while a little unusual, become completely natural once you get the hang of things. It's not your typical side-scroller, that's for sure. Later on, the game throws a few curveballs with the different environments and a couple of different activities (the switches and the final race). It's a credit to your programming skills and the game's learning curve that it's easy to figure it out. Probably the only weakness would be the somewhat loose hit detection, especially when rounding corners. I bumped into several enemies even though I seemed to be far enough away. But it didn't hurt the overall gaming experience. The level of challenge was perfect - it wasn't overly easy or difficult.

I loved your choices in music - it really set the mood in each level. The whole game had a great mood and feel. I'm giving you extra credit for creating a nice storyline to frame the events. It wasn't tacked-on or gratuitous, and the ending was surprising yet made perfect sense. Nice work here. I wonder if you got your inspiration from dreams or maybe you're just a little insane. :)

Now after all that gushing, I do have one major gripe and I saved it for last. I was really annoyed by the keys used for the controls. A, W and D are not the optimal keys for this kind of game. Most games of this type would use the arrow keys and/or space, or allow customizable controls. The way it was set up here was awkward. But this is a very easy thing to fix.

Overall, I was really pleasantly surprised by the game. It really grows on you - and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've always enjoyed your animated work in the past, so it was nice to see you put your visual stamp on a game. Great job!

Score: 8

"Hypnotic"

submission: Retro Collab

date: June 2, 2007

4/5

A clever concept for a collab and surprisingly original execution. When I saw the title "Retro Collab", I figured it would be a slew of Nintendo parodies or something we've seen before. Instead it was something much more interesting and visually involving. The effect was almost hypnotic and the music worked fairly well.

My only gripe (and this applies to most collabs) is showing the name of the author during their section of the animation. I think it would have flowed better without constantly telling us who animated what part. That should be saved for the credits. It always seems to take me out of the animation.

But still, a very well done animation.

Score: 9

"Great piece of work."

submission: MK vs. SF 3

date: May 8, 2007

5/5

This is a great piece of work.

From a visual standpoint, it was flawless. You definitely have skill and a sense of style, and I can just imagine the amount of work you went to between the sprite editing and special effects. The lighting effects were outstanding, and your attention to detail is commendable. My only complaint in this area would be that things moved a little too fast. It needed just a little more time to linger and enjoy the view, so to speak. The fight scene, amazing as it was, could have also used some closer shots. I felt it was kind of distant throughout.

I loved your choices in music, and even the sound effects were well done without becoming repetitive. I'm kind of ambivalent about the end credits song, it was a little "soft" for the characters and my taste. But the audio editing was still masterfully done.

Interactivity wasn't an issue, although the Extras button didn't do anything. Hidden special features? I appreciated the inclusion of the scene and sub-scene selection. Very slick interface. Even the preloader was a nice touch, with the bouncing logos. Kept me busy for the half an hour it took to load. Dial-up sucks.

As for the plot... eh. There wasn't much to it, and the dialogue was pretty standard. I know I wasn't watching it for the story, but I was hoping for something a little more interesting. If the movie had a weak point, this was it. It's not a huge complaint, though, considering the overall quality of the movie.

Overall, it's an incredibly well-done Flash, and it would be a shame if it were the last one. Great job!