Score: 8

"Clever concept, well-executed"

submission: Draw-Play 2

date: November 21, 2006

4/5

This game was a pleasant surprise! It's like a cross between a platformer and a building game. It reminded me of Lemmings, which is a good thing in my book. The mouse control was fairly smooth (only a few minor glitches) and the keyboard control was good as well. The learning curve was just right, and the difficulty options and custom level editor give it a lot of replay value.

There were a few drawbacks. First and foremost, I found the graphics very unappealing. While I understand the need for simplicity in a game like this, it really could have used some character and some color. The stick man doesn't cut it. The animation frame rate was nice and smooth, though.

Also, I found it very easy to cheat my way through a lot of the levels by going over the top of all the obstacles. As long as you don't jump over the top of the screen, you can walk to the goal and avoid a lot of the traps/spikes/etc. Maybe this is a feature, not a bug. :)

It would also have been nice to be able to duck. The stick man moves when you hit the down key but he doesn't duck. I don't know if this was something you were planning to implement but didn't - I just noticed, that's all.

The music choices were good as well, although I would have gone for something more catchy and video-gamey. But that's just a matter of personal preference.

This was an excellent game overall, and I would love to see an improved Draw-Play 3.

Score: 7

"2/3 "meh", 1/3 "friggin' hilarious""

submission: Arnie's Adventures (VGDC)

date: September 14, 2006

3/5

As usual, the animation is excellent. No complaints there. The music and sounds were fine as well.

I don't know if I'm a big fan of Arnie himself, it's one of those jokes that could wear thin very quickly. And I didn't find the first two sketches all that funny, to be honest.

But the third one was absolutely perfect. It was self-referential in the best way. I loved how you reused the same music and camera angles. I loved it!

Overall, it all balanced out to a 3 for me. Can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Score: 7

"Great atmosphere"

submission: Scenes From A Memory

date: September 6, 2006

4/5

You created a very nice atmosphere and feeling with your animation. It looked beautiful and the music you chose fit the scene well. My only complaint would be the speed of some of the objects and backgrounds. The stars in the night sky and the rocks on the ground were moving too fast and it took me right out of it. With a few tweaks here and there, this would be a 5. Great work.

Score: 6

"Great game, but very repetitive"

submission: Bloody Blades

date: September 6, 2006

3/5

It's got style, it's got a great look and feel, and the controls are nice and smooth. The music gives the action a nice rhythm, and it's just a good game overall.

Unfortunately, it quickly becomes very repetitive. There's really no end - like it's on a loop. This can be easily fixed. Either break the game down into progressively harder levels, or make the single level harder and faster until you're overwhelmed with enemies and you can't win.

This is a very good game. I hope to see version 2.0!

Score: 8

"Good mix of mini-games and RPG elements"

submission: Flash Point

date: September 6, 2006

4/5

At first I was expecting another Wario Ware-style blitzkrieg like the Four Second collabs, but this one was a bit different. First off, the pace was slower, and made it much more enjoyable. It gave me a chance to get ready and think before each mini-game. It also had a nice little story, almost like an RPG. And the final boss battle gave it more of a goal at the end.

The graphics were mostly nice - my only complaint would be the lack of animation in the cut-scenes. Otherwise, excellent work. The music was top-notch, I really enjoyed it. The few sound effects that were there were good as well, not too annoying or obtrusive. The mouse controls were fairly precise, which is a must in these fast-paced type of games.

This is a really good collection of games overall. Some were a little on the easy side, and I beat the game pretty quickly, but that's not a big complaint. You can always add different levels of challenge, or make a sequel (hint, hint). Good work!

Score: 7

"Very different than usual NG fare..."

submission: Through Eyes of The Moon

date: August 18, 2006

4/5

I've enjoyed your previous work - it's always a welcome breath of fresh air from the usual stuff I find on NG. This was no exception. No blood and gore, no sprites - just beautiful scenery and music to match. Your designs are excellent and the effects were nicely done. I do think the movements and transitions were very stiff and artificial. If you worked on the tweens a little, it wouldn't be an issue. But I still enjoy your work and hope to see more.

Score: 7

"Nicely done, but a few issues..."

submission: World 2-4 Retaliation

date: August 18, 2006

4/5

I was pleasantly surprised by many elements of your animation. I thought it had a nice sense of pace and style and the music worked really well. I also appreciated the use of custom sprites. They were well done and a much-needed break from the norm.

Now to my annoyances. :)

I recently had a mini-rant on the NG forums about common things that annoy me in Flash cartoons. Your cartoon is a good example. First of all, I am so sick of Mario movies, especially ones that take place in the world of SMB and feature large-scale battles and major character deaths. It is getting old fast. Yours, while done well, sadly falls into that category of "been there, done that".

Second, I'm tired of overly long credits. Yours weren't *too* bad, and at least there was that last bit of animation at the end. But still, credits should be kept to a minimum. Most people won't sit through them.

There were a few minor technical issues as well. The rain effect seemed off to me. And the Toad sprites looked like they only had one eye - was that supposed to be a side view? But, like I said, these were minor issues in an otherwise excellent animation.

I really enjoyed this, as well as your previous work. I just hope you can find a new twist next time, or try something from a different game again. (I mean, you did a Clu Clu Land cartoon! Now *that's* something you don't see every day!)

Score: 6

"That was different..."

submission: 'Boom-Bang-A-Bang'

date: August 17, 2006

3/5

Don't know why, but I really found that funny. It's obvious that you made it quickly (simple animation, no play or replay buttons) but it still looked pretty nice.

Score: 9

"More brilliance from Skaijo!"

submission: Pick Up

date: August 13, 2006

5/5

Once again, congrats on Front Page, Daily Feature, and that great score. You've struck gold again!

Where do I begin...you have a unique visual style that is creative not only in your use of color, but your selective lack of color. It's one of your defining visual characteristics and it makes a noticeable impact. Your character designs, while rooted in anime (not my personal favorite style) go beyond that. You make them all yours. Your characters are well-delineated and expressive.

The animation itself is smooth and precise. Whether it was tweens or frame-by-frame, it all flowed together into a cohesive whole. The best compliment I can give is that when I watch it, I'm not taking notice of or nitpicking the animation. I'm just enjoying the ride. What I especially enjoyed was the extra effort you went to with the character movements. When they were jumping around the screen, they remained consistent and on-model. Great work. Even your use of broken lines with variable thickness, both on the characters and the backgrounds, helps to create a visually dynamic environment. Your animations continue to improve and I can't wait to see what you'll come up with next.

Your use of camera angles and movements are striking, although it probably doesn't look as nice on slower computers due to the high frame rate. Not your fault though. :) Even your text and menus are slick and highly unique. I'm also glad you included some extra features along with the main 'toon. If I had any AS skills I would love to include some extras with my animations. Teach me someday, will ya? :D

Probably the biggest weakness would be in the sound department. The sound mix between the dialogue and music seemed to favor the music and made the dialogue a little hard to hear. I know you lowered the music volume somewhat, but this area still needs some work. I do a lot of audio work myself and I know full well the difficulty of finding the right balance. Overall though, I don't think it really hurt the animation at all.

The dialogue itself was good and quite funny in spots. I'm glad you went to the additional trouble of having someone translate and double-check everything for you. It's that extra step and attention to detail that really makes a difference. I wish some American animators would bother to check their own dialogue once in a while. :) The voice acting wasn't bad - it wasn't too emotionless or too over the top. Hickory's voice was a little too low-key for my tastes though - when you're attacking someone with a sword you shouldn't sound like you're getting your nails done. :) Your use of Bonobo's music was good as usual. It's another choice that makes your animations all your own. The sound effects were sparse, but appropriately used.

Now, on to the story. If you've learned anything about me, then you know I'm looking for a good story first. I'll ignore poor animation if there's a good storyline behind it all. And your story is a good one. It wasn't totally clear to me on first viewing, but after watching the deleted intro (which you should have kept up front) it all made perfect sense. That's probably my only issue with the story. Otherwise, I liked the setup and I wouldn't mind seeing a continuation. It's a good springboard for a variety of different story opportunities. I even liked your in-jokes to previous cartoons and freeze-frame style text. You have a good sense of humor and I like seeing it come out in your cartoons. I hope you take advantage of what you've begun and continue on.

Michael

P.S. Forget what anyone else might say, the killer blue squares were AWESOME.

Score: 6

"Blink and you'll miss it!"

submission: Moobeard Fanimated

date: August 5, 2006

3/5

Nice artwork and character designs. And as a fan of classic cartoons, I appreciated your choices of sound effects. However, it was far too short. Sometimes short and simple can work, but the animation was so brief that it didn't make an impact.

I'm not saying it was bad in any way, just too short. Your style of drawing is fresh and the material was funny. You just need to expand on it. Looking forward to more.