Score: 10

"Thank you"

submission: PICODAY

date: April 30, 2008

This made my night. At first I couldn't believe what I was watching. It existed for a fleeting moment before being hidden again, so I had to watch on to confirm the horror. Then every time the grill burst open and the sloud of smoke dissipated I noticed another detail. The melting flash wobbling on the brink of breaking off and falling onto the red hot coals. The one tooth protruding from the gums of the screaming mouth. The hand helplessly caught in the bars of the grill. The it all hit me, the absolute cruelest act possible inflicted upon the most innocent of all human creatures punctuated by a jovial midi rendition of the Sanford and Son theme. Suddenly something so grotesque became the greatest thing ever.

Kudos

Score: 9

"Fantastic game"

submission: The Newgrounds Card Game

date: March 7, 2008

A great multiplayer game that's perfectly catered to Newgrounds both in gameplay and style. The basics are incredibly simple to grasp and you can jump on and start playing a game in minutes. It caters to both the people who just want to come on an have a quick game or two will have fun and those who want to play for hours and collect all the cards can have fun too.

Stylistically everything is set up nicely. It emulates the Newgrounds layout well and all the menus are easy to navigate. The only issue I found was that I'd often get locked into the post game screen without returning to the lobby. This happened enough to be a real issue.

I look forwards to playing it more and gaining some levels.

Score: 8

"I love the concept"

submission: The Unfair Platformer

date: February 12, 2008

It's an odd game that is what it is. It's only going to appeal to a certain breed of people who can derive ejoyment out of trial-and-error gameplay taken to the extreme. My only problem is that some levels with presented me with one frustrating platforming segment and then the next would only take me one or two passes to complete. It's not a major issue, but it did make the game feel inconsistent.

You took an original idea and developed it well. I'd just like to see a lives-based extreme difficulty for us major masochists.

Score: 10

"Classic Newgrounds"

submission: Mario -V- Blowser

date: September 15, 2007

This movie is embodies everything that is amateur flash on Newgrounds. Sprites, cock jokes for no reason, lack of a real punchline, yet hilrious for it's unintentional randomness. If this doesn't put a smile on your face you might want to find a new website to hang out on.

Score: 10

"Stunning, simply stunning"

submission: Tales from Mod Meat 07

date: June 24, 2007

A magnificent portrayal of one man's struggle to catch up with a world that is constantly pulling ahead of him. A triumph of minimalistic animation portraying a complex human drama in a gripping and compelling manner. You learn to love, hate, and empathize with Jason throughout his trials and tribulations.

Bravo sir, bravo.

Score: 10

"A fantastic action scene"

submission: FlashBack 00

date: May 1, 2007

Beautiful, sleek, exciting, and funny. It exemplifies everything that makes Pico and Newgrounds so appealing with aplomb.

Take out the Pico Day motif and it's still brilliant on it's own merits as a fight scene. Everything runs in a smooth and logical manner. The characters are animated with grace and style. The action never slows down. I didn't feel like there were any moments that felt hum-drum or out of place. Magnificent from beginning to end.

The characters were all integrated into the movie well. You brought them stylistically into your world without compromising what makes them, them. The 2D and 3D elements fit together well. A lot of times a 3D characters in a mostly 2D environment can seem out of place and ugly next to a less stiff traditional character.

A great movie overall. My current favorite of the day. Hope you win.

Score: 9

"A thoroughly fantastic game."

submission: Dreams Chapter One

date: November 3, 2006

It's rare when a game on Newgrounds is so startlingly original and well-produced. I was a little skeptical going through the opening scene, but once I started playing I was floored. The gameplay is fantastic, the graphics are gorgeous, and the style is fittingly surreal. It's an excellent start to a series of games that I'd love to see continue.

The gameplay is brilliant and perfectly executed. The only real issue is the lack of necessary interplay between the two characters. As it is I just used the bomb-shot/hammer combo for most enemies as it was the fastest way to get results, but aside from the cannon slugs any other way would have given me the same results. It would be great if the system rewarded observant players who figured out the most efficient and strategic ways to win battles. Adding hidden hot spots on certain enemies that could do extra damage or weaken their attacks would also add more worth to the standard bullet mode of the gun. Overall it just needs to be mixed up a little so every battle keeps the player guessing.

As for the art, I can't say enough good things. The style was beautifully surreal and every new area was a joy to behold. The music fit in perfectly and help enhance the game rather than just being a part of the backround.

I can't wait to follow the series further and see how the storyline evolves. You have a fantastic talent and I'll be waiting for the next installment.

Score: 9

"Excellent and atmospheric puzzle game."

submission: Gateway

date: October 21, 2006

An almost flawlessly pulled off puzzle game. My only real complaint is that the game was a little short and a tad easy, just as I was expecting to get to the really tough puzzles it just ended aburptly. Not that I'm upset or angered by the ended, I just wanted more.

What you really nailed with this game was the claustrophobic atmosphere. I really got a feeling of almost urgency, like I had to get out of those tiny corridors. I think the voyeurism aspect to solving a few of the puzzles fit perfectly and was suitably creepy.

I hope to see a sequel soon.

Score: 8

"Less a game and more an experience."

submission: Exmortis 2

date: March 28, 2006

As a game Exmortis 2 doesn't stand very well on its own. The puzzles are to simplistic, usually boiling down to trial and error, and the interface is terribly outdated, still screen first person adventures peaked with Myst. The secret to this game's success doesn't lie with its gameplay though, its the fact that its a vehicle for an incedibly engrossing, creepy and completely realised storyline and mythos that drags you in and keeps you clicking untill the credits start rolling.

First off, I would like to say that I am a little dissapointed in the creepiness level of the game. It started off great, devastated world, crimson horizon, forboding church, but after a great opening we're drawn back into that tired abandoned farm house cliche. I just don't feel myself being as scared as I was the fist time around with Exmortis, I knew exactly what was in store for me, creepy atmosphere and one or two things jumping out at me, that was about it. The final two areas brought the game back to form, but at that point I was already too settled down to feel excited.

Secondly, while I loved how well developed the game's backstory is I would have appreciated if I didn't have to get taken out of the game to do so much reading. Embedding some of the storyline into an audio tape or video cassette would have been more interesting and would have offered more opportunity to build tension.

While the gameplay does take a backseat to the story and atmosphere I feel that it definetly could be stronger. All the puzzles were one or two steps, and while neither too easy or hard they usually were somewhat tedious. A lot of that probably comes from you trying to fit as many puzzles as possible into a small game area, but I would still like to see them be more intricate and thoughtful.

While I do have a lot of criticisms on Exmortis 2, I don't dislike the game at all. You have an incredible talent and I would love to see it put to use again soon.

Score: 10

"Wow, I'm speechless...perfection."

submission: NightStrike

date: January 20, 2006

Its an extremely rare occurance when I have no advice for improvment to offer on a flash submission, I'm utterly blown away. This isn't just a swift kick in the balls to every other defense game on Newgrounds it's the most fun, addictive and all around entertaining game on this website. Not since Ronin: Spirit of the Sword have I been so entranced by a web-game that I could hardly pull myself away to write a review.

First off, great work as always on the graphics by Mind Chamber. All the enemies, from the lowliest soldier to the biggest bosses are dripping with style and detail, its almost a pity that I have to destroy so many of these beautiful creations. The backrounds are all top notch as well, they all do a perfect job setting the tone of going through one war torn area after another.

Now for the gameplay, there are so many elements of strategy added to the game that excell it way beyond every other defense game. While most games are content to leave any strategic planning at the upgrade panel, strategy simply oozes through every aspect of the gameplay. Which upgrade is the best, should I attack every enemy on the screen or let more on to potentially get a higher combo while opening up the possibility of getting swamped by enemies, should I defend to the left and attack to the right or should I shield against the incoming bombers? And finally just when the gameplay starts to get boring you're faced with a gigantic boss (a much appreciated addition) that will test all the skills you've been honing.

Two more things I'd like to praise, first, the combo system, what seems almost arbitrary at first is actually a nuanced system that rewards smart players with huge bonuses. Secondly, the physics based, weather infused, Scorched Earth style attack system, I could go on for quite some time talking about how much this adds to the game when you evolve the simple point, click then watch enemy die gameplay that I've seen in almost every defense game, but if you'll excuse me, I've got a game to play.