SpyderZ's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Ultimate Super NES Quiz]

Unfortunately this is the kind of product you get when you let nostalgia override you quality judgment. 'I' Love the 16 Bit Era, and all the amazing unique games we got out of it. What I don't particularly enjoy is a shoddy 'Quiz Style' game that really isn't a game as much as it is a Thumbnail Labeling System. Google tried doing this with their Image Search at one point only they didn't pretend it was a game.

I would have likely given this game a little more credit had the interface been even a 'little' better implemented. As it is, you go from needing to type in an answer to having to use the mouse to submit, which is just horrendous design. There is no excuse for not including Basic Keyboard Navigation at the least.

On top of that the 'Game' feels 'Clunky' for lack of a better word. Every other screen includes an ad, and while I completely understand the desire to monetize one's product, the delay between submitting an answer, getting the result, and moving on to the next question is hampered by the required mouse selections which draws even more attention to the ads... :? It's also very telling that in the Game Description the User is asking for Sponsors...

Overall I think that if this was an experiment by someone unfamiliar with game creation it would be an understandable step... but looking at even the last title created by this user I can see that the clunky feel is just poor design, and not due to a lack of ability, which is more upsetting. I am frankly surprised that this title made it to the Front Page, a decision I can only assume was due to Nostalgia more than the quality of the Title.

As a Suggestion, if you are genuinely trying to create a compelling experience (And not just slapping something together in the hopes of making some kind of ad revenue) I would take the time to smooth out the User Experience. If you require heavy keyboard use, ensure that your title is Navigable via the Keyboard.

[Math & Magic]

If you like math, and I mean "Love" Math. Not in the "I think numbers are cool" kind of way, but more in the "I haven't used my calculator in years..." kind of way, then this is the game for you. ;P I have to say that the tying together of basic number management with an RPG shell is both novel and enjoyable. ^.^

I do think that a tool tip telling you what abilities did would have improved the experience wading in. I understand the idea that this is supposed to be an "Old School" RPG with a high level of challenge, but challenge should come from the game, and not the game system. Intentionally handicapping someone's ability to interact with a game is a backwards way of improving the difficulty. (I don't mean that as an insult, just as feedback. ;P)

Overall it's unique, fun, and I'd love to see the evolution of this idea.

[GemCraft Labyrinth]

Okay, so I'm no fan of the "Tower Defense" genre as a whole. Recently though "Defender's Quest" with it's RPG Elements brought me poking around at other titles that may pique my tastes. Enter GemCraft.

If you like the genre, you should be playing this game. If you don't like the genre, I don't think this game will win you over, but it's worth a shot. What sets this game apart is it's ridiculously deep customization for your play style. As the game progresses, you can build and rebuild your character to work with the ebbs and flows of each level. Added to that is the replay-ability of any level with ever changing elements, and you've got a game that is much bigger than it looks (And it looks pretty big. ;P )

[The Infinite Ocean]

Good Story

For me, the story tend to be the most important part of a game. (Well, a game that insinuates a focus on story anyway. :P ) The story here is very well done. On a personal level, I happen to enjoy stories that are wrapped up.
Much like SGDS has discussed the importance of poetry, I do not knock the importance of individual interpretation, but I still prefer a more literal story, even if it is an allegory. ;P

Mechanically, I don't think having a separate screen for inventory was necessary with the limited amount of items you use. An icon on the top would have served.
On the password combining, Once you start seeing the patterns, you begin playing around with the interface revealing the "Line it Up" mechanic. Perhaps not having the password overlap by default would have simplified that even a step further.

Overall, I enjoyed the game outside of the "Find your own Interpretation" angle. ;P

[Demon Room]

Enjoyable.

It was a hail back to days before in Point and Click. I happened to be quite the fan of of Live Action Point and Click Games, so of course I liked it. What I would have liked to see is a little bit more interactivity.

Other uses for some of the items, A few more steps toward unlocking things, or some interaction between the rooms (With maybe a subtle visible indicator somewhere about which room you were in).

Again, I did enjoy it, but those would be my recommendations. :P

[Wizard's Run]

Fun

I respect the design decision to limit character growth. My only "gripe" at that point is that outside of a competition for the Highest Score, there's little reason to play after you beat the game at that point. By getting people used to gaining experience for killing enemies, and then dropping a "Relatively" low cap on it, you neuter replayability once someone's gone through the three major builds. (Which isn't a bad thing. I'm just noting it.)

That said, the game is very enjoyable while it lasts. Suggestions/Ideas in no particular order:

1) The ability to change your skill points around after you've beaten the game.
2) Tweaking the Divine Tree so that mastering it makes healing frequently more reasonable, as mastering this tree really limits your AOE capabilities.
3) Possibly a Kill % as well as a "Score" for Survival Mode (Or just Enemies let past Count).
4) Visual Changes for your Character as his rank changes.
5) Combo Ranks?
6) Don't spend too much time tweaking this game when you've got other ideas you can be fulfilling. :P

Again, I enjoyed it, and hope to see more from you in future. ^.^

[Level Up!]

Wow...

It's apparent that you have a passion for making games. I love the leveling idea though I would have liked to see an actual effect for "Interaction". Maybe a few extra pieces of Dialog from the NPC's, or NPC's/Objects that you "Couldn't figure out" until your skill was high enough,

(And yeah, I wouldn't have touched it without a Keyboard Emulator for my controller. I'm pretty fail at using the Keyboard for platforming. ;P )

[Streamline]

Had to come back and Play again. ^,^

And I forgot how bloody difficult this game was. ;P After playing this the first time (About two dozen times... or until I beat it, whichever came first), Of course I had to Download the Song (Which while amazing, I cannot credit the Author for). It randomly comes up on my playlist, and I decided to come back and play the game that I discovered it from, only to realize that not only hadn't I favorited the Game, but I'd not left a review... (Both of which have now been fixed) So on to the Meat:

The Gameplay is simply amazing. There aren't alot of Musical Games period that integrate such enjoyably challenging gameplay so well with their songs. Alot of them have you "Matching the Beat", while others only loosely follow the music. In this Avoider Style Game, with every change in the song you're presented with a new or more difficult variant of an obstacle, and it aligns in both style and syncronization to the music.

The only reason I didn't give it a "Perfect Ten" is because there are a few odd glitches wherin obstacles (Specifically from the Yellow Cannon that shoots the exploding Bombs) dissapear off screen, only to show up randomly at another point (Sometimes even in the Menu) or just Freeze on the Screen, staying in the way when you return to game. Granted this is limited to dying while this obstacle is active, but it does certainly hinder gameplay at it's worst. (Though it "Almost" got away as an "Added Challenge" to me when it was limited to only coming back randomly while playing the earlier portion of the game. I didn't realize wholly that it was a glitch until I saw them in the Menu, and had one Freeze on Screen. ;P )

So Overall, amazing game, and I'd love to see a new Avoider variant of this "Following a Song, and Evolving Difficulty / Game Play Element " from the Author at some point in the future, as his skill has certainly only grown from when this was submitted. (Check out ANY of his more recent titles for proof of that. ;P )

[Cheat2Win]

Okay, so I hate Cheating...

But I loved this game. ;P Normally I go out of my way to avoid cheating in a game, it ruins the feeling of Accomplishment for me, but when the whole point of the game is "To" Cheat, well... I get to play how I want, and figure out the "Best" ways to "Really" Cheat. ;P

My only question is, is there a faster way to beat 7 without having to wait until the end? If so, I could shave my time in half. ^.^ (I'd like to know how those guys who've scored lower than me did it... I could pull a few seconds of my time with more practice... but not "That" much, without finding a better solution to 7. ;? )

Anywho, I'd have rated higher, but the same solutions can be applied to several puzzles, which makes it a mite repetitive. I'm sure it's harder to program a game to not allow certain methods of cheating, especially when the whole point of the game "Is" to cheat, but in that case, you could have fewer puzzles. Having multiples done the same way is just "Filler", and with an idea this awesome, you don't "Need" that. ;P