Score: 6

"I am obviously missing something important."

submission: Besieged

date: June 25, 2008

To be sure I was not left in the dark, I read the in-game instructions from start to finish. Pointless. The pop-up notes during play offer the same information. With no introductory level to get you used to the "balances" of the game, I found the opening level too difficult. I played for half an hour, which was enough time to lose the first level twice in a row. I guess I missed something important because I don't see why level 1 should seem so imbalanced. The graphics are "okay" and the sound is good, but all enemies shooting down one path was disappointing. XP seemed like a good idea, but I didn't notice any differences between level 1 towers and level 5 towers. This game has potential, so it gets a six instead of a lower score because I feel that it can be finished and turned into an 8 in the end.

Score: 4

"I've played the Atari "Adventure" before..."

submission: Zuho 1: Factory of horror

date: January 3, 2008

... this game has some potential, but it really did not strike me as finished in any sense of the word. The graphics need help. The audio isn't bad, but needs to be integrated more completely (that is, with some controls and variety). The mechanics are okay - that is, for a trial run of a fledgling engine - but do not seem polished or complete. Some game mechanics were confusing and too "conveniently" awarded, such as high-jumping capabilities. There are bugs as well (?) as the front-end menu does not indicate selections and often enemies would lose their weapons for no apparent reason. I did not see this categorized as a beta - and if it is, then it was my misunderstanding and I give many judos to the potential this game has for quality upon completion. If it is not a beta, then I reserve the kudos and replace them with a plea to finish the game. It could be good - it just needs work.

Score: 8

"Excellent Strategy Game!"

submission: Storm Of Androids

date: January 3, 2008

This game has the makings of an incredible product! I might like to see some upgrades considered for graphics and audio - that would push this game beyond the limits of the current score. The mechanics are very good, though, and although it looked daunting at first, I caught on in a short time. I think this game is great - but could be exceptional with a little polish.

Score: 7

"It's a good start..."

submission: .: Blox :. 1.1

date: December 27, 2007

I like it - but it could use some speed from the start. It wasn't the game playing slowly - it was the slow gameplay that bogged it down a bit. Also, the first ball that launched went down instead of up. I don't know if that was a fluke or not, but it happened once and the rest went up. The core of a good game is there, just make it a little more challenging and engaging from the get-go.

Score: 6

"Great Start"

submission: Glowsticks

date: December 22, 2007

This is a great start for coding platforming games. With some tweaks to this, it could be really good. You may want to add some additional physics to make gameplay more engaging. The graphics are pretty cool - sometimes a little sparse and low in contrast, though, so you may want to brighten things up a bit at the very least. The music is... there. I'm sure you could source some better tunes if you scavenged a little more.

I think this will be ready for prime time if you keep at it and make changes as you learn more. This is a wonderful start, though, so you are certainly on the right track to a great final version!

Score: 8

"Splendid Twist!"

submission: Retroid

date: December 19, 2007

I like the new way that Pong works here!!!! I haven't played with a Wii, and I haven't seen this variation before, so the score goes up there for being the first to introduce me to this new style.

Score: 7

"Great Visuals and Sound"

submission: Icescape

date: December 19, 2007

I loved the graphics and audio. I could not get anything in my inventory to work. It could be me, but I didn't really feel the urge to try over and over to get it working.

Score: 6

"Some Tweaks and It Could Be Great!"

submission: Glamour Girl Slots Game 2

date: December 19, 2007

I liked this...

I would still do a few things to make it play out a little more smoothly. First, find the script error that causes the credits to go to NaN. This did not happen to me until the last photo or two, but it happened. Even after a win, I would still like to have been able to play some more. Also, I think it might be a very very very good idea if you first took a survey somewhere by posting all of the pictures and having several people rate them so that you can get a good idea which are more popular than others. Use that survey to order the pictures so that the most popular are toward the end. Also, it wouldn't have hurt to put in a feature that would allow you to scroll through the pictures you have already unlocked. You have plenty of room in your interface to create a gallery-style reward section.

Still, good game, good implementation of slots.

Score: 8

"Superb Blackjack!"

submission: Blackjack Gold

date: December 13, 2007

This game is Blackjack done right. The sound is uncommon (scissors-like on the deal) but not bad. I played many rounds and did not tire of the sounds very much. The graphics are excellent, so no improvements required there. The gameplay is easy-to-use Blackjack - enough said. If you are planning on revising anything, you don't need to repair the game - but some (very easy to add) upgrades that you might consider for future versions would be menu selections for things like:

number of decks used per game and shuffle frequency
double on any first play
double on any play
no insurance
and similar game options in case you want to deviate a little from strict house rules...

Also, perhaps a table for selecting bet amounts that go in higher or lower increments so that it doesn't take as long to bet large amounts.

Still, this game is great - so those are only suggestions for future releases - I like this one as is!

Score: 7

"Freash Adaptation"

submission: HAMU

date: November 10, 2007

This adaptation has enough of a fresh twist to keep it interesting and playable among others. The pacing is well done and the scripting seems pretty solid. The graphics are simple and that works well for this adaptation. I was not very impressed with the scoreboard display, though, as it looked almost as if it were added as an afterthought and no design effort was put into it. The sound effects are nice and the music is okay - I like that the music changes with some level-ups, otherwise I would not be too impressed with the score. The most important thing that needs to be addressed is that gameplay gets lost when more actions are taking place on the screen. I love that so much is going on but when it does, the ball's position is not clear at all. If the ball is going to be amongst all of that action, it needs to stand out so the player has a chance to follow it's path and move accordingly. A last gameplay tip, I would prefer some clue or warning that some blocks are just going to appear out of nowhere and redirect the ball. One level had this happen twice right near the bottom of the play area - near where the paddle is. As a designer, you may see this as a challenge for players, but the way it comes across is that it is just a "cheap shot" put there to discourage the player instead. All-in-all, this is a really good game and I'd like to see it improved only because then it could be a great game! This game has a few small obstacles, but still deserves a nice chunky score of 7/10 for being as good as it is. This will be on my favorites list.