BrotherJohn's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Blackjack Gold]

Superb Blackjack!

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!

[HAMU]

Freash Adaptation

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.

[Pinball Smash Up]

Good twist retains classic gameplay

I love Breakout-style games and this one delivers very much like Arkanoid laid out on a pinball table. I played a few levels in and would like to have seen more pinball table features to really make the theme stand out, but the gameplay is dynamic enough that I have no complaints about what I did see. Yes, the "Play Again" feature needs some attention, and while visiting the ActionScript, I would recommend hiding the mouse because it is a bit annoying to look at on top of the game while trying to play. You may want to just replace the mouse with a small graphic that does not distract much from the gameplay, but still lets you see how close you are to rolling off of the stage and interrupting the game. The music wasn't bad, but I got tired of the repetitious theme after a while and just turned the music off (good idea to have that feature). The pinball sound effects were just right and really added a lot to the character of the game. Fantastic job with this one. I'd like to see a few updates to it, but it scores very high on my list.

[GGG Deluxe]

Super Sequel

I enjoyed this just as much as the original! MEGATONS!

[Galactic Gravity Golf]

Phsyics Wonderland

I have spent so much time on this game I should have a separate PC just to keep it up and running! You would think my scores wouldn't be so terrible. It doesn't have to be a game I'm good at to be a game I love. I love this game - and the sequel! (Thank you for that!)

[Bike Challenge]

Challenging! Never seen play control like this...

I have not seen a game with play contols like this. Maybe I missed something in other games, but this is a very cool feel for the game and holds some great potential for some genre material. I stink at it - hardcore - but I still thought it was fun. The graphics are polished and the design is clear and smooth. Collisions and reactions seem tight. Although this game is not my cup of tea, it certainly should be for many folks. Check this out.