SAM'S PROFILE

Simply because this isn't dead and I started working on it more frequently again...




I added a much needed ammo counter, as well as pick ups to replenish said ammo. I have also been working on new maps, etc. There's a new scene regarding the plot too.

Thanks. I'd probably get the Jay Leno reference if I were American, but as it stands I only vaguely know the name. Why'd you ask?

Also, preview of one of the Still Life pages to come in the future.

I've since added a logical closing point to my entry. I'm continuing work on it, as a way to get used to RMVX.

Grab the new version here
http://www.rpgmaker.net/games/852/downloads/

Which is why I'm gonna jump in and try to save it!

Here's the first part of my feedback, I plan on doing a write up for every game in the event. But I'll post it up in sections. Simply because reviewing ten games in a row would kill me.

First off, we have...

Space Bunnies - Anaryu

I ended up playing Space Bunnies first to see if it was an install file, turns out the .exe file was actually the full game.

There's very little plot. For some reason or another, people have colonised Mars - probably just because they can, but it's never really explained. One man decides he wants to take his pet, presumably a bunny, and no one really bats an eyelid. This little guy then breeds like crazy on Mars. What the hell this lone bunny breeds with, again, is never explained and before you know it, bunnies have adapted to space and rapidly evolved into our worst nightmare! They even turn half of Asia into a giant carrot patch! Which is weird, seeing as this apparently started on Mars.

Also, this doesn't tie into the theme of golems. The only time it references a golem is when the game calls you a golem, a supposed defender. It makes me wonder if this game was preconceived, with the golem theme randomly thrown in. At any rate, the plot feels like the random ramblings of your average, hyperactive, 4Chan member and fails to appeal to me or even amuse me.

So, on to the gameplay! The game is essentially a bullet hell game. You move with the arrow keys, and shoot with the Z button, using X for special attacks. If you collect enough special orbs, you can use the Shift key for a special ability.

Now, I like bullet hell games, they're a fun distraction. I was quite ready to take down waves of bunny bastards, but the gameplay fell flat on it's face. You move incredibly slowly, making movement - a key element to surviving any bullet hell game, an impossible chore. You cannot dodge a damned thing, and there's such a delay between your shots when you fire, that you can't retaliate much either.

And yes, you can collect orbs to speed up, but you shouldn't have to endure the start of the game, where you'll just get hit by a barrage of bullets you can hardly avoid.

You'll shoot down a bunny or two, but you will spend most of your time slowly making a futile effort to dodge an enemy's bullet, being unable to launch a counter attack. If you weren't so slow, this game could have been fun to play, but instead, it feels like playing Sonic 2 - only Sonic is replaced with your grandmother.

The graphics are all standard RPG Maker graphics, as far as I can tell, which is weird to see in a Game Maker game. They're nothing special. The bullets are pretty standard, however, I question why the bunnies get regular bullets and I'm shooting miniature Hadoukens. Nothing special in the looks department, and the title screen is simply a gradient with Press Enter written on it.

The music feels really out of place and doesn;t fit. It's too calm for a bullet hell game. Where's the fast paced, shreiking guitars that really get the blood going? That announces a sense of urgency and danger? If anything the music in the game is calming, which is just as well when your character is slowly inching across the screen like an elderly lady trying to answer the door.

In summary, I didn't like this game. I really didn't. It had the potential to be good, and fun. Here's some tips though, next time, increase the speed, bullet hell games are fast and furious, not slow and steady. The music should back this up. If I'm shooting down bunnies, don't make me one guy who walks around space, at least make me some kind of ship. Next time, don't start thinking about the game before the actual event.

I can't recommend this game. It's too slow, too frustrating, and just fails to be anything that a bullet hell game should be.



Ender Day - Nobleman Nick

After my glowing review of Space Bunnies, let's see how Nobleman Nick's entry fares. Ender Day is made in RM2k3, so it's a little more familiar territory to me than GM is.

You play as Aren, a man travelling with his bodyguard, Warren. Wait. That shouldn't be 'you play as', more 'you watch'. There's no gameplay here, it's simply a three map cutscene. This did disappoint me a little, but with a three hour time limit, I did expect some games to be nothing more than a cinematic.

Having said that, if someone spends three hours making a three map cutscene - one map of which is blank and simply states it's a contest entry, then I expect it to really wow me. I expect fantastic mapping, stunning visual effects and great dialogue. I don't think any of this was really delivered.

Seeing as this is purely narrative, that's what I'm going to focus on. The characters are introduced very quickly, which is fine by me. All I need to know is that Aren and Warren are travelling to the castle and it tells me that without beating around the bush. Before we can get attached to these characters though, Warren is suddenly killed by a man named Kirtzeck.

The death is sudden, it's not at all dramatic, and it failed to have any impact as I'd just been introduced to Warren. There was almost no point to Warren's character existing in the first place. All he achieved before his death was telling the player the main character's name.

Yes, this death drives Aren to want to fight Kirt, but it still feels like there was only a death for the hell of it. Kirt summons a golem, which is where our theme comes in, and states he's attacking the castle. I was ready to fight the golem, but all I got was a single, standard battle animation which destroyed the golem. Add in some RTP animations later, again, all scripted and beyond the player's control, and Aren and Kirt have fought. Supposedly this passes for an epic battle.

All that happens after this, is that Aren runs off toward the castle, and states that more golems will be looking for him. Here the game abruptly ends. An unspectacular trailer.

The mapping is nothing special, large, empty spaces, flat backgrounds and little to no detail pertaining towards the culture or history of the area. None of the facesets match, Aren's in particular looking badly resized.

This game failed to grab me. I feel it'll also fail to grab anyone else's attention too. It needed to be more cinematic if there was to be no gameplay - and there were oppurtunities for gameplay segments in fighting the Golem and Kirt, both of which passed us by.

Also, let this show that when I review things, I won't hold back on games my friends have made. If anything I'm likely to go harder on my friends as I want them to learn from it.



Golem Master - Myersguy

Here we have a game that feels extremely old school. It reminds me of my first RM2k3 games. Everything is RTP, the characters are quickly introduced stereotypes, there's a basic plot about a guy called Barimore summoning Golems to force people from their homes.

Straight out of a brief opening you're thrown into a world map and the adventure begins! I was decidedly excited but quickly let down. What I failed to factor into my earlier excitement was that all my early RPG Maker games shared one thing in common. They were horrible to play.

I can't fault the mapping, it does it's job very well. Trying to interact with the first town brings up a handy list of shops to improve your equipment, and the monsters are on touch encounters, so it's entirely up to you if you want to fight them or not. I quickly had to choose not.

The main problem with this game is the battle system. It's the default, RM2k3 battle system, which can be used very well in the right hands. The priblems I had with it, was that you didn't start off with any skills or abilities, so I was just mashing attack over and over again - becoming exceedingly bored in the process. Not only was my only option to attack, but everyone's speed was so low that I had to wait far too long to strike again.

When Luise, one of four main characters, finally did learn a skill after levelling up, I figured I could finally put the long, boring, and tedious battles behind me with his Slash ability. No. The Slash ability does nothing. It literally does nothing. It never does any damage to the enemy, and the word Miss never displays, so it is hitting them. It doesn;t give them any status effects either, so it's a useless skill.

So, while this does have an excellent old school vibe to it, it's ruined by it's horrendous battles. Had the battles been better, this would have been a very solid entry. It's a shame, it truly is. Other than that, good effort.

If you guys are a bit more patient than me, and willing to sit through a few Attack fests, then by all means, try this game out. It does have a certain atmosphere about it which I haven't felt in a while. A mixture of nostalgia and a reminder of the basic principles of an RPG.



I'll post my reviews on the rest of the games released for this, later in the week. Thanks again to everybody who participated and made this a success.

I'm currently at art school (yes, it is a University) doing an FDA in Games Art & Design, stepping it up to a BA next year.

Other than that I work a cigarette kiosk in a local convenience store at the weekends.