Score: 10

"Great, if short"

submission: Pico Blast

date: May 3, 2008

At first I thought the game was too hard. But, now, having played through it a second time and actually beaten it, I think the difficulty level was just right - which is very rarely the case on Newgrounds - usually something is either insanely difficult or extremely easy.

Overall, the game felt really polished and professional - very much like playing one of the old Contra games with Pico characters. The story was also well written, for what little there was - it gave just enough justification for what you were doing so it didn't seem completely random, and it also managed to have genuinely funny moments - particularly the ending.

Also, I like the control setup. Any time I can use the arrow keys to move around instead of the AWSD keys, I'm a happy camper. Other than that, the control were really simple and intuitive.

Would have been nice to see more variety in powerups, but, given the length of the game I think the amount that are in there are certainly enough - although, the missles and flamethrower seemed kind of worthless in my opinion - but you need stuff like that keep people on their toes and thinking strategically. Also, a secondary attack of some type might have been nice - such as a grenade blast that damages everything on the screen - through probably in this game, that would have made things too easy - but in a game with longer levels it's something to consider including.

What really impressed me was the AI of the first boss. There was a definite pattern - and once you learn it, he's beatable - but even if you go in knowing what to expect, you can still get your ass handed to you if you aren't paying attention, which is good because it keeps me as a player from feeling passive about the game and it shows that the game really is challenging and solidly made and is not just about learning the "tricks" to beating it.

As almost everyone else has said, more and longer levels would have been nice, and this type of game is perfect for platorming action. But I actually appreciate the length of the game as it is now - it's just long enough to be an entertaining and challenging mini-game that you can play when you have a few spare minutes, which I assume was the intention given the Author's Comments. And I'd much rather play a short, well thought out and polished game than one that's a little longer, but possibly rushed in places, and so in the end not as good as it could have been.

Really there's nothing negative to say about the game - any complaints I could think of would just be minor nitpicks - and this is certainly a game that's worthy to bear the Pico mantle.

It would be great to see more of these types of games later in the year - you certainly have my support in releasing them, for whatever that's worth to you.

So yeah, thanks for a really excellent submission - I wish that more flash games were as well executed as this one.

Score: 4

"A little below average..."

submission: Polkarama

date: January 18, 2007

But hey, it's Newgrounds, this isn't' exactly the target audience for the chicken dance. It's animated well enough; I don't see why this should get blammed when a bunch of other crap gets through. Don't get discouraged and keeping making more flash.

Score: 5

"A good start"

submission: Amazingly Amazing

date: January 18, 2007

I agree with the last reviewer; you've got potential and I think you're going to do good things if you keep at it. But, I also liked this flash. It's simple, definitely nothing too flashy, but it's fun to watch and at least it's well executed and an original idea, which is a lot better than most entries can boast.

Score: 10

"What a great pilot!"

submission: Summer Camp: Episode 1

date: January 17, 2007

Man, that was well drawn, well written, well animated, this was just pretty awesome overall. Couldn't suggest anything to improve it, it's pretty good as is.

Score: 8

"Very funny"

submission: The Matrix Bamboozled

date: January 17, 2007

Wow, not what I was expecting at all. That was a very funny, original concept and it was well executed. You hardly ever see something like that go through the flash portal.

Score: 0

"Broken?"

submission: Ultimate Prophet Episode8

date: January 17, 2007

I think there might be something wrong with the file because when it loads and I click on PLAY all I get is a black screen.

Score: 10

"10!"

submission: Alright then.

date: January 17, 2007

I like it BECAUSE it reminds me of Burntfaceman

Score: 9

"A pleasant and funny surprise"

submission: Robots In The Workplace

date: January 17, 2007

That was really funny! I personally liked the art style you went with; it's a little quirky but it works very well with the subject matter. It was just realistic enough where I think you achieved the pseudo-documentary look you were going for. Anyway, good job! I can't wait to watch the rest of the series.

Score: 3

"Pretty Standard Sprite Stuff"

submission: Ichigo Vs.Link p2

date: January 17, 2007

It wasn't bad, don't get me wrong. This is head and shoulders above about 90 percent of what gets submitted around here. It's just pretty mediocre for anything made with sprites; nothing stands out too much. Although, being able to choose the ending was a nice touch.

You've got talent; even though this one might not get great scores from people, you should keep making flash and submitting them. A lot of people do have a bias against animations made with sprites, so, just be prepared to get some backlash for that. But, sprite stuff can definitely be good; just watch Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Anyway, come up with more original ideas and I think you're good to go.

Score: 8

"Very solid game"

submission: Music Zap

date: January 17, 2007

Whenever I see Armor Games at the beginning I know it's going to be quality. This is a very simple game that can become very addicting. I guess graphically it would be nice to have a little more going on, like different backgrounds or something like that, but like I said, it's a simple game so it doesn't need to be too flashy. Controls on the game are very responsive and the objective is immediately clear, even if you didn't read the instructions. Very good job overall.