RazorHawk's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Just a Bunny]

Great start, but could be better

First off, I love the Bunnykill series, finally getting a chance to play a game that features the same kind of characters is something I've been waiting for. Truthfully, I really hope people start making more Bunnykill games and movies. I'm really bored to death of the Madness ones.

The graphics and backgrounds were pretty good, and the characters definitely did seem very close to the ones from Bunnykill. From the moment the game started, I could tell it was a button masher, which is fine but I felt there was room for more as I progressed from level to level.

One thing I did notice is that I was taking damage from enemies on the top platform even though I was on the bottom, and logically, their swords never should have been able to reach me. At first, I didn't even notice it, but later on, it got to be annoying. I noticed the enemies on the top and the ones on the bottom didn't switch levels like you could, but I think it would be better if they could rather than be able to damage you in ways that realistically shouldn't be possible. As for the enemies themselves, I'd mix them all together, rather than have enemy A with the red swords come first, and then enemy B come with blue swords come around once all of enemy A was gone. Have them all fight alongside each other with different weapons, it would make a lot more variance. Meanwhile, the boss fights were good, I'd definitely keep those.

Also, the music could have been better. Most of it was just "white noise" as someone else described, and I would have liked to hear a more action-oriented loop that would have fueled the action and intensity a bit more.

Also, I would have liked to see some more weapons, and possible item/upgrade powerups that would have made the game more interesting and varied. Stuff that could have upgraded the weapons, give you entirely different weapons of more power, bestow special abilities or attacks, or even make the gas cloud bigger or upgraded would have been really nice to see. In addition to that, all of the levels were pretty much the same except for the backgrounds, which were nice but it still made the game very linear and feel like the same thing over and over again. Adding obstacles/hazards to overcome, things you can destroy to get out of your way, item crates to pick up powerups from, all of these kinds of things would give the game a really great gameplay boost and would make it a lot better.

Still, keep up the good work, we need more Bunnykill tributes like these.

[Exmortis 3]

Breathtaking...

First off, I perfectly understand the need to pay for this game. I loved Exmortis I and II, and I didn't mind whipping out my Visa to get the full version of Exmortis III. I know that independent Flash artists like yourself depend on this kind of income, and I know ads alone do very little. Considering you spent three years working on this, yes, I believe you should get something besides just a pat on the back for all the hard work you spent on creating this.

Now onto the real review.

The graphics and the setup truly feel like a professional game, though I know I won't be expecting a plethora of 3D models and Havoc physics in this (though a LOT of it does look three dimensional). Either way, the transition from Exmortis II to this is incredibly revolutionary. Everything in sight has a very photorealistic quality, and the insertion of powers, health, and even the whole mercy attribute already tell me there's way more to this game than ever before. Though I have a feeling I haven't even scratched 10% of the game's content yet even after going through the city ruins and completing the Exile Chapter, I can feel there's going to be much more to this and I'm excited to see what you've done in three years time. I feel the game runs a little smoother when its not full screened, but the frame-rate is still pretty good considering how much you've got going on in this.

The background storyline is also very impressive, and I'm a sucker for a good story. I like the direction you've gone in from the very first Exmortis to Exmortis II, and now this. I also love the surviving hope for humanity theme in a post apocalyptic world. This reminds me a lot of the I Am Legend movie and the game Fallout 3 with a more gothic feel, done in a similar style that the Myst series uses. But without a doubt, you've greatly raised the bar in ways I didn't think were possible with a Flash game.

How you managed to get the settings to look so realistic impresses and stumps me on how you did it. Usually when I watch a Flash animation, I can visually dissect how they were created. This... I can't. While I know photographs were used, that's probably only a minor catalyst as to how you created the final pictures. However you did it, I'm impressed. If you ever decide to work for a game development company, this would be one hell of a thing to have in your portfolio.

The 3.56 score this is running is neither a realistic nor a justified score estimate for this at all. I think most people are probably frustrated that they need to pay for the full version, but what I think they need to realize is that if they played and enjoyed the first and the second Exmortis games paired with the fact you spent three years making this masterpiece, they'll be getting their money's worth when they buy the full version. Plus honestly, I feel better supporting an outstanding independent artist and game designer as opposed to corporate game developers.

In conclusion, I look forward to the dark secrets you've packed into this game. What I've already seen has impressed me quite a lot. It's a shame there's no way to post a follow-up review, because I would love to add to this once I've played through the entire game and have seen everything.

In all, you've got remarkable talent. Good luck to you in your game designing career, you're definitely well prepared to go the distance.

[The Last Stand 2]

Best Survival Horror Game Yet Again

First off, I loved the original, but it was also pretty easy. Still, it remained as one of my favorite defense games here.

But as soon as I saw The Last Stand 2 in the portal... damn, I had to see it. And I am freaking amazed at this game, and how many new features it has to offer. Traps, location searching, traveling, arming your comrades... this is pure survival horror bliss. Heck, I've beaten the game (Though I can definitely say this one was a harder nut to crack than the original), but I still feel there's truckloads of stuff I haven't seen, and plenty of Easter eggs I haven't uncovered yet. The replay value on this game is amazing... way more than the original. I like the idea of traveling to different towns with different layouts, different barricades, and different secrets. Even if you beat the game, this game easily tempts you to try something different, take a new path, and search different areas. As for the area it, it seems like you modeled this from Oregon state. I'd love to see one modeled after Texas.

As for making a third one, definitely go for it, you've got two awesome games here and I think people here would easily welcome a third one. But, some other things I'd love to see added are these:

- Customized character and stat building. Allow players to design their own character's appearances, and let them change stats. Maybe their character is better with guns, maybe their character's survival skills are better and has an easier time salvaging supplies, or maybe they have charisma and they have an easier time getting survivors to help them. I could easily see this being used in an interesting way if it was used with a point system, similar to the game Fallout, which has the SPECIAL system laid out.
- Main character health. In addition to the barricade health, give your main guy a health bar. Sure, this makes things tougher, but I find it a little odd I needed to worry about the personal health of my comrades every time an armed sprinter zombie came around, but didn't need to worry about personal health. If it were possible for your main character to die BEFORE the barricade fell... oh, that would be things a little more dicey. Or, if the barricade fell apart, it would give your main character one last chance to fight back... until the undead end.
- More storyline. I'd love to know what caused the infection, and it would be interesting if the choices a player made during the game could affect the endgame storyline or... heck, have multiple endings, even if the player makes it all the way to the end. Endless replay value for the win. In addition, more in-game movies or cut-scenes would be nicely welcomed.

I feel like I'm a bit greedy though with these, but hey, you already have a fantastic game engine already made. If you ever felt like adding more, you definitely could.

In all, fantastic job at yet another amazing game. I swear, if these get any better, you're going to make me feel like I should be paying to play them. I haven't reviewed anything on Newgrounds for a LONG time, but I definitely had to leave one for this. Keep up the ultimately fantastic work, I look forward to seeing more of it.

[The Last Stand.]

Best Defense Game Ever

I’ve played a lot of defense games, but this one ROCKED. Graphics were amazing, concept was great, gameplay was well done, and no glitches or errors in programming at all. Also, the nice thing was the massive variety of enemies. Too many times, I’ve seen defense games where the enemies ALL look the same. Here, they all had their differences (save for the SWAT and military officers in uniform, but whatever). Plus, it wasn’t too hard, more on the easier side but hey, I’m okay with that. Once you know what to do (Maximize survivors at all times, repair accordingly, spend the rest of your hours weapon searching), it’s pretty easy from there on in, but it was excellent nonetheless.

The ending was pretty short-lived, I might have liked to see a little more to that but I know that already many games don’t come with a decent ending, or were even meant to be finished either. Weapon selection was great, the Barret at the end was a nice surprise, but it pretty much makes the game a complete cakewalk. The real struggle seems to come right around the time you get the M4A1.

My only complaint was the bit of lag caused by piles and piles of dead zombies gathering up. Yeah, I could have set the quality to low to compensate for that, but the graphics were too good to do that. Animation was smooth, hit direction was generally okay (I guess recoil was the reason for not getting headshots even when I had the crosshairs perfectly aligned), and the length was good. I’m not too crazy about games that don’t save and take hours to complete, but this was the perfect length to be completed nicely without getting too repetitive.

Major thumbs up for this game though, I really enjoyed this one.

[Paths]

Well made.

Beat it, and got a total death count of 136. I know, that's bad, but geez...

Very unique but man... this game can and will help you invent new swear words. But, it works well and is unlike anything I've played before.

Nicely done.

[D-Day in Normandy]

Well done

I had my doubts about it at first, but after really getting into the game, I discovered it was really good. Only things I found that might make it even better are a skip intro button, and maybe slow down the movement on the soldiers just a bit, since seems a little too fast and jittery. Also, don't have so much flashing with the film grain intro. It started to hurt my eyes after a while.

Other than that... wow. Lots of depth, action, and interactivity for a Flash game. Reminds me a lot of those old Medal of Honor games I used to play.

[Orange & Black]

Decent. Could be better, but decent enough.

Most of these games were pretty decent, but not really great enough to the point of playing again and again, maybe good enough for just one run through at that. Not really the kind of stuff I'm going to find myself coming back to...

Most of the graphics looked really good, and the controls and counters worked perfectly, but the games themselves weren't really all that much fun. Still, good job with everything else.

[IM ATTACK!!]

Extremely Amusing

Okay, I’ll admit, I know what this feels like. There are times when I simply copy and paste “Okay, I’m off, see you later” in each window and get out of there. Sure, it’s probably not the most entertaining game to play, but just facing the hilarious reality of it is quite amusing. If this is what you go through each time you sign on AIM, my condolences.

In all, nice job, I definitely got a smile out of it. Keep up the good work and I’m looking forward to seeing this on the front page.

[Q-ZAR The Game]

Awesome and Challenging

Actually, I had a lot of fun with this game, even though I completely owned the last guy. I've only played real Q-Zar once in my life when we went to Philly, but this game based off the real thing was fun, creative, and original. A lot of it was a matter of timing and memorizing movements, but it was still a good and innovative idea. I have yet to see a game based off laser tag, and this one did a really good job at it and was quite a lot of fun. Hit direction was great, hits were always calculated correctly, and I didn't find a single glitch or bug.

In all, great job on a very well made game.

[Crazy Kimono Doll Assault]

Whew...

2295 was my final score.

It's a simple idea but you made it even better with great graphics, sounds, and plenty of insense action. Weapon upgrades would definitely make this already great game even more exciting, as well as adding stronger enemies as time goes on, but nonetheless, you did a pretty darn good job already. Keep up the good work.