Murtiahg's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Genesis]

If someone is looking to keep themselves occupied for five minutes or so, this is a nice little game. I agree with others in that the strongest part of this game is the atmosphere, help set by God's voice at the beginning and end, as well as the calming music. God could have spoken more throughout the experience, I suppose, such as giving players hints as to what their actions have really accomplished. Otherwise I'm a square that's creating other squares, and sometimes even more squares to eat those squares. Maybe if God came in the middle and "blamed" the player for creating the concept of war (or something along those lines) it would have made for a deeper experience. In this format, however, I suppose players can make this game mean whatever they want it to. Nicely done.

MikeSalyh responds:

Those are some great points; the game definitely could have featured more prominent storytelling. If I do another project like this, what other aspects would everyone like to see more of?

[Swords and Potions]

At first I thought I would really enjoy this game, mostly because I enjoy most "simulator" games that let you run your own business and/or towns. When the game kicked off I was amazed by how simple yet detailed it was. Then I ran across the "token" problem, which admittedly made me shake with dread, but I kept on. I assumed I would still be able to play most of the game with just the gold I made from my loyal and happy customers. Boy, was I wrong. Half of my store couldn't be available because I didn't have the tokens I needed or the guild members needed to "approve" the addition. So I was stuck with just a blacksmith and craftsman in the cheapest store I could afford. After another shudder I decided to just shrug my shoulders and tough it out. Maybe, just maybe, I could get enough gold to hire the other two merchants. Then I came across the infamous "wait or buy more days" message. That was when I decided I had enough. While this game is amazing and would do well as an expanded game, such as a town simulator, I feel that something like this shouldn't need to be paid for. Did the creator really spend so much money that (s)he needs us to pay them for their product? Maybe, but I doubt it. I'm sure someone will come along and make a flash game similar to this but free-to-play, like 99% of the games on Newgrounds are. I forget the name of one such simulator, but it is my favorite to date on this site. Still, this is a good game and I hope to see it develop further in the future. Maybe then I'll be willing to pay a single retail price for all of the features instead of having to pay a "subscription" basically.

[Madness: Project Nexus (Classic)]

I must say that this game quickly became one of my favorites on Newgrounds when it was first released. It still is to this day, especially with the new update. I know some people are complaining about the zombies and the new enemies, but Krinkles did give us all a fair warning. Yes, at moments they are overpowered, but after an hour break I came back with a cleared head and I could beat the Episode 1.5 campaign with hardly any problem. I learned each of the new enemies' strategies and I was quickly able to adapt to any situation. That's the point of anything Madness, right? Adapt.

The reason I only give this a 4.5/5 is because there are still tweaks left to made. Hopefully when the final version of Nexus is released it will have earned itself a full five stars. As of now I hope that the creators of this magnificent flash game will continue with their work and I look forward to seeing more of Krinkles' own work.

[Exit Path]

This game is very near to "genius" in the way it plays and presents itself. I don't know if the maker got inspiration from the Portal series, but I was reminded of it. Maybe it was the whole "test-subject-turned-victim" scenario that's becoming very popular these days. Whatever it was, the maker of this game did a good job with it!

[Reincarnation: TEND]

EVIL!:

The evil demonic lapdog henchman lackey of Lucifer strikes once again! And is it just me, or is he getting more efficient at it? Oh well, it must just be from the short length of the game (trust me, this was a joke not a criticism). Really, I have always enjoyed these games and I am looking forward to a full-length computer game. Though it may be awhile before I actually purchase it (Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Assassin's Creed: Revelations are unfortunately higher priority on my pre-order list), I may someday decide to buy it. Keep up the good work as always, and if anyone gives this game a bad review then their just asking for a demonic lapdog lackey of Lucifer to use their "EVIL!" powers on them.

[Tree Of Life.]

Frontpage Worthy:

Though not the best game out there on the web, and I'm sure the maker doesn't claim in to be, I feel that it was a good game. I also feel a little disappointed in all of those people with the "1" or "2" scores and terrible reviews. Their reasons are because it's too repetitive (because you have to use previously gained knowledge to make it through future puzzles) and that the levels are extremely easy (and the first TEN are). I'm not trying to "blam" those people, but people should at least take a shot at the whole game before giving a terrible review. "But the game looks like it was made for children," is an argument, and it can easily be forgiven if you look at that little thing called a "rating". It that's green E just above and to the left of the game screen. Now that my little (and maybe entertaining) rant is over, onto an actual review.

I felt that each level was original and that no two levels were alike, and the only criticism I have is that when you finish the game you have no real sense of reward. No medal, no extra levels (besides the bonus ones collected throughout the game), just a "congratulations" message. Like I said, that's my only real problem with the game. Other than that I enjoyed it, and some of the puzzles were quite challenging to the point I had to watch the walkthrough videos a couple of times. (Wow, I can feel the people I just made fun of getting ready to pounce on me for being "stupid" for that.) Anyways, good game, and definitely worthy of the frontpage no matter what anyone else says.

[One Chance]

A true "struggle with emotions" game:

This game, which played as more of a story in my mind as I went about it, truly gripped at my heart. It shows you what people can be like when faced with the greatest day of their life, and how they react when it all twists into total oblivion. I also enjoyed how you could choose how to live out the last few days of your life on the world. Here is how I imagined it with my character:

"The scientist knew he had to do something to stop the terrible tragedy that he and his fellow workers had unleashed. He hadn't done much to help fix the problem until he had seen one of his closest friends jump off the roof of his work place, and then he found his own wife dead in a pool of her own blood. It hurt him how his daughter just couldn't understand, but he was determined to do something. And so, against all odds, he worked through the last days of humanity in hopes of finding a cure. Too bad fate was not so kind to him..."

I know there are many ways to play this game, but just the feeling of trying everything and still end up with nothing speaks to me in a way no game has in awhile. I love all of the games submitted into the Art category, and this is one of my top favorites. Very good work. I hope for more soon.

[The Killer - gametrekking]

An excellent Art game:

I found that this game, despite any and all negative reviews and comments, was perhaps the best emotional game I have played in a long time. Even the simplicity in the gameplay helps heighten the beauty of it all. I thought it was a good addition to the story to choose to either conform and kill the man, or to rebel and spare him. Either way it was a punishment because those who rebelled were killed, but I felt that those soldiers died with cleansed hearts for doing one last act of mercy. I am sorry if this game has gotten too many negative comments and so on, but I feel those people are just upset for the lack of complex gameplay and an interactive story. I am a true fan of these types of games, and wish more people could show so much appreciation for this type of stuff. Very nice work.

[Impero Galactica]

Excellent Game

Quite honestly, this was an excellent game. One of the reasons it will probably become quite popular is because of it's similarity to "Sins of a Solar Empire". I never really enjoy the diplomacy or economic viewpoints of that game, and focused mainly on the battle-system and military strategies. So a game that focused mainly on the battle portion of a very similar aspect really caught my attention quickly and had me hooked to it in no time. Keep up the good work, I am looking forward to your later submissions.
5/5
9/10