PatDude's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Pokemon Tower Defense]

Excellent game, but there's a few things...

I'll say it outright: this game is fun even with it's share of flaws.

The gameplay is what you'd expect (which is a good thing). It's been well adapted from the turn-based gameplay into a Tower Defense game, and it works really well. It's fun, and EXP grinding doesn't feel like it's much of a chore because of the hands-off style gameplay Pokémon Tower Defense offers. It doesn't feel butchered at all. I especially love the levels where you can only place certain types of Pokémon at the best spots, such as Mt. Moon 1. I'd be nice it as a more central gameplay element, to keep the player occupied in catching a variety of Pokémon.

Graphics, they're, well, less adapted. Everything's scaled from the games, but not in an orderly, consistent fashion. Some elements are scaled 4x, others 3x, 2x or worst of all, 1.5x. The UI itself could've been better, such as buttons that change colour when the mouse is hovered over them. Some UI elements quasi-overlap, which is not pretty to look at. May I suggest ripping the dialog windows from the games for future versions?

Sound and music is ripped straight from various Pokémon games. Only complaint I have is a lack of consistency, the OST contains various themes, jingles, and sound effects from the first 3 generations of games. I'd suggest only ripping them from FireRed/LeafGreen, just to keep the style.

Some of the levels are just... meh. Many levels following and including Cerulean Gym 2 are just downright unfair. I'd like to use all 6 of my Pokémon at all times, but that's just me. The gameplay just screams to have your Pokémon co-operate with each-other. As for co-operation, is there a possibility of you adding a way to prioritize which moves are used when? I myself and many others hate doing it manually, especially when you have 6 Pokémon out.

Lastly, storyline and dialog. I don't like seeing smileys and bad grammar. I know this is a very minor thing and the game is in Alpha, but still. You'd do yourself a favour to polish it up.

Great work. Keep it up!

[The Best Game Ever Made]

The title says all.

So much replayability, and it's SO FUN!

[Music Quest]

Wow.

I had no idea what I had clicked on. Man, this blows my mind. It shows Flash can still be a good platform for apps.

Fan-tas-tic. 10/10, 5/5, and fav'd.

[Super PSTW Action RPG]

Excellent

I love the Easter egg you put in the 12th town.

[Effing Meteors]

Fantastic

Oh man, where do I start. The gameplay, graphics-style, setting are all unique. It gave me a feel for retro arcade space shooter games except I was the one controlling the asteroids. The visit to an alien planet was also pretty cool.

Oh god, not to mention the humour. Most of it's subtle but that's what makes it great, such as killing those pesky aliens or defeating the final Boss "Around 12 minutes ago". The last death afterwards made be laugh my head off.

Anyone looking for a quick time-waster, look here. Simple, easy gameplay and great humour with awesome art. Final Boss can be a bit tedious though, as is trying to knock out the last living member of a species. But those are just small flaws.

[No Time to Explain]

I don't have the time to explain.

Love this. Gameplay is perfect. It's identical to the Xbox Live Arcade game Limbo except with the jet gun instead.

Although it's short, it shows how flexible Limbo-style gameplay can be. Frequent checkpoints after each obstacle, with no repetition whatsoever.

The area design was reminiscent to Limbo too. Quick transitions from Plain to Cave to City.

The fact that there's no tutorial leaves a sense of satisfaction when I overcome my first obstacle. And all the others too. Because every obstacle is different, I'm always satisfied when I pass that one and move onto the next. The frequent checkpoints makes for minimal frustration when I do fail too.

The only flaw I can find in this game is the length. Although that's perhaps a flaw in a lot of flashes here, some sort of interactive piece of environment could've added some length. Of course, I had a lot of fun playing what there is of the game, and the length itself doesn't really hurt the experience that much. The 5 minute play time did leave more to be desired though.

[Insidia]

Indie mash-up!

Well, it seems nobody noticed, but the gameplay is ripped straight off of "Knytt Stories". It's an indie game that plays not only exactly like this, but if has its own level (Or "Story") editor.

As for Insidia, I'll give it an 8 because it stands alone as a sort of experience (It's very similar to the Xbox Live Arcade game Limbo). Although again, there's no gameplay change from Knytt Stories at all except the decrease (That's right, decrease) in the amount of power-ups (Besides, I love, love, love that ghost upgrade).

I'd have given this a higher score if it'd expanded on the gameplay of Knytt Stories (and thus been longer), but the score could've been a lot worse.

I like the choice to make this a flash game. It's a much, much, MUCH better way to be heard than to make a Knytt level nobody's gonna play. Then there's atmosphere. It what's getting this game all the talk. And there's not much to say about the atmosphere that can't be said about Limbo, except that Insidia is a little more subtle about things. There's a feeling of innocence in the world that quickly turns more intense when the screen is switched. Excellent use of screen switching.

Gameplay-wise it's nothing new, and atmosphere-wise it's again nothing new. But the unoriginality really doesn't take away from the fun because you managed to take an obscured game's gameplay and a slightly overpriced cult game's atmosphere and give then the attention they damn well deserve (Knytt Stories more than Limbo though).

As for the multiple endings, I think it's a nice little thing to keep the player a little more lively while searching for stuff.

As for anyone who wants more of the gameplay, check out Knytt Stories (And make a story while you're at it), and for those who love the atmosphere, check out Limbo on Xbox Live Arcade.