| |
Changes: I now will no longer put a game
here (in the new releases section) unless it has at least 15 minutes of
gametime... in my mind, any demo should at least be longer than the time
taken to find and download and unzip and run it. Therefore if a game is
released that doesn't have 15 minutes of playtime, I won't cover it as
a released game... not to be unfair, but because I simply don't have the
time to play ever single game released each month if the game isn't very
substancial. I have no problem playing games that deserve the name,
but I don't have time to write a review of all the games like DBZ: Small
Super Saiyan and Secret Milkshake.
Games of the Month (or, really, Games of the Issue)
for this issue are Powerstick Man and Walthros (tied). Both are very interesting
games with a good amount of length and depth.
This month some of the reviews were written by
a guest reviewer, who chooses to remain anonymous. The ones that were by
the guest reviewer are in orange.
Next month, I will try to get more guest reviewers...
maybe a whole bunch, each reviewing several games, so that each game would
have more than one opinion about it. If you would like to try out be a
guest reviewer, email me.
By the way, I had said that there would be Christmas
Contest games covered in this issue... but there were no Christmas Contest
games, so it can't be helped...
Standards in
Difficulty Ratings
none - no difficulty, no battles, no challenge
at all. Example:
Mario Paint
low - you probably won't die no matter
how badly you play. Examples:
Final Fantasy 7, Chrono Cross
medium - you won't die unless you are
new to rpgs. Examples:
Final Fantasy 4j, Final Fantasy 5j
high - you'll probably die several times.
Examples: Revelations: Persona, 7th Saga, Gauntlet (NES)
Standards in
Grading
When I give an overall grade (A+ highest, F- lowest),
I take into account a game's main qualities 1) how fun the game was, 2)
how much work and talent has gone into it, 3) how original and interesting
the game was, 4) lack of annoying but persistent distractions, 5) how much
game there is. A grade can be considered to by my perception of its level
of quality, the value-group I mentally categorize a game when I think about
it after playing it. There is an intential bell curve distribution, most
games will be C and D, less games will be B and E, and only very rare games
are A or F. No games have gotton and S grade yet, which I reserve for titles
which are 'A' quality, and complete (not demos). Keep in mind that D+ is
average, and C- is better than average. The letter grade is more of a quality-of-game
value, whereas the + or - or lack of either is more of an indication as
to how many little details are in the game... ie, how polished it is.
Games and Game
Demos Released in September 2000
Key: Demos have grey
backgrounds, full games (i.e., games with an ending, although not
necessarily games that won't be updated anymore) have green
backgrounds.
The
Adventures of Powerstick Man
This game's world is huge. There are a large variety of things to explore
and do which will consume a lot of time. This is not an Ohrrpgce game that
you can finish in one sitting. There are a lot of out-of-the-way diversions
and secrets which you won't find unless you take your time and explore.
There is a lot of dialogue, a large amount of equipable weapons... you
name it, this game has a lot of it. If there are two words that describes
this game, they are -town exploration-. If I could add a third and a fourth,
it would become -lots of town exploration-. Another point is that this
game is very open, and not as linear as most rpgs today. However, there
are a few downsides to the game (which is why it didn't get an A grade).
Firstly, the story isn't very interesting yet... there is no event-flow...
things just happen or are explored. However the author informs me
that the story is not actually thought out yet, so it should be improved
in the final version. Secondly, I don't like the style of the graphics.
Nothing is outlined in black, there is very little shading, and the characters
are all so small... the complete opposite of the colorful graphics seen
in most nes and snes rpgs. Graphics don't make a game, but if you are going
to spend upwards of 5 hours on a game, it does get annoying. Thirdly, I
don't like popular music... but this may not be a problem for most others.
Anyway, if you have some free time, you will enjoy playing the demo. But
I can see that it might also be good to wait untill the game is completed
and the story is in place.
|
Name: The Adventures of Powerstick Man
Author: CFD Entertainment/Trademark Productions/Boo
Yeah 2000/Pepsi Ranger
Genre: Superhero RPG
Difficulty: Medium
Grade: B+
Release date: 12/30/00
Demo Length: 4-5 hours
Size: 12,663 kb
Download: Operation
OHR
(+)This
is a great start,
(-)
...but not a finished product. |
e |
Walthros
If you do not judge ohrrpgce games by their graphics,
then you should give Walthros a try. A surprisingly epic adventure awaits
you in this gem of a game. You play as Bob Surlaw, a Walthrosian fish,
who sets forth to explore the blue ruins. The story starts out slow, but
gradually snowballs into something grand, of which I don't want to spoil
too much of. This game has the ever classic mad scientist, elemental crystals,
and even spans alternate dimensions. The graphics may not be the best,
but they are consistent and make it unique, if nothing else. You can tell
the author is focused on game design and it shows in the overall fun factor.
I eagerly await the completion of this game.
One thing I want to mention that my guest reviewer did not: The story
is more than just grand, it is perhaps one of the best stories on the Ohrrpgce
to date... it shouldn't be missed, if only for that reason.
|
Name: Walthros
Author: Paul Harrington
Genre: Cartoony RPG
Difficulty: Medium
Grade: B+
Release date: 10/26/00
Demo Length: Around 2 hours
Size: ???
Download: Operation
OHR
(+) The story,
gameplay, and playtime are exceptional.
(-) The graphics
are rather bland, little variety in enemy sets. |
I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob. |
Duck
and MJ 2
This game is much better than the first Duck and MJ... in particular,
the battles are much more exciting. The game also has a clear story now.
No theme that I could see, but there is a story. The gameplay sort of reminds
me of Xerian mixed with And. All in all, a good contribution to the Ohrrpgce's
library of games.
Name: Duck and MJ 2
Author: JSHGames
Genre: Cartoony RPG
Difficulty: Low to Medium
Grade: C-
Release date:
Demo Length: 30-40 minutes
Size: 1,357 kb
Download: JSHGames
(+)Battles,
originality
(-)Graphics,
music |
A hidden confrontation. |
The
Land of Blobs
A game where you play as Slarp, a blob, who must
fight the slimes for control of the blob's land, (which explains the title,
"The Land of Blobs".) Other than that, which you learn in the first two
text boxes, there is no story. You fight a variety of globs, slimes, and
that's it. I assume this game was made soley for the author's personal
amusement, which I guess isn't a bad thing if you are the author. Therefore
I cannot recommend this game to anyone other than the author.
The difficulty seemed more than 'Low' for me... since I died in one
of the battles... I'd say more like medium.
Name: The Land of Blobs
Author: Landsoft 2000/Mark M.
Genre: Blob RPG
Difficulty: Low
Grade: E-
Release date: ???
Demo Length: 10-20 minutes
Size: 1,139
Download: Operation
OHR
(+) There
appears to be some sort of effort put into this game.
(-) Short
and so very pointless. |
What was close? Nothing happened. |
Minesweepa
Everyone should be familiar with this game, as
it comes with windows. You choose one of three difficulty levels, find
mines through the clues from numbers and mark them with flags. Sometimes
you have to press enter or 'm' several times to sweep or mark a square.
Supposely this game was made in about twenty-four hours.
One thing I wish this game would have had was the option to save high-scores
(as global variables are saved with the save file). Also, it lacks many
of the features of the windows version... but still, considering the game
was made using plotscripting, it is amazing this game was made at all.
Moogle1 has my vote for best plotscripter on the Ohrrpgce.
Name: Minesweepa
Author: Moogle1
Genre: Mini-game
Difficulty: Depends how logical you are
Grade: C+
Release date: 12/30/00
Demo Length: N/A
Size: 500 kb
Download: ???
(+) Its minesweeper
for the ohrrpgce.
(-) Its only
minesweeper... and nothing else. |
The main game screen. |
The
Night Santa Went Crazy
A game obviously inspired by a certain Weird "Al"
song, this new version of The Night Santa Went Crazy adds a few new places
and modified text. It is full of humor, cheap jokes, and is very light-hearted.
Don't expect this game to be full of christmas cheer as the characters,
(and Santa, as the title suggest,) are rather disgruntled. The gameplay
consists of leveling up outside fighthing ice crystals until you are ready
to face santa. The graphics and music fit the holiday mood well, but don't
expect the text to put you in the holiday spirit.
One thing also... the game is basically about leveling up your characters
until they are strong enough to defeat Santa. I think a good idea would
have been to try to defeat Santa at the lowest possible level, and rank
the player accordingly.
Name: The Night Santa
Went Crazy
Author: Ben-Ohki and ???
Genre: Holiday Game
Difficulty: Low
Grade: C
Release date: 12/24/00
Demo Length: 30 minutes
Size: 2,709 kb
Download: Here
(+)Good variety
in characters, interesting theme.
(-)Short
playtime, still not much to do yet. |
One of only two battles in the game |
The
Rise of The Dragon Slayers
A rpg set in a gloomy world with unlikely heroes
who will inevitably fight the dragon slayers, (although I cannot say for
sure since this is only a short demo). The graphics are similar in style
to Ends of the Earth. Design problems may annoy the casual player, (poor
defined exits on the forest map come to mind). With more length and better
design, this could very well be a great game, until then it will remain
mediocre.
I think this game was too short to have been released as a demo...
Name: The Rise of the
Dragon Slayers
Author: Stargames Software
Genre: Traditional Fantasy RPG
Difficulty: low
Grade: C
Release date: 12/18/00
Demo Length: 15 minutes
Size: 3,983 kb
Download: Stargames
Software
(+) Above
average graphics, interesting overture.
(-) Few battles
(only 3 enemies?), grammatical problems. |
Where would Dragon Slayers be without dragons? |
Sailor
Moon RPG: Another Dimension
This is a new release of Salior Moon RPG. The
story is the same as before, except it is longer, various old graphics
were updated, and it uses gamescripting, (James prefers the word 'gamescripting'
over 'plotscripting' now.) As with the previous version, this game is largely
targeted towards fans of the Sailor Moon series and non fans need not bother
with it.
I, though, being a Sailor Moon fan, liked it. I can't wait until it's
finished. And no, that wasn't James saying that he preferred that term,
it was an imposter who said that... but I left that part in to add variety
to the review.
Name: Salior Moon RPG:
Another Dimension
Author: David De Leon
Genre: Fangame
Difficulty: Medium
Grade: C+
Release date: 9/17/00
Demo Length: 1 hour
Size: 5,319 kb
Download: Sailor
Moon RPG
(+) Sailor
Moon fan game.
(-) It may
be very, very boring if you are not a fan of the Sailor Moon series. |
Let us Kill the shark with some type of pellet gun.
. |
|