Score: 10

"The Clock. The Myth. The Legend."

submission: B

date: April 25, 2008

With the single letter "B," StrawberryClock staked his bold and visionary claim on the portal. Though many before and after would attempt to pass off minimalist works as art, only StrawberryClock's absurdist genius successfully took root in the minds of Newgrounders.

This seminal work inspired a generation of Flash artists. Whether you believe this change was for good or for ill, a look at the trends since then shows the futility of denying that Strawberry Clock is the King of the Portal.

Score: 10

"A Rare Treat"

submission: Alien The Movie

date: April 10, 2008

With Alien The Movie, Marco Perugini examines the quirks of human civilization and the tendency of history to repeat itself. By viewing humanity through the eyes of an alien explorer, he elegantly demonstrates the absurdity inherent to the human condition. The movie is short and to the point, and so classic is its message that it needs no dialogue.

It is rare to see genuine social commentary rather than simple criticism of established pop culture icons, and this elevates Alien The Movie head and shoulders above other such entries.

Score: 7

"Like A Dating Profile Flash"

submission: MidoriEyes ID

date: April 7, 2008

While this shows a better range of subject matter and much greater thematic unity than most submissions, it also abruptly turns into a glorified personal ad. The overall effect is somewhat bizarre - is this humor? Is it social commentary on the responses a female artist tends to garner on the internet? Is it in earnest? Perhaps it's some combination of the above, but the viewer is left guessing.

Midori's artwork is well-suited to capturing emotion and movement. For some, the stylized "sketchpad" drawings may ultimately give an unfinished feel to the product.

Score: 4

"A Decent System That Utterly Lacks Content"

submission: D'sova RPG

date: April 5, 2008

One might think that a product that managed to evoke both Cowboy Bebop and Xenosaga could not be insufferably boring. D'sova, however, proves this assumption incorrect. As the amnesiac title character Crudus, an accident has left you stranded on a vast landscape of unremitting grey and white. In between bouts of existential angst, you battle an unending series of random encounters. Yes, there is leveling up - but for what purpose? Crudus is not stranded on the island by an evil conspiracy or an old rival; her position is the result of a mechanical mishap, or at worst, poor driving skills.

Political, historical, or scientific details about the world are notably absent. We know that Crudus has a father that she wants to meet, but that is the single bit of character development we see. No explanation is given for her powers, or even for her green skin, let alone the odd characteristics of her blob-like benefactors. Is it common for people in her time to travel in spaceships, or does her use of one imply something about her social status? We don't know, and dozens of pointless fights later, we find that we don't care.

Credit must be given to the fighting system, which combines Xenosaga stylistic elements and Final Fantasy timed meters. The music is also quite good, though the crude random encounter sound is horribly jarring compared to the relatively professional soundtrack. D'Sova has the makings of a good game, but it lacks content.

Score: 10

"Beyond Dystopian."

submission: Spoilsbury Toast Boy -2

date: November 27, 2005

This is a strangely compelling pastiche of the life of an average boy in a mad world. The main character is forced to do disagreeable work for repulsive masters whose reach pervades every aspect of his life. It is in many ways a mirror of modern society.

Score: 8

"The Game Itself Feels Undead."

submission: Dr. Shroud Vampire Game

date: October 26, 2005

With this entry, the author of the critically acclaimed Dr. Shroud series tries his hand at arcade-style shoot-em-up action. While he delivers the characteristic dystopian setting and trademark art with panache, the gameplay itself seems rough and unfinished.

A horde of identical-looking vampires springs at our protagonist from their hiding places in a graveyard, and must be laid down with a hail of missile fire. Unfortunately, that's it. The game has no further plot, no variability in enemies, and most tellingly, no ammo limit. Difficulties in aiming (lack of a reticle, for one) are easily overcome by simply filling the entire screen with flying wooden shafts. Once this is realized, the game becomes farcical in terms of difficulty.

To be fair, this is the author's first submission, and his flash experience shows. The game is smooth, and the graphs are far superior to those of many other flash games. As it stands, however, this game is not a fully-formed, living thing, but rather an incomplete aberration - much like its titular enemies.

Score: 8

"Close To Done."

submission: Starfire

date: October 21, 2005

Starfire, while being an excellent Tyrian clone, suffers from a few setbacks. Gameplay scales nicely, but the power acquisition curve is a bit fast - putting a bit of money in the hands of the player instantly results in massive upgrades. The upgrades themselves do not appear to be commensurate with level; levels 1 and 2 are a breeze once the controls are mastered, but level 3's boss will have gamers screaming at their computers in rage.

Speaking of the level 3 boss, this is the single most discouraging aspect of the game. His instant kill dash attack cannot be survived even with the best shields and armor, and his ability to fire off lethal shots and then dash into the gap between his ranged shots makes it impossible to dodge at times. Worst of all, the "invulnerability" boost does not make you invulnerable to this attack.

Aside from this one boss, a very solid game. The ability to purchase boss save points, or extra lives, would round it out nicely.

Score: 6

""Fingers never stop""

submission: TheCut:ClockCrew

date: March 28, 2005

An odd foray into the world of black and white low-rez, TheCut:CC portrays a morphing image of Strawberry Clock and the obligatory fingers indicated in the lyrics. Viewers may be reminded of Stomp, but TheCut is too low-rez to have been rotoscoped.

Score: 10

"More Solid Work by Michol."

submission: The GHOST (demo .2)

date: March 3, 2005

Michol returns to Newgrounds with another solid, side-scrolling submission. This time it's The Ghost, the adventure of a paranormal hunter who relies on acquired guns and his trusty blade to dispatch the titular ghosts and skeletons.

For a demo, this was a very solid entry. There were only two issues that presented themselves. The first was that all the weapons seemed to be on the first level; the second and third either did not contain any weapons, or this reviewer missed them. This is purely a design issue, but a player might realize that they really need a machine gun, and can't go back to get one. The second thing that stuck out was some odd behavior of the platforms in level 2; occasionally it is possible to ride a platform to the top of the screen, resulting in jittery movement for the character. (It appears to "bounce" up and down on the platform.)

The Ghost shows some phenomenal detail to attention in parts. Walking animations are refreshingly authentic. The off-hand weapon and primary weapon move somewhat out of overlap during the motions of walking, creating the feel of hurried movement.

Having played Sky Boarder III, a previous Flash game by this author, this reviewer has every confidence that any kinks will be worked out by the time the game enters its final version.

Keep your eyes peeled for the final version, folks!

Score: 10

"Coordinated and Detailed."

submission: Hoy te amo ++

date: February 22, 2005

Readers who do not speak Spanish may fail to appreciate the subtleties of this Flash, which is actually coordinated in action and in metaphor with the underlying song. In Hoy te amo, Vinnie Veritas serves up yet another surreal experience for viewers in the part-manga, part-cartoon style that has come to be his trademark. Stylish camera pans, flashbacks, and zoom effects give this work a more professional feel than most of the competition. Additionally, attention was lavished on character design. It's the small details that help distinguish great works from good, and this has the marks of greatness.