DarkDedede's Review Shop.

[DarkDedede]

Hello everyone. I am DarkDedede. I am a reviewer at the LittleBigReviewers over at the Workshop forums. Since the group is on hiatus, I've decided to set up shop over here at LBPCentral.

If you would like your level to be reviewed, I would be happy to look it over. I am not the easiest reviewer, but I do try to give as much feedback as I can along with my ratings.

I rate each level based on 5 main criteria.

Concept/Originality: ★/5

Gameplay/Implementation: ★/5

Level Design/Communication: ★/5

Aesthetic/Presentation: ★/5

Overall: ★/5 (Not an average)

My Ratings Explanation & Tips

I will also include sections on what I feel are the level's strengths, its weaknesses, and just random nitpicks on things that just bother me. After the level has been rated, I will also include a list of suggestions on where I feel the level could be improved.

So if you're interested, leave the name of the level and your PSN, and I will get to it as soon as I can.

• One level or series request at a time, please. If you request more than one level, then I will choose the level to write a review on.
• A level series will be treated as one request, and will be reviewed as a whole.
• I prefer not to review multiplayer levels, as I tend to do the reviews alone. However, if you do request a multiplayer level, please be aware that I will probably play it by myself.
• Depending on the size of the request queue, I reserve the right to only review the first level of a level series request, if I so choose.
• If you do request a level series to be reviews, please list all the levels in your request. Also list the levels in the order that they should be played, assuming there is an order.
• I will be keeping a list of the order that requests were made. I will try to do reviews in a "first come, first serve" basis. However, as some reviews will take more time than others, I may not post the reviews in the order that they were requested.
• I reserve the right to break out the SackNun, if necessary.
• You are allowed to request a re-review of a level. Before making such a request, please make the effort to make a considerable amount of improvements. If an overwhelming majority of what I wrote before still stands, don't be surprised if I refer you back to the previous review the level.
• If you are planning to make a request only to get another review telling you how wonderful your levels are, I suggest you take your request to another reviewer that will be more willing to satisfy your needs. I will focus my reviews on how I feel the work may be improved.
  
  That said, my star rating standards may not coincide with that of other reviewers, or the rating that you feel entitled to. Again, my reviews focus on the work itself.
  
  Should you take issue with my review, I would advise that it would be a much more beneficial investment of your energy to take the time to reflect on what I have written, and focus on improving your own skills, as opposed to taking what I may say personally. I have no problem with a healthy debate. However, arguments and temper-tantrums have no place in this review thread.
  
  We should all strive to find ways to improve our own skills. I personally hope to gain as much insight from writing these reviews as you all may get from reading them.

[DarkDedede]

Recent Reviews:

Bot n’ Tot by mr_krispy_kreme

Review Archive: 1 ♦ 2 ♦ 3

Review(s) in Limbo:

Lucky Draw:

Request List:

Canceled List:

* These are levels are not reviewed by request, but because I want to review them.
** These levels have been re-reviewed, either by request or because I just want to give them a second look.

[DarkDedede]

Useful Links:

• Art of Game Design: A Deck of Lenses
• Writing Tips - Capitalization in Titles
• Kuler (Adobe) - Color Palette Help
• Pose Maniacs - Pose references

Useful Tutorials

• Creating Your Level: The Four P's

[Rasumii]

Oooo! I get to be your first level to review! How exciting!

PSN: Rasumii
PS3: Journey of a Thousand Inches

Thanks in advance!

[DarkDedede]

Journey of a Thousand Inches by Rasumii


Let it snow.

CATEGORY: Story
DIFFICULTY: Easy with Cheap Deaths

PRIZES:
[spoiler]In-Level: 5/8
Level Completed Gifts: N/A
Collected All Gifts: N/A
Aced Level Gifts: N/A

Prizes Worth Mentioning: N/A

Prizes Requested: N/A [/spoiler]

Summary:

This is an interesting level. At first I thought things were going to be interesting once I came across a set of masks that started watching me. Unfortunately, multiple frustrating and cheap deaths really killed the mood. If the designer intended to frustrate the player to the point where they don't want to finish, then I suppose that goal was accomplished. It's really not a bad attempt at a design, I just feel that the execution could be improved.

Strengths:

• Interesting title.
• Hidden stuff promote exploration.
• Three different zones.

Weaknesses:

• Level lacks a specific purpose.
• Obstacles may be too difficult/frustrating for most.
• Cheap deaths inconvenience the player.
• Unavoidable cheap death in the beginning.
• Presentation seem less interesting as level progresses.

Nitpicks:

• Not a fan of grabbable ceilings.
• Not a fan of being forced to do the same obstacle twice.
• Not a fan of having to do something over, because of a cheap death.
• Not a fan of grabbable floors.

Boss monster.

Ratings:

Originality: 3/5 ★★★

Gameplay/Implementation: 1/5 ★

Level Design/Communication: 1/5 ★

Scenery/Presentation: 2/5 ★★

Ratings Explanation & Tips

OVERALL SCORE: 2/5 ★★ The concept has a pulse, I just feel the execution could use more polish.

[Level not hearted/Author not hearted]

Suggestions

• Name your prizes. It makes for a much better presentation.
• The level needs more personality. I was really wasn't expecting the masks to start looking at me. Made me want to see what else was in your level. Too bad there wasn't too much past that, besides the snowman. The level needs more interesting things to look at to keep the player visually engaged, especially if you expect them to endure all of those sneaky cheap deaths.
• The level needs some sort of story to it. Why should people want to go past the first cheap death, and not quit? You have characters in that I want to know more about, but they play such a small role in the level. It doesn't need to be anything spectacular. I would just like to know if there is a reason why we are taking this journey.
• I would either scrap the minigame, or incorporate it into the level somehow. The concept also needs some more development.
• Give the boss some moving parts. I don't know if it was meant to be as easy as it was, but it would look more interesting if perhaps the vines were moving.
• Be a bit more creative with your obstacles. Some were either too cheap or too repetitive. If you're not going to be forgiving with the cheap deaths, at least be somewhat forgiving with the checkpoint. I wasn't too thrilled to get past a frustrating obstacle, to then get killed by something sneaky, only to be warped all the way back to where I had to do the obstacle again.
• I'd suggest decorating the gas that you use for death warps to look like doors. There's no guarantee that players are going to know that they are going to have to walk into a wall of lethal gas. Perhaps you could post an exit sign on it as well.

You can thank these guys for giving the level a pulse.

[Rasumii]

Journey of a Thousand Inches by Rasumii


Caption

Review in progress... Not finished.
[spoiler]

CATEGORY: Story
DIFFICULTY: Cheap Deaths

PRIZES:
[spoiler]In-Level: 5/8
Level Completed Gifts: N/A
Collected All Gifts: N/A
Aced Level Gifts: N/A

Prizes Worth Mentioning: N/A

Prizes Requested: N/A [/spoiler]

Summary:

This is an interesting level. At first I thought things were going to be interesting once I came across a set of masks that started watching me. Unfortunately, multiple frustrating and cheap deaths really killed the mood. If the designer intended to frustrate the player to the point where they don't want to finish, then I suppose that goal was accomplished. It's really not a bad attempt at a design, I just feel that the execution could be improved.

Strengths:

• Interesting title.
• Hidden stuff promote exploration.
• Three different zones.

Weaknesses:

• Level lacks a specific purpose.
• Obstacles may be too difficult/frustrating for most.
• Cheap deaths inconvenience the player.
• Unavoidable cheap death in the beginning.
• Presentation seem less interesting as level progresses.

Nitpicks:

• Not a fan of grabbable ceilings.
• Not a fan of being forced to do the same obstacle twice.
• Not a fan of having to do something over, because of a cheap death.
• Not a fan of grabbable floors.

Caption

Ratings:

Originality: 3/5 ★★★

Gameplay/Implementation: 1/5 ★

Level Design/Communication: 1/5 ★

Scenery/Presentation: 2/5 ★★

Ratings Explanation & Tips

OVERALL SCORE: 2/5 ★★ comment here

[Level not hearted/Author not hearted]

Suggestions

• N/A

You can thank these guys for giving the level a pulse
[/spoiler]

Ehh, it was a go at my first real level that I had put work into. Btw the part i put in bold, its avoidable, but a bit tricky (b'.')b What is your PSN?

[Trackrise]

I always love feedback, and you look like a great reviewer! I know my levels are no where near perfect, so I would rightly appreciate how I could make them even better then they are! So long as you're not to busy. Happy reviewing!

[Yohan]

I want a review for my Silent Hill - Abandon all hope.
It is one platform level with two endings.
Thaks for your attention!

[Meteorites]

Final Fantasy X- Turn-based RPG
By Meteoroids
http://lbp.me/v/0gc3hp

[DarkDedede]

Little Big Top Circus in: Off the Wall! by Geet-R


Cannons! Fun Stuff! Boom!

CATEGORY: Obstacle Course
DIFFICULTY: Easy
Last Updated: 11/Feb/2012

PRIZES:
[spoiler]None[/spoiler]

Summary:

Compared to other obstacle course type levels, this one is pretty good. I can tell that a lot of love went into both the visuals and the level design. I also noticed that the designer also incorporated multiple variations of the same obstacles. This helps the player learn the mechanics of the level, while the variety keeps them entertained. It also gives the designer the opportunity to gradually change the difficulty of each variation, while avoiding too much player frustration. Of course that’s not to say there weren’t elements in this level that didn’t frustrate me, but we’ll get to that later.

Oh, and the level has attracto gel. Walking upside down is fun.

Strengths:

• Visually engaging
• Good pacing
• Creative design
• Cannons

Weaknesses:

• Visual communication
• Color contrast

Nitpicks:

• For a circus, the setting was somewhat lifeless.
• Ceiling grabbing annoys me.

Ruh-roh!

Ratings:

Concept/Originality: 3/5 ★

Gameplay/Implementation: 4/5 ★

Level Design/Communication: 3/5 ★

Aesthetic/Presentation: 4/5 ★

Ratings Explanation & Tips

OVERALL SCORE: 3/5 ★ Make it shine! (now, please)

[Level hearted/Author not hearted (yet)]

Suggestions

• You should have another checkpoint, immediately after the player jumps up after the beginning. When I respawned at the start, I wasn’t able to jumped up, and fell through the floor.
• You should also put more checkpoints throughout. The checkpoints were spaced out too far apart.
• I would consider developing the aesthetics even further. While your they were stronger than most, they lacked a good amount of life and personality that would help the design tremendously. Again, it’s not bad, as is. However, more polish could really make it shine (sing even).
• Work on developing the visual cues/direction in your level. Some areas were a bit confusing. I did notice that you did incorporate some patterns, which is a good thing (white for grabbing, red for bouncing, etc). However, this should be developed further. Even if you were to explain with text, not everyone that plays your level understands English. Your level should have a certain degree of intuitiveness, despite the instructions that require the ability to read.
• You may want to add some more variety of color at certain platforming areas. Some areas were all very similar colors, and everything blended in.
• You should also consider a way to have the player easily escape the trampoline pits. Some times I got stuck and was forced to respawn. I noticed that some did, but all should have such functionality.
• Despite my well known predisposition concerning this type of obstacle, ceiling grabbing really has no place in this level. The other obstacles are far too creative for you to resort to something like that. I would advise either making a more creative variation of the obstacle, or replacing it with something more creative.

Ring of fire.

[DarkDedede]

Revenge of the Mighty Humbug by lordwarblade


Humbug!

CATEGORY: Story
DIFFICULTY: Medium
Last Updated: 27/Jan/2012

PRIZES: Unnamed

Summary:

This level starts off interesting. Apparently you have to save Santa, or something like that. There are interactive bits, magical teleporting elves, presents to collect. The visuals, from what I’ve seen, were pretty good as well.

However, as the level went on, everyones’ favorite humbug started to come out. Needless to say, she wasn’t very pleased. The level also includes grabbable floors, ceiling swinging, and unavoidable prizes (just to name a couple). Worst of all, none of the prizes in this level were named.

Another thing I noticed, was that this level comes with a timer. I really didn’t noticed until there was less than a minute left. I was too busy constantly falling into the gas hazards. I assumed it had something to do with a score, but as the timer expired, the level ended. SackNun wasn’t too happy. The timer needed to die.

Not to say that this level is bad. It’s just that I think that there are certain design choices that could be improved upon. There were just enough things in this level to cause me not to want to replay it. The timer was really the final nail. I would imagine that many other players would feel the same way. Odds are, after the timer expires, it isn’t very likely that they are going to want to start over from the beginning. I would also like to think that the level designer would want to keep the player entertained, and in the level, for as long as possible.

Strengths:

• Interactive collectible stuff
• Interesting aesthetic

Weaknesses:

• Certain design choices will annoy the player.
• Timer

Nitpicks:

• Unnamed prizes
• Unavoidable prizes
• Grabbale floors
• I really don’t understand why people love ceiling swinging so much. I’m assuming it’s because it just that easy to do.

Humbug!

Ratings: Humbug!

Ratings Explanation & Tips

[Level not hearted/Author not hearted]

Suggestions

• Give the player the option to pick up any prizes. Since there currently is a limit to the number of community objects that a player can have at one time, you may unintentionally cause the player to lose something in their inventory.
• You may want to put a checkpoint below the helicopter, so that they don’t respawn at the helicopter. It took a bit to figure out how to get out.
• A good portion of your floor material was default grabbable. You should make it a habit to ensure that the floor can’t be grabbed onto. It sometimes gets in the way of the gameplay (at least for me, it does)
• Take better care with how you place your checkpoints. At certain points, where I was prone to dying alot, I was spawned pretty far back. Added to the fact that you had a time limit on your level, it made things a bit frustrating.
• Here’s a blog post I found concerning a concept called the Reservoir of Good Will. It may have been written about web design, but the same principles to apply for games. Hopefully the information will give you some ideas to keep in mind when moving forward.

Humbug!

[aagobert]

can you review my serie sacks in arms? psn aagobert thx

[DarkDedede]

Sack in Arms Series by aagobert

CATEGORY: Story Level Series
DIFFICULTY: Easy

PRIZES:
[spoiler]

Nothing to see here folks
[/spoiler]

Summary:

This level series is composed of two levels: Boot-camp and Tank Mission. The levels are very simple in their construction.

Now I wouldn't say that this level series isn't good. However, I would just say that the design needs to and should improve. It suffers from many design flaws, and is broken in certain key areas. Many of which, if executed differently, could be much more successful.

For example, after I got to the end of the first level, I ended up being squished by something. I noticed that there were no checkpoints, except for at the beginning. Unfortunately, the player needs to use a vehicle to reach the end scoreboard. Well, the vehicle isn't set to respawn in its initial position. Now, had the vehicle respawned, or a checkpoint been placed on the vehicle, the designer would not run the risk of inconveniencing the player.


This could easily have been avoided.

Strengths:

• Story supported the overall experience (still could use some improvement).

Weaknesses:

• Lackluster visuals.
• Default light blue background
• Spelling errors, grammar errors, and net speak abbreviations.
• Bribing for more plays/hearts.
• Lack of checkpoints.
• Vehicles are difficult to operate, and do not respawn to initial position.

Nitpicks:

• Grabbable floors.
• Sackboy cutouts for characters.

SackNun is not pleased.

Ratings:

Originality: 2/5 ★★

Gameplay/Implementation: 1/5 ★

Level Design/Communication: 1/5 ★

Scenery/Presentation: 1/5 ★

Ratings Explanation & Tips

OVERALL SCORE: 1/5 ★ Don't be discouraged. Just keep fighting the good fight

[Level not hearted/Author not hearted]

Suggestions

• Keep looking for ways to improve. No one is expecting mastery on the first attempt
• Try to design original characters for your levels. Sackboy cutouts with a magic mouth just don't cut it for me. I would much prefer some effort going into the character design of the level.
• It is a good idea to have any vehicles respawn at their initial position. That way the player doesn't have to restart the level from the beginning, if the want to get to the end. Odds are they would just quit and go elsewhere.
• You might want to consider adding additional checkpoints throughout the level, especially on top of the vehicle on the first level.. The player shouldn't have to start all the way to the beginning, if they get squished somewhere near the end.
• Try to avoid spelling errors, grammar errors, or text speak abbreviations. It makes for a much better presentation. Try to get other players to proofread your text, if need be.
• Don't use the "If I get X number of plays/hearts, I'll do XYZ." It's really tacky. Just do XYZ anyways, and you'll get more plays/hearts/
• Get people to playtest your level, and give you feedback on what they liked and didn't like. Always look for ways to improve. Remember, if no one is enjoying your level, then it's your job to make sure that changes are made so they enjoy it more.
• Try not to display too many lines of text at one time. Having six-plus lines of text affects readability. I would suggest trying to keep text to a maximum of three lines. Most players won't want to read three lines, much less six or more. You could always break the text up with more than one magic mouth.
• If you are going to use multiple magic mouths try to connect them to one sensor. That way the player can easily read the text in the order that it was intended.

Need I say more?

[figuer39]

Would love a review for my level.

Name: Onion Gale
PSN: NiKfY

It is a jumping challenge level. It is subdivided into eight stages, each one harder than the previous one. Try to get as far as you can.

[DarkDedede]

Onion Gale by NikfY


So much better than sackboy shape cutouts.

CATEGORY: Obstacle Course
DIFFICULTY: Medium - Hard

PRIZES:
[spoiler]In-Level: 8/8
Level Completed Gifts: 3/3
Collected All Gifts: N/A
Aced Level Gifts: N/A

Prizes Worth Mentioning: Prizes collected in-level are “emblems” used for warping straight to specific points in the level.

Prizes Requested: If you’re anything like me, you’re probably extremely protective of your characters, so I won’t ask. That still does not mean that I don’t want them.


An Emblem
[/spoiler]

Summary:
[spoiler]
Welcome to Tartarus, folks (Persona 3 reference). This level is composed of 8 halls, each one more difficult that the one that followed it. Each hall is named after a certain mythical creature (Troll, Banshee, etc). The best part is that each creature is actually designed by the level designer. I’m such a sucker for originally designed characters.

From the concept, to the design, this level is truly inspiring. I could tell that there was a lot of thought put into the gameplay and flow of the level. Even though each hall is designed a certain reoccurring element and hazards, there is a good variety to the implementation, so that there is just enough repetition to support the flow of the level. Only in a few places do things become slightly monotonous, but not as badly as some of the offenders that I have come across.

The level advertises that the level has “no story and no flashyness.” The creator claims to be going for a minimalist design. Now, story is not necessarily needed to make a level successful, but even a design that is minimal should still be visually engaging. There should be some sort of additional incentive to get the player to want to get to the next stage in the level, especially since there aren’t any real prizes offered (even though I’m personally keeping all of the emblems). Not everyone is going to keep going just to get to the next challenge. A few minor tweaks could make each level so much more visually appealing.

I personally didn’t find any of the halls too difficult. A couple of the halls were more tedious than they were difficult. This could be easily remedied by a few design tweaks, and some additional direction. I had an unpleasant experience with the Minotaur, which I will explain later in Suggestions section. Of course, this level is not for everyone. However, I do feel that players that are familiar with the controls and physics of this game shouldn’t have too much trouble navigating through each hall.

The most ironic thing about this level is the fact that it has an entire hall dedicated to grabbable ceilings, and I really didn’t mind it. The implementation was well thought out. I actually was forced to learn a way to swing faster. Now that’s not to say that the design couldn’t be improved. There was one particular section that I thought was a bit too long, especially since my hand started to cramp while trying to get past it. I’ll touch on that subject further in the review.

There are many features in the level to accommodate the player. Specifically, the warp room, which lets the player warp to any hall that they collected an emblem for. Another nice feature would be the scoreboard placed at the end of each hall. That way, the player can choose to leave the level, and resume come back to the level when they wish to continue.

I really did enjoy the level. It has it’s flaws, but I’d have to say that it is one of the most successfully designed levels that I have reviewed, so far. I do hope the designer plans on improving this level, when they get the opportunity to. It really deserves all the love and attention that it can get.[/spoiler]

Strengths:

• Original challenging design.
• Originally designed characters
• Good variety of obstacles
• Good use of reoccurring elements, with just enough repetition to support flow.
• Infinite checkpoints add a nice layer of forgiveness.
• Scoreboard at the end of every hall
• Warp Room
• All the stage prizes were named

Weaknesses:

• Difficulty may be a turnoff for some
• Good familiarity of LBP controls and physics required.
• Dependent on text based direction.
• Weak visual presentation.

Nitpicks:

• Cut-scene camera at the entrance of the warp zone is unnecessary and annoying.
• Troll warp point really is pointless.
• The Stage Complete prizes were a bit underwhelming

Hall of the Banshee

Ratings:
Here’s how I rank each hall individually. There are a few "flies in the ointment" that really should be dealt with.
[spoiler]
The Good: ★★★★



The Good Enough: ★★★





The Tedious (Needs Work): ★★


[/spoiler]
Originality: 4/5 ★★★★

Gameplay/Implementation: 4/5 ★★★★

Level Design/Communication: 3/5 ★★★

Scenery/Presentation: 2/5 ★★

Ratings Explanation & Tips

OVERALL SCORE: 3/5 ★★★♥
I wasn’t too comfortable giving it four stars, so I give it three and a biased heart.

[Level hearted/Author hearted]

Suggestions

• Suggestions pending.

Gotta catch'em all!