DarkDedede's Review Shop.

[DarkDedede]

I updated the request list. Let me know if I missed anyone.

[ratchetruler]

oh I didn't know you did movies, in that case could you please add: http://lbp.me/v/2fms58
It goes before Veldin. Like a series...

But if you only want to review one of my levels (in the series) then please make it Veldin

[Trackrise]

Sorry I didn't have the link up before, but here it is! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/sho...ht=reflex+game

[DarkDedede]

A perfect world by Unexpecter




CATEGORY: Story
DIFFICULTY: Medium Rare
Last Updated: 08/Feb/2012

PRIZES:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Summary:

This level series is off to a very good start. I say that because it’s not finished yet (much to my disappointment). Far too much work has been put into this to just quit.

Now as for the design, I am very impressed with how it’s been put together. Attention to detail, with the story, characters, and atmosphere really help to add to the gameplay experience. This is, by far, not your standard fare community level. Of course, that’s not to say it can’t be improved. There are certain aspects of the design that could be refined. I’ll touch on those topics further in the review.

Strengths:

• Cinematics
• Story
• Atmosphere
• Chracters
• Music

Weaknesses:

• Pacing (gameplay specifically)
• Obstacles may be too difficult or confusing for some.

Nitpicks:

• I noticed a couple spelling errors (I think)
• I got stuck in a couple places
• The guy by the fire wouldn’t stop talking to me

Who are you?

Ratings:

Concept/Originality: 5/5 ★★★★★

Gameplay/Implementation: 4/5 ★★★★

Level Design/Communication: 3/5 ★★★

Aesthetic/Presentation: 4/5 ★★★★

Ratings Explanation & Tips

OVERALL SCORE: 4/5 ★★★★

[Level not hearted/Author not hearted]

Suggestions

• I really hope you finish the story. I get the feeling that you would be disappointing a lot of people if you don’t.
• Work on the pacing of your level. Try to avoid too many “long hallways,” where there’s a lot of walking and nothing happens. You want to constantly keep the player engaged and entertained. Otherwise you risk them becoming bored.
• I noticed that in the first level that there was no music. I’m not sure if that was intentional, but I think it would help to set the mood and improve the gameplay experience.
• As successful as this design is, I can’t help but feel that it lacks a certain dynamic. When you take away the story and the atmosphere, the actual gameplay really seems to fall short in comparison. Not to say it’s bad. However, it really doesn’t live up to the standard that is set by the strong points of the design. I suppose I want the experience to be more engaging than it already is.

The End?

[Lordwarblade]

Hey DarkDedede thanks for the review.

One thing i actually meant to do but haven't had time yet is remove the timer. I had the level tested before i published it by a good ten people and most said the level was way too short and easy and needed to become a little more challenging. The time limit was one thing someone mentioned so i added it.
I have to admit that even though i find the level extremely easy myself i don't really like that timer any more and will remove it.
Ceiling swinging isn't a favourite of mine either but it is rather popular as a challenge or obstacle from what i have seen. I do not like to see overly long ceiling swinging areas though and was thinking of placing a chimney in the centre to land on. Again though others have said it makes the level too easy so the conflict is where do i draw the line between what is to easy or to hard.

As far as pure platforming goes i am still an amateur and rather building more complex levels that use sack bots or no sacks at all so this level was more of a test to further my creation skills. Obviously theres a lot that needs to be changed. One main issue i have i think is that the people i know who test for me are all extremely good at platformers and there fore a level like this always seems to be an easy one. But i do want it to be playable and liked by all so therefore i will add more checkpoints.

Because of the low amount of plays it has had since published i have sort of let it sit to the side while i've been creating newer levels. Now i have some ideas what to add and what to delete anyway.
I myself never really see the issue with collectables being named or not as if the item is obvious then a name is of no concern to me but i will remember others don't really see it that way.

Thanks again for the review and i will try to update it with the suggestions you have mentioned.

[DarkDedede]

I would suggest considering a type of risk/reward system in your game.

For example have a optional timed mode in your level (perhaps set by a sticker switch). At the end of the level, you could have a prize dispenser that will award prizes depending on how well the player performed in the race. I'm sure you are more than capable of coming up with prizes that are worthwhile.

This would be a way to appeal to a wider audience. The group that wants the challenge or wants to get the best prizes, will go for the timed route. The group that wants to take the safer route has the option to take as much time as they want, without penalty. Of course taking the safer route will not get them the same rewards.

This would help to add an additional dynamic to your level. Your level can be played different ways, to appeal to the mood of the player. It would also help to promote replayability, which never hurts.

[Unexpecter]

Hi Dede! Thanks for nice review of my series. I agree with you in every point except one. What do you mean there is no music in the first level? There is music in every level of mine. If it not played then it had to be some kind of strange bug...but thanks again man! Glad you like it..

[Lordwarblade]

I would suggest considering a type of risk/reward system in your game.

For example have a optional timed mode in your level (perhaps set by a sticker switch). At the end of the level, you could have a prize dispenser that will award prizes depending on how well the player performed in the race. I'm sure you are more than capable of coming up with prizes that are worthwhile.

This would be a way to appeal to a wider audience. The group that wants the challenge or wants to get the best prizes, will go for the timed route. The group that wants to take the safer route has the option to take as much time as they want, without penalty. Of course taking the safer route will not get them the same rewards.

This would help to add an additional dynamic to your level. Your level can be played different ways, to appeal to the mood of the player. It would also help to promote replayability, which never hurts.

That is a brilliant idea. I can't believe i never thought of it before considering how often the mini games in LBP2 story does it. Thermo is high and that doesn't give me much to work with but i'm sure i can figure something out.

Thanks again DarkDedede for the help and review and your dedication to help out.

[DarkDedede]

Zompocolypse: Life After Z-Day by Ham_salad


Zombie battle!

CATEGORY: Zombie
DIFFICULTY: Medium
Last Updated: 11/Jan/2012

PRIZES: N/A

Summary:

There be zombies in this level. You’ve all played a level with this concept before. Zombies want to eat you, and you must shoot the zombies before they eat you. The problem is that the zombies have lots of HP, so they will eat you. Of course in this level, you die by being electrocuted, and the zombies will even electrocute themselves, which is kind of funny.

The main problem that I have with this level is that it gets really repetitive. Zombies see you, zombies rush you (from the right), you shoot zombies, zombies have too much HP, zombies eat/electrocute you and each other. Zombie rinse repeat. The player could always back up, while shooting, but even that gets stale after two or three times, in a row.

Other than a few repeative things, everything else was pretty solid. Nothing is terrible, I just feel that the level could provide a stronger and more engaging experience.

Strengths:

• Setting sets the mood well
• Different costumes for zombies

Weaknesses:

• Repetitiveness

Nitpicks:

• Zombies had too much HP
• Stairs

Ratings:

Concept/Originality: 3/5 ★★★

Gameplay/Implementation: 3/5 ★★★

Level Design/Communication: 3/5 ★★★

Aesthetic/Presentation: 3/5 ★★★

Ratings Explanation & Tips

OVERALL SCORE: 3/5 ★★★

[Level not hearted/Author not hearted]

Suggestions

• You might want to consider lowering the HP of the zombies. You may also want to impelement different types of zombies, with different ammounts of health. That way the player will be able to strategize around the enemies that are in front of them.
• Try to add some variety for the zombie attacks. Always being rushed from the right gets stale.
• Change the lethal quality of the zombies. Electricity isn’t very zombielike, plus I just don’t like the high pitched death sound effect.

Rapping on the windowpane

[DarkDedede]

TITANIC 100th Anniversary Level Series by TITANIC100th


Oh, they built the ship Titanic to sail the ocean blue...

CATEGORY: Story
DIFFICULTY: None
Last Updated: 04/May/2012

PRIZES: N/A

Summary:

As you can tell from the title, the theme of this series is the sinking of the Titanic. It shares a lot of info about the event, while also doing a pretty good job of recreating some of the scenes from James Cameron’s Titanic. What I find the most surprising is the amount of material they seem to have gotten away with using. The series seems to be an MM Pick, so I would assume there are no problems?

As for the execution, this series really sets the standard for cinemeatics by which all other cinematic levels should be based. The series is composed of nearly all cut scenes, with some areas where you can control your character thrown in. The experience lasts for about an hour. Despite a couple stray typos, and a pair of lines that really didn’t make perfect sense, I didn’t have a problem sitting through the entire thing.

Of course, that’s not to say that this type of series will appeal to everyone. Also, despite the enormous scale of the project, I did see some areas that I feel could be improved. The part of the series that did bother me the most was the fact that the parts of the level that you were able to control seemed shoehorned in, and really didn’t serve much of a purpose. A good majority of these types of scenes simply required the player to go from one end of the hallway to the other, and they were very short. There was no risk involved with the playable areas. I’m curious what affect removing these parts completely would actually have on the overall experience. I personally would have preferred if these playable areas served some purpose to enhance the experience, as opposed to just being there as a formality.

Strengths:

• Cinematics
• Engaging story
• Interesting facts

Weaknesses:

• Nothing really to do but watch.
• Playable areas were a bit pointless.
• Slowdown at some more intricate levels

Nitpicks:

• Typos
• Borrowing scenes from the movie may not appeal to everyone

Yes, they went there

Ratings:

Concept/Originality: 4/5 ★★★★

Gameplay/Implementation: 4/5 ★★★★

Level Design/Communication: 4/5 ★★★★

Aesthetic/Presentation: 4/5 ★★★★

Ratings Explanation & Tips

OVERALL SCORE: 4/5 ★★★★

[Level not hearted/Author not hearted]

Suggestions

• I think the overall experience would have been more engaging if the playable areas would have been more interesting. It would have been nice to have been given some time to explore certain areas. I know this idea probably wouldn’t be suitable for the parts were the ship was sinking, but the time before that would have had plenty of opportunity do incorporate something like that.
• The one playable part, where the ship was sinking was slightly confusing. I understand why it was dark, but the camera zoomed in right up to the side of the ship. It was hard to see anything.
• This suggestion is entirely optional. However, If would have been nice to have prizes for the level, as a reward for sitting through it. It would add an extra element of exploration for the playable levels, and give the player a reason to want to get to certain points for the timed parts. This would also help to promote replayablility for your levels.

The bowels of the ship

[craigmond]

Could you please review my level "Somewhere Only We Know" Music video? http://lbp.me/v/bkq1-7 PSN: craigmond

Thanks!

[DarkDedede]

"Somewhere Only We Know" Music Video by craigmond


Our hero

CATEGORY: Music Video
Last Updated: 29/May/2012

PRIZES: N/A

Summary:

This is my first movie review (I think). It is a music video that tells an interesting story in an interesting way. It is executed well. However, I have a bad habit of noticing missed opportunities, especially when it comes to story telling, and this is no exception.

Not to say what was done was bad. In fact, I consider all that was done a pretty valiant effort on the designers part. The result was a very solid and competent piece. However, I do think that there could be some improvements made. For example, rethinking some of the camera angles to focus more on key elements would add extra impact to the story. There’s no need to show the audience everything. Sometimes it’s better to focus on what is most important.

Oh, and this definitely needs subtitles for the lyrics (watch for typos). Not everyone is familiar with the song.

Strengths:

• Storytelling

Weaknesses:

• A few sour notes (I think)

Nitpicks:

• The setting is a bit bland
• Promising things, in exchange for validation.

Music video in a music video

Ratings:

Concept/Originality: 4/5 ★★★★

Gameplay/Implementation: 3/5 ★★★

Level Design/Communication: 3/5 ★★★

Aesthetic/Presentation: 2/5 ★★

Ratings Explanation & Tips

OVERALL SCORE: 3/5 ★★★

[Level not hearted/Author not hearted]

Suggestions

• Be more creative with your camera. It would help to give an extra impact to the story. Don’t be afraid of closeups. Wide shots are not always best.
• I’m really not a fan of the black background, at least not throughout the entire movie. A different background color may help to emphasize the passage of time. Perhaps you should consider putting something in the background (clouds, stars, etc).
• You should add subtitles for the song lyrics. I’m not sure how difficult it would be to time the text, but it would definitly help to make the story much more engaging.
• Remember you main goal is to keep your audience engaged. You need to take advantage of everything from the camera angles, transitions, pacing, and your scene choices to tell the story.
• This may just be my own personal opinion, but the act of promising the player some sort of reward, in exchange for some validation (hearts, ratings, etc), just doesn’t sit well with me. Your audience will give you validation if you gave them an experience that was worth their time and attention, and it will be their choice to do so. Promising them things isn’t going to make them enjoy your work any more or any less. I say focus on improving your own skills, while paying attention to your audience, and the recognition will come.

Somewhere, only they know

[craigmond]

Thank you very much, it's helped a lot! Although with the last suggestion I know where your coming from, but I meant it like I would give the prize away if people like it enough to want it. However I can see how it looks like a push for good ratings. I will fix the sour note, I meant to re-publish it but my internet connection disagreed. Thanks again for your help A very well written review too, so thanks again.

[Kalawishis]

Well, I might as well ask you to review my movie too.
http://lbp.me/v/924f25
While I don't consider it my best movie story-wise, it is my most detailed one (well, at least until I publish Sack Andy).

[titanic100th]

ill take everything into consideration, some things you have already mentioned im currently working on. and the whole series is having a make-over as it was rushed due to the limtied time I had to make it. I only had 88 days to write, design and create the series so alot of the scene you have previously seen are most likely going to be alot different with more playable actions.