BYOND Anime

In depth BLN review

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:41:18 GMT

The current date of this review is 4/23/08, therefore, it will only cover content that is currently in, and not content that will be added/changed in the future.

I am posting my own review for this game because frankly none of the other reviews have gone in any depth and have been riddled with bias comments. While you might think it's hypocritical of me to say this because I am a GM in the game, I can say honestly that this review will be one that is honest. I have tried my best to make this review as unbiased as possible, and I hope that the readers will get a good idea of what BLN is about based on this review.

I will try my best to review this game in the perspective of a player. I hope no one will take offense to my comments.

I will also leave comments open to everyone so that people can leave their opinions of the game, as well as the review.

Oh yeah, and I want to appologize for the format in advance. I originally wrote this in MSWord, and while it looked nice and pretty there, it doesn't look all that great here.

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Starting off:

When you create a new character in BLN, you are taken to the traditional character creation screen where you are asked to choose your skin color, hair style, and name. This same character creation screen has been in place since BLN first released, and it�s relatively similar to the one you would find on WOTS, BOTLS, and their subsequent rips. Personally, I think this is a pretty stable character creation system. While it�s nothing particularly innovative, it gets the job done. Hopefully, they can come up with something new in the future.

After you establish the cosmetic aspects of your character, you are spawned in a room of what appears to be a small house. This is the tutorial room; here you can talk to several NPCs in order to learn a little bit about the game you are about to play. The first tutorial NPC discusses the training method, the second talks about the importance of �food� in the game, and the third gives the lowdown on the school system. Of course, this was planned with good intentions, but it�s not a very good tutorial overall. Gray pop up boxes are used in order to display messages, which I personally find to be unappealing. Furthermore, the details given in the tutorial are relatively superficial. Teaching people how to train is definitely important (especially with a complex training system), but the tutorial doesn�t cover other important information such as rules, classes, or anything else in the game. Moreover, the time it takes to discuss food is nothing short of a waste of time. Very rarely will players ever use food again outside of the tutorial; frankly, I�m not sure why it�s there. I personally think a more interactive (and optional) tutorial that goes at a much slower pace with more information would be far more beneficial to the players than what is currently in.

After you finish the tutorial, you can exit the apartment building and really begin your game experience. The map is you wind up in is a relatively large city. As for what you do next�. Let me put it this way: Think of a game such as Grand Theft Auto where you have a free roaming environment and you can really do whatever you want. Now imagine that after the introduction of the game, they don�t tell you where to go next. That�s pretty much how it is in BLN. After the tutorial, the game loses direction entirely. Of course, for more experienced players, this isn�t a problem at all, but all too frequently, we see new players asking �what do I do now?� Though, there are numerous guides on the forum that give new players an idea of where to go, but it seems to me that it would be better overall to guide players in game for the sake of convenience and to keep them interested.

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Choosing your class:

BLN has several different classes in it that are relatively unique and have their own perks. The classes that are presently in are Shinigami, Hollow, Quincy, Vaizard, Sado, and Orihime (no Bounto.) The Shinigami and Hollow classes are by far the most popular in this game. Those classes in particular have a lot of content. There are about 21 Shinigami releases, all of which are different in terms boosts and attacks, as well as 10 Kido techniques. For Hollows there are about 8 unique releases as well as Bala, Sonido, and Cero abilities. While these classes are certainly fun and interesting, the other classes (excluding Vaizard because it�s basically the same as Shinigami) are neglected and haven�t seen updates in a very long time. Quincies receive several different levels of bow techniques and have enough abilities to keep them interesting. However, a finished Sado will have a few levels of Arm releases (the right arm gets 2 forms, and the left gets one), and two arm techniques: Blast, and El Directo. That�s really not a lot of abilities, or variety whatsoever. Inoue gets even less: They receive a healing technique, a shield technique, and a (pretty cool) Tsubaki skill where they can click around the screen to tell Tsubaki where to move. This causes a pretty significant imbalance in the game: There are always a lot of Shinigami and Hollow players while there are maybe 10 Quincies and 2 or 3 Sado and Orihime players.

As for Vaizard, the chances of getting that class are very low. I won�t get too far into the specifics, but to put it simply, you have a 25% chance of getting Vaizard, a 50% chance of failing and becoming a hollow, and a 25% chance of becoming a Shinigami that never learns kido. As far as I�m concerned, I would say those chances are pretty well balanced. There�s a high enough chance of failure that it discourages everyone from trying to get it, and yet it is still POSSIBLE to successfully achieve the class.
In terms of actually choosing your class, instead of choosing what class you want to be at character creation, you need to go through certain steps in game in order to get where you want to go. For instance, in order to obtain Shinigami, you need to train until you get a certain amount of reiatsu, and then get killed and make it to Soul Society (whether you get a player to send you there, or you make it there on your first death). Conversely, if you want to be Quincy, you need to get a certain amount of reiatsu and survive until you can talk with the Quincy Elder and have him test you to see if you are eligible to become one. In other words, if you die early, then you don�t become a quincy.

I personally like that system a lot. When I first joined up, I was really excited to see something like that because it was pretty new for me. I was used to the typical games where you choose your class/clan/race on character creation, and it was a new twist for me to choose my class based on the way I played the game. The big downside to this is that if you mess up (specifically, if you get killed when you don�t want to, or you do something wrong) you will probably not get the class you want, and you will have to remake in order to get it. This makes getting the class you want somewhat painful and sometimes stressful, and it�s not uncommon for another player to sabotage your attempt to get a certain class. However, the positives for this system do outweigh the negative aspects.

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Abilities:

In terms of class abilities, there are some that seem to be repeats of others, but for the most part they�re diverse enough to keep the game interesting. Each class has a projectile move and a close range move, which enables people to use different fighting strategies regardless of their class. I know this isn�t a PVP game anymore, but it�s still nice to have interesting battles once in a while.

The Shinigami and hollow releases in this game are pretty bad ass. For the most part the staff did a nice job planning these out and making their pixels. For Shinigami, each shikai has its own unique animation as well as a unique ability, whether it is a 3-tile wide projectile, or a status inducing effect. The generic releases (Bankai given to shikai that haven�t shown a Bankai release in the anime) are� generic, but they each have a unique perk that separates them from other releases. Several of the Hollow releases are multi-tiled, which gives a feeling of intimidation when fighting them, and they each have their own special perk to them.

Aside from releases, Shinigami get several Kido abilities that they can use. Among these are several 1 tile wide projectiles, but there are also kido that allow you to get the positions of nearby players, as well as kido that have 2-tile wide, or 3-tile wide areas of effect. Overall, the kido are relatively balanced in that a player can only obtain one of the four �higher power� kido. This makes it so that not everyone spams the same kido all over the place, and it adds more diversity.

Hollows also receive several projectile techniques, although they all get the same ones. Most of the abilities for this class are pretty useless and underpowered. The only three abilities that seem to be used (other than release) are sonido, Cero, and bala. Bala is just a fast moving projectile, but Cero�s range and power can be improved based on hollow classification. The classification is a pretty nice addition to the game in that it gives players something new to improve aside from their stats.

Quincy abilities are pretty basic in this game, though. You get three types of bows throughout the course of the game, and for the most part they either fire 1 or 3 arrows at a time. Not too much diversity, really, but Quincy combat is still pretty interesting all the same.
As mentioned previously, Sado and Inoue get a very small number of abilities, which makes those classes nothing more than boring.
Vaizards are pretty much Shinigami that get to bust out a cool looking mask in exchange for their ability to use Kido.

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Training:

Similar to most games in the Anime genre, BLN utilizes a training system that is designed to increase stats individually. Basically, there is a training method for each stat (Stamina, Strength, and Reiatsu) and players will use those to improve their character.

Currently there are two training methods in the game:

The first is Reiatsu training: This training method is basically DDR for your fingers. When you start the training, arrows will appear on the left hand text box and you will need to press the corresponding arrow key. Overall, this training is intuitive, simple, and somewhat entertaining. However, when you�re doing this for several hours a day, it�s going to get boring.

The second and primary training method is Dual Sparring. Basically, you grab a partner and you play a pretty complex game of rock paper scissors where one player is the �attacker� who throws punches at the �defender� player, who dodges them. There are four types of punches, and four types of dodges. Once the attacker chooses a punch, the defender is told what punch is being thrown at them and they can choose which direction to dodge. If they pick the wrong direction, the attacker gains a small amount of strength, and the defender is clipped (this increases stamina by a small amount as well as EXP), or is �slugged� (this increases stamina by a relatively large amount, but the defender get fatigued faster and will need to stop training sooner). However, if the defender successfully dodges, both players switch roles and the training continues.

Sounds pretty complicated, doesn�t it? There are several guides on the BLN forum that describe methods in order find the most efficient way to use this training, which is a really big indicator that this is a little too much. I don�t like this training system for two reasons:

1.You need to have a partner. If you can�t find a partner, you�re pretty much out of luck and you need to find something else to do.

2.It�s confusing as hell. It�s a wonder that people have managed to figure it out.

To its credit though, this could be a pretty damn cool training method if it wasn�t as complicated, and could if it was adapted to be used against an NPC. Really, it could potentially be a training method that could make grinding more of a game rather than� grinding?

Overall, the BLN training is good in that it is extremely difficult to automate with a 3rd party program. You can tell that some time was taken in order to make sure that training would be interactive and not automatable. However the training is tedious and gets very boring, which sometimes discourages people from playing. The training is also really slow in order to prevent people from finishing their characters too quickly, although I will say that it is perhaps TOO slow. Furthermore, it seems the staff tried to make the training innovative, but only got halfway there. As far as I can tell, it still hasn�t gotten too far from the training post and button clicking training that is typical on BYOND.

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The RP:

As an RP game, BLN allows the players to determine the direction of the game through the story line, or at least that�s what they try to accomplish.

Basically the RP system in BLN works like this:

- Each major role in the game is assumed by a player (I.E Captain Commander, Hollow Leader, Quincy Elder, etc.)

- In order to progress through the game, you need to RP with the RP Leader associated with your class. (This includes obtaining your class and abilities, as well as traveling to different locations.)

- The story is primarily directed by people who hold Leadership positions, but sometimes those who do not hold positions can impact the storyline.

- In order to enter PVP, one must RP to initiate fighting. PVE does not require RP. The exception to this rule is if a tournament or a �raid� is taking place.

- Certifications are given as proof of RP ability, and are used in order to obtain class skills. If you break an RP rule (For instance, you kill someone without RPing) you will have your certifications removed, and you will lose the ability to use some of your class skills.

I�d say it�s a decent system. It�s not horrible, and it�s a little too flawed to be great. (I guess that�s to be expected when you suddenly change from PVP to RP within a week.) I�ll break down the good and bad aspects of this system.

Good:

-The system does a good job of encouraging RP and reinforcing RP rules.

-Rather than having to RP every single action like in text based RP games, you are only required to RP before and after a fight at minimum. In this regard, the game holds on to some of the aspects that made it a fun PVP game.

-It makes the game interesting in the sense that the storyline is changing all the time and players can impact the direction of the game.

-The game play is different every wipe.

-It adds a whole new depth to game play that you won�t find very often in PVP games.

-It�s something different than the typical �mindless PVP.�

-It�s a great way to make the game more social.

-Improv is always fun, right?

Bad:

-You get hit pretty hard if you break the RP rules. People who don�t read the hub are pretty much screwed (of course you could say it�s their fault for not reading, though.)

-For some reason, everyone gets bored of the story mid-wipe which results in an inevitable population drop.

-The people who do know how to RP well generally treat those who don�t know how to RP or are learning with contempt. (Kind of a shame, really. However, there are people who go out of their way to teach people how to RP, which is good.)

-It is very rare that a normal player has any importance to the story; frankly, only those who hold RP leader positions get to choose the direction, and usually the same people get positions every wipe.

-You have to wait for the RP leaders to log on in order to get your classes. This is a big problem for people pursuing Quincy and Vaizard.

-If your RP ability is not good enough in the eyes of the RP leaders, you�re probably not going get your advanced character abilities. (To the Staff�s credit, they seem to try and give leadership positions to people who are merciful, for the most part.)

Overall, I�d say that RP makes BLN a lot more interesting than it was when it was pure PVP. The storyline problem, and the fact that RP leaders have normal players caught by the balls is a very negative aspect to the game, though. And as much as I hate to say it, the RP community has some pretty snobby people in it. Let�s just say that they don�t play nice with those who they deem to be �stupid.�

If you�re a person who is experienced in RP, this will probably be a fun game for you. If you�re simply trying to learn how to RP, or you want to get all of the �cool shit� you�ve heard about, then you need to make some friends that will actually teach you how, otherwise you�re not going to get very far.

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Conclusion:

The Good:

-The pixel art in this game is very well done overall. There are some pixels that are subpar, and some that are amazingly well done, but for the most part the pixels are very detailed and visually pleasing. Overall, you can tell that the staff put a lot of time and energy into this aspect of the game.

-The Shinigami and Hollow classes are very fun and have a lot of diversity and content. The many different releases in the game add a lot of variety to the game, as well as a lot of different strategies in PVP.

-The RP adds a new depth to the game play and allows players to direct a storyline as if they were characters in the Bleach anime or manga.

-BLN departs from the usual stat tabs that most BYOND games use and utilizes a grid system that makes player stats viewable on a grid and verbs accessible through buttons.

-The fighting system is simple and easy to pick up. Verbs can be accessed via macro or they can be accessed using a HUD button.

-If you are experienced at RP, then this game will be an enjoyable experience.

-The weather and day/night systems are interesting additions in the game that stimulate RP.

-Stat caps enable new players to �Catch up� to older players. It also makes the PVP based more on skill than stats.

-BLN�s class system is a nice change from choosing classes at character creation as seen in most BYOND Anime games.

-BLN�s training gets rid of most, if not all, EZ macro users. Almost all of the players have played the game fair.

-Once you complete your character and finish training, the game becomes very fun.

The Bad:

-The RP rules are strict. If you do not read the rules on the hub, there will probably be some negative consequences.

-If you don�t know how to RP, you�re going to have problems with this game.

-The training is not intuitive and quickly becomes tedious and boring. Dual sparring could be pretty cool, but it�s too confusing and painful to be enjoyable in the least.

-Leveling is very slow. While this prevents people from getting the goods in a day or two, it also makes the game a �pain in the ass� to play sometimes.

-The Quincy, Sado, and Orihime classes are pretty neglected and no one ever uses them.

-It�s easy to mess up your character and result in something you don�t want. While releases need to be random in order to make sure not everyone picks the same release, it�s still disappointing if you don�t get something you want.

-Because the story gets stale (which often results in people quitting the game) there are frequent wipes in order to start the game fresh. If you�re someone who doesn�t like to lose your work, this might not be something you should invest your time on.

-The players (and the GMs) can be unfriendly and harsh at times. (Although for the most part, this community is bearable.)

-Inactivity of RP leaders can severely slow down the flow of the game.

-BLN has some players to like to �god mod� which harms the RP quality of the game.

-The game lacks direction at the beginning. If you are new to the game, it is likely that you will be confused about what you are supposed to do.

Overall, I can confidently give this game a 6 /10 in its current state according to this definition:

�6 -- "A solid product with some issues." A six, while displeasing to some, is still an above-average ranking. Maybe there are some good ideas that just happen to be crippled by iffy game play overall. Maybe it's an overall fun game with too many issues to ignore. We could see recommending this to genre fans.� - http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/03/wiredcoms-game.html

The RP is fun at times, but the flaws in the system inevitably cause it to �crash� (if you will). Other than that, once you get past the tedious training, the game is a fun, unique experience which I can honestly say you won�t find in any other game (for better or for worse). Right now, BLN has many flaws, as do most of the games on BYOND, but these certainly have the potential to be fixed in the future. Though, I suppose the key word here is �potential.�

Reviews Change

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:41:49 GMT

At the request of Foomer and a very valid suggestion, i have decided to remove the scoring metric from the reviews. Now in concept these were a nice feature however people thought that reviews needed to be comparable and graded in some scientific way, and this was never the point. The score was never supposed to mean much of anything other than the reviewers opinion of what areas are strong and which are weak, a 10-9-4, overall 8 might imply that the game was very high quality but one area brought down the overall enjoyment. It is understandable that this feature was misunderstood as some sort of actual measurement, and often reviews which were beneficial with pros/cons and pictures were received poorly simply because the author of such had a more conservative/liberal idea of how scoring should be, whether or not it should be based on a byond average or just a potential for a byond game rating or what. Anyway I think this is the right decision because i really want to get back to reading reviews for constructive criticism, fair praise and a nice convenient peek in to a game for curious new players.

Naruto GOA Review by Masterdan

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:03:40 GMT

Alright then, the number one ranked game in BYOND Anime, expect this to be good right, well its a great game for one, let me break it down a bit.

Gameplay 9- This game is very fun and addicting. Training isn't boring, to train you go into the dojo and basically just fight people, fighting for training sounds fun right? It can get boring sometimes, mostly in the begining, but it gets funner once you get your moves. There are also village wars as well, which is also fun. Some people can be mean though, and you can vote mute people for an hour which normally passes even when the person hasn't done anything. And another thing, this one move called raikiri, its basically one hit kill and ruins an epic battle, but I heard it is being modified so thats good news. Theres a variety of clans and traits and many jutsus to pick from. And one great quality as well, if you dont know in most Naruto games, theres nin tai and gen right? Not here, this game distributes into the stats, Strength, reflex, control, and intelligence, and a skilled player will use them effectively.

Presentation 10- You get a nice little log in screen, this part is nice, when you log in to make a character, you dont click hair, choose what hair style from a list, and put in color codes. You actually see different icons of hairs and skin colors and eye colors, and you can modify the color with custom codes if you don't see a color you like. And you also log into an academy that teaches you a lot about the game. And there aren't random killings from your own village, so thats a bit of relief.

Originality 9.5- Now this is interesting, in this game, when they mean clan, they really mean clan. There is no "Uzumaki" clan, because it really isn't a clan. They have stuff like "Kaguya" clan, because its a real clan with genetic battle traits passed down. However, you do not have to pick one of these clans, there are certain traits that you can pick, (such as a trait that gives you extra skill points) Speaking of skillpoints, this is how you get techniques. There is a nice skill tree where you can buy your clan skills, non-clan skills(available to everybody) and passive skills.

Overall 10- This game is just fun in general. The only real problem is the server issue, with the lag and all (the game is currently down at the time I am writing this though, Masterdan has finals to worry about) but otherwise, the community is pretty good, no abusive gms (because there arent any, the shape of the world is really determined by players.) So hopefully when this game goes back up there will be more hosts (game is run by a global save system, all save files are transfered to one main server, so you can play with your character on any server.)This game is definitely one to get in to.

Review for Bleach: Las Noches by Seireitei Productions

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:29:29 GMT

Ok... I have played this game for quite a while, but I do not play anymore.

Let's face it, the only way to get good in this game is to lose your social life and go mad. It is very difficult to level (non afk training system, which is understandable) but all you do is the same damn thing for training.

Also, your power really depends on how much time you have to devote to the game, not much on your skill, an example, I made it to hollow (WOO!) and got to level 100 (after many long hours) then went to sleep, I wake up and go to school, then my friend who stayed up late at night and didnt go to school, and when I got home he was level 350, this applies to many byond games but this just doesn't feel right.

Now for the part of the game that really screws you over that makes people cry and gives them suicidal thoughts. There is basically a very low percent chance you actually get what you want in the end. The only two races that CAN'T screw you over is the Sado race (power human) and the Inoue race (defensive/healing human) The main reason I quit the game for good is because, I recreated twice to get hollow, then I got ALL THE WAY to level 1250, did the RP crap with the Aizen figure, got the exact opposite of what I wanted, and just left. I know people get screwed over like this a lot. Alright that was a long introduction time for the actual game...

Gameplay 4- This game is very fun AFTER all the training and IF you get what you want. Maybe if the staff of this game made the training more fun, then the gameplay would go to a 9 or 10.

Presentation 9- It looks fairly nice in the begining, nice title screens, and the graphics are pretty good, oh and its not a rip (unlike 90% of bleach games on byond, but this goes in the originality section, I suppose)

Originality 6- I won't base this on that its based off an anime, so I gave this a six because the training system, logs? Sparring? Standing still rei training clicking arrows? They could have came up with something better than this. However they worked nicely to give sword releases without final releases a custom one (whether they are just a stat boost or some extra moves)

Overall N/A- I dont know whether to rate this or not, depends on how you feel of spending so many hours on this one game, and I dont want to put my personal opinion in this (cause then I would give it a very low one =P) I really want the staff to read so they might get some ideas to make this game much better.

An extra note- I know making random shikais will be so not everyone chooses the same thing, but seriously, at least make it so you cant get the ones you dont want... And take out this 75% 50% chance of getting blank crap... Please comment and try to prove me wrong... If you can...

Las Noches Review

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:29:26 GMT

Bleach Las Noches is one of, if not the oldest running Bleach game on BYOND, and is by far the most original. Starting in it’s early days as a normal Player versus Player game, BLN managed to take a strong hold on all the Anime Fan games, quickly raising into the top 3. Since then, it has grown into a more professional game, looked upon as a project rather than a hubby, giving us the beautiful and entertaining Roleplay Based variation of a once great game. The question is, has BLN lost all of it’s momentum? Or does it continue to sit at the top of the pillar.

Game Play: The game play on Bleach Las Noches consists of training, role-playing, and fighting. We’ll cover training the most, since that’s the most common thing that most new comers will be doing. Although most people see the training as more of a chore, certain aspects of it can be fun. The newly implemented Dual Sparring system is a nice change from Shadow Sparring, the only down side being that those who prefer to stay up all night, or those who happen to live outside of the United States and Canada may find some trouble getting a Partner due to the time difference. During these Dual Spar sessions, getting hit will increase your stamina, and hitting somebody will increase your strength. A rather well thought out method that fits this particular anime quite well, if you ask me. Reiatsu training, which is unlocked at 200 strength or 2,000 stamina, is a clever button mashing sequence that anybody who enjoys Dance Dance Revolution will love just as much.

The role-playing on Las Noches is not like everybody thinks. When most people think of Role playing, they find it tedious and have the common idea that you must roleplay every action. This, however, is not true. Although the majority of your actions will be role-played, not every single one does. In other words, you’ll have to RP the beginning of the fight, any major events such as releasing your sword or running away, and the end of it. Anything else can be done strictly through the usage of your verbs. The game normally has a storyline that is very loosely based on the show, allowing any of the minor characters complete freedom and allowing the major characters, IE Captains, Aizen, Urahara, a large amount as well.

Fighting, is just as you would expect. Click a verb, throw a punch/swing a sword/fire an arrow. This is one of those games were level doesn’t decide a fight. If you’re not a very good fighter, then somebody less than half your level could easily beat you. It’s the perfect blend of fighting and strength that make these moments so incredible and enjoyable. Although Fighting and Roleplaying make the game amazing, the repetitive and often boring training forces me to give BLN’s Game play an 8 out of 10.

Presentation: At first glance, the game play may seem repetitive, tiring, and quite boring. The initial training that is required, however, is merely a minor inconvenience. After a few hours of training, chatting, and role-playing, you’ll gain the ability to see Hollows, and as any Bleach fan knows, they mean nothing but harm. It’s from this point on, that the game becomes interesting. From this point on, you can choose to become one of several different classes, all with unique strengths and weaknesses. They are all well balanced; so you’ll never have to worry about one race rule all scenarios that are quite often seen in any Dragonball game. The game not only looks nice, but once you get use to the ideals that are being sent out, it handles nice as well. For Presentation, I gave BLN a 10 out of 10.

Originality: BLN is probably one of the most original anime games currently on BYOND in all of the above categories. The training system is unique, the icons were found in no other game when BLN began it’s rise to the top. It has come a long ways since it’s introduction to BYOND, and in my opinion, it still has a long way to go before it burns out. Sadly, out of the interest of fairness, BLN is based off an Anime, so I must give it a 9 out of 10.

Overall: 9 out of 10.

A review for Bleach Eternity 2 by Falacy.

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:40:33 GMT

Gameplay: Even in its Alpha stages, Bleach Eternity 2 offers fresh and innovating gameplay for the typical Bleach fan.

The first thing you notice when you log on, is the nicely done login screen to greet you with. Afterwards It gives you a nice display for files, if you want to create a character or delete a character.

Soon after doing so you may have already noticed that this game has sound effects. The game uses many different sound effects, for the greater good. When clicking an option/accepting, when taking damage, or when slicing your sword.

You then have the option to choose between 1 of the 5 races.

Only 2 of which are completed, (Shinigami and Quincy). I was suprised to see "Bounto" on there, Im not much of a Bleach fan myself but I do know what they are exactly and was glad to see them considered for implementation.

And of course, after selecting which race you want, you are offered to choose which Hairstyle/Name you would like. There are 9 different hairstyles to choose from.

To my biggest suprise on this screen, there was also a "voice" option. Yes, this game uses its sound features to offer your character a specific voice.

There are a few random voices in there (Notably Link and Sora), but after getting into some of the combat in the game they seemed to have fit in nicely. Hopefully this will be expanded in the future.

The game puts you through a tutorial, which explains all of the basic actions of the game.

Your character starts out as a normal human-type. But after speaking with the first guide, he explains how pressing the space button allows you to go into your spirit form.

(My human body is behind me, and I am in my spirit form.)

The purpose of this is so that, while in your spirit form allows you to do various options, such as fighting or talking to other NPC's.

Learning the combat system was pretty easy (With the help of the informative NPC.)

F- High Attack
D- Mid Attack
S- Low Attack
A- Use Skill
G- Guard

Your characters "voice" syncronizes with the attacks. The more notable combat system in the game is its "Chain Attacks".

From the NPC: "Chain Attacks: Soul Reapers can execute Chain Combos by quickly Linking Attacks. At your current level the only chains you know are FFF, SFF, and DFF."

In short terms, depending on which key combo you use, allows you to pull off some melee combos. The higher level you get the more combos you can learn. This is a very cool system that can be used for attacking fast with.

After leveling up a few times, you're able to purchase skills from its skill list.

You are only able to purchase skills that are linked to the current ones you own. (In this case Guard and Basic combat skills, which are highlighted to indicate.) You can also level up the skills you have to increase thier effect.

There are also different type traits you can get to even further this.

"Skill, Combo, Arts, Stats, Traits". It offers a wide variety.

This is only the Shinigami Skill screen. Im sure there is one for Quincy; and this is very nicely done for providing a wide range of attacks/other skills for your character to choose from.

I had a fun time fighting against a few weak hollows, practicing some of the combos I had.

--

Overall, the gameplay has a solid base for its future beta stage. The one thing that REMOTELY bothered me in this game, and coincidentally was its biggest flaw/soon to come flaw, was...

Subscribing.

Now, for those of you dont know what this is, its paying money for extra features. It was notorious on his Dragonball Z game for giving out incredible bonuses for those who were willing to pay thier money.

This could be incredibly unbalanced for the games future. So far, I've only encountered myself a few subscriber benefits.

(Trying to relog)
You are not Subscribed to Stray Games
Click here to Subscribe today!

You Must Wait 60 Seconds before Relogging. Instant Access Available for Subscribers

--

(Trying to get on a server)
You are not Subscribed to Stray Games
Click here to Subscribe today!

56/35 Player Limit has been Reached. Additional Slots Available for Subscribers

--

And, from what I've intaken from OOC, there is a move in the game that.. " can stun for 30 seconds on a person without a subscription".

This is incredibly unbalanced for the game. I do hope this is removed in the future; the only money you should put towards BYOND is BYOND itself.

==

Presentation: Bleach Eternity 2 provides a nicely laid out presentation.

Moderate base icon, good graphics, and the sound effects are on par with the combat system. Overall it seems well placed and fit.

Though I have recieved a few text bugs with the popups, where they stay stuck on my screen until I relog. (Which can be troublesome with the subscribing bit.)

==

Originality: The game offers a breathe of fresh air for needy Bleach fans. It offers a well rounded combat system, easy to use leveling skill system, and easy learning curve. It sort of feels like the transformation from NBOTLS to GOA, but moreso Bleach.

Most of its current systems can be greatly expanded; which hopefully they will be. (Sounds, races, techniques, ect.)

==

Overall: Seeing how Its alpha, it already has a decent core for what could be one of the greater games on BYOND.

One of the major setdowns of this game, and what could be the most unbalanced part of it for now and its distanc future is its subscribing bit.

"Subscription Prices
4 dollars for a 1 month sub ($4 per month)
18 dollars for a 6 month sub ($3 per month)
24 dollars for a 12 month sub ($2 per month)
50 dollars for a lifetime sub
"

That is incredibly unfair to most players who do not want to spend money on things like this, and just want to play. Im not sure how In-depth the BYOND staff goes for fangames intaking money like this, but this is a bit far. Most of the servers you can barely get into with its max player count (34/25), so it almost deliberatly makes you have to purchase a subscription to even play.

The game so far is great. With enough work it could par with GOA itself. But this subscribing part is most certaintly holding it back; lets hope that this greedy part of the game is removed in the future.

-Rugg

Bleach by VncenG Review

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:52:04 GMT

Well I was bored and I haven't submitted a Review yet so here it is....

Game play: Well it isn't like most games where you just sit there holding down Macros while leveling up. Quests and Fighting is the type of training they use. When you start off you are put on a map full of Hollow AIs. This is bad for the fact that basically right when you start the game you have a chance of dieing. To choose your class you must talk to the correct NPC. That can be good or bad.
Good for the fact that you can choose what class you want to be. Bad for the fact that one class can be overcrowded which can make the game Unbalanced.

The staff seems to be friendly and pay attention to their players.
For example:
{None}Nash_M1V3P wsays: Any admins on...

{Wicked Clownz / 4th Squad Vice-Captain}Rosseh wsays: I'm a GM

{Wicked Clownz / 4th Squad Vice-Captain}Rosseh wsays: What you need? o.o

Also, this game would be much better if it wasn't for the constant lag spikes.

Presentation:

I wouldn't say this game has "Great" Graphics but at least they aren't ripped. As for the login, doesn't really attract my attention with the whole plain New, Load , Delete. As for the community, there wasn't any flaming that I noticed so the community seems promising.

Good:
-Unique Training
-Non Rip
-Helpful Staff
-Decent Community (Not so Talkative)

Bad:
-Not so great graphics
-Strict rules
-Lag Spikes about every 15 seconds
-Overlays disappear during attacks

A review for Pokemon RP Reborn.

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:41:55 GMT

Gameplay: Pokemon RP Reborn offers simple, and quick to learn gameplay for the typical pokemon fan.

You start off, and you have a choice between Trainer, and Pokemon. I'll choose Trainer.

It asks me for my name. Fair enough, "Rugg." Afterwards, it asks you to choose from one of the 12 selectable icons that you want your Trainer to have.

(Male gold/silver hero, Scientist, Punk, Pokemaniac, Gary, Youngster, Rival, Lass, Female gold silver hero, Pokemaniac 2, Pink haired girl)

There isn't much to choose from; when there easily could be. The game holds its pokemon-estique gameplay through the Red/Blue/Silver/Gold version. Who's to say there can't be more trainer icons? There wasnt a silver/gold male trainer, not to mention many other icons that could have been added. Versatility is always nice.

After you've chosen your characters trainer Icon, it sets you in the small town named "Legacy Town". From what I know this is the only town in the game. You start with 5 pokeballs, and 1 potion. Ill go catch a pokemon I guess.

Catching the pokemon is quite simple. You target the pokemon, (Who must be "Wild"), and then throw the pokeball. Depending on what type of pokeball you're using varies the chance of catching it.

Awesome! I caught a graveller. I guess Ill go fight another pokemon.

There are 2 battle systems in the game. Trainer vs Trainer, which I believe goes by turn, and Trainer vs Pokemon.

A wild pokemon (Mewtwo, mind you). Its pretty basic pokemon mechanics from here on out; with its own ideas. The pokemon can move around the area for a little bit, and I believe you have to be next to the person for your attack to execute. This could be extensive once more areas are added; for new types of battle maps. It will be very cool with Gyms.

But anyways. The pokemon each deliver thier attacks, depending on what move the trainer told the pokemon to use. Im assuming as a wild pokemon you choose your own attacks (Which I'll elaborate a bit more when I try out being a Pokemon.)

The trainer has 4 commands:

Attack: Where you select the move you want the pokemon currently out to use

Item: If you want to use an item on the pokemon; counts as 1 turn per item.

PKMN: Allows you to change pokemon, if you have more than one

Run: Allows you to run away from the wild pokemon. It does not always work.

--

Other than that, If you're not battling pokemon, odds are you are trying to earn money.

And what better way to earn money than... Berry picking?

Some of you may remember this from Silver/Gold versions of pokemon on the Gameboy. Berry picking, as far as I know, is the only method of making money on this game so far. From what I've heard, there will be new methods of earning money in the future; which is great news.

You can sell each berry for a certain number of money at the shop in Legacy town. Depending on what Berry you're selling determines the price. The berries can also be used as healing items in a pokemon battle, which was true to the series.

Also where you sell the berries, the PokeMart, is where you buy most if not all of your pokemon needs. Here you can purchase TM's, different type of pokeballs, and healing items. There is also a store that sells Cell Phones and cell phone accessories but.. They cost alot of money. It can be tedious to save up that sum of money with just 1 method of earning cash that isn't too efficient.

Seeing how Legacy Town is the only town in the game, there arent that many shops or buildings for a Pokemon trainer to look around in.

There is of course the hospital, where you heal your wounded pokemon. Upstairs you can Trade pokemon with other players; and a Mystery Gift man that isn't completed yet.

To the pokemon trainers biggest dismay, and probably the biggest gap in the game is probably the lack of a Gym.

Ahh!! I've played this game periodically, and Ive always seen this dreaded board blocking the door to what could be a very fun pokemon BYOND experience. From what I've heard from some of the staff in the game, there will be a fairly large update that will finally move the board from this Door. Lets hope it comes soon.

There are a few areas to explore in the game. Not nearly enough to suit its current playerbase, though. There are 2 blocked off areas by guards who tell me that the area is not finished yet. There are also Caves, where there isnt much there but a pokemon training dummy and berries.

Currently, thats pretty much all there is to a Pokemon trainer in the game. Catch pokemon, fight against other pokemon trainers, and try to be the best there is.

Unfortunately some systems in the Trainer-types could be expanded dramatically. I do plan on re-joining the games forum (I had lost my old forum account, long time ago.) and suggesting a few simple ideas that will help expand these needs.

--

Now onto the Player-Pokemon side of the game. The character creation should seem pretty familiar, except that you don't choose your name. Depending on what pokemon you are determines the name you get: for example, "Wild Espeon".

You get to choose which pokemon type you want to become, which will put you on a certain roll to get a pokemon of that type.

Electric, Flying, Grass, Fire, Water, Normal, Ground, Rock, Ghost, Psychic, Bug, Poison, Dark, Random Rare.

I chose electric. From there I had 4 choices of electric pokemon to choose from; I chose the classic pikachu.

All of the other pokemon types work like that as well; minus Random rare. Random rare gives you 3 chances to get a random pokemon that isnt in the other categories, and after the 3rd choice you're stuck with the pokemon.

To train your pokemon.. you have to use moves on a "Training dummy".

Agh!!! This isnt very good. From what Ive heard from the staff there will be NPC to fight; and training will be much harder. If you try to go near these dummies as a trainer..

Blaze (-Pikachucaregiver-) OOC: NO TRAINERS NEAR THE DOLLS

Prepare for that phrase to follow you for the rest of your pokemon life.

Ive found 2 training dummies. Its a decently boring experience to train, and I dont have any motivation to do so. Hopefully the training system will recieve a major rehaul.

I also recieve a few different commands as a pokemon. I can make a trainer my permanent trainer, and also make it so that I dont struggle when a pokeball is thrown at me (In the event that I want to be catched. very useful.)

When im caught, the trainer decides weither or not I should be outside or inside my pokeball. I always thought the inside of a pokeball would be restraining but.. In this game, its actually quite big.

Its called the "Pokemon Terrarium (Pokeball Hub)". From here, its pretty big. Many different rooms and there are berries to pick as well. There is also a very useful room where I can watch my trainer from 3rd person.

The gameplay as of now is pretty good. Though it could easily be alot better; Gyms, other towns, bigger map, new methods of money making.. A team rocket-type group? Who knows.

---

Presentation: The game offers graphics from Red/Blue/Silver/Gold versions on the game boy. It delivers a classic feel to it.

The game also has music for each area, though there is an annoying bug where if you move from 1 area to another area.. Instead of having the music change, it stacks on. It can be annoying at times but there is a verb in the commands to turn music off.

The pokemon icons are nicely done. One of the kind staff managed to show me a preview of the multi-tiled pokemon, which will also be a new experience to the game.

Overall the games icons are nicely fit, but the only thing that could be replaced is the login screen. It has been there awhile and it could probably use a new one; which shouldn't be too difficult. New trainer icons could easily be implemented to further the experience.

---

Originality: The game offers simple pokemon mechanics for the soft-core BYOND gamer. Wiether or not you like to come on to chat, or, you would want to battle a few people on the game, both are up for option.

The community for the most part is pretty friendly. The staff is devoted to the game and I have seen them on daily for quite some time now.

The current battle system could be expanded: New battle maps, items, pokemon, gyms, ect. But for the most part is pretty simple.

---

Overall: The game is alright; as of now. It can EASILY be expanded on many levels to improve its score from an to an 9/10.

Bigger map, a few more towns, gyms, a new training system for pokemon, a few more trainer icons, and maybe even a team rocket. Who knows, but this game has the potential to be a very fun game. It sticks out from the other pokemon games with its steady playerbase, frequent servers, and friendly staff.

I do plan on doing a re-vamp on this review once the new update on the game is implemented. I spoke with a staff member earlier; many new things will be added, "Making it a completely new and greater game".

--Rugg

Bleach: Time of Anachy Reborn review.

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 22:22:03 GMT

Gameplay Rating: 4/10
Gameplay Review: Well, it's pretty obviously a SoC rip... most games try to distance themselves from this fact as much as possible and the same is true of Time of Anarachy Reborn. The only real problem with that is that instead of focusing on a few quality features, ToAR tries to spread itself out too much and the final product just ends up feeling rushed and ill-prepared. Little things like Bala, which worked nothing like it did in the show, could have been vastly expanded upon. Another thing I had major problems with were the maps, which I will expand upon more later in the review.

Presentation Rating (original SoC): 7/10
Presentation Rating (ToAR additions): 4/10
Presentation Review: The original SoC icons weren't the best, but they were definitely above adequete. The buildings, in particular, I always thought were spectacular, as well as the techniques. The only real issues I ever had with SoC was the base; short and fat isn't exactly what I think of when I think of Bleach. Either way, the overall look and feel, at its core, is very eye-pleasing, although the additions made by the ToAR staff are often taken from other games or just recolored versions of the SoC icons.

When it comes to actual presentation, on the other hand, ToAR falls flat on its face. If you haven't played any other SoC rips, ToAR will fail to teach you what you're doing in the slightest. The maps are large and expansive, but you'll spend a long time wandering aimlessly through the streets of earth or the sands of Hueco Mundo, trying desperately to find where you're supposed to be going. The bottom line is, if you don't have a lot of time to explore the maps, this game isn't for you.

Originality Rating: 3/10
Originality Review: Although ToAR tries to set itself apart, it once again gives an overall impression of being put together hastily and sloppily. There are a few features present in the game which give it a sense of originality, such as ranks within each class or race, but most of the features seem like they were done in a rush to 'one-up' the competition. They have features not present in most other Bleach games, such as Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde ranked hollows, but they go by in an instant without giving you any techniques or other benefits that would make having the ranks worth having.

Overall Rating: 5/10
Overall Review: Overall, all of the additions to the original SoC source that ToAR brings to the table feel like they're there for asthetic purposes alone; they look pretty, but they don't do anything. They try to overwhelm the player by offering them a lot of features, but none of the features have any substance. If I were giving a recomendation for what game to play, it wouldn't be this one. No offense to the game's owners, but it just seems like they need to spend a little more effort next time around.

Pokemon Magma Red Review

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:34:41 GMT

My name is Kira, and I'm going to review Pokemon Magma Red. I've been a player for a rather long time, so I can truly make a good judgement, or at least in my opinion. I will tell the tale of why I said what for every score.

**Gameplay**

Well, it's the regular icon game, but at the beginning, you go through a gigantic maze, looking for "Pokemon Statues", and with the variety of Pokemon to look for, can take you 10 minutes, to over 2 hours, ofcourse depending on your patience. Then again, you can just become a trainer.

Alright, you choose your pokemon, as a pokemon, you get a nifty battle/breeding/building system, that you can work with throughout the so called "Build Zone". Now, I'm not talking Bevan rips 15 items to build from, I mean well over 150 floors, walls, etc, with at least 25 of these interactive.

If you choose trainer, you end up with a catching/building system. You can catch pokemon, same old, you get my point.

Very fun at first. Especially with the option to change your icon and the icon of anything you build, there are tons of possibilities. Keeps you going for a while, but gets boring after a while.

All of the building verbs have recently been organized by category, which is helpful when looking for a certain object.

Well, a 6/10 seems suitable.

**Presentation**

It's all graphics from the pokemon games, the pokemon icons from PMD1, and PMD2, and all of the turfs/icons from the R/S/E games, it seems. There is, however, no music, unless an admin plays you a tune. The icons are very loyal to the Pokemon series, no other misc. rips, which gives it that "comfortable to play" feel.

I believe a 8/10 is in order.

**Originality**

It's the basic icon chatting game, with a bunch of Pokemon features, but mainly it's a building icon game, like... Picture Chao Chatterz, but a Pokemon Themed.

5/10 for that.

**Overall**

Overall, Pokemon Magma Red is a generally fun game, that will keep you entertained, not just with the building, but with the occassional events hosted by the Admins- or players!- such as many "Role Plays", amongst other things. Aside from that, the only limit to building in this game is your creativity.

So, if you like Pokemon- and even if you don't- Pokemon Magma Red is definitely a game worth trying.