Ok, I'm done with the reviews and I decided to post them now. I wrote them in notepad before I posted them here. And as you see, Originality was a force field in this contest so I wrote it in caps to make it noteful.
Wonderfull Waterfalls
-Eyecandy
So, this level doesn't give itself so much eyecandy because of the tileset and as I've seen, jj1-tilesets don't give their levels a huge amount of eyecandy but there is quite much of it in this level. Toby anyways put some effort on the eyecandy and I see no bugs about eyecandy so I would give this a 9.
9/10
-Layout
Simple and symmetrical. There could have been more of levels and platforms in this level as I see that most of this level is only walls, which makes this level more closed. The Carrot-area would be perfect, if there were more routes to there. Yes, everything important is in the middle. Tubes in both bases and two of them
around the carrot area add more ways to get into the opponent's base but still as the level is so closed, at least I don't like the layout too much, except the falls in both bases. Useless dead ends have been removed anyways with warps or those tubes which is a good thing.
7/10
-Placement
It's quite good. They have been Spread well and there are nice shapes of ammo-flocks, although there could have been a little more.
9/10
-ORIGINALITY
The rain is one original thing but it doesn't impress me so much, just a little warm up of some originality, or so. The rain comes is part-timed instead of continuous raining, although it should last a little longer, move faster and the flocks should be smoother. Well, another original thing I actually found only was the route-shop. It only offers access to Seeker-PU and let's players go under the bases. At least those places should be useful. The level has a music and it fits the level.
9/20
Overall: 7.2
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GeTtInG HoT?
-Eyecandy
There ain't that much of eyecandy I expected, especially in the background layers.
I dislike the black main bg quite much and most of the lava-falls aren't smooth even. Well, there's at least something in the foreground or in the layer 4, but still the eyecandy hasn't been done very well, also once there is a lot of evil bugs like the smaller ironclad-tubes or so which end like they wouldn't have one. But usually because I haven't been so careful about eyecandy, I give it 6 instead of 5.
6/10
-Layout
Very very simple round-like platforms and he hasn't used any possible obstacles what the layout could have on it. Only springs and tubes here and there, looks kinda boring, but at least dead ends were still avoided, and it might be possible to play here at least some, so I'll give this 7.
7/10
-Placement
This is probably the best part of the level. Nice shapes of ammo but some of them could have been in a little different place.
9/10
-ORIGINALITY
This level neither has much of originality although the level's author, the organizer of the contest had set that originality is the most important in this contest. I only found the triggered PU's and lava-pools original.
6/20
Overall: 5.6
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Christmast Blast
-Eyecandy
I'm not very sure what to give about this but at least the layers 6 and 7 are used with the main bg, which has no fade, nor stars. Foreground and layer 4 anyways offers some eyecandy, but I don't like the type of eyecandy this tileset offers so much. It's too much of a cartoon-type.
8/10
-Layout
This is just ok, I would say. Players may reach each others' base too quickly in my opinion once they're on the same floor. But at the upper floors the layout looks quite good, and flow is fine. Good obstacles.
7/10
-Placement
There is some ammo-flocks which look too much of a square in my opinion. I anyways liked the position of carrot and powerups.
8/10
-ORIGINALITY
There was a rule that the participater may not use his own tileset but once it was removed, cb used his own one anyways, and there comes 5 points of that. Another original thing in this case is that you used a christmas-themed tileset when it's christmas atm. There comes a few points also. Otherwise, I didn't
find anything original from the level otherwise. Music is average but fits.
8/20
Overall: 6.2
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Originallystation
-Eyecandy
A nice level with loads of eyecandy in it but it seems like layer 6 would be unused, which makes the level look a bit emptier. I saw at least one minor eyecandy-bug at a foreground tree. It's top was missing but that doesn't make any effect since it was the only one I found.
9/10
-Gameplay(instead of Layout, because this is single-player)
Not very good. The level doesn't have any difficulty settings, and it is way too short. At least navigating isn't a problem but I would have wished more secrets, etc.
5/10
-Placement
Otherwise fine but there could have really been some ammo as well except the gun9 given for end boss. And more food, gems etc. Gems were just put together at the fall near the end boss, more types of enemies could have been included. There could have also been stop-enemy under the stomp-blocks so there wouldn't
be a chance that you would get hurt of the lizards walking under them. Other hand this is fine as I said.
7/10
-ORIGINALITY
Really impressive. This level surely has the most originality of all the levels in this contest. First of all, there is an intro in the begin with some patroling jazzes in the showscreen. But that ain't all yet, of course. The begin of the level is that you have to buttstomp a crate next to you and once you've broken it, several bomb crates fall on your head. Once you shoot or buttstomp one of them, the
explosion causes a line of other bomb crates to explode once the another crate next to it explodes. Once the last crate explodes, it causes the small platforms to appear, giving the player access to the upper level. After that, you have to shoot another bomb crate from a small hole, to get ahead. Then once you
enter to a little larger area, there is a small path where is mixed buttstomp-blocks and destruct-blocks. I don't remember that I would have seen anything like this before but it is also another good idea. You must shoot off the destruct-blocks from each hole at the right side. Then you may buttstomp away.
I really like the floating springs and I even remember a level from jj1...The second level of Wild Wabbit. It had something of floating springs as well, and the climax of Dx's level is the schwartzenguard (or however it is spelled), who can be hurtable only with electro-blasters. This makes it more challengeful but there could be something more in hard-mode so it would be excellent. Music sounds
good but doesn't fit so much in my opinion.
17/20
Overall: 7.6
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I'm sorry DS but your level was the worst of these, but still it ain't too bad and I note still that every level would have got around +1 higher rating if this contest had no force field on originality.
You even forgot to put originality on your level since it was mentioned that the level must be original. And I think you shouldn't have even taken part in your own contest. Not because your level was worst of these, but because the contest-organizers usually either only judge the levels or just set up things like this thread for judging, etc. At least if I arranged a contest, I would have done that rather. Well, GL and HF for your next contest if you will do another. Something else to add, typos? Then reply to me.
