Score: 4

"Not as helpful as I had hoped."

submission: The Tutorial Collab '08

date: April 19, 2008

Since I've started animating a lot more recently, I figured I'd see if I could find anything helpful. At first this collaboration looked tidy, but I was soon disappointed. For a start, it's not really a Flash tutorial. The ActionScript section was bulky but the topics and their explanations varied - some decent, some poor. I didn't really find anything of value. Even the most basic ActionScript tutorials had errors.

Some of the tutorials were especially weak. One example - Illustrator Basics. Rather than going through the basics of using this program, I was merely given a vague description and told that the tools work similar to Flash and Fireworks. Fortunately I have knowledge of these programs, but what about someone who really wanted to learn how things worked? Worse still, I'm directed to other people's tutorials on the next page!

There must be some good information to be found once you delve into it, but not all the tutorials featured can be considered helpful or easy to follow. There really needed to be more focus on Flash itself. Tips and tricks, as well as the vitals. The music section, with only two topics, also needs strengthening. There may be more than 1500 pages of information, but I was hoping for quality, not quantity.

Score: 6

"Decent short."

submission: Looking Up

date: March 25, 2008

Yeah, I liked what I saw. Simple but effective. Being that simple, there's not much I could say about it, but it worked well overall. I think the music could've been a tad quieter, but it helped keep my attention and really suited the pace. If there was no audio, I probably wouldn't have finished watching your short.

Perhaps next time you could release several shorts in one submission using this basic style? Keep experimenting.

Score: 10

"Best thing I've seen here in months!"

submission: Bambee

date: February 21, 2008

Originally, my only complaint was going to be the video format, but that was justified. It still would've been nice if the audio quality was better, but I'll just take it as it is - it's a parody of a film from the 1940s anyway, right?

I was laughing from start to finish. Shortly afterwards, I watched it a second time and discovered it continued after the birth sequence. Then I laughed some more. It's great to see a well-animated parody that isn't about gaming for a change. The animation and humour is somewhat reminiscent of the controversial animator John Kricfalusi's work and flows pretty well.

Viewers must be careful when they tread Newgrounds, for this is a beautiful yet treacherous wonderland of awesome. Jungle Boogie!

Score: 10

"Surprisingly faithful to the original."

submission: - Move Your Feet -

date: January 5, 2008

I remember that song being a big hit a few years back. Those who aren't familiar with the popular video which this was based on should check it out on YouTube or something. Naturally this animation features the best kind of sprites you can use - completely original ones. I'm grateful to see that no gaming sprites were lazily latched on. The DBZ, DDR and Daft Punk references didn't interfere with the flow either, you made them work. Some might argue that this surpasses the original video. I'd say the animation is at least more fluid.

All in all, I suggest anyone who has a taste for good animation, or gets those post-Christmas blues to check this cheerful creation out. Rtil, your work really impressed me last year. I'm pleased you're already making the most of 2008. Keep that Anipedia project going too!

Score: 9

"Another memorable loop by Weebl."

submission: Pork

date: December 19, 2007

It's nicely animated, catchy and focuses on pork. What's not to like? As a plus, it also loops a lot better than some of your older work - it's pretty much spot on. Although I'd like to see more feature-length animations from you, or at least the next Parsley Boobs, this is definitely one of your better music loops. Merry Christmas.

Score: 10

"Flawless, yet still a significant improvement!"

submission: Waterlollies

date: November 8, 2007

We all knew this was going to be amazing. Every animation by you I've had the pleasure of watching has been excellent, pretty much the best Newgrounds has to offer. Yet, with this latest release, you have still outdone yourself. Two things in particular stood out which convince me I'm right in saying so.

First, the plot. In past installments, Brackenwood was always supposed to look expansive, but for some reason I never could appreciate that. But with Waterlollies, you featured characters from past installments, referring back to Bitey's abusive actions. Not only does that tie up the story nicely, but that makes the world of the animation seem bigger, more significant. It didn't matter that the story was simple, it worked. It reminded me that it was the characters that have made this series engaging so far. I was perfectly still, fully immersed watching how this developed. That wasn't quite the case with previous attempts, although I've always admired and enjoyed your work. You say you want to work on story and depth? I think you've got the right idea, keep working on those elements.

The second reason? The special thanks list at the end. I have never seen a credits sequence with a special thanks section that large. Look at how many people aid and support you! Nathan McCree, Tom Fulp, the donators. You must have felt pretty good as you made that list. It's evidence enough that you're improving - you've earned that kind of support by doing so.

When you work on a greater storyline in the next installment, Newgrounds had better appreciate it - they might just be witnessing the greatest Flash animation of all time.

Score: 6

"Interesting, but..."

submission: Actstravaganza Vol.1

date: October 21, 2007

I'm afraid your collection features the same problem I noted in Egoraptor's Awesome Collections - Good vocal talent, but fairly low audio quality. It's more of a problem here because the focus is on said vocal talent, and what they came up with. It's harder to appreciate what I'm hearing, and to be frank, they sound less professional. It sounds like they're using cheap microphones, which I doubt is the case.

That being said, it was still a decent collaboration. I quite liked the Pickler/Diary shorts. The Easter Egg was also amusing, but again, the audio quality takes a lot from it. Since you've just released this, I'm hoping that it wouldn't be too much trouble to change the audio quality output in the export process on Flash and resubmit? I think it'd be worth it!

Score: 8

"Nice one."

submission: HIT THAT!

date: October 13, 2007

Good short. Like you said, there's more effort in the animation then might meet the eye, in terms of frame-by-frame. Ultimately it's the execution of the joke and voices that makes this a winner - well done.

High Five! Don't leave me hanging.

Score: 10

"Cuboy rides again, but users - where's the love?"

submission: Cuboy Ep.2

date: September 29, 2007

Oh yes, just as whimsical and stylish as before. This sequel had it all - evil cats, kung fu and guitar solos. The Ultimate Friend doesn't disappoint here. I can't really think of any criticisms, save for the inability to pause without messing up the audio sync. Other than that, this was great.

My only concern is how other users felt about it. People claiming this is 'gay' or 'too much like a sitcom' are mistaken! Just because you don't get the nature of Cuboy's humour doesn't make it homosexual, and placing a non-sequitur laugh track in one scene? That makes this a sitcom? Come on. I guess it comes down to audience age. Younger viewers don't seem to enjoy this as much as the millionth Zelda parody or Phoenix Wrong creation.

Sometimes original work gets overlooked or misunderstood, but still, this is a success. I just hope it gets a little more praise...

Score: 7

"Makes me wonder..."

submission: The Seashell

date: September 13, 2007

...why bother 'listening to the sea' with a seashell when you're at the beach? Oh well, nice simple short. Not much to say about it, but no problems either. I guess the sperm in a necktie kind of stole the show...