Kwing's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[Xiao Xiao No. 7]

Good

The shots were done very well. The animation was smooth, the background was good (although still plain), and the sound effects didn't get too repetitive... Except for the intro. I liked the wind effect on the grass, but the owl hooting was VERY repetitive AND annoying. Everything after that was great, though, and I loved the comic relief of the guy shouting "HI!" as well as the 3D effects.

[Xiao Xiao No. 5]

Great!

This one really blew me away. The resizing is fixed, the impact is accompanied by the little red explosion shapes, the combos are strung together very well and very fast, and the sound effects really stood out. The superpowers aren't overdone but stick out quite nicely, and the ending is very funny. I also liked the transparencies of the ghosts, but I wish that the ghosts had stayed like that after coming out of their bodies... Then again it may have looked strange. Awesome job!

[Xiao Xiao No. 1]

Good

Animation was good but simplistic... And some parts were just like "oh come on". There was lots of resizing among the fighters, you couldn't tell them apart, and the part where one guy got the shit beaten out of him was so one-sided it was ridiculous. The animation could have been longer or smoother... Either would have been good. Still a very well done and interesting animation.

[Thief: Rent's Due]

Epic

This whole thing is epic. The graphics are great and the lighting is as well, although perhaps the half-outline around the sticks could have faded a little to make the lighting effect more realistic. On top of that the expressions could have used a little work, and the movements, while smooth, looked kind of robotic. Some were too slow and a couple were too fast. Despite how smooth everything was it didn't look like there was a whole lot of easing going on. Also, some parts lagged. One particularly bad spot of animation was when the thief picked up the gem. That was pretty unrealistic looking, in addition to the fact that most of the time there's a device that notices if the weight put on the pedestal changes. Also I don't think the way he drew back the arrows was correct... I'm not an archer but I think I remember seeing how someone at a fare shot an arrow and it wasn't the way it was done in the animation.

The sound was good. The music was good, although the opening song by Dark Beats sounded like it was low quality. The voice acting was funny but the voices seemed to resonate rather oddly... Perhaps unrealistically, when compared to the background. One guy sounded like Peter Griffin, which was funny. I will say the last line was way too cheesy though.

The concept was good. The story was kind of basic, but I liked the dialogue, and the voice acting was more than decent. The style was badass and the powers the arrows had added a nice change to it.

Manfreak responds:

Thanks, that was a helpful review. I am totally aware of the movements on the sticks being robotic because I just didnt have time to add all the easing in. The shot of the thief picking up the gem annoys the hell out of me but I cbf fixing it after 8 months on this project. Also the way he draws back the arrow is correct. I did archery for a year at school and won 2nd place in a comp so I know its right. The problem is, that he doesnt have shoulders so he cant reach full draw distance properly.

[Madness Combat 6.5]

Insta-10!

The graphics still have that Madness style to them. I love it! Black and white, and with just the right amount of color. In some previous episodes there was too much yellow blood or other stuff, but I liked the ratio in this one a lot. The art style is good and the proportions for the weapons are believable. The flames, particle effects, and damage to the environment were spot-on!

The sound effects were good too. Realistic, nothing got too repetitive. The music did, though. Maybe you should enlist API a bit more rather than Cheshyre. :S

As for the animation... Ace work, except for the uncannily good luck that the protagonists seem to have. If they don't have guns, the agents only have bats and knives. The agents rarely have guns when the protagonists don't. I did like the things such as the protagonists bandaging up or getting weapons in between battle shots, though. The way the shots were taken were great, and I loved the comic relief when the guy in the store was reading a book. Also props to the way the protagonists communicated through charades. The way they climbed ladders with 1 hand was unrealistic, though.

On a last note I loved the new layout of the menus and buttons. The interface is super cool.

[Jeff Goldblum 3D BLAST]

Awesome!

Random, funny, albeit stupid. Loved it all the way through!!
Bonus points for Jeff Goldblum. He's a funny looking guy.

[HK's Phoenix Wrong]

Funny

It was funny, but it got old after a while. Good job overall, and yet... Something about it was outrageously boring a little while in. The clip from UHF was pretty damn funny, but after that it just slid downhill. Not to mention how obnoxious some of the songs got, and the quality of the audio could have been better, too. The jokes at the beginning were good, but after you left the court scene it was atrocious.

[Wisp of Fading Memory]

Err...

I couldn't enjoy it. I'm sorry, man. I was really trying, but I couldn't.

The artwork was fantastic, though. Despite being black and white (which I assume to be intentional), the proportions were very well done, and I'm grateful that you didn't turn it into an anime style (at least too much). There was too much detail to be shown, and you really pulled through on that. I also loved the little film grain you put over it.

The music was both cliche and unappealing. While it was a better selection than most other candidates, I found myself annoyed by it. Not only that, but there were no voices or sound effects. A voice to go along with it would have given it a very human element.

Lastly is the concept. While it was a valiant effort, it failed. Your comments on it summed up a few of the quotes pretty well: Cliche. While you say nothing can beat the sincerity of one's heart, I would think of sincerity best defined through phrases you wrote yourself. The canned lines were really bad.

Overall, the graphics were very good, but I found everything else to be lacking. I'd suggest you leave these side distractions and piece together Gen X: Chapter 2.