Castle Paradox

[Fenrir-Lunaris]

Although it'll boil down to "it was like &And that took itself seriously", I am still very much anticipating a review of this game, since it has been up for well over a year with 550+ hits. Hell, it comes with its own walkthrough so there's no reason for laziness. Considering it was nearly 6 months or so before FFH got its first review, this game seems somewhat neglected. As does Motherland. So go ahead and review the 'Xenogears' of the OHR universe. If you can.

[Shadowiii]

Xenogears? I guess I'm not up to the obnoxious religious underlying themes yet.

But, yes, I am trying the best I can to beat this behemoth, while still making my own behemoth (egads). It is next up on my review list, so expect it sometime...eventually.

EGADS this game is LONG.
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But enough talk, have at you!

[JSH357]

I would have reviewed it by now if:

A. it weren't so incredibly dull (The battles are the biggest offender).
B. it weren't so long (Which really doesn't fit well with A).
C. it were more original. All I see when I play the game is Final Fantasy with less interesting battles.
D. my laptop hadn't died and nuked my save file in the process.
E. the review had been requested directly to me.
F. you responded correctly to criticism.

I'll review the game if you want me to; but it will be a long time from now.

An unrelated last note:
You shouldn't include a walkthrough with your games. Maybe it's just a personal opinion, but I think that you take away from the concept of an interactive work by giving away the answers. If people get confused while playing the game it isn't because they have no walkthrough- it's because the game is poorly designed.

[Fenrir-Lunaris]

You're right about battles being the biggest detraction from the enjoyment. The point of its sequel/remake is to 1. drop all FF references as possible (except basic item names), 2. Re-write the story to make it standable, and 3. Make it enjoyable. Given my past track record, and the fact that this is pretty much my first time to actually have community input on a current project (FFH-2 doesn't count since its killed and OHRadius is being considered for a touchup), I'm somewhat reliant on feedback more than ever. Since in an RPG, the combat system can either make or break the game, what I'd like to know is how to make it better and not just that it was a problem.

The problem I have with most OHR reviews is that they say something is bad, and needs to be improved, but offers no suggestions on HOW to improve.

As for including a walkthrough... since I included it with FFH, I haven't been asked a single question about 'where to go next'. Too many people depend on Walkthroughs as is. The flip side of this is Walthrus where Bob Surlaw exclaims IN ALL CAPS where to go next in mundane detail.

[RedMaverickZero]

Fen, old buddy, as soon as I get 20 minutes of gameplay in DER SECRET PROJEK I will play Timestream Saga and review it. I have it downloaded on my computer actually. Just have been overwhelmed with stuff lately. But yeah, "It shall be done before the end of ..... April!!!
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---------------Projects----
Mr.Triangle's Maze: 70%
Takoyaki Surprise: 70%

[Uncommon]

[Pepsi Ranger]

Jeez, four posts in one day...must be a personal record.

Actually, Uncy, Fen is right about the need for OHR reviews to suggest methods of improvement. Figure that the author is not only emotionally incapable of catching every flaw there is in his or her game, but that he or she is also incapable of seeing every possibility there is to make it better. Yes, the author should have enough observation and creativity to suffice on his own, but outside opinion (or counsel) helps to direct the author in ways that he or she may not think about. It's like going to see your guidance counselor at school. You probably have a lot of great ideas on what you want to do with your life, but your guidance counselor can give you an objective and professional opinion on how best to get there (since he has more experience in life than you do).

If the subject of the review was a finished game, then you would be right in the improvement matter because true reviews are written for completed projects that will not be updated. However, for an unfinished game (or work-in-progress), the review becomes a critique, which is given to the author to help him shape his project into something more presentable. Figure a critique's primary function is to guide the creator in such a way that helps him improve his work, so Fen is on the right track for asking people to offer ideas for improvement, since that is one way to improve one's work.
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Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

Tightfloss Maiden

Currently Updating: Chapter 2

[Pictoyaya]