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Genesis vs. JSH357
Genesis Isn't that just tight?  I like this map.
sephy99
Download: 3.03 MB
V.S.
JSH357
Play Time: hours and 55 minutes
Review # 11 for JSH357 Isn't that just tight? I like this map.
Them's Fightin' Words
    Genesis is a very highly rated OHR game, and it is highly rated for a very good reason- a mastery of cinematic elements. This game amazed me with its presentation the first time that I played it, and the second time was almost as good. Genesis suffers from a huge flaw, however: it is short. Most of the game is spent introducing elements of the game's system and very little time is spent playing. Granted, what is there is highly entertaining. Also, the game is full of word usage errors- I think Sephy99 and Lucy need to look over their text boxes a bit harder.

In Genesis, you play the role of Yuriko. Yuriko is an elfish-looking girl whose mother is killed by a monster one day, causing Yuriko to investigate the matter further. I'll leave the overview at that- the game is pretty standard as far as its story goes, but not spoilable.

Graphics
    The graphics are definitely a mixed bag. As seen in screenshot 1, the maptiles are awesome. The grass tiles are a bit repetitive in the town, but all in all I had no complaints in this area. Genesis' Battle sprites were especially nice. The heroes are well drawn and the enemies look great too.

My only problem is the walkabouts. They look very immature and I was almost ready to write this game's graphics off as sub-par when I first played it. Most of the problem comes from the size of the sprites, but I still think that the walkabouts could be given more detail. They aren't all that bad- just noticeably less interesting than the maptiles.

Genesis makes very good use of emotion sprites. As usual, I am surprised at how much little things like this help presentation. I recall a particularly poignant cut-scene with double-sized sprites. It was one of the more realistic OHR scenes I have ever seen, and mostly because of the emotion displayed by Yuriko.

A final note: I would suggest to the authors that they experiment with foot offset. Many times I noticed that I could "walk on trees." There isn't much to say about this error other than it sticks out like crazy.

 
Storyline
    From this point on, I will split this section into two subsections: Story and Dialogue.
Dialogue is an integral element of story-intensive games, and deserves to have its own section. And so it shall.

Story
Genesis' story is... average. It is enjoyable, certainly, but by no means original. It is very standard: Girl wakes up, girl does random thing, major story event, girl starts adventure. The only thing that is unusual in that sequence is the word 'girl.' The story is by no means bad, but it is also by no means interesting. On the other hand, the story is presented in a highly effective manner. I couldn't stop playing once I started.

One focal point of Genesis is its sense of humor. Many of the story events and sidequest-related events poke fun at the traditional RPG. For instance, you catch a gnome that is hiding treasure randomly on a map. Other types of comic relief are spread throughout, such as the always-funny drunk guy and the homicidal owl. Genesis' comic relief does a great job of contrasting to its dark storyline. My favorite character in the game was the frog that impersonated random celebrities. Great stuff.

Dialogue

This is where Genesis both excels and falls flat. The game is presented very well with its amazing animations and sense of humor. Dialogue is presented piece by piece instead of all at once. Dialect is very well done- especially for the pirates and drunks. I cannot recall any conversation that I felt was a hassle to sit through- it was impressive.

Here's the problem: Errors. This game had some of the worst usage errors I have ever seen. Most of these are very common mistakes that only a grammar teacher would probably notice, but I certainly noticed them. Here are some examples that stuck out:
"Awhile" used instead of "a while"- the latter is correct as it refers to time as an object.
"Alright" used instead of "all right"- harder to notice, but it was incorrect.
"Feint" used instead of "faint"- obvious error, sounds like hasty typing.
Small numbers not referred to by name- another common error.

There were other usage errors, but I really don't want to come off as the grammar Nazi. Whoever did the text boxes: fix your word usage.

I also noticed capitalization errors. "Mom" should be capitalized when it is used as a name for somebody. There were frequent comma errors as well; mostly in instances where commas were needed.

Okay, I'll turn off my Grammar Nazi abilities.

One last note: NPCs actually reacted to story events! It was awesome. That is a definite plus.

 
Gameplay
    This is split into sections, so I will do it as instructed.

Here is my new disclaimer for the 'Gameplay' section. My reasoning for several attacks may be based upon what is written in the disclaimer.
These can be taken both literally and in a figurative sense.
Also, my disclaimer will change as I write reviews, since I pick up new rules along the way.
1. No game should be played 'just for fun.' That's like taking drugs.
2. Shock value is useless.
3. Effort does not equal quality.
4. The movie can indeed be better than the book.
5. Most games are just bad remakes of other games.
6. A game should explain its features without a manual.

 
  Battle
    Genesis' battles are, like the graphics, a mixed bag. The biggest problem I had was that I only fought three battles in the entire game, and it was almost an hour long. Maybe I got really lucky with those random encounters?

For the most part, battles were just button-mashers with interesting 'friendly enemies' and more frequent healing than normal. The only battle that stands out is the boss battle- I actually got killed by the boss my first time through the game. After dying, the game gave me a hint on how to beat it! Very interesting. I beat the boss with no problems on my second try.

The biggest problem with this game's battles is its lack of them. There really aren't enough for me to accurately rate the battle and equipment system.

 
  Map Design
    I'll be brief: this game's maps are very linear. There isn't really anything spectacular other than the owl mini-game outside of battle.

In the owl mini-game, you jump down a cliff while avoiding owl eggs and picking up treasure. The game was fun, but it was very difficult to get the control to respond. I had to try over and over to get Yuriko to jump down the cliffs. Still, it was pretty funny.

 
  Balance
    There is really no balance to speak of yet. This game needs more to it, because as of now, it is an interactive movie.
 
Music
    N/A
 
Enjoyment
    I enjoyed Genesis despite its shortcomings. I can't recommend this game as anyone's first RPG, but if you like RPGs, it is certainly a good choice. There aren't many OHR games that come near this quality in presentation, that's for sure.
 
Final Blows
    Play it and move on- it's fun, but ultimately too incomplete. It needs an update.
A well-designed boss battle.

A well-designed boss battle.
Final Scores
Graphics: 7.5/10.0
Great most of the time; just a few blips and bruises.
Storyline: 6/10.0
Not very interesting, but the dialogue was really good!
Story score: 2/5
Dialogue score: 4/5
Gameplay: 4.5/10.0
There just isn't much to do yet. At least it isn't painful to play! The owl game is fun.
Music: 10/10.0
Nil
Enjoyment: 8/10.0
An enjoyable game, and one of the best OHR games out there. It has some of the crazy humor of Moon Pie, but is serious enough to make sense.
Overall Grade: B-
Final Thoughts
    Play it and move on- it's fun, but ultimately too incomplete. It needs an update.  


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