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Onion Gale: Obstacle Challenge Mix by NiKfY

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Onion Gale: Obstacle Challenge Mix

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/5164034086_04977079a6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034086/)
[/url] (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034086/)
CREATED BY: NiKfY
REVIEW BY: John82WA

This particular review brought me to the good old days of the 8Bit NES days. It did this in a number of ways. First, those darn rectangular controllers could take a beating....then some more beating....and then some more as they were hurled to the floor, slammed into the couch or simply tossed in the air as you walked away with frustration (Don't act like you dont know what im talking about). Those controllers were certainly durable, I just highly advise you take better care of the more elaborate PS3 controller. Secondly, the watered down graphics were lacking so much depth, I think it could be reproduced from the old 8Bit system. With all this being said, does this Obstacle Challenge have enough substance to push it to stardom?

STATISTICS: As of 11/10/2010
Created - 5/2010
Last Update - 7/2010
# of Plays - 211
<3 - 31
Current Rating - :star::star::star::star:


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5164034074_93c955c780.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034074/)
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034074/)
Like most things, things get better over time. Games that are first introduced for the PS3 or XBox360 never really get the most out of the system on initial launch dates. Games get graphically better on the system as time goes forward as they learn to take advantage of various parts of these complicated systems. LBP is much the same way. People have learned to harness the tools that Media Molecule as given us to work with, and like the publishers/creators of PS3 & Xbox360 games, the graphical presentation and mechanics have grown and increased accordingly, setting the bar that much higher than the previous. Graphically Onion Gale has fallen extremely short of the current bar.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1372/5164034072_64ac9b9ccf.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034072/)
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034072/)
The concept behind Onion Gale is rather a simple one. Make your way through eight treacherous 'halls' and complete the game. NiKfY has given the option as well to exit the game at the end of each hall if you have had enough. With that being clever, it pulls in another flaw. This gives the player an opportunity to play through a few of the 'halls' early on and exit the game with an excellent score catapulting them to the top of the scoreboard, while someone who actually completes all eight, there score has the ability to be much lower from the loss of lives. There is no defining who has truly completed the levels and who has not. Making the statistics of the scoreboard incredibly inaccurate. NiKfY has also labeled the level as intermediate and I would have to completely disagree. While some parts are fairly easy to traverse, it simply does not change the split second perfect timing that must be achieved on others. It's rating should certainly be labeled as difficult and anything otherwise simply insults its players.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5164034090_ee97876f3c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034090/)
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034090/)
The Sounds and Music was done quite well in one area and not so much in the other because of obvious reasons. Each hall had its unique soundtrack and matched its own theme appropriately. Sounds were non-existent but that's a simple result of the lack of things going on around you as a player. If there were more things to interact with and visually see, im sure the sounds would be implemented, but there's simply no substance to support it.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5164034084_4d4f19d3cd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034084/)
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034084/)
Game Play is what Onion Gale is all about. It's the clear goal that its creator NiKfY was trying to accomplish. Platforming on this one entailed precision timed jumping, falling and even the dreadful cliffhangers as you swing across the ceiling. The variety was certainly there, but one had to spend several minutes in each hall of nearly the same thing. So it's interesting to say that it's repetitive but also possesses a good amount of variety. The biggest downfall in all of this is the insane amount of difficulty as you progress through the halls. It is essentially out of reach and beyond the means of any casual AND hardcore gamer. It's disheartening and extremely frustrating to a gamer who has completed Halo on Elite settings or several Tomb Raider games where there's more focus on jumping and timing. It's Little Big Planet and the majority of its audience are not looking for a game of this difficulty.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1428/5164034068_34eeb9799e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034068/)
[url=http://www.flickr.com/people/55176054@N05/] (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55176054@N05/5164034068/)
Final Thoughts of Onion Gale: Obstacle Challenge Mix, is if you think you got what it takes, then by all means, enter the challenge, it awaits you with a sinister grin. Just be sure to eat your Wheaties. This level could be one of the many great platformers, but its just held up by the sheer amount of difficulty that leads to pure frustration and lack of visuals. Games are suppose to bring enjoyment and satisfaction and if there was a balance, the game would be much more appreciated and accepted by a broader audience.

I Rate this level :star::star::star:

Thanks for reading the review!

John82wa		2010-11-10 20:56:00

Author:
John82wa
Posts: 221

So did you love the Minotaur as much as I did?2010-11-11 02:03:00

Author:
DarkDedede
Posts: 672

I honestly dont remember, it was nearly 2:00AM and probably my 90th life or so... I had a dream that night of floating rocks on fire in front of me with ever so increasing speeds, all while being on a moving platform. I got burnt and fell into lava and then awoke in a cold sweat 2010-11-11 06:10:00

Author:
John82wa
Posts: 221

Wow, that was a fast deliver! Thanks a lot for the review, dude. I see where you come from with all your points.

I am surprised you thought it was so so difficult, though. o.0 "Hard even for hardcore players?" Whoa whoa. I'm being completely honest when I say this: I genuinely think my level is medium difficulty at best, and so do most of the people who have played it. But yeah, to quote DarkDedede's review of my level, it is definitely "not for everyone." (and definitely not for the casual LBP players you mentioned)

Just for fun, if you wanna know what I do call "hard," go take a look at my other level, Radish Wake. Not asking you to review it or anything, just take a quick play if you ever feel like pushing your horizon. And then register your reaction.

Also, one thing that you seem to not have noticed is that I actually took measures to prevent unbalanced final scores, like you said. In fact, if you complete the whole level, you're more likely to have the higher score. This is because, as you progress, you're awarded progressively more and more score bubbles for clearing each hall (just curious, did you collect the bonus stickers?). That's why achieving certain scores is impossible if you don't clear the whole thing. If you checked the scoreboard, the number one player has like 300K points, right? Well, let me tell ya, such a high score is actually impossible to achieve if you only complete, say, the first four halls. You are REQUIRED to finish the final hall if you want to score so high (the final stage awards you a LOT of score bubbles).

Although, of course, if the level was real hard for you and you die an insane amount of times, then you'll indeed get a lower score, and in that case you're better off not playing the latter stages. Just finishing the level at the closest exit. That was part of the balance I was going for with regards to score. I think that your final score will reflect your level of skill.

Another thing, I actually DID use sounds in one part of my level. If you didn't notice, the skulls in the Hall of the Djinni actually growl and hiss at you as you pass by. I guess you just missed that one.

As for the minimalistic graphics, that was intentional. But I do understand that that's not everyone's cup of tea. But, did you like my character artwork?

Well, all in all, thanks again for the review, dude. It was well-produced and your reaction was within the range of what I expected.

Just curious, did you manage to finish the whole thing?		2010-11-11 09:45:00

Author:
figuer39
Posts: 108

So did you love the Minotaur as much as I did?

Ha ha ha.

Believe it or not, one crazy dude once told me that the Hall of the Minotaur was his single favourite stage of the level.		2010-11-11 09:48:00

Author:
figuer39
Posts: 108

I honestly dont remember, it was nearly 2:00AM and probably my 90th life or so... I had a dream that night of floating rocks on fire in front of me with ever so increasing speeds, all while being on a moving platform. I got burnt and fell into lava and then awoke in a cold sweat

Ha ha, that reference was funny.

I also laughed at your "sinister grin" comment up there. Would love to hear your comments about Radish Wake.

Forgot to mention, thanks for snapping a pic of my manticore. Gonna save that. My PS3 has the YLOD now and it's been a while since I last caught a glimpse of my creation. Never thought I would see him again.		2010-11-11 09:54:00

Author:
figuer39
Posts: 108

Interesting.....2010-11-11 16:09:00

Author:
Unknown User


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