Daily Reviews - Space Station Jason and Monster Master

Hey all, Obeliskos here. I already reviewed something today, but it doesn't count as a Daily Review, so here I am with two other reviews. Today, we have Space Station Jason, the front page game, and Monster Master, the non-front page game. So, without further ado, let's begin.


Space Station Jason

Well, Space Station Jason is a 3D platformer, which, although it sounds abnormal, was executed pretty well. The story is, you're employed to carry cargo and while driving, you see a "space moose" and Jason skids off into a black hole thing, thus he must go through a number of stages to get the cargo back. It's a bit stale, but an okay plot.There are a few gimmicks in the game like switching camera views (which is new to flash games) to get around something, collect something, or jump on something. While the game is pretty good, you may lose interest after the first few levels, because the gameplay isn't very face-paced. While Space Station Jason is no Super Mario 64, it's a pretty good game, and made good use of 3D, which is very original. How many flash games do you know that are in 3D? So, if anything, the game is very creative with a unique and new concept for flash games, with a good presentation and execution. The only fault it the slow gameplay, which can make the game seem boring at times, or possibly frustrating. It's a game where you want to enjoy it, but you can't. My first impression of this game was a "Wow, this is very unique!". After a few levels, it dulled down to a "This is getting a bit boring." and I stopped playing around level 5. I figured that was enough to review this game, since the game probably won't change much from thereon. Once the game is beaten, I assume you're out of motivation to play any more. I haven't beaten it yet, but I've played platformers, and they don't have the best replay value once beaten, unless you want to 100% complete a level, or there are secret keys or coins to find. The game doesn't have the Kongregate API, so badges are out of the question, so there is hardly any motivation to beat the game or replay the game at all for that matter, unless you just want a reason to pat yourself on the back. So the game, although fun, gets boring and there isn't much of a reason to beat it. Even if you do, the replay value is low. Once it's beaten, it's beaten. The problem is solved, the story is over, and the game is done. That's it. I think that about does it for the gameplay. As for the music, it's okay. It's something to play while you're playing so you're not stuck with dead silence, but it's nothing to tap your foot to or want an MP3 of or anything. The sound effects are pretty good. The cutscenes have good voice acting and the voice acting for Jason while playing is well done. Good voice clarity, especially in the cutscenes. As for the graphics, I'll call a decent on this. The artwork is nothing astonishing. In fact, it's pretty mediocre. However, the animation is smooth and supports the idea of 3D, which is good. Overall, this is a fun game, but it gets boring and you lose interest after a while. You lose the will to beat it and you find yourself not playing it ever again, with the exception of being a completionist and getting 100% on every stage, which gives it some replay value, but nothing that makes you want to come back an hour later for more. However, the idea is very unique and well executed. It just needs to be a bit more fast paced.

Gameplay: 4/5

Music: 3/5

Sounds: 5/5

Graphics: 4/5

Replayability: 2/5

Overall: 18/25, 4/5


Monster Master
Well, Monster Master is a game by Moonkey, who also made Hexiom, a popular puzzle game. Basically, it's a card game. It's got monsters, magic/support cards, the usual. Only twist is, there is a random dice roll when two monsters battle. Allow me to explain. Basically, a monster has Attack and Defense. When a monster attacks, there is a random number between 1 and the monster's attack generated and a random number between 1 and the other monster's defense generated. Whichever number is higher wins, and how much more the winning number has is negated from the losing monster's health. Confused? So am I. Let's try an example: If a monster attacks a 7 is rolled and the defending monster rolls a 3, the defending monster loses. From there, it's just 7 - 3, which is 4, so the defending monster loses 4 HP. Got it? I hope so. Anyway, some monsters have effects when their attack is successful, like poisoning the enemy. There are a few other things involving the monster cards, but you can just look at the instructions if you really care so much. Anyway, magic/support cards usually involve damaging the enemy directly (like the Fireball card) or increasing a friendly monster's attack or defense or both. That about covers the basics of cards. Now then, you play against a computer. You can type your name, your deck strength of both you and the computer, or make your own custom deck, which is pretty cool. As for the gameplay, it's a simple turn based card game, like Yu-Gi-Oh!, but with a dice roll, so nothing is really set in stone. This can be considered a good thing or a bad thing, but most people find it a bad thing, including me. I'd like if the game could be more based on strategy than luck. That covers the gameplay. Now, the game lacks both sound and music. This doesn't bother me much, but playing with dead silence is a bit awkward. It could at least have some kind of sound, like cards being drawn or something. As for the graphics, they're okay. The game is mostly a bunch of cards, there's not much animation, and the artwork on the cards is nothing special. As for replayability, it depends on if you like card games or not. Some people may find this addicting, some may find it boring and not play more than one game. I've played around 15 games myself because I find it fun to experiment with custom decks and the gameplay itself is pretty fun, so this game gets a thumbs up in replayability from me. Overall, Monster Master is fun game, but may grow old after a while unless you're a fan of card games. There's a lack of music and sound, the graphics are decent, and the replayability is good. By the way, this game has an Easy badge, so that's something else to play it a few times for. Ignoring the fact there is no music or sound, this game gets a 4/5.

Gameplay: 4/5

Music: 0/5

Sound: 0/5

Graphics: 3/5

Replayability: 4/5

Overall: 11/25, 2/5


Well, that about does it for me. Tomorrow's reviews will be Monster's Basement and Feel the Beat (F2Jam). Look out for it. Till then, this has been Obeliskos. See ya tomorrow.

-Obe