Tag: Newgrounds!

Top 10 Most Nostalgic Newgrounds Animations

~ Kapodaco ~ 1 Comment

there she is 1

Who needs Youtube when you have Newgrounds?

Introduced to the animation-based site back in the mid 2000’s by my cousin showing me the infamous Numa Numa Dance (not on this list), it provided years of humorous comfort for my pre-teen-esque brain to indulge in whatever video game parody animation I wanted. A lot of time and a lot of videos I saw back in those days, by creators who have long left the Newgrounds life for the boring reality, encouraged me to pursue my own horridly embarrassing OC series. They are all gone now, so don’t look for them.

This list is dedicated to the particular videos on the site that exuded the most memorable and endearing qualities that I, as a child, found captivating. Said videos don’t necessarily have to be Newgrounds-exclusive to make the list, only that I first watched them on the site. And with all lists I plan to incorporate nostalgia with, only a specific timeframe is allowed; in this case, anywhere from before I was first shown the site, roughly around 2006, to 2010.

A quick clarification: this list is not dedicated to quality. Only the impact of nostalgia.

#10: Sonic: Uncut 2 – HyperactiveYouth (2004)

sonic uncut 2

If you asked yourself why I felt the need to put that little disclaimer up there, this is the reason.

Sonic: Uncut 2 is the second “episode” of a three-episode series that takes the Sonic series of characters and puts them in real life situations (kind of). Put frankly, the animation is incredibly stiff, the voice acting is questionable, the comedic timing is atrocious, and the humor overall is somewhat juvenile. What lands it on this list is the fact that it is Sonic in a way I never would’ve imagined him at the age of 13. And for that almost alone, I adored it.

To give it credit, there are a few memorable lines and situations, most notably with the entire chaotic process of going on vacation to (a very stereotypical) Mexico. I find myself quoting Pablo’s “Sometimes I dream of free-dom!” line from time to time. It’s possible that the entire series was enough to get me to remember many of the moments from this particular episode, it being my favorite of the three, that it found itself in my brain only because it out-muscled the others. Whatever the case, it didn’t stop me from watching it a million times, so I have to live with knowing it essentially like the back of my hand.

#9: Rokémon! – DragoonFenix15 (2004)

rokemon

Pokémon combined with Mega Man? Nice.

A little bit of animated flare, a little bit of crossover madness, and a lot of creativity in what should probably not be sanctioned in a traditional Pokémon battle, Rokémon! is a one-off animation (though a sequel was supposedly planned) showcasing the fun of pure turn-based battling with no limits. Some harmless fan service never hurt anyone.

I remember this animation specifically motivating my desire to create my own Pokémon (Again, gone. Don’t look for it), rather than take copyrighted characters/enemies and give them evolutions and such. It would have been nice to see this turn into a full-fledged series, as while I wouldn’t trust their narrative chops, they’re more than capable of making individual attacks look, in internet slang speak, “epic af.” I don’t have nearly as much experience with this as the one listed above, but rewatching it brought a wave of unexpected nostalgia that made me warm and fuzzy.

#8: Dumbass Luigi – Bigfoot3290 (2006)

flash_335261_largest_crop

The first creator on this list that had another project that very well could’ve made this list. Bigfoot3290 was also responsible for Mario’s Castle Calamity, which was also something I enjoyed during my younger days. What took the cake was an earlier work: Dumbass Luigi, and how it’s basically three-hundred times better than the original work, Dumbass Mario.

While not necessarily all that funny, the one thing Dumbass Luigi has going for it is tone and memorability. Remember Weird Al’s Alternative Polka? I first heard it here. Another scene showcases a lone boo following Luigi around, only to have Luigi lift up a container of salsa to his mouth like a crane. He stops midway, as an automated voice tells the boo the “insert one coin to continue.” The boo then shits out the coin. This process repeats until the boo spins around Luigi and shits out a barrage of coins at him like a machine gun. How the fuck do you think of things like that?

This was an easy choice for this list, though I’m somewhat surprised by how low it is. I remember it being bigger and better than what it really is, but alas, it’s only enjoyable on merit of originality. It’s not nearly as funny as it once was.

#7: Sonic Riders in 3 Minutes – RogerregoRRoger (2006)

sonic riders 3 minutes

Oh, another Sonic video? Gee, it’s almost like I loved Sonic as a kid or something. Huh.

Let not the scary-bad design strike fear unto thine heart. It’s an intentional quirk to a series that just wants to go fast—much like the series it parodies. Complete with sped-up, chipmunk-like voices and hyper-fast vocal quips, it’s almost like Teekyuu! before Teekyuu!. I thought the video was hilarious as a child, and it still holds up quite a bit today! Well, except the fart joke.

The creator of this video is one of the rare Newgrounds artists to still be going with a signature series. One is more likely to find him on Youtube than Newgrounds, but his “[Sonic title] in [number quantity] minutes” series is still ongoing to this day—a series he started over ten years ago on a humble animation site.

#6: 4 Swords Misadventures (Eps. 1-3) – HadoukenDude (2004-2006)

4 swords misadventures

This one’s actually more popular outside of Newgrounds, but the site is its home, and that’s where it gained its following. The reason for specifying the episodes on this list is that the series is still ongoing, and I remember the first three episodes the most fondly.

Much like Sonic: Uncut 2 (though not as significantly), 4 Swords Misadventures is, at times, not very good. The first episode specifically is a giant bore, and sequences in both the second and third episode are largely so, as well. What makes this series charming is the level of ambition HadoukenDude has taken to make his parody series more than just another one-off project. Fully voiced, a somewhat original plotline, and over a decade of dedication to the project, 4 Swords Misadventures is almost like The Simpsons of Newgrounds classics.

What makes the series so memorable to me is, without repeating myself, seeing a different interpretation of an established classic. Each Link has a different personality dependent on their color, and their dialogue with others and each other have a charm that makes up for the sacrifice of consistent entertainment. It has that “homegrown” appeal, almost like being proud of something simply because you did it and you had fun with it. Such can be said for many of the videos on this list, but 4 Swords exemplifies this perhaps the most of any of them.

#5: Almost Anything by Egoraptor (2006-2010)

maxresdefault1

Have you ever heard of Game Grumps? Y’know, that insanely popular Let’s Play group on Youtube? One of the creators of that is a man named Arin Hanson, also known as Egoraptor. You may not know this, but before playing video games for a living, he used to be an animator.

And he was fucking great at it.

Should I pick any particular video of his, it’d probably be closer to sniffing #1, but I decided to sacrifice a high spot on this list to expand his library for the world to see. It still ended up #5, anyway. It all started with Metal Gear Awesome 2, which is, to this day, still one of my favorite videos on Newgrounds. But it didn’t end there. Awesome Center Redux, Awesome Cracks Down, Awesome Crossing, Awesome Reach, and 3rd Grade Transformers are all great pieces of animation. He really had a knack for it. It’s only unfortunate he doesn’t have the ambition to continue doing so.

Should I not have any integrity, many places on this list would have an Egoraptor animation. For the sake of variety, however, his works are all jumbled together in one spot. Don’t let that be an indication that none of his works are good separately, but that all of his works are so good that I can’t leave them all off. Egoraptor himself basically holds this spot.

#4: $00pah NiN10Doh! – Kirbopher (2009)

maxresdefault2

(WARNING: Link is NSFW.)

Another quick clarification: The author is Kirbopher, but the video is a collaboration between many different creators and artists. Listing them all would make the number line awfully long.

As with many collaborations, there are highs and lows, but with this particular collab, the highs are tremendously high. You ask me to point you in the direction of one of the most quotable animations on the internet and I’ll show you this video. There is a lot, a lot, of passion for the “art” of animating and the world of Nintendo present. Many franchises are represented, as well: Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Wario, Kirby, Earthbound, Excitebike, Pokémon, Game & Watch, and more. Originally presented, at least to some extent, in celebration of the latest Super Smash Bros., the collab took on a life of its own that spanned a number of sequels; this being the first sequel.

There’s simply too much here for me to describe in full, as many of the skits are between five and thirty-seconds long. Notable favorites include the Star Fox sequences, the Warioware skit, the Kirby vs. Meta Knight skits, and the Tetris scene. Nostalgia included, it’s an entertaining, if not stimulating, watch.

#3: ‘Zelda: Don Keyote’ Series – TX2 (2005-2006)

don keyote

Not technically an animation, not technically any good. Don Keyote nevertheless tells you all to fuck off and let it live.

Forget what I said about 4 Swords Misadventures, this is the most “homegrown” video (series) on this list. It’s literally just a guy with a capture card recording gameplay and voicing over it, making up a story as he goes. But by the good grace of God, he’s actually funny. Such memorable lines as “A disturbing need to roll around in the dirt,” “Ma’am, are you aware that crime is a criminal offense in this area,” and “Taaaaax exemptioooooons!” are some of many quotable lines in this Kung Pow-esque parody series. It was also one of the very first parody series I had ever seen on the site, too, so that helps.

Don Keyote stands as one of those very rare cases where one really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The quality is garbage, the technical aspect is laughable, it’s one guy voicing every character, and the entire project feels inherently embarrassing. Dialogue and an infinitely oozing amount of charm is what makes this series so dear to me, despite its off-putting ineptitude. Even now, this is what I think of when someone mentions Don Quixote. Every time.

#2: There She Is!! Step 2 – SamBakZa (2005)

there she is 2

Hello, inner weeb of my former self that refused to acknowledge your existence. This gave you all sorts of urges, didn’t it?

While the classification of this video and its parent series as anime is debatable, what one can’t deny is that this series is cute, cuddly, and harmless. Until Step 3, but that’s for another time. I remember watching this again after several years around Christmas of 2015, and the flood of nostalgia hit me at full force. My heart shivered, my skin crawled, my eyes blinking incessantly. My own body was reacting in defense to my emotional splurging! Needless to say, it was a feeling I wasn’t accustomed to; that feeling in and of itself, in response to this short, makes it special to me.

The opening statement is directed towards the style of animation, one that I found myself charmed by, and still do. While it may or may not be anime depending on who you ask, it was absolutely inspired by anime, seeing as the creator is based in South Korea. I was a little too drawn to the, as I felt at the time, feminine design that I only enjoyed it at a base level. What I didn’t deny, however, was the song that accompanied the video, which I adored then and adore now. A little tame, but it matches the mood of the animation wonderfully and holds up even without it. The combination of good music, decent animation that appealed to my inner interests, and cutesy romance that has become a guilty pleasure of mine, There She Is!! Step 2 becomes a treat with every viewing.

There She Is!! was only hampered by having a slightly worse song. It’s nearly as good. Watch that, too. Watch the whole series.

#1: The Ultimate Showdown – altffour (2005)

maxresdefault3

Aside from porn, this is the most viewed video in Newgrounds history. For good reason.

This is Newgrounds. This is everything that Newgrounds hopes to achieve with its site, its creators, and the fun of the internet. Everything about this video is absolutely perfect in that context. Almost like the “Crazy Frog Dance video” on Youtube, this is the kind of perfect creative absurdity that a normal ol’ bloke from wherever, who cares could achieve with a little thing called “passion.”

The Numa Numa Dance was the first video I saw on Newgrounds. The Ultimate Showdown was the second.

It is also my favorite video on the entire site.

Honorable Mentions: ‘Final Fantasy Day Care’ Series, Dad’s Home, Shao Kahn Party.

Alien Hominid Review

~ Kapodaco ~ Leave a comment

alien-hominid-1

To think this game started as a simple flash game on newgrounds.com. It’s really inspirational for those wanting to develop games of their own. Then again, the final product only feels like an improved flash game, but hey, it’s the effort that counts, right?

Alien Hominid is a 2-D side-scroller that features an alien hominid blasting a large number of FBI agents and their technological masterpieces to bits. You have your standard weapon, various weapon upgrades, grenades, and the ability to duck, roll, dig, and jump on people’s heads and bite ’em off. If all of this sounds familiar to you, it should, as the game is almost a complete clone of the Metal Slug series, which is said to be among developer Tom Fulp’s (and creator of Newgrounds) favorite game series. That’s not to say that the game is worse off for being a Metal Slug clone, as it differentiates itself enough to be regarded as its own game… while still exhibiting that Metal Slug persona with its core mechanics.

As a young teenager, I got this game on account that it looked interesting. I was somewhat aware of its inspirations at the time, but more than anything, I was intrigued with the art style of the game. It didn’t seem like something that would belong on a console like the Gamecube, which homed some great looking games such as Metroid Prime, Wind Waker, and Super Mario Sunshine. It looked more suited for an online flash website, so to see that available for home consoles intrigued me enough to have my mother buy it for me. The art style is very blocky, very crude in its simplicity. Big heads, beady eyes, large statures and semi-fluid animation scenes within the levels and in animated cutscenes. Visually speaking, the game is not very impressive whatsoever. It’s bright enough to pop, but won’t leave the player’s mouth agape in awe. Most likely, players won’t even pay attention to it. I sure didn’t, both then and now.

alien-hominid-2

The game has a lot of the key strengths and weaknesses similar to Metal Slug, as its main inspiration. However, one major complaint with Alien Hominid‘s incorporation of the formula is that the camera is too close to the player. With Metal Slug, the camera is zoomed out to a perfect degree, with the sprites of the characters small enough to make the world around them appear large and accessible. With Alien Hominid, the area is filtered too closely for the player to always see what’s coming ahead or behind, leading to a good number of cheap deaths or being overwhelmed by enemies that seem to endlessly spawn. The number of weapon pick-ups are also limited in their variety to really impact combat. While it’s fun to pick up these weapon upgrades and blast enemies with different effects of the standard weapon, the game gives them too plentifully to make them feel really special. It leads the player to waste through ammo at the same rapidity they would with the standard weapon, as if the upgrade was the standard weapon.

But for what it’s worth, it’s hard to screw up a formula as a side-scrolling shoot ’em up. The game has that basic tendency to evoke a sense of fun when playing with another player, which improves the experience and balances the level of pretentiousness that the game throws at you every so often. While Metal Slug is fun even when alone, Alien Hominid is really only recommendable with a second player. It feels too sluggish and one-sided with a single player, leading players to feel underwhelmed before the game is finished. With a second player, the game becomes more manageable and offers a fair bit of humor when the hominids are jumping on each other’s heads and shielding the other from random enemy fire. Good ol’ second player disadvantages. The level of detail with the backgrounds, completion animations, and the overall effort put into the game are commendable, but not very memorable.

alien-hominid-3

Alien Hominid is one of those titles I consider a “pointless game.” Putting aside the harsh terminology, it’s a game that doesn’t immerse the player with an interactive story or gives any indication that the game can be enjoyed through multiple playthroughs of the main campaign mode. It’s a game that one can pick up and play without a second thought. No necessity to pay attention to things happening within the story or throughout the game, simply pick up the controller and hammer a single button while running forward. That’s all the game is willing to give you, and for those who have read reviews of mine in the past, you would know that I don’t typically care for these types of games. I enjoy games with said point, a sort of motivation to keep you going more than that of “save princess” or “grab spaceship.” I enjoy character interactions and development alongside a story that builds upon itself the farther the game goes. Alien Hominid provides very little of all of these things, which immediately makes the potential of my enjoyment of the game rely simply on its core mechanics. Unfortunately, these mechanics are that of a lesser Metal Slug. That’s really all one can say about the game as a whole: it’s a lesser Metal Slug.

T’was a fond childhood memory and an impressive attempt at translating the typical online flash game into a full-blown console game. Even so, the game doesn’t do enough to really make itself stick out, aside from the fact that it has those online origins (and the art style). Alien Hominid can be beaten within 90 minutes, so long as the character doesn’t get a game over in the process. As short as it is, it really embodies the term “quick shot,” a short burst of energy from beginning to end. It also feels cheap to be paraded around as a console game with that length, better suited for Xbox Arcade or something similar. By game’s end, players will either find the game charming in it simplicity or forgettable for the same reason. I’m within the latter portion, but acknowledge the game’s effort and the careers that were launched because of it. At its very core, I had a good time with it. But I likely won’t play it again for another few years or so. It’s a game best enjoyed when you remember nothing about it. I’m not sure if that’s a good point or bad.

Final Score: 4.5/10

(All gameplay screenshots courtesy of Ryan Houghton.)