Nice! The animation and humor style remind me of Cyanide & Happiness. Mic quality could be a tad better, but the facial expressions are really funny and the voice acting is good. The music doesn't seem to fit very well - a bit orchestral and elegant-sounding compared to the suggestive humor. Overall, solid effort! Keep at it, SoraNgin! ^_^

This is awesome, Syamori! The song and the visuals alike. Sometimes the animation quality seems a tad murky, but the variety and dynamism in the shapes and textures is really nice. I like how a lot of the elements are symmetrical, while others appear to dance around the screen (notably the slats at 5:52). It also seems like some of the elements of the visuals reappear periodically, like the coffee-brown hue around the edges. You play a lot with light, too, which is a fun addition, if a tad harsh and overwhelming at times. The central visual at 7:40ish reminds me of a cootie catcher. :D Really neat work overall! Happy 2021. ^^

As a Simpsons fan, the Easter egg references to Kwik-E mart and other Simpsons world attributes were spot-on. Animation quality and voice acting are great, and the tie-ins to modern internet culture were hilarious. Really enjoyed this one overall, guys. My favorite part is when Lisa mentions that Bart is "watching from the treehouse." I also had to pause the video at Smithers' comment. Really creative and topical work, guys. ^^

Cute game! Thematic content is fun, and I like the music and story at the beginning. The concept is a bit simple, and the picture could be a little less pixel-y, but it also gives the animation a fun retro vibe. Keep at it, Nick et al! :)

Great game! The original made my year in 6th grade, and this game is both similar enough in format to rekindle that nostalgia while it's different enough in the strategy and mechanics required to win to keep it interesting. Nice work! Maybe I'll even go to MaxGames later to try it on impossible mode. :)

Hilarious! Music is a great touch too. Perhaps there could've been a bit more to it, but it was good for some brief entertainment. Good luck with your future projects, Angela!

I just remembered that you asked for a review on your NGUAC piece, and it seems like there aren't any judges biting yet, so here I am!

The cutesy sound design at the beginning is really nice, although it might've needed more of a proper intro. Throwing the listener right into the middle of the action with the frantic mallet riffs was a bold choice. There are a couple of moments where the instruments cut off pretty suddenly, like at :07, 2:32, and :55, that make the arrangement sound a tad choppy. The rich harmonies and orchestral textures in between sound really lovely, but the mix might sound more full with some reverb or other effects that round out the sound. Otherwise, the production quality is really good - well-balanced and clean mix, etc. I like the sense of build into 2:09, but I also think that section needed more of a dynamic melody to really sell it as an "emotional height." The melodies at 3:20 or so are especially lovely, but the multiple swells at around 3:45 felt a tad artificial and drawn-out. That might be another section that could benefit from some reverb to smooth things out. The piece comes together with the triumphant-sounding melodies at 4:25, although the sudden cut-off at 4:45 is again a bit of a turn-off for me. Overall, you took on a really ambitious compositional project here, and it's executed rather well. The sound design is good, although it's really hard to make high-pitched brass samples sound good "in box" (piano roll or midi or whatever). My main gripes are the somewhat missed opportunity for more atmosphere to shape the piece, as well as the abrupt transitions and choppy arrangement. Still, your melody-writing and production skills are clearly well-developed. Keep at it, SomeGuyMusic! ^_^

I just remembered that you asked for a review on your NGUAC piece, and it seems like there aren't any judges biting yet, so here I am!

I like the gritty synth pattern at the beginning. Kinda reminds me of Darude. :D The crisp drums and sense of build into :30 help drive the energy of the piece too, and I like how the tone of the lead synth softens a tad by :31 or so too. The production quality is really good here, Stargame - loud, crisp, and clean mix, but also not over-compressed or too artificial-sounding. I like the build-up at around 1:20 too, but overall the texture is pretty minimal and bottom-heavy for a lot of this piece. The section with the atmospheric pads at 1:52 was a nice change-of-pace, and I like the catchy bass riff at 2:03 too. That said, at some point I wanted to hear some more dynamic melodic content. The glitches at 3:08 are a nice touch, and I'm enjoying the more blissful tone the piece is taking by this point. The piece's ability to maintain engagement over its duration is pretty dependent on the rhythmic content, though, and I would've liked to see more of a proper outro, as the piece ends pretty suddenly. That said, I think you nailed the sound design, mixing, atmosphere, progression, and rhythmic elements here. Congrats on a strong and catchy piece, Stargame, and good luck in the Knockout Round. ^_^

I just remembered that you asked for a review on your NGUAC piece, and it seems like there aren't any judges biting yet, so here I am!

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The sound design goes through several abrupt changes in the first 30 seconds or so, from big 80s synths to new wave atmosphere to videogame-ish to hard rock. It seems like the hard rock won the battle at the end of the day, though, and I like the frantic guitar riffs and crisp drums for the rest of the first minute. There's another pretty abrupt transition at 1:02, but the warmer tones of the strumming there help provide some contrast to the more edgy tone of earlier. At this point, the piece seems like a call-and-response between the frantic and heavy electric guitar riffs to the more laid-back vibe of the strummed one. The breakdown at 2:20 was a nice moment of structural contrast to break up that cycle, and the transition back into 2:46 was smooth, albeit a bit cheesy. The piece comes together well towards the end, but at some point I might've liked to hear a more dynamic melody or solo - something to really hold onto, you know? The heavy guitar refrain seems to play more of a rhythmic role here than something that really drives the "narrative" aspect of the piece. The other main problem I have with the piece is the choppy arrangement, with a lot of rough transitions, especially early on, that feel a tad jarring in the grand scheme of things. That said, I think you nailed the sound design, rhythmic content, production, and atmosphere. Really creative piece overall, Thetageist! Good luck in the Knockout Round. ^_^

Nice! I keep forgetting you make art too, CG. This is really well-designed, from her outfit to the typography. How did you make the barcode in the lower-right corner? The curve of her mouth seems a unnatural to me somehow, but maybe that was intentional. Texture in the clouds and waves is a really nice touch. Keep it up! ^^

Oh man, that's a throwback. Really nice job mimicking the original - without Googling it, I can't think of how the character as drawn on the show is substantively different in any way. The backdrop with the XJ9 poster is a nice touch too, although part of me isn't a big fan of how the poster is just a slightly different shade of the same color. Still, it's a cool image with a clean finish. Keep it up!

Cute! The lookout tower on the boat seems a bit out-of-scale, and in general I think the piece could use a bit more detail. I think the most well-articulated part of the piece is the satellite dishes on top of the ship, but otherwise some of the background details are a bit awkward. For example, the lightning bolt on the left seems to be coming from the side as opposed to out of the sky, and in the ocean there's a wave that seems to dip down beneath the boat, apparently oriented opposite the rest of them. Still, it's a charming piece. I like the coloring on the boat too with the different shades of gray. Keep at it, man!