Hmm, First Negative Review?

[Zaratus]

Gave it a 3/10.  Of course, it's a GameFAQs user review.  Basic complaint - Everything was ripped off from other games, such as bosses from Metroid or Castlevania, or the song system from Zelda.  Also, they apparently hated the graphics and the voice acting.  Actually went to describe the graphics as 'horrid' and then went to say the voice acting was 'horrid, horrid' (wow, double horrid!) 

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/review/R121031.html

Overall, it sounds like he was just determined to hate the game.  Gotta love the comment saying that the 'Verse' is a ripoff of the 'Force'.  Did the force require singing?  And what about all those other games with 'Mana' or 'Magic'?  Those also ripoffs?  *shrug*   And the last complaint he gives, about the walljumping also shows he didn't know the controls as well - being that if you click close to Naija, she just lets go instead of pushing off the wall.  Oh well. 

Anyway, just figured I'd share this and let you guys know.  Not like the review matters any, just being a random GameFAQs user. 

[KingAl]

Pfft, probably a disgruntled IGF contestant. I'm amused by the concept of someone ripping off Star Wars. Indeed, most of the things which are cited as rip-offs are not only unoriginal in the sources cited, but entirely irrelevant. Aquaria never pretended to be revolutionary, in my mind.

[doninss]

He also gave GTA: San Andreas (PC) a 5/10. Gamerankings has GTA: SA at  92% (60 media outlets), and 8.5 (419 user votes). His credibility is somewhat suspect.

[ZealousD]

It's a user review. Why should we care? I'm pretty sure that he actually didn't buy the game.

[Quemaqua]

Not to mention Star Wars was really just a big collection of stuff ripped off from other sources.  You can call everything a rip-off if you want to, or you can be reasonable and call it inspiration, which is what it is if you take something old and use it to help you build something new.

[KingAl]

Not to mention Star Wars was really just a big collection of stuff ripped off from other sources.  You can call everything a rip-off if you want to, or you can be reasonable and call it inspiration, which is what it is if you take something old and use it to help you build something new. 

Exactly what I meant.

[Quemaqua]

Indeed.  I was just referencing the guy's use of Star Wars as an example in specific, since that makes the whole thing extra silly.

[Crizzle]

That review was pure bullsh*t. Nothing more to say about it.

[Xiagan]

""Imitation is the sincerest form of appreciation."

btw,

[foxkeh]

Review? All I saw was a one-sided rant... 

Not only were most of his complaints negligible (essentially 3/4ths of it has nothing to do with the game itself, and the wall jumping bit is exaggerated), the general feeling of the whole thing was that A, it didn't matter that Aquaria came from only two people AND had better artistic and overall value than most commercial games, and B, people shouldn't support promising upcoming developers and just stick to buying the next Halo. Or EA games.

[mugodz]

Disgusting.

[Mull]

... Well, he was actually wrong on most of the points that could be called objective, for example "At no point do you ever actually kill a boss by, say, shooting at it" is completely false. Usually you don't bother with a few such sentences since there is some point behind it and bitching about it would be nitpicking, but seeing as he is wrong about almost everything it's kinda hard not to take issue with it. But then again, defending Aquaria here is preaching to the choir and has been done already.

... I would like to say something about the Verse, though, because even though I didn't think much of the overall narrative, I thought the concept of the verse was very well implemented. It made sense, it had an origin, a purpose and a reasonable way of interaction - which quite frankly is more than you get about "the Force" from the Star Wars films.

[great]

nice. i was getting tired of all these 9/10 fanboi reviews
too bad the review itself is crap

[wwarnick]

Eragon (Luke Skywalker) lives in a secluded town called Carvahall (Tatooine). There's a nearby kooky storyteller named Brom (Old Ben) who tells crazy stories about how Galbatorix (Emperor Palpatine), a Dragon Rider (Jedi), overthrew the Dragon Riders that ruled the land and created the Empire (the Empire). Then one day, Arya (Leia) is captured by Durza (Vader), but first sends the egg (R2D2) near Carvahall (near Luke's moisture farm), where it ends up in Eragon's hands (R2-D2 ends up in Luke's hands), and the empire comes to get it and destroys Eragon's farm (Luke's moisture farm), killing his uncle Garrow (uncle Owen) while Eragon was away. He flees with Brom to chase the Razac (Nazgul). Brom gives Eragon Zarroc, a Rider's sword (lightsaber), which eventually turns out to be his father Morzan's (Vader, Luke's father). They travel for a long time (like LOTR). Meanwhile Brom (Obi-Wan) trains Eragon in the ways of Magic (the Force). Then Brom dies at the hand of the empire (Vader killed Obi-Wan). Then Eragon meets Murtagh (Han Solo). They travel to the Varden (Rebel Alliance). They fight a big battle (of Yavin), and at the end, Eragon stabs the shade through the heart (Luke fires the proton torpedo into the thermal exhaust port of the Death Star), instantly winning the battle.  Eragon goes to Du Weldenvarden (Dagobah).  There he meets Oromis (Yoda), an old high-ranked Rider (Jedi) that everyone thought was dead (yep, Yoda). Oromis trains him in the ways of Magic (the Force).  Then, with magic, Eragon sees that the Varden (Luke's friends at Cloud City) is in trouble, and he leaves his training to go help (Luke left his training to rescue his friends). He goes and he fights for the Varden against the Empire. But all of the sudden, another rider (Jedi) appears and is stronger than Eragon (Vader). It turns out that it's Murtagh, who's been enslaved by Galbatorix (Han frozen in Carbonite). "Eragon, I am your brother!" "No! That's impossible!"  Then, Murtagh takes Zarroc (Vader causes Luke to lose his lightsaber), so he has to get one of his own (Luke again). Then the hero lives because of Murtagh's (Vader's) mercy out of brotherly (fatherly) love.

Sequel: Return of the Dragon Rider.
Three Prequels planned as well.


Eragon is a ripoff.  Aquaria is not.  Aquaria is a tribute to all preceeding games of the same genre.  It's hardly revolutionary.  What's groundbreaking is that such a game can still be fresh.  It's more of a revival than anything.

wwarnick

[Ian]

My favorite part was "you shoot energy out of one hand, zomg metroid ripoff"

Hehe.