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Anything Goes / Neurally Stunned Reviews
« on: July 31, 2010, 03:17:16 AM »
Neurally Stunned Reviews:
Girls vs. Hyenas
Girls vs. Hyenas, also known as "GvH" to the Skullfrag community (for reasons yet unknown), is a popular multiplayer-focused mod by that proud fellow, Cute Man Mike. Yes, that genius behind the Magic Teleporter Gun and MegaGenderNeutralPerson 8-bit DefeatMatch (another, newer competitive mod which is currently growing in popularity, despite the author's efforts to convince everyone that it is "just a big elaborate joke").
The basis of the game is simple: There are two warring factions. One team is comprised of snarling, hairy, ugly, rabid African savanna beasts, the other of giggling schoolgirls. (If you ask me, the latter is scarier. Especially the giggling part.) The battlegrounds are comprised of various geographic locations featuring an unlikely level of "perfect spots for a fight". The mod is supposedly multiplayer only, though it's perfectly possible to wander about the maps alone. The true nature of this mod only comes through in its intended niche, however, which is Team DeathMatch. Or so I am told. (Unnamed sources tell me that it was once played in Cooperative Capture the Flag mode, but this game type was, sadly, removed from later versions of Skullfrag.)
The goal is simple: If you are on the Girl Team, kill hyenas. If you are on the Hyena Team... Well, due to legal considerations on the depiction of injuring/killing minors, especially with typical DooM-ish levels of blood and gore (O.o), these snarling, vicious, razor-toothed carnivores simply growl at Girl Team players from a close range, causing the target to eventually buckle into a terrified heap. (A few players still stubbornly refer to such wins as "kills" however, much to Cute Man's chagrin. If you are caught doing so on a public server, you may be reported to the authorities and have your computer confiscated. Okay, I'm kidding about that last part, but you'll probably be kicked from the server.)
Now, as they say, down to business!
Gameplay: 8/10
I found it surprisingly entertaining. Simply running about the snowy maps as a Hyena, skating on the ice and jumping on things, kept me occupied for hours. When I actually got down to playing competitively against other players, I found it almost equally fun.
Layout: 9/10
I wanted to give this a perfect 10, but... I personally found the Cheese Factory map in particular to be frustrating beyond all others. I cannot count the number of rounds I was taken out of in a matter of seconds, due to taking a wrong turn and falling through an unlatched grate into molten cheese. Such death traps are unacceptable in a mod such as this.
Also, the map called "B.O.X." is sadly as simple as it sounds: A large concave cube inside which you do battle. There is no cover, making it an extremely hectic map to play, but otherwise uninteresting.
I loved the "Fogzone", despite other players' complaints that it was "impossible to see in", and the one called "Motor Day Parade". Panzer tanks... <3
Challenge: 5/10
Wow, I'm torn on this one. It really depends on the map. In maps such as "School Out" and "OMG Huge Mall", the Girls have a major advantage, while the Hyenas rule in the "Desert Before Dinner" and "Bushes!" maps.
The Girls Team classes walk upright, and are thus taller. They are a bit faster, and have the most variety and accuracy in their weaponry. The Hyenas Team classes have larger amounts of Health, and being shorter have an easier time staying hidden. This can cause great difficulties and imbalance, as moderately good players wil lchoose the team that fits best into the map, leaving the opposing team with fewer players, thus unbalancing it fiurther. The smaller teams will be comprised mainly of newbies who don't know what else to do, and seasoned players who enjoy the challenge.
Graphics: 10/10
The Girls look like girls. And the Hyenas look like hyenas. The texturing is very nice (aside from that of "B.O.X.", which I can happily forget about), and the maps are very convincing for DooM style "2.5D" construction. Not much else to say.
Sounds: 9/10
Wow. First time I slipped into the role of one of those rumbling death machines, I knew the sounds would leave me in a state of immersion. Then I tried a Hyena class to see what IT was like. I was amazed.
The music, also, was perfectly fit to the maps. Even "B.O.X." featured a dull. square-sounding track (and I don't even know how it's possible for music to sound "squarish").
So why did I not give a perfect 10? Well... The first time an opposing Girls Team player used the Taunt key... I'll be honest folks, that giggle creeped me out. Innocuous in any other setting maybe, but it's like she was utterly gleeful about turning Hyenas into mangled carcasses. Happily turning you into mincemeat, then sitting down next to your disintegrated remains to have a lollipop. I (and perhaps the whole team) was so demoralized, we lost, despite having a 4 point lead in "Bushes!".
Overall Score: 8/10 !
A good mod! If you're at all into Skullfrag Team DM, you should definitely find a server and give it a try!
- NeuralStunner, your Unserious Reviewer
Girls vs. Hyenas
Girls vs. Hyenas, also known as "GvH" to the Skullfrag community (for reasons yet unknown), is a popular multiplayer-focused mod by that proud fellow, Cute Man Mike. Yes, that genius behind the Magic Teleporter Gun and MegaGenderNeutralPerson 8-bit DefeatMatch (another, newer competitive mod which is currently growing in popularity, despite the author's efforts to convince everyone that it is "just a big elaborate joke").
The basis of the game is simple: There are two warring factions. One team is comprised of snarling, hairy, ugly, rabid African savanna beasts, the other of giggling schoolgirls. (If you ask me, the latter is scarier. Especially the giggling part.) The battlegrounds are comprised of various geographic locations featuring an unlikely level of "perfect spots for a fight". The mod is supposedly multiplayer only, though it's perfectly possible to wander about the maps alone. The true nature of this mod only comes through in its intended niche, however, which is Team DeathMatch. Or so I am told. (Unnamed sources tell me that it was once played in Cooperative Capture the Flag mode, but this game type was, sadly, removed from later versions of Skullfrag.)
The goal is simple: If you are on the Girl Team, kill hyenas. If you are on the Hyena Team... Well, due to legal considerations on the depiction of injuring/killing minors, especially with typical DooM-ish levels of blood and gore (O.o), these snarling, vicious, razor-toothed carnivores simply growl at Girl Team players from a close range, causing the target to eventually buckle into a terrified heap. (A few players still stubbornly refer to such wins as "kills" however, much to Cute Man's chagrin. If you are caught doing so on a public server, you may be reported to the authorities and have your computer confiscated. Okay, I'm kidding about that last part, but you'll probably be kicked from the server.)
Now, as they say, down to business!
Gameplay: 8/10
I found it surprisingly entertaining. Simply running about the snowy maps as a Hyena, skating on the ice and jumping on things, kept me occupied for hours. When I actually got down to playing competitively against other players, I found it almost equally fun.
Layout: 9/10
I wanted to give this a perfect 10, but... I personally found the Cheese Factory map in particular to be frustrating beyond all others. I cannot count the number of rounds I was taken out of in a matter of seconds, due to taking a wrong turn and falling through an unlatched grate into molten cheese. Such death traps are unacceptable in a mod such as this.
Also, the map called "B.O.X." is sadly as simple as it sounds: A large concave cube inside which you do battle. There is no cover, making it an extremely hectic map to play, but otherwise uninteresting.
I loved the "Fogzone", despite other players' complaints that it was "impossible to see in", and the one called "Motor Day Parade". Panzer tanks... <3
Challenge: 5/10
Wow, I'm torn on this one. It really depends on the map. In maps such as "School Out" and "OMG Huge Mall", the Girls have a major advantage, while the Hyenas rule in the "Desert Before Dinner" and "Bushes!" maps.
The Girls Team classes walk upright, and are thus taller. They are a bit faster, and have the most variety and accuracy in their weaponry. The Hyenas Team classes have larger amounts of Health, and being shorter have an easier time staying hidden. This can cause great difficulties and imbalance, as moderately good players wil lchoose the team that fits best into the map, leaving the opposing team with fewer players, thus unbalancing it fiurther. The smaller teams will be comprised mainly of newbies who don't know what else to do, and seasoned players who enjoy the challenge.
Graphics: 10/10
The Girls look like girls. And the Hyenas look like hyenas. The texturing is very nice (aside from that of "B.O.X.", which I can happily forget about), and the maps are very convincing for DooM style "2.5D" construction. Not much else to say.
Sounds: 9/10
Wow. First time I slipped into the role of one of those rumbling death machines, I knew the sounds would leave me in a state of immersion. Then I tried a Hyena class to see what IT was like. I was amazed.
The music, also, was perfectly fit to the maps. Even "B.O.X." featured a dull. square-sounding track (and I don't even know how it's possible for music to sound "squarish").
So why did I not give a perfect 10? Well... The first time an opposing Girls Team player used the Taunt key... I'll be honest folks, that giggle creeped me out. Innocuous in any other setting maybe, but it's like she was utterly gleeful about turning Hyenas into mangled carcasses. Happily turning you into mincemeat, then sitting down next to your disintegrated remains to have a lollipop. I (and perhaps the whole team) was so demoralized, we lost, despite having a 4 point lead in "Bushes!".
Overall Score: 8/10 !
A good mod! If you're at all into Skullfrag Team DM, you should definitely find a server and give it a try!
- NeuralStunner, your Unserious Reviewer
