Howdy! I'm an Animator, Vector + 3D Artist and Sound Designer - Currently developing my film 'Maxification 2' alongside multiple side projects. | Banner Art By 'Vertigohm' ! |
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Anywhere but Nevada
Joined on 1/18/16
Posted by Jsoull - December 10th, 2021
Posted by Jsoull - November 18th, 2021
" They sure do love being evil! "
I've been hard at work gettin' done designs 'n sprites for the latter half of MAX 2, and I've finally gotten my arms around this trio. They're named after the 3 Wise Men from Christian mythology - and are the leaders of the enigmatic 'Agency. Against. Malevolent. Originals.' Each will do their part to maximize evil in their own special way, and I'm excited for you all to see what they'll deliver when the time comes. As for now, I greatly appreciate the help of everybody on my team who's help grease the gears of progress over the last year, I wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for your support, and all the good vibes from you folks on NG and Youtube! In the meantime, I hope the twilight hours of this abominable year don't somehow up the ante - god's work is yet to be completed.
Posted by Jsoull - October 19th, 2021
'Art Courtesy of Dreadman'
Madness Day 2021 has came and went - with it, a metric shit-ton of animations have come out. So much so to where it isn't really feasible for me to cover all of them, so I'll just be picking out the ones that caught my eye above all the others, for better and for worse. Without further delay, we shall begin -
I am yet again floored by the length and complexity of the Black Berserk series, and everybody on-board the team should be quite proud that they've managed to get something this big out for the second year in a row. I reviewed the first episode of this series during my last Madness Day review, and I gotta say that almost all of my praise and critique still applies to the latest entry in the series. The scale of some of the action scenes here are truly phenomenal, compositions changed every few shots and the team managed to pull off scenes I seriously didn't see coming. Seriously, the sheer amount of details with all the different soldier/unit variations, ground vehicles, mechs, airships - It is truly a spectacle for someone like me who grew up as a fan of Mechwarrior and Battletech. Just like last year, the only point of contention is the addition of voice acting - but not in the way you'd first assume. A lot of the voices are delivered fine, with the dialogue itself being passable - It's more just a personal disconnect I have when seeing madness cartoons with fully voices protagonists. I definitely feel that at this point it is more of a sense of taste, because I'm not sure it could be managed much better than what the team ended up with here. This series deserves far more attention and recognition than it currently gets, that's for sure. Congrats to the Black Berserk team for the newest entry in the series, you continue to have my attention.
For this one, I do have to mention that I was involved on the development side of things as a helping hand - but the whole of the animation, composition, narrative, and basically everything was handled by Darksignal himself. I have vague recollections of seeing one of his works many years ago when I first took a dive into Madness community content, and I must say that this submission was a very progressive step into a new and unique direction. The style of the film has been coined as "Cinemadness" by Darksignal, and I must say that the compositions of the film definitely justify such a title. The unique animation style with 2.5D sprites allows for complex camera angles and choreography which would be functionally impossible to do with the classic side-scrolling Madness format we are all used to. While some of the graphics themselves lack shading or detail in spots, the overall presentation is so great that I almost don't care. Even though it is on the shorter side, this is a pretty damn good submission I'd highly recommend you to check out - hopefully the finale for subjugation will come sooner rather than later.
Continuing on from his fantastic tack record, @Diotoons continues on with another solid addition to his 'Killroy Madness' series - even after it seemed the previous installment would be the last. Although it caught me off-guard, I must say that the continual refinement of his craft appears to shine through - the compositions and choreography are as fantastic as ever. There's not really any aspects about this movie that are weak enough for me to point out, but perhaps later additions to this series could step into a new, more experimental direction? Perhaps move away from the secret-history style into something that allows more flexibility.
As a sort of pseudo-followup / offshoot of the White Hank Series, we got Cringehank here to keep us busy until Kryy figures out where he put his computer. While wholly satirical in nature, this submission feels like if one of those really old shitty madness fan cartoons was given a budget far higher than would ever be considered reasonable. The result is a very chaotic and fittingly zany tone that holds true throughout the entire runtime of the movie. Each of the collab members helps to bring something interesting to the table, whether that's with some sharp choreography, unit types, set pieces, etc. While the project is overall incredibly enjoyable, I still find myself perplexed at the choice to make the main character sonic the hedgehog, yet never really take advantage of that premise besides a couple of scenes out of the entire movie. I think I only recall one scene where 'Cringehank' is hurt and drops rings, but no power-ups from the original series are used, nor are any enemies or environments inspired by the games. If you are going to go batshit and make a movie about Sonic In Madness, at that point you should just take the gloves off and go all-in with the possibilities instead of gently dipping a toe into what could be. Other than that, the collab itself is a very worthy submission and a great surprise hit for MD 2021.
Prov22 has been doing a great job at disappointing me year-after-year, and this Madness Day is no exception. Yet again, his submission is a run-of-the-mill side scrolling grey-room clearing movie with no surprises, no twists, and no new takes on the formula. I really don't want to bust his balls, but after he showed such promise with his earlier movies it is incredibly frustrating to see him degrade into something so painfully mundane. His animation skill has noticeably improved, but that means absolutely nothing if there are no unique or standout elements whatsoever. I don't know what's gotten into Prov's head, but he seriously needs to go back to his more unique endeavors and craft some new elements to throw into the pot, else each new submission of his just paints another shade of grey onto his reputation.
A surprise short by Kirxee, acting as a prequel to his 'Madness Cellification' Collab from a few years back. As a small solo, the submission is overall very enjoyable and has enough good choreography to keep your attention. Narratively, it also helps tie up a lose end from his original collab, which is more appreciable than dragging it out further down the line. The art assets can be rough in spots and a few frames can be funky, but this is a fairly good submission that earns its place in the roster.
The first project I've seen from 5LEO5, and what an entrance it is. One very serious problem I have is with the ENTIRE movie, and that's the awful ghosting/interlacing issue with the footage. I have no idea how 5LEO5 didn't think this was a problem, but Jesus it makes some of the scenes obnoxious to watch. That's a big shame, because this submission actually has some pretty good looking scenes and some neat backgrounds, but they are hard to appreciate when there's a shit-ton of ghosting going on with literally anything that moves or when the camera pans around. The animation itself is actually quite good, although it suffers from being far too fast in places, so much so to where it can be hard to keep track of more precise movements - this is something that is also not helped by the ghosting. The pacing can be kind of jumpy in places as well, but I can tell a lot of heart went into making this so I can't really bring myself to be too harsh. The submission overall is quite enjoyable but leaves enough room for improvement to where this project's successor is going to be something I keep my eyes on, unless it still has that awful interlacing issue.
I'm not entirely familiar with the legacy of this movie series, but I an entirely certain that this is a worthwhile watch for this Madness Day. Kryy knocks it out of the park with his melee choreography as always, with the SFX work by Datsalty helping to extenuate the brutality. The addition of the 'Mr. Extile' character helps to round out some neat powers for the film's protagonist, and provide a phenomenal final battle with the infamous Bill Barsch. Kryy has nailed making his own thematic style for Madness flicks, and it is safe to say that as of now he's one of the best in the entire fandom. An unexpected entry, but one I'm more than happy to recommend.
Our favorite yellow bastard Gabriel Barsch manages to give us another characterful submission for this Madness Day, with some pretty enjoyable results. As always, the comedic timing and action choreography are top-notch - with the whole movie being a joy to see. Not much else I can add, other than I think the addition of the 'Dissenter' art style clashes very harshly with Gabriel's style and tone. The gritty, messy character sprites don't blend well with such a bouncy and cartoonish world - but this problem isn't exclusive to his movie in particular. I'm not particularly a fan of 'comedy' focused animation, but I can still respect the final product. If you liked Gabe's previous movies, you'll like this one just as much.
This is a submission made by a fellow who I reviewed last MD, specifically his movie "Madness Incursion". At the time I mentioned that although the project was incredibly messy, it had a lot of little details and additions that made it clear a lot of heart was put into it, and that I was looking forward to what he'd work on next. It seems my expectations have been met, as Project Creber is a fantastic improvement from his previous work, and a healthy step in the right direction. Plenty of custom assets, characters, and environments that help round out a pretty solid madness flick. I'm especially a fan of the main character's gimmick of being able to make clones of himself, which allows for some pretty creative choreography. The animation can be a tad stiff at times, but the overall film is very well crafted and I can tell Potke gave this his all. Also, the custom track for this movie was pretty damn good, I got some prime Djjaner flashbacks at points.
This submission seriously caught me off guard, but in a way I seriously enjoyed. What started off looking like a pretty rough but fun idea turned into something that's pretty bold and only held back by the fidelity. The premise of going between different events and timelines in the Madness Universe is ripe with incredibly fun opportunities, yet it feels as if this movie only scratches the surface of what could be done with the idea alone. The texture work is incredibly detailed, but rooms tend to be incredibly bland with too little in each room to help them 'pop'. For what we have here, it's a respectable submission that unfortunately doesn't have the 3D talent to completely pull off the environments it wants. I think further iterations of this idea will bring very fruitful results.
An incredibly vibrant submission that is able to accomplish its style with pretty good fidelity, and enjoyable action. Plenty of the runtime is dedicated to building a plot which moves along about how you would expect - but it doesn't drag the movie down at all and is well executed enough to where I don't mind the conversation scenes much. The dialogue could be trimmed down however, for future installments that'd definitely help the flow a tad. As for the animation, it is overall very well done with plenty of colorful effects and kills. The car chase scene was a particular favorite of mine, with some really fun camera angles sprinkled in to help spice things up. I'd say Zhou's team did a fantastic job overall and this flick is more than worth the price of admission.
As a companion-piece to Rush City, Tuvster hops into the fray with some excellent animation and choreography for his solo project. Like 'Rush City', the movie is pretty stylized in your typical exaggerated retro flare, which helps give the film character without feeling tacked on. I'm especially fond of the updated Soldat and ATP sprites, both of which have greatly improved fidelity without losing their unique looks. I think I prefer this one over 'Rush City', as it has a shorter runtime with about as much meat on the bone. Nothing really jumps to my mind when it comes to any major issues, this is just a really enjoyable flick overall and I very highly recommend a viewing.
A baffling entry, and for all the wrong reasons. Even though this was simply a short teaser for an album, it was submitted as an animation for MD 2021 even though it was released well before that date. While that's just a little off, the content of the submission itself is incredibly questionable, as the film's runtime of one minute and 35 seconds only has 32 seconds of animation, the rest being taken up by random music samples with waveform audio in the background. I shouldn't have to mention that as an ANIMATION submission, having barely a third of your entry being animation is in incredibly poor taste. Furthermore, the 3D animation leaves a lot to be desired - while the one room this movie takes place in has a good amount of detail, the characters and animation are very poor. Characters move incredibly stiffly as if they are locked onto treadmills, and 'snap' in and out of movements with no sense of momentum or weight. One particular instance of this is at 30-seconds in, where the soldat simply freezes in-place until he is shot - rather than having any sort of idle animation in-between the action. With how short the animation is, I would at least expect what little we see to be of good quality. An incredibly poor showing that feels incredibly low-effort, and only acts to gatekeep better projects that should have taken its place.
A very short but incredibly stylish yet rough frame-by-frame submission that unfortunately stops just as it starts to pick up the pace. The shot-composition is quite good, and the action is very impactful but woefully short. Not much else to say, other than I hope this gets expanded upon in the future with a proper-length submission next Madness Day. As-is, the length and lack of a payoff hurts the delivery.
Another 3D submission this year, and with some pretty fun ideas going for it. While very well animated, there is a very distinct lack of blood and gore going on here, where people will have their heads blown open with no visible blood or bullet-holes on their caved-in faces. Besides that questionable design decision, the movie has a lot of fun with some kills and compositions. This feels like a healthy prototype for a more fleshed-out future installment, and I must say that I'll be keeping my eye on Fragccc's projects.
A very well stylized and generally low-action affair that seems to be the most popular submission this year, although I have mixed feelings on it. The aesthetic itself is quite nice, and I think the sort of stop-motion/claymation hybrid look was executed quite well. However, I'm not really a fan of overly cutesy shit and that's kind of all you're gonna get here. For what it's worth, I think this sort of style can be a pretty good jumping-board into more interesting projects, but it didn't really tickle my fancy.
Another solo project from a 'lad I've never heard of, but after watching this I'm very glad I found him. The action can be a tad slow, but the actual combat choreography and movement is good. There's a couple fun kills and some fun background elements thrown in to help round-out a solid submission for MD 2021 - a good balance between originality and familiarity of the Madness formula. I'm incredibly curious as to where the next entry in this series will lead, and am hopeful for the future.
I've been noticing more of these fan-remakes of classic Madness Toons, and I can't say I mind if this is the going to be setting the bar for quality. Incredible presentation and choreography, furthermore I was very impressed by the creative liberties taken to the action sequences and soundtrack. This has some pretty good callbacks to the original while still adding enough new material to justify itself. Injects some modern flare with very good results, overall this turned out a lot better than I would have expected. In addition, the extended Hank vs. Jesus duel was incredibly enjoyable and really helped round-out this solid addition to Madness Day 2021. There is some inconsistency with art in spots, but again the overall project is so well done to where that is a very minor complaint.
- And hot-damn, just barely dodged the 20-image limit on news posts. My overall thoughts on this Madness Day are incredibly positive, especially since I was sincerely expecting it to be flooded with a bunch of trashy 'Friday Night Funkin' crap that'd only act to further chip away at the community's reputation. I'm glad plenty of new creators are coming in and adding their own flavors to the pot with solo projects and suchlike, hopefully this trend continues before god decides we've had enough fun around here.
'Till then, I'll keep you guys updated on Maxification 2 as I get closer to the finish-line - stay safe in the meantime.
(P.S. Newgrounds keeps obliterating the formatting on this post for some reason, I'll try to shore-up the damage.)
Posted by Jsoull - September 29th, 2021
It's out after 200 years, buy it or find yourself missing fingers next time you wake up.
Oh, and the MD 2021 overview is still coming - I'm just seriously overwhelmed by the metric shit-ton of movie entries. While I'm not going to review the spam / abyssal low-quality ones, I will likely have to post the review in 2 or so parts in order to avoid last year's problem of running out of thumbnail allowance.
Posted by Jsoull - September 22nd, 2021
"I Crave the Flesh of Weak Animators."
Promo-Art by DREADMAN
It would seem another year has passed me by, and now here we are again at our wonderful little holiday. While I'm going to break the ice and admit that while I have no animation projects to release for today, I have spent quite a while giving some of my friends a helping hand with their own projects, namely Zapchon with CringeHank Collab and Darksignal with Cinemadness: Subjugation.
Elsewise, I would like to announce that I am now fully committing to getting MAXIFICATION: 2 out the door by next year. This is of course, prone to change if due to some unforeseen and cruel circumstances - but hopefully the world holds itself together long enough so that I can complete my masterwork. As for development of the movie itself, I recently mentioned that the film has surpassed 15 minutes - but development has a lot more going on behind the scenes than just breaking my F6 key and pumpin' frames. After the shitstorm in June, I've been been scouting for a new musician to take Fleetwire's place after he unmade his existence - and I've settled on some folks who I genuinely believe will bring the best of their talent to the table.
Furthermore, I will be releasing a 6+ hour compendium of Fleetwire's entire discography, including several unreleased materials. Since you can't find his stuff anywhere now that literally all of his accounts are deleted, I feel like it's my responsibility to save all of his music from the void.
A work-in-progress snippet for those who wanted a little more satisfaction this Madness Day.
I'm currently animating the Security Block sequence, after which there are 5 more set-pieces until the end. My plans tend to always change as I'm working on the scenes, as they tend to never end how I thought they would, but as long as people enjoy them that's what I think matters most. If each set-piece continues at their pace of being about 5 minutes each, the movie is set to be around 25-45 minutes. I am incredibly optimistic about my progress thanks to the help of some folks, all of which have earned an honest thanks from me.
As always, I'll be releasing a Madness-Day Review to go over all the main movie submissions, but if there's a lot this year I might need an extra day or two. In the meantime, I hope everybody enjoys Madness Day - Leave no survivors.
Posted by Jsoull - August 29th, 2021
I'm hoping to complete Maxification 2 before I'm drafted for the upcoming world war. Chances are looking pretty good so far, but life is accustomed to throwing curve-balls my way. Sorry for not updating here for a bit, things have been pretty busy for me IRL with my job and home. MAX 2 just met the 15-minute mark and is continuing onward - things get more interesting the further I get into this. Starts as your usual madness flick, then evolves into something else, hopefully in a way that is pleasant for you guys to watch.
Posted by Jsoull - June 19th, 2021
'I guess someone didn't like the free advertising.'
In regards to MAX 2, work has been going smoothly up until a few days ago. The project has reached the 13 minute mark a while ago and is well on its way to matching Paradigmadness 2 in terms of length. However, something incredibly disturbing and problematic has been brought to the attention of the community over the last few days, and I feel as If I need to clarify why this will affect the development of MAX 2. The reason as to why is known to most of the crew on discord, but to those who aren't aware - recent info has come to light that Cethic is a habitual zoophile who has physically abused animals. This news hits pretty hard for a lot of people, myself included - that looked up to Cethic as a huge source for inspiration when I was first getting into animation. As someone who's taken care of animals since a very young age I am left feeling incredibly disgusted by what's been revealed, along with a deep feeling of betrayal knowing that someone I considered to be an idol has fallen to a level of depravity that makes him less than human.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCbMcZeSroA
This short feature by Kryy/Raff helps explain the situation in more detail, if you have the stomach for it.
Somehow the Madness Community seems to attract the worst of people, and it further cements the fact that you can't trust any 'Idol' you meet on the internet without actually knowing them. Cethic was originally planned to have some creative contributions to MAX 2, but now those are obviously going into the trash compactor where the rest of his career belongs. There is a problem however, I have already animated extensive scenes that follow Cethic's character after the Residential Sector battle. All parts featuring him were entirely finished animation-wise before any of this information was known to myself or the public, and now I'm put in a rather awkward position on how to continue. Rather than scrapping several months worth of work due to something entirely outside of my knowledge or control, I'll compensate his scenes remaining in the film by ensuring he suffers a gruesome and dishonorable death - and from there removing him from the rest of the movie.
Posted by Jsoull - March 17th, 2021
And they have bugs.
Work continues on the movie as I plow through development milestones. The second half of the movie has some deliciously fun visuals, and I look forward to giving them life on the screen. Besides that, I hope you are all getting by in this fucking horrible world that we currently live in - when the dust settles we shall conquer all that is known by god.
Posted by Jsoull - December 23rd, 2020
Truly one for the history books. (Illustration by Jinxsaw)
Just wanted to give a quick thanks to everybody that went out of their way to be beautiful people this year against all odds. I've been doing pretty well despite some minor ongoing complications, progress on MAX 2 hasn't slowed down a tad. There'll be more news on that later, but first I wanna show off a good chunk of gifts which were crafted by some well and proper folk.
A movie poster-esque illustration of Abaddon by DaniTheProfaner
A super sleek and sexy illustration of a humanoid Abaddon by the one and only MintyEggs
Showin' off some gnarly chompers, courtesy of Kyrui08
A handful of adorable doodles by DudingDarn
Again, a heartfelt thanks to all of you that decided I was worthy of such holy illustrations. I wish all of you guys smooth sailing into 2021, I pray that the upcoming year will show some semblance of mercy to humanity.
Posted by Jsoull - September 23rd, 2020
NOW THAT THE DAY IS DONE - THE REVIEW HAS BEGUN!
With seemingly all of this year's MD submissions in, now we get to go through all the goodies. These won't be reviewed in any particular order and I'll only be reviewing movie submissions - Here we go!
I never thought this day would come, but this MD has gifted us with the finale of the most treasured classic tribute and the without-a-doubt winner of this year's Madness Day. It was everything I had ever hoped for and then some - The action, camerawork, soundtrack, it all fits snugly together into what I consider to be a top contender for the best Madness animation in the history of this community. The narrative keeps you hooked with non-stop suspense and absolutely brutal levels of gore that this series has always been known for. The love and effort that went into this film were mind-blowing, and by god did it pay off. LittleLuckyLink deserves every glowing review and slice of praise that comes his way, for his love of this community and the medium of animation is as clear as day.
Final Rating - 11/10
"Masterpiece"
A surprise collaboration from the same folks that gave us the WhiteHank Series, I must say that even on a smaller scale, these guys don't disappoint. As a "modern" style semi-sequel to the madness classic, this project brings us combat choreography and delicious scoops of violence that proves the capabilities of this team. The backgrounds are on a whole new level, setting the standard that the days of copy-paste gray corridors is at and end - which I must say is a turn for the better. Everything else? The SFX, music, animation and compositions are excellent and consistent throughout. Besides a few graphical hiccups in spots, I can't be damned to really find anything else wrong with this submission. Damn fine work from all of those involved, I can't wait to see what you guys come up with next!
Final Rating - 10/10
I don't know where all of this new talent is coming from, but by god I'm not complaining! We have a short yet vibrant and energetic submission which takes on a hybrid art style which will be very familiar to fans of the Thing Thing series. the elongation of limbs allows for some very unique combat choreography which isn't usually possible under the regular madness style. Again, all of the elements of this film are flawless and consistent from start to finish - so I'm put in a pretty tough spot when it comes to the final score. I don't really regard a project being "short" as a shortcoming, because what matters to me was if it was entertaining to watch all the way through and fulfilled all of its potential, which this project definitely has.
Final Rating - 9/10
A new animated short by a new contestant in the community, Datsalty. From what I know, he's had plenty of supporting roles in previous projects - but now he gets a chance to shine. Buttery-smooth animation throughout and creative kills/compositions sprinkled within, it's safe to say he's proven himself with the feat of building his own solo films. I must say that while not a perfect submission, this is the perfect jumping point for Salty to continue building on his abilities in order to deliver even more fantastic experiences later down the line. For your first solo, you did a bloody fine job - your talent shall be of great use to this fandom!
Final Rating - 8.1/10
To be frank, I'm very impressed by the amount of released solo project this year as I was under the impression that most had been cancelled or somesuch - yet here's another goodie! An all-around great madness short which takes some minor deviations in the usual art formula, namely with characters having some 'expressive' faces and a wider variety of colors than what is commonplace. Animation is top-notch, although the number of visual glitches and very unfinished background/art elements are very noticeable and bring the movie down a tad. That, and the very abrupt ending which comes just as I was hoping it'd ramp up even more was quite disappointing. Even so, I'm pretty confident in saying that we got another great contributor to this community in our midst.
Final Rating - 7.5/10
An entry from the same 'lad who gave us the "New York Minute" short from last MD. Swapping out the usual sprite style for a hand drawn method, this toon seeks to go for a more mellow 'cinematic' style from the usual madness affair. While the atmosphere and cinematic qualities are very well handled, the art quality definitely doesn't keep up with the rest of the production. Awkward perspective issues and messy/low detailed characters within featureless gray corridors. While I do think this project helps to show that Madness can go further than just a guy shooting other guys, further refinement would help to solidify this vision for future installments.
Final Rating - 6.8/10
Mech Battles in Madness? Fuck yes. From the same guys who brought us shorter projects in previous years, "Blackhole Studios" hits us with their most ambitious project to date. While I must say that the scale and ambition here are very respectable, not everything lands perfectly. There's a metric fuckton of animation work that went into this puppy, giant battles and Mech fights aren't easy to pull off. Yet at the same time, it's like there are elements of the project that just work against itself. The voice acting is going to be a big turn-off for most people, including myself to a degree. While it doesn't approach the abysmal levels most folk in this community have some to expect, it still feels a bit jarring and awkward at points - really only working to make scenes less enjoyable and suspenseful in my eyes. Some of the VA talent do good work, but It's more of a inappropriate use of resources then the people themselves doing a bad job. On the visual side of things, backgrounds are a mostly good mixed bag of fantastic vistas and impressive perspective work on complex structures and architecture. However, there is a noticeable downgrade in visual quality at points, with certain backgrounds missing shading or having broken perspectives that harm the looks. But even so, the Mech battle on-top of a helipad in the middle of a cyberpunk city whilst it rains is one of the most complex visual compositions I've ever seen in a madness project. Also, pulling helicopters out of the air to use as melee weapons was a fantastic example of typical madness "fun". Overall, this project is definitely worth the watch, and if you have a tolerance for VA work in Madness then you've got quite the treat on your hands.
Final Rating - 9.5/10
Another entry to the .FLA craze, yet one that brings some new elements to the table. Namely the noticeably improved camerawork and compositions compared to most of its kind, along with the willingness to push things in an interesting direction visually. We get new monsters, FX, and a few neat little ideas that help this guy stand out. While definitely rough in spots, I must say that this was definitely an enjoyable project and probably my favorite out of the .fla series so far. Biggest improvements that could be made definitely go to the animation - choppy movements and not-so-smooth transitions sabotage the flow of the movie. I seriously want to see Burcanch continue to experimenting with this sort of thing, perhaps we'll get some .fla flicks out of him that surpass the originals.
Final Rating - 7.5/10
I actually find it quite odd that it took this long for someone to make a film with the concept of MAG versus MAG action, but here we are. While the idea behind this film is fantastic, I can't really say the same for what lies within. While most of the compositions are well constructed, the visuals and animation are rough to say the least. Although the spritework isn't 'bad', it is seriously rough in spots and very noticeable on the new custom sprites of soldiers and protagonist. That, and I believe that there was a lot of unused potential with the concept of a MAG versus MAG fight - we ended up getting some enjoyable fights, yet I was left feeling a bit empty. I'm hoping that further iterations of this idea can bring this in a far better direction, because what I'm left with is overall enjoyable but tainted with disappointment.
Final Rating - 6/10
A bit of a jokey animation which doesn't try to achieve much other than having the usual run of madness kills with a punchline. It's well animated for what it is, and overall enjoyable if 'ye aren't burned out on "vanilla" madness like I am. It's animated quite well for what it is, and such efforts shouldn't go unrecognized - I just wish it brought more to the table.
Final Rating - 5.5/10
A madness collab that tries to be a meme, but ends up being a seriously enjoyable affair. It keeps the absurdity coming with slick animation, fantastic kills, and non-stop goofiness. I seriously wanna see these guys tackle a bit more of a 'serious' idea akin to the Redeemer 2 collab, but if they wanna keep making projects like this I honestly couldn't say I'd mind. As much of a meme as this collab keeps trying to be, the sheer talent that went into it cannot be ignored. A pretty great watch for this MD - and a great way to unwind from the more story-heavy projects of this year.
Final Rating - 8.5/10
The granddaddy of the Madness community gives us a new flick for this MD, which is unfortunately a bit of a mixed bag. Djjaner has given us some of the more bizzare tastes of the fandom over the years, but unfortunately this project doesn't really go to the same extremes which made previous Djjaner projects as enjoyable as they were. The art looks generally unappealing, with Djjaner attempting to ingest some of the "Dissenter" sprite style with his own, but what we end up getting just looks kind of grungy in a bad way. What we got is 'yer average Djjaner-styled solo with a couple of odd moments sprinkled in, when it would have been far superior to see a full cooperation between Ellvis and Djjaner. For what it is, it's alright - but doesn't have much to offer that we haven't seen before.
Final Rating - 5.7/10
Green Pepper Studio's only submission for this madness day, and I can't really say it's what anybody expected. This would have been a fine companion-piece to a proper Madness toon, but instead what I'm left with is a very softcore 'what if' scenario that doesn't do anything visually or thematically interesting or unique - and doesn't really hit a home-run on the humor either. It's quite sad that Gibb50 has abandoned the idea of making proper madness toons, in favor of these once-in-a-year jokes that are only ironically funny in terms of their disappointment. Submissions like PROJECT: Felony and Madness Celebration have shown that you can make a 'joke' Madness cartoon whilst still having a good amount of effort and payoff behind it, but instead this just feels like an excuse to plug GP's new server in the description. I would say that I hope that Gibb50 will eventually return to more worthy creative endeavors, but I know him too well to have any hope for that.
Final Rating - 1/10
Definitely one of the more 'out there' ideas I've seen for Madness, but like hell If I'm gonna mind that. A pretty energetic yet messy take on if Madness combat was turned into an anime. While the compositions themselves are pretty well put together, things aren't so solid in the art department. While the visuals sync up well with the music track, the quality of the visuals themselves are a bit iffy at points - mostly thanks to the wonky perspectives and consistently broken anatomy from the humanoid versions of the characters. The transitional effects and supplemental art assets were pretty much flawless however, and for the first ever attempt I've seen for something like this I can't really say he's done a bad job.
Final Rating - 7/10
"Madness Jerkification" would be a far more appropriate title for this submission, given what I've seen. If you are looking for a Madness toon that is hilarious in a way that the author never intended, you're right on track here. This submission unfortunately suffers from the worst of the common madness tropes, yet somehow manages to introduce enough bizarre and awkward moments to where you are just laughing along with the stupid. Characters jumping around like frogs, mentally retarded MAG Agents, and extremely bizarre compositions that leave you scratching your head. I think this project will be a very good learning experience for Spavit - because whether intentional or not this submission had me laughing harder than any of the intentionally funny toons today.
Final Rating - 7/10 (3/10 without the humor)
A sheepishly slow yet still rather enjoyable short collab-ish toon to sink your teeth into. Heading the animation this time around is Awez, who I was pretty sure disappeared from the community years ago, yet he's back at it again with a butter smooth set of frames for each scene he's featured in. Actually, the easiest thing to notice in this rather bizarre submission is what scenes aren't done by him, because there's quite a noticeable drop in animation quality any time he ain't pumpin' those frames himself. Otherwise, this feels like some sort of half-finished inside joke - yet it still manages to be enjoyable through its absurdity. Hopefully this will signal the return of one of the lesser-known great talents of this community back into the Madness scene, rather than just being a one-off return which'll amount to nothing. Either way, I'm happy he's been able to post another project since his absence and I wish him the best.
Final Rating - 6.7/10
Another surprise MD toon by a dude I've never heard of, but again I'm left pleasantly surprised by what's offered here. Things start off way too slow, but as the scenes progress the pace picks up and more interesting elements are sprinkled in to keep your interest. Although the 'Battlefield 3 Tint Filter' felt a bit odd in spots, It doesn't really break the visuals for me - even though I believe that the usage of more non-stock assets would have been a big plus as always. Nothing really stands out as poor, besides some minor animation glitches and suchlike. All of the issues I can think of are relatively minor, I still think this is a damn good start to what'll be a series worth keeping your eyes on.
Final Rating - 7/10
If the opening perspective shots of the base made you giggle like a madman, I can't blame you. As much as the opening scenes try their best to make you stop watching, persistence will reveal a shockingly ambitious first-time solo animation that unfortunately doesn't have the exact set of skills to execute all it tries to accomplish. I was going to write this off as another "Hank X AAHW" re-do animation that you often see this time of year, but I was pleasantly surprised by some unique elements which are underutilized. The further the film goes on, the more it sets into a respectable flow and pace. The choreography as ambitious as it was rough, but I can't really blame PotekusSilvanus for going balls-deep. I respect being this bold with a first-time release, and it's safe to say I'll have my eyes on him for future releases.
Final Rating - 6.5/10
A very bizzare submission which should've just waited 'till Halloween to be completed, but it's right here right now instead. Definitely some heavy-duty Project Nexus 2 inspirations, and from what little there is too see it's safe to say that were the project to be completed, it'd be a solid damn movie. I find it odd that given that this much content was completed in only a month that the creator would choose to just bail on it rather than hunker down and push it out on a later date. I can only rate what I can see, and what I've seen was pretty damn good - but bittersweet given what could have been.
Final Rating - 7/10
(Hit the Newgrounds News Image Upload Limit I guess, Just imagine some Dissenter-style sprites shooting stock agents)
A rather disappointing change of direction, given what I've seen from Prov22 last madness day. In 2019 we got a passable .fla style animation, and this year we get a passable "Hank X AAHW" animation with nothing really unique to offer at all.
Final Rating - 3/10
(Imagine some Anime-Style Madness Characters fighting Sailor Moon)
A definite upgrade from the last time I've seen this series, most notably the notion of MORE action and LESS bad dialogue. There are still some pretty damn corny lines, but I don't think it approaches the awkward levels of the previous entry. Animation quality has improved greatly, and so has a lot of the spritework. The talking sequences just make the movie go into a near standstill, but if you can ignore some slower portions this is definitely at least worth a watch.
Final Rating - 6/10
(Imagine Clint Eastwood from "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" versus Anton from "No Country For Old Men"
I thought It'd be hard to follow-up from Killroy Madness 3, yet somehow this manages to not feel disappointing even with the notable down-scaling of conflict. If you like the hardcore western motifs of the original, you are gonna get more of that here and then some. As I've mentioned in my Killroy reviews, this unique body style allows for more intricate and interesting combat maneuvers that what'd usually be possible. While not better than Killroy, it's still a damn fine watch on its own that deserves a spot on this list.
Final Rating - 8.5/10
Alright, so after running out of Image allowance and noticing that I've already reached over 3 Thousand words, I think it's safe to say that I have covered most of which deserves to be covered. If I didn't get to you, blame Newgrounds for being stingy with their image bandwidth - and my own bodily degradation due to me typing for the last 24 hours and the subsequent loss of circulation to the rest of my body. I will be on life support for the next month or so thanks to this ordeal, but I honestly have to say that this Madness day was the best we've ever had. So many absolutely fantastic and unique projects to come out so fast, it's the most lively I've ever seen the community since I've joined here all those years ago. I'm seriously proud of everybody that was able to post their projects for this event, all of your efforts work towards the ultimate goal of world domination. But for now, we can settle with making such badass animations that it makes the core of Newgrounds quiver with every upload.
Be brave, be brutal, be bold - have a fucking fantastic post-madness day!
