My New Best Friend: The Random Button

So, boredom has set in, I'm back into playing AE arcs and I don't want the usual review thread involving people submitting arcs to me.
Instead I'm going to try something that is (hopefully) different. Using the random button, I will select, play and post a fairly short critique of a random arc. Recommending it to players in search of some good arcs from an un-biased stance.

I rate the arcs out of five(5) in three categories;
-Costume Design (if applicable)
-Story
-Comprehensiveness
And then give it an overall grade out of five(5)

My Ratings
1-A lot of glaring flaws. Needs some serious revisiting.
2-The arc was sloppily done and no effort seemed to have went into it, but it possibly has a solid concept.
3-The arc has a solid story and concept and just needs some spit and polish to make in gleam like the potential rhinestone that it is.
4-An Excellent arc! While nothing stands out and screams to me that it is superb and brilliant. This arc is definitely at the top of the list.
5-An outstanding arc that is one-of-a-kind. There are no flaws and it is polished until it shines like the sun.

N.B: Please note that when I use the random button I only search arcs of "Long" (Min. 3 mission) length and that are currently looking for feedback.

First on my list is: How The Other Half Lives(I.D: 191775)-@JKCarrier

Story Overview: The arc starts with you talking to Levantara. She mentions how Arachnos and the Vanguard are doing so well working together that a "student exchange" has been organised where an Arachnos agent works in Paragon City and a Vanguard operative does vice versa. The first mission involves you taking Becky, a new Fortunata recruit, through the Sewer Network to show her the ropes. Chaos soon ensues.

Story: 5/5. It was a good, original concept and had some nice subtle humour and the occasional "in joke".

Costume Design: N/A

Comprehensiveness: 4/5. While the story was easy to follow and well-written, the motivation for the instigators was lacking, which is something the author could improve on.

Overall: 4/5. The arc was fun to play through, very solo-friendly and had a good and lighthearted storyline. I would strongly recommend this arc for anyone looking for something relaxing to pass the time with.

My next recommendation: How To Create A Monster

My random button must be broken; it just gives me the same farm arc 3 times in a row, then another farm arc, then the first one 2 times again...

As a minor critique of your critiques, I'd suggest giving us the arc number at the very least. The global it's published under would be nice, too.

To Create A Monster (I.D: 274552)-@Enfrite

Story: 3/5. The story starts off very interesting, by your character stumbling across the diary of a man involved in a project to create the perfect hunter from two twins; one perceptive twin, one brutal twin. As the story progresses it becomes less immersive and focused on the project (Project: Perfect Hunter). The ending is anti-climactic and there are a lot of loose ends that need tying.

Costume Design: 2/5. The costume design wasn't the best. A villain who is used in the second mission has an odd costume, while the custom group consists of stereotypical government agents and militants.

Comprehensiveness: 4/5. The story was easy to follow, but lost the plot and diverged from the main selling point; a project to create the perfect hunter out of two twins, which is an interesting plot.

Overall: 3/5
The premise of the story story is very good and an interesting one. There are a lot of gaping plot-holes, such as what happens to the twins after the end of the arc. Since the arc only uses three of the five available missions, you would expect this to be addressed. The immersion is also broken by the fact that the character is seen as James, the writer of the diary, in all the character's eyes. Dialog is replaced by actions which are marked by two "*" of either side of the text, which makes the arc seem more like a roleplay, rather than an arc.

If you are looking to critique this arc and help the author polish it until it shines, then this is for you. But, if you are looking for an arc with minor flaws and that is more-or-less fully completed, I would advise against this one.


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Next recommendation: Curiously Quiet

Wow, you've had better luck with the random button than I have. I get absolute garbage 75% of the time.

Great thread, I'll keep my eye on this one

Curiously Quiet-@Mr. Popsicle

Story: 5/5. The story in this is very good, probably because I'm a sucker for war-like stories and because it was quite good. You start off being told that at a certain time in the future, all moniters go quiet for an unexplained reason. After picking up a signal from the distant future, you are sent to inspect it, discovering a plot which plans to start World War III

Costume Design: 3/5. The same problem quite a lot of these arcs have; no originality. From stereotypical militants, to stereotypical mutants which are snot green and have huge, bulging brains.

Comprehensiveness: 4/5. The only quip I have with the comprehensiveness is the 5th Column's proper motivation for hunting for a set of documents. A motivation that is not their Fascist ideals. One thing I did like is the way the player is left in confusion throughout the arc until the end where the gaps are filled in, considering your contact is a simple scientist you moniters time and dimensional frequencies. This form of storytelling is something I learned to appreciate by reading the novel [i]Never Let Me Go[/b]

Overall: 4/5. The arc was very good I found. Apart from a custom group which is ridden with -Recharge and Targeting Drones, among other powers that any other AT that isn't a /Willpower Scrapper would find annoying. The arc also falls down in costume design and the fact that there are two mandatory allies, one which seems to be added for the hell of it.

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Next Recommendation: Stop THE POWER ELITE

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Just a couple of notes; My recommendations will be coming on a weekly basis from now on due to RL getting more hectic. Hopefully, I may be able to get more than one in a week.

Also, starting from the next review I will be adding another rating; Playability