So for something to do
For those whom don't know these games are 'precision platformers' who's levels are designed to challenge veteran gamers platforming skills to the extreme. These are not for causal players, in fact, the level layout alone would be enough to scare off, all but the most daring of casuals.
Here I'll be comparing the two games on graphics, controls, story/characters (yes I know ..), and level design. The reason there's no 'sound track' section, is cause while both are good, just not enough to be memorable in any lasting way.
[HEADING=1]Story/Characters[/HEADING]
Lets just get this one out of the way now, cause in games like these it really is the least important thing ... or is it?.
SMB's story is basically, bad-guy kidnaps girlfriend, and the good-guy goes after them. That's fine, it can work, except in this case Meat Boy only seems to react with a 'Micky Mouse' like 'oh no' in the cut scenes, which makes him come off as kind of a wuss to be honest. The villain's sole motivation seems to be 'he's jealous and he's a dick', with the love interest, Bandage Girl have even less personality then Princess Peach in the early Mario games, course bland and boring fits all the characters in this game.
but how does the other game stack up?
Well, They Bleed Pixels follows one nameless girl, (yes, she really has no name, I checked the website and everything) as she's transferred to a 'school for troubled girls', and her ensuing nightmares after finding a bleeding book. The Girls quest is rather simple, survive the nightmares and try to stop the transformation that is causing her to turn into the monster she becomes at night, while she's awake. The 'villain' in TBP is two fold, firstly is the book it self, it's turning her into a monster and trying to kill her vai her dreams, the other, is the Head Master of the school, it's he who activated the book and presumably is the one recovering the book after The Girls attempts to dispose of it, and if the cut-scene before the final level is any indication, he's been doing this to the student body for some time, as there are a LOT of other monster girls. Why he's been turning the students into monsters is never explained, there's not text at all except 'aahh!' when The Girl wakes up to see she's slipped a little further into monster-hood and the book being back, but may guess is he's trying to summon something and needs the monster The Girl is turning into to complete it.
Verdict:
They Bleed Pixels.
The Girl, despite having no name, is a better character the Meat Boy, she takes immediate action to protect herself when the Book starts to turn her, and tries several times to dispose of to destroy the book outright, where as Meat Boy just stands there while DR Fetus makes off with his girl, again, at the start of every level. The Villains are better as well, The Head Master and Book are much more menacing then Dr Fetus, whom is at best 'cartoonishly evil' and lame at all other times, Bowser, despite getting his ass kicked in every Mario game is a better badguy the Dr Fetus will ever be.
[HEADING=1]Controls[/HEADING]
Story is all well and fine, but games like these live and die on how well the handle.
both games handle excellently, leaving the blame for your MANY death squarely on your shoulders ... most the time. While Meatboy him self feels kinda 'floaty' to me, the game has unlockable characters that have different ability's so it's really a matter of unlocking one you feel helps you most.
TBP, doesn't have unlockable characters, The Girl still controls excellently though, with her double jumps and wall climb/cling and the control you have over the decent. TBP has something SMB doesn't though, combat. scattered through out the levels there are enemy's, five types in all, (I'll go into them more in the 'Levels' section), this makes the need for tight controls even greater since it no longer JUST the level that's trying to kill you, but it's inhabitants as well.
Verdict:
Tie
I can't really pick on here, SMB offers verity via alternate characters, while TBP adds (very satisfying) combat.
[HEADING=1]Graphics[/HEADING]
So they handle good, how do they look?
Both are done in a 'retro' style, with SMB done using Flash and TBP not being done in flash. The result of this is SMB 'looks' better in terms of raw graphical power, while TBP is more an 8-bit affair, but the problem I have is, there's nothing really to 'look at' in SMB. The back grounds really only serve as 'walls' in most the levels, with the foregrounds being nicer but still kinda dull. The characters are, brightly colored yes, but then, they are just boxes with eyes, for the most part, not really that great far as giving the player something to look at.
the salt factory
TBP has a similar issues. the foreground here is BORING, black shapes with white outlines make up the actual part of the levels you interact with, but the backgrounds hint at there being a MUCH wider world, with floating ruins visible in the distance in some levels, and despite the 8-bit graphics these backgrounds are very nice, even animated in later levels. The Girls design is just as you'd expect, she looks like a person, all be it it a purple one with claws that drip blood, and while the enemy's share the same issue as the foregrounds, being black with white outlines, they all are distinctive.
guest made Halloween level
Verdict:
They Bleed Pixels.
I'm temped to cal a tie here, but, I have to give it to TBP. Reason 1 being consistency, the entire game has a 'horror' vibe to it(cept the guest levels mind you), and I can't help but thing the 'vaguely defined' enemy's are part of that themeing, and I like consistency, where as SMB feels very random from section to section. The other reason is I like the 'horror' theme the game has, simple as that.
[HEADING=1]Levels[/HEADING]
So how are the levels then?
Well ...
SMB's levels are incredibly short 'obstacle courses', 1-4 or 5 screens near as I can tell, to off set how short they are, there's like 100 plus hidden levels. The up side to them being so short is they can be over very quickly, the down side, your going to die, A LOT, which means starting over from the same place over and over, which can hamper any sense of 'progress', this is further not helped by after finishing the level, ALL the lives you spent to finish it run at the same time in a reply, which is kinda insulting in a way. The difficulty of the stages actually progresses at a nice rate, giving you enough to to get used to new tricks before ramping it up, though that doesn't stop the game from throwing a few dick moves in, like the homing missiles or 'suddenly needing to use a skill you never knew about till now and NEED to use to advance' (like using the conveyer belts to launch your self upward all of a sudden)
TBP, on the other hand has only 11 levels, not counting the guest levels, but to make up for that, they are HUGE. As I mentioned before, TBP has enemy's thus, combat, five types, Knife Imp, a small enemy that likes to jump around and attack from above, Bomb Imps which carry, bombs, that can push you into hazards when they explode, though can also be used against other enemy's, Shamblers, which are slow, mostly harmless but have a lot of HP, commonly used in tight passage ways to block progress (usually while a hazard is coming after you) Ghosts, second most HP of all the enemy's, and is immune to all forms of hazards, and 'Squids', which are the single most annoying enemy in the game, due solely to placement and how they attack. Now you might be thinking that the edition of enemy's makes the levels them selves easier cause, hey, there's enemy's now and those are hazards to. Um, no. The difficulty of the stages them selves can not be underestimated, this is because of the difficulty 'curve', there isn't one, it's more a spike. This leads to the games check point system, as you kill enemy's you fill a meter, when that meter is full you can set a check point where ever you want, baring near 'moving hazards' (like saw blades or bladed gates) or enemy's, this is a god send in the more unforgiving sections, being able to start right AT to bad place over having to make your way back through the nightmare before is really the only mercy the game offers you, but a necessary one due to the size of the levels. The check point system also lets you feel like your making some headway in the level, which for games like these I think is key to continuous play. There's also that TBP lets re-spawn after a button push, while this sounds like a hindrance, you can move the camra around and have a look at WHAT killed you and what other hazards are around (the OTHER mercy the game gives you)
Verdict:
They Bleed Pixels
both games are well designed in how they levels are set up, but ultimately TBP gives a better sense of progress, while its true your going to be dieing a lot in the same place and re-spawning in the same place, being able to move your re-spawn point to a spot much closer to, or right next to the trouble spot does much more to stave off the frustration that the dozens of deaths your going to rack up in a level, and if I'm frustrated, I'm not having fun.
The Winner:
For some, this might be blasphemy, but I have to pick the game I enjoy more, and for me They Bleed Pixels offers much more then Super Meat Boy. I still recommend both, as both are good games aimed at those who like hard core platforming, but if you want a bit more from your brutally difficult platforming, you'll find it in They Bleed Pixels
[HEADING=1]VS[/HEADING]
For those whom don't know these games are 'precision platformers' who's levels are designed to challenge veteran gamers platforming skills to the extreme. These are not for causal players, in fact, the level layout alone would be enough to scare off, all but the most daring of casuals.
Here I'll be comparing the two games on graphics, controls, story/characters (yes I know ..), and level design. The reason there's no 'sound track' section, is cause while both are good, just not enough to be memorable in any lasting way.
[HEADING=1]Story/Characters[/HEADING]
Lets just get this one out of the way now, cause in games like these it really is the least important thing ... or is it?.
SMB's story is basically, bad-guy kidnaps girlfriend, and the good-guy goes after them. That's fine, it can work, except in this case Meat Boy only seems to react with a 'Micky Mouse' like 'oh no' in the cut scenes, which makes him come off as kind of a wuss to be honest. The villain's sole motivation seems to be 'he's jealous and he's a dick', with the love interest, Bandage Girl have even less personality then Princess Peach in the early Mario games, course bland and boring fits all the characters in this game.
but how does the other game stack up?
Well, They Bleed Pixels follows one nameless girl, (yes, she really has no name, I checked the website and everything) as she's transferred to a 'school for troubled girls', and her ensuing nightmares after finding a bleeding book. The Girls quest is rather simple, survive the nightmares and try to stop the transformation that is causing her to turn into the monster she becomes at night, while she's awake. The 'villain' in TBP is two fold, firstly is the book it self, it's turning her into a monster and trying to kill her vai her dreams, the other, is the Head Master of the school, it's he who activated the book and presumably is the one recovering the book after The Girls attempts to dispose of it, and if the cut-scene before the final level is any indication, he's been doing this to the student body for some time, as there are a LOT of other monster girls. Why he's been turning the students into monsters is never explained, there's not text at all except 'aahh!' when The Girl wakes up to see she's slipped a little further into monster-hood and the book being back, but may guess is he's trying to summon something and needs the monster The Girl is turning into to complete it.
Verdict:
They Bleed Pixels.
The Girl, despite having no name, is a better character the Meat Boy, she takes immediate action to protect herself when the Book starts to turn her, and tries several times to dispose of to destroy the book outright, where as Meat Boy just stands there while DR Fetus makes off with his girl, again, at the start of every level. The Villains are better as well, The Head Master and Book are much more menacing then Dr Fetus, whom is at best 'cartoonishly evil' and lame at all other times, Bowser, despite getting his ass kicked in every Mario game is a better badguy the Dr Fetus will ever be.
[HEADING=1]Controls[/HEADING]
Story is all well and fine, but games like these live and die on how well the handle.
both games handle excellently, leaving the blame for your MANY death squarely on your shoulders ... most the time. While Meatboy him self feels kinda 'floaty' to me, the game has unlockable characters that have different ability's so it's really a matter of unlocking one you feel helps you most.
TBP, doesn't have unlockable characters, The Girl still controls excellently though, with her double jumps and wall climb/cling and the control you have over the decent. TBP has something SMB doesn't though, combat. scattered through out the levels there are enemy's, five types in all, (I'll go into them more in the 'Levels' section), this makes the need for tight controls even greater since it no longer JUST the level that's trying to kill you, but it's inhabitants as well.
Verdict:
Tie
I can't really pick on here, SMB offers verity via alternate characters, while TBP adds (very satisfying) combat.
[HEADING=1]Graphics[/HEADING]
So they handle good, how do they look?
Both are done in a 'retro' style, with SMB done using Flash and TBP not being done in flash. The result of this is SMB 'looks' better in terms of raw graphical power, while TBP is more an 8-bit affair, but the problem I have is, there's nothing really to 'look at' in SMB. The back grounds really only serve as 'walls' in most the levels, with the foregrounds being nicer but still kinda dull. The characters are, brightly colored yes, but then, they are just boxes with eyes, for the most part, not really that great far as giving the player something to look at.
TBP has a similar issues. the foreground here is BORING, black shapes with white outlines make up the actual part of the levels you interact with, but the backgrounds hint at there being a MUCH wider world, with floating ruins visible in the distance in some levels, and despite the 8-bit graphics these backgrounds are very nice, even animated in later levels. The Girls design is just as you'd expect, she looks like a person, all be it it a purple one with claws that drip blood, and while the enemy's share the same issue as the foregrounds, being black with white outlines, they all are distinctive.
Verdict:
They Bleed Pixels.
I'm temped to cal a tie here, but, I have to give it to TBP. Reason 1 being consistency, the entire game has a 'horror' vibe to it(cept the guest levels mind you), and I can't help but thing the 'vaguely defined' enemy's are part of that themeing, and I like consistency, where as SMB feels very random from section to section. The other reason is I like the 'horror' theme the game has, simple as that.
[HEADING=1]Levels[/HEADING]
So how are the levels then?
Well ...
SMB's levels are incredibly short 'obstacle courses', 1-4 or 5 screens near as I can tell, to off set how short they are, there's like 100 plus hidden levels. The up side to them being so short is they can be over very quickly, the down side, your going to die, A LOT, which means starting over from the same place over and over, which can hamper any sense of 'progress', this is further not helped by after finishing the level, ALL the lives you spent to finish it run at the same time in a reply, which is kinda insulting in a way. The difficulty of the stages actually progresses at a nice rate, giving you enough to to get used to new tricks before ramping it up, though that doesn't stop the game from throwing a few dick moves in, like the homing missiles or 'suddenly needing to use a skill you never knew about till now and NEED to use to advance' (like using the conveyer belts to launch your self upward all of a sudden)
TBP, on the other hand has only 11 levels, not counting the guest levels, but to make up for that, they are HUGE. As I mentioned before, TBP has enemy's thus, combat, five types, Knife Imp, a small enemy that likes to jump around and attack from above, Bomb Imps which carry, bombs, that can push you into hazards when they explode, though can also be used against other enemy's, Shamblers, which are slow, mostly harmless but have a lot of HP, commonly used in tight passage ways to block progress (usually while a hazard is coming after you) Ghosts, second most HP of all the enemy's, and is immune to all forms of hazards, and 'Squids', which are the single most annoying enemy in the game, due solely to placement and how they attack. Now you might be thinking that the edition of enemy's makes the levels them selves easier cause, hey, there's enemy's now and those are hazards to. Um, no. The difficulty of the stages them selves can not be underestimated, this is because of the difficulty 'curve', there isn't one, it's more a spike. This leads to the games check point system, as you kill enemy's you fill a meter, when that meter is full you can set a check point where ever you want, baring near 'moving hazards' (like saw blades or bladed gates) or enemy's, this is a god send in the more unforgiving sections, being able to start right AT to bad place over having to make your way back through the nightmare before is really the only mercy the game offers you, but a necessary one due to the size of the levels. The check point system also lets you feel like your making some headway in the level, which for games like these I think is key to continuous play. There's also that TBP lets re-spawn after a button push, while this sounds like a hindrance, you can move the camra around and have a look at WHAT killed you and what other hazards are around (the OTHER mercy the game gives you)
Verdict:
They Bleed Pixels
both games are well designed in how they levels are set up, but ultimately TBP gives a better sense of progress, while its true your going to be dieing a lot in the same place and re-spawning in the same place, being able to move your re-spawn point to a spot much closer to, or right next to the trouble spot does much more to stave off the frustration that the dozens of deaths your going to rack up in a level, and if I'm frustrated, I'm not having fun.
The Winner:
"I am a fountain of Blood, In the the shape of a girl"- Bjork Guomundsdottir - flavor text before the final level
For some, this might be blasphemy, but I have to pick the game I enjoy more, and for me They Bleed Pixels offers much more then Super Meat Boy. I still recommend both, as both are good games aimed at those who like hard core platforming, but if you want a bit more from your brutally difficult platforming, you'll find it in They Bleed Pixels