2013 in review for Beyond the Blox

If I do say so, 2013 was a decent year for us! We attempted to create a good blog for everyone to enjoy, and I believe we are well on our way! For our LAST blog entry of the year, let's start with a bit of information.

This blog was created on September 26th, 2013.
We have published 2 articles in September, 1 in October, a whopping 12 in November, and 3 in December. All of that adds up to a total of 18 articles for 2013.
As I write this article, our total amount of pageviews (so far) is 817. (Wow!)

Sure, 2013 wasn't quite a busy year, but I can certainly see our blog starting to shape up! And that isn't because of me, no no. It's because of our wonderful authors, and you, the viewers! I gladly give my thanks to each and everyone of you!

It being close to the beginning of January, I'm going to write a few of new year's resolutions (and goals!) for this blog.

- More articles! (Our busiest month was November, with only 12 articles...)
- A larger base of authors and viewers

With that said, we have all of 2014 to complete these goals and resolutions, so let's do it!

To top this article off, I'd like to give a special thanks to the following users:
- ProfessorADumbledore
- Ultrabug
- kingofyniverses

Thanks for being such loyal fans! (and for some, authors)

Giftsplosion 2013: Gift of the Little Seed

Great things often come in small packages.... like seeds!

Well, here comes another little mini-review of a brand new gift! Err... sorta... we're a little late on entries, sorry! Anyway, let's get started here! The gift this article is about is none other then the Gift of the Little Seed. Since it's already handed out, it was gotten by buying the little seed, which came out at the beginning of the year and morphed into different hats each month. Since buying the plant in other stages but it's first form didn't count toward the gift, anyone who isn't an original owner of the Little Seed will have to buy the gift for 1,500 Robux if they want the gift. Ouch.



As for our predictions, I predict that this will be some tree-related item. Since this is really about a plant that grew over the year, it has to be something green, right? It wouldn't really make sense otherwise!

Giftsplosion 2013: Gift of Passage

Another day, another gift! For this entry, we're going to be talking about the Gift of Passage. So, without

further ado, let's go. As you can see from the image on the side, it is mostly blue with a white ribbon. It

You shall not pass without a pass.

seems to have a pattern of an animal on the side, maybe that's a clue to what the gift is? I don't know, it could just be a mere decoration.

As for what we think is inside, I believe it will be a pass of some sort.

Giftsplosion 2013: Well Outfitted Gift of Style

This gift marks the first day of December in ROBLOX! Every day, we will be keeping you updated on the latest gifts! Just a note, these are not tutorial articles. We personally think it's more fun how to obtain the gift yourself rather then looking at instructions. We will only be describing the gift itself and our predictions on what is inside of it! So, with that said, let's jump right into this article, shall we?




As seen in the image above, the box has red ribbons as well as multiple Santas printed on the box. Nothing too special, to be honest! What I think it will be is probably something Santa-related. Maybe a new Santa hat, as ROBLOX seems to have a series of altered versions of his hat.

You know what I think, but what do you think? Leave us a response in the comments below!

Brilliant Bombastique: Was it worth it? (+ review)

For 15 minutes, Brilliant Bombastique was put up on sale for 100 Robux. Now, for a retexture of a common hat (Beautiful Hair for Beautiful People), that's a pretty great price. It's name is pretty similar to Fuchsia Fantastique, as they both contain names ending in -astique and both have use of alliteration.





As far as looks go, I'd say it's....... decent. But it's certainly worth trying to see if it fits your style! It would go great with Ninja Mask of Awesome.

Black Friday Sale: And it goes on (Business Cat)

As the sale goes on, out comes a new limited. This time, we have the Business Cat, going for 100 R$ as a starting price.

As far as looks go, I think it's pretty cool. It's one of those combo hats, a cat head and a tie in one hat.

Price-wise, I think it's good to grab, as you could make reasonable profit from this.

Stay tuned for another limited!

Keep an eye on our blog page as well as our Twitter! We will be making quick reviews on released limiteds!
— Beyond The Blox (@BeyondTheBlox) November 29, 2013

Black Friday Sale: Let the sale begin! (Steampunk Robin Hood)

ROBLOX starts this sale off with a Steampunk Robin Hood! A whopping 10,000 in stock, and 10 R$ as the price, you're bound to at least make a little profit! It's not guarenteed to sell really high, so don't get your hopes up! But it's certainly something to grab!

As far as looks go, it's kinda good? I mean, it's not something I'd go around bragging about, but y'know, it's decent.

Overall, it's a good thing to snag!

Keep an eye on our blog page as well as our Twitter! We will be making quick reviews on released limiteds!

— Beyond The Blox (@BeyondTheBlox) November 29, 2013

Exploring Games: Flood Escape

Time for a good 'ole entry of Exploring Games! In this edition, we are going to be reviewing Flood Escape by crazyblox! Let's get going here, shall we?




The purpose of this game is to escape the facility before the water raises high enough to kill you. This game obviously requires some agility and quick thinking. Levels look and react different then others -- Buttons are placed in different areas, have blocks placed in different areas, and even some have trusses you can climb.

This game requires the ability to think in tight situations!

There are four different game modes: Easy, medium, hard, and extreme. The first three are free, but you have to purchase extreme mode. You can also play adventure mode and training mode, both of which are single player, I believe.

At the end of each level, it's the same each time -- you need to crack the code to open the door, and therefore escape the facility. You are timed on this, so you need to be able to solve it quickly before

Cracking the code! Time, don't go out!

the water gets to you. My strategy for this particular part of the game is to have one person solve one side an one person solve the other. That way, you don't have to worry about both of them at once! Doing this is also

rather hard when there are a large supply of people helping, because sometimes you can mess your progress up, but that's alright.

So, that's the game summed up in a few paragraphs! Let's begin the game rating, shall we?!

Pros:
- Different difficulties for different skill levels

- Game looks good, but doesn't lag!
- Hard at some points (for people who crave challenge!)
- Shop with plenty of things to buy! (with in-game wins and points)

Cons:
- Your torso turns blue after spectating somebody
- Game is a bit difficult when there are large lobbies

Concept: 9/10 (the concept was original at it's time in 2010.)
Building: 8/10 (simple, but looks nice! lobby is amazing and simplistic)
Scripting: 10/10 (no errors found!)

Final Rating: 7/10

That rating is enough to prove that this game is certainly worth checking out! So do so today!
Well, this concludes this issue of "Exploring Games!" See you for the next edition!

Happy Thanksgiving 2013

We hope you take your time to spend time with your friends and family! (I certainly will!!)
If you haven't already, spend some time on this wonderful Thanksgiving day to try out Game's ROBLOX Thanksgiving Turkey Hunt 2013 game! This is an official event where you can win you different hats, such as the Golden Pilgrim Hat and the Turkey Beanie!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
~ Jurok

Spotlight: The Robloxian Cops

Hi I'm a new editor here, today I'm going to be showing you some footage inside a TRC [The Robloxian Cops] training course. Here's what I entered to find!

A huge list of ROBLOXians ready for training. We started off with jumps and a tower climb. Needless to say it did get quite difficult, and landing on my face was no more the better.
But I eventually got my self up and took a 'cheesy' photo with the cops. After that everyone was called down to a set of lines where they were given the instructions to perform what FedoraMasterB98 [Commissioner of TRC] calls a V-Line and a B-Line. I stood by and watched as they gathered up and organized themselves into this:

And of course the B-Line:

At the time I was very confused and asked one of the members what it stood for. I was the informed that V-Line, was very self explanatory, and a B-Line was Battle-Line. Thank you for reading and have a good day.

Black Friday Sale Guessing Game!

Get your Robux ready, because there's an awesome sale coming right up! If you haven't seen ROBLOX's blog entry yet, we highly recommend you read it first to fully understand this article!

So, out of the items that will become limited, I honestly think it's going to be Blackvalk, only because it came out a while ago, and well, it's pretty expensive. W's Top Hat doesn't make much since considering it was put on sale not a long time ago... but then again, I could be wrong. So my bet is Blackvalk.

Out of the items that are going back on sale, I'm left kinda stumped. I'm going to put my bet on Frenemy, because Headrow, if I remember correctly, was put back on sale during a sale.

Out of the items that will be sold for 50% off, I'm going to put my bet on Sir Rich McMoneyston III.

Last but not least, the items that will be released, except with new textures... I'm going to guess Fuscha Fantastique, because an item with that mesh hasn't been released in a while.

So with that said, those are my guesses. Will I be right or not? Let's see!

Exploring Games: Bawxing!

Time for yet another game review! This time, it's no other then Bawxing! by sellethore! Y'know, I really don't know what this game is! The only way it can really be explained is that it's split into two smaller games. They both preform the same, but the goal is different....

Free Roam Mode

In free roam, the goal is to just freely roam and generally experiment and explore. There is one aspect to this part of the game that gives it a bit of a challenge though; You need to collect hidden boxes in order to unlock more bawxes to ride in. You can find them afloat in the water, and all you need to do is use the dialog box above them.

I, usually, like to ride around the mountains at super high speeds. Yet, my face usually ends up meeting the wall.... :(

Just ridin' along, here.

Now, it's rating time. Yes, for this individual part of the game.

Concept: 5/10 (eh, I'll give it some credit..)

Building: 6/10 (decent detail. you occasionally can find reeds scatted about.)

Scripting: N/A

Pros:

- It's fun to go really fast.

- Hidden boxes to collect for awards

Cons:

- Going too fast can result in something bad...

Sub-Final Rating: 4/10

Battle Mode

Now, this is in the meat of the game! This is where ROBLOX's multiplayer feature is actually in use...

In this mode, you choose a specific bawx. Each one is specifically equipped with some set of weapons or weapon. You need to ride along, and hit your opponents with said weapon. Sounds easy, right? Wrong.

(It's actually rather difficult...)

Again, time for rating time.

Concept: 8/10

Building: 5/10 (same as before..)

Scripting: 3/10 (kinda bugged..)

It's on....

Pros:

- Fun and challenging!

- The unlockables are awfully awarding.

Cons:

none that I can see!

Sub-Final Rating: 5/10

Final Rating (whole game): 5/10

A pretty good rating (for my standards), meaning you should give this game a chance! Its actually a pretty good game and you might actually enjoy it!

Exploring Games: Multi Minigames

It's action time, once again! Participate in many different kinds of minigames! Sam3620(Asleum)'s Multi Minigames allows hours of entertainment!

 Multi Minigames is probably what you think it is. A minigames place. There is a variety of minigames to play, and are randomly chosen by the game. The games listed on the bottom of the page are (in order) Arena, Conquest, Eruption, Hide & Seek, Rocket Arena, and Treasure River. Though, those aren't the only ones to play, there are plenty more!

When you win games, on a team or not, you win points. Those points                                                           can be spent at the game's shop! Sweet!

Alright, we've given a summary on the game, now you know what time it is! Rating time!

Pros:
- Lots of different games to play
- Lots of shop items (for people who like to 100%)
- Well-balanced solo and team games
- No flaws in the scripting

Cons:
For once, I can't legitimately find one!

Concept: 5/10 (done a lot, but some of the minigames are creative!)
Building: 8/10 (the lobby is fantastically built!)
Scripting: 10/10 (no glitches found.)

Final Rating: 6/10

This game is better then average, so it's definitely worth a try! Try it for yourself, you won't regret it!

 

 

ROBLOX Update: (video promote) "BLOXcast: Coming 12/7 @ 10 a.m. Pacific Time!"

"Oh, hey there! I'm Blockhaak! Uh, just hanging out in this white abyss... and I have some quick news to share with you..."

Exploring Games: Sandbox (Server 1) & Sandbox (Server 2)

Yes, it's time for yet another casual building game to review! This one just had to be reviewed, not only do I consider it a 2011 classic, but this place holds many memories for me, personally. That's right, this is REDALERT2(WeAreInsanity)'s Sandbox game!

In this game, you spawn in (or on top of) this miniature sand tower. You walk out, and you need to use the shovel tool to choose a base. The size of your base is determined if you have any kind of VIP or not. Regular VIP, Super VIP, and Mega VIP allow you to build on a larger base. They also allow you to use the expand tool, which makes building a lot more efficient! This game also has it's own unique VIP system. It

Wow, look at that awesome house! Grats to whoever made that!

has 3 t-shirts, all of which don't apply to a specific type of VIP. You get one, and it counts as regular, whether it's #1, #2, or #3. If you got #1 and then got #3 (or #2), you'd have super. That's basically how it works.

This game has a LARGE variety of blocks to build with, such as spikes, regular blocks, ice blocks (that react like ice!), NPCs, and even more! You certainly aren't limited a lot building-wise! And oh, you don't need to build alone, no. You can also grant permission to specific users to allow them to build WITH you! (Great touch, in my personal opinion.)

Now that we've got the main concept of the game covered, now it's time for a rating.

Screenshot of saving feature.

Pros:

- You can save your bases.

- Lots of blocks to build with.

- You allow friends to build with you

- Almost Unlimited building (Good because you can build bigger and better things!)

Cons:

- It's easy to lag out the server.

- Building is pretty boring without VIP (in my personal opinion)

- Almost Unlimited building (Bad because certain sizes can lag some users out.)

Concept: 4/10 (been done enough times, even during it's time.)

Building: N/A (since it's a building game.)

Scripting: 8/10 (scripts are basically flawless.)

Final Rating: 4/10 (the concept brings it down)

Even with the small rating, the game still is a 2011 classic, and deserves a try at least!

* Note: This game has multiple servers, both are separate games. This applies to both, though I believe Server 1 is usually always up-to-date.

Exploring Games: Lava Tumble

Do you like strategy games? Do you like action? Do you like action and strategy games... combined? This game is Lava Tumble, the almost exact counterpart to Crazyblox's Flood Escape. The only difference is, well, you're falling!



In this game, you have specific goals you need to complete before going to the next level. The goals are most commonly "step on all the blocks" or "survive for # seconds". In single player, you wait in line to participate

Me watching someone play a little single player!

in a level of your choosing. In multiplayer, you battle with others. Both modes revolve around the aspect of stepping on blocks to make them disappear.

Now, let's get to the rating part of this blog. Remember that all ratings are opinions-based, and this is what I, personally, think. You can choose to go with my opinion or not, but it's no official rating.

Pros:
- Very challenging. (For those who like it!)
- Multiplayer allows almost never-ending fun!
- You can choose to spectate or play.
- Good selection of gamepasses (fair prices, too!)

Cons: This might be where all the disagreements will come in.
- Blocks sometimes don't respond instantly like they are supposed to.
- Most of the time, you are waiting. (In single player, you wait in a line.)
- Not for bad computers. *You might want to turn your quality down!*
- You earn Multiplayer at level 15. (I find that too far of a level, personally.)

Rating: 5/10

As you can see, the pros and cons kinda even itself out. So overall, it's not a bad game! You should certainly at least give it a try. :)

Exploring Games - Building For Fun

For all you builders out there, we sure do have a treat for you.

This isn't even every block you get to build with!

Here's yet another segment of "Exploring Games". Today we will be reviewing Roblox - Building For Fun by coolyoshipower. This is one of those games that use a stamper tool, so you don't need to worry about other people deleting your creations! The unique thing about this game is the fact that it has it's own bricks that are different from the regular stamper.



You get many things like transparent bricks, reflective bricks, walk-through bricks, material bricks (like grass and metal), water, and even more! You can even buy gamepasses for even MORE things to build with! This game certainly does not limit creativity by a lot, that's for sure.

This game does not only have building, oh no. This game also has hidden badges you can look for! You can also ride a ro-ped or a skateboard! This game is certainly one to try out.

Try it out! http://www.roblox.com/Roblox-Building-For-Fun-place?id=106584432

Exploring Games - Sinking Ship

You're on a ship, relaxing. You're on a cruise for your birthday, and one day... the ship is sinking! You are at risk, and so are the lives of others! That's what  Sinking Ship by kni0002 is all about.

It's a lot like TheAmazeman's ROBLOX Titanic, but it also has it's differences as well. If you go in the water, you can swim for a little while. But don't stay in it for too long -- Or you'll drown! The way to win this game is to just not die, to put it in simplest terms. But that basic goal is enough to make the whole game a heart-pumping experience!

The ship is sinking! What must we do?

To escape, it's simple. You need to work your way to the sides of the ship, and release the lifeboats hanging over the sides. To make this game easy, you really only need to jump off the sides as quick as you can and locate the nearest boat before you drown... you better hope that ends out well! I usually like to make it a challenge and race to the lifeboats a few seconds after the boat regenerates. Now, there's a challenge for you! Or, I'll just have a casual swim in the ocean. I mean, it's nothing much anyway, is it?

All this danger and destruction sure has me curious. The only downside to this game that I can really find is the fact that you don't really have enough time to explore the ship to it's fullest in one whole round. It's hard to enjoy the buildings in the game when  there's water attempting to drown you, well, that's just me anyway. Whew, all this talking about drowning is making me thirsty. I'll be back with a glass of water.

Exploring Games: Personal Server Edition - "Free Build! Great Wall of China"

I visit the game, and I seem to spawn on top of what looks like to be a wall. Almost a second after I have been spawned into the game, I get teleported to a small home that appears to be far away from the central area of the place, the wall.

Look at that view!

The house was small, and homey. It was certainly a nice little structure, and really added to the "feel" of the place, which always comments on a place positively. Like I do on any personal building server, I like to explore first, to know what environment I will be exploring in. This game happened to use the Terrain Generation tool from ROBLOX Studio 2013, a tool I believe is quite underrated and should be used more.

Anyway, I jumped off the little cliff in which the house was sitting on, and went to explore the place a little more. I mean, this place has already caught my eye from the first time I saw it on the personal servers page, so I thought I may as well explore it fully instead of hesitating to do so. A few steps later, I ran into a small stone-like town, along with the wall, towering above everything. Stairs led to the top, where the spawn locations were standing. Nothing much was found in the game other then these structures, which were quite simple and well-built in my personal opinion.

Go on, check this place out for yourself! (It may be developed a bit more from the time this blog was made.)

http://www.roblox.com/Free-Build-Great-Wall-of-China-If-I-allow-you-place?id=74470299