Dave Carter. By some considered to be the god of RPG Maker. Dave has completely shattered the "limits" of RPG Maker time and time again with his astonishing platform games. Fufu the Acid Trip bunny became the first platform game released with RPG Maker, proving that the system was not limited to your run of the mill RPG games. (Dave's game even inspired me to try to create a non-RPG game and helped me to devise a system for a party-type genre of games.) And then, when the approach of RPG Maker 2 was nearing, Valkysas announced the RPG Maker Pavilion's final RPGM contest. Out of nowhere, Dave released "Nano Bot." The game became another instant classic (not to mention being the Game of the Month at the Mag Dec.-Jan.) And now, with RPGM2 finally making its debut on US shores, Dave has once again put his creative genius to work, and has released his first demo of "SD Paradise." Here are Dave's comments on the game:

"The platform game is "Klonoa" style rather than the typical PS2 Crash Bandicoot/Jak and Daxter style.

Story: You star as Sid Grisly. An orange bear that must fulfill his destiny by saving a tropical island from a volcano. You must perform the legendary Ket-Su-Ken katta atop the volcano to summon the Red Phoenix. Once summoned, the Red Phoenix will grant a wish to spare the island from a being pure of heart. It's like Dr.Slump meets Mario Sunshine."

And finally, I would like to say I am honored to have SD Paradise as my first Review of the New year, and my first review of any RPGM2 game. On with the show!

The deal:

Wow...simply...wow. The presentation of SD Paradise is simply flawless. The entire world seems to come to life, and that is a BIG deal with the graphics style of RPGM2. The stages are put together with great care.Are you kidding? Like I said, presentation is perfect.

One word: Jump. It must have taken forever to program this demo, the features of which are immense. The main appeal of SD Paradise is that it strays away from what is usually created with RPG Makers. The gem collecting mini-game...thing...is very fun and addicting. It actually takes skill in rotating the camera to see EXACTLY where you must jump to collect the gem.No...there are numerous engrossing features.

Usually RPGM games are CRAWLING with bugs. (crawling...bugs...heh) but I was quite amazed with how well Dave debugged his creation, that is until the first gem collecting mission.During the first gem collecting mission, I was completely trapped in a corner, yet It would not let me give up, and after attempting everything, I was forced to give up. Luckily, there was a save point nearby that I had taken advantage of.

You will notice that I have given all of the above categories very high scores, but I must say, the fun factor is where SD Paradise REALLY shines through! The demo was quite long, but I did not notice as the hours passed because I was so deeply engrossed in the game. I have commented that not only is it the best RPGM game I have played, but also one of the most fun games PERIOD. I can't wait for SD Paradise to be completed, so I can get the rest of the story.Absolutely Nothing. There was no point when the game was boring.

I would like to thoroughly congratulate Dave on making such an enjoyable game. And remember, watch out for feral squids!