Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1088https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3981Gameplay After spending some more time behind the wheel of NFS Shift, I have learned to work around the limited controls, and have gotten comfortable with accelerating, shifting, and breaking with either forefinger. As you progress in the game, you learn more and more strategies for racing. By tapping the brake at the right time on entering a corner, you can break traction and begin a drift, and then if you are in the correct gear you can accelerate through the apex giving you the fastest corner speeds. Also, the turbo characteristics have been made more realistic feeling and sounding, adding a very convincing blow off valve noise and a more realistic feeling acceleration, which breaks traction in corners, and pulls noticeably harder when the boost guage is indicating full boost. Another feature this game is pioneering is realistic nitrous oxide effects. In previous games, using the nitrous is like switching on some rocket booster which propels you to top speed as long as you can hold the car on the road. In NFS Shift, using the nitrous does not cause any noticeable difference unless you are driving, in which case you can notice the car accelerating a little faster. You are also able to use the nitrous earlier without losing control of the car, which adds to the realism because these are the times when you would like nitrous in the real world. In previous NFS games, the nitrous was a onetime use item, and then you would have to do something to replenish your nitrous before using it again. There is no way in real life you could replenish your nitrous, you have to budget the amount you use and when, which is how NFS Shift has implemented nitrous. You get one bottle per race, which lasts a total of 30 seconds, and must be metered so that you have plenty in case of a wreck or for passing on the final straight. Design The games new features have taken racing to a new level. The game has an innovative fastest path mechanism that allows you to see the fastest lines through he corners, and adjust yourself. The reward system is also innovative, rewarding you for things you might normally consider bad, and rewarding you with lots of new levels and access to super cars. One main design change I like in this game as opposed to previous NFSU games, is the fact that although you cannot initially afford a super car, you are allowed to enter races where you drive other cars than your own. It is a relief not to be stuck in a 240sx for hours on end, trying to scrape up enough money for an integra. The level design is menu driven, and has several types of race course. There are time trials, elimination, drifting, and autocross, and you can do these in each of two modes, career mode and quick race. The games opponents are given cars that are competitive with yours, and often times every racer has the same car. The game allows you to get sponsorships and win money very fast, which keeps me interested because I can afford to buy multiple cars, and upgrade/customize them. I like the fact that I can keep my cars in a garage, and each car can be tuned for different types of racing, or even different types of course. I have an all wheel drive car for tight courses, and a RWD Lamb for courses with good amounts of straight away, and another AWD car which is over tuned with ridiculous horsepower for drifting. In previous games I would have to sell my current car and spend all kinds of time re acquiring upgrades.Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:50:43 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3981&iddiary=7453https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3981Summary This is the first video game I have bought new in over 5 years, and I was initially drawn in by the in game footage of a wreck, which looks more real than a real wreck. After spending some time learning to drive, I think this may be the best Need For Speed yet. The basics are the same as most NFS games, you win races to accumulate money to buy fast cars and win more races. The graphics are the main update, with in car views that look incredibly real. Game play During the first hour or so of game play I experienced a lot of frustration getting used to the new controls, as I am a fairly avid racing gamer on some other games. I was upset to learn that the controls were not customizable, and I was forced to choose between three setups I did not like. The driving was also very different, and I was terrible at steering for most of the time. You are the only character in the game, other than the announcer who gives you information about the races. The game progression seems pretty bland, considering there does not seem to be a story whatsoever, only a progressively more difficult set of races to win. Although this seems boring at first, it lends to the idea that this game is all about racing. One frustration I have had with NFSU games in the past is their overuse of cut scenes and dialogue which interrupt game play. This game is simply choosing a race, racing the race, and choosing the next race. For me, the game play was very interesting, as it incorporates some new features with the traditional NFS racing experience. The biggest change is the race line indicator, which is a stripe that marks the fastest line around the tracks. The game uses your cars suspension and traction information to calculate how fast you can possibly take each corner, and then based on your speed the race line will change color. If you can accelerate safely the race line will be green, upon approaching a corner, the line turns yellow, and when breaking is required the race line will turn red. This adds a very fun dynamic to the game play, because ordinarily you do not know how fast you can take the turns without lots of trial and error, but with this immediate feedback system, you can confidently accelerate into corners that you might think are too tight, and begin breaking from high-speed to avoid overshooting corners.Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:30:37 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3981&iddiary=7439https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3972Gameplay During my second session with Mario 64, I was able to get up to 15 stars and enter the special world where you get the feather hat. The feature hat is the coolest feature of the gameplay to me in Mario. For a couple minutes while you have the hat, you are able to fly, after performing a triple jump to launch yourself. Flying in the original Mario games was always the best part, but in the new 3d Mario, flying is completely different. You can actually steer Mario, and he handles like an airplane would. Once you have the feather cap you can load yourself into a cannon and shoot yourself into the air, at which point you have a huge amount of kinetic energy to use up flying around all over the place. The gameplay is very transitional in that you can switch the types of challenges you are doing by switching the level. There are levels that have traditional style puzzles, where you navigate a path that is complicated and has pitfalls. There are racing elements of levels where you slide down huge slides against other opponents in the game. There are challenges that depend on lots of coordination to control fine motor features and steer Mario through a tight space, and there are levels where you just wander around and look for items to collect. There are bright levels with sun, blue skies and grass, and there are winter levels, underwater levels, levels on boats, levels in clouds, inside ghost houses, and many more, so basically there are different levels for all different moods you could be in when you sit down to play. Design One thing I feel this game is lacking is support for two players. Mario games to me are about being able to play with a friend. The earliest Mario on NES allowed you to take turns as you progress through the Mario world, essentially working together to complete all the levels. Starting with Mario 64, it is strictly single player, with the only option being to pass off the controller, which no one likes to do. The most interesting part of this Mario game is how the levels are physically organized. From the beginning game perspective, you start outside of a large castle, where you can play around in the courtyard, and some of the levels can actually be accessed from outside of the castle. The bulk of the game however is inside the castle. Every room has a painting that represents the level associated with it, and when you want to start a level, you jump into the painting of the level. Also, the different sets of levels are separated into the different wings of the castle. The easy levels are in the lobby, medium levels in the basement, and hard levels are upstairs. In order to progress into a new wing of the castle, you need to have a certain number of stars.Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:10:33 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3972&iddiary=7422https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3972Summary Mario 64 is one of my all time favorite games. It is a continuation of the Super Mario series, and is the first in the series to offer 3d graphics. The first thing you notice about the game is how easy it feels to play. It can be entertaining for a while just to explore the environments and control Mario in a 3d environment because there is a very good match between this game and the Nintendo 64 controller. In Mario 64 you are in a cartoonish pipe world where plumbers eat mushrooms and set off to collect stars and coins, with the ultimate goal of saving a princess from a mutant lizard named bowser. The main goal in Mario 64 is to take advantage of 3d environments to solve puzzles. Gameplay When I’m playing Mario 64 I feel like a kid again, because this is one of those brightly colored happy go lucky games where you spend more time exploring different worlds than actually doing anything that requires coordination. I think the characters in the game are ridiculous, which is nothing new, I have always thought the story behind Mario is a bit questionable. I never understood how a plumber could take it upon himself to rescue a princess. This game is fun to play for years. The controller is perfectly matched to the actions in the game, and it is effortless to maneuver Mario. The way Mario 64 sets up the reward structure keeps you motivated to play for a long time also. On a small scale, you can challenge yourself to collect coins within individual worlds, and by collecting 100 coins you earn an extra life. On top of that, if you collect the 8 red coins in each level, you earn a star. Stars are how you measure your progress in Mario, and you need at least 70 in order to beat the game. The star system is complicated in that there are several different sub goals when collecting stars. You need one star to open certain doors in the castle lobby. Only the door to the castle and the door to the first level can be opened without stars. Once you have 15 stars, you are able to get the flying cap, 30 opens the second half of the game etc.Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:10:01 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3972&iddiary=7421https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3951Game play: During the second session of Need for Speed I was able to start the one player mission based part of the game. Up to now, I have been doing individual races to get used to the feel of the game. Once you begin a career of your own, you get to pick a car and race people for money. You can use the money to buy new parts for your car to increase its performance. You are given a cellphone which allows you to communicate with other racers around the city you are in. I spent most of the time driving around and searching for other racers to confront. Once you confront a racer, you enter into an impromptu race, usually along city streets. These races at first are very difficult to win because your car starts out in stock form. In order to win in the early stages you have to rely on steering and strategy more than acceleration. It forces you to understand the mechanics of the game. Another major feature of the game is the ability to aesthetically alter your vehicle. In most racing games I have played, you choose from a list of performance parts, and create the most powerful car you can race with. This game has all of that functionality, but the more entertaining and interactive functionality is the ability to choose from a huge combination of colors, decals, and designs for your car. The editor built into the game has a fairly powerful engine, and if you can picture a design in your head, you will most likely be able to create something very similar in the game. This allows for people to customize the game, and become more involved with the game play. In the online community the design on your car can help friends spot you quickly, or alert another racer that you are on a rival team. Most often, it allows players to show off the ways in which they customized their game play. Design: The game is put together well, and the design is unique in how it shows the landscape at high speed. As you accelerate, the screen blurs the view so that it looks like you are going really fast. When you use the nitrous oxide, the screen becomes blurry and the car becomes harder to steer. Besides how the levels feel at high speed, they are also very beautiful at low speed, taking advantage of the game cube’s ATI powered graphics. The backgrounds are high resolution, and use vibrant neon colors which tend to blur more giving a sense that you are traveling at the speed of light. The levels are progressively harder and harder, but as you develop your cars motor, they end up being about the same difficulty because your car is faster. I like the way the game makes use of space. There is an over world that you are free to drive around in, much like grand theft auto. I spend most of the time in this freelance portion of the game. When you want to accomplish a task, or enter into a race, you are always only a buttons press away from summoning other racers. The way the parts shop, auto body shop, and car dealerships are laid out, it really makes it feel like you are having to drive for transportation, and not only for racing. This is a lot more fun than the alternative style games where you interact with a menu to make choices like that. One thing I would like to see changed in NFSU2 is the incorporation of XBOX live into the normal game world. The way the game is currently set up, when you enter into XBOX live and try to pay with other people, you have to set up predetermined races and then load each individual race via a menu. I think that for the game to come full circle, you should be driving around the digital city, and the other people on the road represent actual players online. This way, instead of setting up pre defined races, you could just drive to the location that is notorious for the type of racing you like. For example, if you wanted to go drifting, instead of waiting in a chat room for other racers who want to drift, you should use the world map to navigate to the mountain parts of the world, and once you get there, sections of the road will lead to less defined races. Overall NFSU2 does a good job of blending a multiplayer game into a open ended driving game, but the best game play is in the one layer mode.Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:24:31 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3951&iddiary=7388https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3951Summary: I have played several of the need for speed games over the past ten years and this might be the most entertaining so far. The attitude of the game is markedly different than the others in that the game has a street flare that is very unique. It incorporates graffitti style artwork, lots of night time driving, and counter-cultured charchters to fuel the story. The cars handle very accurately as far as acceleration and braking, and the turbocharging simulation is realistic sounding. The game has different types of challenges including drag racing, circuit racing, and a new mode called drifting. Gameplay: The different modes switch the driving styles and also affect the physics of the environment. For example, in drifting the tracks are "slippery" and allow for easier control while driving sideways. I spent most of the time in drift mode practicing the finer points of steering while sideways. I never cease to be entertained by games that simulate drifting, as this is one of my favorite past times. Although it is a favorite past time, it is not realistic to drift very often, or on any surface other than dirt or gravel. If you use the correct speed and braking, you can enter a turn sideways, maintain your direction, and exit the turn while accelerating, all the while maintaining a slide and gaining points the longer you can maintain it. After a while of sliding a car around in a circle, I switched to the drag racing style of racing. In this mode the way you drive is completely different, and has been limited so that you only focus on the gas and shifting at the right time. This is a genius development in racing games as it allows you to enjoy one game as two different games. In drift mode, you are technically drag racing when you leave the start line, but for the designers to completely modify the environment, including how you steer, accelerate, shift and control the game in general. Normally when you are driving,you control the cars direction in an unlimited way, like in a normal car where you can go anywhere. In drag racing mode, using the left or right buttons will cause the car to move over one lane on the road. This allows you to keep focus on the tachometer to make sure you are shifting at the right time, and making use of your nitrous oxide which helps you accelerate. When it comes time to avoid an obstacle, you simply have to press once on a directional button and you change lanes, but the fact that you dont have to adjust any further allows you a level of focus on the main task of racing that was never before possible.Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:37:46 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3951&iddiary=7387https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3857GAME PLAY: Not that I have progressed a ways into the game, the levels have gotten more and more difficult, and it is taking longer and longer to complete each level. I have already been through a variety of environments, from water to fire, to caves and flying in the sky. I have battled a range of enemies from what appear to be turtle shelled insects, to fire spitting flowers and ghosts. I have reached the point where Mario gains access to different power ups, giving him special powers such as thew ability to shoot fire balls, fly, or be invincible. The progressive nature of the levels allows the player to get used to the controls for a while before it brings on the harder challenges. I have also reached a point where the game offers multiple endings for each level through the use of hidden keys and keyholes. This offers a dynamic aspect to choosing how you play the game. You can play do achieve secrets, or simply to beat the game. DESIGN: The game is broken into three different views. The game board view shows you what levels you have beaten, and where you are headed in relation to where you are. The global view shows you all of the game boards in relation to each other, and the actual game view is within each level of a game board. The tone of the gameworld is magical, with vivid colors, energetic mystical background music full of chimes complete the effect. The game is set up with several reward structures, including bonuses for completing levels in the shortest amount of time, finishing with power ups intact, and you can collect bonus points at the end of each level which add up to give you bonus games in which you can earn extra lives. After each boss is beaten, there is a cut scene to show the bosses castle being destroyed, and to provide a break in between world maps to symbolize a milestone. Immediately after cut scenes, there are save points.Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:58:17 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3857&iddiary=7218https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3857Forgive me if this seems rushed, I am typing it ALL OVER after this website/my browser LOST BOTH POSTS. SUMMARY: Mario is a simple two dimensional side scroller where you play as the main character Mario. The game is geared toward children and has light hearted music, bright colors and fairly straight forward gameplay. It is entertaining for all ages, and provides hours of challenging puzzles and obstacles. GAME PLAY: When I was playing the game I felt years younger, as I had this game when I was a child. The characters are out of place,a plumber chasing a princess through a magical world of enemies. The story is not very closely followed through the game, you just work toward an ultimate goal of reaching the end to save the princess. This game is a lot of fun to play. Although the original obstacles have lost their challenge, I enjoy competing against the clock to see how fast the levels can be beaten. Me and a friend will sometimes race each other to see who can complete the entire game faster. This brings all different aspects of the game to life, and of course relies on the flow of the game to keep moving.Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:45:50 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3857&iddiary=7217