thes's GameLogBlogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=313Katamari Damacy (PS2) - Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:33:22https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1453Other than beating every level you can collect hidden present, all of each type of item, and try to get high scores. This gives you lots of hours of game play without getting bored. I have seen three types of levels: get a ball of a certain size, collect as many of one item as possible and collect the largest of item type you can find. This also helps not make the game boring by having a diversity of game play. The last kind of level I find annoying though because you can roll around for a few minutes amassing a large ball so you can capture a large item for a high score, but then you run into a very small object of the object type that you didn’t see, get a low score, and have to start all over again. Sometimes you also run into object you didn’t know were part of the object type and you need to start over. There is also a multiplayer mode I haven’t tried. Overall I think it’s a very good game mainly for its originality and secondly because of its humor.Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:33:22 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1453&iddiary=3074Katamari Damacy (PS2) - Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:53:59https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1453The game is very funny. The king character is hilarious. I don’t know if it’s poorly translated but the way the King talks is hilarious. Also what he talks about and how he acts is funny too. It is very original I have never seen another game like it. You roll up objects making a bigger ball that allows you to roll up larger objects. The shape of the objects effects how the ball (Katamari) rolls. In each level you get to make a ball larger than in the previous one. This motivates you to keep playing so you can eventually pick up humans and buildings. It’s fun to be able to annihilate to a city; it’s kind of like you’re a tiny friendly Godzilla.Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:53:59 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1453&iddiary=3057Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (PC) - Fri, 09 Feb 2007 07:49:12https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1226I recently played a mission were you must defend a castle and I have also seen the option of buying siege equipment even though I have not had the opportunity to use it yet. I have also had missions were you fight another army on a battle field and solo hero missions. By having a variety of mission types the game won’t become the same old same old as quick as some games might. They also keep your interest because you want to continue to upgrade your characters. Unfortunately narrative progression isn’t much of a motivator to continue playing. As I began to see more of the plot it doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere good. You start by playing as hero that becomes a commander of the Chaos Armies, commanded by the gods of chaos which already makes very little sense since an organized army doesn’t have much to do with chaos. The plot so far has not extended past your character wants to conquer everything. The voices of all the characters on Chaos’s side sound like angry yelling men that have been smoking since the age of three. So far the plots seems like it is going to be purely good factions and races versus evil factions and races with no grey areas, which is disappointing.Fri, 09 Feb 2007 07:49:12 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1226&iddiary=2611Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (PC) - Fri, 09 Feb 2007 07:26:49https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1226Warhammer reminded me of Starcraft and Warcraft. Like those games you control troops to battle enemies and like Warcraft you have heroes that can gain levels and buy new abilities. Troops are all in platoons the only individual units are heroes, which you usually have join a platoon (heroes can be moved from platoon to platoon at will). Platoons can gain experience also level up, which pretty much just lets you have more soldiers in that platoon. You can also buy upgraded weapons, armor, and items for platoons. This makes your units less of something you can just throw away on suicide attacks like in the Crafts, especially since you keep your platoons from mission to mission. Unlike the Crafts you do not build any buildings or deal with resource management during missions. This makes the game a lot more focused on troop movements and battle strategy as opposed to the large focus on your base and resources in the Crafts. I find the game quite fun and like this new (to me anyway) focus for a strategy game.Fri, 09 Feb 2007 07:26:49 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1226&iddiary=2609Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) - Wed, 31 Jan 2007 06:55:41https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=769I beat the game. Almost all of the plot happens at the end of the game after the final boss. The ending was very mysterious but very intriguing leaving you wanting to know more about the game universe. This is very good for the game creators because it creates interest in sequels/prequels to the game. The game wasn’t very long but if it went longer without continuing the plot the game would lose appeal. I think the creators did a good job on creating a connection with the player’s horse. The horse having some AI, refusing to jump off cliffs when you can, turning to avoid obstacles, avoiding enemies and getting anxious when attacked, the feels more like more than a vehicle. The cut scene were the horse looks at the dead girl sadly builds the horse as a character. Also the horse being needed against some of the monsters thus causing it to risk its life for you also bring the character and horse closer together. Near the end there is a sad moment were the horse falls off the cliff, I think this scene would be much more effective if there was one or two more cut scenes were the horse interacts with you in a friendly or concerned manner.Wed, 31 Jan 2007 06:55:41 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=769&iddiary=2211Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) - Wed, 31 Jan 2007 06:42:19https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=769With no loading screens except after boss battles, and with very little clutter on the screen makes it easier to get pulled into the game world. The plot is kind of slow, the mysteriousness keeps you intrigued for a long time but after a while the plot needs to advance. Without plot advancement you start seeing yourself as doing the same thing over and over again. All of the monsters are quite different so the feeling of repetitively isn’t very high. Since each monster has a different strategy to defeat it the game works fine without the ability to get new weapons, items, or power-ups which many games need to stay interesting.Wed, 31 Jan 2007 06:42:19 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=769&iddiary=2207Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) - Fri, 19 Jan 2007 05:40:32https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=769The hardest part of the game is figuring out how to get onto the giant monsters. I’m not quite sure what triggers it but for each monster it gives you a clue on how to mount it. Once you mount the beast it’s pretty easy to kill it but not so easy that it’s boring, actually I like the post-mounting part a lot partially because of how badass it is. Later on in the game it’s also kind of a puzzle to find out how to get to the next beast. I like the art in the game, the monster look cool, and the scenery also looks cool with ruins around the place and once again I’m going to compliment the music, it really good. Another cool thing I noticed is if you change the camera angle to underwater they make it look underwater by making everything blurry and wavy, and they also make it sound like you’re underwater. I also like how the horse acts; how you ride it looks really realistic (although I’m not the best judge of that since I have never ridden a horse myself). Also it acts as though it has some intelligence, for example it acts scared around the giant monsters and refuses to jump of cliff as whereas your character can.Fri, 19 Jan 2007 05:40:32 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=769&iddiary=1741Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) - Fri, 19 Jan 2007 02:57:34https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=769So far I'm really likening Shadow of the colossus. The large temple and ruins, huge monsters, and music give this game an epic feel. I also like the originality of the game; I've never played a game were you half to climb giant monsters to defeat them. One interesting thing for me was how they don't dub the voices but put subtitles. I find this very interesting because many people have preferences for whether they like dubbing or subtitles more for foreign films and foreign TV shows, but I never thought of that aspect in foreign video games. I like the fact that it’s subtitled because it then keeps to the author’s original concept. I really like the music and the other sound effects in this game it gives it a really cool atmosphere.Fri, 19 Jan 2007 02:57:34 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=769&iddiary=1708Final Fantasy XII (PS2) - Fri, 12 Jan 2007 06:24:28https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=587One of the really cool features of FFXII is that you can pause cut scenes. Also the Gambit system is a very clever way of being able to control multiple characters at the same time. Gambits are basically setting AI. Your give them directions through statements like when a character has less then 50% of there hit points cast cure on them. It also has the most customizable character abilities of any of the FFs so far. There is a grid of abilities and you spend points to buy them that gives you access to more abilities. The only problem is there really aren’t enough different directions for each of your characters to buy abilities in without having redundant characters. Another feature I like is that it is easy to switch between all your characters. I really like this because I really like keeping all of my characters the same level.Fri, 12 Jan 2007 06:24:28 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=587&iddiary=1376Final Fantasy XII (PS2) - Fri, 12 Jan 2007 05:39:21https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=587I am a fan of RPG's mainly because you can improve your characters and they are very mostly plot oriented. Today I started playing in The SkyCity of Bhujerba after going in the mines with "Lamont." What I like about the story is that it has good guys on both side of the war instead of having a black and white world. An aspect of the story that I find unrealistic is how easily the other characters trust Basch. Basch is framed for the murder of his king, and the other character come to believe this very quickly even though Basch has no evidence to defend himself. I've also been a fan of the final fantasy series. One of the things that makes this series cool is even though each one has a different story from a different world but they have some things in common, like monsters items, or abilities. Doing that is effective because FF fans like running into the similarities; it can cause a nostalgia like feeling.Fri, 12 Jan 2007 05:39:21 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=587&iddiary=1369