Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=455https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3123Entry 2: Gameplay: By the time the second game began everyone from experienced to beginner was on the same page. Everyone had a firm grasp on how to play the game and so the competition heated up. I found it particularly interesting that after playing for a while, people had figured out how the Wii responds to their motion and had therefore decided where they need to throw the bowling ball from on the screen. The game gives the player the ability to move his or her stance from the left to the right, shoot from an angle and even move in closer. Now that everyone seemed to be playing with a degree of skill the room got much, much louder. Friendly taunts were passed from person to person and someone from upstairs even came to let us know we were being “a little too loud.” We were having a great time. A couple of frames into the second game I figured out how to throw a consistent strike. One after another I was knocking down every single pin with a small flick of the wrist. One strike, two, three, four strikes all the way up to seven in a row. The feeling I got from this accomplishment was amazing. My friends were cheering me on and exclaiming how they had only seen a performance like this once before. The room was dead silent every time I stepped up to the Wii. I am confident that even if I hadn’t done as well as I did, this game would still have been extremely fun. The fact that one can have their own bowling ally right there in their room is really cool, in fact I have already made plans to play again tomorrow. Design: I found the design of Wii bowling to be a bit funny, but not in a way that had a negative effect on the game. The avatars that represented each character were people with rounded cartoony features; they looked almost as if they could be balloons filled with air. The graphics of the Wii do not allow for extreme realism in its games but once again this does not have a negative effect on the game. The emphasis for the Wii is not on its look but the social interaction it creates between its players. I felt that the controls were very well designed. In my experience, there were no problems with the Wii reading our hand motions with the remote (if there were any, they were minimal). Players can really throw the ball how they would in reality, adding spin or even lofting the ball. The simplicity of the controls allowed the player to focus on the motion of their throw without getting caught up with what buttons they needed to push. I really loved the dynamic of playing with four people and had a great time for the duration of the time we played.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:15:41 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3123&iddiary=5814https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3123Entry 1: Summary: The game Wii Sports has no story, therefore it is a bit difficult to summarize. There are various sports packaged into this one game, including: tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing. For the sake of the game log I played only one sport, bowling. Because this game is on the Nintendo Wii, the controls are very unique, each player holds a motion sensor remote, which they move around in order to control their avatar on screen. Gameplay: Bowling starts off with each person choosing or creating his or her own personal character, which is cleverly called a “Mii”. I am left-handed and thought this may be a problem if the controls were set up for right-handed people. Nintendo left no one out and made it simple to change the settings of your character to left or right-handed for each individual sport. After me and the three other people I was playing with chose our characters, the game began. Spirits were high and competitive energy surged throughout the room. What I found to be a key part to my enjoyment of this game was that there is a very small learning curve, just about anyone could pick up a remote and start having fun. For the first few frames of the game I was not doing very well, but my friends were supportive and assured me this was just a “practice” game. Although it was just a practice game the energy level was through the roof with shouting and gasps after each and every shot. The social interaction is what makes the Wii and Wii Sports particularly addicting. Even though I had come in dead last after the first game of bowling we played, I was still extremely eager to get on to game number two.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:14:42 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3123&iddiary=5812https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2833Entry 2 Gameplay: For my second round playing Super Mario 64 I found that I was having just as much fun, if not more than the first time. The gameplay continually developed throughout the levels to create more complex ways of earning stars. Some levels had me scratching my head at first as to how I was supposed to get certain stars. There were switches scattered everywhere which did various things such as raise and lower the water level. These types of challenges have always been what has drawn me to platform games. I love the puzzle aspect created to get through levels because it requires more thinking than your typical shooting or racing game (that’s not to say I don’t like those games as well). Although I had an immense amount of fun playing Super Mario 64, I still found a couple things in the game that bothered me. Firstly, just as in Super Mario World, I thought the bosses in Super Mario 64 were too easily beat. The same idea was used which was: hit the boss three times and you beat him. Beating a boss this easily just doesn’t seem to make sense to me; a boss battle should be challenging. Secondly I would have liked a more responsive camera behind Mario. This seems to be a common problem in platform games of this generation (N64 and Playstation) that has started to get better in later platform games such as Ratchet and Clank. Design: I thought the design of this game was amazing. The levels are particularly intricate which lent themselves to fantastic gameplay. Each level has several objectives to be completed. Because of this, the player is constantly compelled to return to even the earliest of levels to grab those stars they may have missed the first time around. For example, in the very first level there is a star to be found by launching Mario out of a canon onto a distant platform. There are many places to explore beyond the linear path which one must follow to find the “main” star for each level. Although the storyline is interesting I think the extra stars and the complex level design are what make Super Mario a fantastic game to play and make for great replay value. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:07:26.)Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:06:32 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2833&iddiary=5300https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2833Entry 1 Summary: Once again, the short, mustache sporting Mario is on an adventure to save Princess Toadstool from the evil Bowser, only this time he’s in 3-D. Playing as Mario, one must access a series of worlds through the princess’s castle. In these worlds are enemies to be punched, objectives to be completed, and bosses to be defeated. The goal of the game is to obtain as many stars possible in order to advance through the game, defeat Bowser and save the princess. Gameplay: One thing that Nintendo was always very good at doing with its games (the Mario franchise in particular) was creating a silly, fun and welcoming atmosphere. The first thing I noticed when I started playing Super Mario 64 was the goofy character carrying the camera through the simple cartoony world outside of the princess’s castle. I then proceeded to jump my way to the front door of the castle to begin my journey, with Mario making funny sounds the entire way. As a kid I didn’t have an N64, so I had only played this game for short periods of time in the past. Having experience with platform games I found Super Mario 64 extremely easy to get the hang of. Once inside the castle I wandered over to the first door without a number on it and jumped through the painting on the wall. For an early 3-D platform game, I found Super Mario 64 to be a surprising amount of fun. I noticed that a lot of the old characters from Super Mario Word for SNES could be found in the first level with the only difference being that they are 3-D characters in a 3-D environment. This gave the game a familiar feeling although many of the game mechanics and aspects of the game itself are much different. After playing for about twenty minutes I had earned a couple of stars, therefore unlocking several doors containing more levels. A couple of levels into the game I began to notice that there are multiple stars to be earned per level. This seemed like a very cool idea to me. The way in which stars can be collected is by achieving tasks for characters in the game, finding secret stars, collecting all the red coins and defeating bosses. Having so many options to earn stars gives the player multiple ways to play the game. I personally liked completing objectives or tasks given to me by characters in the game. For instance in the second or third level a giant blue penguin has lost her baby and has left it up to me [Mario] to find him. I liked searching the level and carrying him back to his mother. It gave me a sense of achievement and I was awarded with a bright yellow star to add to the rest on my way to defeating Bowser.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:06:15 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2833&iddiary=5299https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2390Entry #2 Gameplay: The second time around I realized that, for a Playstation game, Spyro 2 has a very fluid feel to it. The player can easily move his or her avatar from world to world. This brought about a major design flaw that I found to be very annoying throughout my gameplay experience. The camera is non-responsive. When I moved Spyro around, for the most part, the camera did a decent job of staying behind him. There were times when I was looking at Spyro’s face while moving forward, this made it nearly impossible to see where I was going, and where I needed to be. This can be especially bad in platform games because the player won’t be able to see the platform he/she needs to jump to. I still had a lot of fun playing Spyro 2 for another forty-five minutes. As I progressed through the game, the levels began to get much harder which gave me more incentive to keep playing. The sense of challenge and the reward of talismans and orbs were primarily what kept me playing. The type of gameplay also developed very nicely. Some of the challenges involved solving puzzles by jumping on giant puzzle pieces in order to solve it. There was even a challenge where Spyro skated around on a frozen pond and shot a puck past a goalie using his mouth. The game’s ability to constantly change the type of play kept me engulfed as well as wanting more. Design: Spyro 2 has superb level design, probably the best of any game I can recall on the Playstation console. There is a very linear way to travel through each level, but in nearly every level there are “secret” areas with hidden gems and extra challenges. In addition to these “secret” areas, there are even more dynamics to each level. Sometimes there are places you can only reach until you learn a new maneuver later in the game. You must then come back to the level to explore the level further. Often, the levels of Spyro 2 expand into the sky, which is a very cool idea. The player starts on the lowest level, and jumps platforms to get higher and higher into the sky. From these higher places the player can see the rest of the level and find different areas they had not seen before. Overall I found this game to be very inventive, fun and cute. This game, in my opinion, holds up to today’s standards. I plan on continuing to play through until the end.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:14:46 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2390&iddiary=4583https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2390Entry #1 Summary: This action/adventure platformer game starts with your character, Spyro, a small purple dragon, flying through a magical portal. Spyro is greeted by a couple of friendly characters including a scientist who created the portal, a fawn and a cheetah. Ripto soon comes and destroys the portal back to your home, declares he “hates dragons” and runs off. The objective of the game is to travel through different portals in order to collect magical talismans to help defeat the evil Ripto, as well as to collect orbs and gems along the way. Gameplay: Once in the first world (level), memories began popping up in my head from when I played this game as a small child. The feel of the game itself is very childish, fun and whimsical. One word that comes to mind to describe all of the characters and items in the game would be, cute. Although many times in games, cute can mean stupid and boring, Spyro 2 does a great job of making “cute”, fun. In addition to all of these attributes of the game, the music helps to create a happy, yet relaxing atmosphere. The music is soothing and integrates very well into the game. It adds a great dynamic to the game without being a distraction, which can be a very hard thing to achieve. The bright and vibrant colors throughout the levels also help to create the atmosphere, which can add a level of comfort for new players. The first level (or world) is very basic and obviously a way to introduce the mechanics of the game to the player for the first time. The player figures out how to walk around, ram or flame enemies and collect gems, which are the fundamentals of the gameplay in Spyro 2. There are several objectives in the home world, a sort of hub to all the other worlds. These objectives are also tools to help the player learn how to utilize all of the functions in the game, such as learning how to jump across platforms and how to glide. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:15:28.)Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:14:05 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2390&iddiary=4581https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2191[Entry 2] Gameplay: The second session was very different than the first, instead of playing with a friend I played on my own. The experience was very immersive. My focus was set completely on Mario and reaching the end of each level. As I played longer my proficiency skyrocketed. I was running through each level at top speed, hitting enemies on their heads and getting all sorts of power-ups. Super Mario World was and still is a very creative and in many respects revolutionary game. The main map of all the levels gives you the feeling that you are playing in a very large area when in fact you are not. Each level consists of basically the same elements. One generally has to get from the beginning of the level on the left, to the end on the right. It’s amazing how the creators of this game were able keep the player interested in a game where the basic goal is almost always identical to the last. Some of the techniques that made this possible were things such as the different mushrooms, power-ups, the ability to hold shells and shoot them too, and even bonus and secret levels. Design: Although I love this game, there is something I though that could have used some improvement. At the end of each ‘sub-world’ there is a boss in his castle. This was completely fine with me, but the actual boss battles left something to be desired. Each time, Mario only has to hit the boss three times to defeat him! I don’t know what the thinking is on this; possibly to keep it easy enough so that the player can progress, or maybe to place less emphasis on each boss. Whatever the reason, I thought that the boss battles should have demanded more from the player than merely jumping on someone’s head three times. Overall I had a lot of fun playing Super Mario World. It may be about 18 years old now, but it still can compete with current games, which is a very rare thing. I am glad to still own a copy and recommend it to anyone who has never played.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:40:04 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2191&iddiary=4157https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2191[Entry 1] Summary: You begin the game as Mario, the infamous Italian plumber character created by Nintendo. The story is started right away with an urgent note containing the premise of the game, “Princess Toadstool is missing again!” You must go through a series of worlds as Mario in order to defeat bosses and ultimately save the princess from Bowser to beat the game. Gameplay: This was not the first time I had played Super Mario World. As a younger kid several of my friends owned this game and I loved to go and play two-player with them. For my first round of game play I played two-player with a friend of mine. The experience was much more engaging than playing by myself as well as a lot more fun. The way two player works is that one person plays as Mario and the other as Luigi. The game is exactly the same except that each person trades off playing either by level or if you die. The interaction between players is key in two-player mode. Since each person is essentially on the same side working towards the same ends, there is a certain sense of comradery. While playing there is constant communication between players, even if it is not through words. For example, the person watching often makes “OOhh” and “Awwww” sounds according to how well you’re playing. This is almost a kind of encouragement. One Thing that makes this game so special to me is the memories it evokes. Once the very first level came onto the screen and the music started up, my mind shot back to grade school and playing the game with my best friends. Once I could get over how good the memories made me feel I could concentrate on the game itself and rediscover what made this game good in the first place. What struck me more than anything else in this game was the music. Although it is very simple, lo-fi electronic music, the lead sounds are very catchy and carry you through each level. The music changes in each level according to scenery, which your character is traveling through. When you guide Mario through underground levels the music sounds evil and it echoes through the caves giving the sensation that you are really down there jumping on koopa’s heads.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:39:24 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2191&iddiary=4156https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1865Summary: As many people know, the previous installments in the Call of Duty series has been set in the World War II era, with the common goal of defeating Nazi Germany. This time around, the game is set in modern times. One must complete fictional missions in a wide array of locations throughout the Middle East and Russia. Call of Duty 4 is a first person shooter (fps); each mission has several objectives that must be completed in order to advance to the next mission. These objectives can include anything from making it from point A to point B, taking out a tank, rescuing a fallen pilot, or even escaping a sinking ship. Gameplay (First Session): From the very beginning of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, one gets the impression that they are immersed in what seems like an interactive movie. The first mission of the game is so much different than any other fps I have ever played and sets the bar for an intense game ahead. By the end of the mission, the ship you have been fighting on begins to sink, fast. You must make it to the helicopter hovering just off deck in a thunderstorm. The camera gets shifted around as you try to find your way out of the doomed ship. This intensity creates an emotional connection to the game which gives the player a real sense of achievement, like they really cheated death once they jump off the side of the ship into the back of a chopper. In addition to an amazing start to the game, Call of Duty 4’s graphics put this game up there with other next-gen games. The textures of nearly everything visible are scarily realistic. As the snow falls in Russia, the temperature in the room seems to get a bit colder. The realism in COD4 makes for an adrenaline-fueled experience. While I marched through the middle east with my squadron I was always alert because once the bullets started whizzing past my head in this game, I got the feeling I was actually under attack and needed to defend myself, let alone complete the objectives set out for me. The story created for Call of Duty 4 is simply amazing and a bit scary at the same time. Although it is fictional, the scenario created seems as though it really could happen, especially in the current state of the world. A Middle Eastern declares war on the US and fights in conjunction with Russian nationalists, while both the UK and US respond. The story takes you through both British and American campaigns. Throughout the entire American campaign you play as one man the entire time and the same goes for the UK campaign. In each, the characters in your squadron are given individual characteristics, which emotionally connects you to them as you each make it through missions with death around every corner. At a certain point, your American character is actually killed in action after a nuclear bomb goes off. This turn of events is extremely different than any other game. First of all, one typically doesn’t get to witness the detonation of a nuclear weapon, let alone die in the act. Because there are two characters’ stories running simultaneously throughout the game, this twist was possible. When my American counterpart was killed in the game I was shocked. I didn’t get to go back and try again; I was dead. It took a while for this realization to set in but once I was thrust into my next British SAS mission, I was forced to accept it. Gameplay (Second Session): For my second round playing Call of Duty 4, I played the online multiplayer instead of the single player, which opens up a whole new aspect of the game. In multiplayer, the story is stripped away and you become one soldier among many. When I logged on to play there were literally tens of thousands of games going on. There are several different game types including free-for-all, team deathmatch, and sabotage to name a few. Each game type has a different goal, which is usually pretty self-explanatory. I primarily played team deathmatch. Online play has a much different feel to it than its single player counterpart. The intensity of the gameplay is much higher, especially if playing with a lot of people on one map (32 players can be a bit much, and 50 is just insane). What raises the intensity is that everyone is constantly roaming around the map with just one goal, which is to kill you. If you walk around a corner too fast, or even forget to look left as you turn right, someone could catch a quick glimpse of you and that would mean a kill for them. Design: The way in which the multiplayer was designed for Call of Duty 4 is very innovative. There are several systems set up within the game that made me want to keep playing. Firstly, there is a level system, which is dependent on XP (experience points). XP can be earned by playing multiplayer games. When you level up you are given a new title such as corporal or gunnery sergeant. This alone would make people want to keep playing, but there is much more. Weapons, items, and perks are unlocked when you level up. Each weapon has a certain level you must first reach to unlock them along with add-ons to customize them such as different sights, and skins. Since there are so many different choices in this area, you have the ability to create your own class of soldier. By creating different classes you can choose what weapon, sight, grenade and even what perks each class has. Perks are a very interesting twist to the multiplayer game. A perk is something you can add to a class. Each perk has a different function to give an advantage, for example there is one called “last stand” which allows the player to shoot his pistol from the ground while he dies after he has been shot. In addition to all of these great ideas that have been gracefully crammed into the Call of Duty 4 multiplayer, there is another way in which you can earn additional XP. For nearly every function in the game there is a challenge, which you can complete, and sometimes multiple challenges. These can be anything from running for 26 miles, to shooting people through walls. Overall, I had a great time playing this game. Even though there are countless numbers of first person shooters on the market, the creators of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare did an exceptional job of creating a game that is very fun and innovative. (This entry has been edited3 times. It was last edited on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:30:54.)Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:16:23 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1865&iddiary=3651