Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=497https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3089GAMEPLAY #2 After playing the for a few more hours I have gained a new understanding of this innovative simulator. For example, I found the sum of money I started with insufficient when I first started playing. The city's money was quickly squandered on unnecessary frivolities (Who knew that a bustling city doesn't need a Hospital till the population reaches 10,000?). However, I now find the game extremely accessible and can appreciate the ways the designers alleviate a beginner's problems. For example, in easy mode the game starts you off with rather generous funds in comparison to what is required of the "new" mayor. I really appreciate that the game starts you with a rather large sum of money. I feel the game gives you a good amount of wiggle-room with the budget; which allows the player a sufficient amount of creativity and freedom in which to start their city. Although I am still disappointed I did not find the tutorials sufficient, I have found this game extremely fun. The interactions between me, the player, and the game allow for a successful form of rather addicting game play. Much of the challenges involved with the game represent real life challenges that cities face. For example, keeping the town's funds in order is a huge source of challenge as well as reward. The player is challenged to make successful deals with neighboring towns and even face decisions involving raising taxes and maintaining utilities and services. All these aspects (and many more) contribute to this game having a very low boredom factor. I felt myself drawn to play for hours because of the game's addicting qualities. The fact that the game is very emergent, allows the player to enjoy exploring their own destiny through the building of a successful city. As the desire to maintain and improve one's city kept me playing for hours, with no hint of boredom. This gameplay experience has left me very impressed. The game has excellent graphics, offers a wide variety of interactions, and has truly mastered a manageable level of resource management (see more in Game Design section). However, this would not be a good game log with the recognition of some qualities the game lacks. I still can not ignore some of the less intuitive parts of the game. For example, I was not able to access the tutorials tips I needed in the beginning of the game. The way to toggle them on and off was not obvious at all. It took an experienced player to tell me about them, when the game should have made them more accessible. I was also disappointed with the way the game communicated necessary information. When information needed to be expressed to me, a dialog box came up in the center of the screen. This always distracted from what I was trying to accomplish at the moment, and I was not able to pause from this position. This made it difficult to fix important problems quickly. I felt it would have been better for the dialog boxes to pop up in the corner of a screen, since they came so frequently. This would allow the player more freedom to control the game world during times of crisis. Another qualm I have with the game involves how difficult it is to come back from mistakes. When I would be negligent and too trigger happy with the "cheetah speed" setting, I sometimes found myself bankrupt. Once your city hits bottom, it is nearly impossible to revive it. This only happened with one of my cities, but the memory of disappointment and sadness has not left me. I could not believe how difficult it was to revive a bleeding city! Cutting funds made citizens strike, and raising taxes made people leave. This makes for a very depressing situation. A city you spend hours mastering can be ruined with a few minutes of not paying attention! Many of these frustrations accompany any resource management game. However, I feel this game did an excellent job at providing the player with a well balanced form of resource management. This brings me very nicely to the main subject of my Game Design section; which focuses on the ways this game effectively provides the player with challenge requiring proper resource management. DESIGN This game is clearly a game dedicated to challenge the player in the form of resource management. Many games which rely heavily on resource management can take it too far for beginners. For example, Civilization III takes resource management to the extreme, requiring the player to reach a high level of skill to surpass even easy mode. However I feel Sim City 4 had a proper learning curve for the average player. Although the player may face a slow start, learning how to use resources available to you soon becomes intuitive. In every city your money (simoleons) are your main resource you are challenged to maintain. Money is the key to a successful city in real life, why should this be any different for a game dedicated to simulating the issues associated with creating a real city? I was impressed at how well the game designers balanced challenge with reward. An excess of challenge (especially those involving resource management) often leaves the player frustrated. A frustrated player is likely to quit playing the game and simply "give-up". On the other hand, a resource management game may be too easy, leaving the player bored and wanting to quit. There is a fine gap in which the player feels sufficiently challenged and sufficiently rewarded. I feel Sim City 4 succeed in placing the player an appropriate level of challenge. Although I was a bit overwhelmed in the beginning, I quickly learned the basics and was able to appreciate the dynamics between resource management and game play. For example, building a successful city is not simply about making a profit. It is necessary for the Mayor to manage everything from traffic to air population. All these small aspects add up to make for an extremely awarding game play once a successful city is established. Understanding the intricacies of rule/ player interactions has led me to declare this a game worthy of playing and a game truly worthy of creative praise. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:54:01.)Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:52:56 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3089&iddiary=5856https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3089SUMMARY Sim City 4 is a city building simulator in which the player acts as the Mayor. As Mayor the player is given full control of the city and has the ability to create a booming metropolis, an agricultural paradise, or even pave a path of destruction with natural disasters. GAMEPLAY #1 From the beginning I found this game to be another great edition to the Maxis simulator games. The graphics were extremely impressive and from the start it was clear that I had a lot to learn about the game. I began playing the game by opening a random city and trying my best to succeed (I have already mastered Sims 2, how hard could this be?). Wow, it only took me three minutes to realize that going through the tutorials would be a must. I was very anxious to dive right into the game and I wish that the game had provided "tutorial tips" along with my first city. I really appreciate it when simulator games teach you the rules of the game while you play your own file. Once I took the main tutorial I understood why "tutorial tips" may have worked for Sims 2, but defiantly would not have proved very effective for Sim City 4. The expanse of the game was massive. After taking the "beginners" tutorial I found four other tutorials that were still dedicated to simple concepts. The variety of options within the game were extremely impressive and rather intimidating. After the tutorials I was left with the thought, "This game has plenty of room to get extremely complicated. How will I manage?" Once I had heard all the tutorials and mentally prepared myself for my first city, I dove in. I was rather surprised at how difficult it was to establish all the basics for my city. I found out that this game was not about simply "learning the game". This game is about learning how to play the game in the way they want you to play the game. After struggling to understand simple problems like, "Why aren't people moving in?" and "Why do I have no money?" I found myself frustrated. I left the tutorials with a feeling of excitement, yet I quickly found the actual gameplay very confusing. I knew my enjoyability of the game was limited by my insufficient knowledge of the basics. But I was not going to give up on a game in which I was determined to enjoy. Finally I got up the courage to ask help from a friend who literally plays this game 24/7. At every bump I hit, I simply asked for his advice. This method of learning quickly proved extremely effective. I learned this game becomes much easier once a strategy is established. My friend developed a method for a successful city by using specific learned tricks and short-cuts I would have never found in a mere few hours of playing. Within a half hour of his advice, my knowledge of the game had multiplied ten fold. (I had even learned that the tutorial tips I thought the game lacked actually existed, and I merely had to toggle them on.) As of now I can more clearly see how this game could become addicting. The player is given an extraordinary amount of control when it comes to the construction and maintenance of each city (as well as the entire land as a whole). Once past the basics of maintaining a city, the player has a vast range of manipulation and control. Although I wish the tutorials had been more efficient at preparing me for the emersive gameplay, I realize that more experienced gamers could have solely relied on the tutorials. I have left the first game session knowing how this game is meant to be played; and after a short break I intend on successfully playing the game in the way the designers intended. Until next time! -RhibeckaThu, 06 Mar 2008 00:46:20 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3089&iddiary=5791https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2788Entry #2 GAMEPLAY I found that after playing for a few more hours the game controls became easier. Now I can quickly control the camera as well as the horse during the battle sequences. (However, I think that getting a grasp of camera angles and controls should take a lot less than a "few hours" ). In my earlier entry, I was impressed that the none of the colossi proved too difficult, or left me wanting to give up. After getting further in the game though, I feel I must change my mind. Since all the battles play like puzzles, it isn't much surprise that the player can get stuck; and I certainly got stuck. This is truly a frustrating feeling. With one of the colossi, I simply could not figure out how to bring him down. However, after about ten minutes of wandering, the game knew I was stuck and a voice from the heavens gave me a hint on what do to next. I really appreciate that the game has this built in hint system that doesn't stray from the game play. The game designers realized people may get stuck, and thought it fitting that "god" should give them some help. However, although "god" was trying to help, I found his hints too vague. Only after I accidentally stumbled upon the solution did I understand what the hint had actually meant. Thank you game designers for trying to point me in the right direction (I really appreciate it), but is it too much to ask to be a little more direct? More evidence against my original opinion of the game "not being frustrating enough to quit" involves a navigation problem. We can all agree there is plenty of room to get stuck during a battle, but once I found myself completely stuck before I had even reached the beast! [The light reflected off your sword is supposed to "guide" you to the beast's location. However after following the light, I ended up at a blank wall. After 45 minutes of wandering around and being frustrated, I decided to "cheat" and look up what to do online (I wasn't prepared to spend all night just looking for the monster). I was glad I looked it up because, wow, I would have never gotten that. (I was supposed to go completely around the map in order to reach a place far far behind the original wall I kept running into.) ] On a more positive note, I realized I hadn't mentioned much about the music during my first entry. During all the parts where your character is traveling to the next beast, there is no music at all. After my friend pointed this out to me, I could clearly see how this small aspect truly changed my game play experience. The lack of music created such a desolate feel, and added to the melancholy tone of your entire mission. The music only begins once the colossus is reached. This change in setting is really effective at enhancing the "epic" tone of each battle. As the fight climaxes, so do the instruments. I can really appreciate this creative addition to the game, which is very unique to this game (and also brings me perfectly to the subject of my DESIGN section.) DESIGN Simply put this game is in its own class. Many aspects of this game (the pace, use of sound, story, segmentation, game mechanics) are unlike any other game I have played (in some very good ways, as well as some more negative ways). My first observation on what made this game unique is it's lack of attention to simple game mechanics. I believe both the frustrations from my second game play entry are good examples of the game simply not being mechanically intuitive. It took me a second time of playing to realize that many of my initial frustrations could be linked to this problem. This game fails to address simple game mechanical issues from the very start. For example, the controls were very clunky and took hours to master. This is not a very good starting place for a game. Also there were small aspects of the game that I felt should have been conveyed to the player more openly. For example, I found out that the light reflected off your sword will also point to the monster's weak points by trial and error on the third or fourth colossi. Why did the game not tell me this in the beginning? Also the storyline drags at a very strange pace unlike any other game I have played. (Very little information is revealed during game play besides the first cut scenes.) It was a strange realization that this game had problems (such as terrible camera angles, clunky controls, and unhelpful hints) that most game designers have already mastered addressing. Why does such a simple game still struggle in pointing the player in the right direction, or even allowing the player to properly ride a horse? Another more negative aspect I found unique in this game involves the story (although I'm sure this wouldn't bother most people). The game begins with hardly any background and fails to reveal much more than what we initially see at the beginning. In this aspect, I feel the game story runs like a foreign film. (When comparing a foreign film to what we see everyday in America, there are often differences in pace or changes in formula). I have come to believe that the storyline is just not a fundamental part of this game (note: I have not finished the game, perhaps there is an amazing heap of storyline at the end that I am missing out on). Not having a strong storyline is fine, but also strange for a game of this genre (adding to my statement that this game is simply different than anything else). On a more positive note, I was extremely impressed at how well the game defined the colossi. I feel the designers did a great job making each beast unique (in terms of physical experience as well as the different levels of game play they provide). This really adds to the game's replay value (for example, you may have a favorite battle that you would wish to endure again). In no other game have I seen such creativity in terms of just a battle. Every battle I have encountered is extremely different, and although they can sometimes be frustrating, I can always appreciate what the game designers put me through from a creative standpoint. They test your character mentally and physically as he is pushed to swim the oceans, climb the beasts, and even fly to victory. So yes, perhaps the pacing is strange and the controls difficult to master, but I believe that the uniqueness of this game truly makes it a game worth playing. The feeling of solving the puzzle and defeating the colossi singlehandedly is worth the tricky camera angles and the occasional frustrations. I would suggest this game to any gamer looking for a new way to feel epically heroic. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:53:31.)Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:52:16 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2788&iddiary=5447https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2788Entry #1 Gamelog 2/20/08- Shadow of the colossus SUMMARY "Shadow of the Colossus" is a third player adventure game where you play a character with the task of defeating the many colossi of a magical abandoned land in order to resurrect your deceased lover. The highlights of this game involve the actual battles with the colossi and traveling through the mystical land in order to reach the next beast. GAMEPLAY I have seen this game played by other people many a time. As a viewer I was mostly impressed by game's environment. The combination of epic music with beautiful settings simply enhanced the excitement of seeing the colossi themselves. The vast land is gorgeous and I could simply get lost in the mesmerizing battles. The mystical feel of the game and epic battles made me think playing the game would feel just as amazing as watching it. However, once I was personally behind the controller I felt differently. The mystic world of the colossi was still amazing but I felt distracted by the camera angles. During the game your horse is your main source of transportation. I found him very difficult to control, making the "traveling" parts of the game very stressful. Once I reached the colossus I found it difficult to keep a good camera angle on my character as well as the colossus. This made the battles more difficult than I feel the game designers intended. Although the camera angles were frustrating during the battle scenes, I could really appreciate how the designers made the battles immersive. There are plenty of times to fail (falling off the beast, not being sure of where to hit him next, getting killed, etc.), but none of them proved too difficult. I know I am still in the beginning of the game, but after the first few colossi I have never reached a point where I felt like giving up. As an unexperienced gamer, I was wary that the battles themselves would be too challenging for me, or I would easily get discouraged and want to quit. However, so far the camera angles have proved more frustrating than any beast. I found it interesting that the battles are more like "puzzles" than brawls. The fight is more about "solving" how to beat them, rather than actually beating them. The fun of conquering the colossus in this game is solving how to take down the beast. This "puzzle" element really impressed me. I think it really added to the game, and makes it unique in comparison to other games involving epic fighting. A quick word about the storyline. So far little storyline has been revealed, despite long cut scenes. I really enjoy the story aspect of games like this and wish that this game had revealed more background in the beginning. However, I have faith that more will be revealed in due time and I guess I'll have to be patient and defeat some more colossi before I am allowed to get more information about the story. Till next time! -Rhibecka (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:12:23.)Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:30:21 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2788&iddiary=5220https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2414GAMEPLAY I felt more comfortable playing this game the second time I approached it. After the first few levels the cut scenes (which didn't add much to the game)pretty much stopped and a better game pace was established. Although I still found myself confused at times, playing for a few more hours allowed me to better adjust to the specific way this game worked. Many of my previous frustrations were overcome with practice and more gameplay experience. For example, knowing what to do next was stressful at first, but now I know the game formula better; which makes the game more fun to play and less frustrating. I felt the missions became more exciting as the game went on (but I wish they had become more exciting earlier). It took a solid hour or two for the gameplay to feel exciting. I accredit this to an ineffective tutorial. As I stated in my previous log, the beginning part of the game tried to keep the tutorial significant (story wise), which made actual game play during the tutorial less effective. I wish they had a tutorial completely separate from the game where you learn how controls work, how the game is played, etc. without endless the cut scenes of storyline. I believe this would have allowed the player to get "into" the game faster. My overall feeling of this game still stands mixed. On one hand, this is a fun game with an interesting environment and unique elements such as FLUDD; the water blaster which Mario uses to battle enemies. However, I believe the many frustrations I encountered can not be ignored. A large number of "getting stuck" moments will hurt a game even of the most creative design. I personally felt I was unsure of what to do a lot, which left me upset and stressed. Even though many stressful moments existed, the game does have some strong points. One of the strongest being the game environment and upbeat tone. The graphics are definitely impressive for a Gamecube game (the water looks just as good as in xbox 360 games). The designers also did a really good job creating a fun mood throughout the game by using bright colors and happy environments. The environment was always uplifting and inviting, which I believe was what the artists intended. So even if I was frustrated, I couldn't help but be slightly more at ease with the cool island sun. DESIGN Many of the design elements of this game mirror it's predecessors such as Mario N64. The challenge segmentation of the game succeeds in keeping game play interesting as new elements (such as new water blasters) make their debut. I believe my gameplay entries for this game already touched on game design elements that I appreciated (i.e. Delfino's island environment) and elements I found frustrating (i.e. a lack of an "answer all" tutorial). However I have neglected an important element that brings a new form of challenge and interaction to the typical 3d platformer; the usage of FLUDD (Mario's water blasting weapon). I find battling enemies one of the most difficult parts of a game like this because of control systems. I played Mario Galaxy recently and found it nearly impossible to jump directly onto enemies. Even a small fault would result in me losing health by slightly missing them. Playing this game more has allowed me to really appreciate "FLUDD" . This allows Mario to attack enemies from a further distance, minimizing health loss. This makes the game more enjoyable as the player uses FLUDD more often and utilizes its special abilities. For example, one spout allows the player to spray water at enemies, while a different spout allows Mario to hover in the air as FLUDD turns into a "water-jet pack" (which is really cool). Although it is more difficult to loose health with FLUDD (a long distance weapon), I believe the game designers were wrong in limiting the player's ability to regain health (there are far less coins in this game than with other Mario games). I don't understand why there can't be more coins around. Using FLUDD from a distance means less health loss from direct hits (which I really appreciate as a not-so-experienced gamer). However, when I find myself in need of health, no coins can be found! The lack of coins was frustrating (since my playing style often involves losing health), especially in the beginning levels when I was first learning. I accidentally touched the sludge and lost nearly all my health. I then spent the next 20 minutes looking for coins to gain it back. (The game doesn't even tell you to use coins to regain life, one of my friends had to tell me. Are they assuming I have played Mario N64?) I feel this game isn't about "not dying", so why do I have to spend so much time finding ways to gain back life I have lost? I can appreciate that they make it difficult to actually die, but I wish it was easier to regain health. Hoarding your health isn't what this game is about. Although regaining health was frustrating, I was really impressed at how effective FLUDD was as a weapon and source of game play. I liked how he doubled as a friend to Mario through the whole journey. I really felt he was a strong addition to the game and fully contributed to the game's likability and "fun" factor. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Sat, 09 Feb 2008 21:21:29.)Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:42:21 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2414&iddiary=4730https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2414GAME LOG #3- due 2/8/08 SUMMARY Mario Sunshine is a 3D platformer where the player plays as Mario (the adventuresome plumber). After landing on the island of Dolphino with princess peach and company for vacation, Mario finds that the island is covered in a "sludge" by a culprit who looks like Mario (Evil Mario)! Mario must clear his name and clean up the island all while collecting "shines" (similar to stars from N64) in order to progress through the game! GAMEPLAY My first impression of this game was very mixed. First of all, I found the game visually stunning! The details of the characters and realistic look of the water were extremely impressive. The bright colors and Island environment contributed to making the game seem fun and upbeat. I felt excited and ready to explore the beautiful environment before me! I also found the control system very easy. Although his water gun (which is his primary way of attacking the sludge) was occasionally difficult to aim, I blame that on my inexperience with this game type. Even the camera angles were relatively easy to control . I took advantage of the "zoom in and out" feature which came in handy during battles. I also have to compliment this game on its overall mood. I felt the fun Island environment and music (reminiscent of previous Mario games) helped me stay in the excited mindset one should be in during a Mario game. The environment made me feel relaxed and calm, but many of the logistics made game play stressful and frustrating. Although the graphics proved impressive and the control systems proved simple, the many shortcoming of this game are already showing. My first qualm with this game is the cut scenes. The game opened with a (rather long) scene, and I thought to myself, "I'm glad to get that storyline out of the way, now I can play!". But only after a few short seconds of playing, there were more cut scenes! They felt long and terrible, slow voice acting didn't help. The cut scenes made me feel anxious and bored, when they should have added to my initial excitement. I know I can skip the scenes, but I don't want to miss anything important! However, I found my initial tasks even more frustrating, and sometimes downright confusing. There was one challenge where I had to chase Evil Mario to save Peach. I began to chase him, but then couldn't find him. Thinking it was just part of the game that he disappears with Peach (like most Mario games), I continued to walk through the town trying to find something else to do. If I didn't accidentally run into him, I may still be wondering around! The game designers must have seen that knowing what to do next would be a problem. To fix this problem of "not knowing what to do" Mario Sunshine has a news feed at the bottom of the screen which tries to point you in the right direction using newsflashes. The news feed was an interesting innovation (I know the designers are trying to help address a problem) but I feel it was very confusing and ultimately distracting. It is impossible to play while reading it as it passes across the bottom of the screen. Whenever I needed to read it I had to stop Mario and wait for the entire important message to roll by before continuing. This chopped up the game play a lot and the news feed rarely fixed the problem I was having. Also, the news feed usually refers to places to point you in the right direction ("It has just been reported that the guy you need to find is passing the town square"). But since no detailed map is provided, I don't know where these places are! The "fun" feel gave me high hopes for this game. However, so far, I have also run into many frustrations which prevent me from feeling relaxed as I played. I have left this session feeling that this game lacks in "intuitiveness". After a good thinking I have realized, most of my frustrations involve the game not communicating with me properly (I get stuck and don't know where to go, the game informs me on how to do a double jump AFTER I accidentally do it, the news feed [which is meant to help] is difficult to read while playing, goals are not obvious, how to gain health is trail and error, etc.). I feel this Mario game is not as intuitive or openly helpful to the player as previous versions. My overall opinion of the game play after this first session is: Awesome Ideas, Awesome Graphics, Frustrating Game play I am hopeful that as I continue the game will prove easier to play and that my frustrations will clear up! Till next time! -Rhibecka (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:06:32.)Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:09:58 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2414&iddiary=4579https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2067GAMEPLAY First of all, I fixed my TV settings and it helped make the environment a little brighter. However, I still feel that some parts of the game are too dark (even though these moments are rare). My first game session left me pleasantly surprised at the easy controls and solid world environment. After my second session of playing, I feel I can appreciate these features on a deeper level. Advancing meant reaching more challenging puzzles which I felt had a good learning curve (I feel the game gets more challenging at a good pace). This is important to me, because I easily get frustrated once I feel "stuck" or defeated in a game. After playing for a few hours, I still feel fresh and eager to reach more places. My comments on the memorable music and appropriate graphics still holds true! However, playing more did allow me to more clearly appreciate this game's unique plot and solid characters. After advancing further, I feel I can more accuratly comment on the storyline of this game. After my first session I felt comfortably intrigued by the small amount of storyline that had been revealed. Now I feel that the story line of this Zelda is a clear strength. I find the plot easy to follow and, so far, it flawlessly corresponds to the gameplay (which, to me, is important for a game like this). I feel this game has strong characters and does a particularly good job at making characters seems real.For example, we are shown a short cut scene between Link and Saria before you leave the forest. This small scene with simple graphics featuring the ocarina gift is really touching. Though only about a minute long, the game clearly conveys that Link and Saria value each other and that Link's leaving the forest (which is really you) holds great importance to other characters like Saria. Having characters the player cares about helps add to the overall gameplay, and keeps the game interesting. Small moments like this show this game's ability to convey important plot points in creative and memorable ways (which I see as a strong feature of this game). Overall I feel this game does a great job at creating an environment one would want to spend hours enjoying. The combination of unique places and great music help keep the play fresh, and steer it away from tediousness. I personally really enjoy the storyline of this game. Playing more has given me a chance to appreciate the creativeness of each individual race (from Gorgons to Kokiris) and the overall charm the game has throughout your adventure. Interesting puzzles, and minimalist fighting helped me stay focussed and not frustrated (I liked how the game was less about "keep from dying" and more about "get to the next part!".) All these elements made my gameplay experience well appriciated. I can clearly see why Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time belongs on the classics list. DESIGN Although Zelda clearly has many strong design features, I feel the individual level designs truly mark this game as creative. Each level takes you too a fresh and exciting location (which ultimating makes this game challenging and expansive). The game excels at making each individual dungeon level memorable by keeping mini-puzzles unique and connecting a solid storyline through it all. I was truly impressed by the expanse of level themes. Link in turn travels through a forest, a volcano, an ice cave, and even under water all in one game. Each level provided creative gameplay related to the environment and the theme. For example, in the ice cave you can capture a flame to melt away ice. Link uses this to solve puzzles unique to this level (you won't capture flames elsewhere during the game). Each level is able to have their own creative puzzles and challenges by providing new abilities during the level play. This greatly diminishes the game's boredom factor. Each place holds new experiences and abilities for Link to use during his adventure. Levels also allow for a game like Zelda to provide a giant gameplay world without being overwhelming. Having a clear level system kept me focused on a specific area. The player is essentially "trapped" in the level until the goal of the level is complete. This conveniently limits the player's options and allows the player to go through the game's intended obstacles; minimizing "what the heck do I do now?" moments. Having a distinct level for me to complete allowed me to experience a creative environment (such as a volcano) that didn't encompass the entire game. I liked being in a unique area for each part of the game. It really kept me interested and I felt that the vast number of mini-puzzles gave the player ample "hooray" moments which help keep frustration levels down. Almost every puzzle gave an item or new area as a reward. I felt that the game designers did a good job at rewarding me after nearly every challenge. Much of this game's charm comes from the level design. The fun of small victories leading to a level completion, the incorporation of small worlds that together encompass the entire game, and even the unique abilities Link encounters help make this game wonderful. And somehow this game still encompasses a strong storyline and memorable soundtrack. I believe the game designers did their job; they designed a beautiful game. Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:47:34 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2067&iddiary=4011https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2067SUMMARY The Legend of Zelda is an action/adventure game where you play a boy destined to save the land of Hyrule by obtaining the "Triforce" (an mystical object of great power). With sword in hand, you travel through each dungeon (level) solving puzzles and fighting bad guys in order to keep the power of the Triforce out of the hands of evil. GAMEPLAY My first impression of this game was a very positive one. Right from the start I felt the game's artistic elements blended very well. The graphic elements make each separate setting unique and engaging. I also felt the music really matched each setting in a way that enhanced the overall gameplay. For example, I thought it was clever that the background music while Link is in the castle, is the same "Royal Song" he learns upon meeting Zelda. These small details made my gameplay more fulfilling. Another element that I greatly appreciated was the control system. I am not an experienced gamer and easily get frustrated in manuvering characters and controlling camera angles. I was extremely surprised to find Link rather easy to control (he jumps automatically when needed, only one simple fighting button, easy assigning of items to "C" buttons, etc.). The small feature of having the "L" button change the camera angle to where the character is facing is a small way to fix a big problem of camera angles. The camera angles were strange at times, but I found it easy to return to my desired view. At those times of awkward camera angles I found myself mildly annoyed rather than hopelessly frustrated (which is where I find myself with most action games that require exploring). A simple hit of the "L" button put me where I wanted to be. The game's easy character manuvering and camera manipulation were elements I greatly appreciated and theefore enhanced my first gameplay experience. I also felt that the tutorial did a great job introducing the game while still incorporating an engaging gameplay. I liked that the game jumped right into the action while still including the tutorial, which helped make the gameplay engaging from the moment I started. I felt learning the logistics from individual NPCs (rather than a narrator or AI)made it easy to "be" the character while learning the rules in a creative way. I appreciated that Zelda's tutorial was clearly part of the adventure, and not excessive. Instead of being constantly reminded I am in a game tutorial, I felt that I was Link within an adventure the entire time, which made for a good first impression. Perhaps the only negative comment I have so far is that some of the rooms are rather dark. This may be due to my TV, but I find it hard to control Link in some of the darker areas where it is difficult to decipher murky surroundings with N64 graphics. Link himself is not very bright (colorwise), and occasionally he blended inconveniently with his environment. I found this very annoying when it happened (which wasn't too often). I believe making the main character (Link) a more distinct color may have helped. But in the meantime I am going to further investigate my TV settings. So far I feel the game has achieved a great storyline and engaging game play. Even as a novice gamer, I found the controls simple and easy to maneuver, which helped me get right into the game. The tutorial was quick and clear and well appreciated. I hope what I like about the game still continues! Till next time! -RhibeckaFri, 25 Jan 2008 01:54:59 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2067&iddiary=3988https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1624GAMEPLAY Upon playing the game a second time I have gained a better understanding of the game and have found it much more enjoyable. First of all, one of my friends informed me that the choppy language of the King is due to unusual translations of the game into English. I'm not sure if this is true, but this would definitely make sense given his strange wording which makes he seem off his rocker. I have also found the game much more enjoyable by not focusing on details of the game I found bothersome before. I realized that I was taking the game too seriously. It is really just a fun game about rolling a ball. What the king says in between your adventures and the cut scenes are not as important as dialogs are in most other games. Not understanding every sentence the King says (something I found bothersome the first time) will not hinder my game play. I also found this game more enjoyable once I reached larger levels with a bigger Katamari. Since I always had trouble maneuvering, I appreciated having many large areas to roam through and larger items to find (plus it is more exciting to roll over people and cows now than thumb tacs!). As the levels increase, I feel each object's designs can be more appreciated as well as the overall creativity and uniqueness of this game. This time I played around friends, and even they found the game's creativity extremely entertaining (for example, the realistic cries of terrified people as you roll them over). I still think the story is lacking, even though I know it has little to do with the overall point of the game. I have come to find the King's twisted sense of humor amusing (even though it is extremely depressing when he demoralizes you after failing a level). After this game play experience, I would have to declare Katamari a very good game. Despite its flaws, it's overwhelming creativity in turning the rolling of a ball into an exciting and intriguing game make it a game worth playing and recommending. DESIGN This game is unlike any game I have played. Most games fit into specific categories, but what I admire about this game is that it doesn't. The designers took a simple concept (the growing Katamari) which does not sounds fun or intriguing and turned it into a surprisingly engaging experience. I believe much of this game's charm is due to the interesting environments you are put it. Discovering where you can go with the Katamari and all the sorts of things you can pick up keeps the element of surprise fresh throughout the game. Watching the objects you roll over as you race the clock makes this game both competitive and intriguing (which keeps the player wanting to come back for more). The design is good in that each level presents new and unique surprises (such as discovering you can pick up fish in the lake). Each place provides a new level of interaction and discovery within the environment you are given, which keeps the game fun and each place unique. Although some levels had frustrating missions, their design creativity can not be ignored. For example, there is a level where I had to pick up bird eggs in hopes of finding a swan. This mission did not interest me, but the level itself was full of interesting places to explore and things to discover (I found out the hard way that a mouse trap will propel me through the air if I'm small enough). The innovativeness of each level (combination of good layouts, peppy music, and interesting objects) truly added to the game's overall fun tone and credit as a well designed game. I also felt that the game's irony and sarcasm added to the game's fun mood. It was amusing having cheerful music play as you made your path of terror and destruction across towns. The King's sense of humor also added to the game's likability factor. Although the game excelled in creating a great interactive environment and fun tone, I feel it lacked a solid story line. I found the cut scenes involving the "box people" pointless, and it seemed that what the King said never mattered. I felt the game should have either cut down his speeches and take out the cut scene sub-plot, or developed a more dynamic storyline. (Note:I have not finished the game yet, so I am aware that there could be an amazing ending which ties it all together perfectly and completely negates my criticism.) At first I felt the idea of the Katamari was not intriguing enough to allow for a dynamic experience. However, once I got past the introductory levels I found it more easy to find the game play experience fulfilling. I feel that a stronger storyline may have helped me get into the game earlier. Despite this game's downfalls, I found Katamari Damacy a fun and rewarding game which succeeds in taking the player through a unique gaming experience by offering them a game design different from many of the more popular games of today. Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:05:34 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1624&iddiary=3353https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1624SUMMARY In the game Katamari Damacy you play as the prince of the cosmos. After your father (the King) foolishly destroys all the stars, he gives you the responsibility of rebuilding them with the aid of a "Katamari". Your goal is to roll the Katamari over objects smaller than it (which stick to the Katamari allowing it to grow). The objects your Katamari collects are then used to form new stars. GAMEPLAY My first impression of this game is mixed. As someone not used to game consoles, I found it somewhat frustrating to maneuver a lopsided Katamari around bigger objects. I often found myself stuck or violently slamming into objects I thought (were small enough to pick up. However I feel that this is my do to my inexperience in gaming, not a true game design flaw. Another frustration involved understanding the King. His sentences seem jumbled, and I found it difficult to decipher the plot of the story in between his nonsense. I also feel that the cut scenes do not contribute much to the overall plot. I am curious to what will happen with them when I get further into the game. I felt my emotional state yo-yoed from relaxed to extremely frustrated. I appreciated that the early levels were easily beatable. It game me confidence and made it easy to view the whole experience as relaxing. However when I reached a more challenging level, I was overwhelmed with frustration at my inability to beat the level (rather than feel challenged I felt defeated). Whenever I beat a level, I merely felt content (no big sense of accomplishment as seen with other games). I feel the game did not provide an accurate amount of challenge. I believe the concept of collecting items with the Katamari is not stimulating enough to provide the player with an adequate sense of accomplishment after the competition of even a difficult level. On a more positive note, I really enjoyed the "feel" of the game. I feel the designers did a great job at creating an appropriate atmosphere for such an innovative game. The colors used in the game, as well as the music, create a relaxing, fun mood which contributes to this game's overwhelming "cuteness" (which makes me see how this game can easily be lovable).I also enjoyed the character designs. For example, the King's entire form conveys both a sense of cosmic wonder and terrific fear simultaneously (giving the player a good main character design can really contribute to the overall experience.) My first glance at the game was definitely a critical one. But I am excited to play more to better understand the cut scenes, listen to good music, and of course, greatly increase the size of my next Katamari. Till next time! -RhibeckaSat, 12 Jan 2008 20:39:25 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1624&iddiary=3350