Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=617https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3036Design The levels in this game are based off of the original games the characters are from. For example, the starfox level takes place on the spine of a giant space ship. While maintaining the atmosphere of a 3D fighter, the player only uses two dimensions. The levels are set up so that faling off the edge means losing a life. The concept of the game is interesting. The opening conematics show the characters as toys in a child’s room. The idea is that the characters are being manipulated much like a child would do with two action figures. This is employed especially well into the game because the player then gets to step into this childlike magic circle and battle with these toys. The fact that the final boss is a giant hand simply called the master hand fits this concept all the more. Gameplay Single player is fun, but the true replay value of this game comes in it’s multiplayer. This game has stood the test of time since I still know people who play it, and are incredibly good at it. The memorization of each special move allows players to develop unique strategies against each other character.Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:59:05 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3036&iddiary=5687https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3036Summary Super Smash Bros is a crossover fighting game released on the Nintendo 64 where players fight eachother as different Nintendo characters. Gameplay This fighting game differs from other fighting games in a lot of ways. Instead of a health bar that is reduced over time, the character’s damage is measured in a percentage that increases as they are hit. The higher their percentage, the easier they will die. The fighting abailites range greatly from each character. A character like Link has many projectile weapons as is appropriate for his fictional background in zelda. Other characters have special moves that help them in most situations, while lacking in other departments that leaves the inexperienced player at a disadvantage. The single player mode offers many different types of gameplay. Each level changes the fighting style the player must use to complete it. While the classic one on one brawl is entertaining, the player must work with computer allies, destroy dozens of polygon people, board platforms and break targets. The boss is a giant hand. By playing through the single player mode several times the player can unlock several other characters to fight as.Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:58:51 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3036&iddiary=5686https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2692Gameplay It is the infusion of the vast array of facets employed in this game that makes it fun to play. The hundreds of enemies, which vary in difficulty and weapons used to kill them, never seem too difficult to beat, but are just enough of a challenge to keep the player glued to the screen. The same can be said for the successive tasks throughout each level. The game difficulty accelerates upwards at a slow but acceptable pace. What I’m trying to stress is that the point of this adventure game is to have an adventure, not constantly be bombarded by close to impossible enemies. The story is also awesome in the way that it brings together all these different races spread across the land of Hyrule to ultimately prove that unity and good will prevail over evil. Whether this is done peacefully, however, is up for debate seeing as Link definitely kills a lot of stuff to achieve that peace, and in the real world violence only begets violence. So I guess it’s a good thing that Zelda is a video game and not the real world then, although that would be so awesome. I’d be much more inclined to kill a Deku Baba than a fellow human. Then again, I’m glad real life isn’t a video game. The items in this game are at the crossroads of awesome and useful. The variety of gameplay that they allow is indeed quite huge. Link receives a new item in every level that allows him to complete tasks designed for that type of gameplay and mostly importantly each boss. Within Link needs to collect and use all of these items to defeat the final boss Gannondorf. Aside from the Hylian shield, the ocarina, and deku nuts, most of Link’s items are time sensitive to how old Link is. Bottles can be incredibly helpful for capturing fairies to gain extra lives and other random creatures or substances. In addition, items like magic beans aren’t at all necessary to complete the game, but planting them can be helpful for traveling short distances quickly or obtaining heart pieces. The most common items are Rupees which differ in color and therefore differ in value. Rupees are used to buy replenishable items. Other items can be gained through contact with the Great Fairies. They endow Link with a magic meter that has to be replenished as well as items that drain magic. The different magically powered arrows also consume magic. The magic meter is just one example of some probably intensely complex code that enhances gameplay exponentially. I’m glad that the game designers had to do that job. The job of playing the game seems like much more fun, although it probably doesn’t pay as well. Design The game is intricately webbed with dozens of side quests. Not all of them are necessary (Happy Mask Shop, fishing), but many of them are incredibly helpful to completing the game (heart pieces, Biggoron’s Sword). Collecting the shells of scratchy sounding enemies called Gold Skultula gains Link different upgrades from a house of people afflicted by the wrath of this spider as killing more of them relieves them of spider-like symptoms. Aside from the Great Fairy side quests, collecting heart pieces is the most crucial and most rewarding system of side questing in the game. Collecting four pieces of heart gains Link another heart container of life. The locations and ways in which these heart pieces can be obtained are often so spread out and different that it takes a serious amount of time to collect all of them. The graphics and perspectives of this game are outstanding. Each level is styled according to the biome specific community that surrounds it. Likewise, the enemies are also themed respectively. The level Jabu Jabu’s Belly takes place inside a giant fish. The walls of this level pulsate different colors and breathe. The forest temple contains a twisted hallway that can change the direction of gravity and thus lead Link in a different direction. These are only a couple of the cool aspects of this game. The list of details goes on and on. At this point the best way to attempt to grasp the sheer awesomeness of this game is to play it if you haven’t already. And there’s no excuse for you to not have played this game if you enjoy video games. No excuse at all.Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:17:09 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2692&iddiary=5073https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2692Summary Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an action adventure game in which the hero, Link, must complete a series of levels and collect a multitude of items in order to stop Gannondorf from taking over Hyrule and save Princess Zelda. Gameplay I have had Ocarina of Time for as long as I have had a Nintendo 64. I have played it more times than I could count on my fingers, and I count on my fingers to enable me to play, so it’s a win win situation. There are so many good qualities about this game it’s almost difficult to pick a place to start. Link, the hero of time, is nothing but a short Hylian child confused about whether or not he is Kokirri in the beginning of the game. It is up to the player to build him into a fierce warrior capable of bringing down Gannondorf, King of Thieves. The game begins with Link getting awoken by his newly appointed fairy Navi. She stays with him the entire journey and helps him out by telling him how to do moves (initially), target and identify enemies, and pester him while he’s busy side questing to stay on task with the mission. Link completes three levels as a child, collecting essential weapons (sword, shield, boomerang, etc) and three sacred stones to open the door in the temple of time to access the Sacred Realm. On his way there, a distressed young Zelda fleeing on horseback tosses him the object the game is named after, the ocarina of time, but I’ll get right back to that. In the Sacred Realm Link obtains the Master Sword which enables him to pass through time to seven years in the future and back if he so chooses. Though there is rarely much use for young Link in the second half of the game, aside from side quests and select levels, the idea that you can travel through time is still cool and not incorporated into video games nearly enough. The concept of having an instrument as an essential gameplay item (an ocarina, no less) is genius enough to have it’s own paragraph. It’s probably genius enough to have it’s own book, but I’m not going to write a whole book. Idea aside, the numerous ways in which the ocarina can be used is astounding. There are a few key songs such as Zelda’s Lullaby which opens various passage ways throughout the game and Epona’s song which calls Link’s horse Epona from where ever she was lounging around off screen ( only in fields, only as an adult). Then there are warp songs that deliver Link to a big stone triforce in front of each level. Some songs are just there for the sake of convenience. Need to skip forward three days really fast to get the Bigoron’s sword? The Sun’s Song will get Link there as fast as he can play it six times plus the time it takes the sun to rise and set really fast. Want to fill a well or get a man with a strange crank box instrument mad? The Song of Storms is only six keys away. The game also allows Link to make up his own song which can summon a hookshot-able scarecrow, though the use of this is limited and to tell the truth I’ve never gotten it to work successfully. I’m sure it’s easy, but meh. Not to mention the soundtrack to the game, which is grammy worthy at the very least. All of the music in this game, and many other Nintendo games, is composed by Koji Kondo. His musical genius should be commended.Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:16:47 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2692&iddiary=5072https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2560Gamplay A major strategy in Mario Kart is slide turning. The triggers engage the sliding process then player then toggles the joystick to change the color of the sparks until the blue ones let you know to let go. The sliding capabilities within sliding allow a player to define their own driving style to help master each level. The artificial intelligence in this game is also worth noting. Say two people are playing in an intense round of DK mountain. One of them is far ahead and the other far behind. The computer drivers will speed up and slow down respective to each character so that there is always competition. Four levels of difficulty give ample time for the willing player to get aquatinted with the television screen. This game has a flawless reward system and is challenging enough to keep playing for years. Design The variety of levels allows players to warm up on circuit loop tracks like Baby Park and work their way up to a harder level like Bowser’s Castle. They are all intricately designed to fit their respective themes. The level Dino Dino Jungle complicates gameplay with giant stomping dinosaurs, timed geysers, and precarious bridges. This game also has excellent gap crossing. In the level DK Mountain a giant cannon shoots each player to the top of the mountain which essentially starts the course. This “boost over the gap” aspect recurs in many other levels and allows for both glory and disaster. The specialization of specials for different characters, while somewhat of a disadvantage for those who can’t choose their avatars fast enough, provides a specific advantage to which ever player can obtain the light characters. The toad characters can get the golden multiple boost whereas the bowser characters can slay everyone and themselves with the giant destructive Bowser shell. The characters and their karts have simulated weights. The bigger characters go slower, but an experienced player can abuse them to their advantage by smashing other characters, though this doesn’t have a huge effect since this edition of Mario Kart eliminated spinning out and getting squashed, so one is better off getting the baby players. The different karts are a novel idea, but the reality is that everyone usually picks the toad kart because it is simply the best kart, despite numerous claims that the golden trophy kart is “statistically” the best kart in the game. Like most Mario Karts, Double Dash stands the test of time and quality.Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:02:16 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2560&iddiary=4825https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2560Summary Mario Kart Double Dash is a racing game wherein players drive as different Nintendo characters through levels of increasing difficulty. The main objective is to win first place in every race. By completing the game the player gains new characters and levels. Gameplay The concept of Mario Kart has been a staple in the diet of most Nintendo consumers. Double Dash, one of the newest Mario Kart games, was released on the gamecube. This game consumes my friends and I every time we play. This latest installment in the Mario Kart series picks up where it’s Nintendo 64 predecessor left off. The driving engine handles with more precision, and although the jumping has been lost, a more controller friendly drift/boost has been installed. With the addition of another character riding on the kart ( hence “double” dash) and the specialization of special attacks a much wider variety of gameplay can be experienced than in the previous games. By beating many levels the player can gain new karts, characters, and levels. Though the easter eggs can only be cracked in single player, playing against real people is by far more fun. Often times the rounds are evenly matched down to the final stretch making for very intense gameplay. This game has the ability to engage players in a way that few other games possess.Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:00:50 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2560&iddiary=4823https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2086Gamplay Stealth is a major component of completing Goldeneye. Unlike most first person shooters, Bond must complete many other secret agent activities that require more skill than simply running and pulling a trigger. The game has three levels of difficulty which provide incentive to keep playing the game even after you’ve beaten it once. Two extra levels can be unlocked by beating the game on the two harder difficulties. In addition, beating levels on certain difficulties within specific time limits can unlock cheat options. Goldeneye is simple, yet challenging. It i takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. Even as an experienced player I sometimes find myself cornered by random grenades. To this day I have never fully completed the game on 00 difficulty. The fact that Goldeneye is still challenging all these years later only makes me respect it more. Design The numerous weapons in this game allow for almost endless strategies. Proximity mines go off when anyone gets close to them. Many experienced gamers use this function to their advantage by placing them in spawning locations. The sniper rifle has a scope which allows the user to zoom up on far away enemies. The golden gun kills someone in one shot, but it only shoots one bullet at a time. The sheer volume of different weapons almost assures a unique game every round. All of the levels are designed exceptionally well by maintaining a relevant tone. For example the jungle level is crowded with plants just like a lush forest. The enemies within each level change with the tone as well. The color scheme in most of the levels is consistent, simple, and effective i.e. the floor is one color and the walls are another. The music is another high point of this game. The fast paced secret agent soundtrack is enough to get anyone who happens to be standing nearby excited. The characters in this game look and act real . You can hold your gun up to a scientist and they will throw their hands up and shake in terror. The simulant’s reaction to a gunshot will depend on which area they are shot. For example, if one gets shot in the leg they will grab their leg and clutch it in pain. This level of sophistication in artificial intellegence had not been explored before Goldeneye, but surely has been a staple of every first person shooter since.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:19:31 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2086&iddiary=4027https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2086Summary Goldeneye 007 is a first person shooter game based off of the James Bond movie Goldeneye. By shooting many enemies and completing various mission objectives James Bond is able to stop the Goldeneye sattellite from destroying multiple cities. Gameplay I can remember my heart rate accelerating when I first played 007 Goldeneye as a child. It has been over a decade since the game’s release and yet I still find myself experiencing similar symptoms every time I play. It has been and still is one of my favorite games of all time. An hour goes by unnoticed and unintentionally every time I sit down to play. It has a hypnotizing quality that is deeply rooted in it’s overall quality as a game. Goldeneye set the bar for first person shooters in terms of graphics and general gameplay. What always astounds me about this game is the incredible attention to detail. Simple aspects like how the shine on the gun changes as you go past a light source, or how the music changes depending on where the player is in a level. Basing a video game off of a James Bond movie is by far the most genius element of this game. Most people already associate the term secret agent with James Bond, so who could possibly be a better video game hero? This game gives everyone the chance to be a secret agent. This game is incredibly fun in both single and multiplayer, but it gained most of it’s popularity through multiplayer. Ultimately the goal is to kill your friends as many times as possible, though I’m not sure whether or not I should be disturbed by that concept. It’s never too long before people start screaming and yelling at each other during gameplay. I often wonder why people get so much pleasure out of “killing” each other. Perhaps what makes this game so successful is it’s incredible graphics and the idea that you can kill someone ten times and still be friends with them.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:19:12 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2086&iddiary=4026https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1785It was a game that destroyed barriers, inspired generations and touched the hearts of maybe a thousand people tops. I’m talking about Zombies Ate My Neighbors: a game for SEGA Genesis that would seem impossible to beat to the untrained eye, but one who spends a few hours playing will realize that it is indeed impossible to beat. This game is mostly enjoyable for a few levels. The soundtrack is haunting, jazzy, and all around awesome. It is probably the biggest redeeming quality of the game. The player is given two options of character. Zeke is a cool kid with spiked hair, 3-D glasses, and a skull on his shirt (Whoah! Cool!) and Julie is a rather lame looking girl in a loud pink jacket. Honestly, if the zombie apocalypse were real and I had to choose between being one of those two clowns or being a zombie the undead option would become much more appealing. Their initial tacky appearance becomes less of an issue when playing the game since they are compressed into granulated blocks of color viewed from a high angle as they roam through the various levels saving seemingly clueless people. I should also mention that there are merely 48 levels and each player is given a whopping three lives with absolutely no way to gain more lives. The player is expected to make do with sparse items and medical kits. The controls can be difficult to manage while playing the game. If one wants to change a weapon they must press two of the three buttons at once. The status and inventory of each character is displayed in a window which takes up the right vertical fourth of the screen in an annoyingly small font. Trying to look back and forth between the status bar and the game play is distracting and usually costs health points and lives. The perpetually respawning monsters which Zeke and Julie battle become exponentially harder. Jumping werewolves, chainsaw wielding maniacs, and red alien plants reminiscent of the creeping vines in War of the Worlds are almost impossible to kill. The first boss is a giant baby that moves so fast it is nothing short of unfair. Zeke and Julie instantaneously travel from suburban neighborhoods to pyramids to factories in a desperate hope to save tourists, babies, and explorers whose lives are sometimes taken right before they would have been saved. The player intermittently receives cheat codes to return to the game at a later time. Cheating seems to be the only way to beat this game. The interesting aspect of saving people is that the player who saves more people gets bonus points. In this sense the game is both cooperative and counter operative at the same time which adds a competitive dynamic to multiplayer. Often times the two characters will go to separate ends of the map only to find themselves trapped by an invisible border that confines them to the same scale the entire game. The futility of fighting against zombies may be somewhat symbolic of this game’s impossible game play. There is no escape from being overwhelmed in a real zombie apocalypse. The only way to buy some time would be to cheat so you have a better chance of living longer, but even then it is inevitable that you will be destroyed by a crowd of never ending zombies.Mon, 14 Jan 2008 02:27:04 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1785&iddiary=3530