Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=619https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1769Entry #2 Gameplay (CMPS80K) My second time playing was pretty boring. I felt that over all the game kept on feeling too repetitive, like it depended way too much on the friend as the opposite player interaction. The challenges and mission placed were interesting but got me pretty bored after a while. It also annoying when you got hit with any item from an opponent and lost your item that you had not even used. The way the roads and the world was limited was also annoying because in one of the levels, if you even drove off by jut a little bit off the road, you were stopped and placed back into the road even if you had not strayed very far off. The controls were very easy to handle and I had no trouble understanding the game. The challenges however became very boring and felt as if it were a matter of chance. As if your game depended on what item you had to your advantage; and of coarse I always wanted the bullet. The colors and music was very engaging and made it seem like a toyland. Drifting became very easy after a while and I just discovered how to start off with a turbo. There was nothing more than the basic engagement of a racing car and I wanted more. Design It kept many of the feature dealing with the character and but it also added a few new characters that I had never seen before. It had different items for the character to use which was something fun and creative. The different additions to items made it exciting in that it allowed the popular advantages and new one like the bullet. It seems like the challenges are kept the same throughout the game (road, slippery, drift, items..) except that is seems like you have more control over them. Thinking about it again, I don’t think it was a bad thing that I began to create my new challenges because that hinted to the fact that I had a better connection to m character based on the new additions to this version of Mario Kart. Since there are a variety of cars you get to choose from where it gives you better items, handling, acceleration, weigth, and drift, I was able to choose my own favorite character, with a kart that fitted the road that I was about to choose. It really gave me control over my advantages and disadvantages on the road as if I were the character. What would have helped is maybe a little story behind it. The use within the game world was very limited to the road. There was nothing else you could have done except drive backward or frontward. I expected a more engaging game in which shortcuts could be learned, and weaknesses could be found in every character. I felt it needed something more than the usual Mario Kart game features of drift, drive, and attack.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:27:28 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1769&iddiary=5912https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1769Entry #1 SUMMARY Mario Kart (DS) is an excellent addition to the Mario racing games. You are primarily racing 7 other typical Mario Kart characters with two additions of Dry Bones and WaLuigi. There are 5 different modes with varying difficulties of roads. You primarily race to the finish using items in boxes placed on the road that give you an advantage over the other players. You may compete against other players wirelessly, the computer, or timed series. GAMEPLAY I had not played a Mario Kart game since I had it in Nintendo 64. The game made very good job in keeping many of the original features from the first Mario kart games yet adding new things to make it different. The differences were enough to make me feel like this was a new game and not just an old one repeated. Racing with other competitors engaged me with the game. There was still the racing aspect of the game that is very engaging. It was especially fun to be able to play with my friends wirelessly and having the other screen to see where they were at and what items they had to their advantage. The controls were common sense based on passed games so it was not hard to get the hang of the game and get frustrated with it. I really felt in control of the game by how many different options we were given from courses, character, kart, difficulty...ect The funky music and the funky new roads made me feel like a little kid. It was new to me and it was fun to play. Not a disappointment and I felt it made good use of the Nintendo DS new features except for the little pen. It was more exciting to play it with my friends than to play it alone. It become very repetitive after playing it by myself for too long. After some of alone play, I resorted to making my own goals and challenges; something that I thought the game should have provided. It sucked that it had no narrative but its usually like this anyway.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:05:26 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1769&iddiary=5872https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2838Gameplay After playing the game in both the multiple player mode and single player, it was easier to get the hang of the controllers. In the multiplayer you need to move in very quick motions both to point and run thru the unfamiliar platforms. You have to remember the world and where the guns are located and hidden. I did feel however that in multiplayer one player always got the upper hand because there was usually one player that appeared closer to the most powerful guns. For example the RocketLauncher. It was very engaging for all players to play in competition with each other and sucked us into the game world in proving who is the best at controlling and shooting the weapons. In playing it in single player for the second time, it was very helpful to finally understand and get used to the controls. The flow of the storyline made it so that you felt like everything was connected and the levels weren’t just random levels. I did feel however that the game began to be somewhat repetitive because of the constant shooting, hiding, and collecting of objects. The game was engaging and had very good graphics for its time. Design One main thing about this game is the flow of the storyline. It was a very smart move to follow the storyline of the film GoldenEye 007 because it gave room for extra connection to the player thru a background set of emotions and knowledge of the game. It made people connect to the film and work toward their favorite part of the movie. The embedded Narrative flowed and allowed the game to piggy back of the film, its success, and connection between character James Bond and the Player. The game, considering their time, took advantage of the controls. Even though they were difficult to control they pushed for a more interactive gameplay through more interaction. It allowed for more conflict and competition to develop between the players themselves and computerized opponents. The competition and conflict between players is what makes this game such a good game. The back drop for these conflicts is that they were also very limited. You shoot, increase your shooting and controls, you increase stealth ability, or you will die. This in once way is very limited in the way the game may be played. There are also some hand to hand combat available but it is never used. In terms of more challenges, the missions and objectives provide everything you need; but that is in itself very similar to any other single player game. It also provides 3 varied levels in which you can increase the difficulty of the attacking opponents. The reward system of this game was a result to the challenges wether it be by beating your friends in the multiplayer or finishing a mission. It creates a very tense environment by stealth hiding, choosing the right weapon, and running for your own safety.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:30:26 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2838&iddiary=5414https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2838Summary In GoldenEye007 you play as the infamous James Bond on another one of his multiple missions. It follows the same storyline as the film where you are assigned missions and you manover yourself armed and ready to shoot or fight the opponents. You get are given multiple arms and collect some from your defeated opponents and stealthy find your way thru the game levels increasing in difficulty up to the final 20th level. The main objective is ultimately investigates a satellite known as GoldenEye that will be launched into orbit by Russia. It also has a multiplayer mode that allows 4 players to play at one time. It gives you a different choice in available weapons and levels. Gameplay I played this game a lot when I was younger so I know what it meant to have these kinds of game experiences and how much of a big deal it was. I played this game first in single player and finished the first couple of missions. I was immediately drawn to the fact that you are personally seeing thru the eyes of James Bond. You can see what weapons you are holding and a target comes up when you want to aim. It was extremely difficult however to move the target to exactly where you wanted it to be in and the controls were a little difficult to figure out. This was a game that you had to get the hang of quickly and stealth is a very large part of it. The camera angle and the way it moves when you are running or walking is very realistic and drags you into the game world. The range of weapons at first is very limited by then you have an entire library of them. It is however difficult to use some of them since they do have a since they may add a sense of weight to your body and slow you down. I was also very tempted to just go off on all of the guards and see how far I could get into the game without having to hide. The watch as the menu screen was a very interesting idea and added to the “secret agent” feel where you are only connected to the outside world was thru this watch that contained everything you needed. It was an overall exciting game with emotional and strategic motivations.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:54:30 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2838&iddiary=5364https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2217Gameplay I enjoyed this game far more in my first gameplay than in my second. There were just a few little nit picks that kept annoying me. The camera angles shifted way too much. The view was hardly ever set to the direction Mario was looking. The angles were helpful but made it too complicated to for. After a while I got dizzy and decided to stop for a while. I felt that the overall story needed a deeper storyline. I think that maybe having Bowser say something or appear at every door would have been a good addition to keep me going for the main goal. The variety in the gameworlds was amazing and kept me going. Passing one level was motivation enough to keep on going. The controls I felt were very limiting and didnt allow for much freedom. I wanted to see more of the things from old Mario games incorporated in this game. As Mario, I felt pretty lonely in this huge castle. It could have been good to have Luigi or Yoshi appear in some of the gameworld. An awesome thing about this Mario game was the fact that you could get hit about 5 times without dieing. It is not like other Mario games in which one hit = your death. You were able to keep on going and were allowed to revive your health. Design I had some difficulties with some parts of the design. As I mentioned before, one major problem I had with this game was the angles in which the camera tilted. In some respects it dose seem like a good thing. It allowed for a greater sense of 3D images. But the changes in the camera angles came at very inopportune times. And the change in angles forced you into switching your control direction in order to avoid not falling off stage. I also did not like that it did not provide any map for the player. The house was way too big to not include a map. This on the other hand allowed for more interest in the actual design of the house. It made it seem as if you were in the house looking around and remembering your footsteps from the entrance. A great thing about this game was the liveliness of the colors. All of the colors were bright. This set a cartoonist tone that any Mario game needs. The music was very complementary to the gameworld design and different challenges you were met with. The design in relation to space was very interesting. The entrances to each miniworlds mane the actual gameworld seem much bigger than it actually was. The edges in the game were designed in such a way that you interacted with some of them. For example, some were designed as quicksand that allowed you some time to escape. In the Bowser world you could fall in the fire and not be killed. Landing in the fire meant jumping higher with a bruised butt and maybe landing back on the platform from which you fell. The conflicts of the game were very well designed but lacked a connection to the overall storyline of the game. The mini challenges had their own objectives and different set of rules. This created a good sense of accomplishment in every game. It allowed you to be able to stop the game if you needed to, and return to the game in good spirits. Overall it was an awesome game and good connection to the player.Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:22:07 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2217&iddiary=4220https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2217Gamelog entry #2 In this game you play as Mario. You begin with a simple storyline that tells you that Peach has requested your presence in her castle. Once arriving in her castle, Peach is abducted by Bowser (big surprise). And as you guessed it, it is your job to save her. You go thru different challenges/worlds by jumping into pictures on the walls that act as portals. In order to save the princess, you need to pass every level/ portals and collect stars at the end of every game. The game was very entertaining. The storyline is the usual as any other Mario games. You are Mario and need to save the princess. Typical. In this sense the storyline was very underdeveloped and didn’t felt missing throughout the game. It was exciting to play this game. The 3D images and the angles of the camera were a plus and allowed for more complicated maneuvering. I did feel as if the game was missing better controls. Mario was not able to do typical Mario actions like past Mario Games. For example double jump in the air. He did not develop in any way. There were no flower/fire powers. His movements were very limited and you needed to get too close to the enemies to actually hit them. The movements of the camera got me somewhat dizzy. What was entertaining was the different games and overall design of the game. The 3D images gave it a more personal feel to the game. The different gameworlds and levels kept me entertained. I am not a frequent gameplayer but the challenges of these worlds kept me coming back. There were awesome ideas in this game. Like the hidden entrances to levels, getting shot from a cannon, and metallic Mario. I did notice a little problem in the design. :) It seems like all of the monsters are programmed to only walk above a surface. But we have ghost in this game and they typically float. There was a point where the ghost was stuck in the corner of a narrow passage. It had a coin I needed and was obstructing my passage. It was stuck there and the only way I could get thru was by killing myself in attempting to kill him. It may be that it was part of the design but unlikely.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:55:32 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2217&iddiary=4207https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1940Game Log entry #2 After some time I began to feel very comfortable with this game. Although it was my first time playing with a Nintendo DS and any of the series of Zelda, I felt caught up in the story and with enough information to keep on playing. At first however, it was annoying to have to read and click every time I needed to know something. It became frustrating. As I went along playing I realized that this same "annoying" feature also allowed me to enter the Zelda world. I made me feel as the actual character walking around and looking for ways to advance in the game. It created meaning in my interactions with other characters and gave me a reason and a way to search for tools and ways out. My main motivation to keep on going was not ultimately to save Zelda as it should have been, but rather the conquest and exploration of this world. I completely forgot about Zelda and found myself seeing every action as an achievement in itself. From finding maps, keys, and getting enough rubies to buy shields, and potions. Design At first, it was very complicated to understand and maneuver the movements of the character. The stylus of was easy to handle yet it was difficult for me to control the movements. It would at times make movements that I did not want it to and at very inopportune times. After getting to know the maneuvers, I managed to understand these movements yet never really managed to make Link roll when I wanted it to. The click and hold way of making the character move was very different as it allowed for more flexible and quickly responsive movements. As it was my first time ever using this type of system, I did not fully master the stylus. The double screen of the system was very helpful. It allowed for good orientation and gave me a view of my quest. It kept me playing because it developed motivation of “I wonder what in there” type of feeling. It was what kept the links between the storyline, and “physical” part of it in tact. The double screen feature also allowed me to envision myself as packing a backpack with tools and maps. I would simply need to look inside and take out what I needed. And you know you are not traveling unless you have your safety backpack. J I was truly an explorer with a mission. I became the hero and found my tools, they were not given to me. The design of it developed a sense of consciousness and responsibility as a character surviving and battling monsters.Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:44:50 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1940&iddiary=3801https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1940Summary This game is an RPG game with you as the main character and hero of the series. The ultimate goal was to save Princess Zelda from a Ghost Ship. The character is on a quest to save Zelda as he encounters monsters and chalenges in finding tools. Gameplay It was my first time playing this game so I didn’t know what to expect. It was fairly easy to begin. The game created an entirely different world where I can talk to other characters and search out information and resources. It became a separate adventure and had a difficult time putting it down. At first, it began as a movie. It explained the situation to me letting me learn the rules and goals for my quest. It was however difficult to understand exactly what to do once I landed on the island. It was not clear who or where I should go or talk to. I learned by experimenting and analyzing the situation. I was entirely captivated by the plot and I found myself (with my name as the character) thinking of myself as the hero preparing for an adventure and searching for weapons. I sought dangerous places in the game such as caves and I felt that I was prepared for a challenge. Interactions with other players was not there. I only interacted with bystanders that had something different to say only when I accomplished a goal and had another goal to set for me. The character in the game was pretty much already set. The traditional look was blonde elf looking which didn’t allow me to change the character at all.Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:13:13 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1940&iddiary=3788