Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=677https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3098ENTRY 2 GAMEPLAY As the game progressed the levels became much more intricate and much more challenging. Along with the increasing in difficulty came an upgrade in the player’s abilities. This came in the form of new planes. There are numerous planes that the player is able to ultimately choose from, and they are unlocked when the player destroys an enemy plane of that type. After purchasing that particular plane n the store, the player can then use it in a mission. The planes all have varying characteristics; some are better at air to air combat, some are better for air to ground combat, some turn faster or accelerate more quickly or carry a larger supply of missiles. Each plane also has a number of secondary weapons to choose from. The secondary weapons are important, because their damage potential is much higher than regular missiles, though there are far fewer of them. They can take the form of cluster bombs or advanced air to air missiles that can be fired four at a time, or various others. There are two primary types of missions. There are missions in which the player must destroy certain targets to attain victory; and there are missions were the player must gather a certain amount of point by killing enemies within given time limit. In the former the number of targets may range from one or a few to several dozen, and they may be ground targets or flying targets. In the latter each type of enemy has a different points value, so the player must decide which to pursue as the most efficient use of his precious time. These two mission types are often times both used in a single mission resulting in a single mission with various phases. This adds an element of suspense as the player does not always know when his mission is over. DESIGN This game really gives the player a sense of freedom in exploring the gameworld. Each mission takes place on a separate map. Each map is very large and open in all directions, so much so that it would take several minutes to cross a map at the player’s top speed. In addition everything on the map fits to scale fairly well. Because of this the player can fly low right along the coast of an island or high up past the clouds and have it seem reasonably realistic. These large maps also allow for a lot of flexibility in level design, enemy bases can be clustered together or spread out very far, causing the player to manage his time more carefully. The reward system for this game is simple but it certainly does the trick. After every mission the player gets a certain amount of money based on the number and type of enemies he destroyed. Obviously this gives the player incentive to destroy as many enemies as he can in a given mission. With the money he has accrued the player can purchase new planes that are more maneuverable or have a larger armament, or the player can purchase new secondary weapons for the plane he already has. Also, at the end of each level the player receives a rank according to the number of points he scored. There are four ranks, from lowest to highest they are: C, B, A, and S. The higher the rank the higher the monetary rank bonus the player receives. Also, if a player can get rank S on all of the missions he can unlock secret experimental aircraft. This instills further motivation to do well, and provides some replay value.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:11:23 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3098&iddiary=5807https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3098ENTRY 1 SUMMARY Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies, is a combat flight simulation game for the Playstation 2 created by Namco. The player assumes the role of Mobius 1, a pilot in the ISAF (Independent States Allied Forces) which is trying to retake the mainland that has been conquered by the behemoth country of Erusea. The player engages in a variety of missions using an assortment of different fighter planes and weapons. GAMEPLAY This game is engrossing right from the beginning. This game tests the player’s reflexes and 3D spatial awareness. The air to air combat portion of the game is very entertaining and oftentimes quite intense. The goal is to try and get a good angle on the enemy plane so that one’s targeting system can get a clean lock on the enemy so that the player can shoot it down with a missile. One on one this can be a fairly simple process, though not always, sometimes the enemy pilot is quite skilled. However, when the player faces multiple enemies (sometimes numbering over ten), the game becomes much more challenging. With missiles flying everywhere the player is trying simply to avoid being hit, but he must also attempt to simultaneously shoot down those that are shooting at him. In such situations certain camera controls can be very useful. The player can control the 3D camera looking in any direction he chooses. He also has the ability to lock the camera on the currently targeted enemy as viewed from the player’s plane. This gives the player a very good sense of where the enemy plane is with respect to his own. The story for this game comes in short installments, but gives the player a very good sense of the conditions within the gameworld. The cut scenes between levels tell the story of a young boy living in a town occupied by Eurusean military forces. These provide more depth with respect to the enemy forces and some of the main characters associated with them, namely the enemy aces Yellow Squadron. The rest of the story is portrayed through in-game dialogue between the other members of the player’s squadron, HQ and various other associated figures. Mobius 1 never actually speaks. Through this interesting narrative setup the player gets to see both sides of the conflict.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:13:10 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3098&iddiary=5768https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2828ENTRY 2 GAMEPLAY The second Session proved to be much more challenging that the first. The next two areas are far more difficult than the first two were. In the third area the game used a lot of disappearing or sinking platforms coupled with the unfortunate positioning of nearby enemies, also some levels used blast barrels extensively, so developing good aim was important. The fourth area introduced a new dynamic; some of the levels were on tracks. This restricted the player’s controls to jumping, making timing extremely important. One unique feature of this game is the animal companions that the player can pick up along the way. Somewhere in the level the player might find a crate with a swordfish or a snake or a rhino in it, the player can then climb onto that animal and ride it through a certain portion of the level. Each of the different animals has a distinct set of abilities that it confers on the player. For instance, the snake can jump very high, the rhino attacks automatically and the spider can create temporary platforms. The game is designed such that it is not necessary to have one of these animals to complete the level, but it does make it a lot easier or it allows the player to enter secret bonus areas. DESIGN This game allows for several different types of levels that are interspersed throughout gameplay so that the player does not get tired of doing the same thing over and over again. There are typical ground-based platforming levels which are fun enough. There are also underwater levels that allow the player greater freedom of movement by taking away gravity but in these levels the ability to attack is taken away so that the player most use this newfound maneuverability to dodge enemies. There are also some levels that take place on tracks where the player is constantly moving forward, these levels restrict the player’s control to jumping, so fast reflexes are necessary to avoid gaps in the track or enemies. There are levels that use blast barrels extensively; blast barrels are basically cannons that propel the player in a certain direction at a rapid pace. Some barrels can be controlled by the player while others cannot, so a player must watch the movements of nearby enemies and other blast barrels to successfully complete the level. One of the things that is really well done about this game is its reward system. There are so many different things throughout a level that the player can collect for a reward. Bananas give the player extra lives when one-hundred of them are accumulated, likewise the letters K O N G give the player an extra life when all four of those are collected. The player can also collect coins which he can then use to purchase information, hire a plane to another area or play a quiz minigame to get more lives. There are also a number of hidden bonus blast barrels throughout the various levels that propel the player into a minigame where he will be rewarded with a kremcoin if he is successful. When a player gains enough kremcoins he can buy his way into a secret bonus level that is separate from all of the other areas. With so many different things to collect and so many subgoals, a player often has to play through a single level several times to get everything.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:10:50 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2828&iddiary=5384https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2828ENTRY 1 SUMMARY Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest is a platformer/adventure game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The player assumes the role of a chimpanzee named Diddy who must with the help of his girlfriend, find and rescue Donkey Kong and slay the evil Captain K. Rool. GAMEPLAY This game has proven to be quite entertaining. It is more complex than other SNES platformers like super Mario world. In Donkey Kong Country 2, the player has a number of methods to dispose of enemies. He can jump on them, cartwheel into them, and hurl barrels, crates and even his own partner at them. However, not all enemy are susceptible to every form of attack. Each new enemy has immunities to different attacks, and it is up to the player to find out what they are. The game has very little narrative and storyline, the gameplay takes off right from the beginning. All of the levels in the first area are very straightforward and easy. All the player has to concern himself with is climbing ropes and dodging slow moving enemies. Even the first boss is fairly simple, dodge the eggs he drops and then throw it back at him somewhere in his highly predictable flight path. The levels do not begin to become challenging until halfway through the second area. The player must develop a good sense of timing in order to navigate through pools of lava and blast barrels swarming with enemies.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:35:36 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2828&iddiary=5273https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2377GAME LOG ENTRY 2 GAMEPLAY Sadly, the second hour was not quite as exciting as the first was. The gameplay remained mostly the same; still slow-paced and at times tedious, although there was a greater selection of units to choose from. The levels seem to take far longer than they should; accomplishing a few simple goals can take incredible amounts of time. For instance, I spent no less than seven minutes destroying a single ship with a relatively large sized fleet of my own. The gameplay does not move along fast enough to keep up with the story. The story remains interesting, though perhaps not quite as interesting as in the beginning. There were a few interesting developments and I am certain that there are far more to come. I feel that there is too much space between the narrative advancements. If the game were a little faster paced then its quality would improve dramatically. This story, more than many others really does draw the player in. The fictional universe created by this game feels whole and realistic (as realistic as science fiction can get anyways), it does not overreach as so many other games do. DESIGN Perhaps the most innovative thing about this game is the control the player has over the camera. Unlike most RTSs, Homeworld is not limited to a two-dimensional plane. The game is entirely three-dimensional, the camera rotates 360 degrees and can zoom in or out on whatever unit the player desires, and follow that unit as it moves. The units themselves also move in three dimensions. Sometimes there will be resources or enemy units at a different elevation than the player’s own units, so the player can choose to alter the elevation of his own units to reach them. Graphically the game is relatively unimpressive, especially by modern standards (the game is eight years old after all). The units look blocky and unwieldy, they also have, in my opinion, odd color schemes that do not fit with the rest of the tone of the game. This is made up for however, by the detailed and immersive environment. The background art is really quite something with stars, nebulae, planets and other eye-candy; and the player can view all angles of it with the 3D camera. The other artistic aspect that helps set the ambience is the music. The soundtrack is beautiful, if a bit solemn, and perfectly fits with the purpose and feel of the game.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:15:48 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2377&iddiary=4529https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2377GAME LOG ENTRY 1 SUMMARY Homeworld is a Real Time Strategy for the PC set in space. In Homeworld the player controls a race of people who have recently completed construction of a large self-sustaining vessel known as the mothership. With the mother ship and the various support ships that it constructs, the player must cross the vastness of space in search of the fabled homeworld. GAMEPLAY The storyline for this game draws the player in from the very beginning. It starts with the discovery of a mysterious an ancient alien ship, which allows for the creation of a mothership which will be used to seek out the enigmatic ancestral homeworld. This spurs the entire planet into a time of progress and unity never before known. The player begins by testing the mothership’s various systems so that the player can get situated with the controls but quickly gets swept away in a much deeper plotline. The frequent narrative interspersed between gameplay keep the player’s interest up while at the same time keeping the tone suspenseful. The player constantly wonders what is going to happen next. While the story was very engrossing right from the beginning, the same thing could not be said of the gameplay. The game started with the typical “get to know your controls” tasks that one finds throughout the RTS genre. After those were completed the game still took awhile before entering into any real combat. The controls are initially tricky and counter-intuitive when it comes to combat situations. And the situations themselves are relatively slow paced and seem to take longer than many of the other RTS’s I’m familiar with. However, I have not yet been able to use a wide range of units, so it is possible that this is only the case with the initial units. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:41:38.)Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:40:56 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2377&iddiary=4522https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2213GAME LOG ENTRY 2 GAMEPLAY Well, I’ve been playing this game for a few hours now, and I’m still waiting for the storyline to really pick up. It seems like its just one tiny insignificant quest after another, although there is an inkling of a greater goal. With only two playable characters so far the dialogue has been a bit dry, especially considering the fact that Mario can’t speak, though admittedly he is very good at charades. Though it is incredibly slow to start I am still confident that the storyline will get moving at some point. The gameplay has been mostly the same as the first session; the same old battles but with some new skills and spells. The levels themselves seem to be progressing in that they are becoming more complex with warp pipes, switches and platforms at different elevations and so on. There have also been a few small mini-games that help to break up the monotony of the turn-based battles, become quite tedious. DESIGN The level design for this game is, in my opinion better than that of the typical RPG. In most RPGs is limited to simply running around a straightforward single level map, collect items and fighting random encounter battles. Super Mario RPG features the ability to jump, something most RPGs do not have; the player uses this ability to overcome various obstacles such as rocks, barriers and platform puzzles. Additionally, many levels are designed with platforms at several different elevations, providing the game with more of a three dimensional feel, and complicates the player’s progression through the level so that it is more challenging and not quite so clear cut. Another element that I find helpful is that the enemies are shown on the map, so, rather than just being randomly encountered the player can attempt to avoid them if he so chooses. Super Mario RPG does a good job in keeping with the feel of the rest of the Mario series. It uses similar artwork to the other games, and incorporates many of the items that gamers have come to know and love such as mushrooms stars and fire flowers. These are used to restore hit points or special ability points, etc. I find them a refreshing break from the typical potions and elixirs found in other games. This game also features all of the traditional baddies from goombas and koopas to lakitus and boos. Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:56:43 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2213&iddiary=4243https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2213GAME LOG ENTRY 1 SUMMARY Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is, as the name suggests, a role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System created jointly by Squaresoft and Nintendo. The player assumes the role of Mario, the classic video game super-hero-plumber, and several of the friends that Mario meets along the way. Mario’s ultimate goal, as always, is to rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser and the new threat of the Smithy Gang. GAMEPLAY So far, Super Mario RPG seems to be the perfect blend between the classic adventures of Mario and the intricate well planned game mechanics of Squaresoft RPGs. The battle system functions as a typical turn-based RPG, with basic attacks, special skills and item use. However, it adds something to the experience by prompting the player to press a certain button at the right time to make the current action more effective. This involves the player more than simply having him select an action to perform and watch the accompanying action sequence over and over again. Unfortunately the story seems to be rather lacking up to this point. I feel that it doesn’t capture the player’s interest right from the start as many other games do. The story seems to be rather simplistic; the same old rescue the maiden in distress routine doesn’t quite cut it. Nor does the seemingly frivolous quest of tracking down a purple crocodile that calls Barney to mind, for the sake of a confused marshmallow who thinks he is a frog. However, I realize that it is still early in the game and have no doubt that the story will evolve into something more engrossing.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:42:57 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2213&iddiary=4198https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1924SESSION 1 SUMMARY Way of the Samurai is an action adventure game for the Playstation 2. It is set in a remote village in Japan during the late nineteenth century. The player controls a samurai who wanders into the village and becomes entangled in the local socio-political situation. The player decides his own path according to the choices he makes when interacting with the game’s characters, and hones his swordsmanship through the myriad swordfights along the way. GAMEPLAY The first forty-five minutes of play in this game seemed to pass rather quickly. It was intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable. The game’s story is somewhat interesting. It is refreshing to have a game without a grandiose epic storyline. It seems to be fairly straightforward, on the surface it is about two factions, (the Kurou Family and the Akadama Clan) and their struggle to possess the nearby village. The most interesting part of the story comes from the relationships between the characters. The thing I like best about the story though, is the fact that it can change at the whim of the player. This first time through I chose to ally myself with the Kurou family, but I had the option of allying with the Akadama clan or not allying with either. Even now I can choose to leave the service of the Kurou and the story would not end there. The game thus far is primarily task based; you’re superior tells you to go with him to drive some people away or to accompany him on a walk, you do so, inevitably some kind of altercation arises and afterwards you get paid. I find the actual sword fighting to be quite entertaining. The sword fighting aspect is much like a traditional fighting game; one can use several different kinds of attacks and combination of attacks as well as blocking. The kind of techniques one can use depends on the type of sword the player is equipped with. Each type has its own set of techniques and more can be unlocked as the player battles more and more. The player obtains swords from the foes he has killed, thus making it very tempting to kill everyone you can find just to see how good their sword it. The enemies vary in skill level, as they should, thus fighting an enemy thug is fairly straightforward whereas fighting an enemy boss can be quite challenging and rewarding. SESSION 2 GAMEPLAY The game ended up being shorter than I thought it would be. About twenty minutes into my second gameplay session I beat the game. After disposing of the enemy faction, the Akadama clan, the government invaded the village and betrayed the Kurou family with whom they had made a deal. The last part of the game was fraught with combat, pitting the player against dozens of foes at once. After completing the game I received ending number four. So being naturally curious I decided to play the game again to try for a different ending. This time I sought to ally myself with the Akadama Clan. Upon doing so I found that the characters that before had only been my enemies were revealed to have a certain degree of depth. Also, the Akadama path provided me with new a perspective of the goings on in the village. This path had an entirely different plotline and it was interesting to see the differences that one person could make in such a situation. Aside from the story the second gameplay experience was about the same as the first. There were a few differences however as I got to keep the swords I ended the game with the last time and so had better techniques with which to fight my enemies. Also, after accumulating so many points from last game I was able to choose from new costumes. During my second play-through I also discovered the sword smith’s hut, where I could improve the stats of my swords making them stronger. It seemed strange on the first play-through that I kept getting paid money but did not have a place to spend it, now I realize that this was that place. All in all playing this game was a positive experience and I intend to play through all of the different paths to see everything that is going on in this seemingly innocent little village. DESIGN The most innovative part of this game is the freedom that the player has to take the story in his own direction. There are several separate plotlines that the player can choose to follow. The player may follow one plotline exclusively or switch between them according to the interactions with the other characters. The town in which the game is set has several different areas for the player to explore, and there is something different happening in each of these areas at the different times of day. This provides a multitude of options to the player. Also, every time the player interacts with another character he is given a list of choices of what to say, each choice carries with it certain consequences as the choice may affect how the character reacts to you which may in turn have a great deal of influence on how the game progresses. For instance you may choose to insult your superior, at which point he may throw you out of his faction or even pull out his sword and try to kill you. Graphically the game is fairly well designed, given that the game was released in 2002. The game also features a vaguely entertaining soundtrack composed primarily of traditional Japanese-sounding music. Unfortunately one drawback is the lack of voice acting in the game. The characters communicate through text with an accompanying grunt or yell. After an hour or an hour and a half of hearing nothing but grunts, yells, the clanging of swords and mediocre music one might start to become exasperated. The replay value of the game is immense as there are not only several storylines to play through but also several swords to collect, titles to earn, and costumes and special features to unlock. In my opinion this offsets the short duration of the game itself, making it an enticing and well designed game.Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:09:36 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1924&iddiary=3726