Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=681https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3024GAMELOG ENTRY #1: SUMMARY- NFL Blitz 2000 for the Nintendo 64 console is an arcade style sports game that redefines the rules of football. It is a football game that removes the foul aspect of gameplay and allows the player to be more aggressive during the game. The objective of the game is to score more points than your opponent within the alloted time. Through offensive and defensive play, the player must limit the other team's points, while scoring as many touchdowns and fieldgoals as possible. You beat the game by defeating various teams throughout the course of the season and playoffs until you reach the superbowl. Here you face the best team in the league and must outscore them to triumph as a true champion. GAMEPLAY FIRST SESSION- During the first session of gameplay I started the campaign option of a regular season. The game allows you to select a team from a list of the NFL teams that exist in real life. It lists every teams' overall offensive, defensive and special teams score out of 100. This allows the player to gage how good his team will perform against other teams in the league. The best teams have a leg up in speed, performance and strength and are naturally the hardest to beat. The option of choosing your team is a great feature because the player can elect either an outstanding statistical team, or a hometown team. Since most players of football games also watch football, this option instantly develops a commradery and investment of the player's emotions in the game's outcome. This was true for me too. Being from San Francisco, I picked the 49ers. My emotional state while playing the game was energetic and aggressivly excited. What led to this was the fact that conflict is established in the game through performance. I had to outscore the other team in order to win. My emotional investment in the 49ers in real life also added to the gameplay because I wanted to lead my team to an artificial victory as well. Another thing that led to my aggressive emotional state was the fact that in NFL Blitz, the standard rules of football have been tweeked. There are no penalties or late hits, so the player is able to knock down and tackle opponents during and after the play. This restriction with penalties in real life leads to the satisfaction of illegally hitting another player in the gameworld. With no consequence, the player is able to do any late hit or dirty move that is prohibited in the real NFL. Football players and fans can live vicariously through the success of their artificial team as they try and capture the superbowl trophy. The characters in the game are well designed and fun to play with. This is because the designers created all of the characters to be big, muscular bohemiths. Regardless of what position they play, most characters are about the same size and speed and can certaintly hit just as hard. This removes an element of strategy in the game because there are very few player mis-matches on the field for a coach, "or player" to take advantage of. This is one way that the gameplay differs from the traditional Madden style football games. There is nothing too unique about individual players in the game and it is primarily the names and teams that certain gamers will develop attachments to because of real-life affinities. The game's progression and narrative story are simple, easy to follow and effective. The game does not get caught up in any off the field issues or injury reports. It strictly sticks to the game on the field. The player must win as many games as possible to emmerge as the best team within his division. If you win the division, you make it to the playoffs and can fight your way to the superbowl. The game follows the structure of the NFL season in real-life and therefore, many of the rules for narrative progress are implicit amongst football fans and gamers. The gameplay is sensational and very fun to play because of the way that NFL Blitz re-defines the flow and style of a football game. The game is not concerned with running plays for a few yards and field position, but rather designed for big-play action. This means that running plays typically go for huge gains and hail-mary passes down the field often result in touchdowns. The high scoring outcomes of most games keeps players interested because it is easy for even a beginner to score a touchdown. As well, the turnover margin is about three times as often as a real NFL game. This means that the ball changes possession and the rate of scoring are extraordinarily high. There is never a dull momment because of this and games are frequently very close. The lack of penalties really helps to establish the flow of this arcade style game. There are few pauses in the game, so time moves very quickly. The camera angle only changes when a turnover occurs and gets behind the team with the ball. The lack of a panoramic view adds to the de-enfasis that the game places in the background and aesthetic visuals. The game is all about the game itself that is being played. In addition, there are cut-angle images that pop up on the screen between quarters. Here a scandelously dressed cheerleader offers tips for special "juke" moves in the game and then the box closes immediately for the game to resume. The cheerleader is a nice character touch because it contributes to the game's animalistic and primal tendency for violence and competition within the gameplay. The game is catered to men and the cheerleader is effective for that reason. Flow is also established by the rules of the game. The rules for penalties are altered, but the rules of scoring in football remain the same. This maintains the objective of the game by giving the player no reason to feel confused while playing. The interactions that the player has with other individuals is highly competitive and interactive. The tendency for big plays to occur in the game keeps players and spectators on the edge of their seats. The natural hatred that some people have for certain teams keeps the atmosphere competitive and full of appropriate trash talking. GAMELOG ENTRY #2: GAMEPLAY SECOND SESSION- For the second game session I invited a friend over and tried the multiplayer feature. This became very frustrating after a short while because the game is not designed well for the two player option. One player controls the quarterback while the other controls the receiver of the football. The result was a lot of mixed signals, busted plays and yelling at one another. The gameplay during this second session was much more enjoyable, however because the character became easier to manipulate as the controller became more familiar. I could now get the character to juke, spin, accelerate, jump and stiff arm. This is tremendously significant in the game because of the arcade format. Each team in the game has the same playbook, so you are working with the same offensive and defensive schemes for any team. This downplays the significance of strategy in the game and makes the execution of a pass or run dependent on the player's skills, not the strategy used. The acquisition of proficient "juke" skills becomes the main difference in the game. The outcome of a match is therefore, more dependent on a player's skills than any random outcome or play selection. The knowledge of defensive sets and play-calling is not very important in the game, which is an innovative feature that sets NFL Blitz apart from other sport games such as Madden football. My emotional state while playing the game changed when playing against another person. The computer intelligence of the game makes the opponent rarely miss tackles or give up big plays. Against a friend, I was more excited when playing because the potential for making touchdowns increased. The games are typically offensively driven and often more than 40 or 50 points are recorded. One thing that disappointed me was the lack of character development within the game. The lack of injuries and fines/suspensions in the game made it really feel like a videogame and at times removed me from the magic circle. This can make some teams virtually unstopable because their rating is too high for most any player to overcome. The game was interesting and fun to play because every match is different. There are no two games that are played identically. Each new play involves different approaches to tackling and running and keeps the matches fresh. And of course, the late hits make it fun to play regardless of what the score is. The social interactions between me and my friend were highly competitive with a lot of trash talking. This is due to the high level of skill that it takes to beat another player, since you are both playing with the same strategy and playbook. DESIGN- The design of this game is certaintly unique for a football sports game and is the source of the games greatest strengths and weaknesses. The main innovative element of the game is the alteration that NFL Blitz makes to the gamerules. The lack of penalties and fouls in the game is a unique feature that differentiates the game from the Madden football series. The alteration from the standard rules of football is an innovative element because it allows for more freedom and aggression during gameplay. The lack of penalty assessment removes the restriction that most football games impose on the players that demonstrate "unsportsman like conduct." It is innovative because it allows for freedom within a structured set of rules. The ability to succeed within these guidelines and have the freedom to foul at will is a large part of the game's success. Another innovative element is the icon, slot-machine-like wheel at the bottom of the screen that allows the player to unlock cheats before each game. Dirt fields, big heads, fog, etc are some examples of avatar variations and environmental changes that the player can introduce into the gameplay. Another innovative feature is the "on fire" option that is unlocked after a certain number of sacks or completed passes. It gives the muscular avatar even greater speed and strength and makes the character super-human for a short period of time. It contributes to the arcade style flow of the game by making it less realistic and more fantastic. The lack of character development and level variation is an example of an overlooked design element in the gameplay. All of the characters look identical in the game as large muscular avatars. The flaw to this is that they all have the same speed, catching and tackling abilities. The rating of the team at the beginning of a match is the rating that each character has, so there is no individuality for specific avatars on each team. There is no real "play maker" on offense or defense because all of the members of a team are equally skilled. This creates a degree of separation between the player and his avatar because he can not target and lock onto a specific character that he loves from real life. Jerry Rice is just another avatar in the game and no more special than any other receiver. This fact makes the game less realistic and less enjoyable for a campaign season where the player can not set records. The fields that appear in the game are all identical with the exception of whose name i written in the endzone. The stadiums have nothing original about them and the concept of home-field advantage does not exist because of this. Something that I would change about the game would be the lack of individuality that players have. I would make the faster players appear leaner and give them greater speed. Another thing I would change would be the computer's recognition of a lop-sided game. When one team is winning by too much, the computer forces the other team to turn the ball over, which makes every game close. The down side of this is that too many forced turnovers can cause the player to lose a game he should have won because of the computer intelligence. Other than this, the game is truly fun to play because of its innovative elements and is distinctly different from all other football sports games. (This entry has been edited8 times. It was last edited on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:21:57.)Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:13:40 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3024&iddiary=5673https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2707Gamelog Entry #1: Summary- In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the player controls a gangster named "CJ" in Los Angeles in the 1990's. Upon CJ's return to the hood, he notices that things have changed since he left for Liberty City. The player decides to clean up the hood and restore it to its former glory, as well as avenge the murder of his mother. With each completed objective, CJ is rewarded with deadlier weaponry and more territory to control within the inner-city. This objective is to complete all of the missions and make the rival gang's territories your own. This gives the player greater stamina, power, and weaponry within the game and allows CJ to eventually control the whole city. Gameplay- Traditionally, the game is enjoyed for the freedom it gives players to create their own objectives outside of the missions because of the RPG format. However, I stuck specifically to the missions in this first session. In the storyline, you discover that CJ's mother has been killed, which changes the actions of CJ from petty and self-indulging to vengeful. My emotional state while playing the game was engaged and exhilerated. What led to this were the various objectives being asked of me. The objective to murder a rival gang member and control their territory filled me with blood-lust. The objective left me excited because it was not a typical murder for a video-game, but rather a more realistic one involving a gang street-shooting. The missions are handed down to CJ at various times throughout the game and can be completed in a non-linear order. The many characters that CJ meets and the non-linear order of the levels allows the gameplay to vary greatly from player to player. In my experience, my emotional state while playing the levels was typically curious and free. The RPG format and expansive map allows the player to move freely throughout the levels and truly explore them. The lack of a time constriction gave me the opportunity to complete levels at my leisure and made the game play more enjoyable because the player feels truly in control of CJ's life. My emotional state while playing the game was engaged because the game feels more like an interactive movie than a video game at times. The characters in the game are well done. They have varying personalities that reflect their positions in the San Andreas society. The drug dealers are nervous and un-trusting, the gangsters are tough people of few words, the boss has a big booming voice. The way these personalities interact in the cut scenes make the game seem more realistic and give it more depth. There is chemistry between CJ and the peripheral passer-by characters as well. This makes the game truly feel like its own world with infinite possibilities and definetly put me in the magic circle while playing. These interactions add emotional depth to the game by introducing comedic and tragic elements. The game's story and narrative progression intertwine well with the mission objectives. The game's story is essentially CJ's life. The narrative progression as CJ moves from the hood to other areas of the city establishes a solid character development within the game world. CJ is treated with more respect as he earns more money and territory. He changes clothing, vehicules and even his home as he progresses through society and the game's levels. The narrative progression works well because it strongly reflects the game's reward system. The story progresses as CJ progresses through San Andreas society. The game was interesting and extremely fun to play. This is chiefly due to the non-linear format of the RPG game that allows the player to move and act freely within the game world. Sure there are objectives, but one does not need to complete them at all to enjoy the game. The game is interesting because you can live vicariously through the character CJ. Anyone who has ever wanted to steal a car, kill a cop, sell drugs or shoot a rival gang member can experience it through CJ. The game is interesting because it allows the player to live out some of their deepest desires without the ramifications of real-life prison sentancing or death. The flow of the game is truly remarkable because of the intimate details that are included in the surroundings. The sun rises and sets on a schedule, the maps and cities seguey flawlessly into one another. There are freeways, backroads and different types of vehicules. There are unique radio stations that the player can change while driving. Every building can be entered into and explored. The countless side missions also add to the flow of the game, as players can improve CJ's stamina at the gym, his sex appeal with his tatoos, hairstyle, clothing and nearly every aspect of his life. What contributes mainly to the flow of the game is how realistic and limitless the gameworld is within San Andreas. Gamelog Entry #2: Gameplay- In my second session I decided to attempt some of the side-missions of the game. This included robbing houses, doing vigilante police work and tagging graffitti for my gang. CJ's character has developed with the progression of levels. He now has a new house and a new girlfriend which he bought with the money he earned through completion of missions. This part of the game took me to the countryside where CJ has to interact with red-neck characters, instead of gangsters. CJ now lives in a run-down trailer and robs convenience stores and steals farm equipment. This demonstrates the progression element of the game and gives an example of how diverse the game's interactive elements can be. My emotional state while playing this time was more liberated and frenetic. Without the constraints of the "level" progression, I allowed CJ to steal cars and kill random passer-bys. This does not add to the progression of the story, but allows the player to explore the infinite possibilities of murder and theft in the gameworld. As a result, I got tired of killing strangers and evading police after some time and returned to the side missions. The new characters and scenery provide a fresh twist to the missions. The game is interesting to play because of the expansive levels that allow CJ to move from environment to environment. The flow is so smooth in the gameworld because each new city is unique. The cities all have different vehicules, characters and buildings in addition to geography which make them feel appropriate in the gameworld. Design- The main design element of the game, which make it such a success is the freedom that the player has over CJ. He can enter into restaurtants, gyms, malls and other establishments that have no bearing on the game's progression or missions. This non-linear branch allows the game to feel new and fresh everytime it is played because there is no one correct way to beat the levels. Another design element of the RPG world is the expansiveness of the levels which allow the player to explore the massive gameworld. The game provides a good balance of challenges both within the level progression and outside of the main objectives. If you steal a car, a cop will try and arrest you. If you kill that cop, then more and more show up until the player is apprehended or dead. There is no action in the game that is not met with a challenge. Even doing nothing in the game results in CJ gaining weight, loosing his street respect and loosing speed. The game makes great use of space within the gameworld because the player can explore the space on foot or in vehicules. The large assortment of motorcycles, cars, ambulances and tanks allow the player to cover the massive amount of space in whatever style he/she chooses to. Space is filled with buildings and freeways in the cities and trees and vegetation in the countryside. The levels feel large, yet appropriately filled because of this. No screen ever feels empty or blank. One thing that is frusturating about the game is the aiming mechanism for combat. It is extremely difficult to shoot specific locations of vehicules or enemies because of the auto-aim feature. More attention should be paid to the manuel firing aspect of the game. Another problem is that your vehicule disappears whenever you change screen shots. This means the player can spend a lot of money and time finding a vehicule that disappears when he goes into a building. This can be very frustrating at times when you are in the countryside and must traverse a large amount of land on foot. The reward system in the game is extremely effective and one of the most successful design elements of the game. The wide scope of game play allows for different rewards based on CJ's surroundings. In the hood, CJ is rewarded with respect. This respect alters the way character interactions occur and can result in CJ earning more money and weapons. He can use this to buy cars, clothing and ammo for his missions. The reward system for killing someone is a weapon, while tagging a neighborhood results in respect and the support of your fellow gang members. Money is a truly effective reward in the game because it can be spent on anything. This freedom to spend greatly influences the reward system because different players will desire different objects in CJ's life. Whether a new house or a hooker, the reward system is effective because of the freedom each player has to choose his reward. Thus, the reward adapts to each player's interests and is a truly innovative element of the game. The cut scenes in the game are well done and well spaced within the missions so that they do not interfere with the flow of the game. The voices of CJ and the other characters are appropriately represented in these scenes. The break in progression to give a background for a mission furthers the game's narrative progression and allows the player to get to know the characters better. This character development is strengthened by the cut-scenes and makes the gameplay more significant because of the player/character relationship. The cut scenes as well shift the perspective to third person and alloow the player to see if CJ needs a haircut or some new clothes, etc. They as well provide an outside perspective of CJ and remove the player very briefly from the persona of CJ. This is probably a good thing considering the murder and theft being committed in the game. These cut scenes serve to ground the storyline and remind people that indeed, it is just a game and not real-life. A well-designed and fun game to play for everyone who thinks they are mature enough. (This entry has been edited11 times. It was last edited on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:09:18.)Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:45:48 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2707&iddiary=5098https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2405Summary: After the initial 45 minutes of playing Super Smash Brothers for the Nintendo 64 console, I felt that the objective and story of the game were quite clear. The evil villain of the game is a giant white hand (probably a little kid's hand) and you are his toy. The characters in the game are all characters from other well-known video games such as: Donkey Kong, Kirby, Link, Pikachu, Mario, Starfox, etc. The player chooses one of these characters and is pitted against the other remaining characters in a series of typically one vs. one levels where the player must defeat the oposing toy character. The game is designed to be a first person fighting game and each character has a unique fighting style and compliment of weaponry. The objective is to defeat all of these characters and advance through the rank of toys and eventually fight the white hand super-villain child who is controlling you and forcing you to fight against the other toys. Once defeated, the villain hand drops the player and you become free as the liberator of all the other toys. There is a campaign option as well as a fantastic multi-player option, which allows you to fight up to 3 of your friends at the same time. Gameplay: The first person fighting format of the game drew me in immediately because this is one of my favorite genres of games. I was playing with the character kirby who I grew up playing with as a kid. The option of choosing your character amongst a list of classics is an excellent idea because it allows the player to have immediate familiarity and also a nostalgic connection. My emotional state while playing the game was energized. This was partially due to the soundtracks that play in the background. Each level has a unique soundtrack that provides up-beat and fast paced music to accompany the fight. My excitement stems from the objective of the game to defeat the other players in combat. I am naturally competitive and the assortment of combinations and special weaponry adds a lot to the gameplay. The characters in the game were well picked from the classic videogames growing up. The player can choose his character based on either fighting styles and how well he can compete with their abilities, or because of the nostalgia he feels for mario and others growing up. The characters all have a unique style and some are easier to fight with than others (I am good with Kirby, but sucked with mario for instance). The game's story is simple but effective. The narrative progression is that the player is pitted against other toys because he is forced to by the white hand of his master. As he progresses further, he faces harder levels, more toys, etc. and eventuially earns the right to fight the big boss, the white hand. The gameplay was excellent!!! The first person combat game is nothing new, but super smash brothers adds a unique twist to this style. The expansive levels allow the character to explore the scene while fighting and looking for objects to fight with simultaneously. These objects drop from the sky and gives the level a very gladiator-like feel where someone is watching the charaxcters fight to the death. The game has excellent flow and progression and is interesting to play so far. This flow is achieved by a clear narrative progression and a clear objective. This allows the player to progress without confusion or hisitation like one would find in a complicated puzzle game. It seems fairly easy because I have gotten pretty far already in the game and I think it is mainly designed for the multiplayer setting. Gameplay of Second 45 Minute Session: My emotional state while playing the game in this second period was more frustrated than excited. My frustration stems from an inability to advance past a certain villain in the game: metal mario. I was still engaged in the game and the prospect of defeating the antagonists was still alluring, but the increase in difficulty is substancial. After an easy beginning it gets a lot harder half-way through. This is a good feature because it makes the game more fun to play because it is a struggle, but still led to my frustration. The characters in the game get substancially better as the game progresses. The levels increase in difficulty as a result of the villains you fight. The traditional characters are slightly tweeked, such as metal mario and enormous Donkey Kong who you must fight with other allied toys to defeat. Tag-team matches are introduced against Mario and Luigi are the characters feel more connected and less disjointed because of this. The narrative progression is about the same as the first 45 minute session. There do not appear to be any treasures or rewards for your victories. The character is not rewarded with better weaponry or agility, he is merely allowed to fight the next villain. The narrative progression still works because of the variety of villain you encounter while playing. The player will never fight the same character twice and this makes up for the lack of rewards and treasures in the game. The narrative progression's simplicity is appreciated in a combat game because it is the fighting and not the story that in paramount. The gameplay is still excellent!!! There are no power-ups or treasures, but the more one fights, the more combinations and special moves are revealed. This makes the player a better fighter and of course, there are always special objects that fall from the sky and allow you to fight with fire, or a baseball bat, etc and add an unknown element to the fight. The game is fun to play because of the variation in fighting styles that each character possesses. The game requires strategy and skill, as opposed to random luck, in order to determine that outcome of success or failure. The size of the levels allows the player to fight with a strategy of how to use the space in order to knock the other villain off the screne. The game is interesting and fun to play because the player wants to master all the moves with all the characters. The social interactions that take place during the game make the game a success. It is a combat game, so of course a healthy amount of competition exists between the players in the multi-player setting. Trashtalking will happen sometimes, but for the most part you get players on the edge of their seats, with eyes glued to the screen. The life count can be set ahead of time and so can the weaponry which makes the fight "fairer." The goal is the same as in the campaign, but the reward shifts to a social reward of being the best player in the room. The player can team up against a single good player or fight alongside a friend against computer bots. The flow is sensational for this setting because of the atmosphere of competition that is established by the gameplay. There is no money to buy objects, no star-power, just fighting. The simplicity of the narrative and simultaneous complexity of the characters and fighting styles is what makes the game a great success. Design: The design elements of this game, which make it an innovative game are the levels. The levels borrow images and backdrops from all the other major video-games which the characters in the game stem from. That is to say, that Starfox fights behind his own ship. Mario fight in mario-land, etc. The levels have an appropriate feel to them for this reason. Another design element is the weapon selections that appear on the screen. They seem to be generated randomly which can componsate for another player's skill. A bad player with a good weapon has a unique advantage. It keeps the game interesting because it is a combination of luck, random occurence and skill. This keeps the discrepency between players' abilities relatively stable. The levels are varied to be expansive and large, with few boundaries, ranging to small levels where it is easy to fall off the edge and lose a life in your fight. The game provides challenges by introducing different character villains each level. You never fight the same person twice. This means that the player must vary his fighting style to adapt to his opponents constantly. This keeps the narrative and objective steady, while giving variation to the game and keeping it interesting. The game creates conflict by placing another character in the screen who wants to kill you. The game makes excellent use of space in the game world. There are jumping abilities that players can use to reach nearly the top of every level. This ability to move vertically and horizontally maximize the gamespace in the game world. There are also objects you can enter and exit from to teleport you in certain levels and specific elements of the background that come alive and can kill you in some circumstances (starfox's ship). The tone of the gameworld is fairly well-drawn but pixalated because you are meant to feel like you are in a video game. The white hand is making the characters fight against each other and it is meant to feel "cartooney" rather than realistic. The tone is established in this way and works well. The game does a good job of fostering social interactions because of the multi-player feature. This game gives me ideas concerning villain variation that I plan on implementing in my own game project. The more varied the villains are the more engrossed I feel the player will be. I did not respond really to the game's reward structure because advancing through the levels was reward enough. Fighting harder bosses each level makes it fun though and is a good enough reward. A great game and one of my favorites now for the N64 console! (This entry has been edited10 times. It was last edited on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 22:18:24.)Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:25:50 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2405&iddiary=4571https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2266Summary: GoldenEye 007 is a first-person shooter video game that came out in 1997. It is based on the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye and follows the main character, the British spy James Bond through the plot of the movie. You control james Bond with the N64 joystick controlers to spy, gain access, destroy, disarm and of course kill the enemy's technology and villains. James Bond preogresses through the various levels at either the Agent, Secret Agent, or 00 Agent: these signify the settings of easy, medium and hard. As you progress through the game you get a larger assortment of weapons and new objectives arise. New characters are introduced, including a girl named Natalya who you must protect. The object of the game is to complete the objectives from your objective list in each level and eventually have a show-down with the main villain, Alec and kill him. Gameplay: My emotional state while playing the game was legitimately enthralled and energetic. The mission to kill all the enemies in a first-person shooter usually has an engaging effect on the subject. This is because the objective is to kill or be killed and it leads to no boring momments in the game when the character is "safe." The characters in the game are introduced at appropriate times and all have clear established roles in the game. They programmed certain characters such as "Boris" the villain control operator to be nervous and awkward around James Bond which is an effective way of giving the character human characteristics. The story is well layed out, even for those who have not seen the movie. The narrative progresses nicely and the semi-realistic characters (because they've been portrayed on the big-screen) are introduced at critical points in the story to give them significance beyond "expendible". The game was fun and interesting to play because of the excellent weapon selection and the difficulty of the levels. Design: The design elements such as landscaping are very innovative in the game. The levels range from the ice fiels of Siberia to the inside of a rocket silo and a frigate ship in the middle of the ocean. The levels are varied to be compact and dense with villains, to spread out with a greater enphasis on spying and exploring than killing. This lends a greater longevity to the game because of its varrying features. The game provides different objectives in the game that run the gamet from kill "Orumov" to disarm a bomb and recover pamphlets from enemy prisons in Russia. This makes the game very challenging and interesting because they give the player more to focus on accomnplishing. The game creates conflict because the enemies fire upon you and if you don't return or innitiate the violence then you will certaintly be killed. There is a large affinity for this game because of the competitive gameworld and ambiance that the fighting mode and multi-player features establish. It is the basis for modern games like Halo that feed on this same culture of competition amongst friends. The game shows emergent complexity and is one of the all-time greats. The reward structure is greater weapons and more significant objectives in the game's narrative progression. It engages the player well. A must play still.Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:36:42 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2266&iddiary=4340https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1862Summary: After witnessing someone play guitar hero 2 earlier today, I felt it paramount to hit the streets and find somebody who owned the newest installment in the rhythm series: Rock Band. After playing the game for some three hours I must give it my highest praise. Those who have played the guitar hero games will recognize the mechanics and style of play as being very similar. Rock Band is a rhythm game in which the player controls a musician performing on stage in front of a video crowd. There is a track list of songs to choose from that are primarily popular rock songs, well known for most players. This makes it easier to recognize the rhythms for those players who are NOT actually musicians because they are already familiar with the songs. The best part of this game and its true genious rests in its recognition that every struggling musician and musical enthusiast dreams of being a Rock Star. Now with the instrument shaped plastic controller one can get closer than ever before (without practicing). The object of the game is to use your either your plastic guitar-shaped controler, plastic drum set, or microphone and hit as many notes as possible in time with the song. The notes appear scrolling down the fret-board backdrop of a guitar. The notes are color-assigned to the traditional X,A,B,Y buttons on a controller and appear simply as colors the player must hold down for a designated amount of time. One progresses through the game by becoming more and more proficient with the songs, which add more notes and varying rhythms to the scroll bar as one increases the difficulty from beginner to expert. The objective is to "beat" every song in the game with as high of a score as possible on every instrument. The game is designed to be compatable for group play however and most players are simply more concerned with "passing" the song by hitting an acceptable number of notes with their friends. The group-play options for this game are fantastic as it caters to a room full of people who are invested in playing the game rather than critiquing someone else's ability to play the game, as in the guitar hero series. GAMEPLAY EXPERIENCE: My emotional state while playing the game went through a few progressions. At first I was somewhat overwhelmed by the controllers and got frusturated with my inability to play the songs and the jeering boos of the video crowd. My frustration made me initially want to quit the game, but instead I just switched over to another instrument. The guitar controller was somewhat confusing to me (as a guitar player) but rhythmically made more sense. I started becomming obsessively interested in the game and how well I could play the solos. I began by sitting down and eventually was standing up and rocking out in front of the screen while playing. As time progressed, I did not get bored of the game, so much as my fingers began to hurt (felt like carpal tunnel syndrome) and I stopped playing feeling resentful for wasting so much time video playing instead of just actually learning the songs on guitar which would have taken a comporable amount of time. The player feels attachment to the character's success because of how personal the controller makes the player feel as a musician. This is a testament for the game's ability to draw the player into the game and make them feel as if they are really performing. The failure always feels personal. The controller design is the most seductive part of the gaming experience. The narrative progression is pretty good. You begin with zero fans and one gig to play. Over time you gain more recognition which leads to larger venues and more fans. This is important to the player because it allows them to buy roadies, audio guys, jets, etc. needed to travel the world and rock international venues. This option of forming a "band" with friends and advancing through the game together establishes good comradery. The narrative is good, but one never really worries about beating the game with their avatar because of the interactive multiplayer features which allow one to play it forever with friends. The gameplay is sensational and the design of the game factors in a significant amount of hand-eye coordination skills to pass the harder levels. It is skill and not luck that get you through the levels. The game had great flow to it because it allows each player to set an individual difficulty. Beginners can co-exist with experts on the same level, which is rare in most multi-player games and makes this one truly memorable. The social interactions are mostly positive as everyone is trying together to pass, but someone will make fun of another playing for muddying up the rhythms too badly. A MUST PLAY FOR ALL, TRY TO FIND SOMEONE WHO HAS IT!!!! (This entry has been edited8 times. It was last edited on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:07:56.)Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:56:03 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1862&iddiary=3647