Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=694https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3144Gameplay After a bit more gameplay, I've taken notice to the Rewards system in this game. The experience system is very similar to most Role Playing Games. YOu defeat a monster and then you gain an appropriate number of experience points and once you gain enough, you gain another level and your numbers increase. There are more innovative parts of the rewards system that I find nicer. Dragoon skills are gained when spirit points are earned. You get a certain amount of spirit points per attack and once you've earned enough, a new skill is learned. There is also the Addition level up system. The idea is to do a move 99 times to unlock the next move and then repeat until you've learned them all. The music is very nice in my opinion. Nice but standard. I can't get over how average this game is when you ignore the battle system. The soundtrack is appropriate at all times and does the job well done. I find myself putting some of the tunes in my ipod at the risk of getting mocked by my peers. The level design is done very nicely. The towns look very busy and vast while the dungeons have many winding paths that lead to treasures and traps. It's also visually appealing considering it is a ps1 game. Design The only thing unique about this game is the battle system. By allowing the player to be more active during normally mundane battles, the player is forced to be more engaged in the game and actually concentrate. It really is the main appeal to this game that makes it stand out from the crowd of cookie cutter role playing games that come out every year. The rewards system is also related to the battle system and makes a normally bland thing a little bit more interesting. By forcing the player to learn new moves through mastery of the prerequisite move, the player is being rewarded to actively take part in battles and use the unique battle system. These two complement each other very well and probably would not be very well done if they were created individually for two different games. There is also the Dragoon Transformation aspect which I like to think of as the Super Hero Transformation mode. It allows the player to be alot stronger and makes you think every character is awesome at fighting when they can just transform. I don't think I've played any other role playing game with something like this before so I'm going to say that this is the first of its kind and is therefore innovative.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:27:55 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3144&iddiary=5914https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3144Overview Legend of Dragoon is a role playing game that tells the story of a teenager who is on his quest to avenge his parent's deaths by killing the "Black Monster" who attacked his town many years ago. It is quite unique in that it introduces the Addition battle system. THe system basically allows the character to choose a preset combination attack and then if the player presses X at the right moment during the attack, the attack can continue. Gameplay The characters in my opinion, are very cliche. Every single one of them are stock characters from many Role Playing Games before it was created and certainly after it was created. You get to use the Youthful teenage leader, the love interest, the dark and mysterious girl, the hyper and cheerful girl, the best friend, the buff guy and the martial artist. I feel that it's not bad that the characters are generic, it is just not good at the same time. It didn't throw anything new to the table from what I can tell. The story is elaborate as most Role Playing Games are. It starts off as a boy and his quest to kill the one who ruined his life but then it soon spirals out of control as more characters get involved in his life and distract him from his original goal. Very shortly into the game, the hero gets sidetracked and has to overthrow an empire and then unlock the mysteries of Dragoon Spirits. I felt that it was nice and original as far as Role Playing Games go. I always enjoy a good plot twist to take me by surprise and get my excitement going. The gameplay is very different from most Role Playing Games. The Addition system really spices up battles and keeps it from becoming completely monotonous. The ability to also transform into a Dragoon, a Dragon Warrior is also very different from most Role Playing Games. It makes me feel kind of like a Super Hero because of the ability to change into a super power being that gives many new skillsThu, 06 Mar 2008 02:09:20 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3144&iddiary=5881https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2859Gameplay On my second time today through chrono trigger, I have taken a small break from the main story and I am just enjoying the atmosphere of the game. This game is renowned for having one of the greatest soundtracks on the super nintendo and I decided I would just appreciate that. The soundtrack contains many catchy tunes that I will find myself humming tommorow and is very fitting. It's hard for me to describe music through text but the music is never inappropriate. Sad tunes play during sad moments, exciting and upbeat tunes play during chase scenes, it really makes the game much easier to get into. Doing nothing to advance the story in this game is still rewarding. The people who you can talk to are interesting and have distinct personalities that they are able to express through 1 or 4 lines of text. Theres the annoyed girl that would rather spend time at the fair, the mean drunk, the gambler, the happy old man who gets mad if you eat his lunch. It is nice to know that this game offers more than just a story for players. Design The level design for this game is very well done. They not only look nice, but are fitting to the current time period such as peaceful present to the grim future. The paths that you can take are mostly linear but with occasional dead ends that contain items. This game has a few bits of innovation in it that seperates itself from the massive library of RPGs on the SNES. One aspect is the Active Time Battle system itself. I know a couple of games have this now but back in 1995, this was the first I have ever seen of this kind. The system basically made it so that if the player did not move or input any commands during a battle, the enemy monsters were free to attack again instead of taking turns like in traditional RPGs. One bit of innovation that I've seen is the 8 way run. It is surprising that something so obvious wasn't implemented sooner. Most RPGs that I have played in the past restricted my character to moving up,down,left or right but this game decided that 4 directions was not enough. While this is a staple in any RPG today, it was not there for alot of games back in the 16 bit era. The reward structure is pretty generic for RPGs. It is basically once you destroy enough monsters and collect enough experience points, you gained a level and all your statistics increase by a bit. This is boring and overdone even back then. The only thing that I found amusing was that if you grabbed an item in the present and then go back in time, you can grab the item again. I guess that somewhat rewards you if you kept in mind some time travel logic. This game is very satisfying to play and I would not change much to this game. Besides the boring level up system, there isn't much to complain about. Like many fans, the only thing I can really gripe about is why does this game have to come to an end?Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:51:05 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2859&iddiary=5445https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2859Overview Chrono trigger is an RPG chronicling the adventure of a silent hero protagonist and friends as they embark on an adventure through time. This is an interesting game as it is very different from the other games taht were made at the time. It had an active time battle system, 8 way run and the concept of time travel that they presented. Gameplay The characters that I have encountered seem pretty interesting, not counting the hero crono(Who is silent). The characters are well developed and fill roles in the team that no other character could have. There is the girly girl, the tech savvy girl, the medieval heroic frog knight, a robot and few more. I admit it was kind of weird to see characters from different time periods interact with one another but it was satisfying because now I know or at least have some idea of how it might turn out. The story is very interesting to me. It may just be my weakness to time travel but I always love it when the idea of time travel is thrown around. It basically starts off as a boy excited to go to a fair but gets sucked into a situation where he has to go back in time which leads to another situation where he has to go through time again. Through playing around with time, he learns that a disaster happens in the future and that somewhere at sometime, there is a way to save the world. The gameplay is pretty standard as far as Role Playing Games go. You select a command and the character will do it. However, I find that they added slight twists to battles that make it seem a bit more interesting than Final Fantasy battles such as the ability to see where enemies are instead of random encounters. Another cool thing about battles is that 2-3 characters can combine their abilities to form even more abilities. That leads to the battles not looking so monotonous.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:50:14 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2859&iddiary=5359https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2517Note:My first attempt at entry #1 got deleted when I tried to submit so I had to rewrite this. Entry#2 Gameplay Continuing my quest to save the world, I am faced with daunting challenges. I find myself forced to use any 10 characters I want to face off against the computer's 50 or so soldiers. This game has made me feel 2 feelings in particular very frequently, anxiousness and anger. I feel anxious when the fate of one of my characters gets put in a situation where s/he has a 50% chance of dying in the next bout and anger when s/he has a 20% chance of dying in the next fight and then does die. The narrative progression of the story is divided into chapters. It usually follows a similar routine, the group is on their way to their main destination until some people stop them or some villagers are getting attacked and need help. The group saves the villagers or defeats the boss that's blocking their way and they continue on their journey. I can't complain because although the premises are always simple, I am still entertained by it. Design The first thing I noticed is that when your character dies, they are gone for good. This adds to the strategy and forces players to think smart/safe. The time invested in building that character's level is motivation for the player to keep that character safe from harm as I believe a small bond is formed between player and character. Similar to how you don't want someone to mess up a drawing you did. Weapon durability is another aspect I do not find common in alot of Role Playing Games. Traditionally in many RPG's, All weapons are indestructable and reliable. In this game, All weapons can break after a certain amount of use and it really forces the player to think, should he really waste a use of the weapon on that enemy? Once a weapon breaks, there is no way of repairing it so it is gone for good. The level design was not as creative as it could have been. Most battles took place either in an open field with trees every few tiles or a castle with very slim choke points. I think the developers could have tried harder and expanded our battlefield a bit with more creative levels. Another criticism I have is that each tile type has different characteristics. However, the main complaint I have is that the only bonus that they seem to give is evasion. I would think that a forest would leave you slightly more susceptible to fire magic and less to thunder magic, or that an archer would have alot of trouble shooting an arrow from the outside of a forest at another person on the other side of the forest. On a brighter note, the rewards system is a bit different from other Role Playing Games and I kind of like this one. When a character defeats an enemy, s/he will gain experience and level up. However leveling up doesn't gaurantee you certain statistics like other Role Playing Games. The game randomly gives your characters stat ups and that really diversifies how the character becomes by the end of the game. This adds replay value by changing up which characters become the best fighters. So There isn't much I would change to this game besides what I mentioned earlier. This is a nice game that has alot of good points besides some minor flaws. I am able to look past the flaws and see it as a game that doesn't suck. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Sat, 09 Feb 2008 03:14:37.)Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:44:36 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2517&iddiary=4872https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2517Overview Fire Emblem is a turn based strategy role playing game. This game features a unique element where death is actually serious and there is no way to revive fallen characters. This game is unique at least to me that it is a strategy game that has unique characters with distinct personalities, unlike another similar strategy game called Advance Wars where all the units the player can control are soul less pawns. The Player plays a tactician who helps guide these unique characters on their quest to stop a shady assassin organization from wreaking havoc in their country, however it soon evolves into something bigger. Gameplay The characters in this game are quite distinct in personality. I feel that there is more value in these men/women than ability in combat. The dialogue during gameplay is quite entertaining as it shows the characters that are still alive in your team interacting with each other. This leads me to want them to live, death is serious in this game. Death is a defining factor in this game that made me notice that this game is different. Usually in games, if one of your character dies, he is easily replacable or can be revived. In this game, once one of your men die, the only 2 choices you are given is to continue on without him/her or restart the level. This puts some pressure on the player so that he can not mindlessly charge with a complete disregard for safety and strategy. An extra element of strategy is added to this game through what weapons your soldiers can use. The game follows a rock/paper/scissors system that determines if your attack will be more successful. Swords>Axes>Spears>Swords. Ignoring the importance of this will lead to some unfortunate fates for your men. Weapon strategy is increased even further through the durability statistic added onto them. Generally, weaker weapons are given high numbers of use while stronger weapons are given lower numbers of use before breaking. This leads me as the game's tactician to be wary about funds and whether or not my characters are well supplied. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:31:20.)Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:17:32 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2517&iddiary=4748https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2097Entry #2 GamePlay I resumed my adventure after a small break. This game is still able to hold my interest after 2 hours of playing. The exploration of the dungeons is quite interesting. It has split paths that contain hidden treasures and different puzzles that must be solved to unlock the next room. Another interesting gameplay feature is that keys are universal in every dungeon and can unlock any locked door, allowing the ability to hop into one dungeon, grab some keys and aid myself in another dungeon I really want to finish. This game is really nonlinear in that aspect for me and is a nice change of pace from Go to point A and do B and repeat. One thing that I also like in this game is that Link grows stronger if you take the time to search for upgraded versions of his equipment. After some exploration, I was able to find a better sword and be able to defeat enemies with 1 swing of the sword instead of 2. I found a store and bought a ring that changed Link's clothes color and also reduced damage taken from enemies. When I crush enemies who I've seen since the beginning of my adventure, it makes me feel like I've gone quite a long way since when I first started my game. Design The Legend of Zelda is definately innovative for it's time and still is in some ways. There are games that take the idea that you can just start off anywhere and play/explore anywhere you want to go (GTA being the example off the top of my head). The use of a save file is also pretty innovative as well. The makers knew that this adventure was too big to be done in 1 sitting and now every game has a save system of some sort. The world itself is quite diverse. As you explore the world, you are taken to deserts,mountains,forests,lakes,rivers,plains and dungeons. It allows players to remember locations better and makes the overall journey less monotonous. The overworld is huge and a very large amount of the maps have some secret or challenge to overcome. The game's tone seems to be very happy and bright on the outside as shown with the bright colors used for everything. However it switches to very dark and gloomy once Link enters a dungeon. The game's reward structure is well done. Link starts off with 3 hearts and nothing else. If the player takes the time to look for things, soon Link will have a sword and shield and plenty of other tools to play with along with more than 3x as many hearts as he started with. There isn't much I would change to this game. I could only think of adding a slightly more engaging plot that reminds you why you are on your journey. The only thing I know so far is that the triforce is broken and I need to put it back together. What would be good is to add some more to the story after a piece of the triforce is recovered. Besides the weakness in the story telling, there is not much else I could ask for in a NES game. This is one of the best Nintendo games out there and it's innovative design has affected the games after it that we all enjoy today.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:07:08 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2097&iddiary=4134https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2097Entry #1 Summary The Legend of Zelda is an adventure game that allows free exploration of the world. This game gives players the ability to go through the game in a nonlinear fashion. The protagonist is a child named Link who has to find 8 pieces of the Triforce and unite them and defeat an evil monster named Ganon. To do so, he needs to traverse the 8 dungeons randomly scattered on the map, collect different tools and grow stronger by collecting big hearts. Gameplay The first thing I notice immediately is that I start off randomly at some point in the world with no explanation of how I got there. Right off the bat, I am able to go any direction I want and explore. After moving a bit, I am left with a feeling of excitement because I can tell that this world is huge and there are plenty of things to do. The character Link has no signs of any personality besides being heroic enough to take this adventure head on without equipment. Perhaps that means he is impulsive and reckless. As for the story, the main idea is shown to me at the title screen and was quite explanatory. However, as the story progressed so far for me, I do not see any narration or conversation happening besides vague hints from an old men you encounter at secret areas in your journey. I am not dissapointed about this because a lot of Nintendo games featured very little story and I'm glad that they included as much as they did. The game was fun and challenging because the game doesn't tell you where I had to go, I had to run around the world and find the dungeons and solve the puzzles on my own. The combat is nice and simple, swinging the sword repels enemies and with enough swipes, it concedes. The big hearts used to extend my life bar and tools found or bought along the adventure gives me a role playing game experience because I can see Link grow stronger as I invest more time exploring the game.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:44:28 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2097&iddiary=4045https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1889#1 Overview Super Mario RPG:Legend of the Seven Stars is as the title would suggest, an RPG about Mario. This game was a collaboration between Square and Nintendo. The game starts off as a standard "Bowser kidnaps Peach and Mario goes to his castle to save her", but it soon evolves into a more intriguing storyline as an unknown Giant Sword plants itself onto Bowser's castle and seperates all aforementioned characters. The sword claims the castle for someone named Smithy and now is just beginning his conquest for the Mushroom Kingdom. Now it's up to Mario and Friends to stop him. Gameplay The characters in this game are quite interesting. Even Mario has a clear personality even though he is a silent protagonist. He is able to express anything he needs to say through Pantomime. This game has a certain sense of humor to it. There are alot of jokes exchanged between characters when they converse. Mario's ability to talk without actually talking is a joke on early RPG's that feature silent main characters. The story at first seemed very basic. However as the game progresses, more twists are added such as the introduction of a new villain and the meeting of new characters. So Far, there are no complaints on how this story is turning out. Hopefully more twists and turns will make this story very unique. Gameplay is quite innovative. Outside of battles, it plays very similarly to a 3d mario game. You jump over gaps and hit blocks from underneath. Inside battles is where things get interesting. The battles are turn based and are also timing based. Meaning that if you press a button at the right time, something happens such as getting a stronger attack or defending from an attack better. It really spices up normally bland turn based RPGs. Level design is quite diverse as well. This adventure takes me to the bright mountains to a bustling city and to a dark sewer and more. I can clearly tell parts of the world from other parts because they are just so diffrent from each other. Graphically, it seems to be the very best that the Super Nintendo has produced that I've seen so far. #2 As I progress farther into this game, I am shown the true objective of this game. The goal is to collect the 7 stars and give them to a new character Geno. To gather all the stars, Smithy has strong henchmen to serve as bosses to gaurd them. I am definately liking how this game rewards you. Everytime I have defeated enough enemies, I get a slight boost in all my numbers and a big boost on one of three statistics. This kind of adds replay value to the game as you can customize and emphasize what your character will excel at. This game is able to hold my interest because it is a great blend of things that work fine. It is an RPG with action elements. It has great dialogue and an interesting enough story. It is also packaged with great graphics for its time. There is nothing I would not to change about this game, this game is a classic and in my oppinion, nothing I could think of at this moment can improve on it. Design Now from my perspective, the design in this game is quite ingenious. It is an RPG, but because it is a mario game, it has mario like elements to it that make it feel familiar but give a different experience. It contains many of the similar enemies from past games and feature attacks that are similar to what Mario had as well. It introduced a battle system that I have never seen in any other game before, making it quite innovative even today. Even after a decade from when this game was made, there were no copy cat imitations. The timing system keeps players engaged into the battle and doesn't leave anyone bored. The graphics design is also quite innovative. It is set from a 3 quarters perspective and can give the impression that the world is 3d even when it really isn't. Overall this is easily one of the best games ever made. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:48:23.)Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:34:27 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1889&iddiary=3705