Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=750https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3048Maxwell Weinberg CS80k March 5th, 2008 Ninety Nine Nights GAMEPLAY: This time, I concentrated on Myifee's missions. I beat the first mission, and unlocked his special combo, which causes meteors to rain down on enemies. But that was about the most significant part of this gameplay session. I found a few items and equipped them (like a life-orb that gives extra health, and a shield that raises other stats). After that, on the second level, I spent 15 minutes getting about 1/3 through the level, fighting about 600 goblins (just like the other levels), and then came a mini-boss fight with a thief named Tea Tea. You would think that a mini-boss duel would have some slightly more significant gameplay aspects, but no, it was the same hack and slash as before. Tea Tea actually ended up killing me, and I was reverted back to the beginning of the whole level. 15 minutes later, I made it back to Tea Tea. He killed me again. Then I became incredibly frustrated with the penalty of death in this game. You revert back to the beginning of the entire level. There are no checkpoints. It's as if they expect you not to die, because after having to do a 15-minute-section 2 or 3 times, the game becomes unbearable . I couldn't continue to play after he killed me a third time. The level-revert aspect killed the game experience. Although I really wanted to see Myifee's storyline, an annoying boss battle that takes too long to get back to turned me off to the game completely. DESIGN: The fact that this game can have so many enemy units on screen at once is unique. It feels epically proportioned as you play. However, the gameplay itself lacks variance, and even when playing as different characters, the game feels generally the same. The levels are repetitive and have no effect on gameplay. It's simply castle walls or grass or canyons or whatever tile-set the current mission takes place in. The game attempts to keep the player interested by using an "Orb Gauge" system. Each time you kill a bad guy, the gauge fills up slightly. When it's full, you can use your ultimate move, which lets you instantly kill enemies in a wide range attack. But once you use it, it ends, and it's back to the same boring hack and slash as before. Again, the most frustrating aspect of this game was the fact that there are no checkpoints. If you die, you go all the way back to the beginning of the level, which makes the repetitive gameplay even MORE repetitive. The cut-scenes of the game aren't interesting, and simply act as pauses in the gameplay. Many of them have no voice acting, and the text is poorly placed and poorly timed. This game has a lot of potential to be great, but it leaves the player hanging with lack of variable gameplay, repetitive levels, and a basic, trite storyline.Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:24:23 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3048&iddiary=5723https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3048Maxwell Weinberg CS80k March 5th, 2008 Ninety Nine Nights SUMMARY: In Ninety Nine Nights, you play as a fierce warrior of your choice. You weild a rather large weapon, and you take on hordes of hundreds of enemies at at time (usually Goblins or Orcs). At the start of each level, you also choose a set of guards that will help you throughout the mission. You can choose archers, pikemen, heavy infantry, or infantry. I played through a few levels with 3 different characters: Asphaar, Inphyy, and Myifee. Asphaar is blue, and weilds a large bladed pike. Inphyy is his younger sister, and she weilds a large sword. Myifee is a mercenary warrior who weilds a large double blade on a chain. GAMEPLAY: The gameplay, although visually appealing, gets very repetative and old. Hack and slash, hack and slash, pound more on the X and Y buttons to pull off combos over and over and over again. Yes, you are attacking 40 bad guys at a time, and getting 1200 hit combos, but it gets old much faster than other games. I had fun at first, but once it got boring, the only thing keeping me going was the visuals and the simple satisfaction of killing 50 goblins with one swing of the blade. But there is no mental demand, only a button-smashing demand. I was left feeling bored throughout most of the gameplay. Simple tasks were thrown in to "change it up", such as "Destroy the catapults before they break the gates," but it didn't change gameplay. You just run up to the catapult and slash at it until it breaks. The characters were cliche', and the dialogue was terrible (The English-translation voice acting is bad, too). A simple story about a "kingdom under attack by goblins", and Inphyy's burning revenge regarding the death of her father, doesn't provide much as far as an interesting story plot. I feel like this game has a lot of potential to be a fun game, but the gameplay itself is repetative and uninteresting. The visuals are amazing, however. Thousands of enemies are on screen at once, and can be seen in the distance, but the combat system could flow better and be more varried, rather than "UP-SLASH, DOWN-SLASH, BIG ATTACK COMBO, Rinse and repeat!" -Maxwell WeinbergWed, 05 Mar 2008 21:42:06 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3048&iddiary=5704https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2671Gameplay: I was glad to have beaten the Deku Tree. Once the dungeon is cleared, the Deku Tree presented me with the first of many quest-related items, the Kokiri’s Emerald. This allowed me to then leave the forest, where Saria gave me the Fairy Ocarina, which introduced the new gameplay element of music, one of the main story and gameplay aspects of Ocarina of Time. The Ocarina is used to play magical songs that you learn through your quest, and when certain songs are played, events occur (the Sun’s Song switches day to night and night to day). However, when you pull out the Ocarina, all other gameplay stops. The game goes into a frozen time state, where the only action is Link playing his Ocarina. This makes the musical aspect kind of static and non-dynamic because it is completely separate from the other environment aspects. Memorizing the songs is basically the only challenge of the Ocarina (but you can pause and go into the menu to see the songs listed, so you don’t really have to memorize them anyway). It would be much harder if you had to, say, play the songs while in the middle of battle, trying to avoid being hit while hitting the correct notes. But this isn’t the case. Also, the Ocarina is limited to 5 notes. Although you can control the pitch of the notes with the control stick, none of the songs require you to change the pitch, so pitch control is a useless addition towards the gameplay. Design: The graphical quality of this game is astounding, for its time. I remember when it first came out, it was one of the most realistic looking RPG’s ever. The forest’s milieu is very tranquil, as should it be, to show that Link comes from a peaceful town that doesn’t know death (since the forest kids are immortal spirits who don’t grow old). The music is cheerful, as are all the characters (besides Mido, who stops you when you try to pass without a sword and shield). The first section of the game is supposed to ease you in to the game world and get you used to its mechanics, such as jumping from ledges, finding rupees (to buy the shield), avoiding obstacles (rolling boulders on your way to getting the sword), and talking to townsfolk for information. The Deku Tree stands as the all-knowing mentor that guides you (and gives you Navi the Fairy, who will guide you through the rest of the game with her annoying “HEYs” and “LISTENs”). The inside of the tree, as well as all the rest of the dungeons, seem to give a sense of aloneness, in a dark, dank dungeon where no one has been for a very long time. By using darker lighting, spider webs, and large ancient rock devices, you really get a sense of danger. The dungeons become increasingly harder as the game progresses, and by the time you have found a wide range of items, the puzzles become more complex, causing you to utilize and remember the functionality of all your weapons and items accumulated thus far. The pleasant feel of Ocarina of Time never lets the player down, and always keeps the player immersed in Hyrule. The land of Hyrule is beautiful (the rolling hills of Hyrule Field and the sandy desert of Gerudo Valley are good examples), and makes full use of the N64's graphics capabilities. The sun sets and changes the lighting and makes way for nightfall, which is also lit very well. This game ties together a beautiful landscape, challenging dungeons, memorable bosses, believable characters, and fun, dynamic gameplay into an experience that truly earns The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time a spot on the classics list.Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:17:13 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2671&iddiary=5046https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2671The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Summary: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was a huge step forward in the RPG genre. Released on the Nintendo 64, this game takes place in the land of Hyrule, where Link must quest to save the Princess Zelda and the kingdom from the clutches of the evil Ganondorf. You control Link, the green-hooded forest boy, through various themed dungeons filled with puzzles, monsters, and items to use. The game has a great story, told through cut scenes that usually take place between dungeons, and it all comes together to tell one of the most epic tales in video game history. For this game log, I started at the beginning of the game, in Kokiri forest, and made it through the Deku Tree, who then sent me off to Castle Hyrule to seek out the princess. I made it past the guards at the castle, found the princess, and then began making my way towards the game’s second dungeon, Dodongo Cavern. Gameplay: The gameplay is straightforward, and for its time, it implemented a revolutionary equipment system. The game makes use of the N64 controller’s C buttons in order to set custom inventory selections onto the left, right, and down C buttons, for quick-use. The fighting system isn’t typical RPG Turn-based combat, but rather a slash-and-hit style that works well. Link will slash his sword in the direction you are looking, which is usually the direction intended. Other equipment allows for diverse combat, so you can switch to ranged mode, or quickly deploy your shield with the R button. Although there is no “jump” button, Link will automatically jump when he reaches a ledge. Once you’ve found your sword and shield, you can enter the first dungeon, the Deku Tree. Even in the first dungeon, we begin to get a sense of how this game will play for its entirety. A series of small puzzles, such as buttons that open certain doors, and torches that must supply your Deku stick with fire long enough to burn down a spider-web-wall, block your path until you finally make it to the boss at the end of the dungeon. The boss battle utilized the use of the Slingshot, which was the new weapon associated with this dungeon (each dungeon provides you with a new weapon or item, as well as new puzzles and problems that you must use the weapon or item to solve).Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:13:34 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2671&iddiary=5045https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2401Gameplay: This time around I decided to try the online game. Very much the same, except the people online are better than computer opponents. The replay value of this game is very high. I didn’t get bored of it for one second, and I was actively thinking about it the whole time I was playing (for both segments of gameplay). I also discovered many different types of strategies that a player can use to achieve victory. Here are a few: 1: Small, short attacks that constantly bombard the enemy with small, annoying dormant blocks to constantly screw them up. 2: Saving up for large crystals/combos (which require more space, and this can cause you to run out of room if you get messed up by the enemy’s dormant blocks) to attack your enemy with potential one-hit-KO attacks 3: Multiple medium-sized attacks that constantly stack layers of blocks on the enemy. There are more, I’m sure I’ll discover them. There is also a Crystal which appears rarely. When the crystal lands on top of a color, all blocks of that color are destroyed (This also gives you the same points and attack as if you had destroyed them with normal colored bombs). The emergent gameplay style of this game creates so many situations and exceptions to probable fate. One round I played, I was incredibly close to dying (by having my blocks stack to the top), when I got a crystal just in time. I destroyed every red block on my screen, giving me a huge 3 chain-combo, along with 2 or 3 very large red crystals I had amassed. The enemy, who was winning one second before, was instantly destroyed, and I jumped for joy. Design: The game has a very arcade-anime style. The characters are all 2-D sprites, which would normally seem obsolete for the Xbox 360. However, this game is clearly not about graphics. The high-resolution gives it the feeling that it’s a new game (which it is), and the addicting gameplay pulls focus from the limited sprite animation. Sometimes the game reminds me of Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine (for the Sega Genesis), but it’s a much different game. The challenges this game provides are very dynamic. Each situation in each game is different from the last game. Although there are patterns to be recognized, you never know where your enemy is going to throw dormant blocks on you. You always have to be ready. I also had a friend come over to play on Local multiplayer, and we played 10 or 15 rounds without even realizing how long we were playing. We were very competitive and had a lot of fun beating each other back and forth. The game never got old, and the only reason we stopped was because it was 2 in the morning when we finished. Even with such a simple, seemingly non-humorous game, we were laughing nearly the whole time, saying things like, “Oh MAN I had the BEST combo coming up, you would have DIED, had you not BLOCKED IT!” In many ways, this is one of the most fun and addicting games I’ve ever played. In fact, I want to play more right now.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:19:45 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2401&iddiary=4565https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2401Summary: I downloaded Puzzle Fighter HD on the Xbox Live Arcade and started it up. I was brought to a screen that let me choose between Multiplayer or Single Player. It has local and online multiplayer functionality, but I decided to try out single player before I matched wits with people on the internets. I chose Arcade mode on the default X’ mode, and selected my character, Hsien-ko (a strange, final fantasy style blue woman). Each character was differentiated by their different patterned “Counter” style (which I will explain more in due time). Anyway, the computer randomly selected its Puzzle Fighter Character and the game began. The game plays a bit like Tetris with battle components, which I will explain in the gameplay section. I figured out the gameplay pretty quickly, and pulled combos to eventually defeat the computer on Hard mode. Now for the gameplay to explain how this incredibly addicting game works. Gameplay: The game plays a bit like Tetris. The playable area is a tall empty section at the beginning, and you are given a random combination of two colored blocks that cascade down from the top. Each time the block is placed, a new one appears at the top (and you can see the next blocks that will come after you place your blocks). You can turn them and/or make them fall faster (or instantly), in order to make large groups of single colors. However, there is a fundamental difference between Puzzle Fighter’s dynamic and Tetris; In Tetris, you get rid of rows by having a row filled. In this game, each color group can only be destroyed by a Bomb block. Every once in a while, the player is given a Bomb of a certain color, and if it touches another normal block of the same color, all blocks of that color that are touching each other horizontally or vertically are destroyed , and all other blocks above them fall into place below. In this way you can make chains, where destroying one section of colors will cascade another section in such a way as to set them off as well, causing a “2-Chain” or a “3-Chain” or more. When you pull combos, or destroy large sections of a single color (which become larger crystals if they take up a great enough area), you “attack” your enemy by dropping dormant colored blocks onto their playing field. The blocks you attack your enemy with fall in patterns that are determined by the counter-block of the character you selected (so each character drops a different pattern of blocks on the enemy when they attack with a combo). So if your enemy is setting up a combo, you can pull your own combo to drop blocks onto them that will stop them from setting off their combo they worked so hard to set up. However, the dormant blocks turn to normal solid blocks after a set number of turns after they fell (usually 4 or 5 turns). The fact that you can be proud of your combo and then suddenly have it destroyed by a counter-attack from your enemy’s combo creates an emergent gameplay situation where you say to yourself “OH MAN, I should have set that combo off! One more second and I would have had it!” It causes the player to think “Well, I’ll get it next time..”, and the player is sure to try again.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:17:01 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2401&iddiary=4564https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2094GAMELOG 2 Classics: Shadow of the Colossus ENTRY 2 SUMMARY: I left the temple after direct instruction to a new location (which is also pointed-to by the sword's light-rays), to find the next colossus. I mounted the horse and continued south-west of the temple, finding a cliff-side path that led me down to a lake area near a canyon. Soon, the second colossus appeared, with a much different physical structure than the first. This ancient beast was on all-fours, while the first walked on two legs. Using the bow, I shot under its feet as it tried to stomp on me, which brought it kneeling, allowing me to climb up its furry leg to read the back. Once on the back, I found the weak spot and struck it with my sword. It took a few tries, because it kept trying to shake and brush me off of it as I climbed. Upon bringing it down, I was, once again, sent back to the temple after dark spirits knocked me unconscious. DESIGN: The design of this game is absolutely stunning. Beautiful. I've never played a game that uses its graphical limitations to their fullest and presents them on such an epic scale as this. Even with the limited capabilities of the Playstation 2, in comparison to the new "Next Gen" consols, this game eliminates the need for power by having such a beautiful design and addictive gameplay. The low resolution is overridden by use of fog effects, and the fact that objects in the distance are loaded up respectively, and are rendered simply from far away to give the illusion of distance. All the creatures (boss battles) are different from the last, and this game uniquely has no small enemies that most games have. This game has exclusively giant enemies, and presents them each in unique locations with distinct challenges and battle-structure for each, so you never get the sense that the game is repetative.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:06:03 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2094&iddiary=4051https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2094Max Weinberg's GAMELOG ASSIGNMENT 2 Classics: Shadow of the Colossus ENTRY 1 SUMMARY I started a new file on Shadow of Colossus. The intro cinematic, although somewhat vague, sets the mysterious tone for the game. The setting, called the Colossus, is a massive, epic-scaled landscape with deserts, forests, and grasslands, and gives you the sense, immediately, that your character is very small. The main character is seen carrying the body of a woman, and he lays her down on a stone table inside a large temple. Because your character is alone (besides your faithful horse), you get a sense that you are in forbidden territory. A mysterious voice calls down and tells you that you must quest, and kill the Colossi, on order to be granted the power to revive the woman. I continued on and defeated the first colossi, which rests in a valley just north of the starting temple. I was able to find it after using my sword to light the way, glancing sun-rays in the direction of the game's goals. Taking down the first colossi consisted of climbing up the grab-able furry patches that spot the creature. Upon finding its weak spots, a few powerful thrusts of my sword took it down. After defeating it, dark spirits swarm out and entered my body, and then I was transported, unconscious, back to the starting temple. The voice congratulates you and tells you that you have taken the first step towards your ultimate goal. GAMEPLAY: Soon after setting off on the quest, I first noted how uncluttered the HUD (heads up display) is. There is virtually nothing other than your health bar and a "grip" gage (which appears while climbing). It gives a realistic sense, and a cinematic quality that allows for an almost movie-like experience. The controls are quite simple. You have a simple attack swipe with the sword, you can mount and dismount your horse, or call your horse, and climb climb-able walls. You can run and jump, and the animation stays very fluid throughout gameplay actions. Taking down the first monster was satisfying, giving the sense that even a small individual (like this game's avatar) can take down a monsterous beast using strategy and skill, rather than brute force and power. The game's main challenge comes from saving your grip-energy while climbing up the beasts, and finding their weakspots before your grip-energy runs out and you end up falling from great heights. I had a lot of fun playing the first section of the game.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:02:08 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2094&iddiary=4040https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1978Gamelog Entry 2: HALO 3 GAMEPLAY: This time around, I focused on online multiplayer Team Slayer and Team Hardcore (a variant with different, more "professional gamer" weapons, such as starting with the Battle Rifle for longer range). This time, however, I joined a party with a close friend of mine, as he played from his house, and I from my dorm room. I found that I actually played better when in the virtual-reality presence of my friend, and we seemed to work together well, as we've played the Halo games since their original releases on the Xbox. I found it more enjoyable and motivating to get congratulations and team support from my friend, which allowed me to actually play better. Winning the game, I found, depends on teamwork and strategy much more than individual skill. Again, I didn't want to stop playing, even after losing a game. DESIGN: The design of Halo 3 is truly unique. It isn't necessarily "realistic", but it gives a feeling of immersion nonetheless, as it stays consistent. The animation flows very well, and even with online play, the lag is minimal and doesn't ruin game play or visual design. The characters themselves are made to stand out against the beautiful backgrounds, so you can spot an enemy all the way across the map, and yet they all fit in with the environment. The weapons are split into three categories, depending on their "creators" (the Humans, the Covenant Elites, and the Brutes), and all have distinct styles, both visually and functionally. Elite weapons are plasma-like, and are able to take down shields very well, while Human weapons do more damage to a shield-less body. Brute weapons seem heavier, and throw spikes or grenades, rather than energy or bullets. They do a lot of damage but are somewhat harder to use. Another aspect that makes Halo 3 an attractive game is the fact that there are, really, four different kinds of attacks. First, there is your regular weapon (typically your gun [sometimes a sword or hammer]). Then there are grenades (Plasma, Frags, Spikers, and Firebombs). Melee is the up-close physical attack of swatting your gun at your enemy to deal a large amount of damage in intense "fist-fights". And the new addition to Halo 3, Equipment. Equipment items allow for new situations that have never been seen in games before, such as a deployable "Bubble Shield" that temporarily completely protects anyone who steps inside (Which means an enemy can kill you and hijack your bubbleshield for protection). Each level is laid out with specific weapon locations that the players soon learn by heart, providing unique gameplay and visual experience with each one. Some levels are indoors, causing more use of close-range weapons, while some levels are wide open, allowing the use of the Sniper Rifle and other long-range weapons, and possibly vehicles. Vehicles themselves create situations where two or three teammates can work together in a single vehicle, such as the Warthog car. A turret mounted on the back allows one person to shoot, one person to drive, and one person to ride shotgun. The shotgun player can use any weapon that he was holding when he entered the vehicle, which allows a variety of situations to arise from any warthog encounter.Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:03:28 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1978&iddiary=3866https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1978SUMMARY Halo 3 is a first person shooter with single player campaign and online multiplayer matchmaking, where you play as a UNSC-Spartan soldier in the future. I focused on Team Slayer, an online gametype where the goal is to kill the enemy team to earn a team total of 50 kills. GAMEPLAY Halo 3 provides intense, fast-paced gameplay that kept me on the edge of my seat and focused throughout my gaming session. It was challenging, and I found myself talking to my teammates a lot, via microphone, to communicate strategies to claim victory. Getting killed in the game, I noticed, was half the fun, because it makes you feel like "I shouldn't have died there. I'll do better next time," this providing perpetual attraction to the game. Because I was playing online, there is no story. However, with each game won, my rank increased, moving me closer to a higher ranking officer. The game itself is incredibly fun and inventive, keeping true to the old Halo games, but adding new gameplay functions at the same time (such as equipment, like bubbleshield and powerdrainer). And nothing is as satisfying as a no-scope headshot or a Plasma-Grenade stick. Even when I did badly in a game, I still wanted to continue to play, knowing that with each game, I would get better and understand what to do in each given situation.Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:47:02 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1978&iddiary=3865