mbp55's GameLog

Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) - Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:04:53

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:04:53 CST

Zelda: Ocarina of Time Background: In this game, the player plays the character of the un-expecting hero, Link. Link, has been given the task by the Great Deku Tree to save his world, Hyrule, from the evil that is foreseen, Ganondorf. Ganondorf is trying to steal the Triforce, an ancient relic that allows the owner to grant three wishes. Link has to stop him from gaining the Triforce by solving puzzles and using the Ocarina of Time given to him from Zelda. Zelda is the princess of the castle of Hyrule. Game play: The game play of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was very good. The player has to control the character, Link, to solve puzzles and fight enemies. As the player progresses through the game, new abilities, tools, and information about the evil is gained. The new tools and abilities help the character solve the puzzles and beat the enemies. The controls for the character are very simplified, even though there are many different moves/attacks/abilities that can be used. To move the character in the 3D world, a joystick with 360 degrees of movement is used. There is one button, B, which is used to attack with the sword. Depending on the action that needs to be used, such as climb, push, roll, and drop, another button is used, A, which was a new technique introduced. The abilities and tools can be assigned to three different buttons, which allows for quick access without having to use menu screens to switch between abilities. Another new technique that was introduced was �z-targeting� which allows the character to focus on an enemy/item while moving around in any direction. So, the view is always facing towards the object. Innovative Elements: As stated before, the new techniques introduced with the controls are some innovative elements. Also another innovative element in this game is the use of music as playing a major role in the game. Level Design: Instead of having �levels�, the game has an open environment that can be accessed from anywhere. Certain doors and entrances can considered as changes to another level but it feels as if the character is going from one are to another with no change. The graphics and audio change depending on the area of the environment the character is in. Graphics: The graphics and textures were very good in this game. The textures matched very well with the type of environment the character was in. The graphics have a �block/edgy� type of feel but that was the case with most N64 games because of the limitation of the 64-bit system. Audio: As sound plays a very important role in this game the audio is very good. The quality was very good and sounded as if the sounds are coming from inside the actual room you are in. The sounds of the environment match very well with the surroundings. Also they blended very well together and were not choppy between changing the audio in the environment. Opinions: I like this game very much. The only thing I would change in the game is the option to bypass dialogs quickly. Besides that, I would not change anything about the game. This game has been ranked number one in numerous areas and has been rated 10 by many gamers and magazines. Game Experience: I have played this game numerous of times and it is always fun to play. What I like about it is that it can take hours upon hours to play and finish the game, plus there are side games and missions that can be done. This past semester, every time I sat down to play the game I sat there for at least 3 hours. The game captures the player and makes the player want to find new missions, towns, weapons, etc. and the player can easily pass the time. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:10:08.)

XKCD The Game (PC) - Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:10:18

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:10:18 CST

XKCD the game I thought the gameplay was good according to the xkcd comics. The gameplay matched the style from the comics. The levels were great. They really matched the comic. The spider level: It was good. The accuracy to hit the spiders could have been a little bit less precise as with the flying men. Overall thought, good level. The blimp level/cutscene: I wasn't sure what I supposed to do when the blimp with the guy hanging from it started coming down. The carebear stare was funny. The race level: This level could have been better if the bad guy didn't start with you on every screen. Also, hitting the spiders and having your guy completely stop should have been different. Maybe slow him down but not as much as hitting the grass, which should have been better. The grass should have not slowed down the racer as much as it did. The tower defense level: This level was a good level as well. The only thing I think should have been changed is when selecting the different towers to place on the map, the icons for the towers should have been spread out because it was hard to read to descriptions and selecting the right one. The sword level: This level was good with the color graphics because some of the comics were in color but not all of them. The flying squirrels were funny and there were raptors like the comics. Cutscenes: The cutscenes helped keep up with the flow of the game and keep the player up to date with were the game was heading. The ending: The ending was different than expected but it was good because the player did not expect for the good and bad guy to be friends having fun during their lunch break. The game overall was a good game. It is a nice game to kill some time and to get a good laugh. The graphics did not have to be anything special because that is exactly how the comics are. The flow of the game kept up well.

Mexican Train Dominoes (Other) - Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:15:22

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:15:22 CST

Now this being the second time I've written about this game because obviously bringing up another tab with the gamelog site logs you out of the first tab. Therefore everything I have written was lost. Roughly around 5 - 6000 characters. I'm pretty PO'ed right now. Therefore this one will be a whole lot shorter and nowhere near in depth. <-- Object --> To win the game by having the fewest amount of points. <-- Board --> The game comes with a black plastic octagonal shape with cut outs on each side and a cut out in the middle. The cut outs in the side are for each player's trains. The cut out in the middle is used for the double dominoes. (I had a drawn out ascii picture of the board but I will not do that again) Also 6 plastic trains come with the game. These will be explained later. <-- Players --> Each player gets 12 dominoes from a pre-shuffled pile and a marker (penny, nickel, peice of paer, anything, etc.). <-- Gameplay --> Before the game is started: The dominoes need to be shuffled. The game board in the center of the table. And a few drinks on hand. Starting the game: Each player selects 12 dominoes from the shuffled pile. Everyone checks their 12 dominoes for the double 12 domino. If no one has the domino then each player selects another domino. This process continues until the double 12 domino is found. Whoever gets the double 12 domino plays first. Playing the game: Playing on a train: Once the double 12 domino is found the double 12 is placed in the center of the board allowing anyone to play on it. The person who finds the domino must lay down a domino with a 12 on it into one of the cut outs. Preferably the cut out in front of them because this is now their train. If the person can not play a domino then the player must select another domino from the pile. If the player still can not play then the player lays down their marker, denoting that train can be played on. If the player can play the domino from the pile then that domino must be played. Rule about doubles: If a player plays a double domino, such as 12/12 or 11/11, then that player must play another domino behind the double. If the player can not then the player selects another domino from the pile. If the player still can not play on the double then that player's marker is placed on their train, denoting anyone can play on their train. (Exactly like the first double played in the center of the board.) A DOUBLE MUST BE PLAYED ON BEFORE ANYONE CAN PLAY ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE BOARD. (This could possibly be used against other players about to win the game). If a double is drawn from the pile and the player can not back up that double then the player must draw one more domino from the pile. The double domino must be played. Markers: A marker is an object denoting that anyone can play on the train that the marker is laying on. Once a marker is placed on a train, anyone can play play on the train, allowing for more opportunities for the other players to play their dominoes. The marker is taken off the train once the owner can play on their train, thus allowing no one else to play on that train anymore. The Community Train: The community train is a train the allows anyone at anytime to play on, unless the problem of a double comes up. The community train is denoted by placing one of the plastic trains on the board in front of the train. The community train of course has to be started by matching the double in the center of the board. Rounds: Each round begins with a double domino. The rounds begin with the double 12 domino and precede down to the double 0. Ending the round: The round is ended when a player has run out of dominoes or the board has been stalemated. A board that has become stalemated is one that no one can play on any train or no one can play on double and all the dominoes have been drawn from the pile. Ending the game: The game is ended when all the rounds have been completed. The person with the lowest score of all the rounds added together is the winner. This game takes anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to play. It is very fun, especially with friends and drinks.