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Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS) by jp (Apr 27th, 2026 at 22:04:52) |
I got to that point where I hit a monster/boss that just wasn't that much fun, and then I got a bit lost in terms of where to continue making progress, and the backtracking started to get a bit tiresome...as I explored and searched for different paths. So, time to bail!
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Legacy of Ys Books I & II (DS) by jp (Apr 27th, 2026 at 22:03:27) |
Can you believe that I capped out on character level? I hit level 24, with plenty of game to go (I checked a guide, though I had reached the last 20% or so) and that's it. No more levels. It was a bit of a disappointment to be honest, and I also started to tire of having to backtrack all over the place to talk to different characters and so on. It was fun, and surprising to me in many ways, it's an action RPG with real-time combat, but no real challenge or interest in the combat - limited items and gear, no significant shopping or upgrading...there's boss fights (which are much harder than the regular game), but there wasn't much there to continue to keep my interest. So, I've decided to bail.
I did also spend some time on the Wikipedia page and it looks like the game has been re-released a million times across different formats, and rebundled with new content, and stuff touched up and more. I'm kind of surprised because I wasn't all that impressed to be fair. As in, the game was fun and I enjoyed it for a bit, but I'm not entirely sure that it merits THAT much attention in the re-releases? Maybe I'm missing something and this game really resonated strongly with lots of people?
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Legacy of Ys Books I & II (DS) by jp (Apr 26th, 2026 at 10:06:39) |
I need to look up more info on this. I had assumed it was a bundle of the two first Ys games, but upon starting the first one (Book I), the 3D graphics make it seem like it's a newer game? So I'm really curious what the backstory here is...
It started out pretty frustrating - because I wandered into a field outside of town and died immediately. I had to start over which was a drag - lots of text to skip past, and died again! Sigh. I eventually figured out how to save your game, which helped. So, I decided to then book it, dodge enemies and made it to a city! Here I bought a sword and some armor...and figured I wouldn't die again immediately but I did! It turns out I hadn't figured out how to equip the items and that solved EVERYTHING.
I've been playing since, and the game's quite interesting in its camera perspective - it's a very unusual sort of 3D isometric view, but it's not at an angle, but rather it's sort of straight? (like vertical/top to bottom). It's a weird perspective because there's lots that gets occluded (if you walk down towards a wall, the wall blocks you from seeing what's close to it when you come from the top part of the scree). I mean, it makes sense spatially, but it's a weird perspective in a game - you also cannot rotate the camera AFAIK.
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Pokémon TCG Pocket (iPd) by jp (Apr 26th, 2026 at 09:59:12) |
I'm still "playing" - I stopped going for the competitive ladder mostly because I was playing the same deck all the time, didn't have the cards for a new competitive deck and...well, it's gotten a bit boring.
That being said, the collecting part is still fun and there's a new set coming out so we'll see how excited I get. I've been opening packs from older sets hoping to finish sets from which I'm still missing a bunch of cards. No real luck so far. Sigh.
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Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer (DS) by jp (Apr 26th, 2026 at 09:51:07) |
I've since played some 15 runs or so, I seem to get farther than ever on every other one or so. There's some cool and interesting things here, but also the randomness of the rogue aspects both works and doesn't. I've decided to stop playing mostly because it's getting a bit tiresome when you have to go over the same things such that it starts to feel like busywork. For example, talking to the guy at the bar in the first area always nets you a rice ball (yay!), but it's a bit of a drag to have to go through all the conversation and such over, and over again.
Perhaps the feature I've come to appreciate the most is a shack that has different "puzzle" levels for you to solve - you're supposed to do them one at a time (smart design choice, because you get a reward from each) and each time you do one you get reset to level 1 with no items, you also lose any progress you may have made (including items) inside each puzzle. But, you get a reward when you complete them successfully. The puzzle levels are smart because they act as a tutorial of sorts, but because you only really want to do them one at a time, it's a slow burn tutorial that shows you the diversity of items and what they can do. I've done 12 or so...with more than half left to go. Some might require using a certain staff, or require you move around diagonally. Stuff like that. So, I've had to use items I hadn't considered before (I tend to be a cheapskate when it comes to items, use only in emergencies!) and now I know how they work without having to "waste" them while adventuring.
Once unlocked, companions might appear in later areas - and join your team! I made some progress with a 2nd one (I wonder if you can have more than one?) and I think it's neat how they operate semi-independently. They'll sometimes run off chasing a monster. I haven't quite grasped how their health works because they'll sometimes disappear (dead?) and I lose them for the rest of the adventure which is a bit of a shame.
In all, it's been fun to explore and playthrough. Runs are longer than I'd like and how that I unlocked the special jar that lets you combine items...I REALLY get the feeling that the game wants you to meta-strategize to cheese. In other words, play lots of runs to boost items to then combine them, and do this over and over again until you feel confident you can go. Which is interesting, and risky.
Finally, at this point I'm also missing out on a neat feature wherein other players can "rescue" you if/when you die. But it's a connectivity thing - other people need to play and you can help each other out that way. At this point, since the game is way old, it's like there's zero change of that working for me... which makes me a bit sad, right? I mean, playing this with some friends would be really neat in that context.
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GameLog hopes to be a site where gamers such as yourself keep track of the games that
they are currently playing. A GameLog is basically a record of a game you started playing. If it's open,
you still consider yourself to be playing the game. If it's closed, you finished playing the game. (it doesn't matter
if you got bored, frustrated,etc.) You can also attach short comments to each of your games or even maintain a diary (with more detailed entries)
for that game. Call it a weblog of game playing activity if you will.
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2323 registered gamers and 3356 games. 7893 GameLogs with 13386 journal entries. 5126 games are currently being played.
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The Legend of Zelda (NES) by reesie07 |
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most recent entry: Thursday 24 January, 2008
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Gamelog entry#1
SUMMARY
The Legend of Zelda is an adventure game that allows the player to explore a virtual world while fighting obstacles. You can go into different taverns, gain lives, and change weapons.
GAMEPLAY
At the very beginning of the game, I was uninterested until I found enemies to fight. After I started to explore around, I became aware of the map and wanted to explore every aspect of it. E wanted to partiall memorize my path and pay more attention in order to find my way and become familiar with the world.
Since you can go anywhere and there’s no direct or leading path, I was free to go anywhere. I found a special tavern that led to a dungeon. It was smaller than the big world and easy to follow with a map. I could locate where I was going and I could find a clue and a piece of the Triforce.
The game got progressively interesting as I went on. My purpose became to find the secret levels and understand their clues. While doing this, it is difficult to navigate through the world. As of now, I don’t feel fulfilled playing this game as a beginner; however, when I am playing I feel focused with a need to find all the clues and beat the game.
Gamelog entry#2
GAMEPLAY
During my second round, I was definitely more ambitious and focused. There are probably still a few more hints I need to realize like which weapon is better for an opponent and why my arrows sometimes don’t work. I felt very competitive while playing a second time. There was a need to beat the enemy swiftly and no one could stand in the way of a goal I was tring to reach.
The narrative progression still increases slightly as you find more clues. I’m still not exactly sure what to do, but my current main purpose is to find the clues and their relevance. The story is still confusing to me, but the music has an effect on my mood. The suspenseful music in the taverns makes me more cautious and focused.
Overall the game is fun to play, although I don’t feel I’ll be satisfied until I beat it. The obstacles I fight become an annoyance as they get in the way of me exploring faster.
DESIGN
The design template of this game was very simple with areas you could move and objects and creatures blocking your path. The multiple ways you could go and many different paths you could take make it one big puzzle including secret taverns, dungeons, and stairs. The game gives you the freedom of an infinite number of paths to take. With the limits of the design, you get a similar experience during the whole game.
The level design in this game varies and you have to find each level. You don’t have a direct path and you need to find a special entrance in the world to get to the dungeons. In each level you find many artifacts important for game play and that help you. There’s also an old man with a clue and each level is like a puzzle that gets progressively difficult.
The game keeps challenges of finding special taverns with levels, opponents to fight, and puzzles within the level. The game keeps these interesting by coming up with harder opponents and more difficult puzzles within the levels. Navigating through the level is a puzzle. Thgame keeps the player interested by telling clues and making levels to find them.
The game has a great space to navigate through and different paths to get to different screens. If I could change the game, I would make the goal clearer. I would also make the pathway more set and direct so the player doesn’t end up going in circles. It was frustrating because after a while you would become disoriented. This game gave me the idea of using different levels with portals or special taverns leading to them.
Note: After playing I went back and read the storyline for Zelda. This changed my views of the game in so many ways. Had I known the object I would have been much more enthusiastic about playing in the beginning like I feel now. I find the storyline very romantic and epic with adventure. The purpose is also more emotional with the goal to find Princess Zelda.
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