 |
|
Jan 16th, 2007 at 13:10:40 - Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GC) |
Note to the TA's: I didn't read the assignment carefully, which is why I have entries for two different games instead of two entries for one game.
Zelda Part 2
This particular entry is about the dungeon in the Gerudo Desert, after obtaining the Master Sword.
In most Zelda games, you had to figure out your next objective by actively seeking out quests and directions to the next dungeon, or by running errands and recieving information in return. TP eschews all that in favor of a centralized hub in which you talk to a group of explorers, each willing to provide information as to where you have to go directly. They even have a detailed map for you, which adds a location marker to your own.
I headed off to Lake Hylia, feeling pumped. I mean, I have the master sword. The big kahuna of Zelda blades. Even in Ocarina of Time, I never used the unbreakable Goron blade. That thing was unwieldy compared to the one-handed sexiness of the Master Sword. You don't mess around, here.
Gerudo Desert as a level sucked, with nothing but lots of running and dodging little sandworms. I found a hidden chest, which yielded 100 rupees, but alas, my wallet can only hold a pitiful 300, and I had to put it back. While this "Put back rupees you can't carry" can be seen as an improvement over previous Zelda titles, since you just took them regardless of whether or not your wallet was full, it's not like I actually plan on coming back to this tedious desert to collect it.
When I finally got to the fortress at the end of the desert, I was met with what looked like sniper towers.
Now, I must interject here. Almost all action-adventure games try to incorporate a "stealth" level, even when the controls are completely inappopriate for it. To be frank, I despise them, and usually completely stop playing right then and there. However, Zelda actually did a good job, and I felt like a badass when I sniped fire arrow-wielding goblins from afar.
The end boss for this little fortress was one of the same oversized orcs that I fought on horseback way before I even got the Hylian shield. It was a good fight, and I had learned a new sword technique, which allowed me to stun him with my shield, then leap over him while slashing at his head at the same time.
I entered the dungeon, which allowed me to truly use my wolf/human transformation ability at will. To get past certain areas, I was required to turn into a wolf, sniff out the enemies containing necessary souls, and then to defeat them. Other areas require that I use bombs, which is accessibly in human-form only. Earlier in the game, the wolf form felt unnecessary and tacked on, but I see now my folly in my lack of faith in Nintendo's development team.
More later.
add a comment  - read this GameLog  |
|
Jan 11th, 2007 at 17:08:10 - Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GC) |
I've started this game already, and this particular session is from the middle of the Water Temple.
Traditionally, I've always hated the water temple in Zelda games. The one in Ocarina of Time, my favorite Zelda until I played Twilight Princess, forced me to resort to a player's guide, which I always hate doing.
This one wasn't as bad, and I managed to get through it okay. Zelda games always have a tradition of giving you a new weapon or item in a dungeon, and this one provided me with the Clawshot, TP's iteration of the famous Hookshot. As soon as I got it, the rest of the dungeon opened up to me, and I was able to make it to the boss room. One thing this game does extremely well is give you a feeling that you're a small but important part in an intensely epic story. The boss room was a giant water-filled chamber, and must've been at least a couple hundred feet deep. I strapped on my iron boots, and jumped in. I rapidly descended, feeling a growing sense of "oh shit oh shit oh my god" as I saw what looked like a giant tentacle poking out of the ground.
As soon as I landed, a cutscene took over, and several more tentacles popped out, followed by the boss they were attached to, a giant anemone. This was pretty much identical to the OoT version, which was an eyeball in a tentacle that you had to pull out with the hookshot to be able to slash at it. This boss had the same thing, and it was incredibly easy.
At that point, I felt incredulous and somewhat cheated. A two hour long, annoying temple followed by this? Screw that noise.
However, I had forgotten that a lot of these bosses had multiple forms. Sure enough, all the tentacles retreated below the surface, and out exploded a giant eel. The "anemone" I had been fighting was merely its mouth. I unequipped my iron boots (a quick process, thanks to the fact that you equipped it as an item and not as an article of clothing), and swam after it. The eyeball was still there, except this time it was embedded onto its back. I swam after it, L-targetted to lock on, and fired my claw shot. It pulled me in close, and soon I was hanging on to it, Shadow of the Colossus style. I whipped out my sword and stabbed at the eye.
Rinse and repeat 3 times, and done.
This game is huge, and it makes good use of the Gamecube's now-defunct hardware (as you can play GC games on the Wii). Bosses like these are what makes it feel epic, and certainly makes me feel like I'm getting my money's worth. The revamped music that's been heard in every single Zelda game since the SNES version fills me with a mixture of nostalgia and wonder as I explore new areas.
The next section of the game tasked me with getting the Master Sword.
FINALLY.
The Master Sword, for me, is the pinnacle of the Zelda experience. The lone sword, buried deep into a center stone in the middle of an ancient chamber, the orchestral operatic music that plays as you approach it, and the moment of glory as Link pulls it out, slashes the air, and sheathes it.
I had to warp to the beginning forest to retrieve it, which was an easy task thanks to Midna (the shadow creature that accompanies you in wolf-form) and her warping ability. The level immediately before the Master Sword's chamber consisted of what looked like Scarecrow from Batman and his puppet henchmen who were easily dispatched. After that, it was a puzzle room, in which I had to return two stone guardians to their original spots.
And then finally, the sword. The music, lighting, and graphics represented the best retrieval yet, but maybe I'm just blinded by the fact that it's the latest Zelda game. Wind Waker had a pretty good Master Sword retrieval area, especially since I had to fight over 20 Stalfos and Pig guards in order to escape.
Retrieving the sword allowed me to return to human form, and now I can switch back and forth from human to wolf at will. At this point, I saved and quit.
read comments (3)  - add a comment - read this GameLog |
|
Jan 8th, 2007 at 18:07:15 - Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (DS) |
I started Portrait of Ruin on Friday, January 5. My experiences thus far with previous Castlevania games have only been the ones Konami put out for the Game Boy Advance, and the previous DS title, Dawn of Sorrow. I never owned the older generation of consoles due to my parents ban on video games when I was younger, so I've missed out on Symphony of the Night, as well as the original Castlevanias for the NES. This is neither here nor there, so on to my thoughts on this title.
This game is very inconsistent when it comes to powerups and new abilities recieved. From the 4 previous Castlevanias I've played, new abilities were acquired once a boss was defeated. In Dawn and Aria of Sorrow, they came in the form of souls. In Circle of the Moon and Harmony of Dissonance, they simply came to you after killing the boss. However, in Portrait of Ruin, you simply find them near the area where the boss resides. It's somewhat jolting to me, as I expect some kind of reward immediately, but it never comes. Some of the powerups seem a bit redundant. For example, last night, I got a kind of double jump powerup, which let me jump on my partner's shoulders (more on the partner aspect in a bit) to reach previously unattainable platforms. Today, I beat a boss (a slime monster in a boiling cauldron), and I recieved the double jump ability shortly thereafter. Now, I can triple jump by first jumping onto my partner, jumping off of her, and then jumping again once midair, but it all seems unintuitive.
Now, this partner comes in the form of a female protagonist that you can summon or send away at will with the press of the A button. The AI of the game will take over its control, and will fight whatever enemy you're facing, or if you want to use her magic ability, you press R to activate it. You can switch control to become the girl, with the male protagonist as the AI controlled teammate. It all works very well in my opinion, and is a good gameplay mechanic that opens up new possibilities for co-op. For instance, the slime boss' cauldron needed to be moved to the right so it's weak point would be more exposed, so I started pushing it. I then called my partner with A, and she automatically started helping me, halving the time it took. Other things include having her stay on a lever so that a door can stay open, at which point I'll run in, send her away, and then summon her again by my side. It takes some getting used to, but it works well.
The two characters are somewhat boring in design, but I never really cared about characters in games where the plot isn't imposed on the player every five minutes. The male lead is Jonathan Morris, a direct descendant of the famous vampire-hunting Belmont clan. The female lead is Charlotte Aulin, Jonathan's childhood friend. Jonathan uses physical-based attacks with swords, knives, and axes, while Charlotte uses books. She thrusts a tome in the direction of the enemy, and some sort of weapon will pop out.
Gameplay-wise, I'm finding it very fun to explore new areas. I arrived in a new part of the castle, which of course, included new and stronger enemies. There was a sense of trepidation, as I frantically searched for the save room (which also replenishes my health and mana). I wasn't able to find it, but I did find a teleportation room, which let me warp to another area of the castle that had a save room close by. The enemies in this game are modeled off of mythological and fantasy-based creatures, such as golems, skeleton warriors, and succubi.
In terms of reward structure, the game has a good weapons system, but it's a step down from it's DS predecessor, which allowed you to upgrade weapons with the use of souls collected from defeated enemies. In this one, you gain skill points every time you complete a specific mission or use it enough. It's fine for regular gameplay, but the collect and upgrade feature is sorely missed. Enemies will sometimes drop a weapon, but it's rare. I got a couple of Gladius' from some Hill Guards, which I'll probably sell for money. Once I get the stronger weapon, I'll sell anything weaker for money, which I'll probably use on potions and anti-venoms.
More later.
add a comment - read this GameLog |
|
|
 |
| BrodoFaggins's GameLogs |
|
BrodoFaggins has been with GameLog for 17 years, 10 months, and 15 days |
view feed xml
|
| Entries written to date: 11 |
|
