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Jan 18th, 2007 at 00:08:30 - Super Smash Brothers (N64) |
Super smash Brothers is one of the games that have defined the Nintendo 64 era, along with Mario Party. Utilizing four players under one screen has created hours and hours of memorable moments with the many Nintendo characters that it has produced. What makes this game great is the ability to reach a variety of audiences, from Pikachu, Kirby, as well as older characters such as Mario. What this game simply entails is certain objectives, one of them being is to outlive the rest of the players on the field. Each character performs certain moves that have the potential of removing other players from the game. But that’s not all; all the players have a percent damage on the bottom of the screen indicating how closer they will be to a knock out. The larger the percent, the chances increase of a fatal hit. What has been astonishing time and time again is how the players are able to recover and regain their place without losing a life. What this game provides is an atmosphere of excitement, frustration, and a sense of superiority for all the friends you beat.
As a newbie playing this game, the character selection is not the best yet offers a good variety. Using the directional joystick as opposed to the directional pad is becoming more popular for games. Not only does it provide less of a thumb strain, but offers instead of a four directional movement a much more array of movements. With that being said, the stamina of the players increase, as the thumb strain does not become a factor in play. So your beginning to think this game is simple, but it is not. Like many of the traditional fighting games, each character has their own unique moves as well as their speed, strength, statistics are better than others. What a player may find is that some characters are easier to handle than others and they quickly want to learn all the available moves of the character.
However as I was struggling to battle against my three friends, I had only discovered a relatively four to five moves, but I was happy nonetheless. And with the countless items appearing before me such as pokeballs, raygun, and an assortment of items, this game became more enjoyable as I learned how to utilize these items to gain the advantage. But as much as my enthusiasm to learn these games, the more experienced players were able to use their players abilities to stay longer in the game. What I often found myself doing was trying to recover from a fall by pressing certain buttons, only later to discover this effort only further helped me to my death. So as I was eliminated from the game, I am left with two provoking thoughts. How do I stay alive in this game, and the second being what are all the other buttons for?
What I believe is like teaching, many of the more advanced players struggle with quickly identifying all the controls to a novice player because there are a multitude of tricks in the game. Simply stating which button does what cannot explain the vast amounts of attacks the player has, as well which combos serve the best as a recover. As I was playing, I just became fixated on the power moves such as Captain Falcon’s Falcon Punch, rather than the wimpy attacks that everyone else was using. Although this attack provided a lot of punch, it did leave Captain Falcon vulnerable to attacks from others if the punch did not connect. Overall in my first hour, this game creates an excitement of endless fun, as the player wants to discover the different ways to get better.
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Jan 8th, 2007 at 23:27:03 - Gran Turismo 4 (PS2) |
As I first began to play, I do notice the way I push the buttons especially X and Square that the pressure I put affects how my car accelerates and brakes. What makes this experience different is that each car does not accelerate or brake as hard as the next car, furthering the need for practice in order to master this game. In particular to the career mode, you start off with little money in order to purchase a very bad car.
In addition to having little money, the races that are unlocked require no license. It would take several hours to complete a second level license, and even then all of the games potential is still not unlocked. To obtain a license is to do a set of tasks under a certain amount of time while staying firmly on the road. These tasks become more difficult depending on the merit you wish to receive (gold, silver, or bronze). So why all these different status when in the end the same license is given. I remember as I started the test I thought "Oh I could easily get all gold." By the end of the test in which I have failed numerous times, even sometimes the ones I have passed before, I already wanted to start my career and earn some money and have a fancy car.
And I think that in some aspects this is how the game can kill a lot of time, but cause a lot of frustration at the same time. These licenses don't make you a better driver necessarily, I think just playing the game over and over again produces this skill. Afterward the Nasty Exhausting Driving Tests (get it?), the actual racing begins. And even though you lose sometimes, money is made for upgardes to your already lame car. So after awhile those opponents who edged me on the track, was eating my dust thirty minutes later. This game essentially doesn't have an end, sure you may win all the championships and attain riches, but the game doesn't stop there. All you have to do is purchase a new car, and customize to one's own desires.
In terms of game and play, the game is to win a race. That is the small circle of Gran Turismo itself. The big picture is attaining the funds to produce winning cars, which is caused by winning races. The strategy it takes is crucial because this game is a driving simulator, and not all cars necessarily have the same feel just like in real life. So there is no end to this game, only a new beginning, but by the time you completed all of the games potential, theres always secret cars to be unlocked by playing the game in some sort of perfect way.
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Jan 8th, 2007 at 23:14:24 - Gran Turismo 4 (PS2) |
What has proven to be a way to capture the player is the arcade session, in which a lineup of cars is readily available to play. For those who may not be car savvy, on the bottom of the screen displays its stats such as the HP (Horsepower), as well as RPM (rotations per minute). If two players decide to race the same car, most of the vehicles offer different color selections. As this is the fourth series, this has the most updated roster of cars, showing the likes of not only Acura and Toyota, as well as the European brands. This array of cars is also complemented to the increasing number of racing tracks, the original Gran Turismo tracks, as well as the real simulated city tracks, and one dirt track.
The aspects of racing have also improved. Like most racing cars, manual transmission proves to have a far better change in gears then the automatic one. One unique aspect of this game as the player approaches the turn, a red sign pops up on the bottom reminding you which is the appropriate gear to be in. Another great aspect of this game that has improved is the pressure-sensitive in the acceleration aspect, furthering promoting the enhance driving to perhaps a driving simulator instead of the standard PS2 dual shock controller. In addition to these features, the physics of the game has improved as well. One improved driving feature that comes with this controller is the use of the analog sticks, which offer a 360 degree movement with both the right and left. This prevents fatigue in the thumbs as they have constantly overwork on those sharp turns, and in turns prolongs the enjoyment of the game.
What has grown in popularity over the years because of movies such as The Fast and The Furious, has promoted cars not only looking good, as well as the ability to drift. Although the cars cannot ghost ride the whip, the tires play a huge factor in the drivers feel for the game. While super hard tires do not allow nearly any drift, the super soft ones allow the pleasure of the player to drift like his favorite movie stars do, but of course only with practice. So more decision making comes plays a factor into the strategy of the game. Not only does one have to choose which car are they more comfortable with, such as front wheel drive, rearwheel drive, four wheel drive, as well as whether or not the manual transmission is not to distracting to fidget with at the same time watching the road and viewing what speed is appropriate.
Yet the arcade mission can motivate a single player to want to venture in the career mode. My next blog will focus on the career mode, and what advantages/disadvantages it offers. But the arcade accomplishes its mission in allowing multiple players to engage in friendly races, at the same time being able to choose a variety of cars.
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noobkilla has been with GameLog for 17 years, 10 months, and 13 days |
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