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Feb 11th, 2007 at 17:49:53 - NFL Blitz (N64) |
Now I have tried both single player--computer opponent--and multiplayer--human opponent and it is safe to say that playing with another human being is infinitely more fun. In fact, playing the computer is about as fun as playing chess on the computer. NFL Blitz creates fun, excitement, and stimulation by establishing a game world that real people can occupy. Some other games I would classify likewise include, Super Smash Bros., Mario Tennis, etc. These games can certainly be played in single player mode, but because they lack any kind of story, individual entertainment value is low. I call these games, "party games" because they are perfect for when there are a bunch of people hanging out who need a medium for fun. Imagine playing monopoly with three robots, it just wouldn't be that fun. This said, there remains a lot of strategy to be had. The honing of this strategy can be a personally fulfilling activity for many players. For example, every time there is a new play to be had, each player is allowed to select a play from about 12 optional set ups. Once the play is in action, as quarter back the player may choose how long to wait before throwing the ball, who to throw it to, and where to run. This game seems to be both proggressive and emergence. While gameplay presents the players with a definite set of potential moves that can be put together in any different combination for unique outcomes, the game also progresses in a very set and regular way. This includes half-time, first downs, touch downs, punts, etc. This is a great game and I love it.
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Feb 11th, 2007 at 17:30:40 - NFL Blitz (N64) |
NFL Blitz is interesting because unlike many other video games, the world it creates and the rules that dictate its function are all taken from reality. Football is a sport that has been played for a very long time by many people. The question I am drawn to ask is, what makes video game football different from regular football. Asside from the laziness factor, what about playing Blitz is different from actually playing football. The biggest difference I can distinguish is this: NFL Blitz gives the players the ability to control the entire team, which makes for a game that, although it follows the same basic rules, requires a completely different set of skills. Regular football wants a high degree of physical prowess and the ability to work fluidly with team members to achieve a goal. NFL Blitz puts players in control of an entire team simultaneously. With the press of a button it is possible to switch control to any player on the team. Once in control of a given player, movement and action is farely simple. It is possible to make the player run fast or slow, to pass, to juke, and to tackle. The computer does a lot of the hardest work for you. Any time you switch from player to player it automatically selects the player who is closest to the ball. This means it is farely possible to mash random buttons and successfully gain yardage. However, mashing buttons is not going to win you the game unless you are playing someone else who is mashing random buttons worse than you. This game is fun in a different way from real football, yet provides much of the same violent and reckless glee.
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Jan 31st, 2007 at 01:16:12 - Super Smash Brothers (N64) |
My second hour of gameplay did not offer me anything new or interesting. I was unable to even consider playing it in single player mode as the social aspect is the only redeeming characteristic I can discern. I can see on a variety of different levels why it might be interesting, engaging, even addicting, but for some reason it just does not stick with me. I have grown fairly competent and rarely come in last place, but every minute of gameplay moves like an eternity. In the second hour I tried several new characters including Kirby, Seamus, and Donkey Kong but none of these choices seemed to give me a competitive advantage. In the end I chose to stay with Link so I could focus my energy on developing my skills with one character instead of sucking with everyone. My increased skill offered me little in the way of entertainment value, I just died less. I have been able to pin down my biggest complaints about this game and they all stem from the annoying tone of the game. But I could get over this if only the game were more satisfying. When I play this game I have no emotional attachment to the outcome. I really don’t care if I win or lose because there are too many wins and losses per second of gameplay to have any kind of investment in the result of the net match. Oh well, hopefully I won’t have to play this game for a while.
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Jan 31st, 2007 at 00:35:28 - Super Smash Brothers (N64) |
Super Smash Brothers has always been one of those games that everyone loves except for me. Sometimes it seems as though my entire life, or at least a large and significant portion of it, has been spent trying to not play Super Smash Brothers. Whenever it comes up, I always remember all the reading I have to do and skip out. But when I saw it on the classics list, I could run no longer. It was time once and for all to settle my unexplained and certainly unexplored dislike for this game everyone else seems to think is something amazing. The first thing I don’t like about the game are its characters. Sure, individually most of them are reasonably loveable, but something about having all those characters from different games come together is just really irritating. I have always been turned off by video games I perceive to be too “cute.” I know this is not very rational, but it is the truth. The way all these characters move, look, and attack is extremely childish and meaningless to me. But I promised myself I would try to enjoy myself, so I puckered up and selected “Link,” who I suppose is the coolest character. He is also good because he can throw his sword or pull enemies in close before smashing them off the many little island arenas that plague the game. I figured out the controls easily enough, there are only 5 different move options not counting special moves, but found using them to great effect to be extremely difficult. This game is clearly a game of emergence, the very fact that it has characters from all Nintendo’s different games proves this fact. There is absolutely no storyline whatsoever. I suppose I may have perceived this wrong, especially since I was playing in multiplayer mode, but the game set up does not leave any real room for story. The game play is quite frantic and overwhelming. In any given round there are four little characters running around blowing up, powering up, and jumping. The levels are very simple in layout, and the goal is to kick other characters off the island level or to kill them. Wins are extremely unsatisfying because the opponent you just crushed returns to the arena almost instantly. The categorizing quality, “easy to learn, difficult to master,” really applies to this game and I have a sneaking suspicion that I am blowing it off too easily because I feel like I have learned everything there is to know about it already just because I can do some of the attacks. Hopefully my second hour of game play will be more fruitful.
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aldymachine has been with GameLog for 17 years, 10 months, and 15 days |
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