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Jan 19th, 2007 at 17:28:47 - Super Smash Brothers (N64) |
Super Smash Brothers, Multiplayer Session
Everybody plays Super Smash Brothers for the competitive Multiplayer action. Smash Bros allows people to duke it out with their friends, maintaining a rich, social environment. This cannot be emulated simply by playing computer players, so I chose to play a session with my housemates.
For me, winning isn't the main objective. When I play Smash Bros, I try to explore the depth of gameplay. This means that running in and "mashing" a single button accomplishes nothing, even if it does inflict damage. Instead, you can learn about the game and improve your skills by exercising different strategies and being creative.
To illustrate this, when I play with my housemates I use Yoshi, a notoriously weak character. Yoshi, while he cannot kill effectively, has an interesting move set that allows for dynamic gameplay. To play this character well requires a steep learning curve. Timing his moves (egg, tongue, etc) is essential for attacking your opponent. While I often lose against my housemates using this character, I still get the satisfaction of being annoying and making them shout in frustration :)
Next GameLog: Super Smash Brothers, Conclusion
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Jan 19th, 2007 at 16:59:47 - Super Smash Brothers (N64) |
Super Smash Brothers, Singleplayer Session
Super Smash Brothers has very limited single-player play. There are only 11 levels (fights) in this mode, and five difficulty settings. In this sense, the game can be "beaten" rather easily (especially on very easy mode). However, an additional goal may be to achieve the highest score. In any case, a single run though will require approximately 30 minutes, give or take several minutes based on skill.
For my single-player session I chose to play Donkey Kong on very hard mode. One thing I noticed while playing through the levels is that I could apply a single "dominant" strategy to most fights. This left very little variation among levels. Since DK is the power-house character of this game, I could simply throw the computer around until I would overpower it with a special punch. This worked on all normal characters, and made the gameplay very dull. Note that only the special characters (Giant DK, Metal Mario, etc) presented some challenge and were interesting fights. I only lost when fighting a special enemy, the Fighting Polygon Team, which turns out to be a real workout for DK.
There is really no sense in repeating single-player mode after you have beaten the game. The progression of levels becomes repetitive and unfulfilling. It can be fun if you are bored, otherwise it's mainly there for practice. The heart of this game is in multiplayer mode.
Next GameLog: Super Smash Brothers, Multiplayer Session
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Jan 19th, 2007 at 12:00:55 - Super Smash Brothers (N64) |
Super Smash Brothers, Introduction
The original Super Smash Brothers game for Nintendo 64 is one of my favorite video games of all time. I have played this game since it was first released in 1999. I originally bought the game because of the hilarious commercial on TV (Nintendo characters wailing on eachother, set to the music: "Happy Together" by the Turtles... good times). I continue to play SSB to this day with my housemates at college. It is a true classic in my opinion, and in the following sessions I shall attempt to analyze why it has achieved such popularity.
Next GameLog: Super Smash Brothers, Singleplayer Session
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Jan 12th, 2007 at 17:32:29 - StarCraft: Brood War (PC) |
StarCraft, Conclusion
I learned several things from these brief sessions.
The game is genuinely engaging. There is a simple, basic thrill of commanding armies of units to victory or death.
Gameplay is smooth and dynamic. However, much of the freedom is lost in single-player mode... The first campaign levels leave little up to the player's creativity, by following a linear story-line. Also, much of the experience is lost when you have to play the same mission over and over.
The story and mission objectives are not narrated effectively. I often found myself skipping over this part.
Overall, StarCraft is a solid RTS, but the campaigns are nothing special.
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