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Feb 9th, 2008 at 00:21:47 - Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64) |
GameLog Entry #2
GAMEPLAY
In my second demo of Majora's Mask, the game became even more open and I finished with no clear objectives. This left me a little frustrated. After about an hour of gameplay, you can get link back to his former self with a new ability to transform back into the shrub, and I imagine, into other forms and creatures. This is an integral part of gameplay, since you use the special abilities of each form to accomplish certain goals. You're also reunited with your magical ocarina that can heal and manipulate time.
The play became less and less interesting as it seemed more and more like Ocarina of Time 2, but with a darker theme and more difficult to find objectives. The "flow" had slowed and I quickly got lost. Once you can become human Link, the world opens up very broadly, allowing you to travel to four expansive areas outside the town.
While moving back in time to the beginning (to avoid the apocalypse) is an interesting concept, it makes some of the gameplay repetitive. Some of the objectives not only need to be completed by the shrub Link but also by human Link. Overall, my experience was mediocre.
DESIGN
The manipulation of time and ability to transform into different forms with different abilities is definitely an innovative element. However, that seems to be the only innovation. The time element make the storyline original, but the gameplay somewhat repetitive. Transforming into other characters and acquiring new abilities is not incredibly original but allows for more puzzle solving challenges.
The world is highly reminiscent of Ocarina, with a less lighthearted twist. The town is not as brightly lit, does not sport bright colors, and there is a sense of doom felt among the characters within the town. The conflict created is a bit new. Link has not been charged to save the princess, but was first challenged to help himself. After discovering what's happening in the town he's stumbled upon, he becomes obligated into attempting to recover a mystical mask, and thus, save the town.
If I had any influence on the design, I would allow for more direction for the player by either more communication from key characters or opening less areas of the world at a time. Also, the reward structure is not as pleasurable as other games in the series. The rewards do not seem to come as frequent as necessary. It's a reminder for me about the importance of making the game a "pleasurable" experience for the player through the use of significant rewards.
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Feb 8th, 2008 at 22:31:48 - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) |
GameLog Entry #1
SUMMARY
In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is an RPG, where you control the classic hero, Link, from the Zelda series. The story continues from Ocarina of Time, with Link being attacked and turned into shrub! Majora's Mask takes place in a 3-D world with 2-D and limited 3-D movement. You begin in a small town, where you race against the clock to finish certain objectives before the moon crashes into the planet. Once you become close to running out of time, you can simply play the Song of Time to return to the beginning, where the simulated world begins again.
GAMEPLAY
The beginning of the game certainly caries a much darker tone evoking some very worrisome emotions. It's also a little depressing playing as Shrub Link and feels a little unnatural. I felt less connected to the main character. The story is certainly an intriguing one, as I yet have no idea how I'm going to recover from this "shrubbish" image, nor how I plan to stop the antagonist (Skull Kid) from making the moon plummet into the planet.
The new character provides some interesting movement, such as being able to launch himself from flowers and gliding to previously unreachable areas. Instead of a sword, he uses spin attacks, and can shoot magic "bubbles." It's a little less fantastic than a hero's shield and sword, but makes for a new and interesting play experience.
The game is single player which disallows for much social interaction. The characters or "bystandards" in the game have little to say (as of yet) with the exception of a few who advance the story line. It seems to have some flow but there is a lot of exploration that must be done, and the amount of agency given to the player and ambiguity in tasks somewhat stalls gameplay and gives little direction.
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Jan 26th, 2008 at 02:04:58 - Mario Party (N64) |
Game Log Entry #2
GAMEPLAY
The second hour of play is even more entertaining. I've started a second game with a third human player, leaving us to compete with each other and only one computer opponent. There are a rich variety and number of minigames, that are still easy to learn and play.
There is plenty of social interaction between and during challenges which adds to the fun of the game. A variety of emotions emerge during gameplay, including commraderie, happiness, frustration, and a sense of rivalry and betrayel, but all in good fun.
DESIGN
The game is very innovative in that it basically defined the "party" genre. It is trully a game designed for human interaction in virtual gaming. It provides the nostalgiac feel of a classic board game with classic Nintendo characters and new innovative mini games.
The games challenges memory, tactile skills, and employs a bit of strategy. There is an obvious finite number of spaces on each board (of which there are a variety), which allows a player to focus less on exploration and more on just having fun. Very simple game layouts also allow for that. The computer chooses challenges randomly to create a fair game. However, there are some challenges that seem to give certain player unfair advantages if the game so chooses. For example, in the "Crane Game," the computer allows the player controlling the crane to have an exceedingly easier chance of winning than the other players.
The reward structure is simple. If you beat the computer, it will reward you with coins, and if you beat your opponents it will take coins from them and award them to you. If you reach the target space on the board with the minimum coin requirement, you can trade coins for a star. The goal of the game is to collect more stars than all other players. The simplicity is welcome and contributes to the overall fun factor.
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Jan 26th, 2008 at 01:30:10 - Mario Party (N64) |
Game Log Entry #1
SUMMARY
Mario Party for the N64 is a multiplayer game in the "party" genre where player controls one of Nintendo's main characters. Each player competes on a virtual board with multiple paths in an attempt to earn the most stars at the end of the game. Players compete against the computer and against each other in minigames after each round for coins. Occasionally players compete against the computer in a cooperative effort.
GAMEPLAY
The story begins with different Nintendo characters fighting over who is the best "Super Star," which leads into the competition between four of them. Players can be automatically attached their characters if they're able to play with their favorite character.
Playing against other players rather than the computer creates great social interaction. This first time playing Mario Party, I played with another human player and against two computer players. Players can choose to play cut throat against all players, create unofficial treaties to help each other, or play strictly against the other human player(s) to make it interesting and fun.
The minigames are fun and easy to learn, usually only requiring one or two buttons and the control stick to play. The games have entertaining artwork, animations, and tools. It challenges you differently for each minigame, from balancing on platforms to mastering button combinations that make your character perform the desired action.
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avera has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 12 days |
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