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Feb 8th, 2008 at 16:05:15 - R·Type III: The Third Lightning (SNES) |
Gamelog 3, Section 2
Date: 2/7/08
Time: 12:00-1:00
CMPS 80k
Gameplay
Something very interesting occurred today during my time playing R-Type, I got pissed. I got really emotionally angry at the game. This occurred for various reasons but it just now struck me that this game created such anger in me. Now the real reason for me getting mad was basically I was stuck on the boss in the second level. I am aware that this is no reason to get mad or angry, but I was stuck on him for awhile, close to 30 to 35 minutes, of just me trying to take down the boss. It’s amazing that games can create those types of emotions in its players, and sometimes it can be a bad thing, in this case I don’t think it was the game per se making me angry just the fact that I couldn’t get past that certain part.
Moving onwards I didn’t really experience anything new during this chunk of play time, which is ok it was more about trying to get past what I have seen so I could see more. The game itself was still fun during this time, and I was doing relatively well, considering how far I have played up to that point.
Design
This game, much like Gradius III, allows the player to choose what power ups the player gains. There are 3 different weapon types to choose from: Round Force, Shadow Force, and Cyclone Force. Each of these forces comes with 3 subsections, which allows for various customizations within the game. As stated in Section one of this log, the ship is much larger then what I am accustomed to for a space shooter. However, this is a positive in that the extra bit of your ship comes from the type of force you chose. That section of your ship can be deployed and does damage on its own, you can also move it from the front of your ship to the back, depending on the enemies that are attacking.
Another item that caught my attention was the actual art in the game, the style is very appealing, and a step up in graphics from Gradius III. The levels are varied, at least the two I saw were different from one another. The levels also have some very interesting sections and additions to them that give each its own touch. In one level you have to dodge acid droplets from the ceiling along with the wave of enemies that come towards you. Along with the varied levels are the different bosses. One boss shoots eyeballs out of its various orifices, which the player must dodge along with the boss’s regular attack. Now this may not seem much, but it was difficult for me to keep up with that alone.
Overall I would not call this a great game though, there were defiantly some upsides, however there was not much that would make me want to come back to play through it some more. I was not super motivated to continue my play through this game. I would assume that that feeling has to do with the fact that the game is difficult, and has no mode settings, which would have been nice in the fact that I would have been able to see more of the game. Other then that I would say that this game is good at what it does, there are levels at which waves of enemies fly at you, all while you navigate your plane through tight areas, and the boss fights were varied, and the art direction was well done and made the game look good.
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Feb 8th, 2008 at 16:02:05 - R·Type III: The Third Lightning (SNES) |
Gamelog 3, Section 1
Date: 2/5/08
Time: 3:00-3:45 pm
CMPS 80k
Summary
R-Type III: The Third Lightening is a horizontal side scrolling space shooter. In the game you take the role of the pilot of the new R-90 ship, and are sent out to destroy the BYDO Empire, and its mother ship. The object of the game is to clear the levels, destroy your enemies, and eventually take down the dreaded BYDO Empire.
Gameplay
As with most space shooters, the story really is of little importance to the actual game, in that sense the narrative aspects of the game have been pretty nonexistent thus far in my play time. However, this has not stopped me from playing the game. In the hour of play that I spent, I got about halfway through the second level. If there is anything someone can take away from that previous statement it’s that this game is pretty difficult, but enjoyable at the same time. There are many interesting aspects of the game that have stuck out during my time of play. One of them is the fact that you have the ability to choose what types of weapons you gain from your power ups.
Another aspect that pops into my head constantly is how this game and Gradius III compare to each other; this is has been an interesting topic due to the fact that I have just recently done a game log for Gradius III. The two are very different from one another, but in some senses the same, and each has their own pros and cons. For R-Type I have noticed that your ship is much larger, and more susceptible to crashes into the walls of the environment. It has been my experience that because of the ships larger size I have been more prone to losing lives because of it. However, the levels in R-Type III are not nearly as linear as the ones in Gradius, and have a lot of interactivity within them. By that I mean your eyes are constantly moving through your field of vision looking for gaps and openings to get through.
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Jan 24th, 2008 at 23:49:31 - Gradius 3 (SNES) |
Game log 2, Session 2
Date: 1/24/08
Time: 2:00-3:00
CMPS 80k
Gameplay
After seeing just how hard Gradius III is, I decided that the best way to see most of the game was to play on the easy mode setting. However, that does not mean that this game is in any way less difficult, quite the contrary the game is still hard as hell. I have yet to see any level past the fourth and as stated above I am playing on the easy mode setting. Now that may just say something about my playing skill, or it may just tell you how hard this game really is. Now for me that is both a negative and a positive. Negative because I have yet to see new content and positive but it pushes me to see how far I can go.
One item I have yet to touch on, and will probably bring up again in the design section, is the power ups in the game. Your reliance upon these power ups cannot be overstated. It is only because of the power ups that players can get anywhere within the game. But as in most 2d space shooters the moment you die, you lose all of your power ups, which can get annoying sometimes considering just how much you rely upon them throughout the game and the levels. However, this aspect of the game is not really one you can just fix, for changing that would probably make the game not Gradius at all but some type of knock off.
Design
However the levels I have seen seem to follow the same basic premise. The first half of the level is, to a certain extent, an open play field, in the sense that your ship can move all the way to the top of the level to the screen to the bottom, without dying. This aspect changes however about halfway through the level where the addition of ground enemies appear in the forms of turrets, tanks, and various other types of hazards. In this part of the levels, going to the very top of the screen or the very bottom will result in the loss of one of your precious lives.
Now with every level comes a boss battle, sadly I haven’t seen many of these either, but the ones that I have experienced have been pretty varied. Each of the three, yes only three that’s all I’ve been able to see, has been difficult to get by, whether it be enemies distracting you from what the boss is doing, or if it’s the boss just doing serious damage and in some cases just weird attacks. In one boss battle, the boss shot out lasers that crisscrossed and required you to think ahead and dodge them. Overall the boss fights were what I expected them to be, a massive figure bigger than your ship that you simply just needed to let fly everything in your arsenal at.
Lastly the most interesting thing about Gradius III would have to be the editing system that allows you to pick and choose which power ups you can have at your disposal. These range from charge laser shots, fire bombings, to red spheres that cause close range damage to ships that get to near. The ability to pick what you wanted was a nice touch, it allowed for different experience just about every time I played. In some cases I would just pick random power ups and see just how epic I could get.
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Jan 24th, 2008 at 02:40:02 - Gradius 3 (SNES) |
Game Log 1, Session 1
Date: 1/23/08
Time: 4:00-4:45
CMPS 80K
Summery
Gradius III is a side scrolling space shooter developed and published by Konami, and was originally for Arcades, but got ported to the Super Nintendo in 1990. In Gradius III you play as Vic Viper, flying you starship and fighting off the Bacterion Empire.
Gameplay
Looking back on the time that I have been playing this game, I would have to say that the story elements and any resemblance to narrative is practically nonexistent from this game. However, I would argue that it doesn’t really affect the game, at least in a negative way. The basic focus of the whole game is to destroy any ship or enemy that appears from the right side of the screen. And through it all it was still enjoyable to play, even if it was relatively simplistic in its objectives.
Another positive to the game is how those who are watching you play seemed utterly engrossed in the outcome and scream with disappointment with every life lost. However, neither I nor my hall mates could tell you exactly why that is. It could be the simplicity of the game, the controls can be learned in a matter of seconds and the learning curve is not to steep. That does not mean that the game is not difficult, on the contrary Gradius III could be one of the most difficult games I have played on the SNES. Even on the default normal mode, it was a challenge to just get past the first level, this is due greatly to the fact that enemies come flying at you pretty quickly, and the reaction time is a little inhibited if one does not gain the speed power ups.
Overall my play time has been enjoyable and challenging, out of the 10 levels I have seen about 4, sadly most of that was due to me changing the settings from normal to easy, something I am not proud to admit but felt was needed in order to experience more of the game.
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