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Feb 8th, 2008 at 19:55:30 - Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES) |
Gamelog Entry #2
Gameplay
For my second walkthrough of Donkey Kong 2, my skills improved (or more of, they had to improve) as I went further through the game. I myself felt this game to be too challenging for younger kids, which is troubling because with all the whimsical graphics and and ideas, I really felt as though this game was aimed at a younger audience.
The level of difficulty aside, I was highly intrigued by the the boss battles and after a while, finding enough coins to access the bonus levels (which were insanely difficult as well). The game really caught my attention in the difference of levels and backgrounds which really captured a sense of being not very possible and more imaginative, which was fun.
Another aspect of the game not mentioned in my first log is the inclusion of animals that help you in your quest. Each animal has a different skill which you can use when you mount them. These skills include speed, swimming, or jumping. Plus, some of them you don't ride or even physically interact with,but still provide a tremendous amount of support. The game gets even better when you actually get to transform into one of the many animals present giving you better movement and control.
Design
The level design for the game follows a simple process. The beginning levels of the game of deceptively easy, but as the game progresses, these levels become very hard. The first world serves more as a training ground to hone your skills controlling the chimps, but as you reach later worlds, you'll have to deal with harder obstacles and enemies.
The levels are of great variation, though. From pirate ships to carnivals, this game will constantly keep you entertained, as each new world brings some new level design concept such as riding roller coasters or getting over large gaps using nothing, but spider webs. I felt as though I needed to grasp a new concept or skill in the game just to keep up, which is good, since this idea will make it so that you always feel involved.
The game has a very strong reward system, but the most difficult I've encountered. You can search every piece of land there is an Donkey Kong 2, so that you can find every coin and bonus box so that you can admire your 100% completion of the game. (In which case, I will bow before and worship you as a platformer god). Of course, you have all the resources to find these hidden items, it just requires a lot of skill, time, and a little luck.
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Feb 8th, 2008 at 16:19:06 - Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES) |
Gamelog Entry #1
Summary
In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kongquest, players take control of a chimp named Diddy and girl chimp companion in a 2-D, side-scrolling platformer. The goal of the game each world is to go though every level and defeat the main boss of that level, while the end goal is to save Donkey Kong from an evil pirate lizard. The game provides many side challenges such as finding bonus barrels within levels or beating the secret levels in the game. A unique function in the game lets you switch between the two chimps at any time (because you only control one at a time, while the other just follow until summoned).
Gameplay
In my first 45 minutes of playing this game, I can say that I feel like I have really been challenged in this game. It was very fun to play, though I must say that it lacks a good story. All you know is that Donkey has been kidnapped and it is your job to rescue him.
As I played the first few levels, I got a good sense of enviroment from each world (though I've only seen two so far). I started off on a pirate ship and the levels progressed through the ship with very few deviations from the path you needed to take. Each level has a plethora of items to be found. From bananas to banana coins to extra live ballons, there was plenty of hidden items to be found. What I liked best is that there are hidden stages within levels that, at first, will be simple to locate, but later on, become increasingly harder to either find or get to.
Herein, lies my greatest facination with the game: anyone can pick it up and start playing. If you want to just get through the game without locating all the items or secret levels, it is perfectly fine because those items are optional anyways. It only takes a true perfectionist to search every nook and cranny to find everything and get 100% completion. (Though I've got to say that when you take this into account, this is one of the hardest platormers I've ever played.)
The main characters in the game are a little whimsical (seeing chimps in clothing is always amusing), but don't say much in the game. You don't hear a lot of people talking in this game, but there is some dialogue (some). So like I said before, this game doesn't excel at storytelling, but the interaction between your two main characters is a highlight in the game. You can switch between both main characters at anytime (provided that both of them are with you) and the animation between switching is hilarious everytime I watch it. As a plus, you can even use a tag team throwing manuever that becomes really useful once you learn how to use it. Overall though, the characters are simple to control, but take sometime to master.
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Jan 13th, 2008 at 22:53:45 - Super Metroid (SNES) |
Gamelog Entry #1 (pt. 2)
Gameplay
My second session only increased my desire to explore planet Zebes. As I moved from sector to sector, easy enemies became increasingly more difficult. Plus, the boss fights got much more exciting, as I battled creatures more than 10 times my size. Coming out victorious after overcoming insurmountable odds made me feel like a champion. Of course, that feeling lasted only a short while as I plunged back into the world of exploration.
As I moved on from the Norfair (the lava sector) with my brand new weapons, I temporarily became stuck. Because there is so much emphasis on exploration, the game doesn't really tell you where to go. This adds to the challenge, as you must forge a pass through the sectors with your upgraded rockets and morph ball bombs.
It was quite a shock when I discovered where the next area was. Right away, I had moved from the fires of Norfair, to the depths of the Madrina (the water sector). To take note, Norfair was a sector so hot that it burnt through the battle armor and required a special suit upgrade. But in the Madrina, I was completely submerged in water and it affected Samus' movement as now she was very slow which required expert shooting to defeat the enemies who moved swiftly through the waters. It is a challenge that I am facing to this day.
Design
As a whole, Super Metroid is a great platforming game. Excellent in many ways yet its main objective (exploration) is a double-edged sword. For starters, the game has excellent level design. I loved seeing the change in background for every sector from the outer caves of Crateria to the lush vegetation of Brinstar to the firey pits of Norfair to the watery depths of Madiria, I really felt like an explorer when I was done. The change in scenery also came with a change in music with each piece going beautifully with it's accompanying sector. And as stated before, as the sectors changed, the enemies inhabiting each became increasingly to difficult to beat. To make things even more challenging, every time you leave any given room and return, the enemies respawn! This makes it so that there is never a dull moment. To add to the empahsis on exploration, you can not access certain areas without the proper equipment whether it be weapon upgrades or suit upgrades. Of course, the game allows it so that you do not have do that much exploration, though the reward for your extra effort is paid off greatly, as you may locate special weapon upgrades that are not necessary to beat the game but help you greatly.
All this aside, I address the few problems I had with this game. To start off, my biggest problem with this game is also its main emphasis: exploration. Don't get me wrong, I mean I loved having to find all the energy tanks and missle tanks off the beaten track, but the trouble occured when I tried to go back to the main quest. Because the game puts so much emphasis on exploration, it never really points you in the direction you need to go to, so you must find out where to go on your own. Which pretty much led me on a 30 minute hunt to find out where I was supposed to go, which also led to much frustration. My second problem in this game comes from the controls. The actual controls take some getting used to and simple actions are easy to perform as well. But to fully explore the planet Zebes, you must learn advance moves, which take a lot of time to nail down. These problems aside, Super Metroid is one of the top games out there, in design and gameplay, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves adventure/exploration games.
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Jan 13th, 2008 at 21:56:22 - Super Metroid (SNES) |
Gamelog Entry #1 (pt.1)
Summary
In Super Metroid (a 2-D platformer), players control Samus, an intergalatic bounty hunter clad an battle armor. The main focus of the game is the exploration of the planet Zebes in search of the last Metroid (a space parasite) that was stolen from the space station it was kept in. During your quest you must also find power-ups and upgrades to ehance your suits abilities and allow you further access into the different sectors of Zebes.
Gameplay
Right off the bat when your turn on the system, the games creepy music and partial images give you an ominous feeling of what's to come. Even better, if you have not played the two previous installments, the game fills you in on the story in the form of a journal entry by Samus. Also the journal entry gives players some insight of who Samus is and what her motives are, but you still can't help but feel a little distant.
As soon as your start, the ominous feeling kicks in. As you enter the desolate space colony and view the bodies, you already know something bad is about to happen. And after you face-off against the first boss, everything changes for a brief amount of time. Faced with the self-destruction of the space station, the omnious feeling swiftly changes to that of panic as the background glows red and the timer appears.
So far, the controls are hard, and take some getting used to, but still very fun to play. It is alsoe very challenging because the physics of the game are very realistc. Examples of this are present in the gravity of the planet allowing Samus to make very large jumps and if you happen to end up in water, your movement are slowed and that jumping height diminishes greatly. As I progressed further, I became even more enticed by the games different sectors and felt that I myself was on this distant planet, which pushes players to explore the enviroment even more. And they are rewarded for the exploration in the form of energy tanks and missle tanks, both which increase the amount that you can carry.
On another note, social interaction is non-existent here. Since Super Metroid is a single player game and because it is best played while alone in a dark room, don't expect to be talking with friends or anybody else for that matter. It just throws of the games atmosphere and ruins the feeling of truly being on your own.
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nanostylex7 has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 24 days |
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