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Mar 6th, 2008 at 03:33:14 - Bioshock (PC) |
GAMEPLAY
I was able to dive a lot deeper into BioShock on my second play through. My play style has changed a bit since my last entry. I said that I really enjoyed exploring the world and even the bloody and ruined environments had interest. My attention to the environment has been greatly reduced. And that is for one reason only; this game has dangerous psychopathic killers running around. My curiosity has resulted in countless encounters with scary and strong enemies. The first ones where easy, but these guys have guns and bombs, and the ones who don't have a habit of sneaking up on me.
The restaurant and main square where one thing. But the medical pavilion is something. There is blood every where. There are dead bodies everywhere. There are scary doctors and lots of mist. There are lights that turn off and crazies in my face when I turn around. And the sound is amazing. I'm enjoying this game in the dark at night with a pair of very good headphones. Every time I hear a sound I have to turn around in the game, and sometimes I turn around in my chair. It got to be that I would nervously wave my gun around at everything, always on edge. If I heard a sound, I'd back into a corner and try to see if something was coming after me. This game really has me scared. And I love it.
I also ran into one of those little sisters. Now these 'little girls' have ADAM, which I need to make my character stronger to survive. Now I have a choice. I can either harvest the ADAM out of the little sister, which would kill her. Or I can rescue her. I read in an early version of the game, the only way to get ADAM was to harvest. So the choice was growing your character or making a moral choice. However, in the final build, you get ADAM either way. You just get less from rescuing the girl. So the choice was now if just a simulated morality which I had to make. On one hand, it's an innocent little girl of sorts. On the other hand, it's just an image generated by zeros and ones. I talked about making up a character to play earlier, and that came into play here. I already decided I was a basically good person who was being forced to do horrible things to survive. But this was too much. My character would save the little girls as soon as I would save myself. But what do all these choices have to do with a good video game?
DESIGN
BioShock has so many interesting design elements; I hardly know where to start. First of all, the presentation of this game is out of this world. This really shows how polish can make an experience. The sound is eerie. The music is creepy. The voices are smart and insane. The world is wonderfully designed. The splicers look like monsters. All this comes together to make one really immersive experience. And I haven’t really talked about the gameplay yet. This game goes to show that if a designer puts time into their presentation, then the experience can go a tremendous distance.
But that experience needs a driving force. The experience will never be, well, experienced if there is no reason to play. There needs to be something to keep the player playing, to keep the story unfolding, and to drive the reason and existence of this product. And that is the gameplay. Now BioShock's gameplay is an issue. It is fun, no question. The shooting is fun and the use of the plasmids is unique. I can say that the gameplay does enough. It keeps me interested, it is well designed and most importantly, it is fun. But I can't help but feel like it can be so much more.
So many parts of the game seem like that can be deeper, like they were dumbed down to appeal to a large audience. I mentioned that there used to be no way to get ADAM besides harvesting. I think this should have stayed the case. No doubt, it would have made the game a lot harder. And furthermore, the more casual player would probably dismiss the choice as dumb and just harvest to get the ADAM without thinking about it. Maybe this would take away from the concept of the choice by making one choice 'stupid' from a gameplay perspective while the other is stupid from a story perspective. However, maybe the designer could have worked that into the story itself. Something about how most people will choice the easiest path regardless of how that affects other people. I don't know; maybe that kind of player wouldn't even pay attention to that kind of story nonsense. I guess it just comes down to why each player plays the game. Is it just for fun or is it for the story and experience? I know I'm the latter, but I like to have fun too.
There are other parts that seem dumbed down too. There is no inventory management. You can pick up a lot of things in this game, but it is either consumed right away or handled by the computer as an 'invisible'inventory. You can save stuff, and you also can't make any decisions on what to leave or keep. It just seems like the kind of game that should have inventory, plus there are enough games that have one, it doesn't seem like a new thing. Also, all the character growth is just using the plasmids to gain new abilities. There are no stats, like strength. There are just 'get better at hacking' or 'get better at melee' plasmids you can choose from. On one hand, this seems like a little more realistic within the realm of the story and feel of the game, but on the other, it could have made the game a lot deeper to add these elements.
This entry has been edited 2 times. It was last edited on Aug 12th, 2009 at 00:40:44.
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Mar 5th, 2008 at 21:48:28 - Bioshock (PC) |
SUMMARY:
BioShock is an engaging first person shooter. Unlike many shooters, Bioshock contains an amazing story featuring a ruined underwater art deco city call Rapture. The player controls a man who has fallen into the mist of this insane anarchy. The player has to find guns and other useful items to combat the crazed “splicers.” They also can modify their genes to become stronger and use spell like abilities. But the only way to get the resource they need to splice is through these little girls who wander the halls. Will the player try to rescue them, or use them for their own gain?
GAMEPLAY
Upon starting BioShock, I was immediately blown away by the presentation. From almost the very beginning, I found myself immersed in a wondrous art deco world. The first location of the game is a light house which serves as a gate to the city. This place had a wonderful design and was not at all in disarray. The entire place was fun to explore and although this was not a large area and there wasn’t really much to do, the area seemed a lot bigger just because of all there was to look at. Once I got into the city proper, I found the once beautiful place to be a frightening mess. There was blood on the walls, lights were out or flickering. Things were just generally destroyed. And this just made me want to look around even more.
Everywhere I explored really remained me of the computer game, MYST. MYST did a great job of creating a wondrous fantasy world, and exploring that world was the key to the gameplay. BioShock has the same kind of world with a twist, everything is destroyed and now there are insane mutants trying to stalk and kill you. When I wasn’t fighting, I always stayed around to make sure I could explore everything. I know a lot of players who just try to rush through the levels as quickly as possible, and they are free to do that, I just feel like that’s not the right way to experience this game.
I didn’t spend all my time exploring, there where killers about. For a while, the only weapon I could find was a wrench to whack people with and my first plasmid, electrobolt. Plasmids give the character special abilities. Some are passive, but electrobolt gives me the ability to shot a bolt of electricity from my fingertips. I was pleased to find that the world responded well to my electric attacks. In one part, I shocked a pool of water that an enemy was standing in to give him a deadly shock. Eventually, I found a gun. It’s just that it had only six bullets, so I made sure to make every shot count. For a lot of the game, ammo is very rare and I try to make it last. Eventually, it is easy to buy bullets from machines, but this ruins a great part of the game, which is resource conservation. Maybe I just won’t buy bullets to make the game a little harder.
I have a habit with a lot of games of making stories up when the game casts the player as the main character. Games like first person shooters or shmups where you do not see the player because you look out of their eyes or they are hidden in a ship and they have no real story or story involvement. I usually just come up with my own back-story and maybe even imagine a little behind the scenes action within the game. In BioShock, for example, I took a minute after killing my first enemy to try and simulate coping with the shock of killing a person. I bring this up because this habit actually seems to come into play when I am playing BioShock. The game has a few moral choices which the player needs to make, and I find the experience more enjoyable if I get into character to make a choice. But what is also interesting is that I take the time to think about my player’s relation to the environment and I come to some interesting conclusions. For example, as a player I attack every enemy on site and try to kill them. Why do I do this? Because they try to kill me. But how does that make them make me any different then the enemies I fight. I feel like these feelings are a part of the game, but are only there for people like me who take the time to look. Is this a cleaver way of marketing the game to a wide audience?
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Mar 5th, 2008 at 21:49:11.
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Feb 21st, 2008 at 04:34:27 - Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) |
GAMEPLAY:
After playing a lot more of SMB3, I was able to feel out how the gameplay progresses over time. There is actually a lot of depth to the world map. I find this interesting because this is the first time a Mario game has featured a world map, and I would think that it would be a simple design the first time around and get more advanced in later games. As I kept playing, I found what happens when Mario runs out of lives. I am forced to start over at the beginning of my current world and all the levels reset. However, there are a number of items which helped me pass through the world faster without having to play all the levels. There is a cloud item which lets me pass over a level. I can use a pick to break a rock or a key to unlock a door so shortcuts will open up that let you bypass levels. This, along with the ability to start levels with certain power-ups, adds a new element to the game besides simple platforming. This creates a kind of map management system. There is a good strategy to deciding when to use your items for the maximum benefit and when to look ahead if you have to start at the beginning of the level.
Now that I have spent a lot of time with the game, I have a greater sense of the platforming elements. Like I said before, all the classic platforming elements I am used to are present in this game. The problem is I don’t really know how revolutionary these elements are because I didn’t play the game when it was released. What I can say is that this game is a whole lot of fun and its gameplay is both very simple and complex. Like most good games, it is easy to learn, but difficult to master. The levels I played were not that hard. Even as the game progressed, I could still beat the level if I took it nice and easy. The basic idea of continuously moving right and jump on enemies’ head was apparent from the beginning. However, it is almost impossible to resist the urge to try and beat the level as quickly as possible. Even if no body is watching, I like to show off by running through a level without stopping. And SMB3 allows you to do that. A level could be easy if the player is cautious and careful, or that same level could be much more difficult if the player wants to run through as fast as possible. In this way, Super Mario Brothers 3 offers variety in gameplay and replayability, both of which are qualities great games have.
DESIGN
Like I previously stated, SMB3 contains many elements which make a great game. However, what makes this game itself great? I know for one that this game was very built up when it was released. Super Mario Brothers was already a huge success and SMB3 was the true successor. I couldn’t help but note all the improvements from SMB when playing the game. Besides the improvements in graphics and presentation I spoke of earlier, I noted how the gameplay itself evolved. The control and the play itself stayed mostly the same, but the designers added a slew of new objects into the mix which gave so much more to the gameplay. The music note boxes for example allow the player to make huge jumps previously unseen in the past titles. I guess what I am trying to say is, why should the designers change the gameplay that already worked in SMB? Players want to see more of what they fall in love with. But players don’t want exactly the same game either. SMB3 is a great example of gameplay which is not basically modified, but greatly improved. That’s what I define as a great sequel.
But while SMB3 may be a great sequel, why is it a great game? I’m sure there are a lot of people who haven’t played SMB. One difference I noticed is that there is no way to save in SMB3. You can keep continuing if you die, but you cannot save the game unless you are playing a later version. Like I said before, there are a lot of items which can create shortcuts and skip levels and even worlds. One of the great things about this game is replayability. Playing for the first time, I could only try to beat the levels as best as I could. But I do know there are a lot of shortcuts hidden around. By experience and word of mouth, I could eventually find these secrets which increase my skill at playing the game. This increases the social appeal of the game. It encourages players to play in pairs or groups, and share information. Again, this gives the game more and more replayability, unlike other single player games which are played once or twice. What also makes this game great is that it is fun and easy to learn. As said before, the jumping mechanic and the opening levels are very easy to pick up. But what makes this game a masterpiece is how deep it is at the same time. There is a lot to the levels, there is a lot to the world map and there is a lot to the gameplay. There just is a lot to Super Mario Brothers 3.
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Feb 20th, 2008 at 22:51:12 - Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) |
SUMMARY:
Super Mario Brothers 3 is a classic 2-D side scrolling platformer. SMB3 is a legend within its series, genre and within video gaming itself. A more faithful successor to the original Super Mario Brothers, SMB3 introduced many new elements to the already popular game. SMB3 added a world map with multiple paths, as well as a bunch of new items, power-ups and collectables. Also, each world had its own distinct theme, such as water or dessert, instead of the same time of levels.
GAMEPLAY:
As a veteran Mario Bros. player, Super Mario Brothers 3 (SMB3) was instantly familiar to me. I have played a lot of Mario World and Super Mario Brothers one in the past, but not a lot of SMB3, the game which came between the two. Most of the early levels where too easy for me, being an experienced player. However, it is worth noting the learning curve itself is very well developed. These levels were easy, but I became very comfortable with the game while playing them. They introduced me to some of the game’s unique features. There are few video game players who are not familiar with the super mushroom and the fire flower. But I also became familiar with the super leaf, which gave me the raccoon suit which allows Mario to fly and the strange frog suit which let Mario jump higher. And besides the “?” blocks and normal blocks, there where also music note blocks which bounced me back the direction I came from.
There are a large number of improvements in SMB3 as well as a good deal of common elements. The main enemies of the game are still the gombas, koopa troopas and hammer bros. However, they occupy a wider environment. The first game only mostly only contained blocks and pipes, but SMB3 adds real hills and inclines. While the mushroom kingdom was still very abstract, the design made it look a lot more like a real place. The game also featured a charge meter of sorts which builds as Mario runs, filling it up while with the raccoon suit, Mario can take off and fly across the level. Besides providing a shortcut, I was able to find hidden areas in the clouds which contain extra lives and coins. This freedom made each level seem a lot larger and it felt like I had more freedom in exploring.
Another new aspect is the world map. Each level is set up as the next step in a path Mario is taking. At times, the path splits and I can choose which way I want to go. This was very helpful when I would get tried of trying the same level over and over again. There were also other objects on the map. Some levels are short mini games which offer power-ups and life ups. There are also houses which offer a random power up. But there are threats too. Mini bosses patrol the roads and each time I finish a level or lose a life, they move a random number of spaces. There is a chance I will be ambushed or not run into any enemies at all. All the power-ups I collected from the mini games I was allowed to save and use at any time on the world map, so when I would have trouble with a level I could just pick an item and chose to start the level with the raccoon suit or with some other power-up. As I play the game more, I think I be able to dive deeper into the level structure and give a better description of how the gameplay itself ties into these new elements.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 21st, 2008 at 02:25:53.
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