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Feb 8th, 2008 at 00:15:10 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC) |
GAMEPLAY #2:
Once I was out of the sewers the game play style changed drastically. Oblivion became completely open ended. At first I forgot what I was supposed to do for a short while but the game's quest tracking system made it easy for me to get back on course. Now that I was out in the open world there were more interesting fights as well. I fought a pack of wolves on my way to a bandit hideout and during this got a feel for the game's loot and inventory system which is very well done.
My first dungeon experience in this game was a lot of fun. The lighting gave it a feeling that was both ominous and exciting. There were also some minor puzzles to solve and some fights that were actually challenging because, from what I have seen, the AI in the game is of decent quality even though the enemy units don't always cooperate very well.
DESIGN:
The combat of this game was supposed to be revolutionary and it was. The problem was that it wasn't really involved apart from the melee. The spell system is very unintuitive. You can only have one spell out at a time which is hindering if you try and make your character a spell caster.
The character development system is very intricate and a lot of fun. I love how you level up skills by using them. It allows for someone to build their character the way that they like it without locking people into a class based system. The only problem I found with it was that once leveled up you couldn't assign experience to skills in a different category which early on isn't a problem but after playing through a large portion of the game trying a new school of magic or different weapon style would be near impossible because of how ineffective it would be.
The game world provides an unrivaled interactive experience and lots of things to do. My gripe though is it's size. For a role playing game it feels rather small but most of my role playing game experience comes from massively multiplayer games which, characteristically, are very large. During the two game play sessions that I had I didn't run out of content in this manner but by looking at the size of the map I could tell that later on it would be a problem. One of the things that I liked the most about the game was the scenery and a small world limits that factor.
I could see game world exhaustion in Oblivion taking almost hundreds of hours as there is so much to do. Apart form the game's main story there are tons of things to do. Mainly the guilds in the world which provide their own quest lines to the player. Even though this game log is complete I look forward to being able to play this game more and realize that I should have started a long time ago.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 8th, 2008 at 00:20:32.
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Feb 7th, 2008 at 18:40:02 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC) |
SUMMARY:
The fourth installment of the Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion, is a somewhat high fantasy role playing game. You take on the role of a prisoner who, due to fortunate circumstances, is chosen to carry out the will of a now deceased king.
GAMEPLAY #1:
The game starts off at character creation and the depth of it is fascinating. I sat and toyed around with it for what could have easily been an hour before finally finding a character appearance that I enjoyed. After creating my character I was sent off to the loading screen to begin my journey, hooray.
To my surprise the loading time was very short and the screen barely had time to appear before receding and putting me into the starting zone, which to my dismay was a jail cell. I felt trapped in it and my character must have been claustrophobic because I immediately started to jump around and ram into walls in a manner more suited to a madman than the savior of an empire. This led to the realization of how well thought out the control scheme is and how familiar it seems to someone who has never played the game before as I already knew how to control most aspects of my character.
Soon enough the king showed up and I was led down through a secret passageway into a system of stone passageways underneath the prison. I learned of the treacherous plot to kill the king and with his dying breath he said he needed me to pass on a family heirloom to his son in order to save the kingdom. Up until this point I had been fighting against what seemed like a brotherhood of assassins alongside the king's bodyguard. However after the king had been executed and I was told that I should exit through the sewers. I began to expect that the worst cliche in RPG history was about to be repeated and of course it was.
There is no better way to make you feel like a weakling stable boy in a high fantasy role playing game instead of a heroic knight in shining armor than having your character fight rats. Yes, they have teeth and yeah, probably rabies too but the straight fact is that they are rodents and in a game they are beyond not intimidating, they are almost cute. The developers might as well send you out to kill little bunnies in the middle of a forest, at least that way when you are swinging your sword aimlessly at your feet you will get to see some pleasant scenery.
I eventually triumphed through all the obstacles put forth in the sewers and exited out into the world of Cyrodill. I immediately saw why Oblivion's graphics were heralded as the best to date in a role playing game. The environments were truly breath taking. They made you feel like you were there as your character under the hot, bright sun standing next to a cool stream as the wind swept by and made the grass sway.
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Jan 26th, 2008 at 02:59:10 - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) |
Gameplay #2:
My second session was one characterized by anticipation. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next even though everything seemed vaguely familiar. Deja vu moments aside though I had a blast continuing my adventure throughout Hyrule which included defeating many foes and performing the rolling animation again and again...and ramming into objects again and again to hear that oh so familiar thud as head smacked into wall. The story was completely enveloping and I lost track of time for hours. Even though my first session ended barely having left the starting zone I now found myself having completed the entire Triforce.
I really have to say that I was incredibly impressed by what has always been my favorite boss battle. The fight against the electric jelly fish, for lack of a better name, to obtain the last piece of the Triforce. The environment feels like a living, breathing organism as you walk around it. The entire time I was convinced that I actually was inside of a whale.
Design:
My major gripe with this Zelda game is by far the cutscenes, especially the one that occurs when you first pull out the master sword and you are propelled through time. You literally sit there and read dialog as it slowly appears for what seems to be a good twenty minutes.
Apart from the dialog I didn't find anything that I disliked about the game. The dungeons all seemed very unique and I never felt like I was solving the same puzzle twice. The different themes of all the dungeons also prevent the game from feeling stale as each one is radically different from another ranging from sunken temples to a underground graveyard that is largely invisible.
The tone of the game is perhaps one of its most interesting aspects. when you are the young link the world seems much happier and carefree as things often do when you are in your childhood. However, immediately after you pull out the Master Sword the world has been taken over by Ganondorf and the same people who were once kind and carefree are hateful and unforgiving for the most part.
One aspect of the game that I found particularly relieving is the inclusion of a save anywhere feature that let you quit anytime you needed without losing any progress. This serves two purposes really as it lets the player stop and continue at his or her own pace and makes the game world feel less divided and more congruent.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Jan 26th, 2008 at 03:06:14.
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 05:01:02 - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) |
SUMMARY:
The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time is the action-adventure and puzzle game that defined a generation of role-playing video games. The game is fully three-dimensional which in 2008 seems rather unimportant but back in 1998 when the game was first released the only other major title to have done this was Mario 64 so being 3D was...kind of a big deal.
GAMEPLAY #1:
The game starts at a respectable pace and is quick to remind you that it is not a platform game via the absence of a jump button. I know, I flipped out also when I found this out and felt like a lost dog trying to find his way home in the dark. But alas! I found the light, or rather it found me and the game's tutorial instructor and personal guide, a fairy named Navi, appeared before me and was there to show me how to once again get acquainted with the still awkward N64 controller, not to mention make me comfortable in this oddly pixelated,I mean beautiful, world. For everything that I can say about the environment there will always be one thing that holds true and that is that it does a phenomenal job at immersing you into the world of Hyrule.
Suddenly the nostalgic feeling which I had been waiting for was awakened and I became even more eager to set out and defeat the evil Ganondorf, the series' antagonist. Rescuing Zelda was simply an afterthought when I was nine and thought that I should keep it that way. Things were more straightforward then. The formula for games to me that far back was simple. Step one was to kill the bad guy. There was no step two if you didn't include my victory dance.
The controls were easy to learn and it wasn't long before I was slashing away gleefully at whatever came my way. The targeting system which works by holding down the Z button to lock onto a target until released is a very nice addition to combat as it prevents problems created by bad camera angles that are often present in 3D games. It also serves to make Link's(the protagonist and poor sap that the player takes control of)hacking and slashing more efficient, which is a definite plus because I really do enjoy my borderline sadistic hacking and slashing...CHOP. The combat was really engaging and amazingly simple to use considering its depth. While locked onto an enemy it allowed Link to perform combat moves much more easily such as blocking or doing a jumping power attack. It also altered Link's movement capabilities. Dodging left, right, or doing a back flip became as easy as holding a direction and pressing a button which is great when you consider the alternative which is to receive a Deku Nut fired straight at you directly in the face.
This entry has been edited 2 times. It was last edited on Jan 25th, 2008 at 05:24:20.
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Shakyjake has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 8 days |
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