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Feb 8th, 2008 at 23:19:22 - Metal Gear Solid: the Twin Snakes (GC) |
GAMEPLAY
So it would seem that I either need to improve in my sneaking skills or I’m not cut out for a game of tactical espionage like Metal Gear Solid: the Twin Snakes. I spent a good half hour in the same room getting caught repeatedly and killed endlessly. After I finally cleared the room, I felt like I was getting a better feel for the game and began to appreciate the story a little more.
The storyline is very rich through out the game and it seems like every cutscene is too important to miss. What I find very enjoyable about the game is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. In the dialogue between Snake and his superiors, both sides seem to have a sense of humor in that not everything they say is serious. Snake even hits on one of the characters upon seeing how attractive she is. This witty dialogue makes the game much more enjoyable and keeps the player interested.
One thing that I do not like about the gameplay is that it is so slow. Sometimes the player may have to stay in one position or area for a long time until the enemy stops looking for them. In that case the player could just change the channel and watch an episode of family guy because it takes forever for them to stop searching for you. Another problem I have is that I don’t really look at the screen too much. Because of the limited camera angles, player ends up making good use of the radar system which almost makes the game seem 2D.
DESIGN
I think that MGS: TS is great for what it is: a stealth game. Each map feels like a different level in which the player must find a way to get from point A to point B without being seen or killed. There are many obstacles that are designed to get you caught including puddles and your own foot prints. That really makes the game challenging and very enjoyable.
The controls for the game are also sometimes hard to manage. To begin with, there is no set display of what the buttons are. There is no real in game options that tell you what the controls are. After playing the game for a while, however, one can get used to the controls and begin to truly enjoy the game. One thing I didn’t like about the character design was the way Snake moved. Snake can only sneak so fast and doesn’t seem able to sprint or run in any real way. For some reason, Snake can’t beat someone up when they are knocked on the ground. That would make the game so much easier if the enemy could be kicked while on the ground.
One thing that was excellent about the game was its use of cutscenes. While there is a lot of interaction in the game, the cutscenes also take up a good deal of time. What makes this game so great is that it really proves that games can be artistic and cinematic. The cutscenes are really what make this game interesting. It has a strong storyline and keeps the player interested from the start. I really cant wait to keep playing.
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Feb 8th, 2008 at 17:58:09 - Metal Gear Solid: the Twin Snakes (GC) |
SUMMARY
Metal Gear Solid: the Twin Snakes is a remake of the classic PlayStation game Metal Gear Solid. MGS:TS is a stealth based game that makes the player use stealth tactics to infiltrate areas and kill enemies silently. A renegade Special Forces unit known as FOXHOUND has taken over a nuclear weapons disposal facility and is threatening to launch a nuclear strike against the US. It’s up to Solid Snake, a retired soldier, to infiltrate the base and save the day.
GAMEPLAY
I have NEVER played a Metal Gear game in my life until today. Metal Gear games have always seemed intimidating to me; I am more of a run and gun, First Person Shooter type of guy. The idea of sneaking around corners and not being seen for fear of certain death sounds too hard for me to do. For some reason I decided to give it a try this time and I am glad that I did. MGS:TS may be outside of my safety zone, but I think that so far it has shown me that stealth games are not as hard as they initially sound.
The unique thing about the gameplay in MGS: TS is that the initial cutscene at the beginning of the game is pertinent to the beginning of the game because it explains what is going on in the game unlike other games like Halo or Assassins Creed that only show you what the game looks like. Unlike other games where the title screen is separate from the game, MGS: TS integrates the title of the game into the game and actually appears only after the player has cleared the first map. This gives the player a more cinematic and artistic feel for the game.
Because this was my first time playing a stealth game, I was really nervous about sneaking around and initially felt conservative in exploring the maps. One reason was that the camera angles were designed to hang over the player and limit the visibility of the player making them more dependent on the radar. This made the game really tense and made it me even more anxious. Needless to say I died a lot. What makes the game even more challenging is that the player is completely unarmed at the beginning of the game and therefore has to find weapons, ammunition and health along the way. This acts as an incentive to be extra sneaky and not be seen.
I am having a lot of fun with MGS: TS and cannot wait to pick up the controller again.
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 23:47:31 - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Master Quest (GC) |
GAMEPLAY II:
Well I spent a good twenty minutes trying to remember what I was supposed to do. This was mostly because the game has no menu that tells reminds the player of his/her objectives. Another thing that was a hassle to deal with was the save system in the game. Saving the game means you pick up at the beginning of the map you are currently in but whatever puzzles you have already done you do not have to deal with. The problem with that is remembering what you did before. After I pick up where I left off though the game was pretty fun. After a second round of gameplay the controls start to get easier to handle and you really learn to appreciate the item layout that is set up.
The one thing I noticed about this gaming session from the first was that right off the bat I was already enjoying it. I think the big difference that I noticed was that I didn’t have to put up with a tutorial like first ten minutes. I just went straight into the adventure. The big thing that I liked was that I finally fought a boss. It seems that the boss fight was meant to give the player a feel for what the future boss fights will be like as well as a feel for how the game is set up.
The Story arc is well done and well told. Each character starts to feel more and more real as the story progresses. While it is story that is not very different from other Zelda games, it still has helps the player get into the game. The player gets into the grove of the game and helps give the player a sense of magnitude for how long the game will be.
DESIGN:
I am conflicted about the way the action buttons are displayed on the upper right corner of the screen. While I see that they are useful in that the player always knows what each button is assigned to at a given time, I dislike the fact that it is always there and that it is opaque so that it clutters the screen, therefore limiting my view. Overall I think it is a good feature, but I wish that the designers either made it more transparent or allowed the player to toggle on/off the button icons.
Another thing that I am mixed about is the map system. While I do like the fact that there is a map in the game, I think that the mapping system could be fleshed out. There is no sense of texture in the game so it makes everything on the map look the same making it hard to tell where the player is. The map in the inventory menu is also very hard to read. It doesn’t tell the player where they are on the map but it does show the area in more detail. In my experience, I have noticed that the map system has improved with each game, but that isn’t saying much for this game. It is very easy to get lost in a new map or not be able to tell where to go.
One thing that I originally thought was a drag but have grown to like was the fact that Link cant jump; or at least the player can not press a button to make him jump. By not making Link able to jump on command, the designers make the maps harder more difficult to solve and making the game more fun.
I really enjoy playing Ocarina of Time and look forward to beating it.
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 21:35:33 - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Master Quest (GC) |
SUMMARY:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an adventure game that takes place in the fictional land of Hyrule. The player takes control of Link, the main character, as he sets out to rescue princess Zelda from the evil clutches of Ganondorf.
GAMEPLAY:
Ocarina of Time is revered as one of the greatest games of all time; however, I feel that the gameplay is way too convoluted. The game starts out with Link getting out of bed and being told to go to see the Great Deku Tree, but no one tells you where to find the Great Deku Tree. Even with your map, there is no indicator telling you where to go or where to find the tree. It took me twenty minutes to find it and after I did, for some strange reason, I still had to find a shield and sword in order to go past the guard standing by the entrance to the Great Deku Tree. In retrospect, even though the tasks I had to complete in order to obtain the sword and shield were mundane, they were significant in game design perspective because they allowed the player to become familiar with the gameplay mechanics; I still think that the designers could have come up with a better way to do that.
The story seems to be the same as every other Legend of Zelda game. You are Link; you must same princess from evil bad guy; in order to save princess, you must go to dungeons A-Z.; Defeat the bad guy, the end. There is little variation in this game from the others. Despite the repetition in the story, the gameplay is very fun. The third person perspective and the gameplay is a big difference from the original 2D Zelda games. The puzzles solving aspect makes the game very interesting and keeps the player on their toes. While the story hasn’t changed much from game to game, the gameplay is still entertaining.
The flow of the game was only interrupted by the sometimes lengthy script that had to be read throughout the game. Even though the game itself was fun, I felt that the lengthy script was very annoying to have to sit through. Although most of what I had to read was important, I thought it was so much that it got annoying to read after a while. One question I had to ask in particular is why does the Great Deku tree speak in Elizabethan English? NO ONE ELSE IN THE GAME SPEAKS THAT WAY! Maybe they wanted to make him special.
Overall I really am enjoying this game. I know that I am giving this game a harsh critique, but I can see how this game would be considered a classic that is worth putting time into.
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| Chuy Zapatista's GameLogs |
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Chuy Zapatista has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 11 days |
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| Entries written to date: 10 |
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