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Feb 9th, 2008 at 02:46:31 - Super Smash Brothers Melee (GC) |
Game Log 2
Game Play
As incredible smash’s single player is, the multiplayer is what the game became known for, as it is one of the most unique and incredible fighters ever created. Smash is naturally thus better in a group, and playing in one is one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences imaginable. Unlike other fighting games that rely on memorization of incredibly long button combinations to pull off special attacks, Smash relies much more on mind tricks and timing. When playing Smash in a four player group I found that I had to watch every single move that I made, as well as keeping a close watch on the others and attempt to predict their next actions. The state of engrossment that Melee provided was a state of competitive euphoria as adrenaline pumped as I recovered from near deadly attacks and dodged attacks at high damage. As such Smash is one of the games that has aged incredibly well in the amount of time it has been present.
Design
The game Super Smash Bros. Melee is a shining symbol of Nintendo’s achievement as it can almost be considered a truer Nintendo title than the Mario series themselves.
The fighting system differentiates itself from other fighting titles from the get go, by focusing solely on ringouts rather than the traditional k.o. based on hp depletion. All of the characters have the same basic structure, a set of four b button moves, regular attacks, a shield, a grab, and a jump, and that is where the similarities tend to end. The characters all possess different characteristics, aside from the attacks differing, each character has different amounts of speed, weight, and any number of qualities to be factored into play forcing a player to adapt different strategies for different characters.
Single player mode has been split into three categories, all of which posses their own sub categories providing hours upon hours of single player game play. The adventure, classic, and all star modes are essentially the single player staples of a fighting game, but Smash doesn’t stop there. It includes a Stadium Mode that not only provides a training mode for honing abilities, but very nontraditional play in the form of home run contests, target smashes, and various challenges based on time and endurance. Event mode also adds much challenge to be had as it provides a themed match with themed objectives in various amounts of difficulty.
Multiplayer is of course, the most fleshed out aspect of this game, as it has incredible intrinsic qualities that sets the game apart. Smash’s multiplayer is highly customizable, providing huge quantities of stages from various Nintendo titles, an array of items to be controlled between matches, and settings that range from the method of victory to handicap settings, as well as the odd ball settings that change the speed of the game play.
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Feb 9th, 2008 at 02:45:49 - Super Smash Brothers Melee (GC) |
Game Log 1
Summary
The game Super Smash Bros. Melee is a fighting game that hosts a veritable plethora of Nintendo characters, from staples such as Mario and Link, to the more obscure such as Marth the hero of the popular Japanese series Fire Emblem, and those that could be considered as relics of days past such as the Ice Climbers and Mr. Game and Watch. In this game, you can choose characters to battle and fight their way through various challenges, complete certain objectives, or fight other players. Super Smash Bros. Melee utilizes a system based on damage percentages that are built up rather than a set amount of hp, and a condition of ringouts rather than kos.
Game Play
Fighting games in general are not known for their single player modes, having been built for multiplayer, however playing smash alone has never been a problem for me, as their single player is the one of the most fleshed out of any fighting games to date. In my session I played through adventure mode (smash’s version of story mode), and then continued on to event matches (themed objective matches), and endurance matches in the stadium in which I had to survive for a certain amount of time while racking up kills. Due to the very different nature of every aspect of single player, a certain strategy and style of play must be adopted in order to survive. When playing certain matches in stadium mode, you tend to focus on time more than kills, while in certain event matches you focus your strategy on the objective. Going through the familiar stages and fighting the characters I had loved and grown to love, (or hate fueling greater will to kill) gave me a feeling of combined excitement, pleasure at seeing the various scenes and scenarios, and nostalgia as the game took me to places I now seldom visit from my childhood and past gaming experiences. During my session I spent a good deal of time in training mode which with its multiple settings and options allows a great punching bag to practice combos and scenarios for future matches.
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Jan 26th, 2008 at 01:20:24 - Rayman Raving Rabbids (Wii) |
Game Log 2
Game Play
Upon returning to Rayman for the next session I was again unsure of what to expect. I was and am not a stranger to mini games, after years of being pelted with them in the various games I have played, and beat upside the head with them in the Mario Party games to the point in which I believe I’ve suffered several months worth of concussions dealt by an Italian plumber who shoots fire balls, but due to the drastically different natures of the previous mini games I was still wary.
Upon starting the first mini game I became aware of the fact that as per the commercials Rabbids do indeed like to dance as the mini game that I played in the previous session popped by again with increased difficulty, though still as enjoyable as before.
As could only have been expected, all the mini games had increased in difficulty levels and I found myself replaying mini games multiple times in order to fufill the requirements listed. This was frustrating as the reason I tended to restart was due to the lack of response from the wiimote and the sensor respectively, at the most opportune moments to be thought of.
Design
Rayman the Raving Rabbids makes good on its namesake in that there are no lack of the rabbids. Being rather hysterically amusing creatures, they set the tone for the entire game; the tone being that of utter complete brilliant nonsense.
Players of the previous Rayman games may become disappointed in that our lovable hero gets completely overshadowed by the limelight loving Rabbids in every way. Despite the fact that the player is in control of Rayman, every game is designed to feature the Rabbids as the stars, sometimes omitting the actual visible presence Rayman has at all. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it may make one wonder why this game is a Rayman game at all, and not a part of its own series if not for the fact that the rabbids have appeared (much less dominantly) in other Rayman titles.
The games themselves are all very much designed for the wiimote’s controls, each game utilizing them in interesting ways. However, due to the motion sensor aspect of the wiimote, depending on the relationship between your wiimote and the sensor, game play may quickly become frustrating when your controller decides to put itself on not speaking terms with its spouse, giving you no other alternative but to restart the session and hope that the two of them patch things up before you are once again knocked out unceremoniously by a load of carrot juice toting scuba rabbits.
To facilitate the mini games for the player, options had been included to allow for quick restarts, and the option to skip cut scenes. Also, in a form of moral support the “try again” screen is not accompanied by the expected annoyingly dreary (and simply annoying) music and depressing font that one usually expects in such a screen, but of a rather upbeat screen that makes one much more willing to resume play and minimizes frustration. Which is, as said previously very helpful as the difficulty level of the games increase.
While single player mode is enjoyable, this game is able to shine the brightest when utilizing the multiplayer mode allowing for true party play to rival that of the Mario party games with its simple controls and the fast paced game play it provides.
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Jan 26th, 2008 at 01:17:35 - Rayman Raving Rabbids (Wii) |
Game Log 1
In the game Rayman and the Raving Rabbids the player is in control of a character named Rayman. While controlling Rayman you are forced to defeat a series of mini games, (games with an extremely limited set of rules), by utilizing the wii remote’s controls. The mini games are played out in sets, not allowing a player to advance until the conditions of each game of each set were met. After each session is finished Rayman is transported to cell in which items can be gained from the previous games and check up on scores.
Having played the previous Rayman games I (for the most part) have nothing but kind things to say about the series as a whole and of Rayman, but the Raving Rabbids being a sharp departure from the whimsical platforming style that he once purveyed, I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this incarnation.
Upon playing I was given not a minutes peace before being slapped in the face with the titular rabbids. As they are the driving force for this installment of the Rayman series I knew that the rabbids would be extremely prevalent, but what I did not expect was that from the very first mini game that while it may be Rayman’s series, it was the rabbids that were the star of this game.
The first mini game did an extremely good job of drawing me in, with an irresistible combo of disco dancing, and a dance off between Rayman and the aforementioned rabbids. It was a simple utilization of the wiimote’s controls, as expected of a mini game, but the rhythm and pacing of this particular mini game made it incredibly entertaining. After completing a set of mini games, as per the simple plot of the story I was thrown unceremoniously into a prison cell in which I was able to interact with items affected by my game play and peruse a series of collectables won from the prior events.
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