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Jan 26th, 2008 at 15:28:44 - Soul Caliber III (PS2) |
Entry #2
After exploring more plotlines with other characters, as well as different game modes, I was pleased at how much there is to this game. For the first time in Soul Calibur, the player and create his own hero with equipment he has earned and campaign through different maps in strategy based sieges. Using one's superior fighting skills, each player must eliminate their enemy's base without losing their own.
Gameplay: I thought this was a great idea, having a broader strategy game as background for the smaller fighting game brings gamers into the game more because they can associate with their characters, which gets them emotionally invested in the game.
However, the strategy part of the game is uncharacteristically unprofessional for Soul Calibur. It takes much too long for your fighters to move across the board and the animations are unimpressive. If the strategy part of the game was played on a grid, and produced quick results it could prove to be an intense augmentation to Soul Calibur's gameplay. But sadly, I found the time consuming animations directly conflicting with the pace of Soul Calibur.
Design: I love the tone of Soul Calibur. The high energy music and brilliant colors set up the stage for dramatic showdowns of epic proportions. The art and music of this game are phenomenal, the style is well defined and the character's compliment each other well.
As a classical fighting game, I would say Soul Calibur blows its rivals out of the water. But, new consoles mean better capabilities and I think fighting game designers need to explore new formats to make these games as intense as possible.
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 23:01:08 - Soul Caliber III (PS2) |
2nd Gamelog
Entry #1
Soul Calibur 3: The latest released and very likable Soul Calibur 3 matches up a number of incredibly capable combatants in this traditionally styled fighting game. Soul Calibur renews its old characters and adds some more dangerous fighters in this action-packed battle for life and death.
Gameplay:
The game play is very expansive and enjoyed how many moves were at my disposal. However, in order to have advanced understanding of the game I would have to either button mash or read the obnoxious moves guide the game gives you. This frustrated me and I realized this was never a game I could really get into because it would take so much sheer game time to get good at. I would not change the gameplay, but I can't enjoy it because the in-game directions are indecipherable.
Design:
after choosing my character I was read an epic tale about his past, after which I was shown a map with background history on the coming fight. I then watched each fighter's introductions before the countdown to the fight began
I was taken aback by how slow the game progressed. I was expecting a fast action game and instead I was shown loading screens and paragraphs of text. When I finally got to playing, I was enthused at the detailed attacks and combinations. But, the action in the game became a rare delight. Once cheesy American dubbed cut-scenes entered the frame I found myself bored.
The time between battle sequences is wasted on mediocre text and bad dialogue. Every moment of the game needs to be geared towards the gameplay itself. Although I did get an ominous feel from the game, it was undercut by its lack of mystic and general repetitiveness. If each player was continuously shown their character and each ability that he/she possessed. Or simply recorded fights of the two fighters. That time should contain as much action and intensity as any other part of the game, even if the gamer isn't controlling it.
Also, the game did not once offer directions to play the game. So, in order to have any knowledge on how to play would be from past experience. In my opinion, every fighting game should at least have one screen devoted to even a general guideline to the controls.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Jan 26th, 2008 at 14:40:27.
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Jan 14th, 2008 at 07:30:26 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2) |
January 14th
Summary
Snake has encountered some of these supernatural soldiers and must defeat them using his superior tactics.
Design
After further play I have come to respect this game more than I anticipated. The story has turned and the character is forced into a number of varying different situations that require different skills. This is something that I enjoy in games. When a creator can isolate and enhance gameplay in innovative ways that lie within the given rules, I am a satisfied game player. However, for the more traditional parts of the game there are a few things I would have done differently.
Gameplay
The game is split into 3 tactical camera angles that the player must use. The first being a bird's eye 3rd person view. The second being a horizontal 3rd person to look around and over corners and boxes. And the third being the 1st person down the cross hairs view.
This game is built on knowledge of your foe and out maneuvering them, so in order to fully get that affect it is very important that the player receives all the information he needs. Now, the character Snake is a highly trained Spec. Ops. soldier so he obviously can pick up more things than the player can. In order to compensate I would angle the birds eye camera to get a wider view of the area. In MGS3 the player can use the right thumbstick to look in the area around them, but the view is still too personal and inconvenient. If the right thumbstick allowed the player to make a sweeping view the player's action time would be increased and the player would feel much more effective.
The one other thing I made note of is Snake's inability to move quickly while ducking. Snake is a trained stealth agent but he can't keep his head down while he runs? Snake should be able to run while bending at the waist, all his skills would benefit from that ability and It would only add realism. Besides, being able to keep ones head down is a key element in a firefight. Snake is too immobile when he's trying to effectively deal damage, which conflicts his character.
This entry has been edited 2 times. It was last edited on Jan 15th, 2008 at 15:43:40.
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Jan 14th, 2008 at 05:59:44 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2) |
January 14th
Summary
Snake is a secret stealth operative that receives a mission to stop a group of supernatural terrorists led by his former mentor: The Boss. The boss has a series of pupils that embody a specific emotion that they carry into battle.
Design
After turning on the console, I got an immediate feel for the tone of Metal Gear Solid 3 (MGS3). The historical ambience of Metal Gear Solid 2 was consistent in the third one, but the coloration and artwork displayed an older tone. This sense of age proved to be a recurring theme throughout the game. Aside from it being a prequel, the first two villains Snake interacts with are The Boss, snake's former mentor, and Ocelot, who is more of an upstart that doesn't have as much experience as the other characters. After the story took off I was relieved to see that this game would not be a disappointment from #2.
Gameplay
As for actual gameplay, I was not as much of a fan for the system in MGS2, the character in the game was a Next Generation Super Soldier, whose extraordinary capabilities were repeatedly disregarded under Snake's veteran conviction, and undeniable expertise due to experience. Because of this, the character's fancy moves always had limits, which annoyed me as a player. In MGS3, the narrow halls and industrial furniture are stripped away and the player is allowed a broader playing field. MGS3 puts the player in a natural environment where instead of geometrical spaces the player has to deal with real world curves and edges.
Another key difference in MGS3 is the player does not have radar. Instead, the player must use camouflage to avoid detection. The radar was a much safer bet because the player could always stay just outside of the guards' line of sight. In this game, the player has to use instinct and problem solving to get past their enemies. The player has to try different approaches and learn from their mistakes. In MGS2 a player would know they screwed up because a guard saw them, in MGS3 a player has to use their camouflage differently with their surroundings and use different routes, because nothing is familiar.
To make up for this, the game relaxes time more in MGS3. There are plenty of opportunities to plan ahead MGS3. Instead of stalking around in a death trap of an oil rig, MGS3 gives the player a chance to safely conceal themselves in nearly any environment, and to attack with the element of surprise.
This entry has been edited 5 times. It was last edited on Jan 15th, 2008 at 15:42:32.
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Solstice has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 7 days |
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