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Feb 10th, 2008 at 19:28:07 - Super Punch-Out (SNES) |
/GAMEPLAY/ Session #2
After cleaning up the first half of the game, it took a corner and became downright challenging as I faced the boss, Mr. Sandman, reigning ass-kicker of the major circuit. His patterns were noticeably more difficult to predict, he had a plethora of attacks that were un-blockable, and he threw punches that were impossible to dodge unless you knew they were coming (which means fighting him four or five times over).
The patterns have become more complex, creating a more rewarding experience every time I complete a fight.
/DESIGN/ Session #2
The game feels like a game of emergence rather than a game of progression because of the limited amount of actions the player can take when presented with a direct challenge. It is a real time decision making game, ducking, dodging, blocking, punching are the tools that the player has. When you are attacked with, let’s say, a low left hook, you dodge right, block the punch, you can’t duck it, or you can try counter-punching your foe (a difficult undertaking).
These rules never change.
As the game progress, the player presents patterns that become un-predictable. Indeed some of the boxers have counter attacks of their own, and they begin to block and dodge punches more and more frequently. The AI improves in the latter stages as well, and the player must go beyond the skills they learned in early levels. The basic rules are unchanged, it is the way the player is forced to play that is changed. Pattern memorization is less important compared to “on-the-fly” tactics. This is a design feature that gives the player a lot of freedom when it comes to style of play and emergent strategy. This is a key characteristic of SPO that adds to the already fun game it is.
The notion of being the underdog is also a very powerful theme through out this game; it gives the player a sense of self-worth and confidence, which is a powerful game design feature. Playing off the stereotypes from a “Rocky” type setting, there are glorious cut-scenes after defeating the bosses in each circuit, strengthening the players resolve to keep fighting!
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 10th, 2008 at 23:19:14.
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Feb 10th, 2008 at 19:17:48 - Super Punch-Out (SNES) |
/SUMMARY/
Super Punch-Out is boxing game that puts the player in the third person perspective behind a scrappy little blonde fighter who I personally named “Lulz”. You compete your way through the minor, major, world and eventually special circuits, going up against wild looking fighters who are much larger and more intimidating than you. The game plays like a game of emergence but has elements of progression. Each circuit has four boxers, the fourth being “the boss fight” and the reigning champ of the circuit. The bosses from each circuit are actually characters from the original Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out game for the NES, a nice allusion to the classic videogame.
/GAMEPLAY/
I blasted the lights out of the first fighter Gabby Jay who apparently has won only once in his whole boxing carrier. I know this because before each fight, you are briefed with a short description of your next opponent, where you can see their boxing record and the trash talk they are dishing at you.
The characters, Gabby Jay in particular, are extremely memorable and equally wild, indeed there are only a few fighters that you could actually imagine in a boxing match. For the most part, and this is why the game is so cool, you are fighting fat Canadian lumberjacks, mad clowns, old Chinese men who beat you with sticks and other crazy people. This keeps the game interesting as its not simply just dodging punches-- you are constantly confronted with new attacks every time you advance to the next stage.
As I just finished TKO’ing Bald Bull, and am half way through the major circuit (where I fought a Bob Marley look a like boxer and a Bruce Lee imitator) the game has yet to really be too challenging, and the patterns have been quite predictable.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 10th, 2008 at 19:27:44.
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 07:11:24 - Super Metroid (SNES) |
/GAMEPLAY/ Entry #2 (Super Metroid)
I got stuck after fighting a giant cabbage looking alien that was swinging wildly like a ball & chain. At this point I had become less creeped out by the game and music and such, more than anything really I forgot that I was actually playing this for homework. I truly became lost in the game.
As I gained more power ups, the game became much harder to navigate through. I had to remember rooms that I had visited an hour before, across the planet, that I had previously been unable to do anything in. My new Hi-Jump boots and Speed Run ability essentially expanded the world to three times it's size, I started needing to check my map, revisiting rooms, retracing my steps... I was immersed! As I gathered these items i realized that I was becoming more addicted to the game, I wanted to keep playing and not write about it, I wanted to fight the next boss so I could open those orange doors I see all over the place.
/DESIGN/
I had to go play the game more, for a third time, before I could really write about it's design. The game is designed to become more challenging as it progresses, growing in depth as your repertoire of bounty hunter gadgets increases. When you begin the game, you are limited in what you can do; running, jumping, shooting, ducking. Once you gain your first item (morph ball), your world of control is changed, all of a sudden you can get into very small holes and the gameplay has taken on a new level of complexity.
This is the pattern that develops: with each item you obtain, you must spend more time searching in each area for a place where you can use that item. As you collect more equipment, the more tricks the game can play on you and the more complicated the puzzles can be, in fact most of rooms require the use of multiple items. This is a very good quality in a game; it's addictive to find those hidden areas and furthermore it requires the player to think and act tactically, forcing them to be engaged. If the player is not thinking and is not being smart, they will not be rewarded, it's a clever game design trick.
Being on an alien world and being an awesome bounty hunter is also a cool concept, it allows for a lot of freedom in creature design, weapon design, and level design. These things come together to set the tone for Super Metroid, and what is created is a very serious setting, a dark and curious and most of all foreign place.
It's hard to think up anything really negative to say about the design of this game.
This entry has been edited 5 times. It was last edited on Jan 25th, 2008 at 07:34:47.
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Jan 24th, 2008 at 21:45:35 - Super Metroid (SNES) |
/SUMMARY/
Super Metroid is a 2-D adventure game where the player controls the interstellar bounty hunter Samus Aran. The game is riddled with violent alien creatures, rich non-linear game play, and sometimes agonizing puzzles. The games primary focus is on the collection of equipment upgrades that allow Samus to explore the vast alien planet, fighting bosses and collecting secret items along the way. Although the game has a somewhat linear progression, the option to explore and hunt for secret items creates an open ended-ness feel.
/GAMEPLAY/
I was hesitant to choose SM for this logging entry simply because I remember it being difficult and quite creepy. For me, after an hour, this has not changed; even the title screen is ominous. The strange alien music, the weird bird statues that hold the special items (that sometimes come to life and attack you…), the mushrooms with twisted stalks… This game definitely has a “feel” to it, and it is still as compelling as it was when it was released in 1994.
It’s great because there is no explicit direction you have to go, you can explore the world as you please (even though you are limited if you don’t have a lot of special items). There are little secrets all over if you take the time to explore all the nooks and crannies. The reward system is very nice because generally you have to solve some difficult puzzle or defeat some boss alien to get the power ups needed. Further more, as the player, you know that once you have that item, you can unlock a whole new region of the planet which is exciting. So far it’s not too difficult and I am progressing at a solid pace.
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dmacleod has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 21 days |
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