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Feb 8th, 2008 at 01:15:48 - Homeworld (PC) |
GAME LOG ENTRY 2
GAMEPLAY
Sadly, the second hour was not quite as exciting as the first was. The gameplay remained mostly the same; still slow-paced and at times tedious, although there was a greater selection of units to choose from. The levels seem to take far longer than they should; accomplishing a few simple goals can take incredible amounts of time. For instance, I spent no less than seven minutes destroying a single ship with a relatively large sized fleet of my own. The gameplay does not move along fast enough to keep up with the story.
The story remains interesting, though perhaps not quite as interesting as in the beginning. There were a few interesting developments and I am certain that there are far more to come. I feel that there is too much space between the narrative advancements. If the game were a little faster paced then its quality would improve dramatically. This story, more than many others really does draw the player in. The fictional universe created by this game feels whole and realistic (as realistic as science fiction can get anyways), it does not overreach as so many other games do.
DESIGN
Perhaps the most innovative thing about this game is the control the player has over the camera. Unlike most RTSs, Homeworld is not limited to a two-dimensional plane. The game is entirely three-dimensional, the camera rotates 360 degrees and can zoom in or out on whatever unit the player desires, and follow that unit as it moves. The units themselves also move in three dimensions. Sometimes there will be resources or enemy units at a different elevation than the player’s own units, so the player can choose to alter the elevation of his own units to reach them.
Graphically the game is relatively unimpressive, especially by modern standards (the game is eight years old after all). The units look blocky and unwieldy, they also have, in my opinion, odd color schemes that do not fit with the rest of the tone of the game. This is made up for however, by the detailed and immersive environment. The background art is really quite something with stars, nebulae, planets and other eye-candy; and the player can view all angles of it with the 3D camera. The other artistic aspect that helps set the ambience is the music. The soundtrack is beautiful, if a bit solemn, and perfectly fits with the purpose and feel of the game.
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Feb 7th, 2008 at 23:40:56 - Homeworld (PC) |
GAME LOG ENTRY 1
SUMMARY
Homeworld is a Real Time Strategy for the PC set in space. In Homeworld the player controls a race of people who have recently completed construction of a large self-sustaining vessel known as the mothership. With the mother ship and the various support ships that it constructs, the player must cross the vastness of space in search of the fabled homeworld.
GAMEPLAY
The storyline for this game draws the player in from the very beginning. It starts with the discovery of a mysterious an ancient alien ship, which allows for the creation of a mothership which will be used to seek out the enigmatic ancestral homeworld. This spurs the entire planet into a time of progress and unity never before known. The player begins by testing the mothership’s various systems so that the player can get situated with the controls but quickly gets swept away in a much deeper plotline. The frequent narrative interspersed between gameplay keep the player’s interest up while at the same time keeping the tone suspenseful. The player constantly wonders what is going to happen next.
While the story was very engrossing right from the beginning, the same thing could not be said of the gameplay. The game started with the typical “get to know your controls” tasks that one finds throughout the RTS genre. After those were completed the game still took awhile before entering into any real combat. The controls are initially tricky and counter-intuitive when it comes to combat situations. And the situations themselves are relatively slow paced and seem to take longer than many of the other RTS’s I’m familiar with. However, I have not yet been able to use a wide range of units, so it is possible that this is only the case with the initial units.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 7th, 2008 at 23:41:38.
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Jan 26th, 2008 at 00:56:43 - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) |
GAME LOG ENTRY 2
GAMEPLAY
Well, I’ve been playing this game for a few hours now, and I’m still waiting for the storyline to really pick up. It seems like its just one tiny insignificant quest after another, although there is an inkling of a greater goal. With only two playable characters so far the dialogue has been a bit dry, especially considering the fact that Mario can’t speak, though admittedly he is very good at charades. Though it is incredibly slow to start I am still confident that the storyline will get moving at some point.
The gameplay has been mostly the same as the first session; the same old battles but with some new skills and spells. The levels themselves seem to be progressing in that they are becoming more complex with warp pipes, switches and platforms at different elevations and so on. There have also been a few small mini-games that help to break up the monotony of the turn-based battles, become quite tedious.
DESIGN
The level design for this game is, in my opinion better than that of the typical RPG. In most RPGs is limited to simply running around a straightforward single level map, collect items and fighting random encounter battles. Super Mario RPG features the ability to jump, something most RPGs do not have; the player uses this ability to overcome various obstacles such as rocks, barriers and platform puzzles. Additionally, many levels are designed with platforms at several different elevations, providing the game with more of a three dimensional feel, and complicates the player’s progression through the level so that it is more challenging and not quite so clear cut. Another element that I find helpful is that the enemies are shown on the map, so, rather than just being randomly encountered the player can attempt to avoid them if he so chooses.
Super Mario RPG does a good job in keeping with the feel of the rest of the Mario series. It uses similar artwork to the other games, and incorporates many of the items that gamers have come to know and love such as mushrooms stars and fire flowers. These are used to restore hit points or special ability points, etc. I find them a refreshing break from the typical potions and elixirs found in other games. This game also features all of the traditional baddies from goombas and koopas to lakitus and boos.
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 23:42:57 - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) |
GAME LOG ENTRY 1
SUMMARY
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is, as the name suggests, a role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System created jointly by Squaresoft and Nintendo. The player assumes the role of Mario, the classic video game super-hero-plumber, and several of the friends that Mario meets along the way. Mario’s ultimate goal, as always, is to rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser and the new threat of the Smithy Gang.
GAMEPLAY
So far, Super Mario RPG seems to be the perfect blend between the classic adventures of Mario and the intricate well planned game mechanics of Squaresoft RPGs. The battle system functions as a typical turn-based RPG, with basic attacks, special skills and item use. However, it adds something to the experience by prompting the player to press a certain button at the right time to make the current action more effective. This involves the player more than simply having him select an action to perform and watch the accompanying action sequence over and over again.
Unfortunately the story seems to be rather lacking up to this point. I feel that it doesn’t capture the player’s interest right from the start as many other games do. The story seems to be rather simplistic; the same old rescue the maiden in distress routine doesn’t quite cut it. Nor does the seemingly frivolous quest of tracking down a purple crocodile that calls Barney to mind, for the sake of a confused marshmallow who thinks he is a frog. However, I realize that it is still early in the game and have no doubt that the story will evolve into something more engrossing.
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| Tasunkawitko's GameLogs |
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Tasunkawitko has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 9 days |
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| Entries written to date: 9 |
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