 |
|
Feb 9th, 2008 at 14:58:54 - BioShock (360) |
BioShock (part II)
Gameplay Elements:
A main keystone for Bioshock's gameplay would have to be the symbiosis of Adam related powers and the use of traditional first person shooter weapons. All the essential are present, including machine guns, shotguns and pistols, but the game also incorporates the genetic altered side of things that grants the plater near magical powers.
These powers include the control over fire, ice, lightning, insects, and telekinesis. Almost all powers can be upgraded or made more powerful.better suit his or her needs on the field of play.
The player also has the ability to create new kinds of ammunition to
Challenge:
One issue I have with this game is the lack of challenge. When the player dies they are respawned at the nearest spawn point at literally no penalty. Sometimes the player might incorporate dying into their strategy rather than wasting their ammunition or powers. Though this lack of penalty may not make one feel as accomplished, it does keep the game moving making for a well paced game.
read comments (1)  - add a comment  - read this GameLog  |
|
Feb 9th, 2008 at 14:41:55 - BioShock (360) |
BioShock
Summary:
The game starts with a plane crash, leaving the player, a mysterious stranger, to search a nearby lighthouse only to find an underwater city called Rapture. The city is apparently in ruin as a result of the after effects of a drug-like substance that grants awesome abilities to the user; this substance is known as Adam. Adam ends up altering the players genetic code as he continues on a mission to help the mysterious guide known as Atlas who wants you to help him find your family.
Personal Experience:
The iconic figures of BioShock are the Big Daddies and Little Sisters who roam through the city of Rapture in search of Adam. I saw the connection between the Sisters and Daddies to be an unbreakable bond. She looks to him as a protector and he loves her as if she were his own child. This bond makes it hard for one to kill the Big Daddies, and makes harvesting the Little Sisters (the act of killing them after killing the Big Daddies) impossible.
Aside from that the atmosphere of BioShock contributed a lot to my personal experience. The whole city of Rapture appears to be modeled after the art deco style, but still it has its own originality in being placed underwater and almost mocks its style by showing disarray and chaos in what should be a pristine atmosphere.
Writing:
BioShock is one of the best written games I have ever played. The characters are all convincing, and all have well-defined motives, yet at the same time they are never caught with a clever pun or cheesy one-liner; it is always something genuine and yet quotable. The game uses suspense to its advantage, creating sympathy and curiosity for each character.
Things are never as they seem in BioShock. The player pieces things together slowly throughout the game only to be thrown off by sharp plot twists.
add a comment - read this GameLog |
|
Jan 15th, 2008 at 01:41:10 - Assassin's Creed (360) |
"Assassin's Creed"
The game I am reviewing today is entitled "Assassin's Creed" for the XBOX 360. This game is an RPG in which you play as the character Desmond Miles, who is forced against his will to mentally enter a machine called the Animus. The oppressors in question are never revealed within the first 45-60 minutes of gameplay, but it is assumed that they are some form of technologically advanced organization. The Animus transports you into the mind and body of Desmond's ancestor Altair, an assassin during the time of the Third Crusade, and it is here that Desmond/Altair begins to unravel the mystery of the Creed.
The gameplay of "Assassin's Creed" is fairly innovative and introduces a brand new free-running engine, in which anything that is humanly (sometimes inhumanly) possible can be reached or attained. Ubisoft Montreal the makers of "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time" have expanded there jumping/running/climbing mechanism to respond to any form of ledge, platform, ect. that sticks out more than 2 inches. This new engine allows total freedom
The fight/assassination mechanism allows players to play game as simply or challenging as they wish. When assassinating a main target, the player may do extra side mission to learn more about their objective, and ultimately assassinate their target with a million silenced guards in their wake and nothing between them and the kill but the X button. On the flipside, one may bring attention to one's self, slaying EVERYONE, and still make it to their target (though probably somewhere across the city.) So while the game itself offers no real challenge, it allows the gamer to challenge one's self as much as they desire.
The fight system of "Assassin's Creed" is one that can be equally as challenging or simplistic as the final kill. One can rely on the mind-numbingly easy counter kill (with graphically/gory rewards) or one can try to take out guards by using them as human shields/using the hidden blade in a counter kill (it can be done, it just takes timing.) The fighting is much like the assassination that concludes every one of Desmond's memories as Altair.
The writing of the game, though interesting, is entirely overlooked by the shock value induced by the violence of the game. When people walked in me slashing throats and breaking legs it was enough to keep them engaged long enough to want a turn of their own. Much like "Gears of War", "Assassin's Creed" is one of those games that is so cool because it is all about making the main character, and in turn the player, look like a royal badass in the face of thousands of enemies and everything science has taught me to be true. It's a game that people will gladly wait their turn for because it is a game people can bond over.
My only real complaint is the long, boring, and NECESSARY side missions and cut scenes that one must sit through in order to get to the good part: the art of the kill.
A great game I can't wait to beat--
5/5
read comments (1) - add a comment - read this GameLog |
|
|
 |
| Shmaughn's GameLogs |
|
Shmaughn has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 9 days |
view feed xml
|
| Entries written to date: 7 |
|
