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Mar 6th, 2008 at 12:36:53 - Wii Sports (Wii) |
Gamelog #2
GAMEPLAY
The second game session was a bit exhausting. Instead of playing with my dad, I played with my older brother. This made things a bit more competitive and less goofy and fun. My arm muscles were tired from swinging the Wii remote around and this was a disadvantage while playing against a fresh, new player who happened to enjoy rubbing in my face how much better he was at everything.
After playing the game for half an hour, we got bored. Baseball and bowling were too difficult for us to play, and we had already exhausted tennis, boxing, and golf. So instead, we spent another half an hour creating different fictional Wii characters. We made a couple of famous people too, like Keanu Reeves, Bill Clinton, etc. Since the game had gotten dull, I guess you could say that the Mii Channel feature (the customized character making feature) made the game a little more interesting. I think that games such as Wii Sports can be easily exhausted because the narrative aspect is so lacking in depth.
DESIGN
My favorite design aspects of this game include the distinct features that differentiate the Wii system from any other video game system created. The Wii remote and the simple game subject as well as game mechanic make the game much more accessible to every age group. Each game also features a standard play mode, a training mode, and multiplayer.
The training mode allows the player to practice each sport alone while the multiplayer mode is to display the newly acquired Wii sporting skills, as exemplified in the game session with my dad. Every game has a single player or two-player mode, and some games allow up to four players through various methods. Bowling and golf allow multiple players to take turns with a single Wii Remote, while tennis requires each player to have their own.
Another feature that I stressed in my gameplay is the customized avatar that can be created using Wii's Mii Channel. Wii Sports is the first Wii title to use this feature. Miis saved on the Wii will appear in the crowd during tennis and boxing games, as bowlers during bowling games, and as team members in baseball. As stated in my gameplay, when the player exhausts the narrative of the game, he/she can turn to the Mii Channel for some temporary entertainment.
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Mar 6th, 2008 at 12:03:25 - Wii Sports (Wii) |
Gamelog #1
SUMMARY
Wii Sports consists of bowling, baseball, tennis, boxing, and golf. Players must use the Wii remote and follow the specified directions for each game. In tennis, for instance, the players must swing at the screen, using the Wii remote. Players compete in each sport and, just like playing sports in reality, the goal is to win or get the highest score.
GAMEPLAY
I found Wii Sports to be incredibly enjoyable. I had played it before, but this time was with my dad, at home. Someone that has never touched a video game, my dad plays Wii Sports everyday and has mastered every game. I became very excited and got "into the game" as I swung at baseballs, bowled side balls, and threw punches at my dad. However, it was frustrating to find that he was much better at every sport than I was because of his thorough daily training. It was almost like playing a real sports game with my dad. I think it is the player-player interaction that makes this game so exciting and fun.The competition it creates between you and a fellow player is not to the point of exhaustion, but exists just for fun. It is a game that can be played by practically all ages-your mom, your dad, your grandmother.
The character feature of the game was extraordinarily unique. Wii Sports allows you to create your own character. From the color of my hair to the shape of my face--I was nearly identical to my avatar. This feature not only makes each player's avatar unique, it's fun to create your own characters together!
The narrative progression of the game is lacking, however, it allows the player to gain more points as he/she practices in training mode. The "story" of the game is basically mimicking a sports game in real life. The crowds cheer after someone scores, and there is always a winner that gets cheered for.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Mar 6th, 2008 at 12:31:08.
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Feb 20th, 2008 at 20:23:14 - Super Smash Brothers (N64) |
Gamelog #2
GAMEPLAY
The second time around was a bit more exciting. Now that I had some of the controls down, I could actually put up a fight. I decided to use Kirby again because I felt more comfortable with his character. We played several of the different stages, each with its own unique challenges. My favorite stage was Dream Land because I found it the easiest for Kirby to adapt to since the stage was taken from the original Kirby game. It was also nice because Wispy's gust of wind made it easier for Kirby to eat other players and spit them back out. The most difficult stage was Planet Zebes because I had a hard time dodging the lava since I was still having trouble moving Kirby around. The more experienced players I was with seemed to have a good time with this stage because they could easily kill off more players with a single move since most of our health was damaged by the lava.
I felt incredibly nervous throughout the game because I had trouble with staying on the platforms and the other players showed no mercy as they attempted to push me off. It was probably the least respectable way to die. Super Smash Brothers is probably the most difficult multiplayer fighter game I have ever played. Although the only other straight hands on action fighter game I've played is Street Fighter on the Super Nintendo and Soul Calibur when I was very young so my judgment is not exactly legitimate. I think the reason why I have little experience with fighter games is because I have never found them to be very interesting. I prefer platform adventure games such as Super Mario Brothers. In a way, Super Smash Brothers is both a fighter and part platform game. I think that's why I was able to endure this game a bit longer than most fighting games.
DESIGN
One of the most interesting aspects of Super Smash Brothers would be the different stages. The stages make this game more than just a fighting game and also add platform qualities to it. The player could choose a different stage to play on that had a different, unique challenge. Like the lava I brought up earlier in Planet Zebes, each stage contained deadly elements. The player would have to also try to stay on the platforms in each stage or they would fall off and lose a life. There is the Congo Jungle, taken from Donkey Kong Country, where the platforms shift and a barrel that shoots the player back into the playing field. Yoshi's Island, adapted from the original game, was an easier stage to play. There are clouds that float the top that contain items but can also cause the player to fall off and lose a life. Princess Peach's Castle was one of the first stages that we played. It takes place on a bridge and has no deadly element which made it one of the easiest stages to play.
Super Smash Brothers also has items that each player can pick up and use. These items are adapted from different, original Nintendo games. The pokeball, for example, originates from Pokemon and can be used against enemy players. The player can throw the pokeball and unleash a certain pokemon that has a specific power. Charazard for instance can blow fire at your opponent. Not all of the pokemon, however, can help the player. Clefairy is a good example of the pokeball item working against the player. Clefairy can sometimes put the player to sleep, making his/her character defenseless. The baseball bat is probably one of the most handy items because the player can use it as a weapon and it causes a lot of damage. There is also a ray gun, sword, and "bob-ombs".
I thought that the game was a little too challenging because certain characters had an obvious advantage over the others. I would have had to play this game for several years in order to be very good at it. However the social aspect of the game is extremely interactive. Throughout the my hour sessions the other players and I would threaten each other loudly and yell as a response to a player's death. Overall, it was a very social game to play because of the competitive quality of the game.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 20th, 2008 at 20:40:09.
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Feb 19th, 2008 at 18:45:59 - Super Smash Brothers (N64) |
Gamelog entry #1
SUMMARY
In Super Smash Brothers the player must choose between several popular Nintendo game characters from other games such as Pikachu (from Pokemon) or Mario (from Super Mario Brothers). Each character has a special move or power that distinguishes them from the others. The object of the game is to be the player with the least damage to their character's health. In other words, the player must use the special move of his/her character to defeat the others and protect him/herself.
GAMEPLAY
Super Smash Brothers was not incredibly fun to play simply because I was playing against other more experienced players. It was especially challenging because they knew how to manipulate each character's special powers. For example, it would have been nice to know that Donkey Kong is better to play on flat maps because he can grab and that Pikachu is better on platforms because he is good at jumping. Since I was an inexperienced player I would get kicked out of the game earlier and ended up watching all the pros battle.
Unfortunately the game really had no narrative progression which explains why most people enjoy playing Super Smash Brothers on multi-player rather than single. Though I was not a big fan of the game, I find that it would be an advantage to master it in order to show off my skills as a female gamer. My favorite character in the game was Kirby because he could blow up into a ball and fly around. I felt really frustrated during most of the game because I could not figure out how to use Kirby's skills to my full advantage. I simply just dodged other characters by blowing up into a ball and flying away. I eventually figured out how to do the "Flat Toe Kick" and the "Double Punch" by furiously pressing random buttons.
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emilydoom has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 6 days |
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