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Feb 9th, 2008 at 17:06:27 - Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) |
For some reason, my four year old turned on the Wii and wanted me to play. (he doesn't get how to do it himself yet, but wanted to watch me play it). And, untypically as well, he let me play through an entire life cycle--meaning, he let me play until I had lost. Usually he turns the machine off after about five minutes because he has grown bored. Despite a few episodes of throwing blocks at the TV, he was pretty supportive. And getting to play all the way through was a lot of fun. I had the most fun so far with this game. I was able to complete a galaxy, so I didn't have the usual frustration of starting at the beginning of the level again and again. What I like about this game is its whimsy and its just plain silliness. I did find it a little too easy to get through a whole galaxy--I was able to do it in this one sitting, and found that I pretty quickly figured out what was necessary to get through each challenge(and if I was slow on the pick up, the stars coach a lot). The relative simplicity makes it a good family game, since even though its relatively easy it is still interesting to me, and I could see my son playing this in a few years as well. It also is pretty transparent in the way it scaffolds learning--in one screen you realize that if you kick these melons at a pointy red tree (that does damage) you can destroy it. Then you face a giant caterpillar with a pointy red top that grows out of the ground--the mother tree I guess--and you use the melon method as well as previously mastered skills of stunning and running into, etc. The logical steps you move up through in this game are pretty close together right now. (I don't feel particularly clever when I figure out how to beat the boss right now). I'm hoping as the game progresses the challenges will be steeper. However, since one of my interests is in how videogames can be leveraged as deep cognitive tools for secondary classrooms, it is a useful model of how videogames conceptualize the zone of proximal development and scaffold skill development.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 9th, 2008 at 17:10:32.
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Feb 4th, 2008 at 23:40:06 - Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) |
I have been playing this game on and off for a few weeks. I get a little dizzy but find the game entertaining. I played today for about 30 minutes and was unable to get to the next level. I found myself losing patience with finding all the stuff that there is to find on each world and was rather trying to advance to the next planet as quickly as I could because I can't play this game for hours at a time. I can only grab a little bit of time and I wish i could save my progress. I have been finding that my perception that my time is short interferes with playing the game. Each time I start as the beginning of the galaxy, and it takes a long time to get through them. I find that some of the planets really challenge me and are interesting/clever. But, others are a little dull and I just want to move past them. A lot of the worlds just offer gems and coins--no other prizes. I do find myself experimenting. I discovered a red tree that does damage, but then knew that the rubber trees that I had used as weapons in the past, might destroy them and they did.
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Feb 4th, 2008 at 23:25:15 - Sam and Max--Abe Lincoln Must Die (PC) |
I got this game free from PC gamer, but it is free on their website too. It seemed like it would be funny and it is. The characters engage in lots of "witty banter" but I found it hard to get into the game. First, I could only move the characters with the mouse--no other commands. I just poked around each scene and when I got bored drove back to the office. Then, I got bored at the office so I went around town looking for people to talk to. but, I can't figure out how to make more progress. The game is visually appealing and funny--I just wish there was more action in it.
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