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Allison's Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
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| [February 7, 2008 05:33:39 PM]
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Gamelog #3
Entry #2
Gameplay:
When I first started playing round two, I could tell I was a little rusty after not playing for a few days, as if I had forgotten every thing I had learned. After a little while, however, I was able to get farther than the first time I had played in a shorter amount of time with fewer deaths. Although I am getting into the flow of video games a bit more, I still prefer board games. I do not think it has anything to do with being able to play them better and winning (I do not have very good luck with board games), but I really like them. I think it may be a different kind of social interaction. With video games, there may be talking among the players, but everyone is staring at the television screen because if something is missed, the player may die. However, with board games I feel there is more face-to-face interaction. Instead of lined up in front of the TV, players circle around a board and a player will not instantly die if they look up from the board at another player and miss a move. I do not know if this is exactly it, but it is something to consider.
When I mentioned to my friend that I do not have as much fun playing video games as I think I should, she said it was something the culture we are raised in teaches us we should enjoy, but that she does not care for video games either. I had never thought of it that way. Each time I check out a new game, my apartment mates get so excited. They all want to play and are so jealous that I get to play for homework. I, on the other hand, look to the game playing with a bit of distaste. I much prefer spending my time designing and building the game for our project.
Design:
I fond it interesting that the music in Zelda bothered me, but I did not find the music in SMB3 as bad. I do not know why that would be because it is still the same thing repeated over and over. I liked how the music was able to set some of the atmospheric mood. At one point when a friend was playing, it was not even necessary to see what was on the screen to know when he had entered a dramatic level and there was danger that may jump out at any moment. Many of the outside levels had lighter, more upbeat music that were relatively indistinguishable. Inside the castle, though, with lava and spiraling fireballs the music was much more serious.
When I first started playing the game, I did not realize that it was a race against the clock. If there had not been an audio indicator when time was running out, I never would have noticed that there was a clock at the bottom of the screen. I was much too focused on trying not to die to pay attention to the rest of the screen. I think the audio indicator is a marvelous idea for this game. Players are likely to become so absorbed that they forget to check how much time is left. If the clock were the only indicator of remaining time, I am sure many players would lose their lives due to careless inattention.
Something I fond odd about the structure of this game was that once a level had been completed, the player could not go back and replay it during that game. They would have to completely died and restart the game to do the level again. That seems like a poor design feature to me because if a player likes one specific level, they may want to play it repeatedly. However, there really is not much to do in each level and there is a time limit so it seems a little pointless to play the same level multiple times.
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| [February 5, 2008 11:22:23 AM]
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Gamelog #3
Entry #1
Summary:
Super Mario Brothers 3 (SMB3) is a single or multiplayer platformer in the Super Mario Series. As Mario (or Luigi), a player passes through multiple levels within each of eight worlds. At the end of the first seven worlds, Mario confronts Koopalings (Browser’s children) and retrieves the wands of the kings of seven worlds. In the eighth world, Mario discovers that the stolen wands were a distraction by Browser so he could kidnap Princess Peach, and so Mario must rescue the princess. Throughout the game coins are collected for points and enemies are most often defeated by jumping on them.
Gameplay:
Although the story line of SMB3 is very basic, it is a classic. As broad as stories have become for video games, Mario and Luigi continue to reappear (for example, even the Wii has Super Mario Galaxy). Princess Peach will always need saving, and Mario and Luigi will be there to get the job done. These characters and others in the game have become cultural symbols (appearing on lunch boxes, backpacks, and clothes) shaping the standards by which we judge all other games.
I enjoyed playing SMB3 and actually noticed myself learning tricks to the game. After several rounds of repeated deaths, I finally started to pick up on the necessary timing, or required speed to make a jump or defeat an enemy. I particularly enjoyed the power-up of acquiring the raccoon tail that slows falls and may also be used as a weapon. I knew I was supposed to be able to fly (or at least slowly fall) when I had the tail, but I still lost my life several times before a friend pointed out how to fly. He was also the one who told me that the spinning maneuver I discovered was a defensive technique. I am sure it would have taken me twice as long to figure these things out if he had not helped.
I started each new level out very poorly, and often lost all my lives forcing me to start the entire game over completely. This became discouraging at times; however, as I continued I was able to see progress. Reaching a new level was very rewarding (not only in receiving valuable cards, but also as a sense of personal accomplishment) and motivated me to continue playing. Video games have never held a deep sense of fascination for me; I am taking this class in an attempt to understand the draw other people feel to them. SMB3 has done a better job conveying this phenomenon than any other game I have played so far.
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Allison's Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Friday 1 February, 2008
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