Tuesday 15 January, 2008

GameLog #2

GamePlay:

My second time around playing Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii continues to be a fun and exciting experience. As I continue playing, throughout the game more familiar characters become intertwined within the story line. For example, Bowser shows up for the first time during my second hour of playtime for this game, as well as Luigi. I feel that these familiar characters keep the story moving along and from becoming an uninteresting piece of artwork. I also discover during my second hour of gameplay more about the newly introduced characters to the story, which is another element which keeps the story line compelling and unique.

As I continue playing, Super Mario Galaxy continues to keep my interest. I do not get bored with it, yet I find myself becoming more engrossed in this made up world. I believe that all of the games elements, via level design, music composition, story line, the implementation of the controllers, characters, make and keep this game flowing smoothly. I never thought at any point during my gameplay experience that this game was awkward or was not fun to play. It keeps the interest of the gamer with different and unique surprises throughout the made up world.

Design:

I feel that Super Mario Galaxy is an excellent game because of all of the elements combined. The way the game creator's intertwined the different elements of the game is what truly makes this an excellent game.

The main thing that I noticed about the game was the level design. All of the levels are unique and contain excruciating detail. The way the creators designed the levels is very original and I do not know of any other game on the market right now that has this same 3D environment as in Super Mario Galaxy. The game physics is also constant throughout the entire game, which is really nice. Each level within the game is also unique and brings something new to the game as a whole. There are certain characteristics on one level of the game while there are completely other characteristics on a different level of the game. For example, on one of the levels, Mario can turn into fire or ice Mario and obtains certain abilities, while on another level Mario can turn into a bee and have completely different abilities, while on another level Mario can become a ghost and have completely different abilities than the first two levels. Each level is different, so players are constantly having to change their game plan come time for a new level, which I believe is just one element that keeps this game very interesting.

Another thing that I loved about this game was the music score. The score was new and it definitely added to what the players feeling throughout the game. The music also did a very nice job of complementing the already incredible level design. For example, there is a beach level that i am particularly fond of. When I first entered the level, I felt like I was being taken away to a relaxing, tropical island, just through the design of the level. Then I noticed the music, and it was a very light-hearted tune that added to my feeling of being on a vacation. The music combined with the level design made it so much more appealing. Also, the music changes throughout the game to complement the different levels. For example, when I am about to fight Bowser, the music will change to add to the feeling of doom and despair. I absolutely loved the musical score and would change nothing about it.

I also really liked how the creator's implemented the unique Wii controls into the game. The controls are accurate and quick to respond, and I found nothing at fault with that part of the game. The controls felt very easy to learn and master, which I think helps appeal to a wider age group of gamers.

Another element that I also liked that I thought helped a wider array of people like the game was the difficulty of the objectives throughout the game. I feel that the objectives are complicated enough that hard core gamers are still interested in playing the game yet simple enough for a less intense gamer to figure out what the objective is without being discouraged. I believe that the developer's did an excellent job of creating a wide medium for the difficulty of the missions throughout this game.

Although this game is excellent, it still has some flaws about it. I believe that the multiplayer mode throughout the game can be improved quite a bit. All the second player does is point the Wii-mote at the screen and slow down bad guys for the first player. The second player can also make Mario spin, but I found this to be annoying and cumbersome for the gamer who is playing Mario at the time. This feels like a solo single player game, which does not help the social interaction between human beings while the game is being played.

Another element of the game that I found to be lacking is the camera angles. For the most part, the camera angles are good, but there are some parts in the game where I found myself losing a life or two because of the camera angle. The game does not let you switch the camera angle around when you need to, which results in a very frustrated gamer.

Overall the game is excellent. The flaws are not that bad and can be dealt with pretty easily. The pros heavily outweigh the cons on this game. I think it is a very well constructed game that is interesting and appeals to a wide range of gamers, and I give at 5 stars out of 5.

This is a SUPERB game log.

- Ian Rickard, your TA

(the following is included on all my first-round gradings, and should not be taken as any commentary on your writing.)

If you're interested, I'm happy to provide additional nit-picks of your writing. However as this course is not considered writing intensive, lapses in spelling and grammer of the type I would critique will not have any affect on your grade and so you really needn't worry about them. If you're interested in this type of feedback, email me at inio@soe and I'll provide it privately.