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Tuesday 22 January, 2008
Gamelog #2 Session #1 for CMPS 20
Start Time: 7:00 pm
End Time: 8:00 pm
Assignment due 1/25/08
SUMMARY
Gradius is a game with very little backstory. That's probably a good thing, considering that Gradius is a SHMUP. Even though it's not story-oriented or character-driven, Gradius is somewhat compelling for the music and gameplay. This is the first Gradius game, and all of the games that follow don't deviate from the essentials set forth in this game. Developed by Konami, Gradius takes place in a hostile science-fiction outer space environment as you navigate the land and shoot anything that moves.
GAMEPLAY
As far as my emotional response goes, I sort of enjoyed this game. Although the rules are fairly simple, the upgrade system is kind of complicated and not really obvious as you start to play the game. I probably was less enthused about the game than someone would have been when Gradius first came out, but the music is familiar to me and helped me to enjoy this game.
The gameplay mechanic is deceptively simple. You simply shoot and avoid collision with everything on-screen as best you can. The upgrade system is where the game gets complicated. You have five levels of level-up, which require more and more power-ups to attain. They are: speed up, missile, double, laser, option, ?. Speed up is self-explanatory, or it would be if it was more obvious what thing it's speeding up; I couldn't figure it out. Missile shoots a bullet-like projectile diagonally down and ahead. Double shoots twice as much as normal in varying directions. Laser shoots little beams of laser across the screen. Option and ? give you sentinels and forcefields, though during gameplay I got them so rarely I cannot reliably tell them apart. As someone whose first SHMUP is the original Gradius in 2008, this does not surprise me.
I first heard the music of Gradius as a symphonic, orchestrally-arranged suite. Hearing it now in its original, true form is an interesting twist on nostalgia. I recognize the melodies some of the time, but as far as I can tell the music sometimes lacks the expression and depth of the symphonic version. This is likely because at times the music seems to cut out. This hurts the usually immersive effect of the game simply because it sounds terrible.
I don't know the characters in this game. That's not to say that there aren't any, but I had to look up the game on Wikipedia to find the name Vic Viper to describe the name of the ship. The ship is the protagonist, surprisingly; the pilot is nameless, or nonexistent. Even the existence of a pilot is a mystery. As a game, the lack of certainty and depth doesn't really hurt the game overall; it also didn't help. I really enjoy games with a compelling story, and you just won't find such a thing in Gradius. It would be one thing if the story was bad, but not having any whatsoever is just terrible.
I didn't have any interaction with other players during gameplay. That made the game difficult to endure; I almost got lonely. It would be one thing if the game was absorbing and compelling. Playing a game for that long when I don't really enjoy the gameplay is a chore. This is my first SHMUP, and I gave it a chance. Unfortunately, the game was repetitious and frustrating; I didn't make it past the first level and the game played a jubilant ditty when I died. In short, I don't particularly care for this game.
That's it for this entry. I will continue after I play some more.
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