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Friday 25 January, 2008
GAMELOG #2
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay seems to be the same throughout. Ride to the location of the next colossus, defeat the colossus, rinse repeat. Mostly I just want to update my critique from the last log. [I also wanted to say that I found that you can skip the large intro cinematic, and all small cutscenes during the game, but I find the short ones give a helpful description of the colossi's locations.]
I've gotten a little better with the horse. Occasionally it will still sprint in the opposite direction when I tell it to slow down, or avoid running when I really want it to, but that happens at a fraction of the frequency it used to. That said, I believe its more of me learning to deal with their fault, more than a lack of one. I'm still displeased with its control.
I also found a way to switch the camera in the options, but by the time I did I was finding myself using the other controls because I'd gotten used to them. They stayed.
As for the repetition, when it comes to fighting the colossi, I really don't mind. I thoroughly enjoy those sequences. Riding to each colossus on the other hand, gets boring. I'll talk a little more on these subjects in the Design section.
Weapons. When the game begins, it lets you scroll through Sword, Bow, and Unarmed. This stays the same through the rest of the game. The sword is your primary weapon, used to stab the colossi in their weak points. It is also used to reflect daylight to point at the location of the next colossus, and to reveal the weak points on them (it's some sort of ancient magic sword). The bow basically has one function: get the colossus's attention. It deals next to no damage, and there is no use for weapons as any sort of puzzle. Unarmed is about as useless out of combat as in it. There is no reason to be unarmed, ever.
DESIGN
Massiveness is a huge factor in this game. It is the root of the game's highlights, but in other areas it can be improved upon. The game takes place in an expansive, natural themed world. The scenery is all vegetation and cliff-sides, with stone temples and pillars, while the colossi look as though they are furry creatures with stone elements in their exoskeleton.
Riding to each colossus gets old because of how long it takes. Granted, the vast plane upon which you ride really makes you feel small, and makes your journey feel great. But a virtual world does not have to be proportional. I think it may have been worth the aesthetic sacrifice to cut down the distance needed to travel.
Killing each colossus, however, has remained enjoyable. I have killed six out of the sixteen, and I savor each encounter. Each one brings something new. A new way to grapple to its weak points, a new way to use the environment to your advantage, a new risk being posed as you climb across its shoulders, and so on. Gripping in game by gripping the trigger on the controller feels like you're actually clinging for your life. Paired with finite strength, you know you have to let go at some point, so there is loads of suspense as you are forced to risk yourself.
Out of the six I've fought thus far, the fourth and the sixth have required the player to utilize the environment. The fourth stomps the ground as you swoop through a tunnel to its lowered back. The sixth leans down to look for you as you hide under a ledge and you leap onto it's upper half, taking it by surprise. I thought these elements were clever, but underused and a little basic. Given that I'm still roughly in the first third of the game, that's acceptable, but I'd like to see more later. I also expected to use the environment in battles where I didn't have to, which caused problems. With some minor level changes, those problems would not have occurred.
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