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Wednesday 20 February, 2008
Gamelog #2
GAMEPLAY
The second time around was a bit more exciting. Now that I had some of the controls down, I could actually put up a fight. I decided to use Kirby again because I felt more comfortable with his character. We played several of the different stages, each with its own unique challenges. My favorite stage was Dream Land because I found it the easiest for Kirby to adapt to since the stage was taken from the original Kirby game. It was also nice because Wispy's gust of wind made it easier for Kirby to eat other players and spit them back out. The most difficult stage was Planet Zebes because I had a hard time dodging the lava since I was still having trouble moving Kirby around. The more experienced players I was with seemed to have a good time with this stage because they could easily kill off more players with a single move since most of our health was damaged by the lava.
I felt incredibly nervous throughout the game because I had trouble with staying on the platforms and the other players showed no mercy as they attempted to push me off. It was probably the least respectable way to die. Super Smash Brothers is probably the most difficult multiplayer fighter game I have ever played. Although the only other straight hands on action fighter game I've played is Street Fighter on the Super Nintendo and Soul Calibur when I was very young so my judgment is not exactly legitimate. I think the reason why I have little experience with fighter games is because I have never found them to be very interesting. I prefer platform adventure games such as Super Mario Brothers. In a way, Super Smash Brothers is both a fighter and part platform game. I think that's why I was able to endure this game a bit longer than most fighting games.
DESIGN
One of the most interesting aspects of Super Smash Brothers would be the different stages. The stages make this game more than just a fighting game and also add platform qualities to it. The player could choose a different stage to play on that had a different, unique challenge. Like the lava I brought up earlier in Planet Zebes, each stage contained deadly elements. The player would have to also try to stay on the platforms in each stage or they would fall off and lose a life. There is the Congo Jungle, taken from Donkey Kong Country, where the platforms shift and a barrel that shoots the player back into the playing field. Yoshi's Island, adapted from the original game, was an easier stage to play. There are clouds that float the top that contain items but can also cause the player to fall off and lose a life. Princess Peach's Castle was one of the first stages that we played. It takes place on a bridge and has no deadly element which made it one of the easiest stages to play.
Super Smash Brothers also has items that each player can pick up and use. These items are adapted from different, original Nintendo games. The pokeball, for example, originates from Pokemon and can be used against enemy players. The player can throw the pokeball and unleash a certain pokemon that has a specific power. Charazard for instance can blow fire at your opponent. Not all of the pokemon, however, can help the player. Clefairy is a good example of the pokeball item working against the player. Clefairy can sometimes put the player to sleep, making his/her character defenseless. The baseball bat is probably one of the most handy items because the player can use it as a weapon and it causes a lot of damage. There is also a ray gun, sword, and "bob-ombs".
I thought that the game was a little too challenging because certain characters had an obvious advantage over the others. I would have had to play this game for several years in order to be very good at it. However the social aspect of the game is extremely interactive. Throughout the my hour sessions the other players and I would threaten each other loudly and yell as a response to a player's death. Overall, it was a very social game to play because of the competitive quality of the game.
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