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Thursday 6 March, 2008
Gamelog #5 Session #2 for CMPS 20
Start Time: 3:00 pm
End Time: 5:00 pm
Assignment due 3/5/08
GAMEPLAY
Emotionally, this game is very satisfying. In addition to not using all standard archetypes for game characters, much of the content is pleasing to the senses. As I mentioned before, the secluded beach really relaxes me. The beach has an atmosphere not used frequently in games; when it is, it often fails to be done well enough to produce the desired effect. Though the cutscene visuals are often not wonderful, they're usually pretty good and they conform to a much better standard than does Chrono Trigger, this game's predecessor. The game's art is semi-realistic and pretty stylized, but the art is done purposefully and has a bright or dark color scheme as appropriate. I really like this game's art style and creative assets.
An additional complication to the battle mechanic is that you can execute different percentage attacks. Depending upon the percentage, which typically varies from 60 to 99 percentage points, you may attack more or less successfully with less or more damage dealt, respectively. Fortunately, it sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. In other words, this complicated-sounding addition makes the game more fun and interesting. I'm glad there are more options in this game than in Chrono Trigger.
This game was very fun to play. The battle mechanic is fun, and there is also a puzzle element to the gameplay that lends itself well to this RPG. The story was absorbing enough that I could probably tell it enthusiastically with lots of expression. Tales of Symphonia is an RPG, but its story is hugely complex and confusing. The story in Chrono Cross, in contrast, is simple but satisfying. I like the story, gameplay, and characters much more in this game than in Tales of Symphonia or in Chrono Trigger.
The game was interesting to play. I had a few frustrations, despite my overall enjoyment of this game. One major frustration was technical difficulty/unfamiliarity, as mentioned previously. Another frustration that I didn't have personally was that the game is relatively slow-paced. I thought that Chrono Cross didn't drag at all and that the pacing was deliberate. However, it's not difficult for me to understand the general frustration some people have about these aspects.
This game's flow was superb. The pacing was very good, not too fast or too slow. Character development in-game wasn't rushed. As compared to Chrono Trigger, you really care about Kid when she gets hurt in Chrono Cross, unlike how much you cared about Marle in Chrono Trigger when she vanishes. In Chrono Trigger, that story arc had a major plot hole as far as what Crono's motivations for going after Marle were. In Chrono Cross, in contrast, it's usually pretty clear what everyone's motivations and aspirations were. Even though much of this was preprogrammed, I much prefer the flow of story in this game to that of Chrono Trigger. Spatially, there are puzzles that are spaced apart very well so that the game doesn't become unnecessarily complicated but at the same time poses enough challenge to keep you hooked.
DESIGN
The battle system and story were the most innovative aspects of this game, although it was groundbreaking in other ways as well. There was innovation in the color-based battle system, the percentage-based hit success and hit damage, and the inverse relationship of hit success and hit damage. The story has the most innovative characters out of any game I've played. Their personalities vary greatly from the standard archetypes, except for Serge, maybe, who is a silent protagonist.
The levels are varied in terms of look, feel, type of related puzzle, environment interaction, and organization. In other words, there are LOTS of variations in levels. The tone of the gameworld is similar to that of Chrono Trigger: epic. The look and feel of the game varies greatly and is much improved upon Chrono Trigger. The level look and feel are not arbitrary at all; they largely depend on the climate, which vary from lush and soft, to rocky and arid, to sterile and metallic. All of the puzzles are environment-based, similar to how battles in Shadow of the Colossus are environment-based.
I didn't have social experiences with other players; this game doesn't have multiplayer options. I have a feeling that, for the most part, I had to just watch, I wouldn't enjoy it or be satisfied. Luckily, there were no bystanders to be dissatisfied. I was having a really good time playing. The game itself was very rewarding, and I didn't really notice the passage of time. I never felt lonely or isolated while playing because I was absorbed in the game. I think that's a good thing as far as game involvement goes, but I imagine it could hurt one's social life.
My game that I'm currently making isn't nearly as complex as this game is. However, on a future game project, I may have a more text-based version of this game. I don't think it would be a very good idea, though, because a text-based version of Chrono Cross is hard to imagine being done well. It would have be on some open-source game console if I were to make a game like this as a freelancer without being text-based. As is, it might be possible to make a game with a similar story with the engine from Facade at interactivestory.net (go check it out if your haven't already!) with story elements like Chrono Cross, but then it wouldn't play like Chrono Cross. I doubt I'll really be able to make a game like Chrono Cross on my own or in a pair. I would definitely need a team of four or more people. However, it would have helped this game to increase the amount of button labelling. I found myself frequently forgetting which buttons to press. I think that is one valuable lesson to take away from playing for creating my own game.
I didn't really care for the cutscenes of Chrono Cross. They served a purpose, and they served the purpose of storytelling pretty well, but they lagged a bit while playing and had bothersome textures much of the time. I much preferred non-cutscene parts of the game to the cutscenes. The non-cutscene parts were more interactive and were frequently more pleasing to all the senses. This is counterintuitive, though, and it probably would have been better to omit the cutscenes altogether. The designers clearly spent more time on most of the rest of the game instead of on the cutscenes, and to me, it shows.
That's it! If I ever come back to this site, you can expect a looser style from me, because it won't be graded! BWAHAHA! Although, I have my own standards; I won't start writing terribly.
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