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Mar 21st, 2016 at 15:59:17 - Ratchet and Clank (PS2) |
Ratchet And Clank (2002): Saturday, March 19th (Session 1) Monday, March 21st (Session 2)
Created by Insomniac Games for the Play Station 2.
>>Overview<<
Ratchet And Clank (2002) can be is a 3D platformer, third-person shooter, action-adventure game for the PS2. This game was the first entry into the Ratchet And Clank franchise and is a childhood favorite of mine. It plays as a single-player campaign game, where the protagonists, Ratchet and Clank, have to save the galaxy from the evil chairman Drek who is plotting to take parts of other planets and put them together to make a new home planet for his alien-race. Its a fun game with quirky humor, platforming puzzles, and some skill based combat that I can never find to be too repetitive or boring.
>>Formal Elements<<
The game is a single-player game versus the environment and enemy monsters/robots, but can very easily be a game where you take turns with a friend beating smaller levels within a planet.
As for objectives, the game has tons ranging from capture (defeating enemies), race (hoverboard mini-game), alignment (platforming puzzles), exploration (hidden levels on a planet/collectibles), and solution (puzzles and minigames).
Most of the game procedures are quite simple. Before you can play, you have to select a planet, so you can then explore it to complete tasks. Another is the player must traverse down certain paths on the planet to usually run into a cut-scene of some sort where you get a reward like a new planet or gun. Then whenever you want to leave the planet you just hop into your ship or go down another path you might not have explored. You also have control procedures like firing your guns, melee attacks with the wrench, and jumping. There are also probably some artificial intelligence procedures that tell the enemies how to behave.
The rules of basic platforming and shooting gameplay of Ratchet and Clank are also pretty simple. If you run out of health (nanotech) you'll die, can only go to planets you have unlocked, can't buy a gun if you don't have enough bolts, are some examples of rules within the game. There also several mini-games that have their own set of rules as well.
The three main resources in this game are bolts(money), ammo for guns, and the players health. A fourth resource is golden bolts, which are used to upgrade guns to their omega version and are treated as hidden collectibles. The mini-games within the game also have varying resources such as the racing mini-game having a boost resource.
The overall conflict is the fact that chairman Drek is willing to destroy several populations of entire planets within the galaxy and if Ratchet doesn't find a way to stop him he'll lose his home. Other sub-conflicts are more puzzle or planet specific, but there are some character conflicts, especially with Captain Quark not being who everyone thinks he is.
Obvious boundaries are just the edges of levels, the boundaries of platforms you can land on and not fall into a pit of death, and you can't actually fly to planets manually, but just pick one to automatically go to it.
>>Dramatic Elements<<
The challenge and ability balance within the game seems to be well done. If you ever get a little frustrated with an area you can easily take a break by going to a mini-game planet and then try again once you have regrouped. Nothing seems exceptionally impossible, but its not a cake-walk either. You have to pay attention to enemy patterns, conserve ammo in some cases, and bosses tend to take a couple tries, but not too many. The puzzles have never stumped me either, but they do require a little thought.
This game tends to attract the types of players who like to explore, collect, and a little bit of a joker type character with some of the goofy stuff the game has in it.
The premise of the game is that some man is destroying planets and Ratchet wants to find the well known super hero Captain Quark to stop him. As he travels from planet to planet he has to fight through chairman Drek's army of robots using his weapons and gain Captain Quark's assistance. Since its understandable that different planets would be unique it allows many environments and different puzzle situations to arise.
The game has specific characters with predefined personalities. Quark ends up being a huge coward with a big lying mouth, Ratchet kind of has this well somebody's got to do it, but I also get to do all this cool stuff attitude, and Clank tends to be very logical and covers all the advanced sci-fi technology this universe would have. Out of all the main characters, Ratchet is only playable one except for certain sequences where you get to play as Clank for a little bit. In both situations the characters are in the complete control of the player.
The game has an overarching story, where Ratchet just wants to get the help of someone he believes to be very powerful only to find out he is a wuss and has to save the galaxy himself. The planets have their own tiny sub-plots, so you kind of get a feel for what kind of people live their, but its not anything too deep or serious. Most of the planet storytelling is done through the environment.
>>Session 1<<
The game opens up with some simple cutscenes with Ratchet working on a ship hes putting together and he ends up seeing another ship crash on his planet, so he decides to check it out. Something is up with this ship though, as tons of killing robots are now suddenly here and Ratchet has to fight through them to reach the crashed ship. I immediately remember some of the controls and mechanics, which leads me to change my camera settings because I hate inverted controls. I begin hacking my way through these tiny robot chicken/raptor things with the wrench and start to get my first glimpse of the juicy resource known as bolts. As I traversed the level I caught myself constantly looking around to see if I was passing up crates or enemies to smash so I could get every single bolt possible. I also would hit props in the environment as I recall some being breakable and giving tons of bolts, but there didn't seem to be any on this level. Later in the level I run into the first ranged robot that shoots some weird lazer ray thing, but its super short ranged and the game reminds me that I have a bomb glove. I instantly use it to lob small bombs on top of them from out of their range and easily start clearing the level, until I eventually get to the crashed ship. Here another cutscene occurs and I meet my trusty companion for the rest of the game, Clank, who tells Ratchet about Chairman Drek's plans to destroy planets. They then head back to the ship and Clank is able to be the missing piece Ratchet didn't have to finish it. They then leave for the planet Novalis, which is where the coordinates of Chairman Drek's last transmission.
>>Session 2<<
I begin on planet Novalis and instanly notice a crate that says gadgetron floating above it(gadgetron is like the store in this game), and check whats available. I see a new gun named the pyrocitor, seems like a flamethrower, and realize I'm about 1000 bolts short of its 2.5k bolt price. I then notice I have two path options, an elevator platform that brings me down into a field, and a cave like path. I choose the elevator platform and find another chicken/raptor like robot and start smashing them. I'm trying to conserve ammo by using my wrench as I'm not too sure whats ahead. With the pyrocitor in my mind, I'm more bolt hungry than ever, and check every nook and cranny for crates or monsters to harvest for cold, hard bolts. As I travel further, I run into a new enemy that shoots bullets at a slow semi-automatic rate and seem to reload or re-position themselves after 3 shots. Once they start shooting their turn radius is also slow, so when they are alone I simply dodge and smash with the wrench, otherwise I take them out swiftly with my bomb glove. Now I'm at a split, there is a bridge to left and some stairs a little further and to my right. I end up choosing the stairs because I see at the bottom their are quite a few enemies to harvest and I haven't reached that total bolt count for that pyrocitor. After killing some more enemies and some simple platforming, I run into a big circular area where a ship comes down with several of the robots who shoot 3 times. I make quick work of them and get another cutscene that results in a reward for coordinates of the planet Kerwan who has a shop that specializes in electronic gadgets and weapons. Afterwards a small bridge forms that leads me very close to my ship and that last fight got me to a little 2500 bolts. I dash towards the gadgetron and by the pyrocitor. I quickly run into the cave real quick to test it out on some small chicken/raptor things and yep its a flamethrower, but at least it's got higher firepower than my wrench for close range combat. After that I end this session and taking a break before I decide to head to the new planet or maybe check out the other paths on this one.
>>Conclusion<<
Combat in the game is as I remember it, slightly clunky, but in a manner that doesn't bother me or hinder my experience. So far I haven't noticed a strafing mechanic, but that might be something they added in the second game on. The basic storytelling and animations make the characters look humorous with their exaggerated movements and silly voices. The overall attitude gives off a we're serious in a goofy way and makes it hard to get upset at the game. I also found it quite funny how easily hooked I was at seeking out bolts as soon as the game started and how eagerly I wanted to try out a new gun even though I knew what it was probably going to do. The game is intuitive and gives very quick and non-intrusive instructions, which makes it very easy to just start diving into it. Its a game I would recommend to anyone and their isn't a better time to get into Ratchet And Clank with the remake coming out later this year.
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Feb 11th, 2016 at 23:50:38 - Cribbage (Other) |
Cribbage: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016 (Game 1). Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 (Game 2).
Cribbage is a competitive, multiplayer card game that uses a wooden board and a standard 52 card deck of playing cards. The board is used to help keep track of the score and is called the Cribbage board, which is what the game is named after. The game has mildly high learning curve for a basic card game, but has some depth once the initial difficulty barrier is broken through. The game is traditionally designed for 2 players, but their are mild changes to the rules that can support up to a total of 6 players. A typical game usually lasts until a player or team reaches 61 or 121 points, depending on how long the players want a game to last. Using counting skills, strategy, and a little bit of luck helps a lot and can put oneself in an advantageous position to score the most points.
>>Structure<<
A game consists of several hands and each hand has three phases. The initial phase is known as 'the deal' which basically sets up the round for the next two phases. Next comes 'the play' or 'pegging', which is when players take turns in a clockwise motion playing one card at a time with opportunities to score points. Following 'the play' is the final phase called 'the show'. Here players are scored on the cards in their hand.
>>The Deal<<
On the first round the dealer is decided by having each player take a cut of the deck and whoever has the lowest card on the bottom of their portion becomes the dealer. The dealer will deal a total number of cards to the players so that after they discard each player will still have 4 cards in hand. The total number of discarded cards should also be 4 and will form 'the crib', which is face down. The dealer then has someone cut the deck and from the remaining half will flip the top card face up. This card is known as 'the starter' and affects scoring during 'the show'. If 'the starter' is a Jack the dealer scores 2 points instantly.
>>The Play<<
This phase is one of the main opportunities for players to gain points. After 'the deal', the player to the left of the dealer starts the count from 0 and plays a card. This card is then added to the count and the next player goes. Each time a card is played the count is added to it. As for card values, all face cards are treated as 10, aces as 1, and other cards are held at face value. The count can never exceed 31, which means if a player can not play anything that will make the total count less than or equal to 31 then they must say 'go'. By saying 'go' the player gives the next player in line a chance to play. If everyone at the table says 'go' and it gets back to the owner of the most recent card played, that player scores +1 and a new count is started with the player to his/her left. If a player creates a total of 31 it is instantly a full 'go' around the table and they score +2 instead of just +1. If a count resets and the count value was 15 the player scores +3 points. During this phase points can also be earned through certain card combinations created by playing off of previously played cards in the current count. Once everyone is out of cards the round moves on to 'the show'.
>>The Show<<
'The show' is the second main scoring portion of the game where everyone picks back up their hand and scores it using 'the starter' as a 5th card. The scoring order begins with the person left of the dealer, so that the dealer scores last. This is important because the second someone reaches the point total the game instantly ends. Even though the dealer goes last though, the dealer gets to also score using 'the crib' as a separate hand. After the scoring of 'the crib', the dealer passes the deck to the left and that player starts the next hand as the dealer.
>>Scoring<<
Card Combinations:
Fifteen - (Play) If a player plays a card that causes the total
count to equal 15 they score +2. (Show) If the values of the
subset of the cards equals 15 score +2.
Pairs - (Play) If the previous card is the same as the one just played
score +2. (Show) Have a pair in hand or with 'starter' score +2.
Triplets - (Play) If the 2 previous cards are the same as the one just
played score +6. (Show) Have three of a kind in hand or with
'starter' score +6.
Four - (Play) If the 3 previous cards are the same as the one just
played score +12. (Show Have 4 of a kind in hand or with the
'starter' score +12.
Runs - (Play) If 3 or more cards played in a row are numerically next to
each other, score up to the number of cards in a row. These cards
do not need to be actually played in numeric rotation.
e.g., P1 plays 6, P2 plays 4, P3 plays 5 and scores +3. (Show) If
3 or more cards in hand or 'starter' are in numeric sequence
score up to to the number of cards in the run.*Note values do not
wrap meaning ACE, KING, QUEEN is not a run.
Flush - (Play) If 4 or more cards played in a row have the same suit
score up to the number of cards in a row. (Show) If 4 or more
cards in hand or with 'starter' are the same suit score up to
the number of cards. 'The crib' is an exception and only allows
a flush of 5 cards for a score of +5.
Misc:
If you have a Jack that is the same suit as the 'starter' card during
'the show' phase score +1.
*Note: Cards can be used more than once in separate combinations just not
the same one twice during 'the show'. E.g., 5Hearts + QSpades = 15 and
5Hearts + QHearts = 15 scores a total of +4.
>>Game Play<<
First Game: Played with a total of 3 people. One had played before and it was the first time for the other two(One of them was me). With three people each person gets 5 cards and discards one, then a fourth card is dealt to 'the crib' to reach 4. The first hand was played like a tutorial round to get the hang of the structure of a 'hand' and how to score points properly. Took a few hands, 1 or 2 more, before everyone got the hang of it and the game was moving smoothly.
I definitely started to notice very quickly that it was much safer and easier to try to score points during 'the show' rather than 'the play'. I feel like the other two were also thinking this as most of 'the play' was uneventful except for the occasional pair or fifteen combination. This made it feel like 'the play' was more luck based for most of the game.
About halfway through I started to realize some simple ways to avoid the most common scores during 'the play' by disrupting possibilities for others to make a fifteen combination. Some of this included starting the count with a value less than 5 or making it to where count was in a range of 1-3 short of 15 as people tend to hold on to medium to high value cards.
The whole way through the game everyone was pretty close to one another score wise, but near the end I started to get very good 'cribs' when I was dealer, which helped me pull ahead and win.
A majority of this session was to get used to all the scoring rules, but near the end I started to sense some more depth to the strategy even though I did not necessarily know how to take advantage of it yet.
Second Game: The second game was played with only 2 people, one being me and the other being the experienced player from the first game. This time I was much more comfortable with the rules and was looking more towards finding tactics that felt like they led to positive results.
It was this game I learned very early on that a 2 player game of Cribbage is much different than a 3 player one. In this set up, each player is dealt 6 cards and then discards 2 to form a 'crib' of 4. The fact that you are discarding two of the cards going into 'the crib' means your influence on its scoring possibilities are much stronger. At the beginning of this game though, I was still playing much like I was the previous game and worrying mainly about my own hand for'the show'. This was a huge mistake as the opposing player started to get very big scores from 'the crib'. It was then that I realized I would discard cards that were had good scoring odds just because my they did not help my present hand. My opponent understood that you had to be wary of what you discard, so my 'cribs' did not net nearly as many points as theirs.
Ultimately this led to my defeat as I noticed it too late and they were too far ahead. My scores during 'the show' were constantly decent, but 'the crib' scores were keeping me behind. It was at that moment I truly felt the potential depth with the strategy of the game, which was much more prevalent than in the 3 player game. I also noticed that cards with a value of 10 and 5s were very powerful scoring tools. This meant I should probably discard other cards when my opponent is the dealer even if it means hurting my own hand's current score a little bit.
Finding a balance between managing 'the crib' and managing one's own hand really showed through during this match. It really changed how a I played near the end even though it was too late and made me approach the game differently.
>>Overall<<
Cribbage was an enjoyable game and I would like to play it some more. I would like to note that the board does not feel necessary and that you could easily play the game with just the cards if you have some other way to keep track of scores, like writing them down. It has a more casual appearance on the surface with a lot of potential for hardcore strategy. Initially, the game is not so intuitive, but after getting used to some of the scoring patterns one can quickly move past that and start worrying about the strategy within the game. It's just as good as any other standard multiplayer playing card game with the potential to be so much better if you are the kind of person who likes strategy.
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Feb 11th, 2016 at 23:49:28 - Cribbage (Other) |
Testing
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