Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1072https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3956GAMEPLAY If it was not for the sitcom humor of "Sam and Max," I feel like I would soon grow bored with the gameplay. Essentially, the game is a point-and-click adventure, only with a Wiimote. Pushing the "A" button and waving the Wiimote back and forth is about as immersive as the game mechanics get. It's a simple game to pick up and enjoy, but not one to spend hours and hours and hours playing. The characters of Sam and Max are wonderfully entertaining. Sam is more of the straight man (dog?) when compared to Max and his psychosis; Sam is the one leading the investigations and asking witnesses (usually) relevant questions. Max, on the other hand, is a complete lunatic who enjoys causing violence and general mischief. Together, one would think their eccentricities would cancel out. But one would be wrong! Together they are a very silly, trouble-making, buddy-cop team. DESIGN "Sam and Max" has many interactive elements that are giving me a few ideas for the game project my partner and I are working on. Sam will comment on almost every object in the game (pictures, newspaper clippings, groceries). Supporting characters will also react when Sam uses an object like a tear gas grenade. I'd really like our game project to have a similar level of interaction, so the player will spend some time exploring the area and marvelling at little details, like a scrap of paper on the floor or a painting on the wall.Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:47:56 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3956&iddiary=7395https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3956SUMMARY "Sam and Max Save the World" is a game for the Nintendo Wii (though originally for PC) that follows the misadventures of the freelance police detectives Sam (the dog) and Max (the insane rabbit). The player must collect items and question witnesses in order to solve cases and bring criminals to justice. GAMEPLAY What I love most about this game so far is the silly banter between Sam and Max. For example, when Sam is about to get into his police car, Max asks very excitedly, "Mind if I drive?" To which Sam replies, "Not if you don't mind me clawing at the dash and shrieking like a cheerleader." The voice-actors are spot-on in their delivery, and it just adds to the wonderful, snappy, film-noir-esque feel to the game. The cutscenes are a joy to sit through, and it's all thanks to the wonderful lines Sam and Max deliver. Another hilarious part of the game is a little mini-game in which Sam and Max board their car and chase after other motorists. Sam and Max can ram into the back of a random car, then pull that poor motorist over for a number of random reasons. One reason: impersonating a ferret. Max can also shoot the tail light of another car, and Sam can then pull the motorist over for a broken tail light!Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:23:46 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3956&iddiary=7392https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3860GAMEPLAY After playing Shadow of the Colossus for a few hours, I've found that over half my time has been spent exploring the world rather than battling the Colossi. If the game was any less gorgeous, or any less expansive, this would be very boring. But Shadow of the Colossi keeps the world map varied while still retaining cohesion. It's not like some other games in which there is a volcanic area and then a snowy area. There are canyons and an ocean and mountains, and yet with the same color tone and similar plant life, it all feels like the same world. The game continues to make me quite sad; every time a Colossi dies, you see its statue crumble, and then a bright pillar of light cuts across the sky, reminding the player, "Yes, yes you killed it! Right here!" And that pillar of light just stays there for the rest of the game. Usually, when you beat a huge monster, a game should make you feel accomplished for doing so. I don't feel accomplished at all! DESIGN Shadow of the Colossus, with its huge world map and huge monsters, does a very good job of making the player feel very small and very alone. The player is truly at the end of the world. This loneliness leads to the player to become very attached to Wander's horse, Agro. I personally fretted quite a bit when I'd whistle and Agro took a little too long to respond. My brother told me that he managed to kill his horse, and when he found her lying dead in the middle of the wasteland, he almost cried. Luckily that hasn't happened to me yet, but that just makes me worry about leaving Agro alone for too long! One thing that did strike me as odd: there is no background music in the game when you are not fighting a Colossus. This may tie into the unsettling silence and the feeling of being alone, but some gentle background music would have been nice. That is my one minor complaint on an otherwise spectacular game.Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:44:46 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3860&iddiary=7233https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3860SUMMARY In Shadow of the Colossus, the player controls Wander, a young man who must defeat sixteen roaming monsters (Colossi) in order to bring his lover back from the dead. The Colossi are, well, COLOSSAL, and defeating them takes both platforming and puzzle-solving skills. GAMEPLAY The gameplay in Shadow of the Colossus is quite satisfying. I love just hopping onto my horse and galloping around the gorgeous world map. The controls are simple and pretty intuitive, allowing me to focus on puzzle-solving. Battling a Colossus is especially quite fun, since the player must have good timing and a sharp mind to take the monster down. There's a lot of trial and error involved, and a LOT of falling off the Colossus, but that just makes the experience more satisfying in the end. So far, playing this game makes me feel...well, quite sad! The game begins on a morose note; the open cutscene includes Wander laying his dead woman on a slab. But what really gets me? Killing the Colossi. When battling the first Colossus, I was getting more and more irritated every time he shook me off his back. That's when I thought, "All right, time for you to die." But when I finally killed him, there was black blood spewing everywhere, the howling of pain, and then a long cutscene of his death...and it's all very sad! Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:52:49 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3860&iddiary=7225https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3842GAMEPLAY During stage five, the gameplay of Gungrave improves significantly. The stage takes place "underground," in a sort of sewer/prison system. There are new enemies (with flamethrowers!) running around, there are more nooks and crannies to hide in, and the overall level design feels far less constrained that the first four stages. There are more stairways to explore, and there are different routes to take. In short, I had a lot more fun during that level than any of the other levels combined. I do have to give a shout-out to stage four, though, where the player must shoot down helicopters from inside a moving train. The boss battles are not overly difficult, but they can be challenging. At this writing, I'm facing off against a giant purple arm that's throwing cars at me. It's giving me a real hard time, the first real challenge in this game. And I'm really enjoying it. I'm nearing the end of the game, and yet the story isn't really interesting me anymore. There is no explanation (so far) as to how Grave was brought back from the dead, or how the Syndicate's henchmen can turn into these giant disfigured masses of flesh. Maybe that's asking too many questions for a game that is only a few hours long, but it's frustrating to see such a promising concept followed by a weak effort. I'd love to know more about this universe, more about Grave, more about the Syndicate, but the story just feels like a teaser. Which is not cool. DESIGN The most frustrating part of this game was the fixed camera. The bosses move all over the room, and it's very hard to follow them when the camera is tied only to Grave's movements. I spent a lot of time running around in circles, just trying to get a good look at the boss, only to get sliced up and set on fire. There is nothing assigned to the right analog stick, why didn't the developers implement a user-controlled camera system? The cutscenes are absolutely beautiful, with character designs that are unique, if a bit disturbing. I personally believe that the reward for each completed stage is not a new skill or a high score, but rather a cutscene. I particularly like the sharply defined shadowing used in the cutscenes, as well as the fluidity in every movement Grave makes. Overall, it's a standard action game with lovely visuals, and I do understand why there was plenty of demand to adapt the game to an anime series. I think perhaps the Gungrave saga should have begun as an anime, where the story could be fleshed out, and then adapted into a game.Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:15:07 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3842&iddiary=7201https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3842SUMMARY: Gungrave is a third-person shooter for the PS2. The player assumes the role of Grave, an undead, gun-toting behemoth with a coffin on his back and revenge on his agenda. We follow Grave in his quest to take down the corrupt "Syndicate" organization and rescue the daughter of his former flame, all while shooting just about everything that moves. GAMEPLAY: Grave is a neat-looking character; the sight of this towering guy, dragging a coffin around, and armed with two very large guns...it's very cool. The problem is, Grave has not yet said a word, nor has he conveyed any emotion whatsoever. Usually when there's a mute protagonist in a game, the supporting characters help flesh out the main character's personality. But the two supporting characters have done nothing to expand on Grave's personality. He is supposed to be one of those strong, silent types, but he just comes off bland. I hope his backstory will explain his character some more, and hopefully it will make the guy more likeable. The gameplay so far is a bit disappointing. Though the locations change, I keep fighting the same enemies over and over again. There's the token peon, there's the guy with the rocket launcher, and there's the guy with the melee weapon. That's it. Also, because of camera issues, it's very hard to dodge or jump back to escape enemy fire. So I just keep walking straight ahead and smashing the firing button. That seems to work pretty well. On a positive note, the cutscenes and overall style of the game are excellent. The cel-shaded graphics are very beautiful, and the game plays with shadows very well. I wish some of the locations in the game were more detailed, but all and all it's a pretty game.Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:27:53 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3842&iddiary=7195