Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1576https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5399I picked up this game by purchasing the Humble Bundle, a promotional package where a portion of the proceeds go to charity. I would not have bought this game if it had not been in a package, because I usually don't like horror shooters. However this game was fairly fun. It did succeed in being scary most of the time, and the story was pretty engaging. A lot was left unexplained, which didn't really bother me, because that was part of the mystery to the game. This game was very cinematic, and it reminded me a bit of Call of Duty 3. It is not necessarily a game that focuses on skill, but rather uses difficult situations to raise dramatic tension. The game was sort of old-styled in that it included a variety of levels: stealth, vehicle chase, defense, action, and some elements of platforming. I'm playing the game on hard mode, and while I am not struggling too much to complete levels on this difficulty, I would recommend normal difficulty. It's too difficult to earn money on the hardest difficulty, which doesn't really affect the cinematic experience, but rather results in not having ammo, not having a silenced weapon on a stealth level, having to use your knife, and enemies inexplicably dropping only one or two bullets when they are killed. I'd much rather be able to use guns, because it's simply more fun. The game's mechanics are pretty interesting, in that while they are very common among games the execution of these mechanics is creative. The flashlight has a limited battery which can be charged to increase it's brightness, but never goes out completely. because the flashlight is very important to this game, the player will be forced to charge their battery during combat, resulting in frantic panicked combat. The levels in which you had a teammate were much more fun than the levels where you had to work alone, mostly because the NPC acted as a guide through the level. It was a bit annoying to aimlessly wander though a level, hitting dead ends and being unsure which enemies the game "wants" you to engage. Overall the game's convincing and engaging setting and style was the game's best feature, and what makes it worth playing. I would recommend this game to anybody who wants a cinematic, linear experience reminiscent of games before the era of online multiplayer games.Sat, 01 Dec 2012 15:45:16 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5399&iddiary=9687https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5380This game is a 2D platforming multiplayer shooter. It is a MOBA style game, meaning it is the same style as League of Legends or DoTA. However this game has a much faster pace, with the average game lasting from 5 to 20 minutes. The game is very combat oriented, and which team of three wins the match is almost always tied to which team has more kills. The fact that teams are comprised of teams of three is a boon to teamwork, and makes the game easier to play with friends. However, there is a strange balance issue to the game. The seemingly obvious combination of Tank/Healer very nearly breaks game balance completely. I have never lost using the Tank/Healer combination without the other team using the same strategy. This strategy is so easy to master, and so powerful, that without really any experience in the game (I had played three rounds previously), I was able to rise 200,000 ranks in the leaderboards in one day. To put this into perspective, there are approximately 266,000 places on the leaderboard total. So while this was a lot of fun for me, to without much skill in the game to be able to dominate far more skilled opponents, this was very frustrating for my opponents(hah). But putting balance issues aside, the game is in a very good position to expand the MOBA genre at the low regular price of $10, and the current sale price of $5. The game's style is cartoonish, and while I didn't find it very appealing, it has the effect of making the game seem more casual or less serious. This is important as many MOBA style games can be frustrating, taking away for the entertainment value of the game. The shorter game times relates to this as well by making the player less invested in the game. While some might see this as a bad thing, I personally was still invested enough for the victories to be rewarding. I enjoyed that whether you commit a large amount of time or a small amount of time to the game you still have a shot at the leaderboards. I haven't ever been able to enjoy the global competition of online leaderboards before, usually because those leaderboards are largely based on time commitment. This is because of high mobility in the leaderboards. If you win a large number of consecutive games, you WILL rise a large amount on the leaderboards. While the number one player may have played hundreds of games, number 9 in the world may have played 50.Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:31:09 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5380&iddiary=9676https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5356Well, let me start off by saying it's a lot easier to tell how much I've been playing this game by counting the hours since I got this game that I haven't been playing it. This game, which claims "it seamlessly combines shooter and RTS/strategy gameplay." What this actually means, rather than a player taking on the role of commanding troops in first person, is that one player takes the role of commander, and builds structures, researches upgrades, and orders troops around. However the "basic unit" of the commander is you, the player. What this entails is that you will unquestioningly obey his orders. While this may scare many, the truth is that you have no obligation to do what the commander says. However players will soon learn that quick and effective action based on orders will often lead to victory. This is usually enough incentive that players will listen to their commander. Now, while the concept of an RTS combined with a shooter may bring images of Starcraft as well as tears to the eyes of many RTS fans, the truth is that the game plays out much more like a shooter. While building elements are very important, combat and tactics are what really makes the difference in a battle. Often times, in the case of the commander either not being effective commanding troops, not having a microphone, or being too busy building to focus on combat, the troops take command, sometimes as one almost taking over as a sort of Field Commander, or other times as a more classic collaboration as seen in better matches of counterstrike. This is where the true value of Natural Selection 2 is revealed. Unlike many multiplayer games focused around teamwork, Natural Selection 2 actually succeeds in forcing players to work together in the majority of matches. I cannot emphasize enough how unique this is among online games today. Nearly all the players on each team will work collaboratively in forming strategies, scouting, and fighting. Also, it's cheap, even though to me it could be the best team based shooter to date. Buy this game. Do it, you won't regret it.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:14:06 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5356&iddiary=9643https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5314This game is still in pre-alpha build, but it is a very playable build. This game is a 2D fighting game in which players must move around the map to pick up weapons(all of which have a very limited amount of ammo, usually two magazines) and eliminate the enemy players. The game is based around it's movement mechanics and destructible environment. The movement mechanics are jumping, rolling, diving, sprinting, and taking cover. To aim a player must be standing still and holding down the aim key, allowing them to then aim up and down as opposed to shooting while moving, which only fires parallel to the ground. Diving into an enemy causes you to tackle them. These simple mechanics in combination create a unique fighting game that is equally fun to play with two players or eight. The game levels are not flat, but rather composed of many rooms, some of which are vulnerable to gunfire, others are not. This allows some strategic positioning on the part of the individual. While there are still many flaws in this game, I don't think i should focus on these too much as the game is still early in it's development. The combination of destructible environment, great 8-bit style, and slow motion powerups(as well as slow motion whenever a player is killed) results in plenty of spectacular moments. While currently the first game, Super Fighters, is more fun to play due to it's completeness, when this game is fully released it could very well become a hugely played free multiplayer game. I would recommend anyone to try out the current build of this game, but be aware that it is still a work in progress, and that the unique controls require a steep learning curve.Sun, 04 Nov 2012 16:03:18 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5314&iddiary=9601https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5267Warhammer is not my usual choice of game, not only because I play far more action games than real time strategy, but also because of the setting and theme of the game. It can be described as a fantasy game, with similar styling to games such as World of Warcraft or Darksiders. The characteristic exaggerated armor and weapons was a turn off for me, but I was convinced by a sale to purchase the game. So far, my only experience of the game has been the Co-op campaign. My first exposure to RTS being Age of Empires II, I was not expecting to spend much time with the game's campaign mode, or even complete it for that matter. However I was pleasantly surprised that the campaign succeeded in being engaging and fun to play with a friend. When I say engaging, I mean that I was pulled into the strategy and teamplay elements of the game, not that there was an engaging story. As a matter of fact, I found the story to be an annoying interruption. I would have been satisfied with the flimsy set-up for level scenarios if only I didn't have to listen to and watch so much of the story. I thought that the story would have better fit the game if it had been simpler, shorter, and more action packed. If the cutscenes had been simply for the affect of "Whoa, that thing's big, and now I have to kill it," I would have been more satisfied. As far the actual levels go, the combat is closer to a classic MMORPG than a game like Age of Empires. This was a very good thing, because the combat style of Starcraft and Age of Empires are much better suited to multiplayer than fighting a premade level. I found that the game's "Normal" difficulty setting was too easy for me, even though I am not an expert in RTS games, as the game recommended I be for the "Hard" setting. I have yet to lose a level, and have even played some levels without buying any units apart from my starting units out of sheer laziness. Otherwise I have no complaints, and for the sale price I got the game at, a great buy. I wouldn't recommend the game as an instant buy, but for RTS fans it's certainly worth looking into.Tue, 16 Oct 2012 01:43:49 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5267&iddiary=9545https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5208Osu! is a free point-and-click rhythm game originally released in Japan and ported internationally. The player clicks targets along with the rhythm as they appear, gaining points and multiplier based on how accurate their timing is. The game is very simplistic, involving multiple game types which really only affect the scoring of the game, e.g. Team, Co-op, head to head. However the appeal of the game comes from the fact that the game comes with only the tutorial level. All the real levels are player made, and can be downloaded when another player chooses them from their collection in multiplayer via an attached hyperlink. Being a skill game, there exist levels of mind boggling difficulty, and because the levels are player made, there will always be a more difficult level. The reliance on custom levels gives the game a huge amount of levels and possibilities, up-to-date song choices (today I played "Op Gangnam"), and a strong community. Osu!'s origins are apparent in the song choice of it's users, so it can be hard to find songs that aren't either Japanese, anime theme songs, or "nightcore", which are the preferred genres of the majority of Osu! players. However there are other genres available, and a determined player can make his own maps fairly easily with the editor. The game can have a difficult learning curve, but the game is popular enough that there are usually a few new players to play in a server with competitively. Even though there is the possibility of having thousands of maps on your computer, it's still fun to play better maps many times to try to get a perfect score, especially if the map's creator incorporated patterns and shapes into the positioning of the targets. Just like dance dance revolution and other rhythm games, Osu! does not need to be complex to be fun and addictive. In my opinion Osu! is one of the best rhythm games available today, and without the expensive plastic instruments and dance pads of it's rivals in the genre. Did I mention it's free?Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:59:26 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5208&iddiary=9482https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5153Despite how well known this game is, I played it seriously for the first time very recently. Although I like adventure games, there are many that I don't have the patience or attention span for, and Zelda is the type of game that I usually lose interest in quickly. However I was kept engaged in Zelda basically by the lack of direction. Not only was I free to explore, but the only way I could succeed was by doing so, even if it meant often going the wrong way or doing the wrong thing. I found this more engaging than many newer adventure games because it removed the feeling of waiting for the mission to be over, and knowing how far you were in the game.Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:32:30 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5153&iddiary=9423https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5136 Counter-Strike Global Offensive is the most recent sequel to the Counter-Strike series of games. Global Offensive included a few changes besides the major graphical update. It has changed the weapon balance, the money system, and the aiming. These changes have adapted counter-strike to be much more welcoming to new players who don't have the skill set of the experienced players of it's predecessors. I tried to play counter-strike: source but I was unable to get a single kill from hours of playtime. This was so disheartening that I never played the game again, even though I enjoy high skill competitive games. The weapon system in Global Offensive is vastly more balanced than it's predecessors. In previous games players would only use 3 to 4 weapons out of the many available guns. Global Offensive gives each gun pros and cons which support a variety of guns to be used. New players can beat stronger players if they are using a weapon more suited to the range of combat (e.g. a shotgun in close quarters versus a sniper rifle). In addition, the sniper rifles have been made less usable at close range or while moving. This means that teams will have to choose weapons more carefully based on the situation. This is one aspect of the game that deepens the strategy of Global Offensive. The money system has been changed somewhat obviously to make more expensive weapons more powerful. However this is a fundamental difference to the strategy of the game. This allows new players to save up for a powerful weapon and get kills against stronger opponents. However the high price of these weapons insures that they can only be purchased occasionally if players are saving up. These powerful weapons are a huge boon to the experience for new players, as those few kills give players the motivation to keep learning the game and get better at playing. Additionally the item shop is much faster to use, encouraging players to buy each weapon and equipment carefully instead of buying a set of weapons. The aiming has been changed very subtly to change how recoil is managed. In Counter-Strike: Source the recoil was highly predictable, and experienced players could know exactly where their next bullet would go, allowing them to fire weapons at full auto and still hit targets at long range. Global Offensive makes the recoil more unpredictable, giving sniper rifles more of a clear role as a long range weapon. This aspect of the game is a major reason for the diverse array of weapons available for practical use. Another very important change is the edition of matchmaking. This puts players of a similar skill level together. This is important in adjusting the learning curve to make counter-strike a more hospitable environment for new players. I certainly wouldn't be playing counter-strike if not for this matchmaking. There are many other details which have been changed and which also have a strong effect on the game, but I found these aspects to be the most important. Essentially, this games best trait is that it has been streamlined by over a decade of play. Still, it was impressive to see how well ironed of wrinkles the game was, considering it would have sold well regardless due to its title alone. The game still requires some patience to learn, but now I would definitely recommend it to new players.Wed, 12 Sep 2012 21:26:53 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5136&iddiary=9395https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5059I played the flash game Give Up today, so I wanted to try out Gamelog with it. As the name suggests, it's major selling point is its extreme difficulty. Jmtb02 delivered another great game with this one, with original idea by Tasselfoot. This game is basically a simple single screen platformer, with the basic idea being that each level builds on the last one with relatively small changes, making the game more difficult. I thought the execution of this was very good, with a mercifully simple player acceleration that allows the player to reach full running speed almost instantly. The first 10 levels served to get the player used to what speed your character can run at, how high they can jump, and turning speed, the understanding of which becomes crucial as the player's input has to be precise to the millisecond to complete the game. At the bottom of the screen is a very large and prominent blue button bearing the almost mockingly bold, white letters, "GIVE UP." Your only companion in the game is a robotic eye mounted on the wall with a speaker, providing witty and mocking commentary on the player's progress through the game. The only hint as to the plot that I noticed (Although plot is hardly an important element to this game) was the robot stating, "A new challenger!" and "Maybe you should go outside and play soccer... Oh wait. You are stuck in here for my amusement." This robot continues to try to convince you to press the GIVE UP button at the bottom with lies, mood swings, every ploy you can think of, and reminded me of GLaDOS trying to convince players to "assume the party escort submission position." The game's visual style is really a slight adaption of previous jmtb02 games, reusing the player sprites and animations from the game Exit Path. However the comical(though gruesome) blood splatters left by your character, as they accumulated on more difficult levels, gave the player a very satisfying feeling of accomplishment as you completed a level and entered a "clean slate" new level with no blood splatters. The game was somewhat lacking in production value, but the only problems I noticed was the almost certainly accidental ability for the player to wall jump (a common coding over site I have seen in many games), which occasionally caused the player to be able to complete a missed jump if he/she hit the side of the platform, and the fact that the stereotypical red lasers had an endpoint at long range instead of infinitely travelling until they hit a wall. Over all I enjoyed the game very much, as far as skill games go I would recommend it to most casual players, although for the player looking for a real challenge, this game is more designed to let the player win after many failures than designed to be a true challenge. This game illustrates the difference between modern skill games and retro skill games. Whereas retro skill games were made to be nearly unbeatable to maximize play time, current skill games are there to challenge the player by telling them they can't win, and presenting them with a challenge they are forced to initially fail. So for a player looking for a game with the fierce difficulty of old school skill games, you may be disappointed. However, I enjoyed the game despite the false hope of a Contra-like experience, and this game is definitely worth the price(FREE).Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:30:50 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5059&iddiary=9336