Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1600https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5407As ridiculous as it sounds, I attempted at playing the Boyfriend Maker on the iOS after hearing about it online. The Boyfriend Maker is a free app in the Apple store. This game is an interactive single player game that I heard about online. The purpose of the game is to make your “boyfriend” happy through tapping the screen to peck him on the cheek, and bake him cookies. The player can chat to the boyfriend-simulation as long as the energy bar is filled, which serves as fuel for him to respond back to the player. The energy bar can be replenished through making the boyfriend happy or the player may pay the app for more game cash and energy. In the game, the player may customize their “boyfriend” as long as the player has enough game cash to buy hair, facial features, and clothes. The animation in the game is similar to that of Japanese animation. The gameplay is fairly simple since all the player has to do is type on the touch screen and tap on the “boyfriend’s” face to virtually kiss him. Despite the simple gameplay and ridiculousness of the game, the Boyfriend Maker has been removed from the Apple Store due to its vulgarity and sexual content coming from chatting with the interactive boyfriend. The game has been seen as a problem since after all, it is a free game that can be accessed by young children. The vulgarity and sexual content coming from the conversations have been known to be ridiculously humorous but that backfired on the game designers. If I could, I would not recommend this game to anyone unless they were searching for temporary entertainment. This is not the game that would be religiously played, because it tends to get repetitive and dull.Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:30:05 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5407&iddiary=9696https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5379Halo 4 is a first person shooter video game for the Xbox 360. The story continues after the Halo trilogy, with the main character, Master Chief (a supersoldier), fighting an alien race known as the Covenant. This game was released at the beginning of the month, so I have not had much time to actually test out the single-player game play. However, I have downloaded the multiplayer and played it with my cousins. So far, the game controls were defaulted to be a little different from the previous controls of the past Halo video games (I had trouble finding out which button was the melee button), but the player can can adjust these settings by pressing pause and selecting their preferred game controls in the Options menu. The game mechanics are still the same as the previous Halo games I have experienced, as well as the weapon selection. The graphics are slightly more impressive, along with the sound effects of the shooting. What makes this version of Halo different from the rest would have to be their feature of showing the player what weapons are available from a reasonably far proximity. This feature includes this digital-like label that hovers over the weapon that is lying on the ground. This is a helpful feature, for it saves the player some time from actually approaching over the weapon to see what name comes up on the screen before picking it up (it saves the player a couple footsteps even, but it still is a helpful feature). Although I have not played any of the other Halo video games for the past couple months, I have noticed that when running, Master Chief appears to be slightly faster in speed. With this fast pace, he is able to jump further from platform to platform. This game did not impress me too much overall, but it did make me a bit nostalgic of the past Halo video games. I would recommend this game to teenagers and older, because it is still a shooter game, but fortunately it is not as vulgar as some may assume it to be.Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:07:06 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5379&iddiary=9675https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5360Slender is a free game available for the PC. It is a first person, single player video game and the objective for the player is to find eight pieces of paper without being captured by the Slender Man. The Slender Man is the obstacle for the player, with the objective to capture and kill the player in the forest. The Slender Man, being very tall, slim, with unusually long arms and no face, has the ability to give the player chills just by looking at him. He is not shown moving—he just appears in the player’s vision, either close or at a distance. His random appearances in the dark, endless woods makes it even more suspenseful, especially since the game makes use of so much negative space. In terms of using this negative space, the player would walk with a flashlight for quite some time and the Slender Man could appear anywhere, just staring at the player. His presence makes the player’s screen static depending on his proximity to the player, and this signal also indicates how close the player is to losing the game. With the negative space the game uses, the player wanders endlessly into darkness only to feel suspense through the subtle sound effects of the drums when pages are found. The game mechanics include walking at a rather slow pace, turning, and switching on and off the flashlight. This eerie video game terrifies many players due to its suspenseful and dark nature, and can usually be played with groups of people to share the terror. I would recommend this game to young adults and/or older because of its frightening content that may cause extreme shock among younger players. The gameplay is as simple as the game’s visual elements, but it gains most of its recognition through its ability to greatly scare players.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:49:27 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5360&iddiary=9650https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5323Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a fighting and platformer game available on the Nintendo Wii. The video game can either be played by a single player or by multiple players. Part of the Super Smash Bros. series, this game can be played with different versions of Nintendo controllers such as the GameCube controller, Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and the Wii Remote. The game mechanics include punching, jumping, running/walking, kicking, and other strong action movements necessary for defeating the player’s opponent(s). The character selection includes characters from other video games, and each character has their own strengths, weaknesses, special moves, and a pre-set personality. I personally play this video game on multiplayer, because of the competition and bonding it induces when I play with friends. Through multiplayer, the players playing select their players (and if they would like, they could include computerized players). Afterwards, players may choose a location to battle at. These locations vary, and there are many choices available for choosing. Players may customize the rules for their match, such as setting a certain number of stock “lives”, or putting a time limit on their fighting. They can also turn on and off additional items for gameplay. Items range from recovering the percentage in damage a player takes, weapons, or special effects that can either be beneficial or result in negative consequences to the player using it. This game is recommended for players of all ages, because of how appropriate it is for young players and the entertainment from the intense competition in multiplayer mode. Learning this game does not take long, because the video game gives the option of allowing players to train in practice mode.Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:58:38 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5323&iddiary=9612https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5302Borderlands 2 is a single and multiplayer shooter game available on many platforms, but the one I spent quite some time playing would be on the PC platform. From the start of the single player [mode] game, the player may choose between four characters that go through an adventure-like narrative. Throughout the gameplay, cutaways will give the player insight into other characters that may provide aid or provide as obstacles in your quests. The game mechanics include shooting, jumping, running/walking, and other basic movements in typical action-adventure video games. The weapon choices at first are fairly limited—of course, when advancing from level to level, the player may obtain more weapons, upgrades, and more armor. The objective of the game is to fulfill the missions you pick up from different characters in the story line. The missions consist of searching for items, killing computer-controlled enemies, and more. Personally, I find the game control to be difficult, but that is probably because I am not familiar with too many shooter PC games that require the use of keyboard controls and the use of the mouse to steadily aim and shoot at targets. The animation is colorful, and the outlines are very defined, giving the game this appeal to keep me interested in playing. The difficulty varies within every quest, and that is indicated in every description of each quest the player picks up. Overall, Borderlands 2 fulfills the expectations of a shooter-adventure video game. I would recommend this game to young adults and older, because of the violence and blood included in shooting down the enemies. Also, this game is probably not appropriate for children due to the psychological effects it has on the player. Within these psychological effects, the player may experience anxiety and shock from some of the suspense when playing this shooter video game.Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:39:50 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5302&iddiary=9588https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5263Mario Kart Wii is a racing video game by Nintendo for the Nintendo Wii platform. This animated multiplayer game has evolved from the other classic Mario Kart video games for older platforms. Player(s) have a wide range of characters and vehicles to choose from before starting a match. The characters range from being large to being small, and so do the vehicles. The player(s) also have the option of driving “automatic” or “manual”, and I personally enjoy playing with the Gamecube controller plugged into the Wii machine for easy maneuvering. With the Wii remote, I found it difficult to turn sharp corners efficiently. When it comes down to choosing a race track to play on, there are so many options to choose from. These locations range from Princess Peach’s castle, to Rainbow Road (located in outer space). The game mechanics include driving and using some items for “shooting” at opponents. During a race, players may break through item blocks lying around the track to obtain an item to use for the benefit of themselves. When a player is attacked or goes through some kind of achievement (such as crossing the finish line), their character expresses themselves through a sound or gesture (Bowser, the “demon king” roars). Playing in single player mode can unlock new race tracks and characters, and the player would be racing against eleven computer generated opponents. The game is a great game for players of almost all ages, and it is also great for big and small parties. However, the game does get repetitive and could get boring after hours of playing. It is a great game to bring out the competitiveness in everyone, and the animations within the game are visually appealing through its bright colors. The music is different depending on the race tracks, but it does make the player feel more “apart” of the game and its setting.Mon, 15 Oct 2012 23:12:14 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5263&iddiary=9542https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5244The Sims 3 is a 3D life simulation PC video game published by Electronic Arts. This single-player game allows the player to act as a “God” to everything that the player can create. The player can customize towns, virtual people (known as “Sims”), their houses, and even the furniture. In comparison to the past versions of The Sims, The Sims 3 is more visually impressive, with mechanics that allow the player to create their world closer to reality-looking than before. The customization settings for creating a Sim were very impressive to me. The game allowed me to customize my Sim down to the smallest detail: the eye lid shapes, chin and jaw size, body weight, cheek bones, and more. The possibilities for customization are almost endless, and it allows me to feel in control of everything. Aside from the customization aspect of the game, The Sims 3 also allows me to play my Sim(s) and build on their life. My Sim(s) can get jobs, develop new hobbies, raise a family, go on dates, and more. I have complete control of my Sim(s), and I can even make them go against their own will if I like. Psychologically this video game allows me to feel positive about having all this control and free will in this virtual world. Although there are many technical bugs that occur everyone once in a while in the game, it is expected for such a high quality game. There are so many elements, tools, selections in music, and other data that allow the game to have occasional glitches. Overall the game is very addicting for any player who enjoys expressing their creativity and practicing their free will (one can even destroy their Sim(s) in the game too). However, this game is recommended for teenagers because of its sexual and vulgar content. I would recommend this game to anyone with a lot of time on their hands to raise their Sim(s) up and take good care of them…or not.Wed, 10 Oct 2012 00:00:10 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5244&iddiary=9518https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5218Llama in your Face is a free arcade shooter game that can be played through the website, addictinggames.com. It was launched on August 23, 2012 with mostly positive ratings from players of all ages. It is categorized as a funny game, along with the tags, “cute”, “gross”, and “random”. In the game, I play a llama that is consistently jumping up and down on a trampoline. As my llama jumps, enemies from the left and right of the screen attack by just moving in closer to the trampoline. To fend off these enemies, I use my mouse to aim and shoot (spit) at the enemies and kill them. The objective of the game is to fight off the enemies from invading my “happy bouncy palace”. When all of the enemies in that level are killed, I am able to proceed on to the next round. Every time a round is won, I receive cash to unlock special power-ups. Also after each round, the game provides me with statistics on my hit rate, the amount of enemies defeated, and highest combo. The graphics of this game is very simple and pixelated, but what induces the humor in this game would have to be the facial expressions of the llama and the zombie old people aiming to attack the llama. The narrative description of the game makes this game even more humorous, because of how illogical it is for elderly people, monsters, and ghosts to hunt down a llama on a trampoline. The humor and challenge of pointing to the small-scale enemies makes this game fairly addicting to play. Sound effects and music are also included, but the quality is not as high, possibly because the creators intended for this game to look like and sound like a classic arcade game.Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:20:37 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5218&iddiary=9491https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5186Jewels with Buddies is a free application game for the iOS and Android, provided by Scopely Inc. This classic match-3 game allows the player to play against their friends. The objective of the game is to match at least three of the same gems in a row (either vertically or horizontally) to gain points and fuel for certain power ups. Each round lasts for only 60 seconds, and the player that receives the most points is declared the winner. Each game goes through three rounds, and at the end, the game totals up the scores each player received from each round to determine who won with the most overall points. Available on iTunes and the app store, Jewels with Buddies can be played by anyone who installs it on their Apple product or Android. The player may access the game with friends by connecting their Facebook account to the game. This ease of accessibility makes this game more appealing to everyone of all ages, and one may be able to practice their acute attention for detail by trying to search for gems to match with each other. In terms of gameplay, the player only has to swipe a finger across the touch screen to switch a gem with another gem that is next to it. If the fuel for the power up is filled up on the meter, the player may be able to use the power up, which consists of an animal that has a special role in helping the player gain points. Winning a game allows the player to gain coins, which the player may use to purchase at the most, two power-up animals. My experience playing the game was a great one, because of how much competition it builds between me and my friends. The animation of the power-up animals makes this game seem innocent and delightful. The color scheme shows many bright and saturated colors, making this game look as lively as it actually is.Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:18:06 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5186&iddiary=9459https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5152Temple Run is a free application game available for Apple products and Androids. Temple Run is a single player action-adventure game by Imangi Studios. Based on the objective to survive, the player also has the goal is to collect as many coins to acquire bonuses at the game’s “store”. The store contains elements of the game the player may want for décor, such as wallpapers, and new characters. Every character the player plays is some kind of explorer or famous figure in history, such as Francisco Montoya the conquistador, Scarlett Fox, an escape artist, and more. When the player begins the game, the default character is Guy Dangerous, an average explorer. The game quickly tutors the player at the start of the game, teaching how to jump, slide, move back and forth to collect coins, and turn sharp corners. There is no finish line or “end” to a level; the player just has to try to avoid traps, falling off ledges, and being captured by the demonic monkeys. These demonic monkeys serve as one of the ultimate obstacles, because they chase the player throughout the game. If captured by these demonic monkeys, the player loses the round and starts all over. As the player runs throughout the game, the rocky pathway that they are running on contains even more obstacles. Obstacles include tree roots (tripping the player), broken pathways (player may run off the cliff), fire torches, bridges, and more. The game play is fairly simple, because the player would only need to move one finger across the touch screen of their phone or tablet (left, right, up, down). The game is made for players of almost any age, because of it’s ease of gameplay and ability to keep the player occupied in the dullest of situations. During my experience of playing this game, it was not as exciting or suspenseful as I had expected, but it was a useful application for my phone when I find myself bored. It gets tiring after playing such long rounds (since the chase is endless in the game), and my eyes grow tired and dry from staring at the small screen.Mon, 17 Sep 2012 21:04:54 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5152&iddiary=9419