Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=175https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1343I think like many other game players who are not adept at the transcending skills of side scrolling shooters this game begins as a frustrating experience and only ends slightly less frustrating. On my second play through I managed to get to the third level which is WAY to hard. The majority of the level requires insane dodging. Even after cracking and using the Konami code it was to now avail. Consequently, using the Konami code probably makes this game a more enjoyable experience as the frustration factor goes down plus you'll probably get farther in the game so you'll get to see more of what the game has to offer. Unfortunately, the game doesn't really offer many variations on game play or any other area for that matter. The music remains the same, the levels are all very similar and not very inspired, and most disappointingly the game play offers nothing new except harder challenges. Just Hold A and dodge folks. Overall, I don't think my time with Gradius was that well lived. In general, I'm not a big fan of the SHMUP genre. The game play focus is inherently linear and narrow, which is what keeps the genre from achieving the praise and acclamation of genres that have greater versatility and creative capacity. However, games such as Ikaruga show promise with inventive game play mechanics (balance of light and dark) and artistic mysticism, it will be interesting to see if the genre can evolve and revive itself in the future. William Tuttle (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Thu, 22 Feb 2007 21:58:17.)Thu, 22 Feb 2007 21:55:24 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1343&iddiary=2898https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1343I have mixed feelings after playing Gradius. It is a game that does several things well, but also has some setbacks. For the good, Gradius is an impressive game for a title released in 1986. It has many SHMUP elements that I'm sure were very innovative for its day. The game play consists of a one man ship fighting endless waves of enemies. The action is intense from start to finish as enemies are quick and smart as well. The AI of the enemies will lock on to you and shoot and advance from all sides so staying in one spot is not always a good idea. The game features a simple yet entertaining power up system that involves collecting glowing red balls. For each ball you grab you can choose a different level of power up like speed boost, missile, laser, and a very useful shield. This is one of the funner parts of the game play. Another impressive aspect of the game is its visuals, Gradius has a colorful space theme that is driven by lots of speeding enemies and bright explosions. Those were the good elements, now its time to mention the bad. For starters this game suffers from the limitations of all SHMUPS: A narrow scope of game play. The game offers essentially the same experience the whole way through. Press A and dodge is about as deep as it gets. Another issue is that this game has a steep difficulty curve. It took me several tries to beat the first level and I couldn't get very far in the second one. While this is one of the important staples of SHMUPS, it also causes non-hardcore players to become frustrated and discouraged very easily. Also, I haven't beaten the game yet, but I believe there are only about 4 or 5 levels in the whole game which maybe the reason for the heightened difficulty. Lastly, the music while enjoyable at first becomes stale quickly and doesn't have the lasting quality of tunes from games like Kirby's Adventure and Zelda. These are my impressions from my FIRST game play experience. Maybe some of my opinions will change on the next play through... later William TuttleWed, 21 Feb 2007 22:26:57 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1343&iddiary=2862https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1154This is my second log on Wii Sports. This time I going to talk about some of the technical aspects of the game. For starters, the sound department is lacking, but still appropriate to the form of the game. The crowds roar in the ball park, the pins collide on the lanes, however the most important quality of sound design is immersion and Wii Sports does this very well. The Wii-mote has a built in speaker that along with the motion sensing aspect, gives the game a very interactive quality as you hear The slice of a racket or a boxing jab connect with your opponents face. The graphics in the game are probably the biggest let down. Not even on par with 1st generation Gamecube games, crowds are flat squares of pixels and the Miis themselves are reminiscent of the FF VII character models, this game is definitely not a visual showcase. Fortunately the game play is too fun to be brought down by its low presentation quality, although I fear that by the end of its life time, game fans might be disappointed by the look of its games when compared to the hardware potential of its two console competitors. As I have said before what makes this game so fun is its inventive game play. If the game was played with a normal controller it would be terrible, but one mechanic makes all the difference. The reason this collection of simple sports games is so enjoyable, is because the play experience feels real, the movements, the coordination, the sense of improvement with each play session, gives you the belief that you're not playing within a video game, but interacting with the real world. In a way it does affect your reality, after a few weeks of playing the game, I went bowling with some friends, while I didn't bowl a 230, the feel of the game felt more familiar and natural then previous times. All in all, Wii Sports is an intriguing and creatively fun game that is a must play for any one who considers themselves a fan of video games. Its conventions are unlike any other and in fact, gives me great excitement for where this technology can go in the sports genre. MLB baseball any one? See ya a round Will TuttleWed, 07 Feb 2007 23:06:14 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1154&iddiary=2482https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1154Wii Sports is Nintendo's sports themed launch title that sets out to show what the new console is capable of. While Wii Sports may not be the pretiest or deepest launch title we've seen (try Zelda: TP for that!) what it lacks in looks it definetely makes up for in simple, fun and innovative gameplay. The game consists of 5 sports: tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing, all with unique applications of the Wii-mote controller. All of them are enjoyable, and challenging and become progressively more so as your Mii achieves skill levels. Among my favorites are baseball, bowling and golf because of thier great multiplayer ( however, beware torrents of swearing when a putt is shanked!) For this post I would like to start focusing on the play modes starting with my favorite, baseball. The baseball game is very cool. It consits of 2 gameplay varitaions, pitching and hitting. Batting is fairly simple, you just keep your eye on the ball and time your swing. While this may sound quite easy, let me assure the computer becomes very difficult to hit against once you reach high skill levels. Swinging the bat with the wii-mote is a great feeling as you hear the wind breaking the wood and the crack of the ball coming from the controller, it gives you the most imersive feeling you ever experinced in a sports game. And you can really feel yourself becoming more adept and instinctive as you practice and play. The pitching mechanic is the most complex gameplay variation in Wii Sports. Combinations of the A and B buttons aswell as directional buttons can produce several diffrent pitches from high sliders, to outside curve balls. Of course the trusty fast ball is always a good choice when you need a strike, but you really have to put your arm into it to break 90+ mph. All the basemen and defensive players are computer controlled and automatically chase and dive after the ball, and depending on how long it takes them to grab a loose ball determines what base you can reach. This is a great mode for multiplayer, especially whe your Mii is facing your best friend's and you crank one out of the park to win the game, after which much gloating ensues. Seriously, this game is great to entertain freinds with. In my next post I'll focus on the other modes of play as well as some techincial aspects of the game. Until then, Will TuttleWed, 07 Feb 2007 20:31:08 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1154&iddiary=2478https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=944So I started today after just completing the first 2 dungeons. They were not very tough and aren't very far apart. However, after that I got lost for a while. I tried exploring the eastern areas but got lost in the forest maze for a while so I decided to venture to the north west where I came across several secret shops and old men with secrets to tell me, but still no dungeon. 30 minutes passed and I got tired of searching around and looked for a map online. I found out the third dungeon was right under my nose! This is probably my biggest complaint about Zelda: the total lack of direction. It's very easy, especially in the early going to want to explore an area and end up dying repeatedly after wandering in circles. I'm sure once you found the dungeon you won't easily forget where it is, but it still would have been helpful to have a map or sign posts to guide you down the right path. I haven't finished the 3rd dungeon yet, but it seems the dungeons design is getting a little better and the enemies more unique. Finding rooms full of large dodongos is pretty challenging. I have around 200 rupees so once I finish the dungeon I'll have to look for the shop that sells the white sword, which should make some of the tougher enemies easier to take down. Hopefully I can beat the game before I have to return it, but even at this point I can confidently say that Zelda is worth it's pedigree. While not with out its set backs, it delivers a tried and true gameplay formula, unforgettable music, fun levels and the simple story of a boy with a sword out to save the world. What more could you ask for from a classic video game? Venture on Link, venture on.Tue, 30 Jan 2007 22:31:07 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=944&iddiary=2120https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=944I had a hell of a time getting the NES from the Science Library to work. It took me an hour and a half of cleaning and repeated pressing of the power button/ cartridge removal to get in playable shape. Regardless of this frustration, I still had fun with the game. I have very faint memories of Zelda from when I was little. I remember watching my brother play it and hearing the classic Hyrule fields theme that would stick with me forever, so of course I was excited to finally have a chance to play Zelda in its original NES form. Firstly, I wanted to talk about gameplay. The game features a simple combat system of stabbing with your sword whenever a enemy is near and using your shield to block arrows, pretty standard fair. Fortunately, enemies become bigger badder and funner to fight as you progress. Also, combat becomes more varied as you gain items through conquering dungeons and visiting shops like the boomerang, bombs, bow and arrow + many more. The graphics are classic NES, probably not as good as they could have been, seeing as the designers had to make such a large world, but that really doesn't matter, because at this point in time the nostalgia factor trumps all. As I previously mentioned, the music of Zelda series has stuck with me for as long as I can remember and most of my favorites originated from the original. From the eerie dungeon theme, to the tune heard when lifting a piece of the tri-force above your head the music is one of the most classic soundtracks in video game history. While I hoped to be completely floored by Zelda, there are some noticeable cracks that did not stand the test of time. Unlike when I logged for Kirby, with Zelda many of its advancements did not impress me. Most noticeably was the save feature, which was a big deal back in the day, but is na unnoticed given in today's games. Another problem I have is that while the combat presents challenges, the Zelda claim to fame: dungeon puzzles, was not nearly as challenging as I expected, which also leads to another problem. Zelda does not take a very long time to beat if you now what to do. Next time I'll probably focus more on my actual gameplay experience. Until then. -Will Tuttle (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Tue, 30 Jan 2007 01:42:49.)Tue, 30 Jan 2007 01:41:39 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=944&iddiary=2071https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=687Okay, so I'm now in World 4, which is about a 1/3 of the way through the game and in this post I just wanted to focus more on today's gaming experience as opposed to last post's more general topics. When making my way through World 3 I noticed several things that stuck out. For one the level design continues to impress. One stage featured a rotating castle tower that threw several baddies at you while you slowly rotated to it's end. Another room was pitch black and you could only see the silhouettes of enemies, but if you swallowed an enemy lantern you could illuminate the entire area making it much easier to traverse. Other stages featured underwater segments wear Kirby shows off his adept back stroke, while another stage was a series of doors that had to be entered repeatedly until you found a way to progress. The level design keeps getting better and offers more challenges as you progress, which is a big reason why this game becomes addicting. And the crown jewel of Kirby's Adventure: absorbing enemy powers, is still keeping me thoroughly entertained especially since I have discovered my new favorite power. The back drop power (known as Suplex in Kirby Super Star) can only be obtained after defeating Bugzy, which can be a tough fight if your not prepared. Once you acquire it, the back drop power gives you the ridiculously fun ability to swallow enemies and then slam them wrestling style in any four directions. I had a blast blowing through a rotating castle stage just slamming and hurling everything in my path, very entertaining! There aren't too many more criticisms to make that weren't previously called attention to; Mainly because I already know that many improvements that could be made (2-player, more min-games, adding more moves to each power) have been made in future games in the franchise. I had a real great time playing Kirby's Adventure. It gave me a wonderful rush of nostalgia, but it was also just a well-designed, very fun game and I'm sure that anyone who gives it a chance would really enjoy this great old game too. -WillThu, 18 Jan 2007 22:29:29 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=687&iddiary=1651https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=687I am no stranger to the pink puff, back in the day me and my brother had a blast playing all the classics like Kirby's Dream Course and Kirby's Super Star and after finally coming full circle with "Adventure" I only have one thing to say: WOW. I had no idea that the tried and true Kirby formula was this well developed in its origins. I was expecting a few Bronto Burts and some Waddle Doos and maybe a few power ups but no, this game has a plethora of enemies to absorb abilities from with Kirby's innate sucking abilities. The single funnest aspect of any Kirby game is sucking up an enemy, playing with it's cool power for a while and then spitting it out, and grabbing a new one. And Adventure has a ton to play with like Sword, Laser, Freeze, Fire, Parasol, and even Crash and Paint abilities! What also surprised me is the variety of gameplay. Theres more to Kirby than just floating around and absorbing enemies, it also has some creative mini-games . The crane game, battle arena and my favorite: egg swallowing are all enjoyable gameplay additions. While playing through my first session, I couldn't help but be amazed by this game's colorful graphics and style which has a candy coated color pallete (try saying that 5 times fast). From the hills of Green Greens to the adorably round Waddle Doos, Kirby has a look and feel all its own and the animations are the best I've seen on an 8-bit platformer. If you didn't know this game was made in 1993, you'd find it hard to believe that this was an NES game, because it only looks a few steps down from a first gen SNES title. While Kirby delights with its fun levels, colorful visuals and intense sucking (of enemies) it is not without some chinks in the armor. The most noticeable problem is that this game is VERY easy. Most enemies don't put up much of a fight and will die with one hit and the bosses aren't much tougher, save a few. What also adds to the games ease is the fact that Kirby can fly. So instead of facing all the usual platformer perils (falling into holes/spikes jumping into enemies, etc.) Kirby can simply float his way through to level's end. This is a bit of a shame because if Kirby obeyed the laws of gravity like he damn well should, then the game might also be a solid traditional platformer as well. Another important thing to mention is that Kirby is not for everyone. He is definitely aimed towards a younger audience, which may put off some game players. All in all, I cant begin to tell you how impressed I am that Kirby's Adventure was (and is still) able to deliver the same brand of fun that it's later iterations did. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna enjoy myself while blowing people's ears out with the "Mike" power! -Will (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Thu, 18 Jan 2007 02:57:17.)Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:12:07 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=687&iddiary=1575https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=384So today I played my first online ranked match and I must say it actually doesn't feel too different than playing the single player campaign. But firstly about the multi-player maps. The first map I played was called Old Bones which looks like a cross between a mansion and a museum. The map was dark and haunting which created a nice atmosphere that made gunfire very noticeable. Most of the maps were designed symmetrically with ample obstacles to provide cover. The game type was WARZONE which is a form of team death match. Each player has 1 life and the objective is to eliminate the other team until you win a preset number of rounds. My first game was pretty uneventful as my teammates were bunching up too much and our opponent made full use of the frag grenades and charging us with shotguns. The level is fairly big with large fighting areas as well as buildings with narrow winding corridors, However it seemed that all matches quickly centralized in the middle area and ended quickly. I think the longest round I played was 4 minutes, which is a little disappointing. While my first game went terribly, the next one was quite the opposite. Our team had one person who almost single handedly beat the opposition. He had 23 of our 28 kills through 7 rounds. He would immediately grab a sniper rifle, move to an ideal spot and within seconds the round would be over. Obviously this offers a contrast in gameplay experience. Would you rather have a difficult uphill battle against a more experienced foe or be on the winning side of an all to easy slaughter? Unfortunately, this is a frequent occurrence, especially when playing with random teammates. Nonetheless, I found my first online multi-player experience with Gears very enjoyable. Talking and coordinating with teammates is (usually) one of the more enjoyable and immersive aspects of online play and this time there were no problems with malcontents. In fact, I probably heard LESS swearing in my online experience than with the single player campaign (unless that French team was being insulting). Although the warzone rounds end fast because of the 1 life rule, I felt that the gameplay had a nice pace and a good mix of strategy. Some teamates would engage in a lengthy, long-distance gunfight while other teammates would strategically maneuver around to get the drop on the opposition. The 3rd person camera makes it easy to spot and surprise enemies from cover and I even found many opportunities to use the chainsaw on unsuspecting foes. Clever tactics really pay off in this game. However, I felt that some of the weapons became harder to aim against real foes, most noticeably the torque bow and sniper rifle. I also felt that the 3rd person camera made it hard to react to enemy flanking and sometimes became difficult to manage in close quarters combat. What surprised me most was how similar the experience felt to the single player-campaign. I guess this is a great compliment to the AI design as they really do have human behavior. The maps were gorgeous to look at and well designed around the team strategy concept. I also thought it was cool that when playing the human side, your team was made up of the 4 heroes from the real game. The online component of Gears of War is enjoyable because it offers a different way to enjoy the game. While I feel that the co-op campaign is the single funnest way to experience Gears of War, the competitive multi-player experience is definitely vital to the overall experience of the game.Thu, 11 Jan 2007 21:40:26 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=384&iddiary=1234https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=384I'm in the middle of Act 4-3 "Hazing" on single player. This is a somewhat straight forward segment after the "Bad to Worse" chapter which was and intense standoff against 2 boomers followed by a fight against the invulnerable berserker in the conservatory. The first area you enter is an open garden. A troika gunner is placed at the opposite end at a pretty far distance, which is bad news since they are much more deadly on hardcore difficulty. One small problem with Gears is that the default "casual" difficulty is far to easy for most experienced gamers and the hardcore difficulty is a bit to unforgiving (especially in the final chapters). Anyway, it took me 2 or 3 tries to clean out the wretches (think ghouls from WarCraft 3 except they're speedy and latch onto to your face) and get behind the troika to take out the drones protecting it. The next area was a little tougher since their were mostly drones, but the enviornment provided much better cover. However its easy to die instantly when entering this area since a Theron guard fires a torque arrow from the roof across . Torque bows are the deadliest weapon in the hands of enemy since, if an arrow hits you, your body explodes and they are VERY accurate from range. Thankfully he scatters when fired upon just leaving the drones to your left. Cover helped greatly leaving a clear path for a few lancer (chainsaw) KO's which is always a brilliant technical display unto itself. Watching a locust's body rip apart as blood splatters the screen to a grinding symphony never gets old. So the usual shoot from cover, grenade, blind fire, shotgun to face took place. Unfortunately, I found my first glitch in the game. A boomer was supposed to break down a a door after the area was cleared but he never blew it down :(. He showed up after I reloaded the last checkpoint and went through the firefight again. After defeating the boomer I hit the next checkpoint and stopped playing. Some notes: Dom (my AI squadmate) was more suicidal than usual in the last firefight, he rarely used cover. I feel the nemycst, which are large floating balls of flesh (or something) do not make very fun enemies. Dirty language makes this game great. It just does. While I wish the weapon selection was a little more varied, I realize a chainsaw-bayonet is all that matters in this world. My next log should be more exciting since I'm nearing the end of Act 4 and something awesome always awaits. LATERTue, 09 Jan 2007 20:32:30 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=384&iddiary=1094