Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=193https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1351So I played again and this time I was mainly bent on exploration rather than getting every star in the level before moving on to the next. Honestly, playing through this method made me burn out on the game far sooner than before. I still had a really fun time playing the game anyway. Jumping from level to level, without first getting a hang of the level brought down my enjoyment level. Also, the level where the ground is lava was very frustrating because it seemed that if you slipped ever so slightly, it was an immediate death. Playing this game for the second time (probably more than that actually) was no where near as fun as the first. It was no longer a matter of figuring out where the stars were or how to get them. Instead, it became a battle against the controls. The retro feeling of the game did hold my interest because playing the game became me wondering if I remembered all the secrets in the different levels. (Many of them I did remember). I found that this game had great level design, and reuse of the levels. You played through each level at least six times to get all of the stars from the level. Each time you played through it, you discover more and more about the level, and tricks to help you on the next time through. This is a very unique style of gameplay that doesn't exist in many other games. I also think it is a very successful style because of its ability to only have to make a limited number of levels, but extend the gameplay time. Overall, I really do like this game, but the controls are very difficult to get a hold of and many other platformers have much better control schemes.Fri, 23 Feb 2007 03:38:59 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1351&iddiary=2941https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1351Wow, this game brings back a lot of memories. This was the first game that I felt really had a social out of game aspect to it. Because everyone my age got the game at almost the same time, we worked together on how to solve the puzzles and such. The characters in this game are very generic, there's Mario, Toad(who wears a mushroom for a hat), Bomb-ombs that sometimes help you be activating their cannons, Bowser who you must duel with multiple times, then just generic monsters and enemies. The story line is the basic "go save the princess" and the dialog is almost only existent to give you a hint at what to do. This game is a perfect example of a case where storyline doesn't mean a thing. What drives this game is rock-solid gameplay and exploration of the levels. Another great aspect of this game is the persistent world aspect. When you change something, say activate the red "flying" caps in the levels, it stays changed throughout the game. This makes you feel like when you discover a secret or activate the cannons in the level, you just made your playing experience easier or you opened up more possibilities, more places to go to. In this first hour, I was able to play through the first two levels (The First and the Snow Level) and I found two castle secrets (the flying caps and the slide extra level). After playing I felt very accomplished with myself. This game gives you a good sense of progression. As you gain stars by completing missions, you gain access to new levels and locations of the castle. This gives you the sense that your working towards something, which is very important for a game to keep their players interested. Overall, I find this to be a wonderful game, and I feel that every gamer should play through it at least once.Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:35:22 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1351&iddiary=2878https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1181Alright, I got really frustrated with the game this round. Apparently, it is nearly impossible to not have your men fumble the ball when it is an onside kick. This is very unrealistic and boring really. Also, the novelty of the super hardcore gameplay and attitude of the game definitely wore off during this second session. One thing I found out about this game is that the reason that it is not called "NFL Blitz" is because EA Games bought the rights to NFL games. This means that they no longer had to abide by the requests of the NFL and they could make the game as gnarly as they wanted. This shows again when players are injured, the coach (you) can decide whether to treat the player, or "juice them up" and have them keep playing with whatever injury they had. I got really tired of the constant cut scenes in between gameplay. They really destroyed the game. After you choose a blitz play or some "special" play, a cut scene would occur that usually consisted of one of the players taunting the others. I would much rather have cut scenes only in the campaign mode and only after or before games, not during plays. One thing that is extremely spectacular about the game is the campaign mode. You have to take a failing team and pick Rookies, veterans, coaches and medics to make them the best team in "the League". You have control over what stadium you get, where your hometown is, and many other factors that is surprisingly in depth for a arcade like sports game. You really feel good when your team does well, and you really hate it when your players get injured, because they may be out of the game for a very long time. Possibly even for multiple games. Overall this game has some major unique play, but also some downfalls that prevent it from becoming as great as it's potential.Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:25:54 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1181&iddiary=2542https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1181This is a brutal game. To start, I played the tutorial to get a feel for the new features of this game (I have played earlier Blitz games). The characters in it do lot's of swearing and "offensive" things in mini-cut scenes after or before certain plays. Also, a new feature of this game is the "bullet time" also called clash. This allows you to do special moves that look cooler and have a higher chance of succeeding as you do a play on offense. Something new on the defensive spectrum is the ability to do "dirty hits". These hits demoralize the other players and have a chance of Injuring the player hit. When one of these hits are made in a high impact circumstance, the camera zooms in and looks at the limb getting hurt the worst. The view then goes into x-ray mode and shows the bone breaking. I only played the tutorial and half of a game when the hour was up. The score was 22-14 my lead. Something I noticed from how I paused it is the cheerleaders. They are hardly wearing any clothes and you can actually see the curve of their ass. I have a feeling this game is going far out of their way to be "hard-core". However, it is still a fact that this is a fun and amusing game to play. I especially like playing with other because there is something very satisfying like shattering your friend's QB's Tibia.Thu, 08 Feb 2007 22:52:21 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1181&iddiary=2523https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=977So, for the second time I had to play this game (I have actually played this game a decent amount last summer) I chose to not progress the story and plot by doing the missions. Instead, I decided to explore the games redeeming aspect, the massive city. And it is one massive city. This was actually more fun for me than playing the actual "game", mainly because I was already pretty tired of the GTA style missions and the plot did not interest me at all. It was amazing to me that I could spend so much time driving around and checking out cool things. I spent a full hour without touching the main storyline, only driving around the city. There is actually two more cities that are still locked because it is required that you complete the storyline of one city to get to the next. I especially liked the really high tower that you could jump from with a parachute. This is similar to the Spider Man 2 game, where I would play chicken seeing how close I could get to the ground before swinging away to safety when I jumped from the highest building. The level design is really good in this game. I was frustrated with GTA Vice City because the entire map was flat. But in this game there are many levels to launch cars off from and many interesting obstacles while driving fast. It is amazing to me that so much detail was put into such a large game. Each fence, building, and tree was individually placed; I can really respect the massive undertaking of creating this game. However, with the greatness of the massive cities, there is a weakness with this map style. In GTA III it felt like I learned to know where I was without looking at the minimap. But in San Andreas (granted I've only been playing for so long)it seems like it would be impossible to recognize how to take individual turns. Mastery of this game seems unachievable, which discourages me from even trying.Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:29:27 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=977&iddiary=2142https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=977I do not really like this game at all. I have played all the other Grand Theft Auto games, and GTA III is my favorite. This game does not particularly interest me because of the setting. I am far more interested in the Mafia or even Cuban/drug lord plots than with the Black Gangster plot scene. In all the GTA games there are collectibles, and in this game there are 100 places that you must "tag" or spray paint your gang symbol. The missions are simple and basic. If you had played the previous GTA games, there is nothing really special about them. You have your simple "get away" missions, your "rob this" missions, your "go pick up this person and take them here" missions. None of them (granted I have not played through the entire game) are very special in anyway. I feel that the past two GTA games (GTA III and GTA Vice City) were much more fun and inovative. GTA III really created the series in a 3D world. And Vice City added some amazing things like bikes, planes, and helecopters. The mission types still felt very familiar from the switch from GTA III to Vice City, but there was enough new that it was very fun to play. I felt like San Andreas added customization and a massive world to play in, but did not really innovate anything extremely new into the game.Tue, 30 Jan 2007 23:12:32 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=977&iddiary=2123https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=715Wow. Now that was a frustrating hour. I spent almost the entire time trying to get through Dungeon 3. There were these enemies that would only take damage from either side or from behind, I must have spent near 20 minutes trying to kill them all. I realized what was making it so difficult was that I didn't have the sword power-up and you almost were required to have full life so that you could 'throw' your swords. After leaving the dungeon, finding the sword power-up, and reaching a Great Fairy that refills your life, I was able to breeze through the remainder of Dungeon 3. In Dungeon 4, I was doing fine until one of the enemies that look like a pile of intestines ate my great shield. After which, I got royally screwed up by multiple enemies at once. I made it to the boss, but with only two hearts left, died in a matter of seconds. I decided I had played for long enough to be able to rant about it. I think it is really poor design of a game that you have to either know exactly what to do all of the time. Otherwise, you'll wander around aimlessly, dying multiple times. I find it odd that I say this about Zelda, because this is a game that I have enjoyed for a long time. Maybe this game is so popular because it gives you great satisfaction to know what bush to burn, what stone to move, where the sword power-up is. But for me, having not played it in a good number of years, I faintly remember the secrets to beating the game. While I was still having a fun time playing the game, I felt I died to often to wish to continue. I may pick up the controller later in the week, but only if I desire a real challenge.Thu, 18 Jan 2007 23:15:55 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=715&iddiary=1658https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=715Alright, so I've been playing this game for a very long time, but this is probably the first time I picked it up in about five years. I remember that my brother had a strategy guide for the game, I almost think this game would be impossible without one. Today, when I started the game, I decided to go straight for Dungeon 1. I completed that with no problems at all. I then decided to go straight to Dungeon 2... But I couldn't find it. I knew that it was somewhere in the lower right portion of the over world, but I couldn't find it. After I had died about four times looking for the stupid entrance, I decided admit defeat and look online for a walkthrough. The walkthrough showed me where all the easy to get secret items were and the direct location of Dungeon 2. Once I got to the second dungeon, it only took five or ten minutes to get through the entirety of the level. By this time, It had been an hour since I started playing, and decided to tackle the rest during my next session. I find it interesting that this is a game that almost requires you to either get help from someone who has already played it or use a walkthrough. Nobody in their right mind would randomly think "I'm going to go one screen down and one screen to the left from the first dungeon, then burn down the fourth bush with the blue candle to see if it reveals a secret entrance." While the actual dungeons are fairly straightforward, the overworld is near impossible to navigate on your own and the secerets should never actually be found unless someone told you exactly where it is. What is amazing is that this game did very well and some still consider it the best game of all time, even though it is so amazingly difficult to navigate. I would say that this is somewhat of a lost genre because very few games really allow you to move anywhere you wish and give no hints as to where to go next.Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:15:05 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=715&iddiary=1606https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=462I found myself getting extremely mad at the other players in one of the match-ups this night. It felt like every time I died, it was because I had just come from a duel and someone just walked in on my with my shields down or I was killed as I spawned. In reflection, I found getting pissed at my opponents was a very dumb thing to do. I mean, it was partly my fault for getting so hurt in the last battle and not looking around to assure safe surroundings to recharge. I still feel it was a pretty [insert insulting word here] thing to do. But, then again, it was exactly what I would have done in the same position. I am a firm believer of taking every advantage a game has to offer as long as the other players have the chance to use the same advantages themselves (i.e. No Cheating/Hacking). I have no moral issues with using the Shotgun and Sword and other "power weapons" because I know that the game is still balanced enough that I may and will still die. Hell, I'll even through a grenade into a battle two people are fighting to get a double kill, because I know they would do the same if it were me. It is a sign of excellent game design where there is such great balance that using specific weapon or hiding in a certain spot is considered "cheap". Sure people may not like fighting against certain weapons, but there is always a counter attack. I really think that Halo 2 is some of the most balanced multiplayer action there is. (p.s. This is the second time I wrote this entry. My first was deleted by Notepad. In the first "draft" I wrote about how it is so balance that any person, with at least a couple days experience with Halo 2, could kill anyone else, no matter their skill level.)Fri, 12 Jan 2007 02:28:09 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=462&iddiary=1310https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=462Halo 2 is an extraordinary game that is still one of the best multi player games available. Recently, my residence hall and I found out that you can connect the Xbox to the schools Ethernet, and create a LAN over the system. This allows many to play the same game with each other, while in separate rooms. We all have been playing this game constantly, and we have learned to adapt to each others play styles. The Halo 2 multi player allows very unique play styles. For example, one character I play against, "Juan", dominates with a Sniper Rifle or Battle Rifle. However, another character, "SqueakyToyDeath", uses more close range weapons, thus creating very interesting conflicts when the two are engaged. I myself try to use the surrounding level best to my advantage. Jumping two stories down on top of an opponent to blast their skull in with a shotgun is a normal occurrence for me. I must say that the (multi player) levels in Halo 2 are very well designed and offer a variety of vantage points, weak spots, hidden secrets, and open areas that tend to funnel the action. Quite possibly the best part about the Halo 2 multi player is that everything has a weakness. The "power weapons" (Rocket Launcher and Energy Sword) which deliver one shot kills even have their share of weaknesses. You must usually go far out into the open to get either weapon, the Rocket Launcher has limited ammo, and anyone carrying the sword is easy prey from a distance. I believe that Bungi, the developers of Halo and Halo 2, did an excellent job balancing out every weapon and every environment so that you never feel that "the game is over" when somebody gets to a certain location or finds a specific weapon. I think that the multi player is far superior to the single player part of this game. Learning a new opponents quirks and weaknesses is a great deal of the fun. Also, having the pride from a massacre or the burning vengeance from a defeat builds on the desire to play "just one more game." After playing other multi player games such as Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros., Soul Caliber 3, Dead or Alive 3, and BomberMan 2 in the college dorm room atmosphere, Halo 2 is the only one that has the diversity and the balance required to hold my attention for playing more than a few days.Wed, 10 Jan 2007 22:59:23 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=462&iddiary=1157