Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=194https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1367After playing with some of my friends I realized the importance of mastering the combat system is. Though none of them have gone through the training mode all of them are significantly better then me because they have properly mastered the system of moves. Though there are different moves, which is one of the primary design structures of a one-on-one fighter, there are not drastically different characters and controls. Most of the characters control very similarly, with only speed and power being the significant alterations, with a notable exception of Voldo, who has the advantage of unpredictability. I am amazed that fighting games have been able to succeed as a genre, since there is little to no real variation between them as a whole over the last 5 years. 3D even has had little effect on how they are played. It shows you that often games can succeed even when on the design level they are identical to other games, often the budget and graphics are just as important as the originality.Thu, 22 Feb 2007 23:03:24 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1367&iddiary=2904https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1367Soul Calibur III seems at first to be the usual one on one fighter, but with a little time spent I realized that I had misjudged it as such. The wonderful design present in the original Soul Calibur is once again present, with a balance between fighters that all have a unique set of moves. In addition the speed is good but not at a hyper and rediculous level, emphasizing more of a tactical strategy. This appeals more to a hardcore audience, people who are planning to strategize their moves rather then go for power hit after power hit. The game plays well and having previous fighting game experience seems to some extent to be expected. This brings up a design issue, because though there is a training mode it is clear that to some extenct the average gamer needs to already be in to games to access games such as this one. When you introduce the game to people who don't normally play video games they are able to play it and have fun, but not able to properly fend against the game until hours are spent.Thu, 22 Feb 2007 22:38:39 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1367&iddiary=2901https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1216I played another hour of Halo 2, though this time I played the multiplayer. Multiplayer in Halo 2 is a good example of emergent game type. I was impressed by how good the level and weapon design is in Halo 2. There are clearly some weapons that are easier to use then others but in general any weapon can be used when put in to the right hands. The levels themselves each have a specific plan for them that can be excellent for certain game types. I played the system link and it was very good to be able to play the larger levels instead of being more confined to smaller levels because of a lack of players. The Multiplayer has disturbingly addictive and well designed qualities.Fri, 09 Feb 2007 05:21:58 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1216&iddiary=2593https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1216I played the one player section of Halo 2 for an hour and I was not as impressed as the previous times I played through the game. This time I found the one player boring, it has very little replay value compared with other genres. Because the one player game is such a strongly progressive game type it is very boring on a second trip when compared with more emergent games. I tried the game on a harder difficulty then last time. Unfortunetly the characters seemed more powerful but not necassarily more intelligent. I am looking forward to the next generation systems for the more sophisticated artificial intelligence. Hopefully Halo 3 will do what the first Halo did for me, convince me to buy an Xbox (though it will be a Xbox 360 this time). My issue with the game on a design level is that it is not really an advancement from the previous game in the series and therefore it seems a bit repetitive. There are a few advancements, but most of them are gimmicks that are only used once, such as the space part. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Fri, 09 Feb 2007 04:51:28.)Fri, 09 Feb 2007 04:46:33 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1216&iddiary=2586https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=904After playing an additional hour of Zelda I was amazed at how difficult it could be. I only made it through one more dungeon in all of that time and I was just beginning the third dungeon when I decided to write about it. It is a good thing that I was playing the second quest because if this was the first quest it really wouldnt be ok. All of the tasks on the overworld are very vague and must be achieved without any real instruction. Some of it must simply be remembered from playing through the first quest while other parts require massive amounts of time to comprehend. This kind of design would not be acceptable in a modern game because the average player is not expected to spend large amounts of time wandering around with no clear objective. All this having been said the game is meant to be hard so I am not suprised, all I am suprised by is how much easier and more logical the zelda games have become.Wed, 24 Jan 2007 21:15:24 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=904&iddiary=2002https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=904I spent over an hour playing the second quest on the original zelda now and I have found many examples of excellent level design. In the second quest (accessed by either beating the game or naming the main character "ZELDA") is the same overworld but with reworked dungeons. Instead of the dungeons being the shape of the name of the dungeon they are shaped like the letters of the word zelda. The difficulty in these new dungeons is extremely high, as is the difficulty in getting too them, since they are in a different order then the original quest. The level design within the extremely difficult dungeons is quiet genius. Many of the rooms are intentionally made in such a way as to maximize difficulty without making it unachievable. Many of the rooms I have had to play through over a dozen times to master. Though this is far to difficult for a normal game I can accept it considering the fact that it is intentionally designed for experienced players. The simplicity of the levels is indeed a strong point, when compared with some of the later zeldas. Instead of having to worry about how to switch floors the focus is more on how to get through the individual rooms and how the dungeon is shaped. This simplifies the game making it more managable, since it is so difficult. The later games make the individual rooms harder but instead focus on puzzles, which is in fact a more enjoyable experience and should be considered when analyzing the zelda series.Wed, 24 Jan 2007 20:35:22 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=904&iddiary=2000https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=668I played through the second half of Kirby's Adventure in a little over an hour. I am amazed at how much things have changed - the new zelda's first two hours are merely training for the "real" game while in this game the whole experience can be completed within two hours. The design qualities changed somewhat during the second half of the game. The level design got much more difficult to follow, but it was intentionally confusing for the player. I feel that the use of constant bosses is a bit of a cheap trick rather then creating more complex levels near the end, but none the less the final two bosses were quite a bit different from the rest of the game. The infinite continues feature was very helpful, since this game would be nearly impossible to complete on a first try otherwise. It was very enjoyable and I thought the platforming was interesting and well designed. There was one issue, on a few of the levels there were whole areas that could be dodged by merely flying over all of the enemies, and considering the fact which other people pointed out about there really being no point to the score there really is no incentive to fight all of the enemies in these areas.Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:04:02 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=668&iddiary=1570https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=668I have played through the gameboy (original) kirby game so i had a bit of an idea of what to expect from the game. That having been said I was very impressed with the overall quality of the game. Though the graphics are dated now they are fine for the time. The thing that catches me is the level design. It is brilliant and a world above that of the first two mario games. The levels are usually not to difficult but provide a lot of variety surrounding Kirby's unique abilities that he aquires from sucking in his opponents like the vacuum cleaner he is no doubt named after. On another note the game used a lot of ideas that were later used for Super Mario World, such as the level design of the haunted areas. It expanded on the original gameboy game extensively, with better attacks and enemies as well as more complex boss fights. Some of the powers are unfair compared to others, such as the ice attack which is extremely lethal compared to any other weapon because it has a ice blasting area around the main character that protects Kirby and destroys most enemys, even bosses. After having played for a little over an hour I think i have reached about half way through the game, and I am impressed so far, I'm hoping that the rest of the game will hold up to the quality of the first half...Tue, 16 Jan 2007 23:31:45 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=668&iddiary=1521https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=405I played a second hour of Zelda and it continued with the same introductory learning process this time instead focusing on the new form of link (the wolf). I noticed that the score was heavily influenced by Ocarina of Time. The graphics are a definite improvement over the previous serious and the controls work just as well as Wind Waker. The gameplay was enjoyable, there was a lot of unique moments with no points seeming to be to repetitous or frustrating. Everything seemed very well designed with some sections seeming a little more natural then others but all the new additions such as the new character seemed fine. I found the clip scene revealing zelda to be rediculous though, since it was very clear to anyone who played the previous games who it was and to those that did not it wouldn't be all that amazing a moment. This makes me wonder about the demographic for the game, it doesnt seem like many kids would be playing the game which means that it is mostly geared toward teens and therefore already zelda fans. Which makes me again question the whole scene, though perhaps it does not deserve that much analysis. The controls for the new character work just like the previous one and the whole process was very intuitive. The game still recieves high marks from me so far...Wed, 10 Jan 2007 04:51:15 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=405&iddiary=1115https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=405I played the first hour of the game just now and i was supprised at the fact that the entire first hour is more or less introduction. I still do not have an actual sword or the traditional Link outfit; this change is most likely due to the fact that the game itself is so much longer then previous games. Instead of being a few hours like the original zelda it is a massive quest from what i have read so it is understandable that more then just a few minutes are necassary to first introduce the player. I have tried the Wii version of the game as well and i dont think there is a huge difference between the two, the only noticable thing is the wii controller. Graphically is a very solid game, which to me is not really the most important thing about a game but it is still important none the less. It seems to hold up very strongly to the previous zelda games even considering the fact that i have not reached a dungion or anything besides the training and home village.Tue, 09 Jan 2007 18:49:50 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=405&iddiary=1084