Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=221https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1458Game Log #4 Session 2 In my second game logging session, I chose focus more on the multiplayer aspect of Goldeneye as it is just as important as the single player element. One of the interesting aspects of Goldeneye is that it takes elements from the James Bond films and uses them as settings for the multiplayer levels, such as the Facility, Complex, Aztec, and Egypt. Another interesting aspects are the array of characters the players get to choose in the player select screen. All of the characters range from the various James Bond films and is important, I think, to the wide appeal of the game. Not only does this multiplayer component incorporate levels and characters, but weapons as well. The “golden gun” is a weapon of choice as well as the form of gameplay in multiplayer. The Aztec Complex level was partially taken from the James Bond film, Moonraker, and is unlocked when the player completes the entire game on Secret Agent difficulty. Furthermore, the second bonus level, Egyptian Temple, blends elements from the films The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me and Live and Let Die. To access this level players must complete the entire game on 00 Agent difficulty. Completing the single player aspect on different difficulty levels added onto the number of missions for each level. The player, however, does not have to complete the more difficult missions if one just wants to beat the game, but has to in order to achieve these bonus multiplayer stages. This idea of exhaustion is apparent and thus, adds to the lasting appeal of gameplay.Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:31:56 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1458&iddiary=3073https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1458Game Log #5 Session 1 For my fifth game logging session, I chose to play Goldeneye 007 for the Nintendo 64. This first-person shooter, in my opinion, is one of the best multi-player games of all time and it laid the groundwork for future games like the Halo series. One of the most important aspects of this game is the ease of the control. The control layout made this first-person shooter accessible and easy to play on a console platform. It was groundbreaking because it made the transition onto a console without the use of a mouse. This first gamelog will examine the level design of the first few stages, the Byelomorye Dam and Arkhangelsk Facility. The introductory level, the Dam, puts the player right into the action. Always equipped with a pistol and silencer, the player gets to acquire more weapons by killing enemies and gadgets as the game progresses. The Dam level is very open and spacious, which contrasts to the next level, facility which is closed off and narrow. Although the levels are very different, they both utilize a simple linear focus, which makes it clear to the player where to go next and does not have confusing pathways that can detract from the gameplay or make a player frustrated. These level aspects carry on to the following levels and keep the player engaged.Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:18:47 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1458&iddiary=3066https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1268Game Log #4 Session 2 In my second game logging session, I chose focus more on the gameplay of Super Metroid and level design aspects of Zebes, specifically Brinstar and Crateria. One of the important aspects of the gameplay, worthy of noting is the ease of replenishing health and ammo. Almost immediately after killing any enemy in the game, they leave either health or ammo power-ups if Samus is ever in need of them. This is important because while the game may seem easier, it is ultimately the enemies that cause massive amounts of damage and the boss fights that are challenging. The journey and exploration aspects of the game are just hindered by enemies in process of getting to these more important foes in the game. There is also an emphasis on actually controlling Samus. The game seems to have various ledges that a prominent in basic platformers. However, in Super Metroid, Samus is given a pretty high amount of jumping ability that causes it to be somewhat difficult to target jumps and gain access to specific spaces in the game. Similarly, the jump combined with having to shoot enemies makes it pretty difficult when trying to attack enemies that are in the way. On that note, enemies in the area tend to return after Samus has left and come back, another aspect which could potentially make the game more challenging. After gaining the “bomb” attack, I was able to access many parts of the area. The level design is meant to limit access to certain areas by blocking them with walls or doors that can only be opened by specific weapons. Furthermore, areas of access can also be limited by the height or length of Samus’s jump. This sets the groundwork for the rewards system found in Super Metroid and is prominent throughout the levels in Zebes.Fri, 09 Feb 2007 18:02:06 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1268&iddiary=2699https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1268Game Log #4 Session 1 For this forth installment of my game logging sessions, I chose to play Super Metroid for the Super Nintendo. This game is one my all-time favorite games because it has one of the best reward systems, level designs, and boss fights. However, Super Metroid’s reward system owes much of its due to the original Zelda series. With that said, after the introductory battle sequence with one of the last bosses of Super Metroid, you explore your way through the Planet of Zebes. In order to gain access to specific areas on the planet, Samus must obtain various power-ups, abilities and weapons that open colored doors. The first of these rewards are the infamous morphing ball ability and missile powerup. One thing that surprised me, playing Super Metroid again, was how decontextualized the story was, in a way. Sure Samus is a bounty hunter in search for a stolen metroid larva, but during gameplay, none of that matters and the game is not dependent on the narrative arc of the story. The only actual character that has space for development is Samus, who only develops as a “body” because of the various power-ups and abilities the player can gain. One a player is immersed in the gameplay, it becomes easy to forget the primary objective of the game, to find the larva. Part of this is probably due to the ambiguous introduction to the character of Samus and her mission objective. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Fri, 09 Feb 2007 19:10:10.)Fri, 09 Feb 2007 17:42:03 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1268&iddiary=2696https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1055Game Log #3 Session 2 For my second gaming session, I focused more of the gameplay aspects of SSB. Competing between my friends in this game session allowed for me to notice how much a different the gameplay mechanics of SSB made this game unique. In my previous post, I intended to mention that the damage system is one of the most important aspects of the gameplay and is the primary reason the game stands out from the rest. Instead of having a static health bar where once your health is depleted, you die, SSB implements a percentage system where simply inflicting a lot of damage does not necessarily mean death. In order for a character to die, one must force the character outside the boundaries of the screen. Once this boundary is reached, the player is KO’ed and the higher the percentage of damage, it easier it is to accomplish this goal. Another crucial aspect to SSB is the implementation of items that fall during the battles. These items are nostalgic to the Nintendo world and vary from the classic mushroom to the often “cheap” DK hammer. These items can usually change the tides of war because a specific item can inflict massive amount of damage to one or more characters at a time. Playing with my friends, who are all of the same level of expertise in this game, found the items to be unfair because it did not measure the amount of skill, but instead luck to whoever found the item first. Instead, we began to battle without items and found the game to be ultimately more enjoyable and fair. Finally, one of the other important aspects of the game are the stages. Each character has a stage that has allows for different affordances which can also change the tides of war. For example, Donkey Kong’s stage contains bullet barrels where a character can essentially be saved if they jump into a canon and fly back on the fighting level. One of the drawbacks of the multiplayer however, as with all multiplayer games, is that one character can essentially refrain from fighting and watch from a distance while everyone else battles and kills each other. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:17:18.)Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:16:34 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1055&iddiary=2276https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1055Game Log #3 Session 1 For my third game logging session, I chose to play Super Smash Brothers for the Nintendo 64. I have played this game before back when it was released in 1999. My friends and me were absolutely addicted to the multiplayer aspect of the game. For this session, I found it interesting to examine why indeed this game was so addicting and what made it so unique from other fighting games. Not only did the game bring in old time favorite characters like Mario, Link, and Samus, but also these characters were in a completely new context of game play, fighting each other. Also, in light of the lecture given by professor Whitehead on Monday, the narrative storyline for this game seemed ambiguous as the shmups. Never noticing the lack of narrative focus, the game just seemed to have thrown a random situation where the Nintendo characters enter some sort of dream world. It is still unclear to me why they are fighting and what they are fighting for, which makes SSB abstract and decontextualized , the same way the classic shmups were. Another aspect that this game seemed to have in common with shmups is that SSB is very easy to learn. There are no complex control combinations like a quarter rotation and a button to execute a fireball; there are buttons that are set exclusively to execute these moves easily. In contrast, there are only simple combinations like holding forward and a button so execute power attacks. However, once this game is learned, it is quite difficult to master in the way that 4-player multiplayer is quite unpredictable and spontaneous.Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:17:55 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1055&iddiary=2255https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=816Game Log #2 Session 2 In my second session, I teleported to world 2 to obtain the last of the warp whistles. I planned this in advanced because I wanted to go all the way to world 8. In world 2, I was faced with the same choices of avoiding certain levels to progress in the game. I also noticed that the raccoon suit and the flower suit have to be strategically used in order to make the progression in the game easier. For example, the choice between these two suits is important because only certain villains can be destroyed by wagging your raccoon tail. It is a very interesting aspect of the game that I find to be executed very well. After obtaining the last warp whistle from the hammer head brothers in world 2, I teleported all the way to world 8. Skipping all the way to the end was interesting because the level design and difficulty has changed dramatically. What seemed to be a fairly easy task of completing stages in world 1 quickly was now quite difficult. The level design in world 8 consists of a controlled side-scrolling movement. Although the side-scrolling is slow, it manages to make the level ultimately tricky because of the many objects from bullet, bones, and balls shooting out from Bowser’s ship filled with cannons. In conclusion, the level design is great because it is consistent with the level of progression from easy to difficult. The choices the player has in the “linear” narrative are quite constrained although the player can choose to avoid many stages. It is amazing how a game that utilizes only two buttons can manage to be so entertaining and challenging. This is definitely a game that succeeds at allowing almost anyone to pick up the control, learn quickly and play.Fri, 19 Jan 2007 17:12:57 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=816&iddiary=1846https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=816Game Log #2 Session 1 For this game log, I chose to play Super Mario Brothers 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. First off, I remember playing this game when it was released back in 1990. It found that it took a while to get the hang of this 2D side scroller since it has been awhile. I also noticed that the game was a little more difficult than I remembered. Perhaps it is because I found myself rushing through the levels and thinking I was invincible (I mean this game was aimed towards younger kids). As for the level design of the game, the worlds are laid out in a pretty linear fashion with the choice of opting out of completing certain levels. For example, in world 1, a player can choose to avoid levels 3 and 4 and go completely to level 5 after finishing level 2. However, by not completing level 3 or 4, the player cannot access the bonus mushroom level where the player can gain an upper hand in future levels by storing bonus items in their inventory. The levels themselves are pretty straightforward with a lot of flexibility. A player can just choose to zoom through a level and complete it or fully complete it by collecting all the coins, mashing all the blocks, and looking for tunnels to go through. So far, the experience playing in world 1 is still quite entertaining and I find is another game that will always be engaging in some way. Finally, in this session, I would like to blog about the music. I think that the midi-like music complements the game very well and is indeed very catchy. I also find that music is a very important aspect to video game design in that it creates a unique environment that makes the game stand out on its own.Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:03:32 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=816&iddiary=1803https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=478Like I explained in my first session game log, I found that the Legend of Zelda contains one of the most impressive level designs of all time. It introduced the land of Hyrule in a very simple side-scrolling grid allowing access to areas after completing certain tasks. After the first dungeon, I found myself exploring more of the vast world of Hyrule. The Legend of Zelda itself and the world of Hyrule are so elaborate for such a simple game. The story and narrative progression focus on the characters of Link, Zelda and Ganon, holders of the Triforce. Although the story never actually get explained as the game progresses, the player enacts the plot by collecting 8 pieces in order to enter Ganon’s dungeon. This story and narrative formula has been used again and again in future Zelda games and it is indeed that formula that makes these games successful. I think I will base my game project on these elements of simplicity.Fri, 12 Jan 2007 12:32:01 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=478&iddiary=1381https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=478Playing The Legend of Zelda again in a completely different context than just pleasure is an interesting experience. I found myself noticing more of what goes into the foundations of game design. It is absolutely amazing how video games have evolved from the basic gameplay of the Nintendo. In the Legend of Zelda, one controls Link on a 2D environment with just two buttons (B and A). The Legend of Zelda has probably one of the best level designs of all time. The land of Hyrule is set on a side-scrolling grid and areas of the map are only accessible after completing certain tasks like killing a boss in a dungeon. This design is both simplistic and complex. I think that it is this precise design that ultimately keeps the player interested because of the need to progress to reach these areas, or that is how I felt playing the game.Fri, 12 Jan 2007 04:45:00 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=478&iddiary=1355