Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=282https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1056As I played more levels, it has become increasingly clear that character and level choice are very important. There are a couple levels that have very small areas, making combat extremely tight. Because of this, juggernaut type players, like donkey kong or link, have a serious advantage. Players who have good flying ability also get a boost on these types of levels because someone like Kirby can remove himself from the violence. One of the best games ever...Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:56:19 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1056&iddiary=2267https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1056Super Smash Bros is one of the best multiplayer games for a platform that basically redefined multiplayer gaming. The controls of the game are extremely simple so anybody can easily play the game but the strategy of the game and subtleties of each character make this game, much like mario kart, extremely accessible yet extremely challenging gameplay. This game is based primarily on two factors: timing and experience. For example, I haven't played "smash" since I was a kid and even then I didn't play frequently. Despite that, I easily held my own against players who had been either serious "smashers" simply because I learned the timing of Link's extremely powerful swing. But at the same time, the two people I was playing with had extensive knowledge of the levels and the nuances of each character. The player using Starfox used his laser to make it virtually impossible to return to the ledge or Kirby would just fly around the top of the level and drop as a rock on anybody trying to get an item. Factor in that both players knew Link's moves better then I did and its easy to see how this game can be extremely fun and extremely frustrating.Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:28:54 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1056&iddiary=2258https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=832For the second entry of this game log, I started off just cruising around as I have all the missions done already. I like how Rockstar used music and car design as a way of creating a feel of a certain era. There are about ten radio stations with everything from early 90s hip-hop to oldies. It is not hard to spot the early 90s American car models either. While I was driving around, I thought about how police stars are given. It seems purposefully disproportionate. For instance, simply bumping into police cruiser will earn a star while blowing up a car or killing a civilian in the presence of a cop will also only earn one star. This creates maximum contact with the police and therefore more violence. This definitely increases the enjoyment from the game.Fri, 19 Jan 2007 17:37:59 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=832&iddiary=1855https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=832GTA: San Andreas is the third and seemingly final game in the GTA3 series. Grand Theft Auto originally was played from an overview perspective but still had the distinctive design of having a large degree of choice in what to do in the game. With GTA2, the bird's eye view was still used but updates were made. With GTA3, which was set in Liberty City (which I think is supposed to be New York City), Rockstar Games pioneered a genre which has been often imitated. Part RPG, part 3rd person shooter, the GTA3 series has closed and it will be interesting to see what Rockstar does with GTA4. An interesting aspect of San Andreas is the safehouse, which allows the player to possibly play for an extended time, outside of the missions, without dying or being arrested. In the safehouse, the player can change clothes or save the game (which gives 100% health and takes away the cop heat. While unrealistic, this feature allows for more fluid movement from city to city and permits the player to stockpile weapons, which can be expensive early in the game (unless CJ goes to the horse track). The addition of gang wars is very fun and is an easy way to get a lot of weapons, assuming you already have some. Although only played during the Los Santos section of the storyline, I used a save file to allow me to go back to the gang wars. This is what I did when I played GTA: San Andreas for this game log. Being successful in gang wars is all about location. If you are in an open area with few obstructions, the gang members, who come from different sides, will converge on CJ quickly and from all angles. It is important to engage the different groups seperately because they simply have too much fire power to take all of them on at once. Sometimes, the gang members will become stuck on the corner of a building or fence and this makes it much easier to finish the wave. I think the game designers may have purposely made the gang members easily dispersed because it would be nearly impossible to kill them all if they were tactical. At the same time, it seems that everybody in San Andreas acts in a similar way.Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:46:10 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=832&iddiary=1831https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=540For my second session, I decided to play the single player grand prix mode and settled on the Star Cup, 150 CC. At the start of the first race, the single player starts in 8th place and I let myself stay in 8th for a little while to see if that actually is an effective strategy against 7 CPU players. At the first box, I received a lightning bolt and was in first place before the end of the first lap. From the beginning of the second lap, it felt much like a 4 player game because only a couple other racers were within a short distance of the lead. There is one difference. In the multi-player, 4 person race, the racer in 4th is in last place, and consequently receives much better items, as the player in 3rd generally does as well. In grand prix mode, the three or four racers jockeying for position are the top 3 out of 8, so, generally, none of these top racers will likely get anything better than a single red shell or maybe some mushrooms. This changes the dynamic as the lightning bolts affect everyone and are an advantage to none (generally). The racer in 1st in grand prix doesn't have to be as worrisome as the 1st place racer in 4 player mode because most of the direct competition isn't getting anything to useful. This seems to be why any individual 4 player race can have any outcome. One racer will almost always make a run at the end of the race with a string of useful weapons. This may be explain the extreme re-playability of the game. Anybody of any experience in Kart can win any race and a lot of crazy things will happen during the course of any race.Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:24:46 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=540&iddiary=1408https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=540I have played Mario Kart 64 for a long time. When I sat down to do this assignment, however, I found it quite easy to find new aspects of the game to think about. For about half an hour, I played with 3 friends. We played most of the levels but found we played a few courses more than others, mainly Wario Stadium and Koopa Troopa Beach. After about 10 or 15 races, two people left and a friend and I mostly played time trials. While I won more of the 4 person race, I could not beat him in a time trial. This led me to think about what leads to success in Mario Kart in 4 player versus mode, which I find to be the most dynamic type of race in Kart. It seems that being successful in Kart isn't about being the quickest driver (as my friend clearly was) but about utilizing a strategy outside the power slide. It seems that success in Kart is more about positioning and luck. It definitely doesn't seem to be an advantage to get the power boost off the start line, as you will likely get a banana or fake box if you are in the lead at the first set of mystery boxes. at the same time, a player who didn't boost of the starting line has a better chance of getting a set of red shells or maybe even a star or lightning bolt. Now, assuming you luck out and get a better weapon, it is important to get the most out of the superior weapon. For example, if you get a bolt, make sure no one has a star or has fallen off the map as they will be unaffected by the shrinkage. It seems to be especially important on courses with large obstructions, like Wario's Stadium, Royal Raceway or DK's Jungle Parkway. These courses have large jumps that can only be cleared when full size. In Wario's Stadium, if you shrink someone and they go off the jump, they will be about half a lap behind where they were. In Koopa Troopa's Beach, use a lightning as someone attempts to hit the ramp for the shortcut and they won't be able to clear it. Little things like that can be the difference in the race.Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:34:07 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=540&iddiary=1268