Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=330https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1192There is one more very important element to GLtron's gameplay: wall acceleration. When one player's cycle is moving very close to another player's wall, it begins to accelerate. Normally, all cycles have the same speed, not controlled by players. Thus, it is possible to take a path on the map where your cycle would accelerate on enemies' walls and give player a speed advantage. On the downside, if a you get trapped between other players' walls, the lightcycle can accelerate uncontrollably. The graphics in GLtron are 3D and very stylized - true to the movie look. There is a grid on the floor of the arena to aid precise turning, and the walls have some decorative computer-themed ornaments. The important this is that the game runs very smoothly at high frame rates, which makes precise navigation through the arena possible. If you are interested in the game, visit http://www.gltron.org/Sat, 10 Feb 2007 02:32:26 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1192&iddiary=2781https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1192GLtron is a pretty basic implementation of the famous light-cycle game from the TRON movie. Several players (2-4, human or AI) start at opposing ends of a square map. Each cycle can only make 90 degree turns, i.e. cycles always go parallel/perpendicular to walls. Each light-cycle leaves a solid trail of light behind it, collision with which destroys anyone's cycle. Collision with the wall also destroys a cycle. When one player is destroyed, his trail is removed from the arena. The challenge of the game is to survive the growing maze of trails, and not crash into anything (or at least be the last person to crash). There are many strategies to doing so, some are defensive and some are offensive. There are no weapons, in the conventional sense, in this game. By planning the lightcycle's path, it is possible (and necessary) to use the cycle's own trail as a weapon. Common techniques include trapping a player inside a loop in your trail, squeezing him between the wall, and making zigzags in from of him. The level design is really, really simple - a square arena with walls around it. More complications then this are really not necessary, because the game focuses on player-created obstacles rather then preset ones.Sat, 10 Feb 2007 02:18:47 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1192&iddiary=2774https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=983I wanted to add a note on the level design in Katamari Damacy. The levels are cleverly layed out; small and easy-to-pick-up items are usually scattered near the starting spot. Levels are split into distinct areas, and player has to roll up a big enough clump to be able to go over the obstacles that block entrance to a next area. Although going forward to the next area is usually a good strategy, here are many larger items available to pick up in earlier layers if the player decides to revisit the place. This adds to the non-linearity to the game, making the rolling of each katamari a unique experience. Makes the game more re-playable, to a certain extent. I tried the multiplayer also. Two players compete (in split-screen, on the same arena) to make a larger katamari then the other player. If one player gets a sufficiently larger clump then the other, it is even possible to roll up the opponent into your own katamari. You can really annoy someone by rolling him/her up many times in a row. :) The controls in the game pretty intuitive (only the two analogue sticks are used), and easy to learn. The challenge of the game comes from the strategy of navigating the levels, not the controls. Choosing the right path through the level is key to getting high scores. My largest katamari was 900 meters (0.6 miles) in diameter, and included quite a few little islands!Wed, 31 Jan 2007 13:04:42 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=983&iddiary=2232https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=983Katamari is certainly unlike any other game I've played. Extraordinarily stylish, and fun to play too. The basic gameplay is very simple: you roll around a clump ("katamari"), which picks up various objects and grows. From ants to cars to small islands, it is possible to pick up anything and everything with an appropriately sized katamari. The single-player campaign is a series of challenges, which include variations on the basic gameplay: looking for (or avoiding) certain objects, making a large enough katamari within a time limit, rolling it to a certain size, etc. This primitive gameplay is oddly engaging. I've played Katamari Damacy for hours, until my thumbs begin to hurt, and I'm not tired of the game at all. One of the things that really make the game fun is the soundtrack. It's very diverse, featuring styles like J-pop, Modern Classical, Future Jazz, Experimental, Trance, Techno, and what not. I liked the music so much that I went on eBay and got the soundtrack on CD the very next day; listening to it right now. Another great aspect of the game is its art. Every single object, character, scene, even the loading screens, have a unique look. The game makes great use of low-poly models, incorporating the blocky feel into the style of the game. It's hard to describe; it's just well done. There are a lot of funny, random design decisions that would pass as an Easter egg in any "normal" game. I love this game!Tue, 30 Jan 2007 23:43:38 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=983&iddiary=2128https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=842The single player mode is indeed much better then the multiplayer mode that I played yesterday. For one thing, the maps look spectacular (for an N64 game, of course). Levels are laid out well, with alternating shootouts and stealth sections (reminds me a lot of Deus-Ex). The level design provides challenges for players with any weapon; from short-range twisting corridors to long-range outside battles. The storyline is rather typical of a James Bond franchise. Blow up this, save that. It's not bad, but it's not imaginative at all. The storyline provided little motivation for completing the level; I kept going because I enjoyed the gameplay. There are many weapons to master (including my favorite remotely-triggered mines), and this makes passing a level several times with different weapons as fun as the very first time.Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:34:25 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=842&iddiary=1877https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=842I have heard many people hail this game as a FPS classic, so I decided to see for myself. Fortunately, the S&E library had this title available for checkout. My friend Ryan and me each got a N64, so we had two controllers and could experience the multiplayer. My first impression of the game was not a very good one. We started a two-player (split-screen) match, and I lost 0-5 to my friend (who played this game earlier), while I was struggling to figure out the controls. There are many mysteriously named control schemes in the options menu, and most of them are very awkward to use. Some schemes even require me to use my thumb for both aiming, firing, and ducking. Even after having memorized the controls, I often pressed wrong buttons because of their strange layout on the controller. After figuring out the controls, the was a lot of fun. There are many weapons, ranging from throwing knives to RPG launchers. Each weapon has unique characteristics: firing speed, accuracy, range, damage, etc. It's pretty realistic for an N64 game! The graphics in single player are average. Models look rather ugly, and there is no lighting whatsoever. I suspect that the single player game might look better; multiplayer maps are often optimized for performance rather then looks.Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:07:35 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=842&iddiary=1868https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=641I've enjoyed playing PvP mode in Soul Caliber III, and wanted to see if I can unlock some new content by playing the single player campaign. Basically, all 30 or so characters have their own story, and a slightly different sequence of fights. The story was clearly not the selling point of the game, and it is told mostly through several sentences of fine print displayed on loading screens. All characters are after the Sword, called "Soul Caliber," and are forced to participate in 8-12 fights in order to get to the final battle. The initial fights are chosen more or less on random for all characters, and sometimes the game can force player's character to fight a copy of him/herself. The final 2 fights are the same for all characters, and they got annoying very quickly as I completed the campaign with several different characters. On the upside, there are many new weapons and whole new characters to unlock. Weapons can improve the speed or range of attacks. There are, unfortunately, no armor upgrades of any sort, or any items besides weapons to buy. Graphically, Soul Caliber III looks very good. Characters are detailed, animations are very fluid and realistic. Some especially powerful attacks produce spectacular effects with motion blur, all sorts of particle effects and lightning bolts flying around. Arenas are also unique and detailed; some feature voids on their edges that can be used to ring-out opponents with a well-timed kick.Sat, 13 Jan 2007 03:59:32 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=641&iddiary=1479https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=641SoulCaliber III is one of the very few titles for PS2 available from the S&E library here in U.C. Santa Cruz. Normally I don't play fighting games (Mortal Kombat, et all) but I wanted to broaden my horizons and give it a try. And I'm enjoying it so far! The two-player mode is very enjoyable, and most characters are playable from the very beginning. The primitive controls are relatively easy to master (guard, kick, vertical/horizontal strike), but it will take a lot of practice to figure out the special moves for all 30 characters. Proper timing of attacks is very important, perhaps even more so then the power of individual attacks. There is a short (fraction of a second) cool down period after almost every move, and a skilled player can probably dodge, block, or reverse almost any attack with sufficient practice. Thankfully, every person I challenged so far was as much of a novice as me, and I won about as many matches as I have lost. There are 8 weapons for each character, about 16 arenas and 10 characters to be unlocked during the course of the single-player campaign. I will describe it in the next entry.Sat, 13 Jan 2007 03:29:20 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=641&iddiary=1478