Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=454https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2956GAMEPLAY I finally get to play the co-op with my friends and I must say, the experience was way better than I thought! We can choose the level difficultly and different locations as we wish. Another element that I noticed and was not in the single player mode is the ability to save the other teammate. This is extremely helpful in times when a high number of enemies are fighting against you. As we play together, we eventually came up with a strategy to save each other and fight through the waves of enemies. What I liked about the levels is the way how everything is so realistic. Even though players are situated in a science-fiction world, we can still feel and see many real-life elements. The weapons choices definitely brought the game to life. The ability to switch between different weapons and incorporate each special’s move is breath-taking. For example, if you are on top of a tower, it is reasonable to swap to the sniper and secretly take out the enemies on the bottom. There are many ways to approach the enemies, and especially since playing with a friend, we can collaborate and come up with a best approach. The most interesting aspect of the fighting techniques is also hijacking vehicles and duel wielding. Holding two weapons together can greatly enhance your survival time since killing the enemies is much easier and takes less time. Plus, experimenting with different weapons to determine which works best for different enemies is also quite entertaining. However, once the weapon on your left hand runs out of ammo, you are stuck with it unless you throw it away. This can get troublesome at times when you are in the middle of combat and there is simply no time for you to find a new weapon to replace the old one. Despite that, tanks are definitely a plus to the game as well. When battling with a friend, one player can jump into the drive seat while the other shoots the gun from the back. Teamwork and communication is a key at that point, since each player is relying on each other. Overall, the gameplay experience of Halo 2 was fun and challenging and kept me entertained the entire time. Love this game! DESIGN The design of Halo 2 is one of the best I’ve ever seen. The levels are very detailed and precise. For example, when players are situated in alien worlds, they actually feel like they are in this futuristic foreign world. Furthermore, because of this element, the level worlds are so complex and different in each of their ways. There is always something new to do and left unexplored. Even for new players like me, walking around the world is not so much difficult. In addition, the replay value is also quite high. Nothing seems to be too repetitive and enemies always appear from new directions. Players are constantly moving forward and rarely retracing their steps; thus, they are always making progress which in return, is another motivation to keep them playing. Moreover, the team battle is another element that makes the game so popular. This is one of the games where two players are actively engaged in the game and constantly motivating each other. The artificial intelligence of the game is executed perfectly with no flaws. For instance, the human fighters are constantly engaged in dialogues that enable the players to be in the gameplay zone. It pulls the players into the game; thus, creating a magic circle for them to relate to. Furthermore, the weapons design is very accurate and you can tell the designers of the game spent a lot of time trying to make each of the weapon’s detail greater and more realistic. Last but not least, the sound of the music increases the players’ attention to the game and compels them to fight on. No matter what the situation is, the music and sound effects are playing in the background in order to push the player forward in the game. Finally, the weapons sound great as well, especially the plasma weapons in my opinion. Although at times it is difficult to hear the music in the background, props to the designers for making it so realistic. Overall, the design of Halo 2 is outstanding and this is definitely one of the best games ever released on the Xbox console.Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:01:03 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2956&iddiary=5576https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2956SUMMARY Halo 2 is a sequel to the popular Xbox console game Halo. Just like the first, Halo 2 is a first person shooter game. Depending on the levels, players get to play as human fighters or aliens. Not to mention, human and aliens both vary in their weapon collections too. Players fight through the levels by shooting and eliminating different forms of enemies. Furthermore, players can team up with friends to challenge the co-op part of Halo 2, or simply head on to single player mode, the campaign. GAMEPLAY This was my first time playing Halo 2, and honestly, this is definitely one of the greatest shooting games I’ve ever encountered. However, it is hard to say for first time players like me due to its complex controls. The controls are not that difficult actually, but players just need practice to get used to the analog sticks. Perhaps this is one of the first xbox games I’ve played for longer than a few hours, or else I would’ve pick up on the controls much faster. But other than that, for the first hour or so, I kept crashing into walls and aiming my gun to the sky and ground. It was extremely difficult to use two analog sticks for directions simultaneously and aim your weapon at the enemies at the same time. I found this nearly impossible and thus, I would almost always die and return to my previous checkpoints (since I’m playing on single campaign mode). I must mention, though, the numbers of weapons that are available to choose from. Starting but not ending with the sniper, shotgun, and sword. One of my favorite fighting techniques is the powerful knock to finish off the enemy when the player is up close to them. There are just so many different varieties that players can use. Moreover, as I’m playing, I realize the goal of getting more and better weapons actually motivated me in continuing on with the game. As for the background of the game, I still remain quite clueless on that. I guess the story will develop a bit more as I play. But so far, there are two sides: the human race and the alien race known as the Covenant. Players have to defend the human race from these aliens to prevent them from discovering the Earth’s location. Anyhow, I can’t wait to play with my friends next to see what’s new.Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:15:41 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2956&iddiary=5565https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2625GAMEPLAY I finally played the arcade mode and I must say, it was a roller coaster of emotions. It can make you cry in happiness or in frustration in a matter of seconds. Because I’m a new player, I wasn’t too familiar with many of the special moves. I tried my best to pull of with some attacks that managed to decrease almost half of the opponent’s health bar. However, I find myself having a hard time battling the AI. The only possible way was to knock them off the stage, thus, winning the battle. This, however, doesn’t seem like the “real” way of fighting. The first two or three battles were not challenging and allowed me to get used to my character, Nightmare. Overall, I pretty much used the same movements and still managed to win the battles. But once I got beyond the third level, things weren’t as easy as I thought it would be. Once the opponent hits you, it is impossible to get up and do a counter-attack. They run to where you are lying down on the floor and hits you move after move. You get up, you fall down again and so on. I was lucky to move on to the final battle stage and immediately the opponent uses a special move on me. Half of my health bar disappeared and I gave up soon after trying for another 30 minutes or so. Therefore, I come to a conclusion that when you are playing against the computer, cheap tactics and kicking them off the ring are still far easier than strategic fighting and skills. It is better to play with your friend rather than the computer. But you might decide to head on to the one player mode if you want to unlock some new characters. Otherwise, it is best to play with your friends and just have fun with it. Or else, you will be filled with anger and irritation after playing the game. DESIGN The most compelling designs of Soul Calibur III, hands down, are its numbers of characters and battle arenas to choose from. Not to mention, the ability to create your own character. The characters’ weapons and appearance look extremely realistic, and when you examine the characters, their weapons and clothing actually match each other. Furthermore, the environment designs are breath-taking. There are many details in the background and for example, the water actually sparkles as the players move around in any directions. In addition, the ground actually also cracks when you take a hit on the floor. Last but not least, the music goes in sync with the gameplay itself. When your character or the opponent is near the end of their health, the music tenses and speeds up. As a result, players feel the excitement as they play the game. The only negative aspects of the game that I have to mention is that no one really needs to master the game in order to be good at it. New players can win players who’ve been playing for a long time with no trouble. However, this aspect of the game can be eliminated if players are to play with other new players or friends. Finally, because of the different characters and modes, there are many possible outcomes to the game. Players are greeted with different opponents every time they play in single-modes and can try to learn more special moves as a result. The replay value of the game is extremely high and one shouldn’t be bored of this game easily. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 02:56:15.)Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:53:25 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2625&iddiary=4981https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2625SUMMARY Soul Calibur III is a fighting game that is in the series of Soul released by Namco. Players are to kill or beat the opponent using their chosen characters’ unique fighting skills and styles. With your chosen character, you are to battle the evil sword called Soul Edge; which is the main component of the storyline. GAMEPLAY This was my first time playing the Soul Calibur series. I heard about the second one, but still never got my hands on it. Finally though, I decided to see what the hype was all about and now I understand why many believe this is one of the greatest fighting games. To start off, I decided to play against my friends who are experts on the game. There are many characters to choose from and thus, various fighting styles. I went with the character Nightmare due to his enormous sword, thinking that the opponent could not possibly get close to me. Anyways, surprisingly, in less than a minute, I managed to beat my friends by repeatedly pressing the same button. Therefore, it is pretty easy for new players to get used to this game and not to mention, be good at it. The controls are extremely easy to learn; however, the special moves might need some more practice in order to achieve. First time players, like me, shouldn’t have too much trouble with the game at first. By pressing the triangle, circle, and square, players are pretty much set to go. I pulled off with some “crazy” moves that almost seemed like special moves due to its complexity and design. Furthermore, there are many characters to experiment with to ensure what characters suits you the best. There are weird monsters, typical girl fighters, and of course the topless men; each with their special fighting styles and weapons. Moreover, what attracted me to the game the most is the sense of unlimited endings and options. There are many fighting movements to master and experiment, thus, players always have something to look forward to. I might try to play the arcade version later instead of versus mode to see what it is like to battle the computer.Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:26:50 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2625&iddiary=4980https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2370GAMEPLAY I played the game for three hours straight. This is one of the most addicting games I’ve ever played. This time, however, I created only one adult in the household with no children like last time. I must say, the overall gameplay still did not improve that much. I realize that having a kid in the house is very important, because there are times when you can’t call your friend over to chat with you. As a result, you have to socialize with your child in order to maintain your mood up high. I also decided to train my Sims to learn how to cook by reading cook books. This, in return, helps her gain cooking experience points which decreases the chance of starting a fire. As for the job, she was hired as a dishwasher, hoping to be a chef in the future. I had everything pretty much in control by now. Though at times the game might get a bit tedious and dull, there are unexpected surprises around the corner. A raccoon or a burglar would invade your house, so there are always something new and fresh to the game. This game continues to take my breath away. It’s just so entertaining in every single aspect. DESIGN The endless possibility in The Sims is what makes the game so unique and fun to play. The players have the freedom to decide whether to quit their Sims’s job and focus back on their basic human needs. It doesn’t matter if the Sims has a job or not, there is still so much to do. Of course, you will need to use some cheat-codes in order to receive an income. Besides that, players can start from low and work their way up high. This is satisfying in all ways when your Sims has a successful career and a decent social life by the end. The fact that this game parallels to our normal everyday lives is already an attractive component to this game. Players can closely relate themselves to the game. Also, they can perhaps create their version of a perfect life using these Sims characters. Moreover, the ability to make new family friends and reach various levels for your job is very much similar to our daily lives. Every aspects of the game are “real,” which allows the players to have an even closer connection and attachment to the outcome of the game. The graphics of the game is not that bad either. There are many close details to various objects when zoomed in. For example, when your Sims is preparing food, you can see the different food that they are cooking such as pastas, steaks, and salads. The continuous motion of the characters is also another plus to the game. Your Sims actually sits down on the toilet in one motion, instead of going from standing to sitting in a second. Last but not least, the sound is also very realistic, like turning on the faucet and cooking dinner on the stove. The Sims will always be one of the best games ever released on PCs and I’m sure everyone will agree with me.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:06:25 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2370&iddiary=4523https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2370SUMMARY Maxis released The Sims back in 2000 followed by The Sims 2 and many other expansion packs. This virtual-life simulation game allows the players to take control of a family in many different aspects, including their basic human needs and the design of their home. Not only those, your Sim character will need to get a job and socialize with friends and neighbors. In general, there isn’t any main goal but to keep your Sim character happy and healthy. GAMEPLAY I haven’t played this game in a long time and decide to pick it up once again. I created a new family with a female adult and a boy child named Sarah and Steven Tepperoni. First thing I’ve noticed is the wide variety of clothes that you can choose for your characters. Furthermore, I had the ability to determine my Sims personality based on their horoscope. Then I was brought to the main neighborhood screen where I could choose to build my own home and move in to a pre-built house. There isn’t really much to do in the original version since a lot of the other features of the game come with the expansion packs. But this will do for now. In any other case, I decided to build my own house and when I saw the option of a second story, I immediately jumped to the idea. As I was finishing some final touches on furnishing the home and getting ready to officially start the game, the screen paused and all the data was lost. I had to restart the game and built my characters again, and afterwards, I realized what caused that problem to occur. It was the second floor that I had built earlier, and after I deleted it, the game ran much faster and smoother. So as far as I’m concern, future players should be warned about the negative aspects that the second floor can bring to the overall gameplay (unless the players are using a computer with large memory). Anyways, one thing that I really enjoyed when I was choosing what furniture to put in the house is that each of them has its own contribution to the characters’ mood. The lower the price is, the smaller impact it has and so forth. Every aspect of the game was controlled by the player, thus, the player has a lot of freedom to determine what their character can become. Firstly, there are many career paths for your characters. Will they be a successful lawyer or doctor? Or just a dishwasher at a local deli? Your Sim’s destiny is in your hands. As the character gets rich and increases their number of friends, I was able to expand the size of their house and buy newer furniture. Another thing that I have to point out is how irritating the little child can get. In general, they can’t really do anything besides going to school (which they automatically go when the school bus arrives), sleeping, and eating. Have I mention that they cannot cook for themselves? Therefore, they head on to the fridge every hour to get a five dollars worth of chips and wait for the adult to cook. However, the adult is often at work or asleep. So the child is starving to death while the adult is well, earning money to support the child. If I play the game next time, I think I’ll just create a new family with one adult and see where that goes. Other than that, the game is not bad at all.Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:44:03 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2370&iddiary=4511https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2074GAMEPLAY After playing for another two hours, I realized how a game that is so simple can be so intriguing and challenging at the same time. I started with a small katamari that can barely pick up any objects, to a huge ball that can even knock a person off their ground. I replayed the third and fourth level hoping to get a better score. In the end, I found out that the best strategy into getting the highest score possible is to just head on to areas where it would have more objects than others. Simply go straight and you are pretty much set to go. Not only I found a better approach to the game, I also discovered some “secret” rooms that I did not see. In fact, the “secret” rooms greatly increased my score because of the amounts of objects that were easy to pick up and allow you to grow at a much faster rate. On an interesting note, I never paid attention to the growth of my katamari until now. The camera zooms out as I get bigger, in order for me to pick up bigger objects. At the beginning of the game, everything around you looks unreachable and giant; but then after awhile, if you go back to the same spot, everything shrinks! This motivated me to continue to play the game, and also serves as a constant reward. I started playing the 2 players mode with my friend also, which we both race against time to build the biggest katamari. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the regular mode. The screen splits in two and it was extremely difficult to see where you were going. Furthermore, the competition takes place in the same arena for every round. There were no variety in the versus mode and I would much rather stick to my single player mode, where I could freely explore the environment. I will definitely keep Katamari Damacy in my PS2 system for another month or so (at least). I still need to beat this game! DESIGN The developers of Katamari Damacy are definitely geniuses. This game is so out of the ordinary, but it has the components of every successful game. They are able to create something so simple, but yet entertaining at the same time. There are unquestionably many signs of strong level design in this game. It is very easy for the player to maneuver the controls and meander their way through the level without any difficult obstacles. Once the player is familiar with the two analog sticks, there isn’t much to worry about. The main thing that I noticed is the endless possibilities of achieving the goals. The designers of the game allow the players to decide where they want to roll their katamari. However, despite the easy controls, there is actually a lot of strategy involved in order to pass the various levels. Players need to decide what to roll up on their katamari and where these desired objects are located in order to pass the level within the time limit. Therefore, the simplicity of the game is not really that simple anymore, because there is a level of critical thinking and strategizing in the game. The other essential components that made the game so fun to play are its sound and graphics. Every time you roll an item up, it actually makes a sound of the item. For example, when you pick up a telephone, you will hear a ring. Each of the sound effects parallels the game so it does not feel out of place; plus, it even enhances the game play as a whole. Furthermore, after playing the game, I am very interested in purchasing the soundtrack. The music varies from Japanese rap to soothing jazz, which again, relax the players and let them play with ease. Last but not least, the graphics of the game is in fact very simple. This might sound a bit boring, but this is what makes the game so interesting. The objects that you need to roll up are not necessarily the best looking designs out there. However, with too many details on the objects, it misses the point of the game. The designers of Katamari Damacy truly accomplished a game that is playable by all ages because of its incredible design and gameplay.Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:15:43 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2074&iddiary=4214https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2074SUMMARY The story begins with the little mishap caused by King of All Cosmos. One night, he accidentally destroyed and made all the stars in the sky disappear. In order to make things right again, he sends the Prince, or you, to help him gather all the stars back from Earth with your katamari. The object of the game is to make your katamari grow as big as it possibly can by making the objects stick to it. Eventually, the bigger the katamari, the bigger objects you can pick up; such as, people, cars, or even cows! GAMEPLAY This was my first time playing Katamari Damacy, and I must say, I really enjoyed the overall gameplay. First of all, this game is so unique and different from any other games that I’ve played before. Furthermore, I’ve actually never heard of this game. In fact, I was introduced to Katamari Damacy by my friend not long ago. When I finally got my hands on this game, I was pretty much very excited to roll a giant ball around. As dull as that may sound, it surely kept me entertained for nearly two hours. I was immediately greeted with flying pandas and singing ducks; at the second, I knew this game is definitely out of the ordinary. Since I wasn’t familiar with the controls, I decided to head on to the tutorial section. Surprisingly, the tutorial was very straight- forward and directions were clear. I mean, what else can go wrong with using just two analogue sticks? I was ready to play the real levels in no time. The first level wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Basically, you start off with a small katamari, or ball, and you start rolling in every direction in order to pick up objects on the ground. The more objects you pick up, the bigger your katamari gets. The goal of the first level wasn’t difficult to achieve and I moved on to the rest of the levels like breeze. For example, most of the levels give you a certain amount of time to get your katamari to a specific size. Some even restrict you to only pick up certain items on the ground. This may sound a bit challenging at first, but you can definitely achieve it with a little practice. Throughout the levels, the King of All Cosmos informed me of my progress in a humorous witty way. After each level, he would say the most random thing that anyone could’ve imagined. Yet, this was enough to catch my attention. Furthermore, the game not only has a whimsical nature, it also presents a colorful world filled with rainbows and bright, vivid colors. Even if I was irritated with the game for some time, the background music was so upbeat and happy that kept me from turning off the system. Overall, the game is extremely attractive in its own distinctive ways. I can’t wait to play again! (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:14:17.)Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:08:29 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2074&iddiary=3991https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1625GAMEPLAY This time I picked Homer and it was exactly like Bart’s. The cars on the street were blocking your way and it was impossible to drive. I keep backing up every five seconds and Burns’ radioactive buses would not leave me alone. Thankfully, I earned enough money to unlock Professor Frink and continued the game with this new character. Again, same problem. Although I should mention that the dialogues of the characters are the only thing that is keeping me entertained throughout the game. However, overall, I truly did not enjoy this game. I find myself getting frustrated and screaming at my television screen every second. Everything was the same. Even though you can unlock new characters and such, but so what? Once you are in a new town, you do the same again and so on. Plus, it takes too long to load new characters and towns. I think I sat in front of my television for at least five minutes waiting for the game to load, only to be disappointed. DESIGN First of all, I noticed this game is almost exactly like Crazy Taxi which came out in 1999. This game, however, was released back in 2001. What’s the point of playing a game that is exactly like the one you’ve played for hours two years ago? In other words, this is a Simpsonized version of Crazy Taxi. Now I know why I didn’t play this game when it first came out. Furthermore, both the games’ main objectives parallel each other. You are to drive around the town, stop within the customer’s circle, and drop them off at various locations (in this case, Springfield). The only rewards are new characters and locations, which later can get dull and tedious since all you do is, well, drive. On a more positive note, the storyline at the beginning was interesting enough to keep me playing for a few hours; or maybe because I am a Simpsons fan. Anyhow, the game’s control is simple and straight-forward. There is even an arrow to direct you where to go, so it is nearly impossible to get lost. Despite the easy control, it is quite difficult to maneuver your car on the streets. You will find yourself colliding with at least thirty cars wherever you go and not to mention, Burns’ radioactive buses are crashing into you every second. At one point, my car was actually floating in mid-air. Basically, the best chance of getting to the customers’ destined locations at the fastest way is through short-cuts and people’s backyard. However, the only possible way to discover such short-cuts is by investing more time in the game. Last but not least, the dialogue of the characters might seem funny at first but later only gets irritating. After using the same character for two game sessions, Homer for example, he was already repeating the same lines over and over again. The game lacks the variety of quotes for every character. If only they had more, I would’ve been laughing out loud at the lines rather than concentrating on the negatives of the game. Therefore, I recommend this game to those who have a lot of time on their hands and fanatics of the Simpsons. Or else, stick to Crazy Taxi.Mon, 14 Jan 2008 03:26:16 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1625&iddiary=3562https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1625SUMMARY The story begins with Springfield’s millionaire, Mr. Burns, who replaced the town’s transit system with nuclear buses. Of course in return, the Simpsons family decided to do something about this chaos, thus created their own taxi system in order to raise money to buy back the transit system from Burns. The ultimate goal of this game is very much similar to Crazy Taxi. You earn money by driving around in a car, picking up customers, and dropping them off at their destined location as fast as possible. In the end, the higher your score is, the closer you are to unlock new characters, vehicles, and towns. GAMEPLAY I got this game when it first came out about six years ago, but I never had a chance to get my hands on it. Only a few days ago when I realized that I actually own this game that I decided to pop it in my PS2 and give it a try. As a Simpsons fan, I was quite excited to play this game. There were many characters to choose from, starting but not limited to the Simpsons family. I chose Bart because of his jet-like car, thinking that it will probably go pretty fast. What’s to lose right? Then it honestly took about more than three minutes to even load the game. I sat in front of my television waiting for it to load, which seemed like an eternity. Finally the game loaded and surprisingly, there were no instructions on the controls. I started pressing the X and O on the controller, and then suddenly Bart went so fast that he almost flew out of his own car. I picked up some random customers on the street and followed the arrow above the screen. Immediately, I realized the car was so fast that is nearly impossible to control. I was crashing into cars, poles, and trees in every direction. This went on for about another five minutes until I got a hold on the controls. Finally, I successfully dropped off my customer but then was rated with a “slow.” No time bonus or rewards. Great. I gave up on the first two levels and plan to play a few hours later. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 03:14:50.)Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:01:50 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1625&iddiary=3466