Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=486https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3058Gameplay: After playing The Darkness again for a little while, I still had a lot of fun with it. It's fun to progress further in the game to upgrade your darkness powers. The narrative of the story is still very interesting and it has you interacting with other main characters like Jackie's girlfriend and also his mother. Some of the side quests get a little boring because usually they are just fetch quests, or just walking back and forth between places talking to people. The actual gun-fighting and story segments of the game are still very enjoyable though. Design: I like the innovative use of the Darkness powers in the game. In addition to shooting you can also do things such as impale enemies with a tentacle or create a miniature black hole that crushes them. Although the levels are mostly set in new york, there are some weird levels set in the afterlife which look like a demonic version of World War 1 and 2 put together. These segments happen a couple times in the game, so they add variety. The game keeps the player interested by allowing him to unlock more weapons and Darkness Powers throughout the game. One thing I would change about the game is adding the ability to sprint or something, or just making the main character move faster.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:25:58 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3058&iddiary=5909https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3058Summary : "The Darkness" is about a man named Jackie Estacado who works for a mob boss named Paulie. On Jackie's 21st birthday he is set up by Paulie who tried to have him killed. The game (unlike the comics) quickly introduce you to "the darkness" which is an ancient entity that passes from father to son and manifests itself on the son's 21st birthday. The rest of the game has you trying to get revenge as you travel across New York City. Gameplay: The Darkness opens up with what may be my favorite opening sequence of any game. Like Half Life 1/2 and The Chronicles of Riddick the game starts out with an in-game cinematic with limited camera controls while the opening credits appear during the scene. What makes this intro so good is the way in which it really makes you feel like you're in the world; a combination of cutting-edge graphics and animation, sound, and voice acting all combine together to create a breakneck car chase through oncoming traffic in a tunnel in New York. I think the characters in the game are really interesting because they have very well done motion capture animations, and their voice acting is also pretty good. They also don't shy away from vulgarity, which also makes them more believable. The voice of The Darkness is REALLY good considering the actor didn't alter his voice in any way when he was speaking the lines. (Which if you've heard the game you'll appreciate more.) The game is fun to play except for the fact that your character moves WAY too slow. There have been many a firefight where I wish I could run away, yet I have to amble away at a snail's pace while being shot by gangsters. Other than that though the gameplay is fun, and there are some innovative features such as the Darkness powers and the fact that you have to destroy lights and stand in the shadows to recharge them. So far I've experienced pretty good flow throughout the game. Between action sequences you can walk around on the subway and talk to people and engage in side quests, but it never feels out of place considering you use the subway all the time to transport yourself between areas.Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:57:32 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3058&iddiary=5739https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2418Gameplay: Once you've played Façade a few times the opening dialogue that you have to sit through can get kind of boring... But anyway, here's play number 2: This time I was able to make the conversations a little bit more flowing, but the flaws in the AI are still apparent. Whatever you say seems to evoke the all to common response "What??" and then a completely random sentence. Sometimes you'll say something, and then they'll say something that shows the linear aspects of the game. My proposal to partake in the smoking of Cannabis was returned with "Hey Dave, look at this picture of Italy!" It's at these moments where the game kind of feels like it's nudging you along to get you to say the "right" things. One interesting thing about the game is the fact that you see new things every time you play it. I'm excited to see the developer play it on Monday; I want to see if he can get a smooth conversation. Design: It's obvious that this game is very innovative, and I'll give it kudos since it's the first game I've played that tries to create a realistic drama and allows you to type whatever you want to say to the characters. The AI could be improved, but hey, it's a good start. The level design is pretty simple: There's an entranceway, a living room, and a kitchen. Considering the game is more about social interaction than running around multiple levels it's ok that you only get to play in one area. The tone of the gameworld isn't exactly very positive. Throughout the game your ears are assaulted with the constant bickering of Tripp and Grace, and there is also some pretty trippy ambient music in the background as well that certainly doesn't liven up the mood. The good thing about Façade is the fact that it is the very epitome of emergent gameplay. What happens in the game is based on what you say and how you interact with Tripp and Grace (to an extent). The game can end right at the beginning if you yell "Fuck you Tripp, you're such an asshole!" or you can play for quite a while and end up saving the couple's marriage. (Which I have yet to do)Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:56:55 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2418&iddiary=4615https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2418Summary: Façade is a first-person interactive drama that involves you, the protagonist, going over to your friends Tripp and Graces' House. You soon discover that something is awry with their marriage, as they are constantly arguing throughout your visit. You are able to use the arrow keys to move around and can type whatever you want whenever you want to, and the characters will react to what you type. Gameplay: Ok, so the first thing I noticed about Façade is that the text recognition isn't very good...(from what I experienced.) If Grace or Tripp are talking and you type something, you interrupt them and they stop, making a perplexed face. This is annoying because they DON'T STOP TALKING. It feels like you can never say anything because you'll get a weird response since you interrupted them. They also seem to say things that really aren't pertinent to the situation, as in my case where I hadn't said a word to Tripp at all and Grace remarked that we were bonding really quickly when in fact we hadn't even spoken yet. Another instance like that is when Grace said something about Tripp always talking about his drinks, and I replied that Tripp's drinks were pretty good. He turned around angrily to me and said "No Dave, I AM NOT going to make you a drink right now!" even though I hadn't asked for one. This ended with me yelling expletives at them, which DID garner a realistic reaction; they kicked me out of their house. I'm going to play through a bit more and see if the experience is any different.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:52:56 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2418&iddiary=4591https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2023Gameplay: After playing Chrono Trigger for another few hours the game is still as enjoyable as before. I unlocked the ability to use magic, and I my characters also learned a few more dual-techniques. I still like how the game isn't too dialogue-heavy, and that it still moves at a pretty quick pace. The story is pretty interesting, especially since they had to tell it with limited system resources. Design: I think one of the most innovative elements of the game is the combat system. I like how enemies can still attack you while you're choosing your actions; it makes the combat feel a little more real-time even though it's turn based. I also like the fact that your characters can learn combat techniques that involve two or more characters to do more damage to enemies. The enemy and NPC animations are also done very well, whether it be in combat or when they are walking around the game areas. The level design in Chrono Trigger is very good. The areas that you go to throughout your adventure are varied; for example you can go to The End of Time, 65 Million B.C., 2300 A.D., and probably even more time periods that I haven't been to yet. Each of the different times have their own unique areas like broken down domed cities, prehistoric jungles, and medieval castles. The game is pretty challenging due to the many boss battles. It seems like the bosses are always just powerful enough to make the fights seem really tough, and you feel very accomplished after you beat them. The game is paced very well; you level up pretty smoothly throughout the game and the enemies never seem far too hard or too easy. The tone of the game is pretty lighthearted; the characters look like they were drawn by the guy who draws the Dragonball series, and also the new RPG Blue Dragon for the Xbox 360. There's no blood or anything, and the enemies just disappear when defeated, like in most RPGs.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:06:12 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2023&iddiary=4114https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2023Summary: Chrono Trigger is an RPG in which the protagonist, Chrono (named Dave in my game) goes on a journey through time to try and stop an evil guy named Magus from altering and destroying the future. Gameplay: My emotional state while playing Chrono Trigger was pretty positive; I found the game very fun to play. I especially liked the battle system and the fact that you travel to a lot of varied locales throughout the game. I like how the enemies are displayed in the area, and there are no random battles. I thought this was a design element that only emerged recently, but I guess they did it back on the SNES! I like how the characters are varied as well; how many games feature sword-wielding frogs and robots that can join your party? I particularly enjoy having Robo in my party; fighting dinosaurs in 36 million B.C. is pretty fun when you have a robot in your party. The story so far is pretty interesting; I've already traveled to a medieval time period and to 300 years in the future. The story has a really nice pace; there's dialogue, but not too much (like in many RPGs) and you never stay in an area for too long or too little. The game flows really smoothly as well. (This entry has been edited4 times. It was last edited on Fri, 25 Jan 2008 20:47:23.)Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:56:00 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2023&iddiary=4032https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1611Gameplay: My emotional state while playing the game for a second time was relatively the same. The narrative didn't really progress much more; I still wandered around deserted buildings and outdoor areas with shipping containers. I saw more of the creepy little girl and some supernatural images, but it didn't tell any more about the story. I'm getting a little bit bored fighting the same enemies over and over. All of the enemies are the same, and I haven't interacted with any other NPCs that are on my side yet. Design: While at first the bullet-time seemed pretty cool, now it's kind of getting old. Every firefight is beginning to feel the same: see the same enemy as last time, press L1 to turn on bullet time, shoot enemy with machine gun. Repeat with varying amounts of enemies over and over. The game also seems to be reusing textures and items a lot...most of the areas look the same as other areas you've already been to. If there were something I could change about the game, I'd probably fix the technical issues that make the PS3 version less fun than the PC version. The loading times need to be MUCH faster, the frame-rate could be improved, and I think the PS3 could handle better graphics than what is on the disc. I distinctly remember playing the PC demo at my friend's house and it looked far better. Overall, the game definitely terrible, but it isn't the best game I've played either. I think I'll stick to my Xbox 360 First Person Shooters. (It would be interesting to see how the 360 version of F.E.A.R. is as well.)Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:26:36 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1611&iddiary=3412https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1611Summary: F.E.A.R. is a first person shooter originally developed for the PC, but I'm playing the ported PS3 version. The features that make it unique are its horror elements and use of bullet-time during firefights. In the game you are a member of the First Encounter Assault Recon (FEAR) and you are trying to find a man by the name of Paxton Fettel who owns a large corporation. Gameplay: I haven't been able to get terribly far into F.E.A.R. after playing for about an hour, but I have been able to observe the core gameplay mechanics. I'll start off with some negative aspects to the game first. This game is a PS3 port of the PC version, and it seems as if something was lost in translation. The textures look very bland and low-res, the character animations are mediocre, and the frame rate dips down low every few seconds. The game also has one of the slowest loading times I've ever seen. Now for the positive: probably one of the best features of the game is the sense of suspense and the shock moments where a myriad of creepy events occur. I've been playing with a friend with the blinds closed, and it's fun to see him jump when a ghostly apparition suddenly appears accompanied by a sudden sound effect. We're planning on playing it later tonight with all the lights off, so we'll see if that adds to the atmosphere. The combat is also very fun and engaging. By pressing the L1 button you can enter a bullet-time mode where everything moves in slow motion and you can see trails coming out of your bullets. Combining bullet-time with the game's visceral melee attacks is very satisfying. The enemy A.I. is VERY smart in this game; they never stand in an open spot just waiting to be shot, the are always moving, and they use sophisticated flanking maneuvers to keep you on your toes at all times.Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:45:09 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1611&iddiary=3340