Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=502https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3046ENTRY #2 GAMEPLAY: After finishing the first case (which actually took longer than I thought), I moved on to the second case right away. I was introduced to another case involving some guy and a noodle cart. Hooray. Oh, and he died on it. So being the good attorney that I am, I had to investigate the matter. The investigation part of Apollo Justice is exactly like that of Phoenix Wright. The scene moves from the top screen to the bottom screen, and the player uses a crosshair (via touch screen or d-pad) to investigate clues that might be helpful. It was one of the first investigation parts of the scene, so the search wasn't too difficult. After a certain number of clues were found, the game took me back to the court room. I pressed witnesses, I presented evidence to contradictory testimonies, patted myself on the back, and went back into investigation mode after the judge decided that he couldn't announce a verdict until ALL the clues were decisive. I stopped there because I realized it was eleven at night and this is due in an hour. So I really look forward to the rest of the game. DESIGN: I am actually surprised that this game reach the popularity that it did. Not many gamers that I know would like to sit down and play a heavily story-driven game. Usually the heavy amount of text is a turn-off for people. I personally love it. The game has two basic modes of design. The first one is in the courtroom. Players must use the ability "press" to get essential information from testimonies and find holes in their stories. And once the player finds a testimony that contradicts certain evidence, he/she must present the evidence correctly or else a penalty is given. Though it may sound a little difficult, going through testimonies and finding contradictions isn't too bad. Players are given the ability to reread certain parts of a testimony if they miss what was said. The second mode is the investigation mode I mentioned earlier. In this mode, players must talk to different people (given by the "Talk" option) and gather information in different locations. Afterwards, there is an "Examine" option where people can look around the current location and potentially find different clues essential to the case. When there are no clues left in one place, players must move to the other places (with, of course, the "Move" option). At certain times, the player will be required to "Present" certain items to characters so that they 1) get a reaction out of them necessary to move on or 2) get more information on the presented item. It feels a little tedious at times and can get frustrating when you don't know what to do. But one feels a great deal of reward when he/she finally figures it out on their own. But these two modes alone couldn't hold a game. It would get boring quite easily. That's why it's a good thing that this game has a good story and lovable characters. While not as good as the Phoenix Wright series in terms of character development, Apollo Justice does the series justice (pun intended?). Each character has their own personality and look that it never gets boring. Some you will learn to love, and others you will simply HATE because of how annoying their appearance and personality are. Just like in real life! And like any good game out there, this game has memorable music. As a matter of fact, I kind of want the soundtrack, but I don't have money. The tunes I speak of occur in the actual courtroom when Apollo thinks of a great comeback against the prosecution. It almost sounds like Megaman music (which is probably why I like it so much). Overall, this game is a great addition to the series. Any fan of the Wright series will feel right at home here. The characters aren't as well-developed, but I'm sure that will come in later sequels, which I HIGHLY look forward to. I recommend this to anyone who loves story-driven games (and sorry RPG fans, you won't be given the option of killing monsters and getting EXP/MONEY for it).Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:05:59 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3046&iddiary=5875https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3046APOLLO JUSTICE: ACE ATTORNEY SUMMARY: Seven years after the events of the Phoenix Wright series, Apollo Justice is the new rookie lawyer in town. As a defense attorney, Apollo must trust each of his clients' words and defend them to the very end. GAMEPLAY: Being a HUGE fan of the Phoenix Wright series, one can only imagine my anticipation for this particular title. I was a bit sad because I knew that this game wouldn't have any of the familiar characters that I grew to love in the Wright series. Still, I wasn't disappointed when I played the first case of the game. Because certain characters from the Phoenix Wright series DID appear in Apollo Justice:Ace Attorney. In fact, the first client you get is...*SPOILER* Phoenix Wright. The game is VERY story driven, which I love. The game opened up with being in the court room as Apollo Justice. The old interface from the Wright series makes its return here. I was given the ability to press a witness for information and present evidence to certain contradictions during the testimony. Being an old fan of the Phoenix Wright games, I grew to like Apollo a lot. He's just another young rookie attorney that needs to get experience as he gets more cases. New to this particular series (Apollo Justice) is the ability to "perceive" people's nervous habits when they lie about something in their testimony. When "pressing" witnesses and "presenting" evidence doesn't work, choosing to use the "perceive ability" (represented by a bracelet) becomes the most logical option. Needless to say, because I'm a veteran, I haven't received many penalties in the game (if you get too many penalties, it's game over). But I have a feeling that I'm gonna start getting those very soon in the next few cases to come. Still, the storyline is all there and the characters all have their own unique personalities. I look forward to playing this game more.Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:04:02 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3046&iddiary=5698https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2821Gamelog #2 Gameplay: After another 45 minutes of gameplay, I finally made to level…TWO! As one can imagine, I patted myself on the back for that one (which actually wasn’t a good idea because I flew into a wall at that moment). Still, I got a lot better at upgrading my ship for me to survive. I managed to get three options for Vic Viper, all equipped with the laser this time (double still sucks, sorry). My Vic Viper was a TANK…that didn’t last that long. Even being a tank in this game, being killed is still quite easy. I can understand why some people just hate this game, but I personally love it. The difficulty is truly meant for the hardcore gamer. I also found that having my ship upgraded to full speed isn’t a good idea. Often times, I could not control Vic Viper, which resulted in stupid ceiling deaths. I yelled and cried because the player is only allowed three lives, and it was my last life. Still, I find this game quite enjoyable and hope to beat it very soon with my Gradius Collection on the PSP. Design: Gradius is a classic shoot-em-up that is “easy to play, difficult to master”. The classic gameplay and hardcore difficulty are definitely the appeal of this game. Most shoot-em-ups have power-ups to make your ship more powerful to help you through the game. Gradius is no exception. However, the upgrade system is very unique in this particular game because the player can actually choose the way Vic Viper gets upgraded. As far as I am concerned, this is the first (and maybe only) shoot-em-up that allows such customization. Gradius definitely does this upgradable system correctly and without flaw. In terms of the difficulty, I am often reminded of Contra when I play Gradius. Without a doubt, this game will frustrate ALL players (hardcore or casual). But resilient hardcore players will beat this game, no doubt. I almost feel that the level design of this game is mostly memorization (and therefore a lot of trial and error is involved). Though players will be challenged to dodge bullets at every angle, as long as you have one set path in this game of progression, you should be fine. This aspect only probably makes up the “love or hate” relationship of this game with the player (personally I love it). For its time, Gradius is actually quite a gorgeous game. Vic Viper is a bright ship and easy to look after in contrast to the very dark backgrounds of the game. The enemies are also very colorful and never get boring to look at. The only aspect of the game I did not like very much was the music. Occasionally it would change to a different tune when I entered a cave, but for most of the space sequences, the music was the same. It goes great with the theme of a galactic space shooter, but it was not memorable enough for me (such as Megaman 2 music for the NES, especially the Wily stage music). If I could change anything in the game, it would most likely be the music. Overall, Gradius is a very well designed game. While the difficulty is awfully steep, it is still fun mainly because it was MEANT to be this hard (like Contra). It isn’t hard because of poor game design (like E.T. for the Atari). The upgrade weapon system also adds a very unique twist to the shoot-em-up genre. The game looks great visually and never gets boring. In fact, because of the insane difficulty and nice visuals, Gradius is actually one of the very few games that’s fun to watch other people play.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:16:16 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2821&iddiary=5253https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2821Gamelog #1 SUMMARY: Gradius is a vertical shoot-em-up. You play as a ship named Vic Viper and must blast through hordes of enemy ships and aliens. Gameplay: I’ve heard how difficult this game was, but I always thought that perhaps those people who complained about that simply were not used to shoot-em-ups. So I decided to play it for myself. Almost as if to slap me in the face, Gradius wasted no time in proving that its difficulty lived up to its hype. I started with a slow-moving ship, so naturally the first thing I upgraded was my speed. I moved a bit faster, but still wasn’t satisfied, so I upgraded again. My first reaction to this upgrade system was thinking how unique it was as opposed to most shoot-em-ups. I could finally upgrade my ship to reflect my playing style. After blasting more enemies and gaining more orange power-ups, I decided to try the “Double” option. I’ve never seen it before and it sounded cool, so I went for it. And boy was it a bad decision. Not only did I feel like my fire-rate was MUCH slower than it already was, but it also went in two different directions that I didn’t want it to: diagonal up right and straight right. I’m sure some players love this weapon, but I hated it. It made my ship-massacre less efficient. I thought I’d try to get used to this weapon because I’m sure it was just me being bad. But every time I upgraded to it, I kept dying! “Double” definitely isn’t my weapon. So I decided to skip that and just go with “Option” instead. Much to my surprise, I now had an orange bad to help me shoot bad guys. THIS was the kind of double that I was looking for! Further into the level, I got enough upgrades to get a second “option”, so now I had TWO orange buddies to help me out! Oh joy! But…as soon as I got it, a rock from an erupting volcano hit me. You can only imagine the anger that ensued from that event. At least I was finally able to experience the difficult of Gradius that I’ve heard so much about. Sad to say, I didn’t even finish the first level in the game. Hopefully during my next 45 minute play through, I can make it a bit farther.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:15:54 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2821&iddiary=5252https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2383Second playthrough GAMEPLAY: For the first playthrough, I wondered where the difficulty of the game went. Sure, the first boss was kinda hard but it didn't really strike me as difficult. Then I got to the second boss. And died. Much to my relief, the difficulty that Devil May Cry brags about still exists. It was quite a mixed emotion actually. I was happy AND sad at the same time. I'm not too sure how that worked out, but it did. Still, I earned a few more combos for Nero, which is always a good thing. It really helps build up the Style Combo meter. For those of you who don't know, this meter encourages players to keep a good streak of combos going. The higher it gets, the more Red orbs you earn. However, if you get hit at all during this streak, the meter resets. Boo. Playing more, I found a few Secret Missions throughout the game. By completing Secret Missions, players are awarded a fragment of a Blue Orb. When players collect 4 pieces, it becomes one whole blue orb and increases the maximum health of the player. Pretty nifty stuff. I didn't advance any farther in the storyline so far, which was a little disappointing. But then again, I'm only on Mission 5 (15 more to go). So there's bound to be more to come. I did come across a few more newer enemies. It certainly makes the game harder (which is a good thing, depending on your taste in games). I look forward to beating this game all the way through (and hopefully beating Dante Must Die mode). DESIGN: If I could categorize Devil May Cry as a whole, I'd say it's a beat-em-up with puzzles and platforming thrown in. For the most part, there are a few puzzles phases mixed with platforming to get new items that will help you proceed farther in the level. However, there are many rooms where you basically just kill everything to proceed. For some gamers, this might get old quick. But for people like me who love killing things stylishly, this will be right up the alley. This particular game implements a good combo system well. Certainly a way to chain combos is to button-mash. However, to pull off the good ones that deal more damage, players need to time it perfectly. For me, this is a HUGE part of the appeal to Devil May Cry. Every move you make is made on command in great response. This makes performing combos VERY satisfying (just like Ninja Gaiden, you have to be a pro). And it looks cool too. The one flaw in this game shares that of its predecessors: the camera. While it doesn't detract from the awesome gameplay, the camera can sometimes get in the way. For example, during my fight with the second boss of the game, I was dealing a good amount of damage with a combo when suddenly the camera shifted. Then a wall was blocking my view of Nero, who inevitably got hit with a frost wave. The camera doesn't really kill the enjoyment of the game, but it certainly is annoying. Overall, the game has very responsive controls, a satisfying combo system, and very good upgrades to help you fight the hordes of demons waiting for Nero.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:13:22 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2383&iddiary=4603https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2383Summary: As he witnesses the assassination of Sanctus, the leader of the Order, Nero vows revenge. The young knight chases the renowned Devil Hunter Dante to find answers as to why he killed Nero's leader. Gameplay: Anyone familiar with the Devil May Cry series will feel right at home here. Much to my sadness, however, I did not control Dante first. As cool as Nero is in the game with the Devil Bringer (Nero's devastating arm that can pull enemies toward you or slam them on the ground), I'm still a Dante fanboy. Despite this minor flaw, Devil May Cry 4 is adrenaline-pumped action all the way. Nero controls very similar to Dante from the previous games and can pull off insane combos. I haven't unlocked them yet, but I will soon. Speaking of which, the upgrade system is back from the previous games. The player can collect red orbs to buy items and health upgrades. However, new to the system is "Proud Souls". Unlike the previous games where red orbs could buy new MOVES, the player is given Proud Souls at the end of each level for that purpose. If you spend the Souls on a move and you realize that you don't like it, you can take the Souls back and add it to a different move. A very interesting system indeed. I've been playing for about an hour and a half now, and I'm still only on mission two. Probably because I keep running around killing things. It's just too fun.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:31:28 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2383&iddiary=4532https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2134Super Mario RPG is a role-playing game made by Squaresoft and Nintendo. Once again, you face-off against Bowser in battle (and inevitably win). But this time around, he is NOT the last bad guy. In fact, he’s the first! Not too long after defeating Bowser, a new nemesis appears (who goes by the name “Smithy”). He takes over Bowser’s castle and claims he will be the ruler of the entire world! Now it’s not Mario’s job to save just the princess; he has to save the WORLD! Gameplay: After playing the game for about 3 hours, the battles in the game introduced a system that feels a little bit newer than standard RPG battle systems. In this battle system, players can inflict more damage by pressing the “attack” button at the correct time during the attack animation. Likewise, when it’s the opponents’ turn to attack, you can press “A” to lower your damage (except against magic-based attacks). I also enjoyed the fact that the view was not from a straight top-down view when walking around. It’s from an isometric view this time, and you can even jump around the map, giving the game a platform feel to it. Also, unlike many RPGs out there, Super Mario RPG actually shows where the bad guys are (unlike random encounters found in games like Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior). So if you’re ever low on health and need to get to that save point, there’s no excuse saying that a random encounter killed you before you could make it. All the lovable characters from the Mario world are in the game (from the main characters all the way down to the enemies), along with a few new characters made specifically for the game (such as a puffy cloud named Mallow who thinks he’s a frog). Also, there are many cameos in the game (including Samus and Culex!). The entire game is full of personality, and many of them are quite humorous. Design: Super Mario RPG feels a lot like both a platformer and an RPG. When not in battle, the player can run around a town or dungeon and perform Mario’s signature jump to reach high places. As far as the battles go, it keeps players on their toes unlike other RPGs. In most RPGs, you can select a single attack or summon and you wait for the damage to be done. Sometimes the animations for these attacks are quite lengthy and can get old after using it over and over again (I’m looking at you Final Fantasy 7 with your “Knights of the Round”). However, in Super Mario RPG, the battle system feels a little more interactive because you can inflict more damage with a “Timed Hit”. Each character has different timing with their attacks, so it’s up to the player to master it. It keeps the battle feeling fresh for a while. Also, this RPG is one that holds TONS of mini-games. I don’t mean just one or two. I mean a LOT. For instance, there’s a game where you can buy a kid’s Gameboy for about 100 coins or so, and you can try and beat his high score! There’s also a part where you have to help a frog compose a song (which he’ll give you something for if you do it right). The only setback I can think of for the game is that it still feels like a traditional RPG in terms of items, equip, etc. While I can think of no way to improve upon this kind of item system, it would have been nice to see something innovative in this category as well. The story is not anything too special either. You play Mario, and you save the day. Again. Still these setbacks are completely overshadowed by everything that’s good about this game. You have a more innovative battle system, lovable characters that you can grow attached to, awesome magic attacks, and a lot of fun minigames. A must-play for ANY RPG fan (or Mario fan for that matter).Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:00:23 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2134&iddiary=4133https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1623Summary: Since the defeat of Red Falcon (in Contra 3), the Earth has once again prospered in peace. However, a new invasion has begun! Earth never seems to get a break as a new group of aliens (called Black Viper) enslaves the human race and destroys anything that get in their path! But what exactly gets in the way of their path to destruction? Two shirtless guys...insanely ripped...wearing bandanas...and wield rifles equipped with infinite ammo. Gameplay: I shall heed you a warning. This game is absolutely NOT for the casual gamer. Why? Because this game will kick your butt. I'm not using the word "might" because it WILL kick your butt. In fact, this game will beat you so bad that you'll end up in the hospital! And once you're in the hospital thinking that everything will be OK, Contra 4 will be there and beat you down WHILE you're in your hospital bed! But what kind of game is Contra 4? For those of you who do not know, it is a side-scrolling 2-D shoot-everything game. Your primary goal? Rid the world of aliens trying to enslave the human race. Yup, not very epic. But it gets the job done. Side-scrollers aren't meant to have great stories anyway (I mean, c'mon, a plumber rescuing a princess from a giant lizard?). The controls for the game are simple. Y (the most important button) is to shoot. B is to jump (second most important). X is to use your grappling hook (so you can travel both the top AND bottom screen). L is to switch your weapons (you're allowed 2). Hold down R to stand in place while shooting (because you usually run AND gun at the same time). I myself am a bit experienced with the world of Contra, so I thought I'd try playing the game on Normal mode first. Scrolling through the first level, Contra fans will recognize the homage to the NES version instantly. The jungle level with remixed music. It doesn't get any better than that. And a few seconds going across the level, JOY! My first power-up! But as soon as I touch the stupid thing, 4 bullets and 6 different guy jump towards my way. Again, if you aren't familiar with Contra, I want to let you know that touching ANYTHING bad means instant death. And, as you can imagine, I lost one life already. About 20 seconds into the game and I ALREADY died! No biggy, I'll just rely on the rest of the lives that I hav...oh...died again. Crap (yes, I'm playing as I type this). Despite the absolute FRUSTRATION I am going through right now, I already know I love this game. Sure, you only get a set number of lives (5 on Normal), and yes, you do get killed with just ONE hit. But I just LOVE the challenge! The biggest challenge by far is keeping track of the action going on in TWO screens (it is the DS after all). You may come across a point where you've destroyed everything on the bottom screen, but enemies from the TOP screen will be raining bullets down on you. Not easy stuff. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:22:47.)Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:18:25 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1623&iddiary=3342