Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=508https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2943GAMEPLAY After playing another hour, I acquired another immortal and my first mortal party member. The mortal, Jansen is the first magic caster that you get in the game. With the introduction of magic, the offensive capabilities of my party greatly increased. One good thing about having mortals in the party is the ability to skill link. On their own, immortals cannot learn skills but when there is a mortal in the party, skills can be linked and learned by the mortals. This results in the immortals (usually) being vastly superior in fighting abilities than the mortals. The few exceptions are the fact that the characters are built to either be melee characters or casters so a caster would be vastly inferior at physical combat and vice versa. Once leaving the first city, I found myself on the world map. In Lost Odyssey, the world is shown in two ways. The majority of the time, you traverse the world through a list of destinations that you can choose. When ships are available, you can actually explore the world, though the possible destinations are somewhat limited to ports. As the game world became more fleshed out, I learned of the Magical Industrial Revolution that occurred in the world that resulted in a boost of magical technology. As such, everything is powered by magic. One part of Lost Odyssey I really enjoyed were the unique characters and their interactions with other people in the game world. For example, to contrast Kaim's serious demeaner, Jansen's constant complaints, sarcasm, and whitty remarks really add to the depth of the characters. The voice acting in Lost Odyssey is well done for the most part. A few characters annoyed me, but perhaps that is what they were meant to be portrayed. DESIGN Sakaguchi's decision to create an RPG that ignores many of the new elements that have been added to the genre (for better or for worse) was wise. Instead of focusing on groundbreaking ideas, he stuck with the formula created through the years that worked while adding a little flair to keep things fresh. The music, composed by Nobuo Uematsu of Final Fantasy fame, was beautifully done and complements the game perfectly. The atmospheric melodies played during unlocked memories are wonderfully moody and match the text perfectly. Mistwalker's decision to include multiple audio tracks (english, japanese, german and a few others) to such a cutscene heavy game was a welcome surprise. Although I have no use for the german or other european tracks, the ability to choose between english and japanese audio is a choice more games should allow. I have played many games in which the english voices were so horrible, that I would cringe everytime I was forced to listen to the characters, though this was not a case for Lost Odyssey. One unique design element in the battle system is the Guard Condition (GC) system. In battles, the characters in the party can be put into either the front row or the back row. Back row characters are protected from most attacks as long as the front row's GC bar is high. The GC level is determined by the total health of all front row characters. If all characters in the front row are in good condition, most attacks on the back row are buffered and reduced. This system adds some strategy to the fights because enemies use the GC system as well so if there is an enemy caster in the back row being protected by a few enemies in the front row, you must attack the front row to lower the GC and increase damage done to the back. The fact that GC does not come back during battles (unless specific skills are used) makes some boss fights very challenging.Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:26:48 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2943&iddiary=5620https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2943SUMMARY Lost Odyssey is an RPG developed for the xbox 360 by Mistwalker and was produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi of Final Fantasy Fame. The story follows an immortal named Kaim as he struggles to reclaim his lost memories and to discover the truth of his immortality. GAMEPLAY The game begins on the Highlands of Wohl amidst an epic battle between the troops of Uhra and the troops of Khent. After the introductory cutscene, I was thrown right into a battle against numerous soldiers. The battle was fairly straightforward. Once the fight was over, another cutscene followed. In the first hour of the game I played, I noticed that the majority of my time was spent watching cutscenes. Despite being a fan of old school RPGs, I found myself itching for more action. After the action packed introduction, I found myself wandering around an unfamiliar city trying to continue the story. While running around, I stumbled upon one of my favorite parts of the game. I had unlocked part of the "Thousand Years Of Dreams." Kaim and the other immortals unlock memories during the course of the game, and they are presented simply but effectivly with text, accompanied by beautiful hand drawn images and subtle music cues. These dream sequences provide the game's most touching and heartfelt moments. Lost Odyssey's gameplay is a blast from the past. It utilizes a very traditional turned based battle system with a unique twist with the introduction of the ring system. This system is somewhat similar to other games such as Legend of Dragoon and the Shadow Hearts series in that it requires the player to have a good sense of timing. A well timed press (or release in the case of Lost Odyssey) of a button will result in increased damage. The rings are forged using various components found in chests, dropped by slain monsters, or purchased in shops. Rings can have a variety of different effects in battle. For example, some rings increase damage against certain elemental or monster types, or allow the character equipped to leech life from the enemy attacked. The ring system added a unique flair to the battle mechanics that make battles satisfying and interactive.Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:16:50 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2943&iddiary=5618https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2653Entry #2 GAMEPLAY As the game progresses, the gameplay does not change much but the stages get progressively larger. I have moved on from small items like pens paperclips and have started to pick up animals and cars. As the prince creates more and more planets, a parallel story involving the Hoshino family is shown through cutscenes that show the effects of the prince's efforts to restore the stars. It's interesting to see how each katamari rolled effects the lives of this family. In addition to the missions that require the prince to get the katamari to a target size, there are levels that require the prince to roll up a certain number of a particular item to create constellations. For example, one level requires the player to roll up a number of crabs to create the constellation Cancer. This offers a little more variety in gameplay but is still essentially the same thing, for better or for worse. There is also a very medeocre multiplayer mode that involves two players facing off against each other to create the bigger katamari. An interesting feature implemented in the game is the fact that if one player is leading the other player in katamari size by a substantial amount, he can roll up the other player and end the match. Although this may be entertaining for a few matches, it does not have the same flare that the single player missions have and quickly loses its entertainment value. DESIGN Katamari Damacy is one of the few games that developers have made that take a huge risk in creating something truly unique. Before katamari, there has not been a game that utilizes the concept of rolling a ball to pick up objects of increasing sizes. The developers found a way to make an event that sounds incredibly mundane and succeeded to create a fun and visually pleasing game. In addition to the unique gameplay of the game, Katamari also has a very distinct visual style. The game models are very simple and blocky and are cartoonish and lack details. This creates a style that stands out in a world of games emphasizing realistic graphics. With the relatively limited processing power available on the Playstation 2, this was an excellent choice and was implemented extremely well. Another part of this game that stood out to me was the unique soundtrack. It has a perfect blend of traditional video game music with heavy jazz and samba influences. The game has countless memorable audio tracks that are both catchy and easy on the ears. The level design in Katamari was also well thought out. Each level usually consists of various zones that are barricaded by an object that can only be bypassed and rolled when the katamari reaches a certain diameter. When that occurs, a new area, usually filled with larger items to roll, is available to the player. This method of using barricades also teaches the player the progression of items that a katamari is capable of rolling as the size increases.Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:08:51 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2653&iddiary=5025https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2653gamelog entry #1 SUMMARY Katamari Damacy is a quirky game about the prince of all cosmos, who must put the stars and galaxies back into the sky when they are destroyed. The player controls the prince as he rolls around a ball, called a katamari, and picks up objects in the game world to increase the size of the katamari. The size of objects that can be picked up depends on the overall diameter of the katamari and range from small items like paper clips to gigantic items such as islands, clouds and giant godzilla calibur monsters. GAMEPLAY When I first saw this game, I was weirded out by the entire concept of the game. As I began playing, the gameplay mechanics were simple and easy to understand and before I knew it, a couple hours had passed and I still wanted to play more. Despite the lack of varied goals in the game, the gameplay was addicting and entertaining. The controls made excellent use of the dual shock's analog sticks and allowed for rather intuitive control of the prince and his katamari. One thing that stood out in particular was the simple, yet ridiculous story. For example, the reason why the prince must remake all the stars in the sky is that his father, The King of All Cosmos, got drunk and accidentally destroyed the stars. In addition, most of the dialogue in the game consists of quirky instructions and responses from The King that state the target size of the katamari for each level. A lot of the charm and humor from the game is seen through the interactions with The King. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:18:09.)Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:14:08 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2653&iddiary=5024https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2360Gamelog Entry #2 GAMEPLAY After playing for another hour, I became more accustomed to the Exceed system, which is part of the main character's fighting style. His sword, the Red Queen, allows him to rev the blade to increase speed and damage with timed presses of a button. One thing I noticed was that the game has a lot of backtracking. I found myself traversing the same areas multiple times. The developers made it such that the backtracking wasn't too confusing. Often, there were messages stating that a new path was available in the area which prevented me from getting too lost. After going through most of the game as Nero, the story switched to the perspective of Dante, the protagonist of the previous games. Having since gotten used to Nero's combat abilities, I found myself disoriented and confused with the different set of abilities. After a little while, the new controls set in and were simple to remember and simple to pull of combo attacks. A few things I found annoying were some of the enemies. Some of the varieties of monsters are just a pain to deal with such as an electric demon that is impervious to melee attacks until many rounds from my firearms. Even after that, it turns red and tries to suicide bomb me. DESIGN The developers did an outstanding job in level pacing and variation. The settings of the levels were gorgeous and breathtaking, in particular the snowy castle and the lush jungle areas. One thing that the developers could have improved was the shadow effects. The problem is most noticeable in the jungle areas from the shadows cast by the trees. The shadows just look very sub-par and take away from the rest of the superb visuals. One of the new additions to the combat system, the Exceed System, greatly deepens the already intricate combat system in this game. For new players, the exceed system can be ignored but with more experienced players, it adds a new layer of skill. The perfect timing needed to pull of combos with the Exceed System add to the skills necessary to master this game. Another thing the developers further improved from previous games was the equipment management system, which makes the fighting more fluid by allowing the player to change melee weapons, guns, and fighting styles on the fly. For example, a player using Dante can start off with a few slashes from a sword, continue with some fire from the dual pistols, Ebony & Ivory, and then instantly follow up with a rocket launcher and hand to hand combat. This system allows for some truly amazing combos that would not have been possible in the previous games.Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:28:21 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2360&iddiary=4508https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2360Gamelog Entry #1 SUMMARY Devil May Cry 4 is the fourth installment of the popular Devil May Cry series that began on the Playstation 2 seven years ago. The player takes control of Nero, a newly introduced character, for the majority of the game and for the last third of the game, reprises the role of Dante, a half demon devil hunter. The game focuses on stylish combat against multiple enemies by using various firearms and melee weapons. As with the majority of its previous incarnations (the exception being the mediocre Devil May Cry 2), Devil May Cry 4 is known for its difficulty. GAMEPLAY The first thing that came to my mind when I first started playing Devil May Cry 4 was a sense of familiarity. The artistic style is similar to that of its predecessors with a dark gothy ambiance. Although the fourth installment of this series does not bring too many new innovative gameplay ideas, it has further improved on its combat system and of course its graphics engine. One new feature I found interesting was the introduction of "Proud Souls", which are basically the in-game currency for purchasing weapon and skill upgrades in addition to the standard red orbs of demon blood which has become a staple for the series. Instead of having one single currency for both weapon/skill upgrades and for item purchases, the game separates the two so the player can better manage resources. Red orbs are rather plentiful and are dropped by dead enemies and from breaking various objects in the surrounding areas like chairs and tables. Proud souls on the other hand, are rewarded for finishing a mission. Depending on the grade given, the amount of souls received increases or decreases. One of my favorite things about the Devil May Cry series is the use of amazing in-engine cutscenes to show the plot of the game. The game is filled with outrageous fight scenes and corny dialogue that has become synonymous with the series. As expected for a hack and slash action game, the plot is not particularly deep, but it was written well enough to keep me interested in what was happening to the characters. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:18:34.)Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:13:59 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2360&iddiary=4502https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2043GAMELOG ENTRY #2 Classics:Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) GAMEPLAY After continuing to play this game, I noticed a few unique choices the developers made. While wandering around the countryside, there is little to no music being played. The only audible sounds are the wind howling, your horse's footsteps, various ambient noises. This choice really enhances the feeling of being alone in a vast empty world. In contrast to the lack of music while exploring, when a battle with a colossus is initiated, epic orchestrated music begins to play, which further enhances the mood. As the number of colossi I faced increased, I noticed how each of the behemoths required a unique strategy to take them down. One of the battles that stood out in particular was colossus number three. This monstrosity weilds a large pillar of stone like a sword. The first time through this game, I was baffled. I noticed that after doing a vertical swing, its sword stayed down in the ground for a short period, which allowed me to run up the length of it and grab onto its furry arm. Unfortunatly, I did not notice that it wore a stone bracelet that prevented my character from climbing up its arm to its weakpoint. It was after a half hour of scratching my head when I noticed that I would have to make the colossus hit the stone circle in the middle of the platform to destroy its bracelet. This unique strategy really adds to the depth of the game and is an excellent implementation of a near perfect mix of puzzles and of action. Another good example of this is one of the later colossi that involves interaction with parts of the environment in order to break the armor covering its back and expose its weakpoint. DESIGN The games straightforward story, amazing score, innovative boss battles, and well implemented controls combine to create one of the Playstation 2's best games. The designer's choice of a noticeable lack of loading screens while traversing the countryside and during boss battles gives the game a very cinematic feel. The only loading screens that I noticed are the ones after a players death or when first loading the game. In fact, gameplay is rarely interrupted by messages and screens popping up. There are a few exceptions of course such as the message asking the player if he would wish to save and player initiated actions like bringing up the world map. The overall visual design of both the colossi and the architecture give a unique feeling of being in a completely different time period and location. Both remind me of old aztec ruins and various other old temples and ruins. Further reinforcing this is the use of a language that the developered made up. Another point this brings up is the possible correlation to team ICO's earlier game entitled "Ico". Characters in both games appear to speak the same language and the settings of both games are stylistically similar. There is also a possible connection in the stories of both games though I will not spoil what it is exactly. I really like it when developers create games with subtle stories that connect to other projects that they have done, either through the story or just references. This really adds another layer to the games plot and creates an unforgettable experience.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:08:47 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2043&iddiary=3972https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2043GAMELOG ENTRY #1 Classics:Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) SUMMARY Shadow of the Colossus is a strategic action game for the Playstation 2. The game involves a young man and his faithful horse on a quest to ressurect a young woman with the help of a god-like entity. In order to fulfill this task, the man is given the task of slaying 16 large beings called colossi. The entire game consists of 16 epic boss battles with the task of traversing a huge map on horseback to get to the location of each colossus. GAMEPLAY The first time I started playing SotC, the introduction cinematic blew me away. With the already then aging hardware of the Playstation 2, team ICO (the developers) managed to create an amazing engine that is capable of rendering breathtaking landscapes, intricate ruins, and monstrously detailed colossi. Hours can be spent just wandering around the map on horseback and exploring the gorgeous scenery and climbing the various temples (that denote savepoints) and structures scattered around the map. As for the actual fighting, the game focuses on the task of finding a way to mount each of the unique creatures and stab its magical weakpoint to take it down. Each colossus has multiple weakpoints that each hold a fraction of the colossi's health. When one point it completely destroyed, another appears on its body. There is a catch however. The weakpoints are invisible until the player reflects sunlight off of his magical sword onto the area of the point, which reveals it for a short period, or if the player is extremely close to the point, which reveals it indefinitely until the player gets too far away or if the point is destroyed. The colossi themselves vary in size and behaviour. Some are two legged, some are four legged, some soar high in the sky, some are towering behemoths, and some are only slightly bigger than you. The developers did an amazing job in creating so many unique creatures. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:29:52.)Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:58:46 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2043&iddiary=3952https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1631GAMEPLAY During the second session of playing Team Fortress 2, I experimented with other classes that I didn't play with as much. For the most part I really enjoyed playing as every class, in particular the scout and demoman. The scout was a unique experience because of the speed of the character. Playing as a scout is more similar to playing other fast paced shooters such as Unreal Tournament and Quake. The ability to double jump is very useful in disorienting opposing players and make traversing the levels much easier. When I began playing as the demoman, I realized that I would need to change how I played completely. The sticky bomb launcher, which is basically a remote mine, requires strategic placing and good timing. The standard grenade launcher also requires accuracy to hit enemy players. Compared to the scout where running up close to the enemies for maximum effectiveness of the scattergun, the demoman is better for staying further back and taking out enemies from a longer distance. DESIGN The more I played, the more I got frustrated by critical hits from enemies. The game has a system implemented where any attack has a chance of being a critical hit that does an insane amount of damage, especially the soldier and heavy classes. A critical rocket from a soldier has the ability to kill every class in one hit except for a heavy or another soldier. Since rockets are long range weapons, they can be shot from a long distance and be devastating. I have found myself exploding from critical rockets from players with minimal amounts of health that just happened to turn around at the wrong time. The level design in the game is a bit repetitive with all official maps having the same industrial rural theme. Despite this, all of the maps are well balanced and keep things entertaining. Valve has also released the source SDK so that people can create their own maps for the various gametypes. The constant flow of newly created maps, both well made and poorly designed ones, keep the game from getting old and repetetive.Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:53:41 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1631&iddiary=3428https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1631SUMMARY In the first person shooter Team Fortress 2, the player can choose from nine different classes, each with its own specialty and role, and battles against the opposing team in various objective based games that emphasizes teamwork and communication. GAMEPLAY The more I played TF2, the more engrossed I became in it. The first thing that caught my eye was the unique visual style of the game. The graphics are very cartoon like. It’s as if The Incredibles suddenly started carrying around big guns. All of the classes have a distinct look and are modeled and animated extremely well. Even though good graphics don’t make a good game, they certainly help. The actual game play was also created extremely well. Each of the nine classes has their own role and specialties that help with the various objectives in the different game types. One of the main differences between TF2 and many other shooters is the fact that the outcome of a match is determined mostly by how well a team works together. A group of mediocre players that communicate and work together is capable of beating a group of skilled players that have no teamwork. This makes this game even better when playing with and against friends. Even though the game has no story, I found it funny that they do have an explanation for the two teams being red and blue respectively. Each map has its own funny acronym for team “R.E.D.” and team “B.L.U.” which adds a bit of humor to the game. In addition, each class has multiple taunts that add to the games unique sense of humor and style. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:02:13.)Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:01:18 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1631&iddiary=3384