Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=589https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2662GAMEPLAY 2: One thing im finding really annoying is the fact that I always feel like I'm moving diagonally. I'm playing this game on an SNES emulator, so I use the arrow keys on my computer to move. In order to go straight on each map, I have to press two arrows at once (i.e. up and right). The fact that this game seems to be sort of set up at an angle always confuses me while I'm playing, because I will start to move one way and then realize that I need to be moving the opposite way. The gameplay overall is okay, but I think that the cutscenes take up too much time and are boring to watch. I guess that may be caused in part by the fact that I am spoiled with the really good game graphics that games nowadays have. I don't know if I really liked the story. I mean, there wasn't anything wrong with it, but it has quite an over-used, mediocre plot-line. The whole "saving the princess" thing is quite overrated. The characters are good though, but then again they are the same characters that appear in all the Mario games. Basically the two main characters are Mario, who you get to play as, and Peach...err I mean Toadstool, the princess. I don't know where the name Peach came from, but I guess the original name for her was Toadstool. I'm not exactly sure, but I'm thinking that Toadstool and Toad (the mushroom looking guy) are a couple or something. I haven't really played far enough into the game to figure that out. DESIGN: Overall I don't think this is a very good game. I mean, for its time it is a pretty good RPG, but I was pretty frustrated by the controls and the gameplay in general. Like I mentioned earlier, there is the issue of the game being angled in a way that I had to press two keys at once to go straight. I'm sure that is due to the fact that it is a 3D game, but I think it could've been oriented in a way where just pressing one key would get you going in the right direction. The turn-based battle sequences, as I also mentioned, were pretty unique, allowing equal opportunities for both sides to attack each other. However, in a way I felt like this constricted my freedom, but maybe I'm just partial to games that allow you to attack at will. There isn't much of a reward structure in this game. Actually, there is almost none. You really don't receive anything when you beat levels, except for the satisfaction of having saved the princess. There are no coins that you collect throughout the levels, and you don't get a prize after you beat a boss. I guess it doesn't really matter though, because the point is to get through a series of challenges to reach the princess, not to be constantly rewarded. I think Super Mario RPG could have been better, but nonetheless it is a decent game for the knowledge and technology of its time. (This entry has been edited3 times. It was last edited on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:36:57.)Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:27:01 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2662&iddiary=5040https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2662SUMMARY: Super Mario RPG is a role playing game for SNES where you play as Mario, trying to find and save Peach (or as they call her in the game, Toadstool)from the evil clutches of various bad guys. GAMEPLAY: This game is surprisingly different than the other Mario games. How? Well for starters, it is in 3D animation. Your character can move freely around the gameworld, because you aren't limited to a linear 2D space. Although just like any other RPG, there are always certain restrictions as to the extent of your freedom. Obviously there are certain event sequences that must occur, so even if you can move wherever you want within a certain map, there is usually only one thing you can do to keep the plot going. You can't just run off into the bushes, or jump on top of houses or something. There are invisible boundaries set all around you that confine you to those respective areas. Another reason why this game is different is the way the battles play out. Instead of jumping on top of enemies, coming in contact with them sends you to a sort of "battle room" where you and your enemy take turns attacking. Neither your character or the enemy characters are able to move around freely during this battle. Instead you stand across from one another, and you go back and forth with your attacks. Mario has two controls for this kind of situation: attack or defend. I don't really see the point of defending, because every time I did that, the enemies still did the same amount of damage to me as they would normally. But anyway, this turn-based system is a lot more intense, and it makes the game a lot more exciting. It actually kinda reminds me of Pokemon!Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:57:44 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2662&iddiary=5037https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2425GAMEPLAY 2: The more I play this game, the more addicted I get!! The main reason for that is because you can level up once you build up enough experience. I'm not exactly sure what the advantage is to being a higher level, but I do know that it makes you look cooler if you have the number 11 above your name rather than the number 2. Sometimes I play against my sister or my friends, which also adds to the fun. Audition definitely gives you lots of feelings of satisfaction, because a lot of the time there are heated battles for 1st and 2nd place, and when you get 1st you feel so good about yourself. The scoring system is pretty simple. You can get perfect, great, cool, bad, or miss. The more perfects you get, the higher your score goes. If you make combos of perfects, the you get even more points. If you miss, you get no points. It's pretty easy for the outcome of the game to change. First you think that this one guy is gonna win, but then he happens to miss one wave of arrows and then all of a sudden another person takes over his spot. There is a wide selection of songs in the game, which is also a plus. Some of them I have never heard of, but they are all catchy dancing songs. Audition is really a great game, because it is innovative and has no game exhaustion. You could play it to infinity and beyond because it goes on forever! Although I guess if you got bored of it, that would be a form of exhaustion...haha. Anyway, everything in the game is very vibrant and exciting. You can change the kind of room that you dance in to whatever you want; from a Halloween themed school classroom to the middle of a Japanese city to a sunny, beach-side stage. Some of the stages, however, are really bright so it makes the arrows harder to see. DESIGN: I think that Audition is very uniquely designed. It takes the concept of arrows and twists in a whole new way. While being rhythm based, it also adds in the competition factor and the leveling up. Not only that, but it throws a lot of challenges at you. But first I should describe the different channels. There is a beginner channel that you can enter when you first start out, and all the songs are pretty easy and not too fast. But if you go into the free, intermediate or expert channels, you will be faced with much more difficult songs. In addition to songs being more challenging by their bpm (beats per minute), there is also a mode called "chance mode." This causes red arrows to appear in each of your combinations of arrows. Whatever the red arrow says, you are supposed to press the opposite. So a red arrow pointing to the left would indicate that you must press the right arrow. Chance mode is optional, but many people enjoy doing it because it adds an extra challenge to their gameplay experience. The reward structure, as I explained earlier, is quite simple. Every time you complete a song, you are awarded a certain amount of experience and beats. It all depends on how you place. Obviously 1st place will receive the most exp and beats, then 2nd place, etc. Having two kinds of rewards is cool because then you have two things to look forward to. When you get beats, you can shop around in the fashion mall and decide what you want to buy with them. The more beats you have, the better stuff that you can buy. Right now I am saving them to get an awesome hairstyle that costs 100000 beats...so it is going to take me a while. But that is what keeps me playing! Then there is experience, which levels you up and shows the Audition world how pro you are. I just really like this game because it is a pretty simple concept to grasp, but it is difficult to master. That is what all games should be about!Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:07:25 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2425&iddiary=4659https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2425SUMMARY: Audition is an MMO (massively multiplayer online) game where each player is represented by an animated avatar, and the goal is to press arrows on your keyboard in a specific amount of time to make your character dance. GAMEPLAY: Because of the arrows, those who have never played Audition may come to the conclusion that it is similar to DDR. However, the differences are quite obvious. First of all, the arrows themselves do not follow a beat, and they do not travel from the bottom to the top of the screen. Instead they appear in waves, so that you must press a combination of different arrows at once. Above the arrows there is a white bar with an orb moving across it, and you have to complete the set of arrows given before the orb reaches the flashing area of the white bar. When the orb actually reaches that area, you must press the space bar. It seems complicated, but once you get the hang of it, it is actually pretty simple. I really enjoyed playing this game because of the fact that you get to face off against real people and not just computers. I also liked how the avatars dance, because they do it a surprisingly realistic way. Each one of their dance moves was something I could see a real person achieving, which I thought was very unique about this game. Another thing that is nice about Audition is that you have a lot of flexibility with how you want your avatar to look. Although you have a limited selection of hair, skin color, shirt, pants, and shoes (in the beginning), your options open up more the longer you play. The reason for this is because whenever you finish playing a song, you receive "beats" which you can use to buy new items in the fashion mall. Most of the items in the fashion mall require real money, but if you collect enough beats then there are quite a few things that you are allowed to purchase with them. This is good because it permits characters to look good without having to spend real money.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:14:05 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2425&iddiary=4639https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2035GAMEPLAY 2: Well, forget I ever said that this game isn't difficult. It wasn't in the beginning, but I'm actually having problems beating the first level of the third world, Butter Building. There is this one part half way through it where you are put in a boss-situation with this pincher bug looking thing, and I have no idea how to beat it. It keeps getting me in these impossible-to-escape holds and then crushing the living shit out of me. But besides that, I've been having a lot of fun with this game. There are actually a variety of different attacks you can execute, because Kirby can absorb the powers of the enemies he sucks in. Some of my favorites are the sword, the laser, and the spinning disk. I found it interesting that some of the levels are oriented vertically rather than horizontally. Although I guess that makes sense, since they usually take place in a tower of some sort. Every world has its own theme, and all the colors and backdrop artwork seem to match up well to make that world come alive. This game gives lots of freedom to the player, because you can move anywhere on the screen, and you can venture anywhere on the current map that you are playing. But of course since it's a platformer, there is a specific path that you ultimately must take in order to defeat the level. DESIGN: I think the overall structure of Kirby's Adventure is pretty strong, although it can get old pretty quickly when you find yourself traversing worlds that remind you of the last one. Basically all that changes is the scenery, but you are still confronted with the same enemies as before. The goal of each level is the same, the bosses have similar attacks, and there just isn't much to distinguish one world from another. I feel like the game needs another element to it to make it more appealing and not just a continuous spiral of deja vu. It is a very simple game, almost exactly like Mario only the mode of attack is different and the reward system is very limited. In Mario you can collect coins while you go through levels, but in Kirby's Adventure the only "reward" you recieve is getting to the end. I think more could've been done with that, because every game should give you some sort of satisfaction, but I can honestly say that I have never felt proud of myself for beating a level in this game. Its not a multiplayer game, so it doesn't have that competition factor, and so I think the game needs to have more to offer the player to keep them going. Although I can cut it some slack, since its one of those classic, back in the day games. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:04:11.)Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:55:54 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2035&iddiary=4082https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2035SUMMARY: Kirby's Adventure is a platformer game for NES in which you play as Kirby, the infamous pink blob, on a quest to unlock worlds by defeating levels. Each level is littered with enemies, but not to worry! With your innate sucking abilities, you can inhale opponents of all shapes and sizes to destroy them. GAMEPLAY: Although this game is very similar to the original Mario platformers, I found that Kirby’s unique attacking skill added a whole new element to the game, thus making it more addictive and entertaining. I’ve always loved Kirby, so being able to play as him was already a plus. I like the floating feature that Kirby has, because it is useful for avoiding enemies. This is also somewhat of a downside, however, because then it immediately makes the game less challenging. I have gotten up to the third world, and I still haven’t found any of the levels or bosses particularly difficult to beat. I think the reason for that is because Kirby’s abilities make him kind of a cheap character. For example, it is easier to just press a key and suck up an enemy than time a jump exactly right to squash an enemy, like in Mario. There doesn't seem to be a very defined storyline here. The premise of the game is basically as the title states, adventures with Kirby. As you defeat levels, you are taken to different worlds, and your ultimate goal is to unlock all the worlds. Every time you start a new level, you are given four lives, and you can take up to six hits from monsters before you lose a life. I think that system is pretty fair, because I am not a pro-gamer, so it doesn't take much to kill me. I like having the leisure of getting hit a few times before I have to start over!! Another thing I enjoyed about this game was the music. It made me feel like I was back in elementary, playing one of those super old school games. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:32:29.)Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:57:48 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2035&iddiary=4070https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1725SUMMARY: Fuzion Frenzy is a multi-player game for x-box that includes a series of crazy (but fun) mini-games in which the players face off against each other in a futuristic environment. In the beginning each player must choose either a male or female character to represent them in each game. Then you get to decide from a list of different games what you feel like playing. Each mini-game gives you a description of the controls and its main goal. GAMEPLAY: The basic concepts behind each mini-game are similar to those that have been used before, but Fuzion Frenzy puts its own spin on it. For example, one of the games entails zooming around a circular arena while trailing ice behind you. The point is to avoid other people's ice trails and be the last one standing. This idea was taken from the classic game "Snake" which I'm sure everyone has played at least once in their lifetime. I think that using past ideas and spicing them up is an effective strategy, because everyone loves the old classics!! My personal favorite mini-game is called Sumo, where the characters roll around in hollow balls on a round platform and attempt to push each other off the sides. As the game progresses, outer layers of the platform break away, making it more difficult to stay on. The last player on the platform wins the game. I played it with one other friend and two computers, but you can have up to four players going head to head. I found that the competitive environment in which you play evokes strong feelings of happiness/frustration/wanting to kick other people's asses, which is why the more times I lost, the more I wanted to play! Fuzion Frenzy is extremely addicting, and its large selection of games allow for zero boredom and endless fun!!! GAMEPLAY 2: The more I played this game, the better I got at it. Once you play through each mini-game a couple times, you get a feel for it and are then able to quickly become a more experienced player. Unlike rhythm based games that take months to get good at, this game is easy for anyone to pick up and be a pro in no time. The game itself isn't really what is difficult. What actually matters is how good your opponents are (aka your friends). Although sometimes the computer characters can be pretty hard to beat, which is why I thought it would be nice if you could change their difficulty settings. Fuzion Frenzy doesn't really have a storyline, and considering the type of game it is, having no storyline is quite fitting. Unless it were to have an adventure mode, there is no need for one. It is meant to be a party game, like Mario Party, and I think it definitely pulls that off. The more players you have, the more exciting and challenging it becomes. I definitely enjoyed myself, and I think that people of any age could enjoy it as well. DESIGN: I like the way Fuzion Frenzy is set up. Mini-games are always popular, and by having more than 45 of them, there is no way you can get bored!! The futuristic/outer worldly setting adds to its appeal, and gives the game a much more modern feel. The challenges each game presents are doubled, since the difficulties within the level and the other players are both threats to your survival. I like that, because it creates a competition between players and makes it more thrilling. The reward system of this game is pretty straightforward. Basically each level has a goal, and for the most part that goal is to simply last longer than your opponents. However, some levels are set up so that you need to collect tokens of some kind, and whoever ends up with the most tokens when the time runs out wins. As you end each game and start a new one, the game keeps track of the amount of times each player has won, so by the time you are done playing you can see who has the most wins. Altogether this game isn't very complex, but its the simplicity of each mini-game that keeps us gamers hooked! (This entry has been edited3 times. It was last edited on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:11:51.)Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:38:50 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1725&iddiary=3493