Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=598https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=29645th GameLog: Resident Evil 4 (Game of Choice) 2nd Log Game Play The second time around, this game keeps getting more interesting and the story starts to unravel more. The story is the biggest reason that I keep playing this game. It's told in such a mysterious and suspenseful manner that you feel that you are watching a Hitchcock film. There are new characters being introduced and you start to get a grasp of whats actually happening. The story takes place in central Europe where the townspeople are infected with a virus called the Plaga. As you progress, you encounter different environments like towns, castles, lakes, mines , ruins, etc. As you progress more, I have encountered more unique enemies and bosses. Enemies in this game have been placed perfectly in respect to the environments. Each environment has specific types of enemies that you encounter. If you are in the castle, you will face cult members that look and act different. These enemies are also more difficult to overcome. I also love the fact that they game the zombies weapons in this game. Some of the enemies will have dynamite in their hands and throw it at you. If you have good aim, you can shoot off the dynamite and the zombie's entire body and the people near him explode. I thought this was really cool and gave the game some really nice effects. I also love the fact that there are a lot more weapons you can use. Most of the previous Resident Evils had a limited amount of weapons. This game has sniper rifles, rocket launchers, mine launchers, many handguns, shotguns, and other weapons that you can unlock as you progress further. There are also add-ons to weapons to make them more accurate and steady. When upgrading your weapons, you really have to make smart decisions because you want to upgrade the weapons that will give you the most advantage when facing enemies. Game Design One of the most intuitive elements of this game was the behind-the-shoulder action mechanic. This aspect solved all the camera angle problems that were in the previous games. Now you wont have the problem of odd camera angles getting in your way of shooting zombies. In general, it was a great idea to remove the fixed camera mechanic. Another great change was the removal of the item boxes. In previous games, you could carry only 4 or 6 items and you would have to place the other items in a box. Though these boxes were found frequently, it was tedious to keep going back and forth to exchange things. In this game, you have a suitcase where you can place all of your weapons and items. The environments in this game are highly varied and detailed. The areas you encounter are graphically superb and express a specific tone. There won't be a moment where you will think that a specific area lacks depth. I thought the castle area was done brilliantly because the color and lighting effects were amazing. Curtains blown by the wind looked extremely realistic and there weren't any glitches in the environment. I really thought the cut scenes were an integral part in enticing the player to play the game. The script is flawless and voice acting is on cue. There aren't any of those awkward moments in cut scenes that were present in the previous games. Another new element was the game's ability to challenge your reflexes during boss fights and cut scenes. Many times during boss fights, you would have to press buttons quickly in order to dodge their attacks. This really kept the player on guard and heightened your control pad reflexes. I really didn't like the fact that they took out the puzzle aspect of the game. This was a key element in previous games that could of perfected this game. While playing previous Resident Evils I liked solving puzzles and finding secret doors or pathways. Since this game is more fast paced action, I can see why the developers left this element out. All in all, this was a very interesting game to play that evolves the survival/horror genre. Tue, 04 Mar 2008 07:26:23 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2964&iddiary=5601https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=29645th GameLog: Resident Evil 4 (Game of Choice) Log # 1 Summary Resident Evil 4 is a third-person horror/survival game with a strong emphasis on action. It is the sixth installment in the resident evil series that uses game mechanics totally different from the previous ones. You play as Leon S. Kennedy, a US Government Agent who has been given the task to rescue the President's daughter who has been kidnapped by a cult group known as the Los Illuminados. Game Play RE4 is probably the most intuitive Resident Evil game ever made. It combines elements of the previous games with totally different game mechanics. I thought it was a good move to change the game play style because the fixed camera angles mechanic was getting boring and people wanted a change. The most distinctive element of this game is the behind the shoulder action shooting. This really gives the game a fast paced gun play action. With this new mechanic, the player has the option to aim freely and get creative when shooting enemies. Another intuitive aspect is the players option to jump out of windows and interact with objects within the game. If a zombie is climbing a ladder, you have the option to knock the ladder over. Also if a zombie has grabbed onto you, you can do a kick move or a body slam to counter his attack. Another great thing about this game is the AI. The enemies in this game are much smarter and work together. If you aim at an enemy for a little too long, they will quickly move out of the way and start running at you. The number of enemies you encounter has increased dramatically. There are several types of zombies that vary in difficulty and each is very distinguishable. All the characters in the game are created with great detail and are voiced beautifully. The story is the probably the main aspect of the game that keeps you hooked. As you keep progressing, the story unravels little by little and entices you to keep playing. Also, most of the main characters have personal stories of their own that are told vaguely and show past connections between the characters. The story gives this game great flow and nothing in the game seems random. One thing I liked very much is the implementation of The Merchant. The Merchant is a character that you encounter throughout the game who sells weapons and equipment. You can also sell things they you have found like golden necklaces, pearls, and other rare items. As you kill enemies, they drop money or weapon ammo for you to pick up. You can also upgrade your weapons from the merchant and as you keep upgrading your weapons, their value goes up. Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:10:18 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2964&iddiary=5578https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=23573rd GameLog: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Game of Choice) 2nd Log Gameplay The second time around, the game just got more interesting. It's really the story that gets you addicted. I have noticed that cut scenes have decreased in comparison to the beginning of the game. When I first started the game, the first 10-15 minutes of the game was a giant cut scene. This time around, I got to face more enemies and really explore the full potentials of the gameplay. I did notice that the camera angles can be irritating sometimes and you really can't see around the corners much. One big improvement from the other Metal Gear's in the series is the camera angles. Before MGS3, all the camera angles were fixed and that made it really difficult to see around some corners. In this game, the camera follows Snake so it makes much easier for you to navigate and see all the things. I also got to fight the first boss and it was a really interesting fight. The Pain is an enemy who uses bees to attack you. He uses the bees as grenades to throw at you. Apparently he can control them and his whole body is covered with them. One really interesting aspect of the game is how to keep Snake alive. In the game, you are given a stamina bar that decreases constantly throughout the game. The only way to revive your stamina is to hunt for food and eat them. When your stamina gets too low, Snake's hand starts shaking whenever he shoots and runs much slower. This aspect of the game made it very realistic and brought a new awareness to the game. It requires you to explore all the environments and get all the things the game has to offer. The AI in this game is quite good and all of the enemies don't just go down with one hit. Avoiding the enemy as much as possible has become more important than it was in the beginning. You also have to watch out for the dangers in the environment. There are poisonous snakes and other creatures that can bite Snake and kill him if he is not treated with the proper medication. Close Quarters Combat (CQC) is a great and intuitive aspect of the game. If Snake is unarmed, he has many techniques to knock the enemy unconscious or possibly kill them. It's really realistic and something that the military would use in real life. Game Design MGS4 was superb when it came to environment detail. As you keep playing, you can see that a lot of time went into creating the right textures, shading, and colors when designing the jungle. This was very key in giving the game a 1960s look and feel. Since there was a strong emphasis on camouflage, the jungle provided the best environment for you to take advantage of that aspect of the game. The jungle is also very varied. You don't just keep running into trees and busher. You will go through rivers, waterfalls, cliffs, dry land, etc. The environment is probably one of the biggest barriers that you have to overcome. The music also fits in perfectly with the the environment and all the sounds are on cue. I also love the implementation of the injuries section. If Snake receives an injury, the player has to find the injury and treat it. You are given bandages, splints, medication, and other equipment necessary for you to repair your injury. If the injuries are not treated, Snakes stamina starts to decrease rapidly and when his stamina bar depletes completely, then his life bar starts to decrease. Each injury has a unique consequence and each injury is treated differently. Also you are not given an infinite amount of supplies so learning from your mistakes is very key. This was a very new intuitive idea that I have not seen in any other game. Some games earlier might have had it but it was not as detailed as in MGS4. The main aspect of the game that keeps the player interested is again the intense storyline. The developers did a great job in giving the cut scenes as much depth as possible and accurately depicting the Cold War era. I really like when the cut scenes are action oriented because they are created beautifully and have elements of The Matrix combined with Mission Impossible. In the end, this is a beautifully created game that really resembles it's predecessors but has new intuitive elements that take it up a further notch. Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:18:40 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2357&iddiary=4711https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=23573rd GameLog: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Game of Choice) 1st Log Summary Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is an third person/first person action game where you play as the main character Naked Snake who is trying to save the world from a nuclear war. The primary goal of this game is to infiltrate the jungles of the Soviet Union and stop the enemy from developing and using a new nuclear-capable moving tank called the Shagohod. This game is predominantly in third person but the player has the option of seeing in first person also. Gameplay This game from the beginning pulls you in. One of the reasons is the deep movie like story that has a great deal of twists and turns. With the Metal Gear series, you never know whats going to happen. There is a main story to the game but there are also mini stories of all the different characters that are really creative. The entire story is pretty much told through cut scenes that are perfectly directed and entertaining. The entire game is pretty much outline like a movie. The characters in the game have great personality depth and are created with a great amount of detail. The story also does a great job in combining the Cold War Era themes to the game. I also love how there were some science-fictional elements that were incorporated in the game like jet packs and villains that could walk on water or hovering vehicles. When it comes to gameplay, this game has a strong emphasis on stealth. You could run and gun, but it's a single man against an army of soldiers. There is also a strong emphasis on camouflage. The game requires you to use the jungle in your favor and blend in with it to overcome your enemies. Snake is given many uniform and face camouflages throughout the game so he can blend in with the environments. This was a new element to the game that really separated it from the other ones in the series. Navigation within the jungle is kind of hard because sometimes you get lost and don''t really know where to go. Withing the jungle, you also encounter many bases heavily guarded by Russian soldiers. There is also a lot of interaction between the player and the environment. You can climb trees or kill animals like snakes, rabbits, squirrels, fish, etc. Overcoming your enemies is also very intuitive in this game because there isn't just one path or way you could kill them. You have the choice of either slowly creeping up on them from behind or you can climb trees and plan your attack without being noticed. One of my favorite things to do is hang from a tree and shoot the enemies with one hand while in the first person mode. You can also not kill any soldiers and get your way through like Jame Bond. In general , this game is very interesting to play because of it's intuitive gameplay methods and story. The story gives the game a great rhythm. Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:29:28 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2357&iddiary=4497https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2038GameLog # 2 Shadow of Colossus (Classics Game) Gameplay The second time around, nothing really changed much except for the colossi and I got more comfortable with the control scheme. When I first played this, the camera angles were kind of throwing me off because you control them in free motion. This I found to be a little irritating because it's hard to control the camera angle when your fighting one of the colossi. You have to get used to controlling the camera and the player at the same time. I still haven't encountered any new characters and the story is still a mystery. When I am fighting the colossi, I kind of feel sad for killing them because when you inflict damage upon them, they start to moan in a very sad tone. Personally, I don't really even know why I am killing them. They haven't hurt me in any way and their just chillin out. I love how the colossi are now getting more complex and differently structured. Now it's just more than grabbing on to hair and climbing your way to victory. You have to jump form place to place on the colossi and your movements have to be precise because if they are not, you'll fall a couple of hundred feet and die. I also love the fact that you just keep fighting boss after boos and don't have to deal with little enemies. Some may argue about the lack of story, and to a certain extent it is true, but the visuals and epic boss battles make up for it. Game Design Game development is the key feature in the game. Even though the PS2 isn't the most powerful machine in terms of graphics and visuals, this game is created flawlessly. There is a lot of detail given to the environment which mostly consists of grassy outdoors, rivers, and ruins. Tough you can shoot down fruits from trees and kill lizards, or jump objects, interaction between the environment and the player is very minimal. I do love the fact that a lot of the times you have to use the environment to your advantage to overcome the colossi. Lighting effects in the game are beautiful and give a very realistic feel to the outdoors. There isn't, however, any incentive to roam around in the environments because your not going to encounter any rewards or new weapons except for the lizards and fruits that increase your health bar. The music in the game is another great element. When you are riding outdoors, it's mostly orchestra that is calm and adventurous. However, when you start a battle, the tempo picks up and changes depending on the stage of the battle. The developers also did a great job in avoiding the implementation of strange creatures and animals. If they would of done that, it would become more of a fantasy world and lose the realistic aspect of the game. The HUD in the game is really simple and comfortable. Since you only have two weapons, you don't need to scramble around with buttons. Player movement in this game is kind of stiff and slow. Since this was a very graphically intensive game, the developers had to decrease the framerate to a substantial amount. However, the visuals are worth it. Agro's development and movement is worth complementing. I have never really seen a more realistic horse in a video game. In most other video games, riding a horse is pretty much the same thing as riding a car in terms of changing directions and speeding up. In this game, however, Agro's acts like a real horse. The controls are a little more stiff when Agro is running a you have to change directions. The way his head and muscles move while walking or running is very realistic. Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:31:47 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2038&iddiary=4191https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2038Game Log # 1 Shadow of Colossus (Classics Game) Summary In Shadow of Colossus, you play as a young man who must travel through land and water on his horse named Agro and defeat giants, known as colossi, to bring a dead girl back to life. This is a third-person action/adventure game that has strong emphasis on the environment and colossi. Gameplay This is not the easiest game to pick up but it also isn't the hardest. The primary goal is simple but how you accomplish the missions may get a little frustrating. As you start the game, very little is known about the story and the mysterious girl that seems to be the love of the young man. This stays pretty much constant throughout the game. Besides the unnamed young man, dead girl, and Agro (the horse), there aren't any new characters that I have encountered. Also, besides the colossi, there aren't any other enemies. As you travel through the vast land, your sword acts as your navigation device. It guides you to the next colossus by shining a green beam towards your destination. This only works in the a sunlit area. There isn't any action on your way to the colossus, but that is good in a way because the colossi get harder to defeat and require a lot more time as you progress. For now, I have only encountered the first two and it took me a good amount of time to beat them. I've noticed that the colossi are more like puzzles and require strategy more than brute force to defeat them. Each colossi has weak spots where it is prone to damage. This game is really fun to play cause there is a mystery element to the story and you just don't know how the next colossus is going to look like. I also love how you get to climb the colossi and explore the vastness of it's body. The intuitive design of each colossus and how you go about defeating it is what makes this game really interesting and enjoyable. Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:07:45 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2038&iddiary=3955https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1868GAME LOG # 2 Gameplay As I continued my progress, this game got better and harder. I noticed that the enemies were getting harder and more smarter. I faced some human Marine Forces that have been the hardest opponents I have faced yet. The first, and only, boss I've faced yet required a lot of patience and brains to defeat it. Though, however, the game does not get frustrating or boring. You are always in control and the primary objective does not change. The scariness is still active with new enemies popping up from time to time and challenging you nerves and instincts. As the story progresses, you encounter some delusions about a different planet or something and strange creatures. These are all taking place within Gordon Freeman's mind and just as you think you have a grasp on the whole story, they throw more twists and turns at you. I really like this notion of storytelling because it keeps the player more curious. Still, however, there aren't any new characters and some of the people you do meet end up helping you until a certain point or die. The extra characters are mostly composed of security guards and scientists. I have also encountered new weapons that reek havoc upon my enemies but ammo for these weapons is scarce so you have to stick with the good old crowbar. The crowbar has become the signature weapon for this game. DESIGN Half-Life has one of the most intuitive game designs I have ever seen in a game. The most intuitive element is the way it utilizes scripted-sequences to tell the story. While most of the first-person at the time shooters relied on cut scenes intermissions to detail the plotlines, Half-Life's story is put forth entirely through scripted-sequences, keeping the player in control of the first person viewpoint. The player rarely loses control of Gordon Freeman, who has not spoken once in this game yet. The game does not progress in levels but continues through in chapters. The Half-Life environments are very varied and free. You always see new places and are never taken to the same room over over again. The tone of the environment and the game itself is very dark and mysterious. You just don't know whats lurking ahead. The environments are also designed in a way that requires you to think and then proceed because the wrong decisions will most probably lead to death. You also have to be very agile with your movement because you might be walking on some thin pipes and below is radioactive material that will kill you instantly. From what I've seen yet so far, this game is perfect and needs no changes. All the characters and environments are created beautifully with an emphasis on mystery. I also liked how there is a comedic element to some of the security guards that you run into. If you try to talk to them, they will say some weird things. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:11:16 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1868&iddiary=3727https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1868GAME LOG # 1 Summary Half-Life is a science fiction first-person shooter that I played on my PC. In this game you play as Dr. Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist working for a secret underground research facility called Black Mesa. Everything is normal until all hell breaks loose at Black Mesa and Gordan Freeman must now fight his way out of the research facility and uncover the secrets behind Black Mesa. The gameplay style is primarily action oriented with elements of horror and mystery that require the player to perform combat tasks and puzzle solving to advance through the game. Gameplay Though I have had this game for many years, I've never got around to play it. I was too busy playing counter strike. After playing it for an hour or so, I was supremely impressed. The first thing that pulls you in is the story. Though they do not tells us much about Black Mesa in the beginning, the things that they do tell us are enough to keep us on the edge of our seat. As you keep advancing, you find out a little more and start to put the pieces together. I really liked how little creatures jumped form floors, desks, and ventilation shafts and attacked your face. This aspect of the game really scared me and required me to be more cautious. One of my favorite aspects of the game was the use of the crowbar as a weapon. This weapon was very intuitive because it required the player to get up close with the enemies and fight them from a very close range rather than just shooting them with guns. You are, fortunately, given guns later through the game. Another aspect I liked was the toughness of the enemies. Mostly all of the enemies require more than 2 or 3 bullets to be put down so you have to sometimes conserve ammo and stick with the crowbar. The controls for this game were very easy and basic to learn. The W,S,A,D player movement control scheme is brilliant and comfortable. Besides Gordon Freeman, there aren't any other major characters that are implemented in the game. There is, however, a mysterious man in a blue suit holding a briefcase that I have seen a couple times. I feel that he will play a integral role in the story. Half-Life gameplay flows beautifully with it's story and keeps you wanting more. Because of the mysterious storyline, you want to keep playing it for hours. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:18:27 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1868&iddiary=3690