Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=616https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3127GAMEPLAY After more time with the game, the main problem with the game continues to be the sharp difficulty curve that crosses the line from the entertainingly challenging to the aggravatingly so. The first boss was seemed ridiculously simple in comparison to the headache the first; I can assume “real” boss is in this game. The flow of the game suffers because of this by almost requiring that you play the first tutorial mission again and again in order to acquire enough currency to buy health ups and upgrades to your weapons in order to progress from one level to the next. As a result sometimes you forget what happens in the other missions, and it becomes harder to stay firmly in the magic circle when you are forced to constantly replay the same mission again and again for currency to just be able to survive. Despite the need for massive amounts of replay necessary the narration progression, if played one mission after another as is meant to be, is very good. The player is told just enough about the characters and their different motives to make you want to keep playing to discover them, yet at times it can make it seem like a bad thing by making the fact that you can’t proceed all the more disappointing in the end. DESIGN Some innovative elements of Devil May Cry 3 are the class system, style system and Devil Arms that are implemented in the game. You can tailor your gameplay style to whichever style suits you best. If you like shooting more, there is the gunslinger style, if you like dodging there is the trickster and if sword fighting is more your thing, there’s the sword master style. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses and must be leveled up to become more powerful. The game also keeps you from falling into a button mashing rut by having a point system that encourages the combination of the gun and the melee weapons that can be switched between two different devil arms instantly by pressing a single button. This leads to massive combos and visually stunning fight scenes even early in the game. In addition each of the devil arms and guns are very different styles of play and are useful or useless depending on the situation and space that Dante’s enemies confront him. The game is extremely linear, as you cannot go anywhere but in the step-by-step movement towards a boss at the end. There are hidden side rooms or treasure such as extra health, lives, or money, but other than that the game is a straight path with segments of demonic ambushes. The tone of the gameworld is also extremely dark and menacing, the levels are either in a burnt out, abandoned industrial district or in a demonic tower leading into the bowels of hell. The levels are varied and has very difficult puzzles that unfortunately end up as not much more the complicated fetch and unlock puzzles such as get key A to unlock door A and etc. This game sets up for a amazing fights that can cause a very cinematic feel that can even in gameplay that causes for some great fights. However the time in-between the fights are usually dull search and find puzzles and the boss battles are almost impossible, making this one of the nicest, but also one of the most frustrating games that I have ever come across. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:32:25 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3127&iddiary=5927https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3127SUMMARY Devil May Cry 3 explores the origins of Dante, the main character of Devil May Cry 1 and 2, as you battle through scores of monsters, using special demonic weapons, as he tries to prevent his brother, Vergil, from releasing Hell on earth. GAMEPLAY This game has definite ups and downs. One up is that the characters are on the whole very action movie awesome. Dante starts out as a insult talking, gunslinging, beast, who can shrug off a scythe to the chest and go on as if nothing were wrong. The fighting is pretty fluid and that lends to a nice atmosphere that Dante knew what he was doing straight from the get go. One of the main problems with the game is the difficulty curve. The beginning tutorial level was a bit a struggle to complete, not too much but unusually high for a learning mission. The first boss of the game even is unbeatable, after almost a dozen tries. This high difficulty curve makes the game almost completely inaccessible to a more casual gamer, leaving it to the only most hardened of players. Despite this, the game remained pretty interesting to play because of the intricate combat and style systems really encourage you to combine your guns and sword in tandem to pull off combos to get more points, earning you more money to buy more power ups to strengthen Dante so he can weather the harsh enemies you encounter along the game. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:45:12 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3127&iddiary=5841https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2912GAMEPLAY When I resumed playing, this time with a sword in hand, things became much more fluid and flowing. What made this game interesting is that most of the challenge comes from solving the puzzles, even the enemies can be seen as a type of puzzle, as once you discover their weak spot, they are fairly easy to defeat. The storyline and characters are simple, yet still enjoyable; it is accessible to younger children who can love the hero saves the princess and the kingdom deal, and the older gamer can also enjoy the thought provoking puzzles that come up rather frequently throughout even just the first part of the game. DESIGN Ocarina of Time came out in 1998, and as such, the game is a bit simpler than those today, however this is not always a bad thing, it simplifies a lot of the game and allows the player to get into the bulk of it without having to learn complex commands and controls. There is more or less one button that encompasses every action in the game, from attacking to talking to people. The target lock on system also will disengage in convenient times, usually resulting in a lost heart. However, these snags can be attributed to the games age, and thus do not count against it too much.ß The dungeons, for their complex puzzles and challenges, are all quite linear, and follow the same template: get the map, then the compass, then a new tool which is key to figuring out a lot of the puzzles and beating the boss, then dispatch the boss. To balance this out, focus is made to make the puzzles intuitive and subtle, creating an overall complexity to them. Another interesting mechanic is that there is a running clock of day and night that we begin to see, which divides the world up accordingly, with different monsters and different areas accessible in day and night. Additionally, you are given the ability to say “yes” or “no” to most things, although you have to answer yes in most cases to advance the plot, you can break off from a conversation by disagreeing, this gives you more control over the conversation than many of Ocarina of Time’s contemporaries allow.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:11:13 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2912&iddiary=5487https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2912SUMMARY In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, you assume control of Link, a “kokiri” who is destined for great things. As Link you traverse dungeons and temples to protect your homeland, Hyrule, from the growing threat of a great evil. GAMEPLAY Playing games of the N64 again was very nostalgic, from the three-pronged controller to pushing in the big cartridge to play the game. The Zelda series is known for complex puzzles and thought provoking boss fights, which Ocarina of Time gives in spades. The graphics are phenomenal considering the year this game came out. The game, despite Okami-esque voice acting made all the worse by Navi’s incessant complaints and cries, is very fun to play. The puzzles are far more difficult than most other games. Yet, making you work hard for everything gives you sense of accomplishment for obtaining the smallest things. It took me about 20 minutes to just get the sword in the beginning, but when I finally got it, I was ecstatic over my triumph.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:10:43 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2912&iddiary=5486https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2540GAMEPLAY The further the game progressed I came in contact with actual monsters. When got down to actually battling such enemies as giant badgers, I figured out that the funny characters and upbeat music belies a very complex battle system that requires you to use combination attacks in tandem with special attacks and to follow orders from the team leader. It added a complexity to the random battles I faced on my mission which kept them from being redundant or boring. However, Once I had finished one half of my mission I was forced to stroll around town for the better half of an hour to wait for the right time because of the game’s real time system. The town was small and could be fully explored in about 5 minutes, leading to a handful of time where I was forced to talk to the same five or six NPCs while waiting for the time to pass. These lulls in game play seem to come in between missions, which breaks up the game play. DESIGN The tone of this game was very different from the other games I’ve reviewed. From the very beginning, the game had a very funny and happy storybook feel. The environments used very bright, pastel, colors and the music is always upbeat and jazzy, even during battles. Even the special attacks and enemies add to the comedic tone, all of the enemies are simple creatures such ass pigs, ants, and mosquitoes. All of this combines to form a bright gameworld. Despite the artistic environment, the gameworld is extremely linear, with at most only two ways to go, which all comes to the same place, and at worst you are stuck on a narrow path with only one way to go. The most that you are allowed to explore is throughout the small towns that you come across, which only consist of a handful of houses. The game did, however, have some very interesting aspects to them, such as the kick option and party commands. There are no treasure chests in this game, instead they are kept in every day objects such as bureaus and closets. This allowed me to immerse myself more into the game without asking why there are treasre chests everywhere. Your party in this game is also very intelligent and self sufficient, they also will set them self up to achieve combination attacks with you. The best part of the game was the comedy. In most games there is a comic relief character, however in Radiata Stories, all of the characters could fit that profile. It made some of the linearity of gameplay more bearable. All in all, this game was a surprisingly good RPG with a great sense of humor. It is best for younger audiences or for some lighthearted fun.Sat, 09 Feb 2008 03:23:33 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2540&iddiary=4890https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2540SUMMARY Radiata Stories puts you in the role of Jack Russell, a Knight apprentice, who has just recently joined the Radiata Knights. As a knight apprentice you complete assignment given to you by the Leader of Radiata such as escorting caravans or fighting monsters. GAMEPLAY I usually don’t like games with such a childish appearance like Radiata Stories. However, this game is actually a nice alternative to most of the games that I have played so far. I felt like a kid when I got control of the character for the first time and could run around kicking anything and everything I desired, and that is exactly what I did, I proceeded to kick every object and person in each room. The game actually encourages this by making it the sole way to find items and other goodies while in the world. My starting team is formed of perhaps the oddest characters I’ve seen in an RPG. There is Ganz, the team captain, a short, pudgy man with a strange moustache and a penchant for head butting people. Then there is Clive, who sounds like Cletus from the Simpsons, and is always doing a crazy dance. Because of the kick ability and the interesting characters I was continuously laughing throughout my entire, albeit short, time playing this game. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:01:59.)Sat, 09 Feb 2008 01:06:11 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2540&iddiary=4775https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2062GAMEPLAY The more colossi I slew, the harder it was to discover their location. Although not nearly as exciting as fighting a colossus to the death, but it gave me a chance to explore the varied environment, which I don’t think I would have otherwise. The later colossi seem to be more aggressive than those earlier on, firing electricity and lasers at you. However, when I defeated a colossus I found it a bittersweet affair. I felt pride that I had overcome such a daunting foe, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had just killed a magnificent creature that had not really done anything to me. This game has drawn more people to it than any other I’ve played. While playing the game my friends, even those who didn’t like videogames, would come in to my room and be mesmerized as I was drug into a deep lake by a giant sea serpent, and there were shouts as I flew off the wing of another only to grasp the tip of its tail. DESIGN Shadow of the Colossus is a very innovative and exciting game that does many things well. The game gets rid of normal enemies in lieu of only a handful of colossi. The game is more or less defeating one colossus after another, but it never becomes repetitive or boring because each colossus requires a completely unique way to defeat it. The colossi are so massive that they are more akin to levels than actual bosses; you have to overcome obstacles to reach a goal (their weak point). Each battle has a sense of grandeur due to each of the colossus’s shear size. The musical score was interesting and imaginative. The music was calm and almost non-existent while I was roaming the environment which creating the feeling that this all took place at the end of the world, yet became intense and dramatic upon engaging a colossus to fit the more combative section of the game. The environment spans from desert to forest and is truly 3D, the whole world is open at the beginning, and there are no invisible walls or cliffs to restrict the character’s movement. However, the game’s camera angle and controls while riding Agro, your horse, leave much to be desired. The camera was difficult to manually navigate and would sometimes turn completely around causing me to lose sight of the colossus and crushed underfoot. In addition, the Horse was hard to keep in a straight line while riding it, which was not a problem in the plains or desert areas, but it took me over twenty minutes to navigate a forest because I ran into every other tree. Despite these draw backs they do not happen often enough, nor with enough severity to really detract from the gameplay. As it stands, Shadow of the Colossus remains a brilliant game. Sat, 26 Jan 2008 05:11:19 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2062&iddiary=4378https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2062SUMMARY Shadow of the Colossus is an adventure game about an unnamed adventurer who is on a quest slay colossi. To do so, you must trick, scale, and stab various weakpoints of each colossus. GAMEPLAY I found Shadow of the Colossus to be the most fun killing giants I've ever had. The game is rather slow until you find the next colossus you are to fell, which can take quite a while depending on your sense of direction. However, that's part of the appeal, I felt that I had achieved something just by finding the big guys. The battles with the Colossi were genuinely some of the most exciting moments I've had while playing a game. I was able to perform things in game that I had only seen before in cutscenes. For example, I was gripping to the wing of a bird colossus when I was bucked off, only to grab hold of its tail at the last moment. These parts where I am hanging by a thread create more excitement for me.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 01:46:40 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2062&iddiary=3986https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1846SUMMARY Metal Gear Solid 3 has the player assume the role of “Snake” on his mission to prevent nuclear war. In order to successfully do so, Snake must avoid detection by the enemy using camouflage, hiding places and stealth. GAMEPLAY I have always been a fan of the Metal Gear series, and so I was very excited with playing the most recent of the series. The game’s main character is Snake who is the rugged, tough main character full of bravado. As a main character, he is exactly what you would expect of an action hero, able to take on countless enemies and still have witty banter with pretty women. Yet none of the characters ever become one dimensional, the revelations about the main cast’s true motives and loyalties keeps the story interesting and exciting throughout the entirety of the game. The game’s ability to build suspense at the possible discovery by a guard or the exhilarating boss battles keeps the game interesting and fun to play multiple times through, as well as attracting spectators to watch your mission’s progress. However, the flow of the game is broken sometimes and some movement complications can impede the usual flow of the game. DESIGN Metal Gear Solid 3 is a game on a truly grand scale, I ended up playing for hours longer than I had intended because of the engaging storyline, exciting gameplay, and stunning visuals. The story of political intrigue and espionage will continually keep you wanting to know what happens next. The best parts of the game are the inventive boss battles with soldier who can control hornets or become invisible and when Snake needs to dispatch pursuing guards. These parts allow you to take advantage of the nifty gadgets and techniques that snake has up his sleeve such as land mines, stun grenades, and judo throws to their full extent. Though some of the most entertaining parts were the humorous dialogues snake has with his support team, usually revolving around 60’s contemporary culture or alluding to other elements in the MGS series (such as the cardboard box). This game has some of the most stunning cinematics I have seen in a game;the combination of fantasy (Russians who shoot lightening and giant robots) and history (Cold War and JFK's assassination) that they alone will make up for some of the snags in the gameplay. However, there were some snags that detracted from the rest of the game, namely in the camouflage system and movement. The camouflage system allows Snake to wear multiple different camouflages for varies types of environment; a necessity if one is to get far in the game. Yet the terrain can shift suddenly, thus making a previous camouflage unfavorable. This leads to frequent changes in camouflage in some areas of the game that can stifle to flow by making the player go through various menus to change Snake’s attire only to do so again a couple minutes later. The movement mechanics can sometimes lead to popping up right in front of enemy guards, causing difficulties climbing some objects quickly or getting caught on walls which will usually get Snake caught which leads to death or losing a minute or two of game time waiting for things to calm down. Though in the end, these hang ups are infrequent and don’t detract too much from the overall gameplay leaving MGS3 as a standout game. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:48:14.)Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:47:38 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1846&iddiary=3630