Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=618https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3097Entry #2 GAMEPLAY Gameplay continues to be extremely fun as the tutorial missions are over and more destructive objectives are given. The story continues to show a government conspiracy style storyline with secret data disks and rebellion against what seems to be the commanding government in space known as the Confederate. A lot of the fun of the game now is building up an army to destroy your enemy in the quickest way possible. The RTS mechanic of the game takes up a lot of time, about 30-60 minutes per mission, but it is worth it to see your opponent crumble against your massive army. DESIGN The most obvious feature of the game's level design is the dark color palette which creates a one of “dark times” and of the unknown. Even in the cutscences of the game show very ambiguous and dark activities. The mission briefings and the gameplay itself deliver a great sense of dealing with dark alien creatures as well as rebelling against the Confederate, which is a key mission in the beginning. Some great designs is how the game only allows you to see the parts of the map in which you are currently in. Having no idea how big the enemy base is and only knowing that you must destroy it provides a huge sense of exploration, especially when you are bombarded by enemy battalions. The way obstacles are laid out across a map provide spacial challenge and force a player to think up new strategies on what units to use to reach the instant goal of crossing the water. Having two interactive gameworld spaces, ground and air, provides expansive spacial challenge as each space can only interact with the other with certain units; such as, firefighters not being able to harm any aircraft. Being concentrated around resource management, this game provides plenty of emergent complexity. For many units a player must require to have built extra buildings or gather new resources. The reward structure in some missions appeals to me very nicely since at times from destroying enemy bases, I am rewarded with more resources, allowing me to build up, allowing me to continue killing. A happy circle indeed. Over the past 10 years, it is obvious why this game has still stood the test of time. The biggest intrest-grabber of this game is the network play. It could possibly the sole reason it has lasted so long thanks to the unique games people can create with the Campaign Editor. Although the game is televised in other parts of the world for big competitions, is isn't a Guitar Hero-like spectator sport in which many people may be bored by watching the gameplay. Playing the game for this GameLog has definitely reignited my spark to play this, specially with the incredibly hyped Starcraft 2 which seems like it will deliver.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:03:03 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3097&iddiary=5871https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3097Entry #1 SUMMARY In Starcraft, the player controls units in a virtual space world and gathers resources in order to survive. There are there three species a player is allowed to control: The Terran, The Zerg, and The Protoss. The main game is a Real-Time Strategy (RTS) which is still widely played today since its release in 1998. GAMEPLAY Starcraft, like many RTS's today, delivers a more strategy oriented gameplay which leads to a more passive game experience. Although the play-by-play of the game isn't high-action-shooting-pumped-action, most of the action happens in the mind of the player. On my first run-through (first in a couple of years really) I felt at a more introductory level where the play is mainly tutorial play. It must've taken the third mission, which is 30 minutes long, in order to start to develop of better sense of the game. The rich sound the game provides truly stimulates a player's emotion as a marine's battle-cry is heard upon his death. Okay, so that happens very often, but the sound in this game is what keeps a player attentive to what's going on. Your troops dying is a big sign that you should pay attention to that part of the screen. The progressive story is unraveled in a very elegant way. There are mission briefings to let you know what is going on, and minimal story sequences within the game. The story itself is yet another galactic mayhem story, but what Starcraft delivers is different perspectives in which a player can play as. The way the story is revealed let's the player know what some missions from the Terran campaign might look like when playing as the Zerg or the humanoid Protoss. The first mission, being the Terran, gives a sense of rebellion against Government as the player rebels against the Confederation, which is a portrayal of the Government's Armed Forces for the space world. The game is extremely fun to play once a player is engaged in having control of the expansive game world. The limited space and limited resources give a chess-like approach to this game in which it is easy to understand, but difficult to master. The introduction of the game doesn't have much game flow, but the last missions ignited the feeling and access rewards incite me to continue playing just to see what new abilities I will be able to use (as I've forgotten over the years anyways.)Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:06:33 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3097&iddiary=5765https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2757Entry #2 GAMEPLAY The gameplay doesn't lend itself to much more complexity other than it's fun as hell to play multi-player. Once all characters and item options are unlocked, multi-player games become very unique but equally hilarious. Even bystaders laugh as pickachu gets knocked out by a pokeball or as Mario gets knocked out by a thrown item while struggling to get back on the platform. DESIGN The most innovative element of Super Smash Bros. is its replay value through the multi-player game, labeling easily as a Party Game. The infinite reward structure of battle objects within the battles adds variety to each game played. The reward structure may also anger the player when an item turns out useless (such as a getting a goldeen which only flops around.) The constant falling items have the flexibility to be used or thrown, giving players choices such as: whether to attack another player, get that item and use it, throw that item so another player falls off, or simply to jump around. This game also creates conflict between the people playing the game. Someone may be so good with Fox that everybody teams up against that person every time they choose Fox just to have a fighting chance. This creates more of a social conflict rather than conflict or social interaction by itself. The Gameworld itself compliments the gameplay, giving players stages to jump on, challenges to avoid, places to fall. Another aspect of the Gameworld, as I forgot to mention it in the reward structure, is a virtual crowd cheering when someone gets knocked out or just barely makes the edge of the stage. The levels are varied evenly to have a different experience with each one. Some have rising lava to avoid, while others have wind-blasting trees, or pokemon popping out at random times. But the space in the levels is the best layout a battle arena game can have. In conclusion, this game's wide variety of hilarious moments from the battle makes it a great game even for the N64's limited power, this game does not fail to deliver.Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:02:50 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2757&iddiary=5208https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2757Entry #1 SUMMARY Super Smash Bros. is a multi-player arena fighting game that allows players to use their favorite Nintendo characters in an all out brawl. The game does include a single player mode with different levels and the possibility of unlocking new content such as new characters or levels. GAMEPLAY Super Smash Bros. gives the player a rush of energy that derives from the non-stop battles. The characters during gameplay can anger you and provoke some trash talk directed towards the character's name. The game's story, during the single player mode, isn't very complex. There seems to be no narrative progression, other than just progressing to the next stage. As far as the gameplay itself, it is very entertaining. During the single player mode you are introduced to fighting team battles in which you can learn that it helps to have allies. The main reason for Super Smash Bros. being so fun is, of course, the multi-player. This game can easily devour hours of gametime when played with friends. I believe the funnest part is being able to beat up your friends for hours on end, specially with the infamous hammer. When the players are experienced enough in Super Smash Bros. the trash talk between players makes for a hilarious game environment. The fact that there is percentage for damage instead of Hit Points raises the excitement because there isn't a defined percentage of when you will be knocked out.Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:39:16 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2757&iddiary=5163https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2475ENTRY #1 SUMMARY Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is a first person shooter in which you control a character called Wayne in another world called E.D.N. III. You must shoot your wat through gigantic hostile bugs called the Akrid. All the while the player must keep himself alive by keeping the Thermal Energy Level up. GAMEPLAY The most noticable thing about Lost Planet is it's heavy emphasis on the plot and story. About 20 of the first 60 minutes of gameplay lend themselves to deeply informative cut-scenes. The main character which the player controls is Wayne. Being part of the new wave attempt to colonize the planet E.D.N. III you are confronted by a giant creature refered to as Green Eye. As the story and gameplay progress in the introduction, I felt confused as to what excatly to do while being chased by this gigantic creature. The controls do not seem very natural to the keyboard and they seem to be a cheap transition from the Xbox360 control scheme. Set-up of the controls was irritating and took a good 10 minutes out of play. Ofcourse the game has majesticly amazing graphics, which of course lead to about 15 minutes of just configuring what would work best with my system. Once the tweaking of settings got out of the way, the rich gameplay bgins. It was fun to see yourself enter a Vital Suit (VS) robot suit and attempt to even harm the giant creature known as the Green Eye. I did feel flow during this game, but it was more of flow of the story as once the introduction was done there was easily about 5-10 more minutes of cutscene time. The cutscenes added to the interest I felt about exploring the snow covered tundra plains.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 22:47:59 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2475&iddiary=4692https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2204Entry #2 SUMMARY As I progressed more in the game, I could not help but feel disturbed by two things. One, the fact that these Colossi fell in such an immersively sad manner still made it feel wrong that they were being killed for the sould of the girl. Two, the black string of aura that comes out of the Colossi and stabs you after you take them down still makes no sense other than returning to the main palace area. GAMEPLAY As I have mentioned, my feelings were mixed between the epic feel of the game at a whole, and the sadness of the death of each Colossi. With no new characters, the story seems to stay the same. My compassion for the character Wander deminished as the game progressed. Although the rising challenges involving how to take down the Colossi make the game deeply interesting. The vast open areas of the game along with the style of the graphics give an expansive artistic feel to the story. Although the story itself does seem to lack some, well, story telling, the game stays deeply entertaining. The way the environment, the patience you must have, and the puzzles you must solve convey a great feeling for the game as a whole. This leads to the style in which the game uses. The style of having the Collosi have part of the environment be part of the Colissi themselves creates the challenge of identifying what areas to target. The space blends with the Colissi taking great advantage of the abilities the player learned to do from the environment. Although that would be one of the small changes that I would make to the game: add more challenges other than the Colossi. While it is part of the style of the game to just have those few elements to it, adding some extra challenges to the overall environment would open up the game to a wider variety of players. While this game is great, specially if a cinematic feel in video games is appreciated, it still is not very inviting to a wide variety of players. It is amazing to play it with friends adding to the extactic feeling of defeating a Colossus, but it does not create a complete social experience. Shadow of the Colussus does ramain an amazing game that will satisfy the player seeking to finish it, which is what I plan to doSat, 26 Jan 2008 00:38:50 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2204&iddiary=4231https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2204Entry #1 SUMMARY Shadow of the Colossus is an adventure platformer in which the player controls the character Wander. The storyline of the game is of Wander trying to retrieve the sould of a girl called Mono. He is commanded by a voice in sky to defeat giat Colossi in order to retrieve the soul. GAMEPLAY Shadow of the Colossus surprisingly brought out strong emotions in me. At the start of the game, compassion is felt for Wander as his mission is to restore the soul of Mono. As the game develops, my thoughts on Wander started to change. The first Colossus I brought down made me feel an even stronger compassion for the gigantic creature of nature. The ambigous story hides the truth of how Mono lost her soul, making me think: What fault do these otherwise harmless creatures have? The fragile way that the character Wander walks gives off a feelin of weakness in the character. Almost as he should not be doing what he is doing. The sword also develops a character that many player may no seem, but it is your guide. As well as the sword, the horse is your main transportation and seems to stay loyal to Wander. As the actual fighting of the game started with the first few Colossi, it is excillirating to be such a small person defeating these enourmous creatures. It is almost as an interactive puzzle to discover which points to hit in order to bring the creature down. The size of the Collosi in comparisson to your character gives an epic feel to the battle in whic you must engage. The epic look that the game conveys through open spaces and at times a strong bloom effect certainly keeps you, the player, engaged. An unexpected social interaction happened when the people watching me play cheered for me and yelled what to do as I fought the first Collosus. The game engages those around the player in the struggle that happens with each battle. Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:38:35 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2204&iddiary=4194https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1764GAMEPLAY --Spoiler Warning-- After an extensive second round play of Portal the game's complexity in both story and difficulty significantly increased. The last couple of puzzles of the supposed nineteen are slightly more time consuming and require more thinking before using the portal gun. The small turret robots add the enemy aspect to these levels as well as clever dark humor such as "I don't blame you" as they are knocked off by a slight push. Timing when and where to make your portals are part of the increased difficulty in the later levels. Then you pass the last level and you get to have cake, which is actually, death! So having never played this game before, reaching the fire pit of death at the end of the level was an extreme turning point in the somewhat calm puzzle play. Navigating through the last level was definitely the funnest and most challenging part of the game. The you feel of escape and rule-breaking is quite a rewarding experience. The end to the game was mildly challenging and had a somewhat ambiguous ending. I have heard that this game is supposed to tie into the Half-Life games, but having never played those games it is hard for a new player to identify with the ending. DESIGN Portal is an impressively innovative game from the use of the portal gun being the only "weapon" and tool you use through the whole game. Being a short game, having only a couple of hours of main gameplay, Portal provides an easy to pick up and extremely fun way of playing. With simple controls and no solid storyline it is easy for anybody to start traveling through the game. In addition to an easy pick up, just messing around with the physics of the game can lead to fun distracting activities (such as the mentioned endless falling). The conflict in this game mainly rises from the computer that seems to always be talking to you with a flat-line dark humor that is hard not to enjoy. Hidden areas throughout the game invoke a suspicion as to what exactly it is that you are doing. Finding blood written messages and a deep emotional expression for the companion cube, specially in the last level, make you paranoid as to the whole experiment you seem to have been part of. The use of space in the levels exploit the paranoia you will feel. A clean, scientific, testing lab instantly gives you the disturbing feeling of a lab rat. With the completion of the game there are 6 bonus levels that allow you to choose from a heightened difficulty or limited time, footsteps, or portals. These extra levels lend themselves to a rewarding feeling if completed, but do not add much replay value. It is a definite worthwhile game with an extremely unique concept of gameplay. After playing this I will look into the other Orange Box games and hopefully find a connection as well as more great games.Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:40:42 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1764&iddiary=3643https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1764SUMMARY Portal is a first-person 3D puzzle PC Game where the only weapon available is a Portal creator. Goals and objectives are straight forward: get to the exit and survive. A creeping computer voice tells the player what to do. Avoiding turrets and using momentum to get across levels add complexity to each level. GAMEPLAY This game begins with a common introduction of not knowing where you are and not knowing what to do. The surrounding lab area causes and unfamiliar and almost cold feeling to the area you are in. The only characters that ever appear in the game (other than yourself) are a camera, the occasional turret robots, and the all-faithful companion cubes. The first levels are not too complicated and just require getting used to the portal system. The portal gun at this point only allows the creation of the blue entry portal The controls on the game are easy to get used to; having only motion controls to worry about, it is easy to fully concentrate on portal making with the ease of either mouse button. Getting used to the physics of the game increases the challenge due to the nature of speed through the portals. As the game puts it "speedy thing comes in, speedy thing comes out," which perfectly describes as some levels require gaining speed from high areas to access the other side of the level. At a certain point, you acquire another part of the Portal gun which allows you to create the orange exit point. Having control over both portals is extremely fun and allows you to kill a lot of time by endlessly falling with a portal on the ceiling and a portal on the floor. The Companion cubes add to the emotions felt due to them being the only thing you safely interact with. Having heard little about the game and the cube, I felt more attached to the Portal gun than the companion cube. Having completed more than half of what seems to be 19 levels, the gameplay length seems short. Only time will tell how this game ends up and whether the cake really is a "lie". (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:41:12.)Mon, 14 Jan 2008 02:21:30 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1764&iddiary=3522