Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=642https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3181Play Time #2: Once I got to the next town I explored the multi player aspects of the game. This time I choose to battle against my friend Sam, who is also playing through the game now. We hooked our game boys together with a link cable and began the fight. Pokemon battle one at a time, players can switch which pokemon are battling, and can run from their opponent however they cannot use items. Sam discovered this when his items that he had bought especially for this fight could not be used and I ended up winning without losing four of my guys. Design: Pokemon takes the aspects of a regular RPG such as stats levels items etc and makes it such that you have 6+ things that you need to level up, and then adds the extra aspect of “gotta catch ‘em all” which has the player on a wild chase to get every pokemon and additionally is a nice marketing gimmick because it forces the players to purchase an extra game and the extra hardware of a link cable. The game remains interesting however because of it’s frequent reward system. Pokemon level up quickly, learn new attacks quickly and kill each other quickly. All in all it’s a good game to take 20-30 minutes at a time until you are bored of it forever (or at least ‘till the next 150 come out…).Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:46:22 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3181&iddiary=5949https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3181Summary: Pokemon red is an RPG for the Nintendo Game Boy in which the player plays as a pokemon trainer and catches pokemon, battle-ready creatures which beat the crap out of each other for money and or items and experience! In other words its glorified Japanese dog fighting and to be honest… its fun as hell! The player can have a party of 6 pokemon who do battle against wild and trainer-owned pokemon with the ultimate goal of becoming a pokemon master (aka beat the last boss or last 5 bosses at it is in pokemon, the elite 4 (yes, 4)). Play Time #1: For this session of gaming I was traveling between cities. In pokemon you need to gather 8 badges before you can face the Elite 4, and I had just gotten my first on my way to get my second. I battled many pokemon on my way through Mt. Moon. Pokemon battles are determined on the random encounter system and often times you end up battling the same weak pokemon many times over on your way through a particular zone, this can be obnoxious if you don’t have a pokemon with attacks that the best is weak against. Alternativly the player can simply run from fights, but that doesn’t always work. I found the trek through Mt. Moon less than awesome but my pokemon leveled up nicely so in the end it was worth it.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:46:09 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3181&iddiary=5948https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2933GAME PLAY 2 With the second session of play we chose to play golf. In this mode players can play 9 holes on either easy normal or expert. Because we had 2 first time wiigolfers in the group we decided to play easy. The golf feel was once again pretty smooth and employed the same basic idea as the bowling game; aim, fire, win. We played two matches, one on easy and then one on normal with 6 holes rather than 9 Hitler vs Gandhi vs Schwarzenegger vs myself. The putting could have been done better as far as making movement smooth, but other than that it was an enjoyable play experience. DESIGN Wii sports highlights the new wii functionalities like no other game. It’s intuitive design allows the players to feel like they are right there in the action and while the game its self is fairly simple with respects to other video games it’s fun because it’s a replication of what people did before video games… but in video game form. Kinda like antimatter huh? More to the point however wii sports enabled bowling like it has been in no other console. Previously in every other game there was a meter which moved and bowling was about timing rather than well… bowling.Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:32:42 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2933&iddiary=5529https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2933Wii Sports SUMMARY In Wii Sports 1 to 4 players go head to head in a variety of sports without even having to outside. It is played in a variety of ways, depending on what sport the player(s) selects. The choices are golf, tennis, baseball, bowling and boxing. Additionally there is a training mode where you can play single player to get better at the game. The game play while simple is always fun because of the intuitive application of the wiimote’s functionalities. GAME PLAY For this session of game play me and a three friends played 4 player bowling. The players can move left and right and then angle their shot and then follow it up by waving the wiimote in a way such that it’s like you are bowling in real life. The motion sensors then judge your form and display the mii (wii character) on screen performing your motion and sending the ball flying in the direction you bowled it. The end result: a smooth game play feel almost as if you were actually at the lanes only without having to rent those terrible flat shoes.Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:32:23 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2933&iddiary=5528https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2932GAME PLAY 2 The second round of play changed somewhat. As I don’t personally own this game I was not able to get two consecutive play sessions rather this one happened roughly a week later with the same 4 players. It was clear that the other three had been playing a lot in the week that had passed and were all now playing what they had determined to be their best character. I too decided I would stick to one character, one that they had not yet unlocked at the previous gaming session. I chose to play as (SPOILERS FROM HERE UNTIL --- Wolf, Fox’s rival in Starfox 64. I liked the feel of this character, while he was slower than Fox or Falco he packs a punch and has many tricky special moves which were fun to attempt to master. Additionally many of the items had been turned off for this play session as they had been deemed unnecessary and also a hindrance to game play. Finally they had settled on only playing Final Destination… but I got them to play some of the unlocked new levels such as the arcade Mario Bros map and arcade Donkey Kong map. --- SPOILERS END HERE.) This second session while much more intense was enjoyable nonetheless. DESIGN The design of all the Smash games is fairly simple. The game has single dimension cardinality with jumping to simulate the simple platformer feeling of most the characters came from. The single player presents some challenges, but often times the AI is outwitted simply by making them traverse dangerous sections of the map multiple times. The true challenge of the game presents its self when the player is faced with another intelligent human player. Items can prove to be either an enhancement to game play or an annoying means to gib another player when they shouldn’t have died yet and thus giving people an arbitrary advantage. The movement of most characters is really smooth and additional techniques like the roll dodge, air dodge, and the new to Brawl running grab and head jump serve to make play all the more interesting. Additionally to correct the fact that large characters like Donkey Kong and Bowser were bad in the previous game in Brawl the designers made it such that large characters aren’t pushed around by lighter attacks. That is a quick flurry of blows from link wouldn’t even make Bowser flinch as he moves in for a devastating smash attack. The wave dash was removed in this version of the game to mixed reactions in the gamer community… Some who had mastered the technique mourn it’s loss however those who have been owned by the advanced technique feel that it was unfair in the first place. Overall the game built upon what it did right in it’s previous two installments and worked to correct it’s flaws and ended up with a game that is sure to be a favorite just like it’s predecessors.Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:31:42 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2932&iddiary=5527https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2932SUMMARY Smash Brawl, the third installment in the epic series of 2d platform fighters by Hal Labs delivers everything that the fans dreamed of and more for a sequel to the ever popular Smash Melee, a hit that never got old in the 6 years it reigned. Smash a 4 players populated by the best of the best of Nintendo’s classic heroes such as Mario, Samus, Pikachu and Fox McCloud. The stages are all renditions of classic video game locations where the characters in Smash once did battle in their respective games such as Mushroom Kingdom, Onnet, Yoshi’s Island and Dream Land. Brawl heralds in some changes however. First of all two fighters loosely connected with Nintendo join the fight; Sonic and Solid Snake. Secondly, a new mechanic, the “final smash” is introduced… a unique attack for each character of such mind-blowing force that it often sends enemies flying in every direction! GAME PLAY For the first session of game play I played some multiplayer, a 4 player free for all with 4 lives to be specific. We had the smash balls enabled (the item that enables use of the final smash move to those lucky enough to grab it when it appears on the map) along with a multitude of other items that looked like they would enhance the play experience. The players were most interested in experimenting with the new characters and testing the new play styles required to play them. I my self played as King Dedede, Meta Knight, Captain Olimar, Pokemon Trainer, Diddy Kong and my favorite from Melee, Falco who I was not the least bit surprised had been nurfed considerably and was mearly a shadow of his former over-powered glory. By the time this first session was over the players had gotten much more into the groove of things and play was becoming more and more competitive. All in all the atmosphere was charged and everyone was excited to be getting a glimpse of the new Smash game that they would likely be enjoying for years to come.Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:31:22 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2932&iddiary=5526https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2279Summary: Super Mario World is a sequal to the previous Super Mario game on the NES. SMW offers both a series of levels for Mario make his way to the end of, or plug in a second controller and play co-op as Mario's brother Luigi joins the adventure. The goal for each level is to reach the end of the level without being killed by enemies or terrain obstacles. The eventual goal is to defeat the King Koopa Bowser and rescue Princess Peach. Gameplay 1: Though I have played through this game many times and discovered all the secret levels I opted to start a fresh game and attempt to view the game as a new player would. By the end of the first gaming session I had managed to knock out the first world and was close to engaging the second boss. The simple platform jumping fun that comes from this game paired with the power-ups the Mario can collect such as fire power or flight makes adventuring through Super Mario World enjoyable time and time again. Some gamers may chose to do time trials, or unlock the many secret levels of the game through beating red stages via some hidden alternate method unique to each level. Furthermore the highly unique graphics of the Super Mario World astonish gamers with vivid colors and strange architecture. Gameplay 2: In this session of gaming I ventured into the second castle, then from there into the vanilla dome and into castle three. In all of the above the visual style has transformed from the magical bright colors of the outdoor world to a dark and dank setting cast in the caves of the vanilla dome and then into some sinister reptilian architecture of the castle levels, augmented by the lava pits common of all boss castles. These later levels provided a more rigorous challenge for the player but were also much more entertaining, balancing the effort/reward ratio. The approach to level design seems to have changed a little since the previous world. In one particular case the level flow was from bottom to top rather than from left to right like all previous levels and the player had to work his way to the top with a series of pillars and ladders and platforms and the like. Another implemented an automatic scrolling screen forcing the player to keep pace for fall off the screen and die. Design: The design of this Super Mario World is roughly similar to the previous ones in that you jump from platform to platform in a 1 dimensional with jumping with the inclusion of power ups and strange monsters to prevent you from reaching your ultimate goal of the end of the level. In Super Mario World little has changed from Super Mario 3, except the for implementation of the feather cape, which allows Mario to fly whereas the previous leaf raccoon suit only allowed Mario to slow fall. Level design wise more has been done with moving platforms than in the previous game, and the concept of switch blocks was implemented which allows the player to make levels easier if they discover secret levels with switch blocks in them. Lastly, Super Mario World heralded in Yoshi, Mario's lovable dinosaur companion who Mario rides into battle againts the Goomba and Koopa armies that Bowser commands. All in all the game bears an epic experience that is fun to the end and every time you play it again.Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:39:24 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2279&iddiary=4372https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1808World of Warcraft 2nd Session ~ The second primary aspect of WoW is the part that pus the war in warcraft, the constant battle between the Horde and the Alliance. The game has five modes of player versus player interaction. The very first and most basic mode is unregulated world PvP. In the outside world, provided you are playing on a PvP enabled server players of the opposing faction can do battle against players of any level, no matter if the match up is a fair fight between two paladins or a dirty one shot ambush by a level 70 rogue made against a defenseless level 20 mage, all is fair in outdoor PvP. The second, a little different, is outdoor PvP objectives, such as a tower that can be captured by either alliance or horde. A good example of this is Halaa which is a town comprised strictly of PvP objectives and PvP rewards for completing these objectives. The third kind of PvP is an outdoor arena, a zone where you can kill members of your own faction. The arena is a good place to bring any unsettled disputes and to show off your skills. The fourth and fifth are conciderably different from the first three in that they are regulated matches arranged by a pairing algorithm. The battlegrounds are the fourth kind of PvP and these are four different maps which are instanced (only the people placed in it will be able to be in it and they are assured that no outsiders will tamper with their game). Matches are of sizes 10v10, 15v15 and 40v40. These battlegrounds are each theamed very differently, the 10v10 is a capture the flag, there are 2 15v15s, one is a fight to hold on to 5 different towers, the other is a fight to hold 4 towers and play capture the flag, and the 40v40 is a protect the king/number of lives fight. The point on the first 4 mentioned thus far is to gather honor points which can be redeemed for PvP tooled loot. Finally there is the rated arena. This is the newest addition to the wow player versus player functionalities and it is by and far the most rewarding both in honing your skills and in the rewards you get from it. The Arena is in sizes 2v2, 3v3 and 5v5. I for this session played 2v2 with a priest friend (healer class) and we were paired up against teams with a similar team rating. When you make a new team your rating begins at 1500. Wins increase your team score and loses decrease it, simple enough. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:42:09.)Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:25:07 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1808&iddiary=3696https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1808For this game log I chose World of Warcraft (WoW). WoW is the most popular game of it's genre and has been since it's release with a multi-million man player base. WoW atributes it's success to it's wide variety of diversions it offers its many players: from leveling to farming gold to progressing through end game content to killing lower level players for the sake of being a jerk there is something in WoW for any gamer. The concept is simple; a player begins by creating a character and is immediatly faced with such important decisions as faction race and appearance. The player proceeds to level their character up to max level (70) at which point they can engage in endgame content. There are two schools of end game play and often times players will immerse them selfs in the two in varying degrees. For this session I mostly focused on the PvE (player versus environment) aspect of the game; raiding in particular. Raiding is when 10 to 25 players get together and attemtp to destroy high end game content. My guild is a social group established within game and is comprised of other like-minded players who focus on clearing through the end game boss fights and raid instances. Today we went to Serpentshrine Cavern and killed Leotheras the Blind and Fathom-Lord Karathress. When bosses in WoW die they award random loot to the group that killed it and the loot is divided up depending on how the guild sees fit to distribute it. A general method of loot distribution is DKP (dungeon kill points) which work on a system which is somewhat unique and completely player made, most likely modeled after a previous system implemented by older generation MMO players of games such as Everquest. When a player recieves a piece of loot they are charged an ammount of DKP assigned to that item based on the guild's thoughts on how much it is worth, then the ammount of DKPS spent is divided among the other players in the raid and added to their DKP sums. (This entry has been edited4 times. It was last edited on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:04:27.)Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:35:18 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1808&iddiary=3674