Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=663https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3092Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening Gamelog #2 Gameplay: After an impressive cut scene, I am plunged into the next mission. I slice and dice my way through hapless enemies that do not know what they have gotten themselves into. After a certain amount of orbs are obtained, I upgrade Ebony and Ivory in order to really bring the pain. With this new upgrade plus a shotgun that I stole from the wall Resident Evil style, I can punish scythe-wielding phantoms with my infinite stock of bullets. The game was really getting fun, and that is when I reached the end of the mission. I then met a giant, three headed talking dog covered in ice. This giant, three headed talking dog covered in ice managed to pummel me a couple of times. It was rather hard trying to beat this monstrosity, yet I managed to do so with more ease than the mini-boss from the previous stage. Overall, the two hours spent on the this game were ridiculously challenging, yet they were so filled with fun and speed that the challenge was worthwhile. I really had fun with this game even though it made me so frustrated at one point that I threw my controller. Game Design: The first problem, in terms of game design, is the difficulty. This game is so obscenely hard right off the bat that it seems unfair. I have never played a game in which it took eight tries to beat a mini-boss at the end of the first mission. The standard enemies are not that bad, but the larger enemies are a big obstacle that even seasoned gamers will have trouble with. The second HUGE problem is the camera. There are countless times, when surrounded by ten enemies, that you can only see Dante and nothing else besides the side of a building, so you are forced to shoot randomly in hopes of hitting an enemy. You do have light control over this so called “free range camera,” but it moves so slow that you have literally no time to adjust to see the enemies. The levels themselves are very linear and relatively flat. The ability to jump off the walls in order to assist combos is very cool. What is not linear or flat is the intense combat system. Loaded with infinite ammo, Dante can jump slash shoot seamlessly, all before hitting the ground. The battle system is so fast and responsive that it really is a major highpoint of this game. What separates it from is other action games like God of War is the variety of combos that can be strung together. Shooting and slashing is so seamless that sometimes the transition is too good and you are not sure what happened. This battle system is truly one to behold, especially once the upgrades to weapons and abilities are acquired, making the game all the more fun. Overall, this game was very fun, VERY hard, and completely worth the time. If you are serious about finding a challenge, give this game a try. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:24:07 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3092&iddiary=5978https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3092Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening Gamelog #1 Summary: Devil May Cry 3 is the third installment of the Devil May Cry series. It serves as the prequel to the first Devil May Cry and follows Dante, the son of Sparda, a powerful demon who defeated the demon army. Dante is bent on killing demons in order to rectify the death of his mother. In Devil May Cry 3, Dante is led out by his brother Vergil in order to unleash the true power of their father Sparda. The game revolves around Dante trying to prevent Vergil from obtaining these powers. Gameplay: The first thing that is notable about Devil May Cry 3 is the difficulty. The normal American version is equivalent to the Japanese hard mode, and the easy mode is not a selectable setting. Only after dying a certain amount of times can the player unlock easy mode, then they have to start their missions over. I unlocked easy mode. I did it relatively fast, too. The first mission and a half I breezed through relatively easily, then came the mini-boss at the end of mission two. He destroyed me. Every time. Even after my losses added up, he did not seem to get easier. I then tried him on easy, where I managed to get the groove down and whittle his life down slowly. Regardless of my mini-boss woes (which seems to be a recurring theme) I had so much fun jumping, shooting, slashing and shooting some more through a plethora of enemies. They came and I knocked them down, smashed them, flipped them, and shot right through them. The rhythm was easy to get down yet still difficult to master. Also, I enjoyed picking the style I wanted to fight in. Normally a melee fighter, I passed on the swordmaster setting and chose the gunslinger mode. This allows for cooler combos with my guns, Ebony and Ivory (by the way, the greatest names for a character’s weapons ever). I still manage to finish most of my big combos with my sword though. Dante, the main charcter, is most definitely one of the cooler protagonists of a video game. He has a smart mouth, trendy fashion and very slick hair. He just seems to ooze cool out of his pores in lieu of sweat. With guns blazing and mouth spewing, I think that Dante is in a different stratosphere in terms of cool game characters, along with Cloud from Final Fantasy VII.Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:52:18 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3092&iddiary=5762https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2851Gamelog #2 Wii Sports Gameplay: The initial vigor and joy wore off very quickly the second time around. In fact, the game by yourself is boring and a little depressing. As I sat in my dorm room with music blaring, I realized that it mattered to no one if I sank this putt or picked up this spare. Playing by yourself is not fun at all. I lost my drive to do well, my passion and drive left the stadium just like the constant barrage of homeruns I was now consistently crushing with ease. I started to get nitpicky, realizing how if I miss one tennis swing with my first player, my second was also doing the same thing and I was not going to get a clean hit off. Also, I found my groove in bowling and rolled strike after strike. The difficulty never rose to meet what I was doing, and I was slightly disappointed. Game Design: Very simple sprite designs, no detail in the levels, and no music outside of the occasional crowd cheer or racket-to-ball contact. However, this does not detract from the gameplay itself, in fact I seem to like the more childish aspect it presents. There is a simplicity that is present that makes the game more accessible to a wider audience, which is exactly what it accomplished. The interaction between the player and the game is very fun, despite the simplicity. There seems to be more satisfaction out of actually feeling like you are hitting a ball or throwing a punch instead of simply pressing a button. Nintendo has captured a unique aspect of gameplay that has not really been explored before this, or at least outside of lightgun shooting games. I think that there is a certain amount of success and credit that can be attributed to Nintendo for bringing forth the next step of gaming, which is increased player interaction. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:21:16 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2851&iddiary=5400https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2851Gamelog # 1 Wii Sports Summary: Wii Sports is a sport simulation game for the Wii. Its utilizes the motion sensor capability of the Wii remote in order to create a more “realistic” version of different athletic events. The list of interactive games is tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing. Gameplay: What makes the Wii Sports franchise so different is the physical interaction that the player must partake in in order to truly experience the game. For instance, the player must actually swing the remote in order to swing the racket in the game. In order to pitch, the player must do a throwing motion like they are actually throwing a baseball. I found that there are incredibly lazy and cheap ways to go about these actions, instead of swinging anything you might as well just flick your wrist; it does the same thing. I, however, forwent this and actually played hard, swinging with vigor and passion. Oddly, the game was much more satisfying with this different, intense mindset. I would be ecstatic when I would launch a homerun into the stands or bowl a strike, just because I made myself feel like I actually did it. This game became increasingly satisfying and fun the more I played, and I had such a good time making myself feel like I was an integral part of a baseball team. Baseball, for the record, was my favorite game to play hands down. Tennis was boring and bowling became too easy. Plus, I got really good at baseball and eventually the computer had a mercy rule because I would score too many runs in an inning. Very satisfying.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:20:22 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2851&iddiary=5313https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2574Gamelog #1 Killer 7 Summary: I have no idea what Killer 7 is about. Apparently I am an assassin with seven personalities. That is all that is revealed. Oh, I apparently have to collect blood, but have no idea how to do it. Gameplay: I am running by holding the A button and cannot control the direction I am going. I am basically on a track. The battle seems simple enough, until I fight this egg ball rolling thing. I have no I idea how to kill it. Killer 7’s equivalent to Navi told me what to do, but I could not do it, understand it, or even begin to take on the challenge. I am confused and frustrated. I keep dying, and am beginning to lose hope that I know what I am doing. Gamelog #2 Killer 7 Gameplay: The controls, still confusing, are killing me. And this mini-boss I cannot figure out. I cannot play this game out of sheer frustration and the fact that I am developing a HORRIBLE headache, from the camera angle to the playing style. I am normally not a quitter, but this game could not appease me. After what seemed like forever and constant dying. I quit. Game Design: The art direction, however, is beautiful. What this lacks in gameplay for me is made up for completely by the beautiful level design. The cel-shade method used is very impressive, the music is weird, the voice acting creepy and they invented a whole new language. Now onto the dislikes. With basically a three-button scheme, no direct control of my characters motion and the camera is constantly looking up from the feet. The quick pace coupled by the camera made my head hurt. I would definitely recommend this to a serious gamer with yearning for a challenge, but it was not for me.Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:43:52 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2574&iddiary=4870https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2197Gamelog 2 Gameplay: So the game has become increasingly tedious, as my characters never seem to be strong enough. I die all the time. I play fine through the main “dungeon,” yet when I reach the boss my characters are completely overwhelmed. I have to go back and level up, which takes forever for me to grow even one level. I then trudge back to the boss, where I proceed to die, yet again. It is really frustrating. The redeeming quality is most definitely the license board. I love the ability to be able to choose whatever my characters do, ultimately having super characters that have every power up. The bad thing is getting a new weapon, then realizing that I am no where near that item on the license board. Another thing that has opened up is the world. I thought the world was huge before. I had no idea. The levels and enemies become more grandiose as the game goes on. One are that stands out particularly are the mines. They are dark and expansive, with an amazing boss battle at the end. So far, although this game is beautiful and huge, I just cannot see myself finishing it. I do not think I have the game stamina to keep it up. It is too slow, my characters never seem to get stronger, and after a few hours I just do not see myself being able to go at the pace that I have been going at. Design: Although the game is slow, its design is simply amazing. The actual battle system, when on the advanced version, is ridiculous. It moves very fast paced and decisions have to be made on a dime. The actual level design is beautiful, intricate and detailed. This game is more impressive than any Playstation 2 game I have ever seen. There seems to be a bar that is set with this version of Final Fantasy in every aspect, from battle to character interaction to level design. The story is told beautifully as well. The characters all have a personality, even if the lead is the weakest of the bunch. All have ulterior motives, yet still strive for a similar cause. The cutscenes are placed well, and are spectacular for the engine they are running on. The story, although basic at the beginning, becomes deep and interweaving as you go along. Although I cannot finish this game due to the time it takes to finish it, it is definitely something to admire and behold. Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:58:16 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2197&iddiary=4360https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2197Final Fantasy XII Summary: Final Fantasy XII revolves around Vaan, a precocious and very effeminate lead character who is an orphan in the city of Rabanastre. Vaan is the leader of a group that consists of one childhood friend, one lost princess, a blackballed war general, and two sky pirates. This ragtag group is to restore order and peace to the conflicting world of Ivalice. Gameplay: So the opening scene is beautiful, even by Playstation 2 standards. When I am actually dropped into the game, I come to love the new fighting system. Much better than the old turn-based style, the game is fluid and fast paced if the fighting system is chosen right. I love how my units are no longer necessarily class-based, but can be just about anything I want with the new License system. The world is immense. It is one of the biggest gameworlds I have ever seen, and it is completely traversable. The city of Rabanastre is truly a city, with people that have personalities to a myriad of various locales. There so far have been deserts, mines, and forests, and all of them have their own personality. A big problem that I did have was the insane amount of time I spent in the menu screen. I had to organize so much stuff to further the progress of my characters that it almost seemed not worth it, until I got new weapons that is. The game is one that truly is and epic adventure meant to be taken in and respected. We’ll see how it turns out.Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:57:22 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2197&iddiary=4167https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1841Gamelog #2 Gameplay: Much of the same can be said for the next part of the game. Basic run and gun, full of headshots and treasure. Still never gets old, as the game has basically become a mission of how quickly I can dispatch a group of ganados or a boss. I am dangerously close to beating the game for the second time in four days, and yet as I get closer to the end I am more excited than ever. I actually am looking forward to playing it again, as the incentives are quite enticing. I have not played a one player game that has had such high replay since…well never. This is easily one of my top ten games. Design: The most beautiful aspect of the game is the dreary, gloomy environment that you are dropped into. The mood is set with the environment, from the overcast village to the foreboding castle. But what separates the game from other shooters is the unique way the Wiimote is utilized. The simple point and shoot is refreshing and incredibly easy to handle, while with a flick of the wrist Leon slashes with a knife. But the actual highlight (for me at least) is shaking the Wiimote to reload your gun and hearing the satisfying cick of the new clip. The hardware is used to a different level than previous games. The flow of the game, though linear, really is set by an early tone and is kept throughout the play time. The player is guided by a world that is not to vast or expansive, yet there is enough wiggle room for explorers. Also, the hunt for treasure is a never-ending quest that always leads to a satisfying result. Though not to the extent of Mass Effect, there are various player interactions with cutscenes that keep you on your toes, unless you want your head squashed. The main challenge, for the first time was survival, yet the second time is sheer fun. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:21:34 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1841&iddiary=3736https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1841Gamelog #1 Summary: Resident Evil 4 is a third person shooter that revolves around special agent Leon S. Kennedy and his plight to save the President’s daughter from a religious cult bent on taking over the world. The game leads you through various locales, and eventually Leon destroys the cult and succeeds in his mission. Gameplay: This is my second go round for Resident Evil 4, and the replay value is amazing. The fact I get to keep all of my items from the first time plus new, more powerful items makes this much more fun than the first time. The main character, Leon Kennedy, is quite possibly the coolest lead any game of recent memory, and the story is just as good as any other. Ashley, the president’s daughter, is just as annoying as ever, yet she is easily tolerated once the infinite rocket launcher was purchased. The first time playing the game, I was overly cautious with my actions, especially entering new areas and conserving ammo. But the second time through, it seems as if the reigns have been lifted as I gleefully plow through horde after horde of ganados (or zombies to those who have yet to play). There are not many more satisfying feelings than unloading endless rounds from an infinite rocket launcher upon unsuspecting ganados. This game flows very well, from character interaction with AI (though arguably bad voice acting from the president’s daughter) to the seamless reloading of your weapons. Resident Evil 4 is definitely a gaming experience, and I cannot wait to beat it again.Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:31:08 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1841&iddiary=3640