Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=676https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3134Game log #2 Gameplay: In playing the game a second time I realized the repetitiveness of some levels. Although the main levels are fairly different and vary slightly, missions in which you must take over a planet can get very repetitive. There are times when you must conquer 2 or 3 planets before reaching the necessary level. These missions can get fairly boring, there is no big difference between planets, simply just landscapes. However, this is only a minor nuisance and is sometimes beneficial. A player can use these as practice or as a means of generating more resources. Still the main interest in the game is in the main story line planets. In these planets the player will faces varying challenges and receive new weapons and vehicles. The space battles also get extremely repetitive, yet there is always some sort of difficulty in these levels and they are set in a relatively smaller area so there is no needless wandering, its all a battle in space. Receiving a new character is also an enjoyable experience. Characters like Darth Vader or Obi Wan all have great abilities that make land battles more interesting. After countless waves of soldiers failing to subdue an opposing force, it is fun to see Darth Vader use the force and strike down his foes easily with a swing of his light saber. Design: One great aspect of the game is its ability to be relatively simple, and still create challenge. The game is simple because, for one, there is only one real resource, money. With thatm you do not have to be worrying too much if you have too little of one thing and too much of another so you might have to get rid of one thing to afford to buy another, there is no haggling with that at all its simply you have the money or not. Also, upgrades happen automatically throughout the game, so there is not worry to see if you have enough money to upgrade your army. Finally, there is not an ridiculous amount of space ships or ground units. Only a few that you can really familiarize yourself with and use them more effectively. Neither are there large amounts of special abilities that one can often forget about, just simple bombing runs, ion canon support, etc. All of these elements create a more simplistic RTS, yet, that does not mean that it has lost its difficulty. The game is still very challenging, enemy A.I. is difficult to defeat, it also uses large amounts of strategy and a battle could easily turn out differently in the end than it first started when you thought you had the upper hand. Like many other RTS games, Star Wars Empire a War has a sandbox mode that allows the player to do what they wish with an army. This is a great example of emergent gameplay, you can build your army, your opposing army, choose where to fight, if you download the software you can even create your own planet. The sandbox mode is very much up to player and can be useful for practice or as a way to measure your skill.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:15:20 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3134&iddiary=5974https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3134Game log #1 Summary: Star Wars Empire at War is a real-time strategy game in which the player takes control of armies from either the rebel alliance or the evil galactic empire in order to defeat the opposing forces and take over the galaxy. The story takes place before the first Star Wars movie, and depending on which side the player chooses, gives some background on characters, settings, and plot points in the movie. For example the creation of the Death Star. The story is of course different depending on which side the layer chooses, but in general it is attempting to dominate the map by taking over other planets. Gameplay: As a fan of RTS games, this was a very enjoyable game to play. It has all the elements of a good RTS game and is based on Star Wars, a great combination. As with other RTS games, strategy is crucial. With that, it is easy to find one self very much absorbed into the gameplay, attempting to figure out the best attack or defense can be the sole focus of a player. I was very much involved in what my next attack was and how it was carried out. For example, I may find myself screaming at my computer because my soldiers did not do something I wanted them to do, or bursting with joy because my battle plan went off without a flaw and the enemy was utterly destroyed. In either case, the player really becomes immersed into the gameplay. Of course the characters are extremely familiar, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Obi Wan Kenobi, etc. Of course if a player is a Star Wars fan, he/she will feel a strong connection with the characters. Even if a player/fan is not playing with any of the specific characters, commanding the forces of the rebel alliance or the empire can give the player/fan a great level of excitement. Character is also important in the game because often times, RTS games will completely abandon any type of character-player connection, and seeing how some of these characters are so loved, the designers did well on including them and giving them major roles. The game is extremely fun to play if one is a fan of either Star Wars or RTS games. For one you get some of the Star Wars mythology, this is not a game that simply takes place in the Star Wars universe. The player actually gets to control some of the familiar characters and learn more about the Star Wars lore. Also, one takes control over familiar elements of the movie. That is, ships, vehicles, and even the Death Star itself. As an RTS game, its not too different from many others. The player gets to control hundreds of troops, send them into enemy infested territory, and gain new technology in order to better defeat the enemy. The key element of an RTS game is critical thinking about strategy, and Star Wars Empire at War is no different. The A.I. can be quite difficult and its sometimes not enough to have the biggest fleet or army. Planning out attacks and keeping up defenses is key to survival in latter parts of the game. One must use each of the individual ships and vehicles abilities to their advantage. Although all are good for attacking, a player must take into account that some vehicles are good for certain things, such as destroying bases or certain other enemy ships or vehicles. With all this, the strategic element of the game is very entertaining and will keep the player playing for hours.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:25:25 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3134&iddiary=5825https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2869Game log #2 Gameplay: What makes Super Mario Bros. 3 a fun game to play is its simple gameplay. The challenges may become difficult, but there is no need of learning new things constantly. Often in recent video games the player will receive new abilities and weapons constantly and thus must learn how to use them all the time. In classic Mario games you play in the end exactly as you did in the beginning. The main focus of the game is the skill you develop as you progress. Because of this simple mechanic its very fun to play, you can go through a level as quickly as you can, trying to show off some skills. Or you can take your time and get all the coins and mushrooms you desire. If your playing with a friend, the game can be just as fun, compete against someone to see who can pass the level faster or with greater ease. Who can defeat the boss at the end of the world. The constant shouting and hooting over such a simple game shows just how fun simple ingenuity and creativity can be, and that games don’t have to be watered down because of graphics or dozens of features. Great fun gameplay is at the core of Super Mario Bros.3 Design: One thing many take for granted in these Mario games is the high level of design they have. For example Super Mario Bros. 3 features a large number of secrets and hidden areas that can become available or accessible for those who pay close attention and have enough skill to reach these secrets. Furthermore, what makes SMB3 unique is its minigame option. There are certain levels that are purely minigame fun, such as a memory card game, or a simple roulette spin, these elements can be considered early shades of the Mario Party saga. Also Mario has the ability to have many different powers, and to collect several power ups and use them for future levels that can make it easier to pass. The levels are and are not varied. For one, the basic layout of the levels is the same throughout, that being a basic platform type layout. Yet the levels are varied in several other ways, such as having different enemies, perhaps a new element to the platform layout. The tone of the game world is vary cartoony and whimsical. It is very appealing for young children, yet, it does not deter older gamers from playing.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:40:58 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2869&iddiary=5468https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2869Summary: In Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario and Luigi are on a mission to rescue the seven kings of the seven worlds. Each of the kings has had his magic wand stolen by one of the Koopalings(Bowser‘s children), who has turned him into a different type of animal. It's up to the Mario Bros. to enter the seven worlds, make their way to the Koopalings' airships, and take back the wands. However, when reaching the 7th level Bowser reveals his true plot, surprisingly, to kidnap Princess Peach. Gameplay: For me any Super Mario game has been an emotional stew of fun, excitement, and frustration. The game is a simple platformer, like its predecessors, the only real buttons you are required to know are left, right, and jump. The challenges in the game comes from its various obstacles found in the individual levels. The koopas, chain-chomps, and the classic goombas all make for a challenging level in the game. Not to mention the various platforms, moving platforms, sinking platforms, single squared platforms for those who like to speed through the game. In simpler terms, the simple game turns out a vast number of challenges. Always varying from level to level so one can always find surprises in the dozens of levels of the seven worlds. Because of these challenges, I find myself in a state of frustration, mainly because you must restart the entire level if you are killed. And many of these level can get pretty challenging, spawning newer and more difficult enemies, or more challenging platforms and obstacles. But of course this challenge does not sour the game whatsoever, in fact I find the challenges are what makes Mario a classic and continued popular game, whereas many other plat formers can get very easy and boring. The characters are, today, the most recognizable faces in videogames. To play them truly is an honor and a joy. These simple characters, plumbers wearing red and green overalls, have created such a culture that a person truly cares for them. Even after countless abductions, it never gets tiring saving Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser. It’s a very simple very romantic type of story, one that resembles classic romantic stories of Knights in shining armor saving the princess from an evil doer. There is this motivation to save Princess Peach, especially after going through countless of levels of jumping and running. The game very much flows from level to level. Within each world the levels are very similar, they gradually change in difficulty, until you reach the next world where the challenges are different and landscape changes as well. For example in one world you may be playing a simple standard platformer, while in the next you are underwater. Although it sounds like two different games, the transitions between levels is gradual, and the gameplay remains consistent throughout the entirety of the game.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:49:49 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2869&iddiary=5358https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2471Game log #2 Gameplay: Again the fast paced arcade aspect of the game is what draws the player in the most. Once one begins playing the game it’s hard to pay attention to anything else, you are so preoccupied with dodging the enemy fire and destroying opposing airships that you forget about anything that is going on around you. Basically there is no quiet time in on the screen, at every moment there is an enemy or incoming fire. That makes for a very enjoyable videogame experience throughout. The story of the game varies for each character, one is on a mission while another is doing it to save his girlfriend. While story may be a big element for some in whether the game is good or not, the cliché lines and cheesy stories are of no real bother when it comes to the gameplay, one can easily forget or not even realize what some of the quick cut scenes are saying, again the real draw of the game is its all out fun shooting aspect. Design: One thing I noticed in this second play through is that all the enemies obviously fire in a programmed way, and therefore always attack in the same way every time in every level. However, the way I reacted to the enemy and how I killed them was almost always different, so although there is a large amount of uniformity in the game, it also allows for some interesting variety. The overall challenge of the game makes for great gameplay, but one of it’s biggest challenge is of course the bosses. In a sense the bosses are hard and easy to beat. What I mean is that rather than using a particular weapon or skill to defeat the enemy, you simply just shoot the boss until it gets destroyed, so its no hassle finding certain weapons. However, the bosses do of course still pose challenges. The bosses are all different and attack in distinctly different ways. Generally it is easier if one has a stronger gun or many special attacks, yet it can be just as easy if one has a weak gun. Generally it is a manner of dodging the enemies attacks and keep shooting. The reward system for the game is basically like any other arcade game, points. It would be nice if the player could get more airplanes or more interesting shooting capabilities, yet, in the end it is just a small annoyance if one just wants to have the highest score. Overall the design of the game is like any other shmups game, only the story and artwork is different, yet it is still a fun game to play. The challenge it posses can create some great interactions between the player and the game so a player really becomes immersed in the game.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 22:48:44 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2471&iddiary=4693https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2471Game log #1 Summary: Aero Fighters is a vertical scrolling shoot em’ up(shmup) arcade game. The player must choose one of four nationalities (USA, Japan, England, or Sweden), and proceeds to fly through seven enemy infested stages, dodging large amounts of enemy fire in order to reach the colossal end boss of each stage. Gameplay: I have been playing this game for several days now, it is a very simple and standard shmup game, but that of course means that it’s completely addicting. The reason the game is so much fun is basically in its standard structure. It is a very fast paced game and requires some pretty quick reflexes for those trickier levels. Because of this rapid pace the game can get very exiting, as with many other arcade games, one can find themselves screaming at the game because you cant get past that one level. The game gets harder and harder with each level you pass so by the final levels it can get pretty frustrating. But that of course is part of the fun, were it a fairly easy game then it would be simple to get through the levels and the challenge would be gone, one would get trough the entire game in no time. One aspect of the game that I very much enjoyed was the fact that one can choose what kind of plane they will fly. There are four different kinds and each has their own unique fighting style. The Japanese plane for example shoots ninja stars. A player can take a preference to a certain plane and later argue with other players why that certain plane is better than the rest. The levels are basically the same whether you choose the American plane or British plane, they all have the same enemies and bosses, yet it is up to the player to choose which plane is better for the boss fights, or which one is better for clearing out enemies, or which one can dodge planes better. With that, the game is given a nice little amount of variety.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:51:04 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2471&iddiary=4670https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2218Log #2 GAMEPLAY: Fighting one of the many bosses you do in the epic game brings another aspect of the games gameplay that just enriches the game, its challenge. Many games loose their challenge after ones gets accustomed to it. However, with Ocarina of Time its large scale means the challenges must be continual, and they are. Each dungeon is extremely different than the next so there is no one technique in passing each dungeon. The bosses at the end of each dungeon can often times be just as difficult and require new and different ways to be destroyed. Also in a quick horse race, not necessarily part of the main storyline, can be quite challenging. In talking about the boss battles, many of these climactic sequences can be extremely cinematic, and exiting. These sequences are very often extremely climatic and make the entire experience of fighting the dungeon boss very enjoyable and fun. Much of the rest of the game is similar, cinematic and cut scenes aside, you can find yourself in a very climactic battle between various enemies or jumping past tremendous obstacles in different dungeons. DESIGN: As with the rest of the game, the design is near perfect. As mentioned previously, the kingdom of Hyrule is extremely large and not at all repetitive. One area may be a giant lake while another can be an arid desert. And each level has its own cast of individuals ad enemies so each area is almost like a different game, each with its individual challenges and surprises. There is also an extremely large number of enemies in the entire world, each with a unique attack and different weakness, making the game just a bit more challenging and varied. I believe that the open ended aspect of the game is extremely innovative. Although by today there are many games that allow you to explore, for its time Legend of Zelda was extremely ahead of its time. The possibilities of what you could do in the game was endless as opposed to many platform games where you were forced to go as directed. How you react with your world is also innovative, if you want you could pass the game with what you need, but if you choose to do many of the side missions you may be rewarded with stronger weapons, newer spells, etc. so it could be much easier for the player to go through the game. Of course there is the reward at the end of the game, the rescue of Zelda. The anticipation one gets throughout the entire game to save the princess, all the blood sweat and tears the player goes through, makes the final boss battle between Ganon all the more personal.Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:32:28 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2218&iddiary=4371https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2218Log entry #1 Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a single player action-adventure game where the player plays the sword-wielding hero, Link. The objective of the game is, like the so many other Legend of Zelda games, is to find and rescue princess Zelda from the clutches of the evil Ganondorf. At the beginning of the Ocarina of time you awake in the small Kokiriki village, their you’re a primarily limited to the small village until you defeat your first boss. It is basically a training session, when you exit the village you arrive in the vast Hyrule field. From here on end you can basically do what your heart desires. The game has such a huge world that one can explore endlessly and even find something new all the while, with its many little hidden niches. The game has a story of course, and advancements in the story will influence what different things you can do, however one can choose to ignore the story for as long as they want and come back to it later. The open-endedness really creates an epic feel of the game and will have the player playing for a hefty period of time. Accompanying the epic world of the game is its epic story. Perhaps one of the greatest story in video game history, Ocarina of time creates a story full of twists, turns, tears, laughs, and fears. It’s diverse levels and captivating story makes the player want to continue with the story. If one considers the simplicity of the concept, saving the princess from the bad guy, it is amazing how it keeps its story so rich. Perhaps one of the ways it does this is with its diverse cast of characters. You can always count on meeting someone new and interesting. The characters are so well drawn that it is easy to fall in love with many of them, or in some cases feel total hatred towards them. For example, in the course of my brief adventure in Jabbu Jabbu’s belly I became “engaged” to a very young princess who was enthralled that I helped rescue her fishy friend. At the tender age of 8, Link can find love! It is this that I enjoy most of the game, its extreme diversity in doing whatever you want. The main puzzles and dungeons are challenging and fun, but of course you can usually only do them once. But if you have not had your fill of difficult puzzles you can go out and find different other ones. If you want you could find all the Poes, collect thousands of rupees, find all the heart pieces, and still have time to do the amazing story. It is almost impossible to get bored of this game.Sat, 26 Jan 2008 01:08:25 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2218&iddiary=4252https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1904GAMELOG #1 SUMMARY: In Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare the player assumes the role of Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish a member of the 22nd SAS Regiment, and Sergeant Paul Jackson a part of the USMC 1st Force Recon. The objective of the game is to locate and kill two terrorist leaders who after publicly executing president Yasir Al-Fulani, gain control of an unnamed middle eastern country. Through joint efforts between both agencies the character is able to travel and fight through diverse locales from middle eastern cities, to abandoned towns, even to surviving for a few brief moments after a massive nuclear attack. After playing as Sergeant Paul Jackson in several missions for Act I, the player resumes playing with Sergeant John “Soap” MacTavish in reaching the objective of assassinating both targets, after Sergeant Jackson is killed in a nuclear attack. GAMEPLAY: The game begins with a brief training section where the player must run through a course as quick and efficiently as possible. This quick intro basically introduces the feel of the game. Many of the objectives throughout several of the missions are to clear houses of enemies and quickly move on to next. Although it sounds very difficult, it turns out to be a very fun aspect of the game. With its quick paced action I felt adrenaline rush in several times, constantly on the look out for enemies and trying to be as quick on the trigger as possible. Often in the game you would get caught up in vicious firefights alongside your teammates, which is something I very much enjoy of war games, making them extremely exiting and fun to play. In contrast, there are also several missions that require stealth and cunning. Those levels not only balance out the intense firefights, but give the player a good chance to choose how to kill their victims and be a bit more cerebral about it, rather than simply jumping out guns blazing. The characters in the game are essential seeing as how your teammates accompany you in practically all of the missions, you gain some connection with them. There are several instances where you as the rookie of the group are helped by your fellow teammates, as well as by your grumpy but lovable captain Price. With that, the player feels a strong compulsion to aid its fellow teammates. Most noticeably when one gets captured and you are forced to undergo a rescue operation. Not to mention whenever you accidentally fire on one of your teammates your are punished by being killed, followed by the announcement on the screen: “FRIENDLY FIRE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.” For me, the gameplay was extremely enjoyable. I felt as though I were in a real conflict in a real country, firing a real gun. I assume that war perhaps isn’t as exiting or fun as the game, but the game truly was an enjoyable experience. Again the realistic feel and graphics added great quality to the game, but most importantly was the diversity of the game. Unlike most shooters, where all you do is fire a gun. You actually get to control the weapons of an AC-130 gunship, a Cobra Helicopter, and even spend a few moments in a devastated city. GAMELOG #2 Upon playing the game a second time, I came to realization of the great ability to diversify your kills. That is, many of the levels are very much free roaming, if you choose you can find a good sniping position and take out as many enemies as you can, or you can get up close and personal, shooting off your riffle and throwing out several frag grenades, creating all out hell. Also the amazing cinematic element of the game further enhances the enjoyable experience. For example: In one level you and your partner shoot down a helicopter, however as the helicopter begins to loose air you realize that it is rapidly crashing towards you and you need to really hustle in order to not get splattered by the helicopter. That truly gives the game a very exiting feel, you are anxious to discover what is going to happen next or how differently you are going to play the next level. Who knows, maybe one level you are trying to storm a house, while the very next level you are trying to pass by several guards undetected. What fell on the low end for me was the general story, I found it to common. However, it was very well executed with the varying levels. Along with that the game itself is quite short, but its main drive, as with many games today, is its XBOX Live capability. DESIGN: The Call of Duty franchise is known for its innovative game design. However, they truly outdid themselves with this game. Instead of adding a few new moves and weapons to the old WWII franchise, they completely retooled the game. Bringing the game into present day gives the player the ability to use today’s most powerful tool, technology. The player can use night vision, laser precision aim, and the ability to call on different air strikes. The combat element of the game is very much the same as its predecessors, but great nonetheless. The enemy AI(depending on the difficulty you choose) can be extremely challenging. Many of the enemies are as smart as you, taking cover when they feel exposed, using the environment for their advantage, and even playing possum once and a while. This of course keeps the player very alert and weary of his enemy. As stated before, the diversity of this game is what keeps this game extremely interesting and fun to play. You cannot simply pass through one level as you did with the previous one, one level is much more challenging than the other. But one of the most interesting aspects of the game is to pass through these varying levels at your own accord. There are no specific guidelines as to how to executer your goals, you are really in command of your character and are able to interact with your environment accordingly, something new to the old point and shoot shooters.Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:54:11 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1904&iddiary=3780