Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=714https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3151GAMEPLAY It is useful in this game ( and necessary, to rack up high point totals) to develop an instinct of when to ollie so that the player reaches maximum jump height and distance. Just as in real skateboarding, releasing the X button (which the player holds down while skating to increase speed and prepare for a jump) too early or too late will interfere with the skaters ability to launch of the ramps correctly. Additionally, stat points can be added to the skaters existing stats in categories such as Air, Hangtime, Speed, Spin and Balance to increase the skaters abilities to complete challenges. It is important to develop a rhythm while skating throughout the level in order to string together tricks to form trick combinations that add multipliers to trick point totals. Once this rhythm has been obtained, it is easy to get carried away, and try to perform too many tricks, which creates the challenge of regulating speed and ferocity. Another one of the most creative features of this game is the ability to create your own skater, manipulating clothing, appearance and personal information. Also this game features its own level editor which allows players to create their own skate parks.This game is fun, hip and highly interactive. DESIGN There is an intriguing characteristic of all the characters in this game; they are real, popular, professional skaters. Growing up as a young gromit in a skateboarding/surfing community, I never imagined I would see my favorite skateboarding pros in a well-developed commercially popular video game. They all resemble their actual people and even feature custom clothing and skateboards for each individual skater. Additionally, the players can derive a similar thrill from the individual levels, which are constructed to mirror real places in real cities around the world and features a plethora of challenges that vary creatively and intrigue the player to continue pursuing the end goal. The soundtrack to this game features a diverse line-up of tracks from multiple genres of music. Also, interestingly enough, each professional skater featured in the game picked a song for the game them self. This aspect highlights the most important ability of this game, which is to connect deeply on a cultural level with an audience of potential game consumers that were previously unsatisfied with the quality of other extreme sports games that were often simple without the high interactivity of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:52:03 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3151&iddiary=5853https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3151SUMMARY Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is the third installment of the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. THPS, a true classic, has dominated pretty much all other skateboarding video games and has headlined the extreme sports genre of games since introduction. Tony Hawk, the most recognized spokesman of skateboarding has popularized and commercialized the sport in a way never previously imagined. GAMEPLAY As a young pre-teen and into my teenage years, I watched friends of mine I rarely caught in doors, let alone devote extended amounts of time in front of a television develop a strong passion for this game. The graphics and range of motion in this game remarkeable mimic the dynamics experienced in real skateboarding. The physics have been adjusted obviously and considerably; however, the engaging magic circle of this game uses its surrounding realistic imagery and technique to quickly make the player forget it is not at all possible to successfully "grind" a handrail across canyons or launch to the roof of a building from a wooden jump. The game features an extensive repertoire of tricks featuring variations of "grab" tricks in which the skateboarder performs different aerial grabs of the board, "flip" tricks which cause the skater to perform kickflips and other variations that involve flipping the board in midair, and "grind" tricks which can be used to ride on various rails and ledges around the level. The grind tricks require balance that is shown on a meter as the player grinds, as do the manual tricks, which allow the player to continue trick combinations across flat ground. The flip and grab tricks all require different height of jumps to perform successfully so it's easy to get carried away and try to perform too many tricks while in the air causing the skater to fall once he hits the ground.Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:51:04 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3151&iddiary=5849https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2913GAMEPLAY In the Single Player mode there are five skill levels to choose from ranging from very hard to very easy. Acknowledging the skill I have already accumulated playing the multiplayer mode of this game for so long with friends, I initiated the mode using the very hard setting. Next I was given the choice between starting with between one and five lives. This is a good feature because increasing and decreasing the level of difficulty and chances allowed during game play creates an increased challenge even once the player has completed all the levels. The player can also toggle a five minute time limit on or off, but cannot decrease it to raise the difficulty as you can with the very easy to very hard setting, or choice between number of lives. There are eleven levels of characters to progress through with a few additional bonus stages along the way. The number of lives the player has left carries throughout the game until their depletion, during which the player may continue on with half his/her original score. On a few levels the player is forced to fight multiple nearly identical, easier-to-kill bad guys rather than one, larger more challenging opponent in addition to fighting on the team of a companion computer controlled player. This allows a varying fighting sequence although it requires little changing of strategy. Overall this game is fun, interesting, interactive and engaging. The storyline is simple and easy to follow and it manipulates the fighting structure of the game well to create various modes of game play DESIGN The best and most novel feature of this game is collection of classic characters from old, memorable Nintendo games. Who wouldn’t love to play a game in which the Mario Brothers or Donkey Kong can be used to beat up Pikachu, Kirby or Jigglypuff. The levels are fun and all have creative varying ways of making them diverse and individually memorable. The set up of game controls is interesting and enjoyable because each character features the same general construction of attacks and dodges (for example, the A button is always a light attack, the R button is always a grabbing move). The way of tracking hit points is original to this game as a percentage of damage increases with each blow. The level of damage percentage before the character is killed varies from character to character, causing the player to choose between the benefits of additional strength at the cost of greater speed and agility. Overall, the most intriguing aspect of this game are all the elements which allow the player to relate to the characters and find his/her own favorite or attempt to diversify their playing ability with multiple characters.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:07:40 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2913&iddiary=5493https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2913SUMMARY Super Smash Bros. is a very engaging fighting game created for Nintendo 64 featuring various popular Nintendo characters. Players challenge each other using a range of attacks that increase damage percentages allowing the knocking of the opposing player off of a variety of landscapes. GAMEPLAY Maintaining the cartoonish spirit of most popular Nintendo games, Super Smash Bros. does a good job of hooking the player with silly and fun landscaping, memorable characters and action packed game play. The classic oddball Nintendo characters featured in the game are miscellaneous enough to ensure that the player will recognize and relate to at least a few of the characters, yet they are similar enough to seem natural opponents. They all have their own advantages such as superior strength, or extraordinary agility. Some players stick with individual characters because they perform better with the game play styles of that character, some stick with a character because of a previous partiality from it’s original game. The levels are diverse, fun and interactive, and each features its own personality, advantages and disadvantages. Certain variables like a rising and falling ocean of fire, a wind-blowing tree, a wild tornado, or an attacking space ship add to the interactivity of the level. The multiplayer mode is notorious for its popularity and competitive following, a result of the engaging game play style and relativity of the characters. I have had much more experience playing the multiplayer mode of game play which I have found is extraordinarily interactive with up to four players, but I look forward to exploring the single player mode as well.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:42:21 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2913&iddiary=5490https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2513GAMEPLAY Aside from the quick play option, there are a few other modes that add to the basic gameplay of NBA Live 2008. The Season mode allows the player to play out the entire schedule of an NBA team. Making trades, signing free agents and changing around starting line-ups are all interesting features outside of the actual game action that add to the basic play. Building on the season mode is the Dynasty mode in which the player is given full and complete control of an NBA franchise for up to twenty seasons! This mode is extremely complex with an amazing list of responsibilities normally designated to the General Manager of the team. Additionally, the NBA All-Star Weekend mode of the game offers all the excitement of an NBA All-Star game and related activities. This means East vs. West in a showdown of the game’s best players AND the opportunity to participate in the Three-Point Shootout Contest and the Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest. The slam dunk contest is operational with one or two human players with more varying high-flying dunks than the player can even figure out. This game is both engaging and exciting. It is fun for players that simply enjoy the simulation of a great American sport and those who take advantage of the numerous and complex options this game has to offer. GAME DESIGN The simulation of passing years is a very innovative quality of the game. While participating in dynasty mode, the CPU is able to predict accurately the likely outcome of the career of every player. The innovation that I was most impressed by and most appreciated was the ability to practice play while the game loads the game world/arena, eliminating the painstaking ritual of sitting and waiting for the game to load prior to play. There are many elements of the game which make it attractive and keep the player stimulated. One of the most drawing characteristics that really adds to the emotional feel of the competition is the noise in the background. The bass filled beats that play in the background are altered to sound like they are being played in a large stadium and the roar and chanting of the crowd (or lack thereof) really convey the emotion one gets from really watching a real basketball game. This game is ultimately the closest commercial simulation of the real physics, reflexes, and attitudes of an actual basketball game/environment.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:34:41 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2513&iddiary=4723https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2513SUMMARY NBA Live 2008 is the latest edition of a long line of annually updated baskeball simulation games licensed by the National Basketball Association. This license allows the game to feature the logos, names and lookalikes of all players and teams associated with the NBA. The game is produced by EA Sports Inc. which has dominated the traditional sports videogame industry. (EA Sports also produces the Madden line of football games licensed by the National Football League and the FIFA line of soccer games licensed by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association.) In NBA Live 2008 there are a few different game modes which supplement the main idea of the game which revolves around an NBA basketball game between two teams. GAMEPLAY The EA Sports games all offer an extremely authentic feeling of being able to take control of a real basketball game. The game is much more interesting if you follow professional basketball; however, my friend who participated in the multiplayer option of the game with me was unable to recognize any of the players and very few of the teams and he still enjoyed playing the game. In the quick play option, teams are chose, lineups are cued and jerseys selected. After that the player may select the level of play which greatly affects the difficulty of playing both offense and defense. This is a beneficial option to have so that every level of player skill can be accommodated. This game is very fun because you can control to the tempo of the game and if you are aware of basketball strategy you can fully exercise just about every aspect of running up and down the court that you would in a real basketball game. You can throw alley-oops to keep the defense guarding the low-post players, opening up the outside three-point line where one of the long-range shooters can take advantage of a clear shot at the basket. This is just one of the many strategies that a knowledgeable player can use and it actually becomes clear once the player reaches the highest level of play that in order to score consistently and play good defense, knowledge of the actual flow of a basketball is not only helpful, but necessary.Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:33:59 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2513&iddiary=4722https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2211GAMEPLAY The game areas change and we are exposed to grass, desert and ice environments. The game features a really intriguing variation of gratification devices. Coins can be collected for Bonus Chances to spin a slot machine for extra lives. Occasionally a locked door requires a hidden key, and potions "plucked" out of the ground offer magic doors to mirrored alternate dimension mini-levels to retrieve extra hit points. The ability to find secret warp baskets is a fun pursue able sub-agenda that allows the player to skip ahead worlds by using magic doors from magic potions and the ambiguity of the number of possible warp-aheads make the player more curious to figure out how much farther there is until the end. Also in this game the players are forced to infer and utilize their environment for transportation such as riding on top of flying eggs and birds. DESIGN Super Mario Bros. 2 is the last edition not to feature a subsequent playable game map featuring selectable levels. In this game the levels come up one at a time, three levels to a world. The absence of a map creates ambiguity about how many levels there really are because if the game is generous enough to allow the player to warp ahead four or five worlds, than how many must there really be? This is a good and bad thing because once you warp ahead there is no going back and it feels almost like cheating not to be able to cmplete all the levels. The methods of attack which allow the character to ride on top of the enemy without immediately killing him is a fun variation from the rest of the series. Plucking them up and throwing opponents are fun but while playing I did miss the fire power that allows the player to shoot fireballs in the rest of the series. All in all, each difference in this game adds to the fun of it. In my opinion, this variation is not only a valuable part of the Mario Bros. collection, it is also one of the most fun.Sat, 26 Jan 2008 01:22:26 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2211&iddiary=4268https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2211SUMMARY The game I chose to play was Super Mario Bros. 2 via the Super Mario Bros. All-Stars collection. The collection made for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System includes all the versions of the series released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Mario Bros 1-3 and Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels) and Super Mario World, which was released for Super Nintendo. Super Mario Bros. 2 is considered the most different out of all the game's editions, largely because it was adapted from another Japanese game which featured different main characters. The main method of attack comes from plucking objects and throwing them at opponents and the primary goal is to advance one of the four main characters, Mario, Luigi, Toad or Peach, through various 2D worlds that are broken down into levels involving jumping, climbing, dodging and flying. Gameplay The cartoonish characters of the Mario series are at their wackiest in this recreation of an already existing Japanese game. The originality and unfamiliarity of the new enemy characters make the game a special novelty. The goofy looking enemy characters make the game somewhat comical. The game innovates a technique of "plucking" objects either out of the ground, or from directly underneath the character. In this version, the bad guys aare not defeated by a "bop" on the head, they are actually rideable, cariable, and throwable which make them fun to interact with. The levels vary enough so that the scenery does not get boring. A dinosaur shooting eggs out of his mouth appears to be the boss at the end of each level. The boss characters get progressively more challenging, as do the interesting mazes that the levels have to offer. Digging, climbing and jumping techniques are varied well enough so that they are all masterable and still fun. There is a definite flow to the game and once you are aware of a certain obstacle it becomes very easy to survive it if it is encountered again.Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:32:06 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2211&iddiary=4228https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1927Gameplay The game is continuing to get more and more frustrating. The main commands, jumping and running have now been mastered, both having been necessary to progress past even some of the easier levels. On top of that, maneuvers have increased to hanging onto hooks, jumping from barrel to barrel, swimming, climbing rope and flying. These required abilities alternate to keep the game interesting and each sublevel of each area includes numerous tightspots that can hang the player up requiring countless attempts before a success. The obstacles are closer together, more frequent and come at you faster. The creativity of the cartoon characters make them still fun to play with and the slowly increasing completion percentage visable at each save screen really hook the player and keeps them curious about future areas/levels. The save points half way through each level have become more and more crucial. Also, my partner and I have figured out to sustain our survival by returning to a previous level which offers extra life balloons early in the level, securing the extra lives and then quiting the level using the start and select buttons. Design The characters are all entertaining, obscure and loveable creatures. They are all 3D animations in a two-dimensional world, however, they standout colorfully and run through wonderfully illustrated lush plants, sticky goo, and molten lava all pressed against an intriguing and endless backdrop. The colors and animations in the game are one of its most positive attributes. Another fun element of gameplay is the map laden with sublevels. Traversing numerous environments keeps the game fresh while leaving the challenger constantly begging for new scenery. The numerous bonus rounds hidden throughout the levels add to the excitement of the exploration. It is always neccesary to get that extra distance during a jump which make the coordination of movements within the game precise and challenging. The numerous yet reoccuring enemy characters allow you to recognize and familiarize them and create a sort of relationship with them as well as the main characters. The gameplay is fun and yet simple, the game is intriguing and captures the players curiosity and the design is attractive and adds to the overall effect of the game.Tue, 15 Jan 2008 04:35:06 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1927&iddiary=3808https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1927Summary The two playable characters in the sequel to the first remake of the classic Nintendo story of Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong II: Diddy Kong's Quest, are a male and female monkey named Diddy and Dixie. They follow each other around snd the second player is retrieved from prize barrels. The game kicks off on a pirate ship and you are informed via a floating scroll that lovable old Donkey Kong has been kidnapped by the evil Kaptain K. Rool. You must then bounce, jump and fly your way through a seemingly endless collection of worlds including various mini-levels and assorted "bonus huts" along the way. Various types of terrain include a ship, volcano, amusement park, marsh, and a bee hive to mention a few. Animal friends including a rhinoceros, spider, swordfish, parrot and a snake help guide you through levels filled with barrels and enemies.. more to be continued as game progress is made. Gameplay Even once basic skills such as jumping and running are mastered, gameplay is still relatively tense because falling of a ledge or accidentally hopping into an opponent such as a jumping alligator or buzzing bumble bee turns out to be quite probable and this game requires concentration and careful control. Challenging opponents is relatively simple, most can be defeated by jumping directly on top of them, but amusing sound effects such as a cartoonish bouncing noise and a yelp of "ARGGH" keep this way of fighting enemies amusing. The storyline is simple and easy to follow, we trust that magic scroll and perilously battle through endless levels in order to rescue the well-loved DK (Donkey Kong). The characters are created with relatively pleasing 3d graphics, especially for the early SNES console. One thing I especially liked about the game is the companion mode of the two player mode. Although one player is required to wait while the other is active, the ability to toggle back and forth from controller to spectator by use of the select button make it a fun tag-team activity. Each player is motivated to do his/her best to sustain the life of the team and the fact that each controller is dedicated to either Diddy or Dixie make it easy to bond with the monkey. My friend and I have started the game together and are both still motivated at this point to progress further through the levels..Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:46:04 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1927&iddiary=3775