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Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (PS4) by jp (Apr 21st, 2024 at 00:26:13) |
This game is way more interesting than I initially gave it credit for (and I might even play all the cases, I'm that curious!)
There's a bunch of cases, you're Sherlock and you gather clues, investigate locations, use your special "eyesight", interrogate suspects, and more. So far, this is what you'd expect.
Some clues become more important and they show up in your "brain" where you can pair it up with another clue (if it's the correct one) to deduce something. Once you have enough of those, you can reach a conclusion. ALSO, once you've reached a conclusion you can decide how to act on it (usually it's either call the cops or call Mycroft - i think...).
What's really wild is that in the brain-connecting clues interface, you can reach lots of different conclusions! (I think it's 4 per case, at least it has been that so far and I've completed two cases). OH! And, as far as I can tell, the you can get it wrong! And, you just move on...the game calls some of them moral choices - which I'm confused by. But the idea that you could arrive at an incorrect conclusion and the game just moves on to the next case is pretty wild. So far, I've gotten both right (because there's abutton you can press that even warns you - like "spoiler alert" and it shows my result in green - which I assume is that I got it right).
Anyways, that's super cool!
Oh, and the game haslots of little mini-games that you play once, and they're part of the story (e.g. taking sherlock's pulse, or arm-wrestling with a sailor)..
The 2nd case is pretty neat - it takes place in the UK, there's a missing train...and there are rich Chilean (and Mexican) businessmen involved! Whoah.
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Fights in Tight Spaces (PC) by jp (Apr 21st, 2024 at 00:19:38) |
This one's a bit weird and I'll confess I didn't play it that much (just played one mission - which is like 1/5 of a full run?). It looks like it wants to be SuperHot, but it isn't - that's ok. But, it has a "play the movie" of what you just did in a level that you would think would play fast and smooth and super action-y. But now, it's slow and it even pauses between card plays...so it looks rather boring, which is a real shame.
As for the game, there's interesting stuff going on, but I haven't fully understood everything:
a. There's a typical energy system for casting, but a secondary system (combo) that lets you play some cards with a combo cost. If you move in your turn you lose combo so it's sometimes tricky to get everything to pull off.
b. While playing I was disappointed (because it seemed unfair) that there are objectives (bonus ones) in each level - and I wasn't getting any because I didn't know what they were! Apparently they're actually shown on screen, but in a place I did not see or notice.
c. The game seemed a bit slow - I was just moving and getting out of the way as I waited to draw into a good hand of cards. This cuts the momentum for sure and also made it hard/impossible to accidentally hit the secret (not really secret) objectives. So, I'm curious to go back and try again with awareness of the objectives. They should help a lot - in that I'm more likely to try to "solve the puzzle" of each turn and hopefully get the bonus objectives.
d. It's strange that you have to pay to heal, but I thought it was neat that you can upgrade several cards (if you have the money) and that some cards are cheap to upgrade - there's different pricing for them!
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Hadean Tactics (PC) by jp (Apr 21st, 2024 at 00:11:34) |
Ok, I've now cleared the game (not unlocked everything, of course) and it really is quite fun and interesting. The 3rd character (which I was waiting on to try out because I wanted to clear the game with the 2nd one) is pretty neat as well though as I write this all I can really remember is that it has an orb mechanic similar to one of the characters in Slay the Spire.
The harder ending is basically another 3 levels, but they get shorter! The last one, if I remember correctly, is just the boss. I don't remember what deck I was running, but it was pretty good - in the sense that I had picked up some good combos..traps and all.
I'm going to stop playing, for now, mostly because the list of games too look at keeps on growing - one a week - because of the design seminar I'm teaching.
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Before Your Eyes (PC) by dkirschner (Apr 14th, 2024 at 13:51:13) |
I've been looking forward to playing this, especially after playing One Hand Clapping, which had a singing mechanic. That game activates your mic and you use your voice, raising and lowering pitch, to interact with the game. Before Your Eyes was similar in that the game activates your webcam and uses your eye blinks as input. Before Your Eyes works WAY better than One Hand Clapping, and it's the better game all around. I figure that detecting blinks (yes/no) is easier than detecting notes along the range of human vocal pitch, so kudos to One Hand Clapping for trying.
Blinking in Before Your Eyes doesn't do anything unless you do it over a prompt (mouse over the prompt, then blink to interact) or unless you do it when the metronome icon is visible, which progresses the story to the next scene. The rules are simple, and it became a game in and of itself for me to blink strategically. I imagined that at the end of A Clockwork Orange, Alex's eyes are forced open so that he could successfully complete this game. At times, I felt like holding my eyes open with my fingers. This is because your eyes will get tired/dry/itchy while playing and you will screw up and blink when you don't mean to, skipping dialogue or ending a scene early. That's frustrating enough. Make sure you do the blink calibration, but I think that no matter how well you do it, it will still occasionally register some non-blinks as blinks. This really didn't happen much for me; through calibration, I think I turned the sensitivity way down, and I wonder what effect wearing glasses had. But like I said, it works surprisingly well.
So, the game itself is narrative-heavy. It's an obvious play on the idea that a life can pass in the "blink of an eye." You're picked up by a ferryman of souls who asks you to tell the story of your life. Back in time you go to remember it: your childhood, your parents, your career, etc., blinking your way through each scene. I won't spoil the story, but there is a twist that I absolutely did not see coming (though I should have paid more attention to the mysterious dark scenes) that changes the narrative and the tone of the game. This is one you can spend time reflecting on.
Aesthetically, it's got a simple visual presentation, sort of painterly, with some really nice piano music. The voice acting is good, with the exception of the girl-next-door (who sounds the same at 10 as she does at 40). For some reason, they also used the same voice actor for your dad and her dad, which made the one scene with her dad calling her very confusing ("Why is my dad at her house?!"). But I liked the dad and mom's performances. I was wondering through the whole game if your character was mute and/or on the spectrum because he doesn't talk--only through a typewriter later in the game--and otherwise expresses himself through his prodigious musical and artistic talents. But I think he's just a silent main character, not actually mute.
Anyway, the game won a BAFTA for a reason. It didn't blow my mind, but it's a neat experience that's worth having. It's short too, doesn't waste your time. I'm considering incorporating it into a class.
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Stray (PC) by dkirschner (Apr 13th, 2024 at 12:00:39) |
Patrick and I have been playing this together this semester, and finished it a couple weeks ago. We were talking after beating it about despite how simple and straightforward of a game this is, it manages to be something new. Playing as a cat (and being able to do cat things like curl up and sleep, scratch things, knock objects off tables, etc., so cuuuute) was novel, and the setting and story were interesting. But really, playing as a cat. I smiled a whole lot throughout the game. The lil companion robot was cute too.
On the other hand, I was often tired and bored while playing, and literally fell asleep during several sessions. Patrick would be making dinner or something in the kitchen, and I'd snap awake, cat walking into a wall, and I'd pretend I had not fallen asleep, and that I was just watching the cat walk into the wall and thinking. Like how my dad always used to claim he was "resting his eyes" when he'd fall asleep on the couch.
I would not call the game exciting. It was a lot of wandering around the city and talking to robot NPCs, fetching things for them. The city is a really good-looking dystopia, and the robots are quirky, but I wish they had more dialogue. You don't get a sense that many of them have personalities besides whatever one-note thing they do. I mean, the lack of dialogue makes sense, and it's not really "dialogue" since the cat can't talk. The fact that you are a cat adds a whole layer of silly to the game. Like, why has this lil robot befriended a cat? Why are all these robots putting all their faith in a cat to save them? Cats don't understand what we're saying to them, and cats do whatever they want! Playing as a cat in a game where you're doing fetch quests (fetching is dog stuff!) and doing things to help people is very un-cat-like.
But, you know what? The ability to play as a cat and do cat things trumps how little sense it makes, and I would play as a cat in this dystopia again. Idea for next time: more cats. And what do you think? Were there cats at the end?! Optimistically, I think so.
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Super Punch-Out (SNES) by Jbrown |
| Very fun and challenging. Requires a lot of trial and error to get used to the different fighters. |
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most recent entry: Tuesday 4 March, 2014
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Game Summary:
Super Punch-Out!! is a single player boxing video game released on the SNES in 1994 in North America. This is the fourth game of the series. You play the character named Little Mac and your goal is to knock out all your opponents and eventually defeat Super Macho Man to win the game. There are two modes to the game, Championship Mode and Time Attack Mode. In the championship mode you go through the three circuits: minor, major, and world circuits. Then, if you complete those you get access to a special circuit with more opponents. For each circuit you complete you get access to a the time attack mode and can fight each opponent individually.
Move set:
The player has a very limited move set. You can throw left and right jabs to the body or you can press up and the jab buttons to punch the opponent in the head. You also have a super meter at the bottom of the screen that will fill up as you hit the opponent without taking hits. Once it fills up you can do one of two super moves. You can hold your super button and you'll do one slow hard hitting punch or you can rapidly hit the super button and do a series of fast punches. The player is also capable of dodging attacks. You can dodge to the left, right, or back. You can also hold forward and your character will block and can absorb some attacks.
Terminology:
Knockout – When you knock an opponent down, the referree in the ring will start to count to 10. If they reach 10 before the opponent can get back onto their feet, the player that knocked them down is declared the winner and is issued a knockout.
TKO – Technical Knockout – Each fight contains three rounds. If the player or the opponent gets knocked down three times, they are automatically eliminated and the player who knocked down that opponent is declared the winner.
Stamina Bar – The player has a stamina bar and if it is emptied the player is knocked down.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is very simple. You have to try to dodge as many moves of the opponent as possible and retaliate. The player and the opponent has a stamina bar and once it is empty, the player or opponent is knocked down. Little Mac does very small damage in comparison to most of the opponents. Most of the early opponents have fixed patterns that they follow and if you play it enough you will eventually get used to their patterns. Some of the opponents even give you signs that they are about to use a specific attack by moving back and forth or shuffling their feet. As the game progresses and you reach further opponents, their combinations of attacks seem to become more random and harder to telegraph. The challenge in the game is these combinations of moves and you will notice the harder opponents has more patterns making it harder to predict which combo they will use next. As you deal damage to your opponent your special meter will rise and you can use special moves when it maxes out, but if you take damage it drops. The special moves hit hard in comparison to his weaker moves and is the best method of getting early knockouts. Each round has a 3 minute time limit and the time stops when an opponent goes down. The player loses if they cannot knockout the opponent in the time limit. If the player is defeated he can have a rematch but he only has 4 continues. After those are gone the player has to start the circuit over. Also, when the player knocks down the opponent, they can spam buttons while the referee is counting to regain some health.
Affordances:
The player has 4 continues.
The player has the ability to attack and dodge attacks.
The player can regain health when the opponent is knocked down.
The player can use a special attack if the special meter is full.
Limitations:
There is a 3 minute time limit to defeat the opponent.
The player's attacks are weaker than the opponent's attacks.
The player has a limited amount of stamina.
Scoring:
At the end of the round, points are given for different types of punches thrown, types of knockdowns (with and without a super punch), remaining stamina, remaining time, and more points if the player did not have to have a rematch. The player chooses a name when they start the game and their best times are recorded to compete with other players.
First Play Session:
I made it through the minor circuit during the first play session. I did not have much trouble with these opponents since I had played the game before. This is a summary of each round.
Minor Circuit:
Gabby Jay: 1-0 Knockout 2nd round
He is really easy to beat. He attacks very slowly and his tells are easy to notice. You can pretty much just spam a punch button to beat him.
Bear Hugger: 2-0 TKO
You can't hit him in the gut. He is a large character and he shrugs off body shots. He taunts you until you attack him in the head. He will block it and then immediately counterattack. You have to dodge back and then you can finally retaliate on him.
Piston Hurricane: 3-0 TKO
He has a very hard to stop combo where he runs to the side and then runs in and does a barrage of punches. If you punch him in the stomach when he first lunges from you after he backs away you can get an auto knockdown but the timing has to be perfect. If you don't you will be forced to try to block his assault but I have never been successful and usually get knocked down if I don't stop him before he starts.
Bald Bull: 4-0 TKO
He has a charge move that will one shot you. Similar to Piston you have to time a stomach punch and if you miss you will get knocked out. He also has 2 other combos where he will do either a series of uppercuts or jabs followed by an uppercut. He has some tells that will allow you to differentiate them by whether he wiggles his head or shuffles his feet. During the 3rd round he will charge you immediately.
Second Play Session:
This session was more difficult as the fights ramped up. The only exception was the third opponent in the round felt out of place. Here is the summary of the Major Circuit.
Major Circuit:
Bob Charlie: 5-0 TKO (Bob Marley)
Like previous opponents he has several special moves. One he will jump back and come spinning at you and if hits you one hit knockdown and you can stomach punch to knock him down. He also has a phase where he shifts left and right quickly to confuse you leading into an uppercut. During the second round he will juke all over the place and is very difficult to hit.
Dragon Chan: 6-0 TKO (Bruce Lee)
Difficulty is really ramping up in this round. The timing feels a bit different and this opponent actually defies rules of boxing. He jumps off the ropes and will kick you in the head and it's a one hit knockdown. He also can heal himself. The players damage is very small compared to the damage the opponents are dealing so you have to dodge most all of the attacks. He actually only has 3 or 4 attacks but they are tricky to avoid.
Masked Muscle: 7-0 TKO
I felt this opponent was easier than the one before and should have had the order changed or made more difficult. He will spit in your eyes. If you don't avoid it you temporarily cannot attack him and he is a hard to see silhouette and you have to just try to dodge his attacks until it wears off. I found his combos to be pretty slow and easy to avoid for the most part.
Mr. Sandman: 7-4 (Did not defeat)
The difficulty went through the roof for me on this fight. His combos are more random and the timing is hard to judge. He also does this foot shuffle really quickly and makes the player instinctively dodge but it is timed where you will dodge and come back into an uppercut. This was much more difficult than the previous fighters. He deals a lot of damage per hit compared to the player.
Thoughts About the Game:
The game is fun to play but the curve on the difficulty was not perfect. It started out simple enough that anyone could beat the first opponent and slowly ramped up but then took a giant leap with Mr. Sandman. I did not even make it to the world circuit in this play through. The challenge to the game lies in learning and studying the patterns and that works very well for this type of game. The developers were able to control the fights and make it more challenging by changing the timings between fighters and giving them different and more interesting patterns. With Mr. Sandman, they added too much of both changes to make it very accessible. I still had a lot of fun and with more time believe I would eventually defeat him.
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