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Sep 8th, 2009 at 21:50:47 - Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) |
Gameplay:
My second play through today, my state of happiness was definitely not there. I was playing half way through the game and was stuck at the boss of the Shadow Temple, Bongo Bongo. My frustration at not being able to get past this boss was ruining the play session for me. Once I remembered the tricks to finally pass him though my game play enjoyment increased dramatically. While this boss is always the most difficult for me, the characters design never ceases to amaze me. The thought of fighting on a giant drum while big zombie hands try to smash you really makes the fight enjoyable (at least for the first few times through). This section of the game that I was playing through (the Shadow Temple) has a great story line behind it. You are not just wandering through a labyrinth beneath Kakariko Village; you are working to free the villages from the clutches of the dead lead by an evil shadow boss.
I had an interesting social interaction while I was playing the game this time. My roommate has never played or seen this game before and happened to walk in while I was running beneath falling scythes. She was so intrigued that she sat down and started playing. I had just as much fun watching her trying to play through the first time as I do playing it myself.
Design:
When I first played this game many years ago, I was astounded by the vastness of the map and the number of different quests that I could do aside from the main storyline. Compared to all the other N64 games that I had played, Legend of Zelda was leaps and bounds beyond them in number of storylines and areas you could go. Playing it now after years of advancements in the gaming industry hasn’t lessened my awe of the game. While it certainly doesn’t come close to games like WoW in terms of quests or Morrowind in terms of map area, but Legend of Zelda can still hold it’s own in my mind.
The gameworld is one of my favorite aspects of the game. I love that as you progress through the game, each new temple is a different element (such as Light, Fire, Shadow, etc). This is reflected not only in the temples, but in the lands surrounding the temples. For instance the map includes a giant lake, a maze-like forest. Another way that the gameworld sets the tone is that when you make the transition from youth to adulthood is reflected in the world with a ghastly transformation. The world has been sent to ruins and zombie and other nightmare creatures roam the world. This effectively sets the mood for that section of Link’s life.
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Sep 8th, 2009 at 20:02:28 - Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) |
Summary:
In Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, you play as a young boy named Link who lives in a small village in the land of Hyrule. Very early in the game, you learn that the evil King of Thieves, Ganondorf, plans to steal the Triforce and harness it’s powers to take over the land. Your role in the game is to not only prevent this from happening, but also to rescue the kidnapped Princess Zelda. Your quest takes you through many unique temples and battlegrounds that allow you to test Link’s potential to the fullest.
Gameplay:
Whenever I play Legend of Zelda, it instantly transports me back to my childhood. When I was a kid, my dad would play this all day, and then when he went to bed I would sneak downstairs to play my own character. So needless to say, I’m certainly in a happy frame of mind whenever I decide to play through it. Even though I have played these game many times through, I still love the utter simplicity in the design of the characters. For instance, the cute and giggly child princess who ages into a beautiful elf princess who falls in love with the hero. Or the hero himself who somehow manages to have not 1, but 3 women fall in love with him in the span of the game. All of the character designs though completely add to a weaving storyline that adds to the game. You can’t help but feel helpless as Link stands watching as Ganondorf snatches up the princess, or happiness when King Zora finally becomes unfrozen. As you play through this game, the storyline picks you up and carries you along effortlessly.
Primarily, this game is single player. However, it became tradition in my house for many years that whoever was playing would have someone sit next to them and read from the guidebook, as we would play along. It was fun to have someone to laugh along with as you battle through waves of Keese (bats) fly towards you. While not essential to the game, having someone watch is always a bonus to the experience.
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Aug 23rd, 2009 at 21:32:05 - Dynasty Warriors 4 (XBX) |
Gameplay: Dynasty Warriors 4 is one of those rare games that is just fun to sit down and play. There is no complex battle plan or puzzle that you must solve to level up. You just go on a massive killing spree with wonderfully designed magic and mythical weapons. This brings a simple joy to game play that allows you to sit there and play without having to get too involved.
After playing this game for a few months, I finally decided to sit down and listen to the story. What I found was a surprisingly involved story intertwining many of the players with who you were playing as. This only added to my enjoyment of the game since I now knew the reasons why these fights were taking place. They became more than just killing sprees, turning into battlefields were enemies fought for justice and revenge.
Design: While playing Dynasty Warriors 4, you will inevitably get lost. It’s part of the tradition with the game. Whether it’s from the horribly blurry map, or the dense fog that always seems to be 6 feet in front of you. While this is good for obscuring enemies, players end up stuck in maze like cities, getting frustrated as a clear way out is not clear at all. This aspect of the game, while frustrating, is something that must be accepted if you are to continue playing.
One very interesting aspect of this game was the fact that people tend to get attached to certain factions in the game (of which there are 3, Wu, Shu, and Wei). As you work through the storylines, some of the characters stories tug at your heart while other inevitably make you turn away. This aspect becomes even more interesting when playing with other people. As my friend and I were playing, we found ourselves playfully debating over which faction was the best. Of course, we each had our own picks, but this made that game match even more exciting. I feel like this may not have been an initial intention of the designers of this game, but one that definitely does add some interest on the side.
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Aug 23rd, 2009 at 18:36:42 - Dynasty Warriors 4 (XBX) |
Summary: In Dynasty Warriors 4, you play as different characters (either true or mythical) from Chinese history and fight to win battles for your kingdom. Throughout the game, you advance your character to new levels of fighting prowess and eventually unlock new and more exotic characters to fight as.
Gameplay: This is a game that I have enjoyed for quite awhile now. Each time I sit down, I always seem to discover some new character that makes the game experience new and even more enjoyable. The very fact that every one of the 30+ characters is completely unique, adds to the enjoyment of the game. Whether is comes from choosing among their extravagant clothing or delighting in the vast array of outlandish weapons, the act of choosing a new character has never become boring. Dynasty Warriors 4, while having extremely simple game play in that the main goal is to basically run around and kill as many as possible, the characters themselves make the game a delight. Whenever I am playing the game, I can never help but laugh when one of the characters suddenly bursts out with a “If you play with fire...You're gonna get burned!” or some other such cheesy line.
Another fun aspect of this game is that it is 2 players. This rather straightforward game is now turned into a fun party game in which players can fight through the levels, and still have time to talk, eat, or whatever else is going on at the moment. The Free Play level makes for fast games in which you can quickly choose any level and character, and instantly have a game going among friends.
Overall, I really enjoy this game. While I will never take it seriously or play it for hours on end, Dynasty Warriors is certainly one that I will pull out when I’m in the mood for light humor.
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michellep has been with GameLog for 14 years, 8 months, and 2 days |
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