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Feb 9th, 2008 at 01:36:59 - Burnout Paradise (360) |
[ entry #2 ]
GAMEPLAY
In my second game session I discovered the showtime event. It can start on any road and at any time, even during another event. By doing so, the previous event is cancelled. Once it began my car became a careening hulk of metal with the ability to direct it into the path of oncoming cars. The goal of this event is to crash into as many cars as possible to increase the total damage cost.
I noticed that one of my friends was playing the game as well, so I invited him to join me. I was surprised at how quickly we were able to connect and race around the city. At first we just raced around the city and took each other down by . For multiplayer there is a set of challenges for 2 players and another for 3, all the way up to 8. The challenges took us around the city, doing stunts like barrel rolls through a plane fuselage and crashing into each other in mid-air. I liked doing the multiplayer challenges because it took me on a tour of the city, discovering areas I wasn’t familiar with.
DESIGN
The most innovative design feature of Burnout Paradise would be the ability to start a showtime event anywhere in the city. This is the event that makes Burnout different from other racing games. Once I found this feature, I’d always go into showtime if I was losing an event, as it was a good way to relieve stress from retrying a difficult event multiple times.
The gameworld is very well designed, as it seamlessly integrates jumps into construction areas and still looks like a realistic city. Also scattered around the city are drive-thrus that repair your car, refill boost, or change your car’s color scheme. Junkyards let you access your car collection to switch cars.
The pace of the game is controlled by the player. I could just go and compete in every event I see and progress through the licenses faster, or go exploring for billboards and shortcuts. Completing the exploration challenges unlocks achievements for gamer points, while competing in events unlocks new cars. Another objective that unlocks achievements is setting time and showtime records on each road. The variety of rewards keeps the game interesting.
I like the camera because I can view the car from behind or from the front bumper. When looking from behind, you can rotate the camera to the front from either direction or look directly backward. The only thing I don’t like about the camera is when you drive in reverse, the camera rotates so you are looking backwards.
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Feb 8th, 2008 at 20:21:13 - Burnout Paradise (360) |
[ entry #1 ]
SUMMARY
Burnout Paradise brings the car-crashing mayhem of the previous games into a city waiting to be explored. Paradise City is filled with plenty of cars, jumps, and secret areas. The primary goal of the game is to win racing, road rage, or stunt events to unlock better cars. Winning a certain number of events also upgrades the player’s license, an indication of his or her progress in the game.
GAMEPLAY
At the start of the game I received a starter car at the junkyard to roam the city. The radio turned on with a DJ who explained what I could do in the city and how to find an event. I was eager to find a road rage event, as I find those to be the most fun. The goal is to take down other cars by bumping into them and making them crash, all while driving around the entire city filled with traffic.
The game was fun to play because of how exhilarating it was to drive through oncoming traffic at high speeds, then watching my car get compacted by head-on collision with a bus. Sometimes my car would collide and flip through the air, end over end or horizontally. Bystanders enjoyed watching me play, probably curious to see how long I could last without crashing, or just waiting to watch another incredible crash animation in slow-motion.
As far as the story goes, there isn’t much to it. The player is basically one of the many reckless drivers in Paradise City. The DJ on the radio comments on the player, but never in much detail. He usually gives tips like suggesting places to go or explaining how to access the game’s features. There is an option to turn off the tips, but I’d rather find out more about the game by listening to the DJ.
This entry has been edited 4 times. It was last edited on Feb 9th, 2008 at 01:10:21.
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Jan 26th, 2008 at 00:10:40 - Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) |
[ entry #2 ]
GAMEPLAY
In my second game session, I invited a friend to play. I wasn’t really sure what the second player would be able to do. To my surprise he was able to make me jump, which was exploited for a short moment, as I fell to my death. He was also able to stun enemies, making it easier for me to defeat them, as well as collecting star bits and launching them at enemies. It allowed me to focus on getting through the level without worrying about collecting helpful but unnecessary items.
I found that I played much faster with help from a friend and I think it would be nice to trade off playing if one player gets tired of it. We had bystanders watching us play and they gave suggestions on what to do when it seemed that we were stuck. If I didn’t have homework to do that day I probably would have played non-stop because of the addictive gameplay.
DESIGN
Super Mario Galaxy definitely improves upon past Mario games with updated graphics that make the world seem more alive. The objects in the game world have sharper textures and a shiny glow at the edges. Although the player experiences a more vivid world, the core gameplay is pretty much unchanged with the new control scheme. A push of a button combined with a shake of the wiimote causes Mario to jump and spin, allowing him to reach higher places. The spin attack is also an easy way to defeat most weak enemies, but others require ground-pounding.
When walking around a spherical land mass, the camera caused some frustration. One moment I’m walking straight and after the camera turns I’m walking another way, possibly into an enemy or hazardous area. While it may seem annoying, I believe that it is just a small challenge that can be overcome with time. The level design is very innovative in the way that Mario can move around a land mass, always attracted to the gravitational center. Sometimes the player is able to jump away from the land and float in space. There is a limit to how far he can go, and it is never too far away from a source of gravity to move toward.
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 22:36:42 - Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) |
[ entry #1 ]
SUMMARY
Super Mario Galaxy builds on the classic platformer gameplay with Mario’s debut on the Wii. Once again Mario must save Princess Peach from Bowser’s grasp. To do this, he must restore power to the comet observatory by collecting power stars from galaxies. This will allow Mario to travel to the center of the universe to confront Bowser.
GAMEPLAY
When I started playing the game I was wondering why I wasn’t in space. I had seen screenshots of the game, but they were all in a space setting. As the introductory sequence progressed, it revealed how Mario got there. Princess Peach’s castle was lifted into space by cables connected to flying pirate ships. This story element was fresh and unexpected. The characters were familiar to me because I have played some Mario games. There are two new characters that are central to the story. The Lumas are star-like creatures led by Rosalina, who all live on the spaceship called the comet observatory. From the observatory I was able to visit galaxies, the main stages of the game.
The game was fun to play because of how the game world affected my movement. When I fell off an edge, I found myself floating to the underside of the ground I was on earlier. Although the early levels were simple, the way I moved around them is what made the game fun. The background music gave me a feeling of nostalgia because it was a pleasant mix of updated Mario tracks. The ease of getting used to the controls and moving around the game world contributed to the flow of the game. I didn’t have replay many areas in each galaxy, as I did my best to avoid falling into the black holes and running into enemies.
This entry has been edited 2 times. It was last edited on Jan 25th, 2008 at 22:37:56.
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SwordFish has been with GameLog for 16 years, 3 months, and 12 days |
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