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Mar 6th, 2008 at 19:22:26 - Street Fighter II Alpha (SNES) |
/GAMEPLAY/ session #2
The game was too hard on maximum setting, the computer fighters were reacting too quickly to every punch and kick I threw at them. Certain moves in this game will take priority over others, an example is an Uppercut from Ken, the move will cancel out the other opponents strike and the Ken will win the exchange.
Turning the difficulty up made the game more rewarding how ever, fights became more intense and I had to play defensively and more strategically, even exploiting some of the games bugs. It took me about 45 minutes to finally beat the game on this maximum setting, and I think it made me better at the game.
/DESIGN/
The game is a game of emergence, there are only a set number of actions you can take and it is the player’s job to string together a sequence that can enable them to win fights. Moving left and right, kicking and punching, jumping and blocking are the tools given to the player. The player’s buttons also correspond to the strength of the attack, such as strong punch or weak kick.
I am not entirely sure how the priority (mentioned above) fighting system works, but it seems like on the ends of every kick and punch the attack will do damage if it literally touches the opponents sprite during the few moments after the attack is initiated. This is a design element that makes the game have a lot of depth, as players at a competitive level are going to need know when and where to attack.
The overall graphics in the game are good for the Super Nintendo and are well drawn. The game is extremely similar to the other previous Street Fighter games and obviously the things that make this game fun are the things that make the others fun. New characters aren’t what make sequels better, it’s the technicality and understanding of the fighting system used.
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Mar 6th, 2008 at 02:25:53 - Street Fighter II Alpha (SNES) |
/SUMMARY/
Street Fighter Alpha 2 is a 2-D fighting game for the Super Nintendo and part of the Street Fighter Series. The game is very similar to its street fighter predecessors, sharing many of the same characters and abilities but adding special “super moves” and new fighters. Like all fighting games, you select your avatar and duke it out with either the computer or your buddies.
/GAMEPLAY/
I have always been turned off by the “Alpha” series of Street Fighter games for some reason, I think it is because I never understood where they stood in relation to the games in the series. There is Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha II, Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Street Fighter Alpha III and so on.
Anyway, the game is good. I picked Ken because I always have since I first played Street Fighter; he’s got all of the basic moves and the uniquely powerful flaming uppercut. I tore through the game quite quickly; enjoying the cool fast passed retro 90’s game music along the way. The new “super combo” system is very enjoyable; as you deal and take damage your combo meter builds up, once you have a high enough combo meters, you release your energy in a devastatingly awesome move. Because I beat the game twice in one hour, I think I will turn the difficulty up and also change the “Turbo” option to make the gameplay speed increase as well.
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Feb 21st, 2008 at 02:38:56 - Chrono Trigger (SNES) |
/GAMEPLAY/ Session #2
I played through the Millennial Faire sequence, carefully showing around the new character Marle (the love interest). She wanted to play some games at the fair and I obliged: drinking contests, sparring, and gambling. The setting was all very light hearted until Marle is sucked into another time period via an error in Lucca’s (the brained) invention.
This is where the game begins to get interesting; the story took a drastic turn away from this merry setting and quickly became a “rescue the princess” type game. The element that makes it truly compelling is the notion of time traveling, and the amount of complex story elements that come from it.
As I battled my through the monster infested forest I realize that this is the start of a truly epic journey.
/DESIGN/
The controls of the game are very straight forward; you have full range of motion while you watch your avatar from bird’s eye view. The players are drawn as though you are seeing them head-on which give the perception of 3-D.
The developers thought long and hard about how to break the mold of traditional RPG’s. The narrative is one of the most interesting pieces of story telling I have ever heard in my life. The video-game feels more like an interactive book or historical document from a forgotten age. The writers knew that with time travel, the game could go far beyond what any RPG has ever done: multiple world maps to explore, each with special characters and side quests. As far as an RPG goes the puzzles in the game were very much related to the story, frequently players will get stuck because they forgot a comment that a character had said. This design element forces the players to pay attention to every thing story wise, otherwise they can not progress.
Aside from the narrative, the actual mechanics of the game were quite revolutionary. The battle system incorporated a break from traditional turn based fighting. The timer on each character added an emergent quality and forced players to make decisions because if they didn’t, they would be sitting ducks.
Square also created a new type of battle system where the characters had “Dual” and “Triple” techniques. All of the characters had at least a move that they would perform together, dealing much more damage than normal. What this did was allow players to use their favorite characters and discover all of the special and hidden techniques that they could.
Chrono Trigger is a game progression, there is a linear path to follow, but not always is it apparent where the path lies. The battle system is the part of the game that allows the player to improvise and strategize to their delight. Chrono Trigger is a classic through and through and a prime example of an RPG.
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Feb 21st, 2008 at 02:28:48 - Chrono Trigger (SNES) |
/SUMMARY/
Chrono Trigger is a traditional style console RPG that was released in 1995 for the SNES. It is considered by many to be one of the best video games of all time and certainly one of the best for the Super Nintendo. Like most RPG’s, Chrono Trigger has a rich narrative and a large cast of characters. What makes Chrono trigger stand out is its ability to successfully create a compelling, complex and memorable story with a very fun and challenging battle system.
/GAMEPLAY/
I haven’t played Chrono Trigger in years, I actually have purposefully refrained from playing it because it is one of my all-time favorite games and I don’t want to spoil it and constantly replay it. I created a new file and put the game on “Active Mode” which makes the game more challenging and realistic, in essence what it means is that when I am in an encounter the enemies will not wait to attack me.
The game immediately brings me back to my childhood, in particular the music strikes me and is some of the most compelling for it’s time.
Playing through the first sequence of events and following Crono around, I am drawn into the game world. In this part of the game, the landscape seems like an old English town, with local bars and inns scattered in the small town.
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dmacleod has been with GameLog for 16 years, 3 months, and 5 days |
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