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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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GameLog hopes to be a site where gamers such as yourself keep track of the games that
they are currently playing. A GameLog is basically a record of a game you started playing. If it's open,
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if you got bored, frustrated,etc.) You can also attach short comments to each of your games or even maintain a diary (with more detailed entries)
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2157 registered gamers and 3105 games. 7607 GameLogs with 13096 journal entries. 5074 games are currently being played.
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Guitar Hero III (PS3) by Linky |
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most recent entry: Tuesday 15 January, 2008
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Gameplay
In Guitar Hero 3, the player controls a "Guitar Hero" in his journey to stardom. It is played with a "guitar" controller rather than a standard controller, and has many elements unique to the game. It contains a career mode, practice mode that allows you to split the song up and practice small portions at varying speeds, a multiplayer mode, "battle" mode with powerups, and an online mode. In Guitar Hero, a "fret bar" scrolls down the screen with notes on it. Players strive to hit each note and strum at the correct time, using tools such as Hammer On's and Pull Off's to aid them.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Guitar Hero 3 is extremely unique and improved from Guitar Hero 2. I've been playing Guitar Hero since a few months after Guitar Hero 2 came out, and the series has never lost my interest. Usually, when I play Guitar Hero I am extremely happy and focused. This time, I chose to work on Through the Fire and the Flames on expert. The song is extremely difficult and requires the introduction to be "tapped." The games characters and story are unimportant, and career mode is just a tool to keep track of song scores and unlock new songs or earn money. The game is an amazing amount of fun to play, and can be extremely social. When two people play each other on multiplayer mode, there is usually alot of trash talk and interaction between the players.
The game is also fun to play in front of friends or crowds, and lends itself to hardcore players and tournaments. While working on the song I was playing, I hit the entire intro without hitting a note, and there was a huge sense of accomplishment for me (here is a video of someone else doing that intro, as I don't have a camera) http://youtube.com/watch?v=XtIZ_G3Evag. There was a definite experience of flow in the game, and players can play for hours without getting bored. In the hour I played, I played 8 of my favorite songs and improved my top score on 2 of them. Instead of using characters, story, and narration to make the game interesting, Guitar Hero 3 relies solely on gameplay itself. I find there is alot of skill involved, and many instances of rewards and positive feedback, including score, the star system, and the "video crowd."
Gameplay 2
For my second hour playing the game, I chose to focus on Full Clearing two songs I have been close to for a while. I switched characters from the Elvis-like player to Slash, one of the heros of Guitar Hero. One of the things that Guitar Hero 3 incorporates that Guitar Hero 2 does not is boss battles and Heros, such as Slash and Lou, the devil. After accomplishing my first goal, which made me feel satisfied and happy, I decided to change and try one of the boss battles.
The boss battles are an important part of the game, and one part that many people have trouble with and do not enjoy. This is one of the parts I have a qualm with, as the opponents do not miss a single note until you use a powerup, in which case they miss almost every note. It simply does not seem realistic that someone like Slash would miss every single note because of a whammy bar getting stuck, a single broken string, or being forced to play left-handed. The power-up system is something I discovered to be new in Guitar Hero 3, and can make a big difference in the multiplayer mode.
I decided to play a few multiplayer matches with a friend next. While I am much better than him at the game, players are able to select different levels of difficulty and still play against each other. While I like the power-up system, and there is strategy in using them at the correct time, some of them are much more debilitating, and I feel it takes much of the skill out of the game. I started having much less fun playing in these battles, and started to play a simple one on one, where each person has a note chart, which is the same unless the players are on different difficulties, and the players play to achieve the higher score. It takes some of the gimmick out of the game, which probably amuses the beginner players, but adds more of the skill element that is important to the most serious players. Overall I always enjoy my time playing Guitar Hero and find it a rewarding way to waste my free time, and even compete with other players. I would love to play others online, and try the online mode, where there is a ranking ladder, but I have the Playstation 2 version which isn't compatible with the online mode. The Playstation 2 mode also lacks the ability to download new songs and charts like the other versions have.
Design
The game as a whole never gets boring because there is always room to improve. For the beginner players, a player can work on completing songs and ramping up difficulty. For good players, that can pass most songs on expert, there is correct usage of the Star Power mechanic. Because star power gives double score while activated, and you cannot achieve more Star Power while you have any, Star Power timing is critical, to the point that many players will chart the song and mathematically calculate the best use of Star Power. For the expert players, there is www.scorehero.com, and many of the expert players try to FC (full clear, or 100%) each song (I currently have 15 on guitar hero 3 and 12 on Guitar Hero 2). Scorehero keeps track of the top scores on each song, your ranking in comparison to the other players of the game, and has a forum where people can talk about Star Power usage, accomplishments, Leagues, and many other things. This game has generated a cult following because no one expected much when it first came out (Neversoft didn't even make the first two, rather one of their smaller sub-companies did). Most of the songs were covers because they couldn't afford the rights to the real songs. However, the games unique aspects made it extremely enjoyable and one of the biggest hits in years.
One of the elements that makes Guitar Hero so unique is the controller. Rhythm and guitar games aren't new, and some of them were even fun and interesting to me, such as Amplitude. Amplitude even integrates multiple tracks and multiple instruments, but just doesn't have the elements that Guitar Hero does. The first important element is Star Power; because of Star Power, two people who hit the exact same notes can have vastly different scores on a song. Another is the guitar controller. I have tried playing without the guitar controller, but it was clunky and just not as fun. The guitar controller is incredibly well made, and simple yet elegant. It allows players to effectively and naturally start the game. Guitar Hero can also suit casual to expert gamers. Because Scorehero keeps track of scores, many serious or hardcore players (even players who get paid to play and play tournaments) can talk and keep track of their accomplishments. This competition has pushed Guitar Hero to a new level of skill - some of the songs that the game maker deemed "impossible" to get 100% on have recently been Full Cleared. A famous player, HellAshes, who has been on TV multiple times, has even won a car. Here is a video of him Full Clearing Jordan by Buckethead, one of the songs deemed impossible by Neversoft. http://youtube.com/watch?v=hGDdx5mFYY8. The hammer on/pull off system is also essential to the game, making it much more akin to real guitar, and giving it the feel of a real guitar. A player that is able to successfully hammer on/pull off gets a huge sense of accomplishment. This also allows many impossible songs to be completed, and even allows for "tapping" which involves hitting the fret buttons with both hands and not strumming, much like a real guitar. For example, in the video posted above, the insane solos must be tapped (http://youtube.com/watch?v=BdAKIqo5jzk). The hammer on/pull off system in Guitar Hero 3 has been changed to make the timing window more lenient and to make them easier to see. In Guitar Hero 2, they were difficult to see because the only difference was a small black circle missing, whereas in Guitar Hero 3 the whole note is see-through if the note can be hammered on or pulled off. The ability to slow down songs to four different levels and practice at slower speeds is essential in many solos. I believe Guitar Hero is so successful because it caters to so many different types of gamers. It has the "near impossible" elements for hardcore gamers but can also cater to those just getting started, or at any level of skill.
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