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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,
you still consider yourself to be playing the game. If it's closed, you finished playing the game. (it doesn't matter
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)
for that game. Call it a weblog of game playing activity if you will.
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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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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC) by R2D2 |
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most recent entry: Monday 14 January, 2008
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Summary:
As many people know, the previous installments in the Call of Duty series has been set in the World War II era, with the common goal of defeating Nazi Germany. This time around, the game is set in modern times. One must complete fictional missions in a wide array of locations throughout the Middle East and Russia. Call of Duty 4 is a first person shooter (fps); each mission has several objectives that must be completed in order to advance to the next mission. These objectives can include anything from making it from point A to point B, taking out a tank, rescuing a fallen pilot, or even escaping a sinking ship.
Gameplay (First Session):
From the very beginning of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, one gets the impression that they are immersed in what seems like an interactive movie. The first mission of the game is so much different than any other fps I have ever played and sets the bar for an intense game ahead. By the end of the mission, the ship you have been fighting on begins to sink, fast. You must make it to the helicopter hovering just off deck in a thunderstorm. The camera gets shifted around as you try to find your way out of the doomed ship. This intensity creates an emotional connection to the game which gives the player a real sense of achievement, like they really cheated death once they jump off the side of the ship into the back of a chopper.
In addition to an amazing start to the game, Call of Duty 4’s graphics put this game up there with other next-gen games. The textures of nearly everything visible are scarily realistic. As the snow falls in Russia, the temperature in the room seems to get a bit colder. The realism in COD4 makes for an adrenaline-fueled experience. While I marched through the middle east with my squadron I was always alert because once the bullets started whizzing past my head in this game, I got the feeling I was actually under attack and needed to defend myself, let alone complete the objectives set out for me.
The story created for Call of Duty 4 is simply amazing and a bit scary at the same time. Although it is fictional, the scenario created seems as though it really could happen, especially in the current state of the world. A Middle Eastern declares war on the US and fights in conjunction with Russian nationalists, while both the UK and US respond. The story takes you through both British and American campaigns. Throughout the entire American campaign you play as one man the entire time and the same goes for the UK campaign. In each, the characters in your squadron are given individual characteristics, which emotionally connects you to them as you each make it through missions with death around every corner.
At a certain point, your American character is actually killed in action after a nuclear bomb goes off. This turn of events is extremely different than any other game. First of all, one typically doesn’t get to witness the detonation of a nuclear weapon, let alone die in the act. Because there are two characters’ stories running simultaneously throughout the game, this twist was possible. When my American counterpart was killed in the game I was shocked. I didn’t get to go back and try again; I was dead. It took a while for this realization to set in but once I was thrust into my next British SAS mission, I was forced to accept it.
Gameplay (Second Session):
For my second round playing Call of Duty 4, I played the online multiplayer instead of the single player, which opens up a whole new aspect of the game. In multiplayer, the story is stripped away and you become one soldier among many. When I logged on to play there were literally tens of thousands of games going on. There are several different game types including free-for-all, team deathmatch, and sabotage to name a few. Each game type has a different goal, which is usually pretty self-explanatory. I primarily played team deathmatch.
Online play has a much different feel to it than its single player counterpart. The intensity of the gameplay is much higher, especially if playing with a lot of people on one map (32 players can be a bit much, and 50 is just insane). What raises the intensity is that everyone is constantly roaming around the map with just one goal, which is to kill you. If you walk around a corner too fast, or even forget to look left as you turn right, someone could catch a quick glimpse of you and that would mean a kill for them.
Design:
The way in which the multiplayer was designed for Call of Duty 4 is very innovative. There are several systems set up within the game that made me want to keep playing. Firstly, there is a level system, which is dependent on XP (experience points). XP can be earned by playing multiplayer games. When you level up you are given a new title such as corporal or gunnery sergeant. This alone would make people want to keep playing, but there is much more.
Weapons, items, and perks are unlocked when you level up. Each weapon has a certain level you must first reach to unlock them along with add-ons to customize them such as different sights, and skins. Since there are so many different choices in this area, you have the ability to create your own class of soldier. By creating different classes you can choose what weapon, sight, grenade and even what perks each class has. Perks are a very interesting twist to the multiplayer game. A perk is something you can add to a class. Each perk has a different function to give an advantage, for example there is one called “last stand” which allows the player to shoot his pistol from the ground while he dies after he has been shot.
In addition to all of these great ideas that have been gracefully crammed into the Call of Duty 4 multiplayer, there is another way in which you can earn additional XP. For nearly every function in the game there is a challenge, which you can complete, and sometimes multiple challenges. These can be anything from running for 26 miles, to shooting people through walls.
Overall, I had a great time playing this game. Even though there are countless numbers of first person shooters on the market, the creators of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare did an exceptional job of creating a game that is very fun and innovative.
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