Saturday, September 21, 2013

About this blog thread

I'm an avid gamer as well as a student at Full Sail University majoring in Game Design. I enjoy games, playing them, creating them and learning about them.
So this thread will be anything I deem in the world of gaming. From sports to boardgames, from anime to movies and of course video games. If a person really thinks about it then just about anything can get tied to a game of some sort.
I will also post classwork here as it is recommended to blog some of our work.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Sports: Jousting (played Discovery, medieval sport)


Positives:
+ The action captures people’s attention.
+ Teams build friendships and trust.
+ A bound forms between the horse and rider so that they appear almost of one mind.
+ The riders usually represent somebody and when the rider wins then their sponsor wins as well. But the team wins also.
Negatives:
- Very dangerous sport. A rider can easily be hurt or even killed by the javelin or splinters from the javelin.
- Heavy armor worn for protection slows down the medics when they have to remove it to check for injuries.
- At the speeds they ride, if a rider falls wrong the horse could trample them or break their neck.
- The sport fell out of practice except for theater shows and it’s taking a while to come back.
Thoughts
~ I’ve been to theater shows such as the Medieval Times and I’ve watched the show Full Metal Jousting. Both show the world in a different light. If the world could see real jousting then maybe it would come back to practice sooner.
~ The armor is amazing to see be put on. Seeing a man get bolted into his armor brings to light the weight he has to wear and the weight the horse has to carry.
~ Jousting was a man’s sport in it’s time. But women should be allowed to chose to joust as well.
~ Jousting is family friendly but dangerous. Parents need to exercise the rule don’t try this at home.
Would Like:
* Jousting to become more popular.
* Women to be allowed to joust.
* Jousting to be taught in a school so the riders know what they are doing.
*  The horses to wear better armor.

Non-Video Game: Hide and Clap (children’s game, strategy)


Positives:
+ Strategic game that makes the hiders seek out the best hiding spots quickly and the seeker to listen to their surrounding while remembering their way through an area.
+ Challenges the players to come up with a strategy to hide from the seeker.
+ Teaches the seeker to memorize a room or area that they play in.
+ Hiders get to spin the seeker around and make them really dizzy.
Negatives:
- The clapping a hider has to do when the seeker calls out could lead to their hiding place.
- The seeker has to be spun by the hiders.
- The seeker must wear a blindfold and if they don’t know the area/room they are in they could run into things.
- The seeker only gets three calls for claps to find the hiders.
Thoughts
~ While the game is very basic, it’s challenging enough for children to enjoy playing multiple times.
~ Only having three calls can make the game end quickly of the seeker calls for them within a short period of time. A rule should be used or established to require the seeker to wait a certain period of time between calls.
~ With the seeker having to wear a blindfold they have to trust that the hiders won’t cheat. Hiders have a chance to cheat by enlisting people that aren’t playing to clap as well to lead the seeker away from them.
~ The game is generally an easy game to play but younger children may find it a challenge. Maybe they should be teamed up with older kids or an adult so they have a fair play.
Would Like:
* The game could actually use more to it. I believe more calls for the Seeker to make the game last longer.
* Hiders have too much leeway and to many chances to cheat, stricter rules that set perimeters around the play area to prevent non-players from interfering.
* Boundary limits to be set. Some people play inside their house and if it has more than one story it could be dangerous for the blindfolded seeker. So limits should be set to one floor or blocks should be put in the way of stairs to prevent falling. Even just putting something like bells to signal the stairs would work.
*

Anime/Manga: Ghost Hunt (anime/manga)


Positives:
+ Great education about paranormal research.
+Get to see different ways the paranormal can attack or effect people.
+ The character development is astounding and draws people to watch the anime or read the manga.
+ The viewers/readers learn when Mia, one of the main characters, does.
Negatives:
-The anime isn’t complete in America. Season 2 and a movie aren’t available.
- Viewers don’t know the whole story you have to read to find out.
- Not everything manga gets brought to the anime.
-  
Thoughts
~ Ghost Hunt is a great anime for the paranormal watchers. But it’s also great for romantics as well since there is a budding romance between Mia and Naru.
~ The character dinamics are great. You have a mish-mash team that ends up being great together when you’d think they would bring disaster.
~ Mia having a budding gift adds to the story. As the story goes on she starts to learn more about herself and her powers.
~ Mia dreams of “Naru” who is really his dead twin brother. He warns her of things to come, why doesn’t he reach out to any of the others?
Would Like:
* The anime to be finished.
* The question of Dream “Naru” reaching out to others in the team answered.
* The relationship between Naru and Mia to develop.
* Monk and Lee to get together.

Dominate Strategy in a Videogame for Final Fantasy Tactics- Heavy Hitters (PSP, RPG/ strategy)


Positives:
+ Using a well rounded team of heavy hitters gives the player’s team a good mix of defense, offense and healing.
+The heavy hitters have a lot of strength and strong magic as well as a variety of spells.
+ Heavy hitters are good distance fighters as well as close up. Its good to have stronger close range fighters to defend the distance hitters.
+ Also with heavy hitters its easier to mix in a few weaker members to build them up to meet the heavy hitter status.
Negatives:
- Heavy Hitters can take a while to build up to reach such a status. Their strongest attacks taking a large amount of experience.
- Heavy Hitters such as Knights can’t move a large distance so reaching the opponent may take a while and can leave distance shooters in range of attack.
- Mages, no matter their level have weak health so they have to be closely watched to make sure they don’t die. And strong magic uses a lot of magic so their magic levels have to be watched as well.
-  Heavy Hitters can take a bit of effort to gain. The stronger jobs have to be earned from building up the lower jobs.
Thoughts
~Mages need to have better health points or better defense. Defensive magic only defends for so many rounds and then it takes just as many rounds to reapply.
~Heavy Hitters as a dominant strategy give the player an advantage in an unknown location. It should be a mix of Knights, Mages, Dragonlancer, Monks and Summoners with a few others added in.
~ The attack points of a fighter depend on their level and their weapon. Shopping around for the best weapons take time but is worth the effort in the end.
~
Would Like:
*Better health or defense for mages.
* Knights to move larger distances.
* A list of shops and what they supply.
*

Highly Rated Video Game: Mortal Combat Komplete Edition (8.5) (Multiplatform, Fighting)


Positives:
+ Considered the best of the Mortal Combat games.
+Has a challenge tower and mini-games.
+ Brutal moves
+ More content to unlock
Negatives:
-Online play suffers from lag and makes matchmaking slow.
- There is a delay between attacks so it makes combos difficult to obtain.
- Moves aren’t fluid so it takes some getting use too, especially for Street Fighter players.
-  Some players that are squeamish may find some of the new additions not to their taste such as the x-ray moves that allow players to see bones be crushed.
Thoughts
~ The lag in online gaming sometimes occurs due to the overload on the servers of players. Usually this is helped by breaking up players to multiple servers instead of a massive one.
~ The new x-ray ability is a great example of game design in new ideas. These designs are just a step towards more great things.
~ The graphic nature of the design will draw a newer crowd towards the game but it can also turn older followers away. Some may see it as too graphic. It is just a matter of if the player is dedicated enough to the brand to stick with it.
~ There are many modes to play in such as tag team and arcade. The new mode Challenge Tower will keep the game more interesting.
Would Like:
* An option to miss the gore for squeamish players.
* More servers to fight the online lag.
* A way around the in-game lag for combo moves.
* To play the game.

Anime/Manga: Ronin Warriors (anime/manga)

Positives:
+ Detailed storyline that is explained throughout the whole series.
+ Great character, each having a background, relationship, power and purpose.
+ The bad guys have a storyline that explains their purpose and the reason for attacking the world.
+ The weapons and armors are legendary and even they have a storyline. There are five ‘good’ armors Wildfire, Hardrock, Torrent, Light and Strata.
Negatives:
- The character Mia is annoying. She has a know-it-all attitude and acts superior to the Ronins.
- The team gets broken up quickly after first being created.
- Anubis’s dies suddenly. He is a great character but sacrifices his life for the Ronins.
-  In the movie they call Ryo Rio. The translations weren’t carried through properly.
Thoughts
~ Usually I’d be all for digitally remastering the anime, but the old design of the characters adds too the atmosphere of the story. If anything check the color saturations.
~ The series is too short. There is much more in the manga than the anime.
~  Some Ronins aren’t stared as much but have a deeper background. Such as Rowen of Strata is a genius. He lives basically on his own since his parents travel for work. He’s a best friend with Sage of Light. They’ve known each other for years. They should be brought in more.
~
Would Like:
* More interaction with all of the Ronins.
* Mia to disappear.
* Anubis to return to life. He should have never died.
* Another season or longer series.

Memorable Game from the Past: Duke Nukem (PC, first person shooter, RPG)


Positives:
+ Detailed story.
+ Could see the weapon the character carried and could adjust accordingly.
+ Commentary from the character was fun and kept interaction between player and character alive.
+ Great design on battles.
Negatives:
- Design is very basic compared to newer PC games.
- Ammo is limited and can be hard to find depending on how good the weapon is. The better the gun the harder it is to find the ammo.
- Can get overwhelmed with bad guys in some
-
Thoughts
~ Its an interesting concept but was stuck to one building. It could have been expanded to go outside the castle.
~ Could be made as a two player game so they can work as teams.
~ Expand to other systems to broaden the range of users.
~ I enjoy the option to choose what level players play at. Easy medium and hard.
Would Like:
* Expansion of travel area.
* Team ups.
* Expand to other systems.
*A new version with an actual character instead of just arms.

Social Game: The Ghost of Mostwood (PC through Facebook)


Positives:
+ Players are constantly getting new missions so the game stays interesting.
+ The game is following a main storyline of looking for the player’s aunt that disappeared. But many side stories keep it from getting stale.
+ Some items needed to build with can be harvested from the land it regenerates over time.
+ As the player solves storyline missions they find more ghost to help find their aunt.
Negatives:
- To expand the area or complete certain missions the player has to use lanterns to open areas of dark forest. The lanterns can only be gained after a certain point by making them which is difficult to get all the items or to purchase them with real money.
- Some harvest areas take an hour to build and that makes that character unusable for that time.
- The game can get boring if players don’t have the needed lanterns. Most missions after a certain point require them to search for at least one thing.
- Space becomes limited when players can’t search so everything needed to be built gets smashed into one area.
Thoughts
~ There should be other ways to gain lanterns. In the start of the game players get them as prizes for missions. After a certain level that stops.
~ It’s a very popular game but gifts have a restriction on them. A player can only help or send something to a player 10 times a day. There shouldn’t be a limit or if there is it should be a higher amount.
~ Getting prizes for helping friends is great but if they don’t have five things for a player to do then the player doesn’t get the prizes. There should be exceptions to the rules or five things on every player’s Mistwood.
~ Collecting money from buildings everyday is great but players should also get items as well.
Would Like:
* More lanterns or other options to gain them.
*  Easier expansion so things don’t get cluttered.
* When friends visit and leave boxes they should be joined into one giant box.
* No restriction on gifts.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Poorly Rated Video Game: Custer's Revenge (Adult Game for the Nintendo)


Positives:
+ Its historically accurate.
+ Basic controls.
+
+
Negatives:
- Basically it’s porn in game format.
- Custer is given an obscenely large cock that with the proper pixilation appears to bounce as he walks.
- The point of the game is to read the Native American girl alive then ‘score’ or have sex without dying. If the player gets 50 bangs in then they get placed back to the left side of the screen to try again at a faster pace.
-  A remake was made, by a company or fan is unclear but its worse than the original.
Thoughts
~ While historically accurate, it is a rape game. Not a game that should be fun and enjoyed.
~ The game is repetitive and has no real point but to rape the Native American. Why should this be encouraged to play?
~ The remake is more disturbing in some ways since Custer uses semen to block arrows and to attack the new addition of scantly clad women run at him with scissors. When he reaches the Native American he rapes her to fill a meter and if he fills it a large gush of semen shoots everywhere.
~ The original is disturbing in the fact the designers took the time to pixelate his cock to bounce.
Would Like:
* The remake to be clarified by the creator.
* A better purpose to the game.
*
*
(I would attach the remake I found but it’s porn. It’s on youtube)

Social Game: Lucky Supermarket (PC through Facebook)


Positives:
+ The game teaches player the worth of a dollar by making them save for better selves and product to sell.
+ The game is a challenge as the ‘owner’ or player has to keep shelves stocked and customers happy.
+ Players are given missions and when they are finished they receive rewards such as experience, money or even shelves and decorations.
+ Players have incentive in the game to build up since new items open up at different levels which makes new items, shelves and decorations available.  At level 12 players are able to open a second shop and get to choose between two locations.
Negatives:
- It’s not a very popular game at the moment if you base it on the amount of likes it has received. The last count is 56, 217 likes.
- If players complete an event or get certain items needed that could count for more than one mission, they have to get the same items or complete the same event a second time for it to count for both. This is because if one mission gets completed then those items or event will be uncounted.
- A lot of missions require the aid of friends to complete and since the game isn’t popular, not very many friends play the game. For myself only 4 people are on the game but only 2 play anymore.
- A good portion of the expansions and missions revolve around the player’s popularity. If the player adds decorations and caters to the customer’s demands then their popularity goes up otherwise it stays the same.
Thoughts
~ The game is a repetitive cycle. The player opens the shop, fills the shelves and opens for business. This cycle repeats with the occasional shopping for supplies or decoration. There should be more to the game such an effect to economy, price changes, or even a celebration of some sort.
~ The game is bland. There isn’t much draw to the game and players aren’t going to want to play a game their friends won’t play.
~ The cartoon like design that resembles Sims was a smart idea. But that’s where similarities end. There isn’t a story to follow that would make a player want to keep coming back on more than an occasional run through.
~ Players are limited on how many times they can open based on the number of customers they have. There is a customer count that resembles an energy count and fills back up over time. But unlike the energy count it doesn’t fill back up with a level up. It should fill up at level ups or there should be items to fill it back up.
Would Like:
* A rework of the design to allow for more challenge to the game.
* To be able to shop at friends’ stores for restocking player’s own shelves.
* Some missions are difficult to complete without friends or using real money Player should have a third option.
* An option to get friends that aren’t on Facebook list.