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.

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.