Spiderman

Sorry its been so long but I havent been able to play many games beyond what is required. I did get to play 2 games on the PS2 this week. I played them with my 3 year old son. We played Spiderman and Spiderman 2. Now, Spiderman we had owned and played before, but Spiderman 2 was new to us. The differences in the games were amazing. The most notable was a fix from the first to the second. In the original, you swing around without anything to worry about. I think the game makers were just hoping to let the player have fun and swing around. But the fact is you can get on top of the highest building and swing around above it with nothing above you but sky. Originally as you play you dont really think about it. But once you play for a while you realize this makes no sense. How can he swing around like he does.

Well, Spiderman 2 fixes this. Sure you can still get on the tallest building and jump, but no swinging happens until you fall low enough to shoot your web up to a building. This brings me to the second change about swinging. In the first game you shoot web virtually straight up and swing straight on. This isnt realistic. Buidings aren'e straight above you. So in Spiderman 2 you shoot web at appropriate angles to hit the buildings and objects that are to your side. This sounds like a simple thing, but it changes how you swing. Instead of swinging between buildings in a straight line you sway left to right as you go down streets.

Overall they did a wonderful job of upgrading this aspect of the game. This is what sequels are all about.

Neverwinter Nights RPG

Well, I have been playing Neverwinter Nights for a couple of days now and just had my opinions to get out. First, the game is a Role Playing Game for the PC based on the Dungeons & Dragons world and rules. Traditionally games based in this world and rule set, which has changed several times now, do well. Loyal fans seem to love the worls and rules. The game is very character developing in nature. You start low and build up. You may start out a warrior with a short sword getting beat up by thieves and end up being a dual hammer wielding dragon slayer that can run over literal armies of men. I love this game. I love it because it is D&D and because of all the choices you get with it. The only issue I had with the game is that you only get one character and can then hire one henchman. Now some people might think that sounds great, but in D&D where you need attack magic, defense magic, stealth, lock picking, sword swinging and a dozen other skills it can be hard to package in one guy. You try to get all the skills needed between you and the henchman, but it can be tough. A good thing is that you can change henchmen and that way gain new skills or power for your small group. Technically you can summon things to assist for a short while and a few characters can even have "pets". This game must be popular b/c it has 3 expansions I believe and they have made a sequel. I hope to get the sequel so I can try it in the next couple of months.

OLD NES ZELDA

I got online and played some NES games from back in the day. The only one I gave any real time too (about 25 min) was the original Zelda game. Let me tell ya, old games are hard. Maybe some of it is just that I had to use a keybord to play instead of a controller, but still the gameplay can be difficult and punish even the smallest mistakes. Many old games were like this. Now games let you power up a lot and make you virtually indestructable. Old games sometimes would make it a one hit and you are done. Go start over. How aggrivating. IM going to play a few more old NES games so I can see if things are how I remember or not. Later

Roller Coaster Tycoon 2

I started playing RCT2 2 nights ago and wanted to get some time in before blogging. The basic idea is to build an amusement park with rollercoasters, rides, booths and the like. It reminds me of an old 3DO game "theme park". Well, the graphics arent breath taking, but the game is 5 years old. I can look past graphics since i've been playing games from a time when you were the @ symbol running into & symbols to attack them. this game is fun, sort of. I mean you get to build and manage and customize many things, but there seems to always come points of just "wait and see". Like you run out of room to build or money. Then you just wait. See if people come in or if something breaks. I guess you can always take out a bigger loan for money or destroy old stuff for space. Still, I need to finish a scenerio before my final judgement. Later Gamers.

A great yet rare RPG feature.

So my 3 year old son wanted to play a starwars game, but the PS2 wasn't accessible and I didnt want to get out my SNES(that is Super Nintendo). So I loaded StarWars:Knights of the Old Repbublic. This is a wonderful game for starwars fans. It is a Role Playing Game in the Star Wars universe, but that is where it becomes very much........ Normal. It basically used D&D rules(that's Dungeons & Dragons). I'm guessing D&D 3.0 rules, but it's been so long I forget which rule set. There is nothing wrong with the rule set, but in some ways I wish they had just been inovated and did something new. Anyway, on to the thing the game reminded me of.

Level gaining and gaining skills. In all RPGs the character(s) you control gains Abilities, Skills, Feats, Powers, and other ways to become better. Most RPGs over the years have used a Level system where you gain points until you gain a Level and increase your abilities. Everytime a play a new game and they use some form of this I think.........WHY? I mean, I walk around solving puzzles, rescuing captives, and hacking things with my sword. Then what happens. I get to increase my ability to cast FIREBALL and use a Bow without ever doing any of those things at all. It makes no sense at all. You could go around hitting everything you see with an AXE and then increase your abliity to cast spells, sneak around, or throw darts. WHAT?

Well not all games are this way. One more recent game I played was Elder Scrolls: Morrowwind. You got better at whatever you did. Jumping made you a better jumper and so on. This isnt a recent idea though. I remember playing a Final Fantasy game that did this many years ago in Japan, but wasnt released in the US until mor recently. I cant Remember if it is FF2, FF3 or what but using an axe made you better with axes and using the Fire Spell made you better with the Fire Spell. Also I believe on the SNES the game Secret of Mana did a similar thing with increasing the abilities you use. So it isnt new, but it isnt the standard yet. I hope it does become the standard b/c it gives you something to shoot for.

I mean picture this. You've been playing some game for 30 hours(not straight) and you are level 42. You can hack most anything with your sword or ICE X spell, but you have to go to a new area where you seem to be having lots of trouble. You learn that a hermit can teach you some new Trick/Spell. So you travel across half the world to see him and he teaches you some Wind Blast XXX spell, but it is at level 1 so it doenst do well. Now you have to go around building that up to level 5 or so to be usable in the new area. That sounds like real life. I dont care if you are the best Bike rider in the world, but at sometime you may need a car and need to learn how to use it effectively. So you jump in and get better so you can drive.

Just my thoughts on what should be the standard in RPGs and any games where this is possible.

Trial Versions of Games

Trial versions. Aggrivating or Enlightening. I suppose it matters what you want out of life, how much you want to game, and how much money you have. For instance. Lets say you like Golf games and a new game comes out. GOLF Masters 07 or whatever. Well the website lets you download 1 hole of golf from the game to play on your computer. Is it a good thing to test drive the game or ......Is is horrible to only get one hole. Then you are sitting there thinking this game is great, I would love this game. So you go online to order it and its 50 bucks or more. Now you are sitting there loving a game you cant play and dont know if you can give the 50 bucks.

I guess my issue is this. I know there are hundreds of games out there right now I would love to play but cant afford. I budget for about 100 dollars a Year for video games. Now that would be like 2 new normal games or about 5 games at the 19.99 value that some games start out at or have been marked down to after a few months. But like I said, I know in 08 there will be at least 30-40 new games I would get addicted to playing. But I can buy only 2-5. So are trials good to help me eliminate the numbers down or will they only aggrivate me b/c I wont be able to get all of the wonderful games.

For many years I've taken the approach to not play trials unless I know I could buy the game. Otherwise its just a waste of my time. I'm not sure this blog makes any sense. I'm tired and ready to sleep now.

Star wars gaming

Yesterday I Played Lego Star Wars II for the PS2 with my 3 year old son. This game is fun. I've played it before and love playing it still. I guess I like it b/c it's mindless hack and slash gaming in the Star Wars Universe. You play different scenes from the first three movies( actually episodes 4, 5, and 6). You know, the movies with LUKE, not Anni.

It's wonderful to play b/c like most games you have to explore and problem solve while you have fun. My son loves it and is begging me right now to let him play it. We play together and have lots of fun being different characters. There are dozens you can be. It's great fun if you like star wars. I suggest it to anybody, any age.

Day 2 My own games

I played 2 games today. Not with anyone but by myself. With a kid this is hard to do, but nap times and alone time is possible. I played NCAA College Football 08 on PS2 and Dragon Quest VIII on the PS2.

NCAA Football 08 is new and I've only had it about a week or two. I do love football games and have played them since at least 1988 and maybe earlier. The games interests me b/c I grew up watching football and played the game for years. I still watch football and have season tickets to University of Kentucky Football. What motivates me to continue playing is the hope that I can succeed at my goals. I play a Dynasty which means I control a team through season after season. I play on the hardest level b/c not doing that seems to defeat the purpose. The game should be hard and challenging. I like this game a lot. The graphics are good and the gameplay is very good although I think sometimes the computer is too easy to beat even on the hardest level. It is very in depth. You recruit high school players, punish players that behave wrong, and can win any number of awards. College Football games have been a weakness of mine for years.

Dragon Quest VIII is as the title suggests the 8th game in the line. It is a Fantasy RPG(role playing game). It just means that you control a character and over time your actions and choices develope the character into who you want them to be. I love fantasy RPGs. Nothing like swinging a sword and deciding if you are doing it for good or evil. The best RPGs keep you going with the story b/c its like a movie and you dont want to stop watching midway. I've plalyed the first game in this series and a few others between 1 and 8. This one is awesome, but I do have to say it is somewhat linear in play rather than open ended. Still, this allows for a good story to progress. Typically open ended games have weaker stories to allow for the range of possibilities for the player. I suggest anyone with some time on their hands who like Fantasy(you know swords, knights, magic, Lord of the Rings stuff) to try playing some RPGs.

I will next be playing one or two computer games I have. Good luck to all other gamers.

First Games with my Son

Last night I played 2 board games with my son who is 3 years old. The games were board games: Candyland, Chutes and Ladders. These games interested me b/c they interested my son and I new they were old games but I didnt remember playing them as a child. My sons enjoyment motivated me to continue playing in order to make him happy.

Candyland was a basic game that has nothing to do with strategy or skill. Its a pure game of luck but thats not an issue. The game's purpose is to teach colors and spacing. I liked it but my son at only 3 beat me more than I beat him. In the end it wasnt about winning, just playing.

Chutes and Latters is the same in that there is no strategy or skill needed. You draw random numbers and make no choices. Again the point is to teach basic counting and numbers. I got creamed by my son but i enjoyed the game. It is a very fun and educational game.

This was from 8/20 on monday night.