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**Samonochrome** · January 17, 2023, 11:15

Game: Backgammon

Original Platform: Tabletop

Original control mechanism when game was released: n/a

Control mechanism you used: n/a

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?: n/a

Describe game Play and mechanics.

The game all takes place within a briefcase board that has four sections of two different colored rows. Two sections on one side of the briefcase, and two on the other end. The rows are 2 different colors, (black and white), and are patterned to go one after the other. Each player has the same amount of playing pieces (disks) and must get across the four sections to get to their opponent's side of the board. To do this, each player is given 2 dice (mice) that they can roll to show how many spaces 2 of their disks can go. If one dice says 3 and the other says 5, then the player can move one disk 3 and the other 5 across the spaces. However, if the other players' pieces are stacked more than once, then your disk cannot land on their row so that disk shouldn’t be played. If your disk lands on the opposing player's singular disks, then that player's disk will be sent to “jail” and that piece will have to start from the beginning. The game can go on for a long time, since there are a lot of disks and two players fighting to get their pieces across 4 sections of rows to get across the board.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design.

The strengths I would say come from the construction of the game and its rules, it has a clear goal for both players, there is a win or lose function, you must put some work into it, and it has opportunities to slow your opposing player down. The game is easy to follow once you get the hang of how to move your pieces. The game pushes you to think about your moves and how you're going to get all of your pieces across the two boards without getting caught by the other player or leaving too many pieces behind. The weakness of the game would probably be that the game has so many pieces and opportunities for the players to slow each other down that the game can go on for a very long time. I can see the players either possibly getting bored, or running out of time before they can finish the game.

What made it fun?

What made the game fun was learning how to be tactful with your disks. Sometimes the dice you roll can either be a good hand where you can move your pieces a long way, or only a few short spaces. The game has a few challenges to encounter, which gives the player the opportunity to think about what they can do to overcome the obstacles. The most common obstacle in the game is when the players land on another player's game piece and they send it to “jail” so that it has to start from the beginning. This was either a mini win or loss for me when this occurred throughout the game. Towards the end of the game, when most of the players pieces have made it to the other side of the board, it is now a different challenge to roll the dice for the shortest number so that the disk can land into the opposing players “fort” (unsure what to call the space where the disks are stored).

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?

I can see Backgammon being influential by how the game offers a lot of opportunities for the players to slow each other down and think about their next steps. Though the game is as simple as rolling the dice and counting how many spaces your disks can go, if you learn to be tactful in which pieces you move and have them land, then you will learn how to play the game even better. The game that comes to mind for me in how Backgammon is influential today would be Mario Kart. Two very different games, but I see similarities in how you are moving across the track and collecting pieces that you can use to send your opponents a few feet behind while you take the lead. Since there are four sections in Backgammon that the players have to get through, it is similar to how Mario Kart is given 3 or 4 laps for the players to fight their way to the lead.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))

I would give it a 4 because I actually enjoyed it, I'm not very good with games that have numbers because I unfortunately had terrible anxiety with math or anything counting through out HS and early college. That experience left me not feeling confident with games that involved counting because I just felt "dumb", but this game was relaxing and took away that intimidation for me, allowing me to learn and just play.

**Samonochrome** · January 18, 2023, 14:56

Name of Game: Pong
Game author (If known): Allan Alcorn
Game Studio: Atari

Original Platform: Arcade
Original control mechanism when game was released: joystick (arcade)
Control mechanism you used: computer mouse
Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
Yes it would because you would be in control of both paddles on the arcade machine vs your computer mouse, which is easier to maneuver.

Describe game Play and mechanics:
The game consists of two paddles that are either controlled by one player or two. Originally on the arcade machine, two players could control one joystick (or buttons as it appears) to move their paddles up and down the screen. For this online version, you would use your mouse to control one paddle while the other paddle is an AI. Upon starting the game, a pong is released and one player has to hit it so that it glides or bounces to the opposite end for the other player to hit it. In this version, you can win the game by scoring 10 points by hitting the pong into the AI’s goal. The game is very similar to tennis, just without the extra rules such as keeping the ball inside a certain range. The game can either last awhile or go by quickly depending on the mode you set at the Start. I found the normal mode to be a little challenging in trying to catch the ball but not impossible. Hard mode can keep you busy since the pong will move faster and the AI seems to keep up pretty well.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design:
The strengths of the game is that there is a clear win and lose factor that can raise the stakes for the players. It's up to you to move the paddle quickly when the pong is heading towards your side. Another strength of the game is that it is flexible in allowing a player to play either alone or with a friend. This gives people a chance to enjoy alone time playing a game, or enjoying quality time with a friend or relative. I think it is a good perk to have a game that can have more than one player, because an AI doesn’t react the same way a person does, and this can make the game instantly more challenging. The weakness of the game is that it can get old pretty fast. It isn’t very exciting to be staring at two paddles and a little dot moving rapidly across the screen after a while.

What made it fun?
What makes pong fun is that the pong moves pretty fast and you as the player need to constantly watch where it goes so that you don’t miss it and lose a point. It keeps you engaged for as long as you're playing and it is satisfying to be able to hit the pong into the AI’s goal. Having the risk of losing your grip and missing the pong is always frustrating when it gets past you, but I believe having that risk of not being fast enough is what makes the game exciting and keeps you eager to play. Another reason why the game is fun is that it is one that I can play with anyone, especially my mom and dad since they grew up playing it as well. There aren’t too many video games that different generations can play together, but this online version mirrors the arcade ones close enough.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Clearly Pong is similar to tennis, in that it has two players that hit a ball back and forth until one loses. Though tennis is a universally known and played sport long before Pong, pong is one of the earliest arcade games created and helped pioneer video games to what we see today. Atari heavily influenced games as we know today, games that were as simple as two paddles and a ball showed us that it was all in the gameplay mechanics and how it kept us engaged. Even to this day we still see the same mechanics of pong in other games, but with different characters that aren’t paddles and a pong. My earliest memory of playing a game that required two people or an AI was when my parents got my brothers and I a wii and we played wii sports tennis for hours. Though it followed the rules of the actual tennis sport, we weren’t really on a court running around with rackets. We had a handheld joystick and stood for hours swinging our arms to hit the imaginary ball back and forth until one of us lost, much similar to Pong.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
4, because it is a classic and can be enjoyed by everyone.

**Samonochrome** · January 24, 2023, 11:51

Asteroids
Game author: Lyle Rains and Ed Logg
Game Studio: Atari

Original Platform: Arcade
Original control mechanism when game was released: Joystick and buttons
Control mechanism you used: Arrow keys and space bar
Would the experience have been different using the original? How?: My brother built an arcade machine with asteroids on there, and it is definitely way better. The experience of playing on a machine is way more fun and funny when I have my brothers standing over my shoulder screaming at me that I've

Describe game Play and mechanics:
The game starts with you as a spaceship in the center of the screen and unable to move anywhere. Asteroids will begin to hurtle towards or around you, and you must use your arrow keys to rotate your ship and hit the spacebar to fire at the asteroids. The asteroids could be moving fast or slow, and you must be quick to shoot them before they hit you. If you hit an asteroid that is pretty close to you, chances are the debris can still kill you if it was close enough. Every time you hit an asteroid, depending on the size you hit, a small one can be around 20 pts and a large one can be 100 pts. Besides floating asteroids hurtling towards you, there are also flying saucers that are ducking and weaving while trying to kill your rocket ship with lasers as well. Hitting these saucers grants you higher points as well. If you die 5 times in a single round, you lose.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
There are a lot of strengths to “asteroids” design. The gameplay is very simple to understand so that anyone can play without having to spend time learning the rules. The player only has to do two things: rotate the ship left or right and press spacebar (or button) to shoot. The floating asteroids are made very entertaining by being unpredictable and going at different speeds. What's also nice is that the asteroids are not just aiming to hit the ship, they can go anywhere and it leaves the player thinking quickly if they are going to get hit if they don't shoot it first. The enemy saucer is another great element of the game because it is a bigger challenge for players to go up against. Unlike the asteroids that float around in different directions, the saucer is unpredictable because it ducks and weaves while shooting at you. This makes the game more exciting and keeps the players invested to get as many points as they can. The weakness would probably be that once you get really good at the rhythm of the game, it could probably begin to drag and get old after a while.

What made it fun?
What made it fun for me was just trying to rotate the ship fast enough to aim and shoot an asteroid or saucer before it killed me. I’m not the best game player, in fact, I panic too much because I just want to play well enough for the people around me to not think I suck that badly. I play asteroids at home on my brother's machine and I think playing on the arcade automatically makes me a better player. I'm standing up, I only have three buttons to worry about instead of my computer keyboard, and I'm already invested in playing. The game can be played for hours alone, or with friends and family. If you play by yourself, you can challenge yourself by trying to get a better score than the last one you received. If you play with friends or family, you can take turns and watch as you or someone else takes the lead based on scores.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
As bad as it sounds, I have not played a lot of video games to think about the influence that Asteroids has made. I do, however, see a clear progression of games that involve shooting targets first before they can shoot you. When I think back to how I watch my brothers play 3rd person shooter games such as fortnite, Destroy all humans, or Uncharted, I can draw some influence from asteroids gameplay to the shooter games that are popular today. You are the main player (unless it's a multiplayer game like Fortnite, etc.) and you are taking down the enemy targets by shooting them for pts (status?) while trying to avoid being taken out. Asteroids is obviously very different from other shooter games, especially the 3d games that are popular today, but I can definitely see asteroids being the game that pioneered the gameplay style and giving other creators ideas of making fun shooter games.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
5, because I love asteroids and have always had fun playing it with my brothers.

**Samonochrome** · January 25, 2023, 23:08

Pac-Man
Game author: Toru Iwatani
Game Studio: Namco

Original Platform: Arcade
Original control mechanism when game was released: Joystick
Control mechanism you used: Joystick and computer keys
Would the experience have been different using the original? How?: I have been playing pac-man on my brothers arcade machine since he built it last year. My family and I have loved pac-man for as long as we can remember, my mom being the most excited about it. Nothing beats playing it on a machine with everyone screaming at you vs. playing on a computer alone in your room.

Describe game Play and mechanics
Pac-man is a maze game that has you play as a round yellow character who must eat all the dots in the maze while avoiding four ghosts that can kill you. When the game starts, pac-man will automatically take off in the direction he is facing and you must steer him through the maze while trying to collect every single dot. There are a ton of moments where the ghost will detect your location and you have to act fast to avoid them completely. The ghosts are invincible, unless you eat the larger dots that are scattered across the maze. When pac-man eats these larger dots, the enemy ghost will turn blue for only a few short seconds while running away from you. It is best to eat the large dots when the ghosts are near say that you can eat all of your enemies and send them back to the prison they started the game in. The maze also offers an opportunity to escape one side of the maze and teleport to the other side by making a passageway on either side of the maze. It may seem like cheating to jump to the other side of the maze, but it actually makes the game more interesting and entertaining when the player is running away from the fast-paced ghosts.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
Pac-man has a lot of strengths, granted that it is one of the most popular arcade games in history. From my moms expert words, pac-man is a “never getting old game”. She has been playing pac-man since it came out in the 80’s and she still loves it. Pacman is a fast paced game that keeps you on your toes while trying to venture every single corner of the large maze while also struggling with the challenge of avoiding 4 ghosts who can kill you in one touch. The maze’s change after every round you win, so it’s never the same loop you have played in before. The game also challenges you to achieve the highest score you can get by playing numerous rounds and collecting points from the ghosts or dropped fruit. If you're not challenging your own score, then you are definitely challenging others who have played before you. Between my mom and younger brother, I always see their names switch at the top of the scoreboard every once in a while. The weakness of the game is that it doesn’t really have an end. There aren’t major changes to the mazes as you win rounds, and the rhythm of the game can be mastered with enough practice.

What made it fun?
The game was fun when it was played with other people in the room. I didn’t need my brother to be watching me play his machine for the game to be more entertaining, but he was always listening in and asking if I already lost a few rounds or if I was “winning son?”. It feels socially acceptable to be verbal and active when playing pac-man (or any arcade game) because it is universally understood how intense the game can get. I like that I’m able to talk with my brother and freak out while never taking my eyes off the screen. Another fun thing about pac-man is how simplistic, yet chaotic, the game is. All the player has to do is turn the joystick in whichever direction they chose and that is all. Of Course there are obstacles floating towards you, but it is a simple enough game for anyone to understand within a round or two.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
I believe pac-man was a very influential game due to its uniqueness at the time and how most of its qualities have transferred over through time. Pacman required the player to run away from the enemy instead of going up against a spaceship or hurtling rock like in the asteroid game. Most games required a fight mechanism, pac-man was a flight game. The thrill of running away from the enemy and freaking out when the ghost is inching in on you is what makes the game exciting. Today we have some maze games that don't have a literal maze, but do require the player to have stealth and run away while collecting loot/points. The first game that comes to mind is “dead by daylight”. No it's not pac-man, like at all. But while my brother is screaming his head off on the other side of the room while I play pac-man, I can see a correlation of the player being placed on a map that they can explore every corner, collect loot to earn status or points, all while avoiding the enemy that is either another player, or an AI if you have no one to play with.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
5 stars, because pac-man has always been a fun game to play with friends and family.

**Samonochrome** · February 7, 2023, 10:30

Name of Game: Pitfall
Game author: David Crane
Game Studio: Activision

Original Platform: Atari 2600
Original control mechanism when game was released: Cartridge console with a joy stick
Control mechanism you used: Computer keys
Would the experience have been different using the original? How? Yes, mostly because I feel it would have been easier to play with a joystick since I never really play games on my PC. I would also assume that if it were the original set up, then I would be able to see better playing on the tv then a small window on my computer.

Describe game Play and mechanics:
At first, I thought I had played this game before but I had confused it for another. So it was my first time playing Pitfall! without knowing how the game worked and what you were supposed to do. The game starts with your character standing in the beginning of a jungle setting, where there is a large hole in the ground and small platforms to jump on to get across. At the top of the left hand side of the screen, you see a score of 2000 pts and timer below that. The player must trek through the jungle and avoid any harm that can come his way. If the player falls into the pit, they do not die, but they do lose 10 pts from the 2000 starting pts. If the player is hit by moving target (I later learned were logs, for some reason) they will lose an unpredictable amount based on how long you touch the log, or it touches you. Other obstacles include rattlesnakes, quick sand that appears out of nowhere, and large ponds with alligators that you can use as platforms to get across if you time it right. Another way that you can get across the obstacles is to swing on a vine if they come up in the level. The timer on the top left screen is used to track 20 min of gameplay, so you must collect as many pts as you can without losing any to damage.

Describe strengths, weaknesses of art & design:
Some of the strengths of Pitfall is that it feels and looks like the player is exploring a jungle while avoiding traps and obstacles and finding treasure along the way. The design of the game is very straight to the point when the player tries it out for the first time. You simply move forward, avoid falling into any pits, and don’t touch any of the obstacles except for the shiny prizes. The game is simple enough to understand how the mechanics work, though it might take a minute or two to realize how your points are affected when you touch obstacles and/or prizes. As you progress through the game, each “room” has one or two challenges waiting for you by either being open pits with logs rolling towards you, rattlesnakes, open flames, or alligators. You're not sure what is going to happen when you enter the next room and more than a few screw ups can leave you starting over from the beginning. The downside of Pitfall, for me, was that the repetition of the rooms got very boring. I played for a while when I got the hang of it, but after a while I started to see and feel like I was replaying the same rooms and challenges and they were just out of order.

What made it fun?
I think the fun part in playing Pitfall was getting through the different variations of rooms and the challenges it presented. Most were simple as in jumping over rolling logs, fire, or snakes. Others kept you on your toes when avoiding quicksand that would suddenly appear while trying to avoid the obstacles coming towards you. It was fun trying to keep your pts at 2000 while also trying to collect the prizes along the way. The challenge of maintaining your pts while also collecting more in 20 min is definitely a hard goal to achieve for those who do not often play games. But even for those who do, it would definitely be hard to get through 20 min without losing any pts. Though I’m sure it's been done many times before. I also like how the character shouts like tarzan everytime he swings on the vines to avoid alligators and quick sand, it reminds the player that this is a silly game that the character itself is enjoying as well.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
This game is super influential to a lot of the games I see today. I always use Mario as a comparison, but there are others that I will mention too. In the 2d side-scrolling mario games (the many that they have) we play as Mario who must get from point A to B without falling off the platforms, getting hit by goombas, or eaten by piranha plants. These Mario side scrolling games have always been insanely popular, yet Pitfall doesn’t quite hold the same candle to Mario, and it's probably because one game has managed to market off a trademark character. Mario has a similar gameplay style to Mario, it just didn’t go far enough to include more challenging features and/or art styles. Another game that I will touch on is Running Man, a mobile game that I have seen many people play on their phones while out and about. Running Man shares the same challenges that Pitfall does, the player is timed, it is rushing through a high stakes environment, and the player must avoid obstacles that can cause harm while aiming to collect prizes along the way. I believe Pitfall has set a solid ground for the types of games that challenges a player to run away from enemies that can cost you pts while also aiming for the goal and collecting pts and new time records.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I'm going to give it a 2, it was challenging at first and I have yet to play through the full 20 min, I just cant stand playing the same rooms over and over even though it is split in variations.

**Samonochrome** · February 9, 2023, 11:17

Name of Game: Zork
Game author: Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Dave Lebling, Bruce Daniels
Game Studio: Infocom

Original Platform: personnel computers
Original control mechanism when game was released: Computer keys
Control mechanism you used: Computer keys
Would the experience have been different using the original? How? If I had the old PDP mainframe computer I'm sure it would feel very different and probably better.

Describe game Play and mechanics:
The game Zork is definitely a game that I have never tried before. The game itself is a text based game where the computer will present to you information of where your player is and allows you to type your response to what you would want your character to do in the scenario that is presented. It took me a while to understand what the game was, since I was expecting something different like option boxes to choose from. The game starts with being introduced to the game with the title “Zork I: The Underground Empire'', and the first thing you read is the location of where your character is, “West of House”, and briefly describes what is around you. I figured out that you needed to tell the computer where to take your character based on the directions the game offers you. You can go north, east, south, or west if you're able to, based on where your character is and if there are barriers blocking those directions. I tried playing for awhile but I got stuck arguing with a computer for awhile and discovered that I could kill myself with the sword I collected in the house I started in. That was pretty funny.

Describe strengths; weaknesses of art & design:
The game’s strengths are definitely the unknown. If you open a board game you know how it works and what you need to do to win. If you play an arcade game, you also know what to expect from enemies and what you need to do to win. Zork is insanely different since you don't see a clear path, you don't know what to expect, and you have to figure out how to maneuver your way around the world presented to you in text. Another advantage was that this was a game you can play from your home computer. It is a game that people can enjoy in their free time from home, and can get you invested when trying to get your character to interact with the world the game was laying out for you. The downside is that it can be hard to remember the info your character has collected along the way. There are different directions being laid out and I would forget which way I would come from or need to go to. Most of my time playing was spent trying out different commands and seeing if they would work. Which I got frustrated with, and how I ended up learning that I could kill myself in the game…oops.

What made it fun?
The game is hilarious when you learn how to give out certain commands in different places/scenarios. I discovered this in a part where I repeatedly had my character jumping into a pile of leaves and the Zork game would commend me for my “childish” actions. I also imagine kids back then getting a kick out of typing in a curse word and being told by the game that they had a potty mouth in this “fine establishment”, so the programmers were definitely getting a kick out of that. The game would be fun when you discovered new places to take your character to, collect items, and figure out what you can and can't do in certain scenarios. I didn't know you could climb trees until I re-read the command carefully and was able to do so. Discovering the jewel covered egg was pretty exciting, it felt like I got a mini accomplishment for finding it.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Zork is definitely influential by how it has opened doors for role playing games, as well as games that were made for PC. This role playing game didn’t have, or need, special graphics and characters to make it a good game. The story and structure of the game was done well enough to feel like you were reading an adventure book but you were the hero making all the shots. In computer role playing games today, we see more beautiful worlds being made and characters that people can choose from, or customize, in order to make the adventure feel like their own. I don’t play games, I wish I did, but when I did play games growing up I absolutely loved the role-playing games where your character had to go on an adventure without direction. I remember spending hours on Ocarina of Time and grinding for hours to get through temples, solve puzzles, figure out where I needed to go, and defeat monsters in order to save Zelda and defeat Ganandorf. I felt extremely accomplished for getting through the adventure on my own. If I continued to play Zork, I’m sure it would give me the exact same feeling as I had when playing Zelda.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I would give it a 4, because it is super creative and fun to play while passing the time.

**Samonochrome** · February 14, 2023, 11:28

Game Name: Microsoft Decathlon
Game Author: Timothy W. Smith
Game Studio: Microsoft Consumer Products IBM

Original Platform: TRS-80
Original Control Mechanism: TRS-80 (keyboard)
Control mechanism you used: PC (keyboard and mouse)
Would the experience have been had you used the original? I don't think so since its the same method used to play as the original platform.

Describe the Gameplay and Mechanics:
The game starts with an intro of the games title, complete with various “running man” animations to preview the athletic games the player will be experiencing in the game. Before the game starts, you are able to input your name and country that you would be representing as if your player is competing in a real decathlon. Before you play the game, you have the option to practice each sporting event before the actual “competition” begins. I skipped this part since I wanted to experience the gameplay right away, probably not a good idea since I lost a lot. The player will then compete in 10 various sporting events against other AI players, and it is your goal to receive a higher score than the others. The player will then start each sporting event, such as high jump or the 400 meter runs, with simple instructions of how to get your player to run or jump. Depending on which competition you are playing, you will have 3 rounds to perfect your score before you are put up against the scoreboard against the other AI’s to see who got the highest score.

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of art and Design:
The strengths of the game is its simplicity. The instructions are easy to understand, and the player doesn’t have to rely on using too many different keys in order to play the game. Each sporting event had a set way of how to have the player run, run into a jump, or lift and throw. The art style is good for the purpose of the game, you can clearly see what the player is doing and the use of color helps keep the players attention on their character as well as the scene of the sporting event. The weakness is the audio. I cannot stand the constant ringing that was being played while I was trying to read the instructions of each competition. Certain sounds also felt really harsh on my ears, but maybe I’m just too sensitive for it. The animation for the “running” contest was disappointing because I thought the character was going to take actual strides like in the opening introduction. Still entertaining to watch your character glide across the screen before making the jump, but I thought I was going to see him actually running. Simple and weird weakness to point out, but that was one thing I noticed the most for some reason.

What made it fun:
What made the game fun for me was honestly laughing at how bad I was at virtual sports. Since I skipped the instructions, I was figuring out how to play as I went and seeing the sad little animation of my player fall flat on the ground without making it over the barrier was pretty funny. The game would also point out these failures by reading “ouch…” or “this isn’t a high jump”. Another thing that made it fun was when you actually figure out how to time out your jumps and throws and start scoring, you get to really start competing against the invisible AI characters for a better score. I enjoyed seeing how each sporting event was made and how the game was going to tell you how to play it. Each level was brand new and different from the last, and it kept it entertaining by having you type in your response to whether you can make a certain score or not.

Now that you’ve played it, why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
I believe this game is pretty influential since we have seen a lot of progression in games that involve sports, or games that involve a competition for a high score against other players. I may not play a lot of games, especially sports games unless you count Wii sports, but a game I played recently came to mind when I was thinking of the influence Microsoft Decathlon had. “Fall Guys” is set up in a way where you can play against other players from around the world, it has you compete against your opponents in various levels, and you are ranked from first to last place based on your skill of each level. Though the two are obviously very different games, they are both competition type games that you can play on the PC and must get through different levels with the chance of making a high score against the other opponents.

What would you rate the game (1-5 stars)?
I would give it a 3, it is an entertaining for what it is with a variety of competitions to play through. The downside is that the art style was not very pleasing to look at, and the audio was really annoying.

**Samonochrome** · February 23, 2023, 11:28

Game Name: The Legend of Zelda (NES)
Game Author: Shigeru Miyamoto
Game Studio: Nintendo

Original Platform: Nintendo entertainment system (NES)
Original Control Mechanism: NES Controller
Control mechanism you used: keyboard and mouse
Would the experience have been different had you used the original? Not really, it gave me the same usage as the original controllers so the gameplay was no different.

Describe the Gameplay and Mechanics:
The game introduces you to a character named Link (though you can input your own name) and it is your mission to collect 8 pieces of the Triforce, defeat monsters, save Zelda, and stop the evil Ganon. The game gives you a top down view of your character, Link, and the environment appears as if you are exploring a map. As Link, you start off playing with just a shield and will explore the different dungeons and caves until you collect various items to help you on your journey. In some caves you will meet an old man who will give you a sword that you will wield to fight various monsters that will spawn as you explore the levels. As you fight these different monsters who appear from everywhere, they will sometimes drop “hearts” that you can use to increase your health. Along the way you will also collect “rupees” which is the currency used in the game. The game is very much a labyrinth of twist and turns where you can explore obvious caves or dungeons, and even discover hidden passageways that you may and luckily stumbled upon.

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of art and Design:
The strengths, personally, come from the game's art style. The use of color is very vibrant and fun to look at. The character design is minuscule, but you can easily differentiate between the hero and the enemies. Link has always been an iconic character, and even though he is very small and less detailed in this pixel art, you can easily recognize him based on the colors and design of his costume. The best part easily has to be the sound design of the game. It’s easy for me to say that the music and sounds are iconic, giving the game as a whole its own character you recognize by just hearing the theme song. Another thing I love about the design is the cover art. It looks like an adventure book cover that invites you in with this epic bold text that reads “THE LEGEND OF ZELDA” along with an ancient tablet of runes (symbols?) that the viewer would have to play would soon understand the importance of these artifacts. The only weakness I can think of for this particular zelda game is that the dungeons do not have any major differences as you progress throughout the game.

What made it fun:
What was fun for me was the challenge of fighting off all the monsters I encountered. There are times when I’m being ganged up by more than one foe and I’m trying hard to fight them all off while struggling to not lose all my health. I like that you can make a lot of your own choices, as in you can choose to explore certain dungeons or move along with the game play, though you risk not gaining certain items or avoid unnecessary damage from battles you could avoid. I always enjoyed Zelda games for the sense of adventure it gave its players, such as exploring worlds and finding treasure while on a quest to save the world. I like that you can explore the different levels and dungeons and find treasures along the way. It is also satisfying to use the mini bombs to uncover secrets that are hidden behind doors.

Now that you’ve played it, why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
The Zelda franchise in itself has been extremely influential to the game industry, or so that is how it appears to me. We continue to see the Zelda franchise expand and come up with new lore to add to the iconic characters we have known and cherished since the beginning. As games progressed in technology, art style, and gameplay, Nintendo has taken the characters of Link and Zelda (and a few other popular characters such as Ganondorf) on various journeys within every game that has been produced. The Zelda games have pushed boundaries by experimenting with different styles and stories, usually never the same as games they have made before. Many other games have also taken their iconic characters and lore and have reimagined them into new stories and/or gameplay, such as Spyro, Crash, Sonic, and even Tetris. The Zelda franchise has become an iconic part of game history, it could have easily ended right after the release of the first 1986 game. Because the story and characters were so memorable the first time, we were able to see the world of Zelda progress overtime, along with the way games were being made.

What would you rate the game (1-5 stars)?
I give this particular Zelda game a 3. Nothing will ever compare to my love for Ocarina, my all time favorite Zelda game, but still a high 3 because it gives me the adventure style gameplay I love to experience.

**Samonochrome** · February 27, 2023, 23:02

Game Name: Sonic the Hedgehog
Game Author: SEGA team
Game Studio: SEGA

Original Platform: SEGA Genesis
Original Control Mechanism: SEGA genesis controller
Control mechanism you used: keyboard and mouse
Would the experience have been different had you used the original? I believe so, I always enjoyed using the game controllers because I feel it was easier to use and I was able to enjoy the gameplay more vs. using my PC.

Describe the Gameplay and Mechanics:
In this 2d side scroll game, you play as a cute blue hedgehog named Sonic who has the ability to run at supersonic speed (haha). The objective of the game is to defeat the evil Dr. Robotnik, and in order to get to him, Sonic must speed run his way through the various levels (maps) and avoid the enemies who try to kill him. Sonic is able to run through the mazes of twists and turns and pick up gold rings to increase his points. If enemies show up, they attack Sonic and can knock out the gold rings he has collected. Sonic is able to pick up the rings that were dropped, but if all of his rings fall out and the enemies strike, sonic will lose a life and have to restart the level. Sonic is able to attack the enemies by using a fancy spin move that has him roll into a ball and runs down his opponents.

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of art and Design:
The design of the game, overall, is extremely appealing to listen and look at. The colors and level design of this Sonic game is very satisfying, because the world is vibrant due to the color scheme and the many pathways that are laid out are fun to run, roll, or speed through. It may be an odd thing I consider a strength, but I believe the gold rings that Sonic collects are very memorable and satisfying to the player. When I was a kid, I loved collecting all the rings and hearing the sounds that were made when they were picked up or dropped. I used to believe the Sonic fast food restaurant was made after this game, and the onion rings were the same rings that the blue hedgehog would collect! Now some things that I think may not work for most players is how busy the level lay out may be. I personally like all the colors and tropical scenery, but my brother had pointed out that this layout was “too much going on” and didn’t look pretty like Mario. Two different games of course, but Sonic does have more things going on in the background, which could be overwhelming when your goal is to speed run across the maze and focus on different targets.

What made it fun:
I really liked running through the level and using the spin move to catapult my character through different turns and twists. As I mentioned in the previous question, collecting the gold rings was always super satisfying and fun for me when I played Sonic as a kid. I remember my cousins used to hate letting me play a turn of this sonic game because I took my time to collect every coin that was in the scene. Another fun thing that I thought was fun as I played now, after years of not having touched this game, was how carefree you could be when running through the levels without a care of picking up ALL the coins. I was just feeling out the game, spin attacking enemy robots and feeling a wave of nostalgia as I heard the background music and the iconic “chimes”. The gameplay itself feels similar to how one would play Mario, but what makes a Sonic game fun is literally the speed that you can go when playing this character.

Now that you’ve played it, why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Sonic has been very influential to the SEGA studio since they made a game that received mostly positive reviews shortly after its release. Sonic did well enough that the character himself became a trademark mascot to the company, similar to how Mario became Ninetendos. With the release of Sonic the hedgehog, it brought a change in how these side scrolling 8-bit games can be more “exciting”. Mario was a clever game where you explored and jumped on enemies while uncovering coins or mushrooms. Sonic, however, changed the narrative that players can experience a rush of speeding through the levels while trying to maintain your toke count, avoid enemies, and listen to a bomb soundtrack that synced with the speed you were going.

What would you rate the game (1-5 stars)?
I give it a 5, probably my first, because I LOVED Sonic when I was a kid and have great memories of this game with my cousins. Even thought the "hedge-hogged" it from me a lot....haha.

**Samonochrome** · March 2, 2023, 11:08

Game Name: Super Metroid (SNES)
Game Author: Yoshio Sakamoto, Kenji Imai
Game Studio: Nintendo

Original Platform: Super NES
Original Control Mechanism: NES controller
Control mechanism you used: keyboard and mouse
Would the experience have been different had you used the original? Yes, the game controllers would feel more natural to play compared to computer keys.

Describe the Gameplay and Mechanics:
You play the game as the space hero and bounty hunter, Samus Aran, and are thrown into a quest of searching for a baby meteoroid that has been stolen and hidden somewhere on the planet Zorbes. The infant metroid was stolen by an evil alien monster named Ridley, who looks like a shriveled up pterodactyloid, who is also the leader of the infamous Space Pirates who inflict terror on the planet. Samus has a lot of abilities that the player can use to battle evil aliens. She runs really fast, jumps high, can crotch in low spaces, and is able to fire her weapons in multiple directions. Some of her most unique abilities she is known for is her ability to roll into a ball like a pill bug and run her opponents down. Samus is also able to run on walls for a brief moment and can use the ability to jump to hire places. Throughout the game, Samus is able to collect these abilities as “power-ups”, and by the end of the game you will become strong enough to battle Ridley.

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of art and Design:
The strengths for this game can easily come from the art design itself. The game is a sci-fi theme, and the environments have an insane amount of detail when portraying this outer space world for the player to explore. The environments and characters are pixelated, yet there is enough depth and shading in the little details that it almost looks like a painting. The layout for the player stats are miniscule and well placed along the screen for the player to always be aware of but is never distracting. The sound design is very special to the game, the music isn’t blaring with a repetitive tune that plays on loop, but are minor chimes and sci-fi beats that makes the game feel like Samus means business and she’s focused on saving the planet. The weaknesses, that I can think of, can be that her damage animation is very miniscule. She looks like she briefly walked into a cloud of brown smoke, which could insinuate that her suit was malfunctioning, but it’s barely recognizable. Clearly I think the game is good for the most part.

What made it fun:
I always liked playing as Samus because her attacks and abilities are one of my favorites that I have seen from older games. She is a strong female character who completes her missions solo, and has a lot of strengths that are displayed through her attacks and battles. Another fun thing about the game design is the feeling of an open world to explore by uncovering hidden passageways and finding zero-gravity elevators. It always seems like there are a lot of places to explore, and you tend to take your time doing so in case there are other “power-up” abilities to acquire. Another fun thing about the game was battling the enemy aliens that came from anywhere and everywhere. Their character design is appealing to look at and are unique to the level you are playing in, such as the red flower monsters that can eat you if you fall on them.

Now that you’ve played it, why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
From what I have learned about the reception of Super Metroid, gamers believed that this was one of the best action packed games to have been released at the time. Metroid had everything a great action game needed: good story, a cool character, unique and awesome attacks, and an overall appealing game to look at and explore in. Metroid had many great qualities that made the game successful, this set the bar high for other studios to compete with when creating their own action-packed games. Action games needed to have as many opportunities to battle foes, acquire new abilities, and have great attention to detail when world building. Metroid certainly paved the way for the action and sci-fi themes in the gaming industry, so much so that other games that came out after Metroid had to rise to the challenge and eventually got better over time.

What would you rate the game (1-5 stars)?
I would rate this a 4, only because I have never finished the game and haven't gotten the full experience in playing it to completion. The art and animation is solid though!

**Samonochrome** · March 7, 2023, 10:57

Game Name: Spyro the Dragon
Game Author: Ted Price, Toby Schadt, Ray West, Michael Stout
Game Studio: Insomniac Games

Original Platform: Playstation
Original Control Mechanism: PlayStation controller
Control mechanism you used: Switch
Would the experience have been different had you used the original? Absolutely. The playstation was my first console and I always enjoyed playing Spyro on it. Though the Reignited version is insanely stunning and I love that it plays exactly like the original. A million props to them.

Describe the Gameplay and Mechanics:
The game introduces you to a magical world full of dragons and creatures who are suddenly threatened by the evil Gnasty Gnorc. All the dragons of the realms are crystalized, and their treasures have been stolen, leaving the only hope in saving them is the young dragon Spyro. You play as Spyro as you explore the first realm and find crystallized dragons to free them. The dragons will give the player tips and advice on what will help you within the realm you are exploring, such as how to charge, glide, hints to find treasures, or just thanking you. Your health is monitored through Spyros sidekick, Sparx, who is a dragonfly that can change colors. Sparx is normally a glowing gold color, but if Spyro receives damage, Sparx will turn blue for half health and then green for final health. Spyro has two different attacks that the player can use, he can charge at his opponents to kill them with his horns, or he can breathe fire to flame down his foes. Since Spyro is a young dragon and can't fly yet, he is only able to glide and this helps him get to certain platforms. Throughout the game, you are tasked to find and free every crystalized dragon in each realm in order to move onto the next world. As a personal bonus to the player, you can challenge yourself to collect every piece of treasure that is hidden within the worlds.

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of art and Design:
I’m just gonna level with you, this game is perfect. It has no flaws. I love this game so much. The strengths come from the insane level design. Each level is completely different from one another and it feels like the player is truly exploring a magical world where dragons live. I used to spend hours just running around as Spyro and playing my own game while my brothers (who were toddlers at the time) watched me and laughed at all the silly things I would do. Spyro himself is such a special character. Not only are dragons cool, but Spyro being this feisty and eager teenager who is set on saving his friends and family is very endearing and heroic. I remember playing this game for the first time with my dad and thinking how cool Spyro was when he avoids getting lasered by Gnasty Gnorc and says, “Looks like I got some things to do!”. He was the cool kid I wanted to be best friends with. Another strength comes from the character designs of the enemies Spyro faces, as well as the designs of the trapped dragons. Each level has a good handful of foes that the player encounters, and they all match the aesthetic of the level. If you were in the Peace Keepers world, the enemies are dressed as soldiers and camouflaged to match the desert. If you were in the Beast Makers world, one of my favorites, everything is dark and voodoo-like. If I have to point out a flaw, it could be that the ending of the final boss fight is a little underwhelming. Spyro defeats Gnasty Gnorc after an extreme chase scene and he just falls dead, not even dramatically. If it was made a bigger show on top of the sly comment that Spyro makes, then it would have been an epic moment to witness after battling Gnorc.

What made it fun:
This game is fun because of the world exploring and the clever layout of the levels. I can’t stress enough of how incredible the worlds in Spyro are. The hidden passageways and vastness of the realms are very appealing to look at, and it usually always keeps you wondering if you're going to find a hidden treasure/dragon on a high up ledge you need to figure out how to get to. Each level also provided a multitude of challenges that would gradually get harder the further you got in the game. The first world, the Artisan World, was a standard setup for the player to learn how to charge and flame his easy opponents, as well as practice gliding and understand how some treasures and dragons would be hard to find. But when you get to levels like Tree Tops in the Beast Makers world (muthatruckng TREE TOPS) you are stuck for HOURS trying to figure out how to speed run from one platform to another and timing when to launch yourself and glide to get to the near-impossible tree where a crystal dragon is stuck. Oh the hours I have spent solving not only tree tops, but other Spyro puzzles that were challenging, but so much fun.

Now that you’ve played it, why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Spyro the dragon set very high standards when it came to what makes a 3d platform game successful. The Spyro character was iconic for his time, and was even a mascot for Sony at the time of his release. Along with Spyro the Dragons successful platform game, was also Crash Bandicoot, another loveable character with a personality and design that everyone can recognize. And if we continue to talk about awesome platform games that were released before Spyro, Tomb Raider also gave players a fun and challenging adventure game that players enjoyed exploring as the badass Lara Croft. I believe Sony was able to produce successful games because they gave a lot of life to the characters and the worlds that they built for them. Spyro was able to live on as a trilogy after the success of the first game, producing 2 other successful games in the trilogy, and eventually having spin offs made based solely on the iconic dragon character.

What would you rate the game (1-5 stars)?
I give this game a formal 5. But outside this ranking I would give it a 10 for how much this game and series means to me.

**Professor Watkins** · March 7, 2023, 16:36

Midterm

**Samonochrome** · March 21, 2023, 11:53

Game Name: Super Mario 64
Game Author: Shigeru Miyamoto
Game Studio: Nintendo

Original Platform: Nintendo 64
Original Control Mechanism: Nintendo 64 controller
Control mechanism you used: keyboard and mouse
Would the experience have been different had you used the original? I think so, it would be the same gameplay jut a different controller to work with.

Describe the Gameplay and Mechanics:
In comparison to previous Mario games, this one presents a few more challenges that you must overcome to win the various levels. One example being that you need to collect a certain amount of stars that are scattered throughout the level in order to move on to the next one. When you jump as Mario in this game, he has gained new abilities in how you can use this move. You are able to jump higher than before so long as you hold the spacebar (or key controller) to reach higher platforms, he can also long jump between a far distance, backflip/frontflip off objects/walls, and parkour off the walls to reach higher or I guess for the sake of looking cool. Aside from the usual moves Mario had before, such as running and walking, Mario is able to crouch and crawl for smaller places or ducking. Mario's perspectives can also change depending on the stage of the level. You can view him from 3rd person, to side, and first person if he is being launched from canons.

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of art and Design:
The strengths of the game comes from the variety of challenges and exploration opportunities that the player gets to interact with. The game has different challenges for every level that mario enters, such as foot races that require him to avoid obstacles while collecting coins and stars, or aiming yourself in a cannon to be launched to the right place. The castle that Mario is based in before entering the magical portraits is a fun idea for players to explore, almost acting as if it were a “mini-level” where they get to find more challenges. The overall design of the game is very bright and colorful, with lots of appealing characters and shots to look at. The weakness of the game, at least for me, would be the certain perspectives that the camera gives the player while running a level. There are instances when the camera follows Mario but it's only circling the building, and I would need to adjust my directions so that he runs or jumps. Whether it be “forward” but I have to move backwards on my keypad, and I already struggle enough with playing games to get myself used to that weird direction adjustment.

What made it fun:
The game is very cute. I like the different characters that Mario gets to interact with, even if they are the bad guys because the character design has always been the make or break aspect for me. The gameplay of this particular game is also very enjoyable, the extra combo moves that Mario has is a fun new element that the players can learn to utilize when dodging obstacles and reaching platforms. Unlike Mario games before, this one brings you into the world with Mario and it almost seems like you and the character are working together as you climb your way up a tall mountain or swim through the oceans to collect the coins and stars. It reminds me of the game “the amazing race”, where you both must figure out the obstacle and get through them together, but without the timer.

Now that you’ve played it, why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
As games progressed through this time, Mario remained to be an iconic character that is the face of the Nintendo company. Games needed to provide more challenges and styles in order to be successful, otherwise it would be easy to fall behind. This mario game brought a new light to the characters wacky world, a 3-dimensional world that was more then what we got from the previous 2d side-scrolling games. I believe this game had people become more invested in what the mario “universe” looked like and how to give players an up-close experience to the enemies and challenges that Mario faces. Since this game is an early 3d adaptation, it is amazing to see the journey that the franchise (as well as other games that are not just nintendo) have gone through to create more vivid and lively 3d games that people have become addicted to seeing and experiencing when playing.

What would you rate the game (1-5 stars)?
I give it a 4 out of 5, I didn't get to finish it, but the game is super engaging and I have never played it before now. So it was a cool new thing to try out.

**Samonochrome** · March 30, 2023, 10:18

Game Name: Halo Infinite: Forge
Game Author: Joseph Staten, Paul Crocker, Tom French
Game Studio: 343 Industries

Original Platform: Xbox
Original Control Mechanism: Xbox controller
Control mechanism you used: Xbox controller
Would the experience have been different had you used the original? I'm just glad that I got to use an actual controller, my nails were not meant for PC gaming!

Describe the Gameplay and Mechanics:
So I have never played a Halo game in my life, and of course I went to my brothers to put me on one to try it out. Whichever one they thought I could manage. So they had me try out Halo Infinite Forge (I think Forge is a big feature? Not the actual name of the Infinite game title??), and I got to play around with the idea of building a map that other players can play in. I didn’t get to play the actual storyline of this Halo game, my brothers didn't want to sit there and watch me, so I played some rounds with online players in different maps people have “forged”. The game is a first-person shooter, with features that allow the player to explore the open world maps by running and shooting during campaigns, or driving those infamous warthog cars. I sound like such a noob. In the multiplayer rounds, there are games that players can do such as capture the flag or a free for all deathmatch. In one of my deathmatch rounds, I would spawn in some part of the forge map and run around looking for other players to shoot at. It was pretty straight forward, you run around, hide if you can, shoot or drive into opponents until the round is up where the players can see who reigned supreme. News flash: it was never meeee.

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of art and Design:
The strengths that I can pull from the game would definitely be the environments for me. I like the large open world that players can explore, and it was pretty entertaining to be running through the various maps aimlessly while running into other opponents that can come out of nowhere. The multiplayer games that I got to try were pretty fun, though I wasn’t on mic to hear what they were saying (I probably wouldn’t anyway since I was really bad), I can see the value and appeal in interacting with others while trying to accomplish a task together as a team. The forge feature of the game was probably my favorite thing that I tried out. I didn’t make an entire map like most impressive players have done, but the ability for players to be creative with the assets and textures provided for them to build a map for others to use is certainly appealing. My brother showed me a few forged maps that people have made, such as recreated star wars environments, fast food chains for some reason, and other games or movie scenes for people to play in. The weaknesses, from my brother's perspective at least, is that you can’t choose who's in your squad for the multiplayer rounds.

What made it fun:
The game was fun to run around in and just shoot at whatever was coming at me, or whoever I found. It is a whole other gameplay style that I haven’t dipped my toes in, but I see the appeal of the technical combat system that most first person shooter games have. A lot was happening all at once, and instead of being intimidated by the massive spaces and shots and explosions going on around me, it was pretty easy to just throw yourself in and figure it out as you go. Its a game that people could take seriously if they want to, or most of the time it is a game that players run around for the sake of throwing grenades and targeting your friends for the sake of ticking them off. I died more than several times (surprise, surprise) but I did enjoy the different maps and getting a few shots in. I also liked the characters and their armor, very appealing to look at with great personal features for people to collect and customize.

Now that you’ve played it, why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
The Halo franchise has been influential to the gaming community since its first release. I may not be the all knowing Halo fan, but from what I learned in past conventions I attended where Halo was a pretty big deal (Rooster teeths RTX conventions, Red vs. Blue reigned supreme), it was to my understanding that it was a major shift in first person shooter type games. The games franchise captivated audiences by using iconic characters , such as master chief, and directing a storyline for players to follow. From other research I have done, it became a popular first person shooter game on the console since most first persons were tied to the PC. Halo managed to make an entertaining first-person console game for players to understand how to play and enjoy. You were able to focus your attention to the linear storyline of the game, or enjoy the multiplayer mode.

What would you rate the game (1-5 stars)?
Probably a 3, I just can't get into these types of games, it kind of feels like I have to automatically be good at playing in this style to even have fun with the other players! The points are mostly going to the environment and cool character designs.

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