James Journal Entry #1

[jencino]

Hopefully this will upload correctly to the forums.

Bs journal entry.docx

[jencino]

Name of Game: Mancala
Game author (If known): N/A but thought to be from Ancient Egypt
Game Studio: N/A

Original Platform & control mechanism:
-Board with a total of 12 holes and 2 coaster holes on the sides. They can also be 2x10. Also need a object to represent "score". These can be seeds, rocks, marbles, etc. 48 in total.

Control mechanism you used:
-Played on computer emulator that represented the traditional way to play.

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?

-Yes, the fact we were using computer instead of the actual board slab and marbles. The computer helped to quickly learn the way to play but it was autonomous. All I had to do was click and drag while if I was playing in person I had to do it myself and make banter with the other player.

Describe game Play and mechanics

-This was my first time playing this game and I didn't really get the rules. Honestly, I'm still a bit confused because all I did was just click and let the computer do it for me. You begin with 4 "seeds" placed in each hole. Each player has a "storage" on their right side of the board. The goal of this game is to collect the most pieces by the end of the game. The game starts with a player picking a hole and all the pieces that are in that hole are removed and dispersed to every hole in a counterclockwise motion one at a time until there are no more. If you go by your own "storage" deposit a piece and it counts as a permanent point. If you go by the opponent's storage you skip it and continue as normal. If your last piece that you dropped is in your own storage you get another turn. If the last piece you dropped is in an empty hole you collect or steal the opposite side's hole and put it in your storage. The game ends when all 6 holes are empty on one side in which case the last player standing collects the rest as their own points. Whomever has the most points is the winner.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design

-One of the strengths is the accessibility of this game as it can be played anywhere and with one’s creativity. You don’t have to have the original board if it follows the same rules, it can be played on anything. Perfect example is we played this on an emulator, but it still had the same effect as if we played it in real life. The only difference is this one came with ads and online multiplayer. Once you get the hang of the rules you will begin to understand the strategy of this game. The weakness of this game is if you don’t think ahead, you will always be at a disadvantage. I mean if you are just moving pieces as I did with no real strategy you will fall into the opponent’s plan and that is never fun to play blindly. An overall weakness is that the game is “too old” as not many people play this game because it’s not in style with the games we have now.


what made it fun?

This game is more of an educational game than a recreational game. Feels like a person teaching you your work area and what to do with the “seeds”. The original person of this game probably taught this to their kids to explain how to do chores for the daily task. Of course this is all just me speculating. I could see how kids would find this fun to play with their siblings or friends as it was an easily accessible game to get. Counting was a part of childhood, and it was a good way to educate the number system into their brains. For me the game was bland to me but that is mostly due to me being used to playing with flashy lights and digital content so no fault to mancala. If I was in the time when this game was made, I would probably play this all the time. Let’s talk about the moments why this game is fun. There are moments when you must plan an attack to steal the other players’ seeds. Times when you must play blindly to confuse the enemy to keep them on their toes. Now if you are trying to do this against a computer ai this will be difficult as it can see right through you and choose the optimal path. If you are playing against a real person, you get a different game as you must trick your opponent into moving certain pieces to gain an advantage. Those moments of “AH you got me” when you steal their seeds because you thought ahead and made them fall into your trap. At least that is how I felt when the computer stole my pieces and got a 30-point lead. Overall playing with a living player is always a fun game and it makes great conversations along the way.


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

After playing this emulation of Mancala I can see ways how this game can be influential. I can see this game improving one’s mind to think ahead and make tactical plans. To always be aware of one’s surroundings. It makes the player think about the situation they are in and how to proceed ahead. In the evolution of games, you see it in Strategy games such as checkers, chess, RTS games, puzzles games. Games that players must think 5 to maybe even 10 steps ahead to gain an advantage on others. It’s influential in the social aspect to interact with others and gain some friends along the way. Although you can say this for all types of games, so I don’t need to explain that. One way this I think this is influential is children’s games. The “iPad Kids” that love to play games on the phone or tablet. It probably helped create the path of learning with games. Wasn’t the emulator we played this game on from a children game website? I remember going to websites during free time to just play those games on the computer, “coolmathgames” I believe it was called. There was a huge selection to choose from and they were all educational games, at least most of them were. Mancala is a good starter kit for gamers, and I fully support it in letting children learn from it as I did.



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

[jencino]

Name of Game: Backgammon
Game author (If known): N/A but thought to be from Ancient Egypt, Sumerians and Persians
Game Studio: N/A

Original Platform & control mechanism:
-2 player game that is played on a board with 24 narrow triangles that alternate in 2 colors. There are grouped four quadrants of 6 triangles. There is a ridge in the middle of the board separating the quadrants. Each player has 15 checker pieces of their own color as well as their own dice.

Control mechanism you used:
-Played on computer emulator that represented the traditional way to play.

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?

-Yes, the fact we were using computer instead of the actual board slab, dice and pieces. The computer helped to quickly learn the way to play but it was autonomous. All I had to do was click and drag while if I was playing in person I had to do it myself and make banter with the other player. While we were in the call it was pretty silent as we all played the game and if we were playing face to face i feel it would be a different mood.

Describe game Play and mechanics

-While I was playing the game I didn’t really know the correct way to play so I just clicked away and tried to follow along as the computer did the work. After a few moves I understood that the goal was to reach the other end of the board in a counterclockwise direction. You would first roll the dice and move depending on the number. If I rolled a double, I got to roll another set of dice to gain more movement. I could only move to spots that only had my colors, empty spaces, or a space with only 1 enemy color. “If I went on that 1 enemy occupied space or vice-versa that piece would get jailed and had to start from the beginning. If you could not move to a safe spot of, take a piece you had to skip your turn. The game ends when one person reaches their home quadrant and “bear” them off. This means reaching the end and taking them off the play board.



Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design


The strength of this game is it’s a straightforward game that is easy to pick up on if you don’t get the rules. There are only a few pieces to play, and you can modify the pieces if you don’t have the original parts. This game always comes with a checkers if you don’t want to play this game so that is convenient. The weakness of this game is that not that many people know about it in today’s world. They may have seen it when it came with their checkers box, but they probably never even touched it. It’s not a popular game that you see today. It’s a simple game that gets dull quickly and will cause some people to just not want to play anymore. Hard to keep the retention of players unless you are with family or friends. If you are playing this online you will most likely get bored of it and drop it all together. Now in the time when it first came out, I can see this being a popular game among merchants and kids. It’s a great game to form a strategy to either push to get to the end quickly or hold an area to block the player from advancing.


what made it fun?

I really enjoyed how quick it was to learn and then realized that I had to form a plan. It wasn’t about just reaching the end and winning. It was more of how I stopped this person from reaching the area while I pushed on ahead. Those moments when you form blockades to make the player roll big to bypass them. Blocking the spawn point and making the player skip their turn because they can’t move anywhere. Yeah, you would feel a little guilty but that is all part of the game. Rolling double 12’s and getting a huge leap to the other side and quickly turning the tide. All these moments kept the intense mood of who’s going to get that big roll first and gain an advantage was awesome. Can you imagine the banter they had back then? It must have been hectic, and there were probably tables that got flipped. Especially when it got close to the end of the game when both players had almost all their pieces in their quadrants. Then it became a race on whole can “bear” their pieces off first. I had a good time playing this as I do love this type of “tower defense” style games. At least that is what I thought these games related to when I was playing. The combination of tower defense and real time strategy game really hit me with that dopamine. I tend to really love those types of games as I play them on my phone when I have some time to spare.


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 very influential in my opinion. As I was saying in the last question it really brought out that feeling of “Tower Defense”. I believe at one point some game creator thought of this game and thought of ways to tweak it. Then another game creator thought of the same thing, and it continued into today’s world. I am glad that they did because these are one of my favorite types of games to play. There was also that RTS style I mentioned when it came to strategy for dealing with the other player. This became influential in many games as it is a staple for problem solving. It fits into the evolution of games as a starting point for all those war style games that involved strategy. This all started with board games such as chess, checkers, etc. Then it began to step into the digital world with games like Civilization, Age of Empires, Halo Wars, etc. In the future it looks like we might be heading into VR, and they might make games with AR/ VR capability. I can imagine it being like the book/ movie “Ender’s Game” where they showed the battles through the monitors as he controlled the camera with his hands. Overall, the evolution from this game has sparked many titles and styles of games and it will continue to leave its mark on games.




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

[jencino]

Name of Game: Chess
Game author (If known):Hard to determine but research suggest it originated in India.
Game Studio: N/A
Original Platform & control mechanism
Research says before chess another game called “Chaturanga” used the Ashtāpada board, a precursor to chess. It used a single color instead of the black and white and divides 8x8 with marked squared on the corner of each quadrant, these served no purpose for chaturanga. Pieces are the same except that bishop are elephants, queens are ministers and the King is on the right of the minster/advisor. You win by checkmate or stalemate. However, the stalemated king gets victory instead of a draw.
Control mechanism you used
We played on an emulated game of chess. The rules and board were modern chess just no physical object to play with just a click and drag.
Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
If you are asking me if we played the original game of Ashtāpada then yes, the game would be slightly different. The appearance of the bishops and queen are the physical difference with the bishops being an elephant and the queen being a minister. The moves of some of the pieces are different such as the elephant can only move 2 diagonally, forward or backward, and can jump over any piece. The advisor can only move one square forward or backwards. The pawn is the same but it cannot move twice on the first move. The King can move one square all directions. He may move also like a horse, but only once during all the game, and he must not be checked to make that move.
Describe game Play and mechanics
The gameplay is a turn-based system for players. The goal is to checkmate the other player or stalemate for a draw. Each piece has its own rules for moving and taking spaces/pieces. The pawn may move twice on the first move but after that it moves once. It can move forward diagonal but only to take pieces it cannot move backwards or jump over pieces. If it reaches the end of the board, it can be promoted to any piece. The Rook can move as many times as it can but only in one direction, vertical or horizontal, and it cannot jump over pieces. The Knight is the only pieces that can jump over pieces and moves in a “L” direction, 3 spaces in total. The bishop can move as many spaces in a forward or backward direction but it cannot jump over pieces. The Queen can move anywhere on the board in a single direction but it cannot jump over pieces. The King is the objective of the game to a win or draw. It can only move one space at a time unless it is “Castling”. Castling is the only time in chess that two pieces can move at once, and the only time a piece other than the knight can move over another piece. The king moves two spaces to the left or to the right, and the rook moves over and in front of the king, all in one move! This move can only be done once per game. There is a game mode where a timer is put to speed up the game to put pressure on the player as if it’s a real-life battle. If the clock reaches zero on your side you lose.
Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The strengths of this game are pretty high at least I believe so. It has a creativity aspect in which I mean it can be customized in its appearance. You will see the same game but with a different theme such as a “Harry Potter”, “Code Geass”, “Kingdom Hearts”, etc. It also has an emotional aspect such as learning from the game in a manner or speaking. Where you see movies or maybe a parent or mentor will tell a story and move the pieces to give a visual. At least that is how I see the game is used sometimes such as the pawn may seem weak but if you cultivate it enough it can become anything. This is a reflection to life to relate on one’s self. Sacrifices have to be made to progress forward etc. There are a bunch of reflections to chess and I won’t put them all here. It is also innovative as it took a few games to get the chess we know today. Who knows it may spark different types of chess related games? There were some that were somewhat made such as 3-D Chess or some anime that I saw recently where they implemented 4-D Chess. Of course, it was for the show and lacked rules but some people try to create their own ruleset to make it a reality.
what made it fun?
Chess has been apart of my life since I was little. My father played it and it caught my attention probably due to the medieval fantasy theme I thought it portrayed. I enjoyed how it makes you think of what to move and anticipate how the opponent will retaliate. I never got to the level of “thinking 6 moves ahead”, but I still like those moments of surprise if I forget a piece was there or when I made the opponent move the way I wanted them to. It never really bore me when I played chess because my mind was always racing trying to come up with a strategy. There is always a moment to comeback if you play the right moves so it’s not always a quick loss. I enjoy the fact if you promote the pawn, it can become any piece to change the tide of the game. Chess will always be a part of my life either physically or emotionally for reflective learning.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
It is most definitely influential at least for me it is. Chess has taught me to see scenarios of life from a board games view. My father did this all the time when we get in intellectual talks while playing. I didn’t really get it when I was little but as I grew, I began to understand what he meant. There is a lot of wisdom to learn from chess whether it comes from actually playing it or used as a reference. It’s so influential that it is on a global scale of popularity. It’s not bound to one’s language, religion, organization, etc. All you need to know are the rules and you are good to go. As for how it fits into the evolution of games there are a few things I can think of. It has influenced the creation of multiple strategy games or at least a reference on what to start on. It also has been used to inspire education for critical thinking and problem solving. You see puzzles in games that need to use critical thinking to solve to progress onto the next area. Those puzzles are sometimes based off chess or other various board games. I believe people enjoy the strategic complexity that chess brings and it seems to be doing well that there are people that make an even more complex version of chess. As I was saying before in the previous question it is already being used as an influence with the 3-D and 4-D chess games. It’s a way complex version and the rules are not really set in stone yet, that I know of, but it would be interesting to see it get a major following.
How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
5 Stars

[jencino]

Name of Game: Breakout
Game author (If known):Nolan Bushnell, Steve Jobs, and Steve Bristow were the designers but Brad Stewart wrote the software for the Atari 2600
Game Studio: Atari
Original Platform & control mechanism
The game was made for the Atari 2600 so you had to use the paddle controller to move. Clockwise for right counter clockwise for left. This was strictly a paddle game so you could not use the joystick.
Control mechanism you used
I could not play the original game but i played a emulated version that was revamped with new rules. The controls were just the movement of the mouse to move the paddle in a horizontal direction.
Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
Yes, the original was strictly a paddle game with its own controller, the paddle controller. It consisted of two knobs with one starting the game and the other moving the paddle. While the game I played used the mouse and had power ups that helped the player. The orignal had no power ups and only 5 turns. Also the frame rate of the old monitors were not fast enough to see the smoothness of todays monitors that was one of the first things I noticed.
Describe game Play and mechanics
The object of the game was to clear the wall of bricks with a ball and to not let it hit the bottom screen. To prevent it from hitting the bottom the player would control a paddle to bounce the ball back toward the bricks. This would continue till the wall was cleared or the ball bypassed the paddle. In the original the ball would continue through the wall until it hit the border of the screen except the bottom. In the revamped game I played the brick would be destroyed and bounce back to the bottom. Sometimes a power up would drop from a destroyed brick to help the player. There were a variety of power ups that included multi-ball that multiplies the ball by 3, phase ball that brought back the original concept of going through the wall until it hi the borders, bigger paddle that extended the length of the paddle, and a blaster which shot out lasers from the paddle that would destroy a brick on impact. These would all last for a few moments then go away.
Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The strength of this game is it was a simple game that had basic shapes and colors. This made it easy to understand and it was appealing. This kept the player engaged as they tried to keep the ball in play getting them hooked and promoted repeat attempts. It is a very memorable game with its single paddle and brick design that left a good impression on arcade games. Even though it was a basic and simple design it showed potential for future games. Now, for the weakness of this game I would say looking at this game for a long time was not a good idea. Keeping up with the movement of the ball combined with the vibrant colors of the bricks did not do the eye justice. Yes it was pretty to look at but not for repeatable attempts of gameplay for a long duration. Then there was the ball that flickered because the monitor was trying to keep up with the speed. Another weakness would be that it was one of the first to come out and was simple. What I mean is that other developers took what made this game fun and gave it more detail to draw players in , so it would be hard to compete.
what made it fun?
The original looked to bland but the revamped version took notes and made a bunch of updates to improve gameplay. I enjoyed that some of the bricks dropped power ups to let the player risk getting them while trying to keep the ball up. That high risk high reward motive really got the blood pumping. The chaos of the multi ball power up brought on a surprise as 3 balls shot out and as the player you struggle to keep up but it was worth it due to the advantage it provided. Even though it was a single player game it still enticed me to keep playing after missing the ball. That feeling of "how long can I keep this up?" encouraged me to keep trying and the fact it was easy to access. The implementation of a High-Score system and different difficulties to challenge veteran players. There are 10 rounds and each round changed the location of the bricks so it wasn't just 5 layers. They also made an actual border in side of the screen so it wasn't just the screen border it bounce off of. The UI was nice to look at as it didn't hurt my eyes after playing for a bit. Overall it was a good update.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Yes, this was one of the first games that later influenced others to clone or adapt their own game. Research says that the Apple II was influenced by breakout and later made a clone of the game called "Brick Out". You can see how other games took the inspiration of destroying one target at a time for arcade shooting games. Games such as Galaga and Space Invaders were inspired of destroying all targets to continue on to the next stage. Breakout fits into the evolution of games as a rise in Arcade games. It showed the innovation of limited hardware and made the investment of new hardware to create home consoles. It also demonstrates how games don't have to be gushing out complex visuals or controls to create a fun game. When I first read the name of the game I couldn't recognize the game , but right when I saw that paddle and bricks it clicked in my mind right away. As I was doing research about this game I learned that this game was inspired from a game called "Clean Sweep", this was the precursor of Breakout.
How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
4 Stars

[jencino]

Name of Game: Donkey Kong
Game author (If known):Shigeru Miyamoto
Game Studio: Nintendo
Original Platform & control mechanism
It was played on a arcade cabinet that had a joystick for movement 2 buttons to indicate how many players were going to play and a single button for jump.
Control mechanism you used
I played on a emulated version of the game with the keyboard being the controls.
Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
.Yes, but only by controls as it was a simple game and had one button for action and a few more buttons for movement. If we are talking about experiencing playing on the cabinet then yes because it brought life to the game. The whole cabinet had designs of the character and details on who they were and how to play.
Describe game Play and mechanics
The gameplay is pretty simple with the objective being saving a damsel in distress. The goal is to reach the damsel on the first 2 stages but when you do the antagonist takes her to another level and this repeats till you reach the 3rd level to end the antagonist. The first level is to avoid being hit by barrels and fire and you do this by jumping over the barrels and maintain distance from the fire or using the hammer. The 2nd level is more of a platform level to get to the top while not falling from high points, into the pit, fire, or a spring the antagonist throws. The final level is to break the points around the level to finish off the antagonist. After you save the damsel the game goes back to level 1 and you start over with increased difficulty. The game ends when you run out of lifes.
Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
Right of the bat are the characters being iconic. Everyone knows who these characters are as they are a staple to the brand. They brought these characters to our lives with a story and detailed art of the characters to show us what they look life. On the cabinets they are portrayed to show the player who they are playing as and who they are up against. They used simple color schemes to make the character recognizable. The objective of the game is clear on what to do and how to get to the end. They even tie a storyline into the game. The variety of the stages kept the game engaging with each having a different course to take. As for the weaknesses of the game I would have to say is it is a very short game and can be cleared easily but once you've done one complete cycle you don't really want to play the same levels. The game doesn't have the random chance of losing as the game is more skill based to overcome the obstacles. It's like any campaign game you play once you 100% the game you lose interest to keep playing. Donkey Kong only had one objective so what else do i do besides the high-score?

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Yes, this has influenced the creation of the iconic character Mario. This game started the storyline premise for future games and character creations to let the player see how they grow. It also influenced the start of platformer games and the variety of objectives it can have on a single game level. Donkey Kong became a pop-culture icon that everyone can recognize with the silhouette of the character or color pallet. The design alone probably attractive a wider player base which helped the gaming industry grow as a whole. The Donkey Kong game was influenced by "Popeye the Sailor Man" and that was something i did not know and thought i would share it with you guys. Thankfully this game saved Nintendo of America otherwise we wouldn't have the games influenced by Mr. Miyamoto.
How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
4 Stars

[jencino]

Name of Game: Pitfall!

Game author (If known):David Crane

Game Studio: Activision

Original Platform & control mechanism
Atari 2600 was the platform it was created for and the controller was a omnidirectional joystick with a single red button for input.

Control mechanism you used
I played on a emulated version of the game with the keyboard being the controls.

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
The only difference being the controller but as for controls they were the same. Instead of the joystick for movement for free range of motion I had to use the arrow keys for movement and space bar for input.

Describe game Play and mechanics
Starting out the game doesn't really give clear instructions or an objective. The setting was set in a jungle type area and you are given a score along with a 20 min timer. If you get hit or fall down certain things you lose score , but if it's a hazard enemy or pit you lose a life. You only have 3 lives and when you lose one you start at the beginning of the screen you are in. Each screen is different from the one before and every now and then you find a treasure to bring up your score. According to the data there are a total of 32 treasures.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The strengths of this game to me are not that appealing to me but in design I would have to say it had a variety of colors that were bright. The colors it used pointed out things that could be considered hazardous and some that needed to be used for obstacles. You could tell you were in some sort of jungle area with the greens, vines, and crocs. There were a variety of obstacles the player had to avoid to keep the player engaged and the inputs were fluid for that game system. It created a sense of adventure for a static looking game. For the weaknesses i would have to say it was confusing for some parts. One is the hazards are hard to distinct if they are safe or not. an example being the pit that appear on first experience. You are not sure if it really is a pit or a shadow of a object hovering overhead. After the first death you find out quickly but lose a life. Some objects like the campfire you would assume its a safe zone of some sort for recuperation but it takes a life if you come in contact. Another weakness I would say is the controls but not the controller it self I mean the pin point inputs you have to do to avoid obstacles. There were times when I kept losing lives due to not jumping at the exact frame against the scorpion or the crocs. Especially when it's the only obstacle and you assume it is going to be easy.

What Made it fun?
I enjoyed the the exploration aspect it gave to the player as it was not a liner game. You could choose to go underground or remain on the surface level as the underground gave a high risk high reward feeling with the surface giving more obstacles to avoid. The player has to quickly learn what is safe and what isn't as the obstacles keep coming. Finding patterns in the obstacles to overcome them and how to get the treasures. I did not get to find a treasure but i hear there are 32 of them and the steps to get them are straightforward but long to get with one being going left 60 times.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
I would agree that it has influences titles of the adventure and platformer genre. It let's the player choose their own path to take and how to overcome obstacles. It wasn't just a straightforward game of left to right you could go the other direction as well as underground or surface level. This created branches of levels as you progressed weather you risk the underground with a hard enemy to get passed or maneuver the surface level with manageable obstacles. Pitfall gives that sense of adventure through the jungle. For the evolution of games the atari 2600 has influenced the creation of other game consoles such as the sega saturn and super nintendo etc. It inspired other creators to make other exploration titles.

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

[jencino]

Name of Game: The Oregon Trail

Game author (If known): R. Philip Bouchard,John Krenz,

Game Studio: Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium(MECC)

Original Platform & control mechanism
Computer with the controls being the keyboard. You would type the input you wanted to do in the game.

Control mechanism you used
I played a emulated version of the game that used the same controls.

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
I don't think it would of been different as the controls are the same and the platform to play on is the same, at least to my knowledge anyway.

Describe game Play and mechanics
It plays as a Text based game where the player plays through a simulated scenario with options that pop up during the session. The goal is to reach a destination with the player's in game family while trying to keep them all safe and alive. Random encounters are thrown in to throw the player off and makes the player plan their next move.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The strength of this game is it is a educational game that can be used to demonstrate history. It places the player into a scenario as if you were in it and what would you do if you were the character. The game is a straightforward and easy to pick up for new players. The weakness of the game is it that it gets repetitive really fast with not much change in scenery. Most of the game is static with the art just sliding across the screen so it lacks detail. There wasn't really much to look at besides the wagon and the ox with the single frame of the landmarks.

What Made it fun?
I enjoyed it due to the choose your own adventure feeling it game me while playing. Although this wasn't as detailed like the books it gave a scenario of how it was traveling the trail back in the day. The planning of your inventory and how to spend your money from the start was neat as you could not get any money. Those moments when you ran out of food and did the hunt mini game to get that 100 food to survive a few days. The random encounters and effects of your choices like one of your family members drowning as you crossed a 3 foot deep river or a random thief stole food in the night. It kept me engaged even though it was a click a button to continue type of game it told a story.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
For an educational game i would agree it has influenced gaming. Research says it was for schools to teach history and it was successful in doing so as it was a popular game. The game influenced the resource management setting for other games(RTS, Simulation games, etc.) For the evolution of games it had a great impact for educational games to create other types for children to learn though games. All those time in lab class where students were playing those games on the computer, "coolmathgames", were due to this game most likely. It influenced the creation of other simulation title games especially ones with storylines.
How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
3.5 Stars

[jencino]

Name of Game: Olympic Decathlon


Game author (If known): Timothy W. Smith

Game Studio: Microsoft, International Business Machines Corporation ( IBM)

Original Platform & control mechanism
Played on your home pc and the controls were the keyboard with certain keys used for input depending on the game.

Control mechanism you used
I played a emulated version of the game with the same controls as the original, the keyboard.

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
Control wise I don't think there would be a difference. The only difference I noticed was the color and contract adjustment that I could not match with my monitor for some reason. The colors didn't have a negative impact on gameplay as I had no trouble with them, but if they wanted the player to see a certain color then yes i missed out.

Describe game Play and mechanics
The game setting is the Olympics and you are in a sort of bracket to score the highest against other players, this can be ai or a real person. The ai is not on screen but if you are playing with a friend you will take turns or if it's a race then you both press certain keys to move.The game requires precise inputs to make the character move and do certain things. If you fail to do so then you fail to score or might even get disqualified in an event. You will play through a set of mini games that is like the Olympics and the person with the highest score wins.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The game represents the Olympic setting really well with the mini games and how precise it is to do the actions like in real life. Each mini game has instructions to teach the player how to play incase they forget above the screen which is a nice area as we read top to bottom. It is very clear on what you are doing in each mini game as in aesthetic wise you can see if you are running a track or pole vaulting etc. It is a nice multiplayer game you can play with a friend as you both go through the mini games trying to get the better score or flopping on the difficulty. For the weakness i would say the appearance from the previous arcade games compared to this one is a big difference. It is not as flashy and dynamic as those that came before. While you were playing like a race for example you could only see yourself and not the ai that competed. How are you suppose to know they beat you if the score is predetermined? That kind of ruined the mood for me as i could never catch up because it was programed that way.

What Made it fun?
It game me "Mario Party" vibes with the different types of mini games to play. I enjoyed playing side by side with a family member trying to see who could mash their way to the finish line the fastest, my poor keyboard. Seeing who could get the highest score out of all of us gave a nice competitive feel to keep playing to the end as you might come back due to someone flopping an event, curse you pole vaulting. Overall I like this short party game for the time i played it.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Yes, it helped influence the sports related game we see today. It was not the same Olympic style but still a sport game. I feel this influenced the "Mario Party" game with how it created different mini games to play in a single game. Mario Party even has the instructions and practice mode before each game. Decathlon aimed to be realistic with the controls and I feel this influenced future titles to aim for that same realism controls scheme. The influence of "skill based" games where you had to master the controls and mechanics to progress or reach a higher score then others. As how it fits in the evolution of games all I have to say is every year EA releases a "New" sports title and the number gets bigger every time.
How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
4 Stars

[jencino]

Name of Game: The Legend of Zelda (NES)

Game author (If known): Shigeru Miyamoto & Takashi Tezuka

Game Studio: Nintendo

Original Platform & control mechanism:
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) that used cartridges for games with a simple controller for inputs. Directional pad, pause/start buttons, and A /B buttons. Control mechanism you used I played a emulated version of the game with the keyboard but I also have played on the original console system.

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
For gameplay no, the experience is the same just the controller is different as the controller gave you move mobility and ease of play. The keyboard is too wide, and you have to memories what does what while the controller is more compact and simpler. You also have instant start with the emulator while the NES has a chance of not starting up and having to readjust the cartridge etc.

Describe game Play and mechanics
The game is a top-down view with the concept of Adventure RPG. The goal is to go and explore the world looking for the tri force pieces to take on the big bad and save the princess. You have a hit point system for health and in game currency. The world is divided into chunks that load once you go to the edge of the screen or stairs/doors. There is also a "continue" once you die so you don't exactly start from the very beginning. The game provides a save system to save progress and for others to play in the household. There are different armaments you can get in the game as you progress which can be switched in the menu, and they can be restocked either through purchases or enemy drops. There are different dungeons spread across the map that you need to explore to get the tri force pieces with a boss at the end of each one. The dungeon is a maze-like area that needs to be explored to get keys to unlock blocked areas. Once completed you gave a upgrade in health to help progress the story. The game uses a map for the chunks to help keep the player from getting lost and navigate the game.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
From the start it has a great concept of open world exploration that lets the player decides what to do first. The game has a great use of color that paints a great image for the player to imagine where the location is and how the environment feels. When you are playing the game, it is clear what the enemies are going to do, and you can see what obstacles destructible, unmovable, locked doors are etc. You can tell what an item is to pick up or who’s an enemy with the art. It also has a neat UI for the inventory and objective, the tri force pieces. For the weaknesses they do reuse a lot of assets especially dungeon rooms for the layout. There are also moments where you don't know what certain items are due unless you figure it out through trial and error which might lead new players to be confused or upset trying to figure out what all the items do. It is difficult for me to fight flaws as I do enjoy this series so I might be biased.

What Made it fun?
I enjoyed the exploration of this game as it was not a straightforward type of game with A to B. It let me decide what to do and what path I can take first. Planning how to take out the pesky enemies without losing all your hearts and having to start over if you do keeps me engaged. The "Continue" after each fail kept me engaged as it didn't lose all my progress and I could just start from the beginning of the dungeon or the start of the game with all items intact. The save state feature is amazing because it allowed me to save progress and continue later. Each dungeon had a different boss that was a challenge and trying to find those dungeons was a good exploration in my book. The story might be straightforward, but the adventure and lore keep me engaged.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Yes, it inspired many open world exploration games. It also influenced the backtracking for areas once you got certain items to progress. Speaking of progress, it started the save game feature for future games. The game was so influential it began to have lore based on the world and characters in this game which also connected to their future titles. This influenced other games with sequels or strong followings to think about lore for their games. For impacts it set the standards for open world titles and exploration-based games to have a player’s choice that was not linear and narrative driven. It left a good impression for adventure RPGs that it impacted other creators to see what they can create for the home consoles. The impact of this game and its future sequels always has a new mechanic that pushes what games can do.

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

[jencino]

Name of Game: Comix Zone (Sega)

Game author (If known): Peter Morawiec & Adrian Stephens

Game Studio: SEGA

Original Platform & control mechanism:
Sega Genesis is the console and the controller with a omni directional pad and 6 input buttons ( A, B, C, X, Y, Z) and a start button.

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
Gameplay was the same but the controls were on keyboard for me and I had to get used to inputting the commands to do certain combos and abilities. The game is designed for the 6 button controller to get the most out of the game. The controller would make it a better experience to play the game as it is a beat 'em up style that is fast paced with tight controls.

Describe game Play and mechanics
It is a beat 'em up side scroller game with the goal of clearing the enemies on the screen or comic panel in this case to progress to another panel. The player can use items you pick up that can heal, damage, or assist in situations. Since it is a comic you can also tear off the background to get items to assist you, not guaranteed. As this uses the 6 button controller with x,y,z for abilities and a,b,c for jump, attack, block.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
They choose a unique way to play a game with comic panels as the main setting for the game and using the panels as transitions. The soundtrack is pretty neat along with the sound effects that come along with what you see in comics like "pow, smash, etc. when you land a blow. The little pop up of chats as the game plays to tell the story is a nice way to let the player know what is going on. The art of the characters are designed nicely with each one having a personality and they fit with the comic panels the stage provides. The thing that might be a weakness is how repetitive it got and how it did not have a good save state system. Once you died the game was over and you start over from the beginning. This could cause frustation with players and continuation of the game. It is also quite challenging trying to stay alive so some may even not like how challenging it can be.

What Made it fun?
As i was playing the game it did a nice job of keeping my engaged with the story as it shows you a nice intro. As you play the game the narrative goes on with each panel progression so I didn't get left with confusion. Controls were simple and the goal was clear. The sound track gave an upbeat feeling and the sound effects of the attacks gave a nice immersion feeling with nostalgia of the "pow, bam, etc." Nice dialogue chats that pop It was challenging trying to stay alive because one you die there is no continues and i enjoy a bit of a challenge. From the previous games before the graphics were a huge difference as i played this game.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Yes, it was innovative with how it portrayed story telling with comics and 4th wall break. The smooth transitions of this game influenced other games how it doesn't have to be a chunk load or a black transition to get to the next area. Throughout the game the player chats with the world and not just through cutscenes. This influences good narrative that mixes with gameplay instead of a cutscene to keep the player engaged. The game also featured environmental objects that can be interacted to solve puzzles to progress forward. This influences the use of environment to progress in other games.

For how it fits into the evolution of games it inspires other beat 'em up style games to show their style of narrative and art design. Games like "Shank", " Dead Cells", "Hollow Knight", " TMNT", etc.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
3.5

[jencino]

Name of Game: Super MarioKart

Game author (If known): Tadashi Sugiyama & Hideki Konno

Game Studio: Nintendo

Original Platform & control mechanismSNES) with the snes controller as the control mechanism.

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
No the gameplay is the same and the snes controller was not that complex so the controls didn't bother me.

Describe game Play and mechanics
You are in a grand prix kart race against the mushroom kingdom residents with Donkey Kong Jr. as a special guest. You compete to get the highest score based on race position. There are different tracks to race on with items that can impact the race like bananas, turtle shells, speed boost, etc. If you ain't first your last! There are also different modes to play based on speed, CC, Time trial or Battle mode. Time trial is a single race to try to get your personal best as Battle mode is you against other players to pop others balloons, lifelines.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The art style is what drew me in on this game. Even though it's a 2D game it feels like a 3D driving game as you play. The way they added the map on the bottom screen to give perspective on where you are on the track to give that 3D feeling. The game had good level designs with the tracks and environment themes so that each one felt different. The bright colors gave it that playful vibe which is probably why it drew me in as a kid. The UI was not too complicated and clear to read to show the race position and location on the track, if played on single-player. The design for kart racing was unique as most of the time it was actual cars or motorcycles. The weakness of the game art design is hard to say as I enjoyed this game even today. If i had to choose one I guess I would say the....Yeah I can't find one.

What Made it fun?
This was my first racing game as a kid and I enjoyed every other mario kart that came after it. I already enjoyed the Mario games with all its characters and color and personalities. When they decided to put that in a kart racing game it made their induvial personalities come out even more, their competitive side anyway. The track themes were always different along with the music. The split screen made the competitiveness with my siblings fun and enjoyable as we all had a specific character we always choose. Didn't really care for the secret mechanics at the time just wanting to see who can get 1st was the goal.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Yes, racing games were always with actual cars and motorbikes until this game so it influenced others to create their own sub-kart game style. It gave rise to items in racing games to keep the engagement going and note just about speed/control of the vehicle. The split screen aspect of this game influenced that racing games can be a good multiplayer game for consoles. The style of using the characters from another game and making them do something silly as kart racing or racing in general spark a genre of other games doing the same.( Diddy Kong Racing, Crash Bandicoot Racing, etc.) Speaking of other characters it also influenced the use of "Guest-characters" in games. In Mario Kart they had Donkey Kong Jr. which is not in the super mario games. Now in other games you will see them as unlockable or hidden characters for cross-genre influence.



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

[jencino]

Name of Game: Twisted Metal

Game author (If known) David Jaffe & Mike Giam

Game Studio: Sony Interactive Studios America & SingleTrac

Original Platform & control mechanism: PlayStation with the playstation one controller.

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
I played the original so i could not compare this to simulated version.

Describe game Play and mechanics
The game is vehicle combat game where you try to destroy the other players vehicle and be the last one standing to progress. Each player has 3 lives with a health bar that links with the damage to the vehicle. The goal is to get weapons and inflict damage to the other vehicles until all their lives are gone to progress to the next stage. If you played any Mario Kart Battle mode you will recognize the setting but this kicks up the violence with flamethrowers, missiles, electricity, etc.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
Well it really has this dark and violent style in which we learned from mortal kombat is favorable to gamers so they did well on that aspect. They really modified their vision of monster trucks to a mad max thunder dome with vehicles with ticks a lot of boxes that make players want to get this game. They did well on how they portrayed their characters personalities with the vehicle they drive and their comical nicknames. For the weaknesses I would say the story is very short and repetitive. It is like playing a fighting game and climbing the ranks until you reach the end just to start over with another character to do it all over again. The graphics were not that great for the games were seen before as it was sloppy and not "smooth". Also what was with the music in this game? For a vehicle mayhem game you would expect something to get the blood pumping or something. Instead you get ambient guitar riffs and drums on very low sound quality that feels washed out.

What Made it fun?
Despite all the flaws this game was pretty fun back in the day as i played against my siblings. We would compete against each other blowing up each others vehicles not really caring for story and went straight to multiplayer mode. I actually don't really remember what the story was about I just knew I had to take out the other vehicle first. The different weapons you can get trying to bait each other out or if your like my brother and just camp the health restore box. Maybe this is why i didn't like clowns growing up? Clowns were really the hit for scary movies during those times after all.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Yes, this game was probably influenced by super Mario kart with its battle mode. I feel this sparked the movement of matching characters to their vehicle. What i mean is when you see the characters car you will immediately know who's car that is just from the appearance or a distinct feature it has. For how it fits the he evolution of games I would say any game that incorporates any kind of vehicle game with a hybrid mechanic that involves weapons or any item to change the tide of the race/battle. A good example would be "Rocket League" as they combined Soccer/Football with vehicles.


How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
3

[jencino]

Name of Game: Sonic Adventure

Game author (If known) :
Designers:
-Takao Miyoshi
-Takashi Iizuka
-Yojiro Ogawa

Director:
-Takashi Iizuka

Artist:
-Kazuyuki Hoshino
-Yuji Uekawa

Game Studio: SEGA, Sonic Team

Original Platform & control mechanism:
-Dreamcast***
-GameCube
-Windows
-Xbox 360
-PlayStation 3

The control mechanism is the controller of the respected platforms with a slight different button map. I played on the Dreamcast with it's unique controller design.

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
The gameplay was the same as far as i can tell. The only difference would probably be the graphics (Textures, resolution & animations) and button mapping of each console.

Describe game Play and mechanics
The follow along the story of Sonic and friends to stop Dr. Robotnik from unleashing "Chaos" by gather Chaos Emeralds and getting power ups. The game is in 3D platform adventure with roleplay elements, but still follows the style of the original 2D rules(Rings, power ups, etc.). You can play as Sonic or any of the side characters available to progress the story. There is also a side minigame called "Chao Garden" that acts as a virtual pet that you can raise and do little games with.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The biggest strength from the start would be the 3D aspect as it was one of the first to release a 3D platformer game. With the introduction of 3D they had to actually transform the original concept into a 3D design that people will still enjoy. I believe they did a good job as each had good designs and personality. They even introduced new characters which spread the rooster and expanded the lore. The stylized art style felt right with this game as it was not a goofy kids cartoon game but instead had a good balance of cartoon/ realistic values. For weaknesses to the art and design i would say the animations didn't really do the game justice at least of the Dreamcast. It was not as smooth as playing on the other consoles you could really see it during cutscenes with the weird facial animations. Could be the limitations of the console as i remember playing on the GameCube and the running animations didn't look as chopping and sped up on the Dreamcast.

What Made it fun?
Well this was actually one of the first games i played growing up and i "had" to enjoy it as there wasn't really nothing else i could get my hands on, yes i was a Dreamcast kid. The part i enjoyed was the fast paced feeling it would give you as you zoom through the levels. You could also play as any of the 6 protags with each having their own storyline and then they combined to match toward endgame. The build up it and lore dump it gave as you played was a good immersion. I actually don't quite remember the whole story just bits and pieces but what i do remember is the "Chao Garden". Now that was a good section of the game with its virtual pet idea. It was not as harsh as "Tomogachi" but it did give more immersion.


Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Yes, It influenced other titles to start transferring their own 2D characters/games into the 3D world. It also had a good idea of character use as each had their own role whether it be speed, looking for treasure or fishing. This game has a hub to let the player explore the environment which previous game did not have. This definitely influenced future titles as you see that on occasion today. For where it fist in evolution of games it would be starting the jump of 2D to 3D with already made characters. The start of "Remaster" you could say but maybe I'm just imagining things. They also help start the trend for 3D platformers. Lastly this started the evolution for it's next title , Sonic Adventure 2.


How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
4.5

[jencino]

Name of Game: Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

Game author (If known) :
Producer:
-Yoshihiro Sudou

Designers:
-Tatsuya Nakae
-Katsuhiro Eguchi
-Shintaro Kojima
-Oni Suzuki
-Shinichirō Obata
-Hidetoshi Ishizawa

Artist:
Naoto Kuroshima (AKA "Bengus")

Game Studio: Capcom & Backbone Entertainment

Original Platform & control mechanism:
-Arcade Cabinets
-Dreamcast
-iOS
-PlayStation 2
-PlayStation 3
-Xbox
-Xbox 360

The control mechanism is the controller of the respected platforms with a slight different button map. I played on the Dreamcast with it's unique controller design.

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?
Yes, I played on the PS3 before they removed the game from the store so it's no longer available to get digitality. It is a different experience if you play on the arcade cabinet unless you have the arcade pad controller at home. Instead of the handheld controller you would be playing with the joystick and 6 input buttons for gameplay. This seems to be the preferred method for veteran players so unless you are competitive you don't need to play with the joystick controller layout and just play the handheld controller with your thumbs as the main movement.

Describe game Play and mechanics
This is a tag team fighting game where you choose 3 characters to fight 1 on 1 till you run out of health on all 3. You can switch between character during the fight or call on them for a assist. The assist varies depending on what you chose during character select and these can range from support to damage assist. There is a meter on the button of the screen that gradually fills up during the fight. When the meter fills you can use special moves depending on input and can be linked to your teammates super moves if you meet the meter level requirement. Now there are different modes to play which are Arcade Mode, (Single player play) Versus Mode, (Multiplayer duel) Training Mode (Practice stage) and Score Attack( Non stop fights to see how far you can get and gives a score at the end.)

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
From the start the artist's drawing style drew me in , pun not intended. The game stuck with the 2D look and did well on some character such as Jill from the Resident Evil series. They are appealing to look at and have good transitions from each input. From the huge roaster each one is diverse and not just one theme. What i mean is there are robots, ninjas, mutants, martial artist, etc. and not just a single category. The characters are also iconic and easily recognized by fans on each genre, marvel or Capcom. The stages are highly detailed and fits the theme of certain characters to match their theme. MVC2 has a good progressive setting in which it has high re-playability and uses the points they get from playing to purchase new characters and stages. For weakness one would be the screen resolution was made for early TVs and while i was playing the screen was a square as if I'm playing on window mode for pc but the resolution doesn't stay. Another being that even though the roaster is huge some were just "clones" with no changes other than being a different skin.

What Made it fun?
I enjoyed the strategy you had to use with the characters you picked and what assist is best suited for your playstyle. The announcer and music in the game are also an iconic sound to remember. The unlockable characters from the in game store kept me playing this game to unlock all the characters to expand the roaster. The visuals and flashy moves kept me engages as well as the random announcer and combo meter seeing how high i can go. This game is enjoyable playing with others and can be played both casually or competitively.


Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Yes, it changed how fighting games can be played instead of the standard first one to lose health into 1 on 1 with 3 characters. It brought on a competitive scene for fighting game tournaments such as EVO. Seeing the success of crossovers influenced others to expand on their own crossover games as this one showed how fun fighting games can be with iconic characters from different franchises. How this fits into evolution of games would be the community as this game is loved by its fanbase as it is still played in any fighting tournament, if available. Just recently there was a announcement for all their classic arcade games and all the fans are foaming at the mouth of this news hitting that pre order button. It changed the standard of how balancing should be planned for fighting games. For this game some characters were not balanced with their combos and future devs took note there should be a threshold on how much damage should be mitigated and the speed of certain moves to match others.

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