Trinity Torres - Journal Entries

[fellowghoul]

Name of Game: Cheat /BS
Game Author: Unknown
Game Studio: Unknown

Original Platform: Tabletop
Control Mechanism: Playing Cards

Game Play and Mechanics:
This game is played with all players starting with an equal amount of cards that they are allowed to look at. The person left of the dealer goes first. The point of the game is to get all the cards out of your hand by counting up in order of the card's value. However, you may not have the card you need at all times so you have to resort to lying to get rid of your cards. But if other players suspect you're calling "BS" then you have to pick up all the cards in the pile. If you actually were not lying and someone attempts to call you out, then they now have to pick up all the cards in the deck. It is high risk high reward. The first person to get rid of all their cards without getting caught wins.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Design?
Strengths of the card's design allows you to put cards face down without being able to see through to what is on the front of the card. The bright red and black printed numbers also make it easy for reading and recognizing fast, and the card art is aesthetically pleasing. I'd say the game itself is strong at helping people have fun and get a good laugh in. However some folks might target one person for fun to just constantly call out, which does not make the game as fun for everyone. Depending on who is playing I'd say you can easily aggravate someone by fooling around. The game's time to play is fairly quick as well. It isn't a long card game and can easily be played to pass the time and have fun doing it as long as you have a deck of cards and something flat to play on.

What made it fun?
I had the most fun feeling the thrill of having to lie and also calling other people out and being correct. It made me feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. The adrenaline of going to call someone out and having the risk of potentially having to take the deck myself but also potentially getting them to have a bigger hand size makes it really fun and exciting. It's even more exciting when I get to use my knowledge of how many of a certain type of card is in the entire deck. So if I have a lot of one type of card for instance, and someone calls that they put out two or three of them, I immediately get skeptical because I know I have a majority of that card already. Then it makes me think of the possibility of them having that many of that card.

Why would this game be considered influential?
I think this game would be influential to help bring people together and really bond. It also promotes using strategy and analysis of your peers to figure out signs you can identify to tell if they are lying or not, as well as promoting competitive nature in order to root out the competition and claim victory.

What would you rate this game?
I would rate this 4/5 stars.

[fellowghoul]

Trinity Torres
Journal Entry #2 - Backgammon


Name of Game: Backgammon
Game Author: Unknown
Game Studio: None (May have originated in Ancient Mesopotamia)

Original Platform: Flat carved wooden board
Control Mechanism: Chips

Game Play and Mechanics:
This game is played with a black and white striped board that comes with two sets of die, 2 sets of 15 black and white chips and a doubling die, used to keep track of the game’s status. One player is assigned to both the black and the white chips, and the goal of the game is to move all of your chips from one side of the board, back to your designated side. You decide who goes first by rolling your two die, and the player with the higher number goes first. You can only move your pieces by rolling. Each die’s roll counts as a separate move set that you can use for any of your chips. So for example, if you roll a 3 and a 2, you can move one chip 3 spaces, and another two spaces, or you can move one die 3 spaces and then another two spaces, making 5 in total. If your opponents chip happens to land on yours while it is the only chip in that space, your chip will be sent to jail. The only way to get out of jail is through rolling, and while any of your chips are in jail, you cannot move any other chips on the board until that chip is out of jail. However, if your opponents chip lands on multiple chips in one space, then that chip is not allowed to stop there. In order to have an optimal game, you want to protect your chips by always having more than 1 in a space. Otherwise, your chip is vulnerable to getting jailed and sent back to the start. The first player to get their chips to their side first wins.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Design?
The design is very neat and clean. The dark and light colors help to differentiate which side is which. Although, the order in which the chips are set up to start is a little confusing. But after that is set up then it’s smooth sailing. I can appreciate that the design of it is color blind friendly as well, because as long as you can tell one color is darker in value than the other, you know which pieces are which. I'd say it isn't a very friendly on the go game, considering it has so many pieces and die, but I'd definitely play this multiple times as a sit down game.

What made it fun?
This game was incredibly fun and engaging and caused me to really think about my next move. The rules were fairly simple and easy to grasp so I quickly started to strategize how I could keep knocking out my opponents pieces without leaving my own too vulnerable. It was particularly fun because it was my first time ever playing and I quickly found that it was very easy for me to be punished for bad moves and that I would have to think to carefully about my turns in order to win. I liked that it promoted strategy and brainstorming but was still not so complex that I wasn't able to come up with moves on my own. I can also appreciate that if you roll doubles then you get to take your turn again. This adds a fun twist to the game because you can turn the tides very quickly. There were multiple times where I rolled doubles three times in a row and so did my partner. That allowed us to get a lot of progress in with moving our pieces around the board. I liked the anticipation and it was very fun and enjoyable.

Why would this game be considered influential?
I think this game would be influential because it seems to be one of the first games that used one of the first made dice. Also, it likely brought kids together to play and help them learn numbers and counting through playing the game. I think it is popular throughout all ages because of its ability to work simplistically, as well as work through gambling tactics. And adults like to gamble.
I believe this game could also be enhanced by players if they're looking to put a fun twist on the rules and raise the stakes. For example, like how you are not allowed to land on a space that already has two or more of your opponents pieces on it, maybe you can also make a rule that says "you can't jail a piece on a space if you are going to do it with a dice roll that equaled an odd number". Something like that sounds really fun and would add even more of a challenge to the game that makes you have to think more.

What would you rate this game?
5/5 stars!

[fellowghoul]

Name of Game: Pong
Game Author: Allan Alcorn and Co-Founder Nolan Bushnell
Game Studio: Atari, inc

Original Platform:
Control Mechanism: Arcade Machine

Game Play and Mechanics:
This game can be played against the computer or with another person. You have to move your stick up and down across the board to bounce back the pong ball between you and either the cpu or another player, as many times as you can without letting the ball get past your stick. If the pong gets by then your opponent gets a point. You have to try and return the ball as much as you can and use your stick to hit the ball at the correct angle and make your opponent unable to return it. The first one to 10 points wins. You can u se the mouse to play or the arrow keys on the keyboard. Preferably I recommend using the mouse because it is much faster and allows for quicker reaction times to return the ball in time.


Strengths and Weaknesses of Design?
I think the design of this game is very simple, but easy to understand. The visuals aren't anything special. What makes it fun that I'd want to play multiple times is the difficulty of the game. Going for beating the cpu on easy, medium, and hard was my first order of business. This is a game that I wouldn't mind playing on endless mode or maybe a one shot game over type mode to see how high I can get my score or how long I can go without letting the cpu score. Although I think one flaw of the computer version of this game is that your mouse is able to go outside the game screen by accident so it made it difficult when it would sometimes go out of bounds and mess up me moving my stick and it made me lose the ball like two times in a row. Maybe for this reason, using the arrow keys would be a better experience for some. But I refuse to use the keys.

What made it fun?
It was really fun to keep challenging the cpu and see how fast I could beat it and then moving up in difficulty to see if I could beat it there too.


Why would this game be considered influential?
This was one of the first arcade games made, and it helped to establish the video game industry.

What would you rate this game?
I'd give it 4/5 stars!

[fellowghoul]

Name of Game: PacMan
Game Author: Toru Iwatani
Game Studio: Atari

Original Platform: Arcade Machine
Control Mechanism: Joystick and Buttons


Game Play and Mechanics:
In Pacman you play as a little yellow character that can go up, down, left, or right around a maze that is filled with ghosts, pellets, and fruit shaped collectible items. The point of the game is to collect all the pellets in the maze while avoiding the 4 different colored ghosts trying to chase you. You can combat the ghosts by collecting a pellet that is noticeably bigger than the other ones, and by eating it all the ghosts will start flashing blue and immediately flee the player. You can eat the ghosts while they are in this state and the more ghosts you eat consecutively the more points you can accumulate. After a few seconds the debuff will wear off and the ghosts will go back to their original color and attack pattern. You control pacman by using the up, down, left, and right keys so it is a very straightforward game with simple controls.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Design?
I think the design of this game is very visually appealing with the black background and bright whites and yellows, and then the red, pink, blue, and orange ghosts. They all contrast very nicely with each other and the gameplay is fairly slow for any casual player so it makes for a great game to relax and have fun with before the difficulty starts to pick up. Playing the online version of the game felt a bit clunky to me, as my inputs would sometimes not get picked up so I'd have to press the keys twice or a little harder for it to take my command. Because of that I'd say I have more fun playing pacman with the traditional joystick controls or buttons.

What made it fun?
I think the adrenaline rush of dodging the ghosts as well as the cute and playful music make the game very fun and enjoyable. I played it multiple times even if I wasn't all that great at it. This is a game that I'd be fine playing again and again just because I feel like the skill ceiling isn't too high so I actually have a chance to get a good score, unlike games with a more complex system like Street Fighter or Defenders. In recent modes of Pacman, I also very much enjoy the 4 way player option that they have at Dave n Busters because I think most games are much more fun when you play with friends or family.


Why would this game be considered influential?
I think this game is influential because of its unique soundtrack and characters. It is a friendly game for all ages to get a handle at, and I think that definitely helped to make it more popular back when it came out.

What would you rate this game?
5/5 stars

[fellowghoul]

Trinity Torres

Name of Game: karateka
Game Author: Jordan Mechner
Game Studio: Atari

Original Platform: arcade machine
Control Mechanism: joystick and buttons

Gameplay and Mechanics:
The point of the game is to deplete your opponents hit points first by using a series of punches and kicks that you can adjust the height and range of. You are supposed to utilize the customizable skills to your advantage and outsmart your opponent by inputting the correct combos to defeat them as quick as possible.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Design:
I think the mass amount of options the player has to defeat their opponents makes the game very fun and replay able because of the amount of times you can restart and try out a new combo to see how fast you can win.

What made it fun?
I think what made this game fun was that it wasn’t like a traditional fighting game so it wouldn’t let you just spam attacks. You have to be strategic about it and i can appreciate games like that because i like games that are more so a test of skill, rather than a test of how many buttons can you press fast enough to cheese the other person into a corner and win. I think games like these should be introduced more often.

Why would this game be considered influential?
I think the game is influential because it would not allow players to become experts and be done with the game as fast because of how many different combinations you can input. I think this would put a fun twist on fighting game + strategy that multiplayer fans would heavily enjoy taking to their friends house to play.

What would you rate this game?
4/5 stars

[fellowghoul]

Name of Game: Super Mario Bros
Game Author: Shigeru Miyamoto
Game Studio: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Original Platform: NES
Control Mechanism: NES Controller

Gameplay and Mechanics:
The gameplay is pretty straightforward as it just requires using the back and forward keys to move Mario and a button for him to jump. You jump in order to grab powerups and coins from blocks, or to step on an enemies head and defeat them. Falling into pits kill you instantly, and getting hit by enemy attacks while you are big Mario will just reduce you to small Mario, so you have one more hit of damage before you die.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Design:
I think the original design of super Mario Bros has too many red tones that kind of cause the character to blend in with the background sometimes. The bright neon green pipes stand out of course but the reddish brown blocks combined with Mario's all red tones

What made it fun?
I think the game is fun because of its catchy music and fun momentum style you can play with. It is fun to try and bounce from one enemies' head to the next without touching the ground at all. The game isn't the hardest at all by any means but it is relaxing and a perfect difficulty scaling for any casual player, which promotes replayability. The cool power up effects and unique music to each level make the game even more enjoyable than the gameplay already is.

Why would this game be considered influential?
I think because Mario was very innovative in its design due to it having simple controls, appealing level design, and a decent amount of unique character and level design that it was able to appeal to a very wide audience and attract attention so much so that it turned into one of the biggest video game franchises that we know of today. Mario is considered to be one of the most famous video game characters in all of history.

What would you rate this game?
5/5 stars

[Professor Watkins]

Graded to here.

[fellowghoul]

Trinity Torres

Name of Game: Final Fantasy 7
Game Author: Tetsuya Nomura
Game Studio: Square (Now Square Enix)

Original Platform: Playstation 1
Control Mechanism: Ps1 Controller

Gameplay and Mechanics:
You explore the world of Final Fantasy in a 3D space, both on foot and in vehicles you earn through playing. Since it is a jrpg you can talk to npcs and complete requests for rewards, or for money to exchange for useful items in shops. You utilize turn based combat, or an "active time battle" system", when engaging with enemies. When your character has enough points in their time gauge that shows up when in a battle, they are able to make an action. Commands include using items, attacking, casting spells, summoning, or choosing to run. An ultimate move called a limit break can be used when a certain bar on the current character reaches full. The bar is filled by taking damage. There are different status effects such as poison and paralysis, that can be inflicted on either the player or the enemy, depending on what type of move they use/is used on them.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Design:
I think the gameplay, music, and plot are the main strengths of the game. Traversing was a bit buggy and confusing due to the isometric nature of the map made it hard to tell which direction you were going. Also, the inability to save whenever you wanted made it difficult to simply stop whenever you wanted.

What made it fun?
The unique style of turn based combat kept the gameplay engaging and fun. The story was also very engaging and had many memorable moments, and kept me hooked and eager to play more. The character designs were very well thought out, and made me attached to the character and their background. The dynamic between Sephiroth and Cloud was one of the best villain v hero dynamics in the series. The engaging storyline, the characters, the combat system, the world building, as well as the fun mini games and side activities all make up this game being considered one of the most influential and fun games in video game history. Enough for it to be remade and remastered many times after its original release.

Why would this game be considered influential?
Final Fantasy 7 is considered to be one of the greatest influential games ever made. It won multiple Game of the Year awards and widely known for boosting sales of the playstation console.
The transition from 2D to 3D gameplay was also something that was becoming more and more popular to see done in games. So players were even more eager to try out how it felt to play. It was also the first time a game had used modern wire frame with polygons to model their characters.

What would you rate this game?
5/5 stars

[fellowghoul]

Trinity Torres

Name of Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Game Author: Yoichi Yamada, Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi, Toshio Iwawaki, Toru Osawa
Game Studio: Nintendo

Original Platform: Nintendo 64
Control Mechanism: N64 Controller

Gameplay and Mechanics:
You play as Link venturing through the world of Hyrule in order to save it from Ganondorf's impending doom. You are tasked with collecting 4 gems from each of the different nations. He has a sword to fight, a shield to block, a boomerang that can grab items, deku sticks can light torches, deku nuts can stun enemies, and the ocarina can play music to put you forward in time. Link can target enemies to strafe around them, and dodge enemy attacks while maintaining his orientation to the enemy. The game is open world so you can walk wherever you please and explore, while also doing fun dungeons


Strengths and Weaknesses of Design:
I believe a big strength in Ocarina of Time's design was its gameplay, controls, world building, mechanics, music, storytelling, and overall design were what made the game widely considered to be one of the best of all time. The time travel mechanic as well as Z targeting introduced fun, unique mechanisms that helped to make combat more intuitive. The vast biomes and puzzle designs were also quite engaging and I can admire the level design that they implemented into each dungeon. Some weaknesses in design I'd say is probably that the combat can get a bit repetitive due to the slowness of the z targeting. Combat was fun but eventually gets bothersome when you just want to blaze through enemies to get to the boss you know is there.

What made it fun?
The 3d visuals at the time were fluid and the colors were pretty to look at. The music was extremely well made and kept its popularity even through other OSTs today. The parts that I enjoyed the most was the combat and the exploration. I love to challenge myself by getting trough as much content of a game without leveling up or grabbing healing items so I think the game's controls offered a nice semi challenging experience for me. I think the music certainly added to the experience of playing this again just because it was so nostalgic and amazing to look back on.

Why would this game be considered influential?
This game's design and storytelling with its combination of innovative and fresh gameplay mechanics really left a mark on the gaming community as a whole, and served as a foundation/inspiration for many other games. It served as a big jump in complexity to the N64's controller inputs

What would you rate this game?
5/5 stars

[fellowghoul]

Trinity Torres

Name of Game: God of War
Game Author: David Jaffe
Game Studio: Santa Monica Studio

Original Platform: Playstation 2
Control Mechanism: Playstation 2 controller

Gameplay and Mechanics:
You play as Kratos, who wields many different types of weapons but the main one is the blades of chaos-dual blades that can perform powerful combos. The game also features immersive quick time events, boss battles, platforming, and a hack n slash type of gameplay style. The majority of the gameplay is defeating smaller monsters in hordes to get to your goal, but the more important fights make it much more cinematic, and have you really dig your blades or whatever weapon you have equipped into the monster, and slay them in a really gorey but satisfying style.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Design:
This game for me has an INSANE amount of strengths because I just love everything about it. I love the characters, the voice acting, the world building, combat system, visuals, music, and even ui were all super appealing to me. I'd say the only gripe I might have is the camera can be a little annoying sometimes because it is sometimes fixed in place and I enjoy being able to move the camera at my own will. But other than that I love everything about the game and I'd say it did extremely well when it came out (I was 2 at the time).

What made it fun?
This game is an absolute treasure to me and has been one since I played it when I was younger. The cinematic battles, huge creatures, awesome visuals, satisfying combat, and intriguing story all make for this game to be incredibly fun. I think my most favorite part of God of War 1 is the Kratos v Gaia fight because of how ginormous Gaia was in comparison to the world and having to use her body as terrain to climb/run up was the most fun and amazing thing I'd ever seen. There just really weren't many other games that had that kind of uniqueness at the time, and it's what really got me into games and starting to want to make art in general. I also loved the gore in the game because it was fun to see just how unruly a character could truly be (for good reasons) and I liked that it was mostly uncensored . The gore never bothered me but rather it added to that satisfying impact of slaying a powerful foe like a God, especially if they were an asshole of a character. I heavily enjoyed the combo style gameplay that comes with Kratos, no matter the weapon he's using because I thought they were all super unique and each served their own equal purpose.

Why would this game be considered influential?
I think God of War was such an outlandish and eye catching game at the time that certainly wasn't made to be marketed towards kids. I first saw the game because my dad was playing it and it was such an impactful and hard hitting game where pretty much everything felt like it had a lot of effort put into it. Like for example, Kratos' main theme in that game is something that both me and my mom like to sing time and time again even today because of how iconic is was at the time. The soundtrack, the hellish worlds, the giant creatures, the ruthless combat, and the amazing character building made the game incredibly noteworthy. Kratos as a character is very widely known and very well designed of course so I think its style of gameplay was incredibly influential to young adults at the time.

What would you rate this game?
100/5 stars