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all of my journal entries are posted here 
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1/15/2025 - Speed card game
For our first class of History of Games, some friends and I played a game called Speed, which doesn’t have a known creator of the game, but there is a published version made by Pepys Games in 1938. The original way to play is with a deck of cards and against two people, and the way we played in class was between 5 different people.
To play a game of speed you need to create two different decks for each person playing, one with 6 cards face down between both players, which is used to start the game or continue it if both players get stuck, and a deck of about 20 cards or whatever is remaining to make the draw piles that players have to completely use up first to win the game. Players also start the game by drawing the first 5 cards into their hands that can be played when the game starts. Starting the game requires both players to flip over the top card of the 6-card deck made at the center of the table to reveal what the starting points are for each pile. From these starting numbers, players are to place down cards onto either deck in number order, either increasing or decreasing in number as fast as possible to try and use all cards in their draw pile. Whenever somebody plays a card or has less than 5 cards in their hand, they need to make sure to draw one card or how many that are needed to keep their hand at 5 cards, unless the player has no more cards in their draw pile. Once a player plays all cards in their hand and draw pile, To announce victory they must place both hands on the table and say “Speed” to the other player.
Some of the strengths this game has is that its fairly simple and you only need a understanding of how to count your numbers to play the game. It also helps that it is used with a deck of cards which is very accessible to most players, if not all, making it a game that anybody can enjoy. The nature of being done by only needing to know your numbers also makes it fun to try and go as fast as possible, which is the whole point of the game. The fact that the game also takes away the need for taking turns also helps this idea, as it’s a first-come first-serve basis for placing your cards on whatever number you need. Some flaws though is that its very easy to get things mixed up and messy as since you’re going so fast cards do slide around the table, making it difficult to keep track of which is on top sometimes, especially when played with more than two people. Another weakness is that the game can come to a tie if all cards in the face down pile are used and nobody is able to try a card, making the game unplayable. It’s a rare occurrence, but when it does happen you can’t really do anything except start a brand new game.
Playing this game was a lot of fun because its all about the fast pace of trying to finish before the other player, making it very competitive but in a very light hearted way. Nobody is ever guaranteed to win even if they’re really good because if you get stuck with a hand where you cant play and the other can, then you just got to pray they place something and you can continue faster than the other player. This feeling heightens when playing with more people as there is more piles to places cards in, and with so many options it makes it easier for everyone making the game much faster and more competitive. It is also such a good way to make connections with friends as in between each game, we would always laugh and talk about what happened and how we got stuck or missed something because we weren’t fast enough and it makes a fun space for everyone to enjoy. Another thing is that sometimes you just need something simple that you get given the option to play in class after not doing so in a long time that brings some nostalgia to it as well, that makes it so much more fun. Usually people play these games when they are younger from my experience so to finally come back to it now is a really awesome experience.
This game is definitely influential because it brings competition to gaming that is different from other card games and for many is about the thrill of trying to something as fast a possible. Many people like to speedrun, and many have made leaderboards about how the winner is the player who beats the game the fastest, the same way speed is played. It even creates a whole set of games all about beating things as fast as possible such as racing games which is a huge genre of games that a lot of people play. Its also widely influential as since it is a deck of cards, and has the ability to be played with more than two people, the creates the idea of “modding” games, where someone can change how something works in a game for the sake of having more fun. This is a huge idea within many video games as you can go to so many places and find mods and things that help add more people, which is what we did to play with 5 people. It may have not been exact to the original set of rules but it does add some variety that can make the game a lot more fun for people who play them.
I would overall rate the game a 4 out of 5 stars. Its simple and easy, and overall just a really fun game to pull out and play with friends. The only reason though I took a star off is that for me fast-paced games are incredibly stressful and after a while I get overwhelmed, but otherwise the game is very solid and can be enjoyed by everybody.
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Graded to here.Comment
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3/18/25
Star Fox
Katsuya Eguchi
Nintendo
For this game I used keyboard and mouse on my pc but like any of the games we have played this semester, I just found it so difficult to control and my ship would be playing across the map in random directions. It’s very possible I’m just horrible but I’m sure on a proper device it would be so much easier to control.
Star Fox’s gameplay is really engaging where you fly through all of the levels shooting enemy ships or other obstacles such as asteroids. In some levels you can see your own ship flying around as you shoot, but there are some areas where you go into first person to shoot things, which I found really immersive at times when you were mostly just trying to clear your path in certain areas. You can also pick which direction you want to go as you play the game, making each run slightly different depending on how you decide to do things. You also can play a few secret levels that the game has as well was different endings which really help personalize the experience.
Some of the strengths of the gameplay is just the personalization of the different paths and tracks you can take as you play, as well each boss attacks differently adding a level of difficulty where its something new you have to face against every time, without making it impossible to play. Another thing is that gameplay is very straight-forward as controls are pretty basic making it super easy to pick up and play. One of the biggest weaknesses for me in terms of gameplay is that its super difficult to see and know where you are aiming when you are in the third person mode, as while where your ship is at kind of decides where you are aiming, at least from me playing I felt like I still couldn’t aim myself to shoot where I wanted to sometimes which was a little frustrating for me, but I really enjoyed the first person areas a lot more.
I absolutely love the art and game design of the game as it has such a unique and distinctive look to it, and you can look at it from a glance and know exactly what game you are looking at. All of the characters are very nicely done and seeing all the planets on the map with their moving clouds and effects is super fun and makes the environment feel so much more fleshed out once you get into the levels. Another thing I really like is the use of the pixelated art and the 3d assets and how well they work together making it feel like a complete game. I can’t find really any weaknesses in the art and design myself except that with some of the explosions and shooting in first person can really muddy up the screen and make it hard to see what you are doing.
Overall what made the game fun was that it just has a lot of replay ability with all the choices you can make and the different levels you encounter. I would say that this is one of the first games out of all that we have played that I find a lot of fun and super unique. Its also a lot of fun when you have the other ships on your team talking as well as you play asking for help or telling you to watch out, as well as seeing their shield health at the end of each level making the game just so much more interactive. It feels like you aren’t just playing alone and it gives you mini side quests that you complete as you go through the whole game. Another thing I find super fun is playing against the other bosses. It already so neat seeing variety in each boss you get but they also just look so cool, as one of my favorites from what I’ve seen is the massive face that spits things at you. It’s a really creative boss for a game about shooting things in space and really shocks and surprises the player as nobody is going to expect that to happen.
This game would be super influential as with all the different endings and secret levels it gives the player an interest in wanting to play more, or to even repay the game a bunch of times to try and find these things. While its cool to have a linear game where there is one ending to achieve, it really adds more excitement and gives each player a unique experience when there is options for different things to happen. It also changes a lot as since its 3d it adds a whole new layer to environments and spaces you go through that really helps with story, as well as providing many environments that the player can go through that are all very different to each other, instead of going through a 2d plane. There I so many different obstacles and enemies which really make each level feel like a new planet like they are supposed to. Another thing this game fits in terms of the evolution of games is that the game has the feel of working on a team with other players which isn’t a very common thing as multiplayer isn’t really a thing you could go yet and probably helped influence some games to add that type of teamwork where you shoot against another team or just a group of enemies.
Rating: 5 stars!
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Disney Pixar: A Bug’s Life
Jon Burton (?)
Traveller’s Tales and Tiertex Design Studios
Original platform is on the Playstation with a controller, I played this on a PC with keyboard and mouse.
This A Bug’s Life game is about going through the story from the movie but by having you go against enemies and collect seeds as a platformer game. You can throw berries to attack enemies and bosses and can actually grow and create different plants to help you reach new areas throughout the game or even go against the enemies by giving you a shield or even fire berries as well. The player can regain health by collecting grain throughout the map and can even upgrade your berries that you throw from either finding it in the map or growing a special seed that give you it. Another thing that you can get as you play the game is telescopes, that help you see the boss or goal of the level, as well as any potential items hidden around the map.
While the movie has a more realistic environment to it, the game is much more stylized in a very cute way that is super inviting and really sets the tone for the whole game. They make the environment feel very spacious and open even when you are confined to such a small space, as they put grass and other various tall plants to make it look like a super plant heavy space that you can’t get through. The UI is also super charming as it looks like all the buttons and icons are made from the earth as well. One thing I found very odd though was the use of coins as a collectable in the game, as everything has some tie in to the original story and this coin just happens to be there, and even in the tutorial they talk about it like it was common for them to have coins.
What made the game fun was that it was super cute to run around, collecting things and seeing the movie as you go, making it partially feel like a more interactive movie. Overall though, I couldn’t help but just get really frustrated at the game as I didn’t fully consider that I was getting into a platforming game, and that the camera was absolutely horrific. You have to wait for the camera to turn around for a solid few seconds and that’s even if the camera decides to change to the direction the character is facing. Sometimes it just wouldn’t change at all, forcing you to guess what something looks like and praying you make a jump. I got stuck in the tutorial for so long because of this, because I couldn’t see the space between the leaf and the wall, and would keep sliding in the gap when I jumped and would fall down. The game is also super picky about when you can interact with a seed when facing at, as sometimes when playing on keyboard its hard to control your turn, making it hard to even face the seed the right way to interact with it.
The only way I could see this game being influential is by showing that movies or books can even have their own adaptations in games. Even though it shows clips of the movie to the point its feels like you’re watching the full things, it still goes through that story in a way that makes sense as a game, by giving you levels, goal, and even bosses that fit as close as possible to the source material without changing it a bunch. In a time where it seems like everything has an adaptation in some form across any type of media possible, I really think this was a really huge step in that direction, especially as this looked like one of the first games done like this for a movie. It also gives companies another space to make their revenue as it is a Disney-Pixar game, and as it is their IP, they of course are going to get a huge chunk of money out of this, as well as finding a way to get kids to consume more of the content they produce.
This game gets a 2 stars from me though, I hate early 3D platformers and I actually had a miserable time playing this.
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