Nathan Munoz - Journal Entries

[NearSharp]

Nates Journal Entries

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 1

Name of Game:
BaseBall (Poker)

Original Platform & control mechanism:
A standard pack of 52 cards is used to play this game and bets are placed with money or chips.

Control mechanism you used:
We used a 52 pack of cards and imaginary points to bet with.

Describe game play and mechanics:
Baseball is a variant of stud poker based off of well the sport of baseball. Due to this fact, some of the card like 3,4, and 9 hold special value to match the different parts of baseball. 3 represents the 3 stikes and 3 outs in a baseball game. 4 represents the four balls. 9 represents the 9 innings. The game starts with each player receiving one card face down and one card face up. 3,4, and 9s are wilds and the betting begins after everyone gets their cards. With each round a card is added face up and each player gets a turn to place their bet. With each round that passes the players can either match the bet of the person ahead of them or fold. At the end of the game players should have five cards: one face down, four face up. The player with the best poker hand wins the pot.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design:
The biggest strength the game has is how fast you can play it. Rounds dont last particularly long with the longest being about 3-4 minutes at most (at least with four people playing). The thrill of it comes from the chance of it although i can see how it couldnt appeal to some people as its definitely a game of luck. Another strength would have to be the simplicity of the game. Its an easy game to understand and play. Although weakness could be the amount of players playing. Smaller games that consist of two players could end way faster and produce less tension.

What made it fun?:
What made it fun was the simplicity of it and how fast paced the game was. Games lasted maybe 3-4 mins with a group of four and that allowed us to play multiple rounds including a real fast one that last maybe a minute before we had to stop playing. But in besides that It was also just fun to place bets and see who had the best poker face out of the group. Although we didnt place any real bets down the idea of it was still entertaining to play with. It was fun to see how each person played and when they would decide to fold. Although i ended up being the one who ended up with no chips in the end, I still very much enjoyed the game and its fast pace and wouldn't mind playing it again sometime.

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 fast paced and full of risk. You could bet it all and lose to someone due to luck. Much like all card games it's an easy game to take around and play whenever you want. It’s portable and flexible. Anyone can learn how to play it without much explanation and you could add stakes to it if you would like. Simple card games like this that play with chance and have endless replayability as you try to be the one with the best poker hand. It’s a simple gambling game that was inspired by another gambling game that relies heavily on luck rather than skill. There are many games nowadays that although may require some skill, there are still areas where luck is an added factor to help stunt the skilled players. Much like the items in smash bros or mario kart which disorient the players in various ways.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I'd rate it a 4 out of 5. It was fun and simple. the addition of betting imaginary points was funny.

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 2

Name of Game
Pong

Game author (If known)
Allan Alcorn

Game Studio
Atari

Original Platform & control mechanism
Arcade cabinet that used two wheels to control the paddle.

Control mechanism you used
I played pong through a website. The website allows you to either use the arrow keys or the mouse to control the paddle.

Describe gameplay and mechanics
There are two paddles. One on the left and one on the right. There is a line that divides the screen into equal parts. A white ball is then spawned on one side of the line and heads to the corresponding player. The goal of the game is to hit the ball past the other paddle and score a point. The ball switches sides depending on who scores or if the score is lower on one side. The game ends when one side earns 10 points.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The strongest thing about this game is its simplicity. It has two white paddles and a ball. You go up against a computer or player and boom there you go. That's the game. It's easy to understand and doesn't require any explanation. The weakest part of it would be the….simplicity. It's a simple game that I feel would become stale after a couple of good matches against the cpu or a player. You really only do one thing in the entire game. I can imagine visiting it in an arcade and playing a few rounds with my friends and then moving onto another arcade game with a little more variety.

What made it fun?
The game is easy to play, controls well, and is endlessly replayable, making it fun to play for a while. There are three difficulties that provide some challenge and allow the game to be replayed. The game is fun to play and to look at because it's simple and satisfying. It's a fun, simple game to play to kill time but besides that there isn't much to do after playing against the three difficulties, well at least in single player. I imagine it would be a little more fun to play against someone else, but then again I feel the fun would be short-lived after a couple of rounds. After playing a few matches, the game gets stale, so you look for something else to do, but don't get me wrong, it is a fun game that just happens to lack variety.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Definitely one of the most influential games of all time is Pong. It's a really simple game that anyone can pick up quickly and understand. You really don't require any skills to play it and it can be quite fun to challenge someone to a game of Pong. It has also influenced many other companies to make games, as well as built the company that is Atari. Pong was incredibly popular when it was launched back in the 70s and introduced many people to video games back in the day. Even today, Pong is highly influential. You still hear about it constantly. I mean we’re talking about it right now! Anytime you watch a video about the history of games or whatever it's always mentioned, it influences the way we try to make most games easy to pick up and play without much of a tutorial.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I would rate it 4 stars! It's fun and a nice time killer, but I'm not gonna be sitting there for hours playing it over and over again. It's a good game to play every now and then.

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 3

Name of Game
Space Invaders

Game author (If known)
Tomohiro Nishikado

Game Studio
Taito

Original Platform & control mechanism
Originally released as an arcade cabinet that used 3 buttons for controls and 2 buttons for the amount of players playing at a time.

Control mechanism you used
I played Space Invaders through a website. The website allows you to use the left and right arrow keys to move and the spacebar to shoot.

Describe gameplay and mechanics
In Space Invaders you shoot at oncoming alien pillars of 5 enemies. Each pillar consists of 3 enemy types. 2 of the aliens that give 10 points that sit in the front, 2 of the aliens that give 20 points that sit in the middle and finally 1 of the aliens that give you 40 points who sit in the back. Occasionally a red UFO will fly by and reward you point values of 50, 100, 150, 200 or 300 points. You shoot at these pillars with your cannon from behind 4 shields that block incoming fire but become damaged the more they are hit, but you can also shoot at your own shields so be careful! As the game progresses the enemies get faster. You also have 3 extra lives before you are able to get a game over screen.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The game's mechanics are its strongest point. It could have easily been a game where you shoot at enemies coming down at you without any protection. But the added benefit of shielding is a nice simple touch to gameplay. The resource adds depth to an otherwise simple game, because it is something you have to manage in a way. The weakest part of this game would be its simplicity. It's only one level that you can play endlessly. Most of the fun would have to come from trying to beat someone's high score, which is something that is missing from the web version I played.

What made it fun?
I like the simplicity and replayability of it. You shoot at stuff while your shields deteriorate over the course of the levels and that's it. As you shoot the aliens and see your points rise, it is a fun and satisfying experience. There's also something fun about hitting the red UFO that passes by at random points in the level. It’s also just fun to see how far you can get and how many points you can accumulate over the course of one session. Also I can see it getting challenging toward the later ends of the game when you’re running out of shields and the aliens are moving faster. It’s honestly just all the small stuff that makes it compelling (the shields, the enemy’s getting faster and the points system.)

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
There is no doubt that Space Invaders has had an impact. It’s one of the first games to introduce the concept of a high score that would compel other players to try and beat it. The simple loop of defeating aliens could keep you playing for hours, and the scorekeeping just motivates you to reach for a higher score. Space invader has even influenced other games and developers. For example, Namco's Glaga is clearly influenced by the basic gameplay of space invaders,just with minor tweaks. During its heyday, the game was so popular in Japanese arcades that a coin shortage occurred! That's insane! Today you can still find space invaders in arcades, although the presentation has been updated, the core gameplay has remained unchanged. It is a testament to the popularity and iconography of the game that it has lasted for so long.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I’d rate it 5 stars! I enjoyed it and wouldn’t mind playing it again! It’s pretty easy to understand without prior knowledge and it’s fun to see your points go up with each attempt.

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 4

Name of Game
Galaga

Game author (If known)
Shigeru Yokoyama

Game Studio
Namco

Original Platform & control mechanism
Originally released as an arcade cabinet that featured a joystick for left and right movement, a button to fire shots and two buttons for single and multiplayer.

Control mechanism you used
I played Galaga through a website. The website allowed you to use the left and right arrow keys to move and the A,Z, and X keys to shoot. You pressed the enter key to start and pause the game.

Describe gameplay and mechanics
In Galaga you control a spaceship at the bottom of the screen that can only move left and right. You have three lives and must shoot at the enemies at the top of the screen as they fly into a formation. After completing the formation the enemies will dive at you. Destroying them while diving will net you double the points of what the enemy is worth. Boss ships can dive with escorts and shooting them while escorting will result in another double up of points. Boss ships can also emit a tractor beam which can capture one of your ships. If you shoot the boss ship while it carries your ship you can save it and link up with it to gain Double fire power. There are 32 levels in Galaga with 8 of those being challenge stages that offer up bonus enemies that give way more points than normal enemies. The 32 levels are repeated over and over until the player reaches level 255 where after beating it you go to stage 0.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The two strongest things about this game is its art style and its music and sound effects. The art style is simple and yet charming. The spaceship looks cool and futuristic while the aliens look out of this world despite mostly being bugs. The colorful sprites capture your attention and make it easy to tell where each enemy is on the screen as well as yourself. The little musical jingle that plays when you start the level is so catchy. And it even has a nice little medley that plays when you game over and are looking at the results. It's all so simple but catchy. Not to mention the sound effects that play throughout the whole game. Every enemy has its own death sound effect and the nostalgic sound of the blaster is just so nice to hear…. But I can imagine it getting a little annoying later on. The weakest thing would be the lack of variety in gameplay. I mean the only meaningful change in gameplay is the challenge stages where enemies don't really stop moving. Nonetheless the game is really fun!


What made it fun?
The responsive controls made it super fun. It's simply just fun to move about dodging projectiles and diving enemies. It feels rewarding to hit one with the help of the sound adding some nice audible feedback. Also the addition of having a power up of sorts is so fun. The fact you must get captured at first to gain it is such an interesting choice. The double fire makes the game a ton more fun!


Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Galaga is influential due to its simple yet charming gameplay and its sound and visuals. The melodies that play in Galaga are timeless and nostalgic. The game appeared during the golden age of arcades and has remained super popular. The game itself is available on many platforms nowadays and has introduced so many to video games.


How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I'd rate it 5 stars. I absolutely love Galaga and grew up playing many different versions of it. The game is just so fun and addicting to me. The sounds and visuals are so nostalgic to me. It's such an awesome game, and I recommend it to everyone!

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 5

Name of Game
E.T The ExtraTerrestrial

Game author (If known)
Howard Scott Warshaw

Game Studio
Atari

Original Platform & control mechanism
Originally released on the Atari 2600, that used a joystick to control the character and a button

Control mechanism you used
I played on a website that used the keyboard and space bar to control the character and abilities.

Describe gameplay and mechanics
The game is about Et looking for parts of a phone in an attempt to phone home. That's the whole game. You fall into pit holes to look for the phone pieces. Most of these pit holes are empty and you have to hover out which takes forever. The worst part of this is after you find all the pieces you still gotta find the correct spot to phone home. And once you find this spot to find home you still gotta run to the landing area which is timed. The obstacles placed around are agents and scientists. The agents take the phone pieces and the scientist kidnaps you and takes you somewhere else. While dealing with all of that you have health points that constantly deplete as you walk around. You can heal these points by finding pieces of candy and when you gather enough you can summon Elliot to give you a piece of the phone.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The only strengths it has are that it is a short game and that is a tie in product. The weakness begins with the fact that it is a short game that is boring. You don't do much in the game and it is a glorified easter egg hunt. You look for 3 phones, an area to call and then the landing area. That's all. Everything in between is just there to pad out the time. It's also just one level. After you go home that's it. You can replay it again but who in their right mind would want to do that. It's also annoying to play. You fall into these pit holes and you gotta hover out, but you can fall right back in and it just gets frustrating after a point. Also the constant decreasing health is a dumb idea but I guess what other challenge could you have included.

What made it fun?
It wasn't fun at all. I chose to write about this game because of the amount of dislike I have towards it. At a certain point it feels like Warshaw did everything in his power to make such an agonizing game. Granted he only had like six weeks to make this game so I guess the blame falls more on Atari for rushing the game. The best part about this game is its legacy. It's funny that they buried a bunch of copies in a landfill. It's funny that it's cited as one of the reasons for the crash of gaming at that time.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
The game is influential only because it is one of the causes of the video game crash and the downfall of Atari. It was a doomed game from the start. With only six weeks to develop it Warshaw was left in a tough spot to try and ship the game for the holiday season. It was a hit atari needed at the time to regain some prominence. The game did terrible and only further cemented the upcoming crash of the video game industry. Its failure and lack of sales led to a bunch of cartridges being buried in a new mexico landfill. This was an urban legend that was proven to be true in 2014 when they dug up the cartridges. Et is considered to be one of the worst games ever and is a cautionary tale in the industry.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
It was a boring and confusing game that is only one long boring level. 1 star.
(It honestly doesn't deserve that much hate i'm just tired and stressed... won't change my score though)

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 6

Name of Game
The Oregon Trail

Game author (If known)
Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger

Game Studio
Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC)

Original Platform & control mechanism
It was released on some of the first home computers and everything was controlled using the keyboard.

Control mechanism you used
I played the Oregon trail on a website that emulated the look and feel of an old apple computer. It featured a digital keyboard but you could use your own. You also had to search the folders for the game before you play it. I also play an updated version

Describe gameplay and mechanics
The Oregon Trail is a text based game that involves you traveling to Oregon with a group of 5 people 1 being the leader and the others being whoever you want. Before you journey out you must buy supplies that include spare parts, bullets, food, clothes and other stuff. At the start you are given 400 dollars to help prepare. Throughout your journey you will face obstacles that vary from your wagon breaking down to one of your oxen dying. While going along the trail you'll face natural obstacles as well such as a river that could lead to you losing members or supplies. There are pit stops along the way that allow you to buy more supplies, trade or talk to other people that give hints and other bits of story. As you journey your party members eat away at the food and occasionally a pop up will appear that'll tell you one of them got sick, broke a bone or died. The purpose of the game is to make it to Oregon with all your members.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
My one big problem with the game is that you can't check in on your members, at least to my knowledge. I'm pretty sure in future installments you can but that's my one major issue. Another would be the lack of things to do at stops. Talking to people is cool but it's not that super important, as well as trading. A lot of the trades are just really bad. The strengths are the random events you encounter and the gameplay. The random encounters provide challenges to work around in the game. The gameplay itself is simple but really fun. The graphics are also really nice, at least in this version. It’s simple but appealing!

What made it fun?
The random things that happen along the way are frustrating and fun at the same time. I named my members after my friends and it was just fun to see what would happen to them. One of my members died a month into the journey and it was funny. One playthrough I had little to no food and towards the end I got mugged for everything I had. Although it was annoying it still provides fun challenges to work around in the game. Also the hunting in the game, although really simple, is quite fun to play around in. Even if it's really annoying how little of the meat you carry back.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
It was one of the first super popular pc games and an incredibly successful education game that also happened to be one of the first of its kind. It's also a game that got updated over the years with graphical improvements and gameplay improvements. It's also one of the first games that allowed you to name members of your party and popularized the idea within gaming. Despite being an educational game it was a fun experience that happens to teach you something about history.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I give it 4 stars, it's really fun! I enjoyed the game a ton. I definitely got a bit carried away and eventually stopped playing it when everyone except me drowned. I recommend playing it!

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 7

Name of Game
Legend of Zelda

Game author (If known)
Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka

Game Studio
Nintendo

Original Platform & control mechanism
Originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System(NES), it used a controller that had a D-pad for movement and menu navigation, two face buttons (A for sword attack) (B for secondary item), start and select for menus and pausing .

Control mechanism you used
I played on a website that emulated the game and used the arrows for movement, the X for attacking and Z for secondary items, the enter and shift for menus and pausing.

Describe game play and mechanics
You start off with nothing but a cave in front of you that you must walk into and collect your sword which is wooden and shoots out beams when you are at full health. You travel around the overworld looking for heart pieces, rupees, items, and upgrades. You then come across dungeons in which you solve puzzles and use keys to progress until you reach a boss that will reward you with health and a piece of the Tirforce until you reach the very end where you face Ganon. You then use the silver arrows to defeat him and save princess zelda which can then lead to a new adventure with slightly different dungeons.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The Biggest strengths Zelda provides is its open exploration and the music and sound designs. The music in the game is incredibly catchy, the overworld theme at this point is iconic and it's a brilliant piece of looping music that helps fuel the call for adventure. The dungeon theme is sinister and mysterious. You'll never know what you'll come across and the gameover theme is hauntingly beautiful. The overworld is also filled with secrets around every corner. You may start off with a wooden sword but if you explore around enough and complete dungeons and upgrade your health you'll be able to acquire a stronger weapon. It's all so cool! Although the game's main weakness is that you'll probably need a guide to complete the game. A lot of the secrets in this game are very well hidden and you can't unlock a map of the overwork that could help with traveling around.

What made it fun?
Despite not knowing where I was going most of the time I loved to explore the overworld. As a kid I would play this zelda game a ton and I didn't know what to do but I would explore and occasionally come across a dungeon or item.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
The Legend of Zelda is a game that influenced many games and has had plenty of games that have tried to copy it. Zelda has introduced concepts that have influenced plenty of games as well. It's one of the first open world games that would eventually become the open world game in today's age.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I rate it 4 STARS the game is peak and offers up a ton of fun! You'll just need a guide to figure out a lot of its secrets and ways to progress.

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 8

Name of Game
Sonic the Hedgehog

Game author (If known)
Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, Hirokazu Yasuhara, Sonic team

Game Studio
Sega

Original Platform & control mechanism
Originally released on a Sega Genesis that uses a controller that features a d-pad a start button and 3 buttons A,B,C

Control mechanism you used
I played through a website that emulates the game. The arrow keys were used to control Sonics movement and the z,x and a keys were used to jump in game. Shift was used to start the game.

Describe game play and mechanics
You run through the stage and try to get through it as fast as you can while attacking enemies that release these small woodland creatures. While running though stages you can go through the upper levels which are far faster or fall to the lower levels which are slower and usually have spikes and platforms. Throughout the stages you gather rings which allow you to take one hit and live. Once you get hit they all scatter. Similarly scattered through the stages are boxes that either contain an invincibility power up, 10 rings or a 1- up. At the end of one of the stages you go up against a boss that dies in 3 hits. Also you can come across these giant floating rings that once you enter will take you to a special stage that if completed will grant you one of the 7 chaos emeralds that will allow you to become super sonic once you've gathered them all.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The character design and the main idea of the game are the strongest things about sonic. Sonic’s character design is really cool! The colors his design uses are brilliant. The blue used for his main color helps him stand out as long as the pop of red his shoes provide and the tan arms that helped his arms stand out in game. It's such a clean design that makes him look so sharp and cool compared to Mario, as well as the whole game being about making it through the level as fast as you can. Which was opposed to Mario's much slower gameplay. Another strong thing about the game is the movement and momentum of the game. Sonic just feels smooth to control and it adds to how fun the movement can be. The weakest part would be the levels that force you to slow down a ton which completely goes against the whole point of the game which is to go fast.

What made it fun?
Sonic's movement and momentum is what makes the game fun. You start off with a walk that gradually speeds up into his full run. It's fun to move around the stages with his momentum. You gotta build up speed to go up inclines and loops. It's a nice addition that goes a long way. It's also fun to use his speed to try and get through the stage as fast as possible without slowing down or falling to the slower paths.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
The introduction of Sonic was a huge thing. Not only did it help launch a console but it helped them stand a chance against Nintendo. Sonic stood as an actual rival to Mario and allowed Sega to market the differences to children. Sonic became this super cool character that stood in direct contrast to Mario. Sonic made Sega seem cool and hip. Without sonic sega would have never broken into the american market and they would have never been able to shake up the games industry as much as they did in the 90s. Sonic helped pave the way for other consoles to try and challenge Nintendo and created a challenge that helped all of the consoles at the time to try and improve as fast as they could. As a result we saw consoles and games improve in many ways as they tried to one up each other.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
4 stars! I really like Sonic the Hedgehog and speed through the level is very fun. Although there are some levels that aren't fun to get through and are a slog compared to the fast pace of the normal levels.

[Professor Watkins]

Graded to here.

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 9

Name of Game
Super Metroid

Game author (If known)
Yoshio Sakamoto

Game Studio
Nintendo

Original Platform & control mechanism
Originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System(SNES), it used a controller that had a D-pad for movement and menu navigation, X is used to shoot, A to jump, B to dash, Select to item select, Y to cancel selection, R Bumper to angle up, and L Bumper to angle down.

Control mechanism you used
I played on the switch using the Nintendo online service. It had the same exact controls as the snes version with the exception of being able to use the joystick.

Describe gameplay and mechanics
You run around the 2d levels and make your way through the area while platforming and shooting down enemies and obstacles. As you explore the area the map gets filled out and you gain upgrades and gadgets to help further explore the level. Upgrades affect traversal and combat which range from increased jumping abilities to gaining the ability to speed down halls and drop bombs. As well as different blaster types for your weapon.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The atmosphere and sound are amazing and help sell the feeling of being on an alien planet. The pixel art is beautiful and the backgrounds are a delight to look at and help the main character stand out. The game is also fairly straightforward and easy to understand compared to the other two games offered today. I would say backtracking through the massive level could get tedious later into the game. The music is iconic and fuels the idea of being a bounty hunter in the depths of space. All of the songs are just bangers.

What made it fun?
Among the most appealing aspects of the game for me is exploring the level. You explore a map that gets filled out as you make your way through the different rooms and you have to memorize where you can progress and where your progress is being impeded. The most satisfying thing about exploring is coming across an upgrade or collectible that is in a somewhat secret area. There's just something rewarding about finding it. The loop of finding upgrades and figuring out how they benefit you is really fun. The experience of trying out a new upgrade, whether it's to improve traversal or combat, is always a blast. Rushing through the level fully upgraded towards the end is such a blast and especially rewarding as not all upgrades are mandatory, specifically referring to the missile upgrades.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Metroid is most definitely influential and has inspired countless games and has spawned its own genre of games which are named Metroidvanias. The game built upon the far more simplistic original and its sequel and added layers to it that make it endlessly replayable and such a blast for people to speedrun through.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I rate it 5 stars! It's a really fun game and it looks amazing. The gameplay is simple but fun. Exploring always feels rewarding and makes it hard to put down the game.

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 10

Name of Game
Ape Escape

Game author (If known)
Masamichi Seki

Game Studio
Sony Computer Entertainment

Original Platform & control mechanism
Originally released on the playstation, and the first game to utilize the Dualshock controller which allowed for two analog sticks. The game used the two analog sticks for running around (left) and for using your gadgets(right). The face buttons were used to select your gadgets and the jump button was allocated to R1. L1 was used to move the camera towards the way your character was facing. L2 was used to go into first person and R2 was used to jump again. Another quirky thing about the controls of this game is that X and O are used to accept things while Triangle and Square were used to reject.

Control mechanism you used
I played the game on my playstation 5 and it controls the exact same as the original would.

Describe gameplay and mechanics
In Ape Escape you play as Spike who chases Apes around different levels and tries to capture them while using the environment and your gadgets which are a total of 9. There are 8 different unique worlds with 3 levels for each world, with a total of 22 levels in total. Before each level except for 3 levels you will get a little cutscene telling you how many Apes you need to catch in order to progress to the next level, the amount needing to progress being a little less than the total amount of apes in the level. Now for the 3 stages where you don’t capture apes you will go up against your rival in a race in which you use all of your gadgets at that point to win. Spike has 5 hit points which are represented as cookies and can be recovered through gathering 100 gold chips or by getting another cookie which these small enemies can drop. Also throughout the levels are these gold coins that you can collect. At the end of each world you'll face a boss which doesn't have any apes for you to collect.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
I absolutely adore the basic idea of this game and the gameplay. Just running around and catching monkeys is so fun! The worlds are all so interesting and all the gadgets are used very well throughout the whole game. The art for the game itself is also amazing! The models for the monkeys are so iconic and it's always such a treat to see them around the levels doing different things. Now of course my one major complaint is the camera. It works fine for what it is but controlling it with the left bumper and trigger is a pain. I mean the other analog stick is being used for the gadgets but i feel the gadgets could have been assigned to the face buttons like the remake on psp but have the camera assigned to the right analog stick like any other game. But regardless the game is still very fun to play.

What made it fun?
Exploring and capturing the Apes are what made it fun. The levels aren't massive but each have their own special quirks whether it be a dinosaur that roams around and impedes you from capturing a monkey or swimming your way through the ocean to traverse through the level. Speaking of the different levels and Apes, the best part about each level is coming across each of the different apes and trying to figure out how to catch them. A lot of them are stationed somewhere that requires more than the run up and hope for the best method. It’s so satisfying to figure out how to catch the stubborn or annoying ones.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
The game is influential as it was the first game that required what is now Playstation's flagship controller, the dualshock.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I'd rate this 4 stars. I absolutely love the game and all its quirkiness but the camera being limited to the left bumper and trigger is always bizarre. It always takes a while for me to get used to it, but it's a good sacrifice to be able to use the right analog stick for the gadgets which are fun to use!

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 11

Name of Game
Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time

Game author (If known)
Toru Osawa
Yoichi Yamada
Eiji Aonuma
Yoshiaki Koizumi
Toshio Iwawaki

Game Studio
Nintendo

Original Platform & control mechanism
Originally released on the Nintendo 64 that utilized the weird N64 controller and its odd buttons. the joy stick was used for movement and the c buttons were used for the ocarina and additional items. The A and B button were used for actions and attacking. The triggers were used to control the camera and the Z button was used to lock on.

Control mechanism you used
I played on a website that emulated the game. The game itself ran okayish but it's definitely not an ideal way to play. All of the buttons were set up in such a weird way that it took me a while to get used to.

Describe gameplay and mechanics
Gameplay consists of you running around and rolling. You attack with your sword and protect yourself with your shield, you have access to three swords and 3 shields over the course of the game. You have two ocarinas over the course of the game that do pretty much the same thing and you use them to teleport around the map and unlock parts of the map and what not. Along with your sword and ocarina taking two permanent item slots you have an additional 2 slots that can be used for other items of your choice.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
The weakest thing to me is the text speed. The text moves so slowly…. But that's the only negative thing I can think of for this game because this game is amazing. The music in this game is godly. The main theme is such a beautiful tune that exudes mystery and makes me wanna jump in and save Zelda. The music is just so lovely and iconic, from the music that plays during your adventure through Hyrule and its dungeons down to the simple tunes you can play on the ocarina. It's all just a treat to the ears. The gameplay and exploration is just so fun. Running around Hyrule doing side quests and finding collectibles is rewarding and thrilling. I could just gush on and on about this game and how I love its artstyle and the dungeons. It's just a perfect game to me.

What made it fun?
The exploration and dungeons are what make it fun. Running around Hyrule and discovering all of the collectibles scattered about is fun and rewarding. Whether it be the heart pieces that upgrade your health or the skulltula coins that can reward you a variety of things which include heart pieces and wallet upgrades. The dungeons in the game are just so fun and interesting. They all have their own themes and puzzles to solve and introduce a new item to you that helps add to exploration outside of the dungeon. Additionally the world is just so interesting. There are characters that populate the world that give you neat little side quests that add to their own personality. For instance there is this one guy who you must race but you can't win at all it's just impossible. It's a fun little quirky thing that adds to the world.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
This game is super important in videogame history. Not only has it influenced so many games, it was an important stepping stone into figuring out combat in 3d. The z targeting system the game has is an influential idea that has been replicated so many times in so many other action games. The Dark souls creator has called this game a textbook for 3d action games.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I give it 5 stars! This game is amazing and I've replayed it so many times and have enjoyed it each and every time. It’s such an important game and has inspired so many other games and holds such an important place in video game history.

[NearSharp]

Journal Entry 12

Name of Game
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix

Game author (If known)
Tetsuya Nomura

Game Studio
Square Enix in collaborations with Disney Interactive

Original Platform & control mechanism
Originally released on the Ps2 and controlled with the use of the dualshock 2. The Left joystick is used for player movement, the right joystick is used for camera movement. The D-pad is used to control what you select on the character action hud (magic and items), Triangle is used for reaction commands, Square is used to guard/ Roll, X is used to attack and circle is used to jump. R1 is used to lock on and L1 opens up a shortcut menu that allows you to use any of the equipped magic quickly.

Control mechanism you used
I played on the PS5 with the help of the 2.5 collection which features the final mix version of Kingdom Hearts 2, which was released 2 years after the original on the ps2 and was never released outside of Japan and contains a bunch of new content. The game controls the exact same as the original version.

Describe game play and mechanics
You explore plenty of Disney worlds and some original worlds as sora with the help of your two main party members Donald and Goofy. Along with these two party members you can occasionally replace one of them with another character depending on the world you are visiting. As you explore disney worlds you take out plenty of heartless and nobodies. When defeating any enemy you gain exp which allows you to gain ability points which you use to equip specific abilities. At the end of each world you'll face a boss. Many worlds have second visits which feature new enemies and bosses. After leaving one of the worlds you get placed into this hub area that allows you to travel to the other worlds. Before being able to warp to the world you must go through these on rail shooter sections using the gumi-ship which has its own system of ship building and upgrades. Your main character Sora has access to plenty of magic spells which use up mp that recharges after you use it up completely. Sora also has access to a variety of Keyblades which have different abilities and damage and magic stats. Finally new to this game are drive forms which sora fuses with one of his party members to gain access to new abilities and increased strength or magic or both. Using these forms will grant Sora access to new abilities that he can permanently equip to his base form.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
Honestly it's hard for me to say anything bad about this game. It's just an amazing game with fun combat. The music is godly and the art direction is fantastic. The issues I did have with the original Kingdom Hearts are all addressed. The gumi-ship sections are a lot more fun for me in this game and is probably my favorite approach in the series. My only issue with this game is that I always compare other games in the series to it! But that just shows how highly I think of this game.

What made it fun?
The combat, character traversal and exploration are what make this game a blast. The combat is simple and addicting. With the use of magic, drive forms and combo abilities Sora is such a blast to use. He feels so powerful and the combat feels so smooth compared to other games. Learning patterns feels rewarding. Enemies have clear tells when they are about to launch an attack. They have a revenge value that stops you from comboing them to death. In other games enemies rarely have knockback but in this game they do and it just makes the combat so dang good! After gaining access to all of soras drive abilities traversing around the map is so fun! The worlds are all so grand and enjoyable to explore in this game.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
I'd say the biggest influential thing about this game is that it's a collaboration between Disney and Square Enix's Final Fantasy that successfully combines the worlds into a great game. It’s a baffling combination that just works and continues to have plenty of success. As a result of this collaboration Kingdom Hearts is more owned by Disney than it is by Square Enix. Sora's inclusion Smash bros ultimate as the final character was a huge surprise and cements the fact that this beloved series has had a huge impact on the gaming world.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I give it 5 stars! This game is peak kingdom hearts and I recommend everyone give it a try! Its by far my favorite Kingdom Hearts game!