Leopoldo Esuivel - Journal Entries

[Leopoldo]

Leopoldo Esuivel

Name of Game:
Resident Evil 2

Game Author :
Shinji Mikami (Producer)

Game Studio:
Capcom

Original Platform & Control Mechanism:
Resident Evil 2 was originally released for the PlayStation and used tank controls with the D-pad. This control scheme required players to rotate their character before moving forward, which added tension but could feel clunky during intense moments. The fixed camera angles further heightened the horror by limiting visibility and forcing players to carefully manage their surroundings.

Control Mechanism Used:
I played Resident Evil 2 on Steam using a keyboard and mouse. This setup provided more precise aiming and smoother movement compared to the original tank controls. The updated control scheme made combat feel more responsive and reduced some of the frustrations players experienced in the original game.

Would the experience have been different using the original?
Yes, the experience would have been noticeably different. The original's tank controls made movement slower and more methodical, adding to the game's tension. Additionally, the Steam version is a full remake with improved graphics, dynamic lighting, and redesigned environments, which drastically change the overall atmosphere. While the original relied on fixed camera angles for suspense, the remake’s over-the-shoulder perspective creates a more immersive and intense experience. Playing on PC with modern controls felt smoother and less restrictive, but the original’s design arguably added more tension due to its deliberate limitations.

Gameplay and Mechanics
Resident Evil 2 is a survival horror game that emphasizes resource management, puzzle-solving, exploration, and has static camera angles that are used in the game which creates tension by limiting the player's view and often obscuring threats until they're dangerously close. Players must manage a limited inventory, making agonizing decisions about what to take. Ammunition and medicinal items are scarce, adding to the challenge and encouraging strategic thinking. The two-character system of the game allows players to experience the story from both Leon's and Claire's perspectives. Every character's campaign features unique puzzles, enemies, and story beats, which increases replay value. The traditional "Zapping System" also enriches the experience by enabling choices in one campaign to affect the other. Puzzle design ranges from traditional item collection to reading environmental clues, offering variety on top of combat. The blend of tension, backtracking, and puzzle-solving creates a multi-layered experience that will keep players engrossed, and its pacing ensures that moments of respite are shattered by frenetic confrontations.

Strengths & Weaknesses of Art & Design
Resident Evil 2's art and design succeed in crafting an oppressive and unsettling atmosphere. The pre-rendered backgrounds are richly detailed, with decaying locales, blood-stained walls, and flickering lights that immerse players in the horror setting. The environments, ranging from the timeless Raccoon City Police Station to the grim underground labs, are distinctive and linked, building the sense of momentum. Character designs, particularly for memorable foes like the Licker and Tyrant, are horrific and menacing, and reinforce the tension within the game. Visual storytelling, through elements like scattered documents, overturned furniture, and ominous graffiti, adds depth to the tale without cumbersome dialogue. But the game's static camera angles, while suspenseful, occasionally hinder combat by obscuring enemies. Some of the character animations are stiff by modern standards, and while the pre-rendered graphics are detailed, they may appear blurry or pixelated on larger screens today. Despite this, the game's atmosphere, creature designs, and environmental detail still hold up incredibly well.

What Made It Fun?
Resident Evil 2 is fun because it consistently keeps players on their toes while also encouraging exploration and strategic consideration. The limited resources challenge players to conserve their inventory, deciding when to engage enemies or when to conserve ammunition, which gives the sense of accomplishment when surviving difficult encounters or solving puzzles for access to new locations. The interconnected map design encourages exploration, with rooms and hallways that gradually reveal shortcuts, hidden items, and environmental clues, making the police station feel like a real, lived-in place. The game's story is also a major factor in its appeal, as playing as Leon or Claire provides different perspectives on the same events, encouraging multiple playthroughs. Choices made in one campaign can influence the other, adding replay value. Memorable moments, like the first time the Licker is encountered or being chased by the Tyrant, are moments of horror and thrills that are remembered by players long after the game has been finished. The mix of horror, action, and puzzles offers a satisfying balance that keeps gameplay exciting, and learning the mechanics, recognizing enemy patterns, and finding the best path through each area gives a sense of progression and achievement. This combination of tension, challenge, and discovery makes Resident Evil 2 an experience that is difficult to forget.

Influence and Evolution in Gaming
Resident Evil 2 is considered influential as it expanded on the foundations of survival horror and incorporated mechanics that would shape the genre for years to come. Its fixed camera angles, tank controls, and emphasis on resource management created tension by forcing players to think carefully about combat and exploration. While all of these mechanics were present in the original Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2 built upon them with a more complex storyline, a larger game world, and the innovative "Zapping System," whereby choices in one campaign would influence the other. This system encouraged playthroughs of the game and demonstrated how player choice could be utilized to make the narrative experience more dynamic. The pre-rendered, high-detailed backgrounds of the game, as well as its cinematic cutscenes, set a new standard for visual fidelity for storytelling in horror games. Its memorable enemy designs, like the Licker and the unstoppable Tyrant, are burned into memory. Resident Evil 2 also set a template for survival horror level design, with its interlinked locations, locked doors that require backtracking, and environmental puzzles that reward observation and exploration. All of these elements were highly influential in future horror games, including Silent Hill, Dead Space, and The Evil Within. Through the use of tension, puzzle-solving, and story-driven gameplay, Resident Evil 2 became an influential game that shaped the path of horror games.

Rating
4.6 Stars
Resident Evil 2 is a fun, tense experience with rewarding gameplay and classic design. While its now-dated mechanics can be awkward by today's standards, its atmosphere, puzzles, and replay value help make it a superb entry in gaming history.

[Leopoldo]

Leopoldo Esquivel

Name of Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Game Author: Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi, Kensuke Tanabe, and Koji Kondo.

Game Studio: Nintendo

Original Platform & Control Mechanism:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s original platform was the Nintendo 64. The N64 controller is an “M” shape featuring three handles. Players typically held the center and right handles, with their left thumb on the analog stick for movement. The Z-trigger, located at the back of the center handle, is for the game’s Z-targeting system, which allows players to lock onto enemies or objects for smoother combat and interaction. The yellow C-buttons are for camera control and quick item shortcuts. The A and B buttons control actions like sword attacks, interacting with objects, and talking to NPCs. The Start button functioned as the pause menu for inventory management. This control scheme was intuitive for its time but can feel unconventional compared to modern controllers.

Control Mechanism Used:
I played Ocarina of Time using a Nintendo Switch Pro controller via browser emulator with a custom layout managed by Steam for my PC. I mapped my Y button as the Z button, which just felt more comfortable to me than using the bumper. I also swapped my B and A buttons to better mimic the N64 layout. For movement, I used the left joystick as expected, and I used the right joystick to simulate the C-buttons for camera control and item shortcuts. The bumpers were set to be the same as the actual N64 controller, and the select button stayed the same as well. I did like the layout I set up it was fun to go through a part of the beginning of the game however controlling the camera with the right stick did not fully replicate the N64’s Z-targeting mechanics, making precise aiming and certain puzzle segments feel hard to do. Despite all the changes, the experience did feel manageable once I adapted to the layout and how the game’s controls just worked in general. It just throws you into the game and expects you to solve all the puzzles I got stuck at the start for a good bit trying to wander lost woods then realizing I do not have the ocarina or sling shot.

Would the Experience Have Been Different Using the Original? How?
Yes. Playing on an emulator with a Switch controller felt awkward at times, especially with camera control. In first-person view, I struggled to aim or look around smoothly, which I imagine would have felt more natural with the original N64’s Z-targeting system. The inability to rotate the camera freely, like in modern open-world games, felt jarring and limited my control over my surroundings. The original controller’s layout, especially with the Z-trigger positioned for easy aiming, would have improved my experience in combat and puzzle-solving.

Gameplay and Mechanics:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time plays very well with action, adventure, and puzzles. Link is a young hero destined to save the kingdom of Hyrule by defeating Ganondorf. The game introduced an advanced system of Z-targeting allowing the players to lock onto enemies and various other objects to make combat and interaction more precise. Dungeon puzzles ask for item usage, environmental observation, and strategic thinking to clear them. The most important gameplay element is turning back time, whereby Link alternates its forms between child and adult to solve puzzles and progress in the storyline. The ocarina serves multiple purposes such as unlocking doors, controlling the weather, and interacting with characters. Combat is easy, but some areas can be frustrating as there is no modern camera control. Overall, the game totally immerses a wide range of players into its world because of exploration, combat, and puzzle solving.

Strengths & Weaknesses of Art & Design:
The art and design of Ocarina of Time were innovative at that time. Its environments were lush and varied, representing ranging from fertile forests to snares. The atmospheres of polygon graphics were kept alive by unforgettable sound and music. Character design was best expressed as Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf, fully accentuating the fantasy tone of the game. However, the game itself in terms of texture and models feels really outdated compared to today's standards. The static camera does not leave an area visually confusing at times, especially when viewed in smaller confined spaces or when fighting several enemies. Even with all of this, strong art direction still has gravity because, in the end, it is based on solid visual storytelling along with iconic designs that still influence ideas in contemporary fantasy games.

What made it fun:
What made it enjoyable from Ocarina of Time was a sense of discovery and advancement. Always learning something new like an ocarina song, getting a item, or discovering a new area. Each dungeon seemed distinct from the others, with puzzles that involved creativity. The thrill of unlocking new gears, such as the Hookshot or the Master Sword, provided a sense of accomplishment with growth. Simple as it was, the story quickly became important due to its memorable characters and emotional moments-certainly memorable. Exploration in Hyrule felt broad and rewarding, even without modern open-world mechanics.
However, what really impressed with the game was the pacing. The rhythm of action, puzzle-solving, and exploration kept one sufficiently engaged without being overwhelmed. Even moments of quiet exploration, such as playing the Sun's Song to change time, felt meaningful. The combination of iconic music, memorable characters, and engaging puzzles made it timeless.

Reasons for the Game to be Called Influential:
When it comes to video games, Ocarina of Time is reckoned to be the best of all time. This is due to innovative mechanics and design choices. With Z-targeting, the game brought 3D combat into a whole new world where players could engage enemies in action much differently. The mechanics of puzzle-solving, exploration, and fighting were based on the foundation upon which other hauler adventure games could be built upon. The game created a much more cinematic feel regarding storytelling for that time: cut scenes with well-made dialogues and fantastic action events involved players in the economy of Hyrule. Using time manipulation to solve puzzles gave a different depth to gameplay and inspired future games. Besides, how it incorporates logic puzzles with exploration makes the dungeon design a paragon that has shaped level design across the industry. Ocarina of Time was a hallmark of action-adventure games, and its principles are still shaping modern game design.

Rating: 4.7/5)
This game was the most unusual for me. It felt different from watching someone else play but rewarding and a little frustrating at times. Sure, the game has some old mechanics, but it will always be attractive, creative, and memorable enough to be a classic.