Spelunky (PC) (2013)
Relevant Links:
Spelunky Website
Spelunky - PC (IGN.com)
Spelunky (Wikipedia.org)
Spelunky (GameSpot.com)
20140102:
Players: Michael (red), Josh (yellow), Chris (blue), Me (green).
Input: Four controllers.
Out of the players, only Michael has played before. Actually, Michael has played the game quite a number of times and knows a lot about the single player gameplay. Regardless, there was a lot of adjustment that had to be made as a group.
First, one person holds a flag which designates who the camera follows as well as the person who gets to make the purchases.
The basic whip attack will stun fellow players but will not deal them damage. Any other physical attack such as a rock or falling object will hurt your teammates. Other fatalities include death by bomb or sending your fellow teammate into spikes.
Thankfully, we're good friends, and we keep the game fun by not being all too serious about just winning and gaining points. In addition, a dead player isn't useless. When dead, a player can float around the screen as a ghost, set off traps, and blow on enemies, sometimes capable of stunning them. Furthermore, upon finding a coffin, the ghost which died first is resurrected.
Note that while the co-op mode sounds anything but detrimental (actually, it usually it is), one fun and occasionally useful aspect is to pick up a teammate and toss him/her. The player being thrown is stunned, but this technique allows for reaching some high places without using a rope.
Overall, the mayhem reminds me of Magicka (PC) (2011), except worse.
20140103:
Players: Michael (green), Josh (yellow), Me (blue).
Input: Three controllers.
With only three players playing, some of the mayhem present from yesterday disappears. Then again, part of yesterday's mayhem was only because we fell into a cycle of whipping each other at the beginning of each new level. I knew I must have done so by mistake early on, someone (not to point fingers) was doing it intentionally, and at least one other person began doing it out of revenge. It was a lot of fun. Deadly, but fun.
However, it was nice that the idea of cooperating in multiplayer is possible. Of course, like yesterday, there were still a lot of friendly fire, simply due to the a large learning curve.
20140104:
Players: Michael (blue), Josh (red), Phuong (green), Me (blue).
Input: Four controllers.
While the number of players today went back up to four, play today was much more structured.
Upon writing this entry (20140119), I realized that technically speaking, if Josh really enjoyed playing ghost, we could have paused the game to switch controllers around anytime he was alive and someone else was dead. I'm sure he enjoyed being alive, but he did express enthusiasm over being a ghost. He was, furthermore, an effective and useful ghost.
3.6 hrs on record.
[20140119]
20140119:
Player: Me.
Input: Keyboard.
Today, for the first time, I played the single player game.
Compared to the multiplayer game, I got a greater sense of the trial-and-error aspect in the single player game. Similar to Super Meat Boy (PC) (2010), every death meant I had to start over. Unlike Super Meat Boy, the elements within a level are randomized. With that being said, it was still plenty of fun.
Comments:
The rope gets thrown directly above the character's head, not in front of the character.
Spikes won't hurt if descended down among them with a rope.
To get down from too high a ledge, try hanging from the ledge and then releasing a rope.
The damsel, when not held or stunned, will walk on her own, even to her death.
Suppose you're at the edge of a platform and a platform is directly above you. You can get on it by initiating a jump after having walked to the edge (the animation will show you teetering).
The boomerang is a powerful weapon, but you have to face the direction in which it is returning to you. You will take damage if it hits you in the back of the head. The weapon also requires a direct return or will stop dead.
You can break web by jumping into it.
The rock takes some getting used to but is very useful.
 |
| The damsel is stuck in web! |
Relevant Links:
Spelunky Website
Spelunky - PC (IGN.com)
Spelunky (Wikipedia.org)
Spelunky (GameSpot.com)
20140102:
Players: Michael (red), Josh (yellow), Chris (blue), Me (green).
Input: Four controllers.
 |
| A little four player silliness. |
Out of the players, only Michael has played before. Actually, Michael has played the game quite a number of times and knows a lot about the single player gameplay. Regardless, there was a lot of adjustment that had to be made as a group.
First, one person holds a flag which designates who the camera follows as well as the person who gets to make the purchases.
The basic whip attack will stun fellow players but will not deal them damage. Any other physical attack such as a rock or falling object will hurt your teammates. Other fatalities include death by bomb or sending your fellow teammate into spikes.
 |
| The rock is a great weapon. |
Thankfully, we're good friends, and we keep the game fun by not being all too serious about just winning and gaining points. In addition, a dead player isn't useless. When dead, a player can float around the screen as a ghost, set off traps, and blow on enemies, sometimes capable of stunning them. Furthermore, upon finding a coffin, the ghost which died first is resurrected.
Note that while the co-op mode sounds anything but detrimental (actually, it usually it is), one fun and occasionally useful aspect is to pick up a teammate and toss him/her. The player being thrown is stunned, but this technique allows for reaching some high places without using a rope.
 |
| It's so dark in here. |
Overall, the mayhem reminds me of Magicka (PC) (2011), except worse.
20140103:
Players: Michael (green), Josh (yellow), Me (blue).
Input: Three controllers.
With only three players playing, some of the mayhem present from yesterday disappears. Then again, part of yesterday's mayhem was only because we fell into a cycle of whipping each other at the beginning of each new level. I knew I must have done so by mistake early on, someone (not to point fingers) was doing it intentionally, and at least one other person began doing it out of revenge. It was a lot of fun. Deadly, but fun.
 |
| Saving the damsel. |
However, it was nice that the idea of cooperating in multiplayer is possible. Of course, like yesterday, there were still a lot of friendly fire, simply due to the a large learning curve.
20140104:
Players: Michael (blue), Josh (red), Phuong (green), Me (blue).
Input: Four controllers.
While the number of players today went back up to four, play today was much more structured.
 |
| She gives you a kiss! |
3.6 hrs on record.
[20140119]
20140119:
Player: Me.
Input: Keyboard.
Today, for the first time, I played the single player game.
 |
| With both the ghost and the spider, I was doomed. |
Compared to the multiplayer game, I got a greater sense of the trial-and-error aspect in the single player game. Similar to Super Meat Boy (PC) (2010), every death meant I had to start over. Unlike Super Meat Boy, the elements within a level are randomized. With that being said, it was still plenty of fun.
Comments:
The rope gets thrown directly above the character's head, not in front of the character.
Spikes won't hurt if descended down among them with a rope.
 |
| Using the cape to descend was fun. |
To get down from too high a ledge, try hanging from the ledge and then releasing a rope.
The damsel, when not held or stunned, will walk on her own, even to her death.
Suppose you're at the edge of a platform and a platform is directly above you. You can get on it by initiating a jump after having walked to the edge (the animation will show you teetering).
The boomerang is a powerful weapon, but you have to face the direction in which it is returning to you. You will take damage if it hits you in the back of the head. The weapon also requires a direct return or will stop dead.
 |
| Doing business with the shopkeeper. |
You can break web by jumping into it.
The rock takes some getting used to but is very useful.
Date/Time
Thursday, January 2, 2014
@
19:59
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