Sunday, December 30, 2018
Just Dance 3 (Wii) (2011)
Overview: A dance rhythm game. Follow the movements on the screen. The more accurately you can follow along (with respect to the sensor) the better your score. On the Nintendo Wii, performance is measured using the Wiimote.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Doki Doki Literature Club! (PC) (2017)
Overview: On the one hand, I don't want to give away the game's plot. On the other hand, I want readers to know what they're getting into. The game is a visual novel, and it is not a dating simulator. In fact, the game's description includes the following warning: "This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed." In different words, if you enjoy horror games or horror films,* then the warning probably doesn't apply to you.
*To put things into perspective, I can tolerate lighter horror games and horror films. For example, I'm fine with Five Nights at Freddy's, Alien, Alan Wake, and The Shining. However, if a game or film seems to be overly scary, then I won't touch it. For example, Slender: The Arrival and The Ring. Relatively speaking, Doki Doki Literature Club! - at least with respect to Act 1 - is less frightening and more disturbing.
20181220:
Ada and I began playing this game and there was some foreshadowing going on, but thus far it seems innocent. In particular, I have yet to understand the game's warning ("This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed").
Setup: Steam Link with Wired Xbox Controller and Wired Keyboard.
Gameplay Log:
10 minutes to setup game, controls, OBS
There seems to be some foreshadowing.
[Ada is tired of all the text, so I take the controller and start reading the text]
Ada chooses to read the poem to Sayori first. Ada figures cause she knows her already.
IRL, Ada falls asleep.
Ada chooses to read the poem to Yuri.
End session.
Steam Game Time: 73 minutes (total game time)*
*As mentioned in the log, 10 of these minutes were spent setting up.
[20181220][20220413 Edit]
20181221:
Wow. Today Ada and I played all the way to a point in the game that completely shocked us. I originally thought the "easily disturbed" warning might have been exaggerated, but it's spot on. To some extent, it is easy to dismiss the warning, because the ending of Act 1 is a twist to the story which may or may not be expected.
In any case, what I'm worried about now is whether or not we and/or I should continue playing. Is the story going to be even more disturbing than the disturbing level it has reached?
Setup: Steam Link with Wired Xbox Controller and Wired Keyboard.
Gameplay Log:
Since Ada was asleep yesterday and didn't remember the poems, I went back to the appropriate save file and we quickly went through Sayori and Yuri. I read.
Eventually, Ada took over the reading.
Wow. That ending was expected, yet shocking. I knew it would be bad, but I didn't know it would be like that...
Perhaps, what was more shocking, was the idea that we could just go back to a save point. And... we couldn't!
Trying to go into the save point ended up putting us straight into a new run. Almost an alternate timeline. It was surreal.
But it was getting late and we weren't going to play more. Ada got ready for bed, while I had to unwind.
Of course, I hypothesized that there wasn't any happy ending to be found in the story...
Steam Game Time: 5.7 hours (total game time)*
*There was some down time, so perhaps there was actually 4 hours of gameplay.
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Free
+ Cute music (most of the time...); Great soundtrack
+ Mind blown for plot twist
+ Brings something new to the visual novel genre
+ Replayability
Neutral:
~ Lots of pure reading (as opposed to making choices)
Minor Con:
- I'll never be able to undo my decision to play the game and take back what I experienced.
Summary:
After reaching an "ending," I'm lost for words on the game. In a complex, complicated fashion, I both enjoyed the game and was terrified of it. I would consider recommending the game, but it's thematically dark and I don't know what group of players would enjoy it; I haven't played enough psychological horror games to know.
Doki Doki Literature Club! (PC) (2017)
Relevant Links:
Doki Doki Literature Club! (Wikipedia.org)
Doki Doki Literature Club! (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Doki Doki Literature Club! (Steam Store Page)
 |
| Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki, and Monika |
*To put things into perspective, I can tolerate lighter horror games and horror films. For example, I'm fine with Five Nights at Freddy's, Alien, Alan Wake, and The Shining. However, if a game or film seems to be overly scary, then I won't touch it. For example, Slender: The Arrival and The Ring. Relatively speaking, Doki Doki Literature Club! - at least with respect to Act 1 - is less frightening and more disturbing.
20181220:
Ada and I began playing this game and there was some foreshadowing going on, but thus far it seems innocent. In particular, I have yet to understand the game's warning ("This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed").
Setup: Steam Link with Wired Xbox Controller and Wired Keyboard.
 |
| Monika |
Gameplay Log:
10 minutes to setup game, controls, OBS
There seems to be some foreshadowing.
[Ada is tired of all the text, so I take the controller and start reading the text]
Ada chooses to read the poem to Sayori first. Ada figures cause she knows her already.
IRL, Ada falls asleep.
Ada chooses to read the poem to Yuri.
End session.
Steam Game Time: 73 minutes (total game time)*
*As mentioned in the log, 10 of these minutes were spent setting up.
[20181220][20220413 Edit]
 |
| "Who should I show my poem to next?" |
20181221:
Wow. Today Ada and I played all the way to a point in the game that completely shocked us. I originally thought the "easily disturbed" warning might have been exaggerated, but it's spot on. To some extent, it is easy to dismiss the warning, because the ending of Act 1 is a twist to the story which may or may not be expected.
In any case, what I'm worried about now is whether or not we and/or I should continue playing. Is the story going to be even more disturbing than the disturbing level it has reached?
Setup: Steam Link with Wired Xbox Controller and Wired Keyboard.
 |
| Yuri, Monika, Sayori, and Natsuki |
Gameplay Log:
Since Ada was asleep yesterday and didn't remember the poems, I went back to the appropriate save file and we quickly went through Sayori and Yuri. I read.
Eventually, Ada took over the reading.
Wow. That ending was expected, yet shocking. I knew it would be bad, but I didn't know it would be like that...
Perhaps, what was more shocking, was the idea that we could just go back to a save point. And... we couldn't!
Trying to go into the save point ended up putting us straight into a new run. Almost an alternate timeline. It was surreal.
But it was getting late and we weren't going to play more. Ada got ready for bed, while I had to unwind.
Of course, I hypothesized that there wasn't any happy ending to be found in the story...
 |
| Spending the weekend with Natsuki. |
Steam Game Time: 5.7 hours (total game time)*
*There was some down time, so perhaps there was actually 4 hours of gameplay.
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Free
+ Cute music (most of the time...); Great soundtrack
+ Mind blown for plot twist
+ Brings something new to the visual novel genre
+ Replayability
 |
| Reading on the floor with Yuri. |
Neutral:
~ Lots of pure reading (as opposed to making choices)
Minor Con:
- I'll never be able to undo my decision to play the game and take back what I experienced.
Summary:
After reaching an "ending," I'm lost for words on the game. In a complex, complicated fashion, I both enjoyed the game and was terrified of it. I would consider recommending the game, but it's thematically dark and I don't know what group of players would enjoy it; I haven't played enough psychological horror games to know.
Doki Doki Literature Club! (PC) (2017)
 |
| Sayori's Poem |
Relevant Links:
Doki Doki Literature Club! (Wikipedia.org)
Doki Doki Literature Club! (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Doki Doki Literature Club! (Steam Store Page)
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Crypt of the NecroDancer (PC) (2015)
Overview: An action-RPG, rogue-like rhythm game. Enemies move and attack to the beat of the track. Evade them and attack to the beat as well. Unlock items, spells, and weapons to assist your progress. Unlock characters for a variety of gameplay.
20181219 AM Hours:
I played this to try a game on Steam Link. Unfortunately, it was late at night, I didn't want to turn the volume up, and I was sleepy.
Setup: Xbox One Controller.
Steam Game Time: 19 minutes
20181219:
Today I just decided to play the game on my computer. Was beginning to get the hang of it, especially when to just give up the combo. Before I would try to always move but I feel like that's the wrong move.
Setup: Keyboard.
Steam Game Time: 48 minutes (total game time) / 29 minutes (session game time)
20181219 Evening:
As I played more, I became more experienced on how certain enemies moved and how to deal with them. In part, the game also got easier as I understood how to use the various items.
The game has a lot to offer and I'm curious about playing the game with a dance pad. I have a dance pad for the PlayStation, so maybe I'll just buy a converter.
Gameplay Log:
I completed the first zone and began tackling the second zone.
I took a detour from the main story and played through the codex levels: "Dragon Lore," "Trap Lore," "Bomb Lore," and "How to Get Away with Murder." They revealed intricate aspects about the game.
The whip is difficult to use. I wish I could practice with it. Is there a weapons master to be unlocked? [20181223: Yes, today I unlocked him.]
Steam Game Time: 2.7 hours (total game time) / 1.9 hours (session game time)
20181220:
Okay, so I'm back for more, because this game is fun!
Gameplay Log:
How to use this drum? "Stand still, increased damage" In hindsight, perhaps I activate it and I'll increase my damage but am forced to stand still...
Nooo! I got to the Zone 2 boss but definitely panicked. I even had the "Horizontal Fire Blast" spell that would have cleared an entire part of the conga line.
I got this item from the shop that digs as I moved. I was so excited about using it to clear walls that I sort of didn't think about how to use it strategically. I quickly screwed myself to 0 health.
Lol. After a run I decided to watch a replay. For whatever reason, one of the moves was off and the game proceeded to replay the rest of the actions in the current map. This makes for a bugged replay which plays out events different than actually happened.
Steam Game Time: 3.8 hours (total game time) / 1.1 hours (session game time)
20181222:
Back!!!
Gameplay Log:
Looked up difference between Longsword and Spear. Saw some facts on other weapons as well.
Looked up what the two drums do (War Drum and Blood Drum)
Read about Shrine of Darkness.
Lol. I was having a decent run but ruined it because I kept confusing my Long Sword for a Broadsword.
Some Things I Learned (Organically):
Prior to today, I learned to use bombs to blow up walls and get gold.
Sometimes the mushrooms (Zone 2) will explode on their own. Actually, the mushrooms is how I first learned about blowing up the gold walls for gold.
Can kite dragon one space at a time vertically for easy kill.
The Minotaur will begin charging and stumble when he reaches something. I still do not, however, have a good strategy for defeating him (at least not with every weapon).
Still Mysterious:
How to kill dragon in a small room with no bomb.
My Favorite Weapon:
1) The long sword. I like the distance. It's straight-forward to use - like literally "straight" "forward."
2) Spear. Distance is also good but only strikes one. Maybe in this case I should try the arrow.
3) The flail is useful with big enemies like the minotaur and dragons, due to the knockback. However, I have less intuition with it on little enemies.
Steam Game Time: 6.1 hours (total game time) / 2.3 hours (session game time)
20181223:
Playing as Bard gives a strong understanding of enemy behavior.
Gameplay Log:
After a couple plays, I beat Zone 2 with Cadence.
Decided to play Bard (only Zone 1 is available, but all other shop-related business is same).
Unlocked Weapon Master (with Bard). It's so much easier to get gold multiplier going with Bard.
Unlocked the Diamond Dealer (with Bard).
Completed Zone 3 with Bard.
Steam Game Time: 9.2 hours (total game time) / 3.1 hours (session game time)
20181225:
Today I played more, but my attempt to play Zone 4 with Cadence was met with the realization that this might be hard. Interestingly, I reached the boss level for it (Dead Ringer) and was able to practice against him via the Bossmaster. However, even that was difficult!
Gameplay Log:
Completed Zone 3 with Cadence.
Read about Boots of Pain: Deal 3 Normal damage to an enemy or container upon moving directly towards it. (Take 1.5 damage when picked up)
Read about Ring of Gold: WTF. Enemies only drop 1 additional gold. Maybe it adds up... But... seems like a waste.
Read about Heavy Plate and Obsidian Armor.
Completed Zone 4 with Bard. 44 Diamonds. Buy a bunch for Cadence.
That run I barely made it to the start of the last zone. Couldn't even make it past the little room to the boss. There were four enemies there.
Completed Zone 1 with Dove. No boss to fight. Tough though. Also Shop offers two items for free, but only take one.
Holy crap. Playing Monk is not intuitive. Wanna grab that gold!
After many tries, I finally defeated Dead Ringer. I initially fought him (in practice mode) with the dagger. Then I tried many times with the arrow. Then I tried the flail (which was promising). Then I went back to the arrow (which doesn't knock away dissuade Dead Ringer in any way). I began to suspect how to defeat him. With the flail, I almost got him to where I wanted except he was only dashing horizontally. After some more tries, I was able to get him to do what I wanted.
Having discovered how to defeat Dead Ringer on my own, I allowed myself to read on some alternate strategies. On the Wiki, I found a link to a YouTube video explaining how to defeat Dead Ringer. In particular, there are two methods depending on if Dead Ringer starts on the left or right. If he starts on the left, the player can get Dead Ringer to destroy the bells. If he starts on the right, the player rings the two left bells while he rings the two right bells, and then line up for the center.
Apparently these knights are hard to fight with a flail.
Noooo!!! I defeated the Dead Ringer, got to the cutscene, and, after the cutscene, the game froze. [Technically, it just went black.*]
Steam Game Time: 16.9 hours (total game time) / 7.7 hours (session game time)
*I learned the next day that pressing up+down together will allow the player to continue.
20181226:
Unsatisfied with having gotten so far, I played some more to complete Zone 4.
Gameplay Log:
I tried again and got to Dead Ringer once. Died.
Got to Dead Ringer and defeated him! But the screen went black after the cutscene like before. This time I searched for it and found this Steam thread. One of the comments said to press up+down together. In my head, I thought such a solution sounded ridiculous, but I tried it anyways. And it worked! Oh my goodness.
Got pretty far with the NecroDancer. I did about three damage to him. Haha.
So NecroDancer was easier than Dead Ringer (I defeated him on my second try in Practice Mode).
Encountered Blunderbuss in the shop for the first time. Unfortunately, I was unable to use it efficiently (and died).
Beat Zone 4 with Cadence (i.e., defeated NecroDancer); this was my second run after my first encounter with him. As before I had to press up+down. I also had to press up+down after the credits. In any case, I think the Titanium Bow (6 diamonds from the Diamond Dealer) combined with the Potion (must be found) are the two most important items on this run. Two incredibly helpful items are Monocle and the Winged Boots. Useful, but unnecessary items, are food, backpack, Scroll of Need, and Riches scroll.
Steam Game Time: 19.3 hours (total game time) / 2.4 hours (session game time)
20200420:
I haven't played the game in a while, but I loaded it up in preparation for some co-op gaming. In particular, I wanted to test my dance pad out. Unfortunately, the PS-to-PC adapter I bought doesn't work with it. I'm not sure if it's because the dance pad is a third-party device, but I was able to use the adapter with a PlayStation controller.
Setup: Changed resolution. Xbox controller.
Towards the end of playing around, I tried playing with some of the music from Michael Jackson's Thriller. It was fun, but I actually like the original game music more.
Steam Game Time: 1.6 hours (session game time) / 20.9 hours (total game time)
20200423:
Today, using Steam Remote Play Together, I played coop with my friend Avishaan.
Setup: Invited Avi with Remote Play Together. Used Discord for chat. He connected his controller (configured in the menu to digital pad and buttons for movement plus shoulder buttons for two combos); his Mac didn't play nice with his controller so he switched to PC.
Gameplay Log:
I ran a couple of solo runs while setting up and waiting on Avi.
A couple rounds of Zone 1 with Cadence and Cadence.
Some playtesting with Bard (me) and various characters.
A couple rounds of Zone 1 with Bard (me) and Cadence.
: Eventually we reflected on the experience. I originally thought Bard would be easier for coop, but it's actually harder because of the amount of coordination or understanding that's theoretically required. Note that although it's harder, it's theoretically the more rewarding gameplay in terms of coop.
: Of course, playing Bard mode is good for learning enemy patterns.
Went back to playing Cadence and Cadence. Zone 1 and then All Zones.
We finished off with messing around. I showed Avi that the Shopkeeper can be damaged (I used a bomb).
: Then we tried to synchronize hitting the Shopkeeper with two bombs and one attack.
: We were successful a couple of times. It was hilarious.
: The Shopkeeper drops a crown which increases the gold pile pickups but gold will slowly decrease. I'm not sure about the benefit of collecting gold though. Maybe it has synergy with gold weapons.
Steam Game Time: 2.9 hours (session game time) / 23.8 hours (total game time); includes setup time
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Neat combination of genres
+ Tons of replayability; many hours of gameplay
+ Progress is made at a steady pace
+ Great soundtrack and sound
+ Good story
Minor Cons:
- Game takes a while to load.
- I encountered a bug where the screen goes black after a cutscene; the solution is to press up+down together.
Summary:
I'm not sure what it was, but something about Crypt of the NecroDancer caught and grasped my attention. In fact, I put a total of nearly 17 hours into the game! As a reference, I've only put more than 15 hours of gameplay into about 30 Steam games (which is approximately less than 7 percent of all Steam games I've played).
If I were to form my own top twenty favorite games list, Crypt of the NecroDancer would easily be in the running.
I'll have to eventually get a dance pad and play the game that way. Regardless, I highly recommend the game to anybody who enjoys rogue-like games.
Crypt of the NecroDancer (PC) (2015)
Relevant Links:
Crypt of the NecroDancer Page (Brace Yourself Games Website)
Crypt of the NecroDancer (Wikipedia.org)
Crypt of the NecroDancer (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Crypt of the NecroDancer (Steam Store Page)
20181219 AM Hours:
I played this to try a game on Steam Link. Unfortunately, it was late at night, I didn't want to turn the volume up, and I was sleepy.
Setup: Xbox One Controller.
 |
| The protagonist Cadence |
Steam Game Time: 19 minutes
20181219:
Today I just decided to play the game on my computer. Was beginning to get the hang of it, especially when to just give up the combo. Before I would try to always move but I feel like that's the wrong move.
Setup: Keyboard.
Steam Game Time: 48 minutes (total game time) / 29 minutes (session game time)
20181219 Evening:
As I played more, I became more experienced on how certain enemies moved and how to deal with them. In part, the game also got easier as I understood how to use the various items.
The game has a lot to offer and I'm curious about playing the game with a dance pad. I have a dance pad for the PlayStation, so maybe I'll just buy a converter.
Gameplay Log:
I completed the first zone and began tackling the second zone.
I took a detour from the main story and played through the codex levels: "Dragon Lore," "Trap Lore," "Bomb Lore," and "How to Get Away with Murder." They revealed intricate aspects about the game.
The whip is difficult to use. I wish I could practice with it. Is there a weapons master to be unlocked? [20181223: Yes, today I unlocked him.]
 |
| Cadence strikes an enemy on the beat. |
Steam Game Time: 2.7 hours (total game time) / 1.9 hours (session game time)
20181220:
Okay, so I'm back for more, because this game is fun!
Gameplay Log:
How to use this drum? "Stand still, increased damage" In hindsight, perhaps I activate it and I'll increase my damage but am forced to stand still...
Nooo! I got to the Zone 2 boss but definitely panicked. I even had the "Horizontal Fire Blast" spell that would have cleared an entire part of the conga line.
I got this item from the shop that digs as I moved. I was so excited about using it to clear walls that I sort of didn't think about how to use it strategically. I quickly screwed myself to 0 health.
Lol. After a run I decided to watch a replay. For whatever reason, one of the moves was off and the game proceeded to replay the rest of the actions in the current map. This makes for a bugged replay which plays out events different than actually happened.
Steam Game Time: 3.8 hours (total game time) / 1.1 hours (session game time)
20181222:
Back!!!
Gameplay Log:
Looked up difference between Longsword and Spear. Saw some facts on other weapons as well.
Looked up what the two drums do (War Drum and Blood Drum)
Read about Shrine of Darkness.
Lol. I was having a decent run but ruined it because I kept confusing my Long Sword for a Broadsword.
 |
| Expecting to fight Dead Ringer for the first time, I was instead placed in this room with four enemies. I died. |
Some Things I Learned (Organically):
Prior to today, I learned to use bombs to blow up walls and get gold.
Sometimes the mushrooms (Zone 2) will explode on their own. Actually, the mushrooms is how I first learned about blowing up the gold walls for gold.
Can kite dragon one space at a time vertically for easy kill.
The Minotaur will begin charging and stumble when he reaches something. I still do not, however, have a good strategy for defeating him (at least not with every weapon).
Still Mysterious:
How to kill dragon in a small room with no bomb.
My Favorite Weapon:
1) The long sword. I like the distance. It's straight-forward to use - like literally "straight" "forward."
2) Spear. Distance is also good but only strikes one. Maybe in this case I should try the arrow.
3) The flail is useful with big enemies like the minotaur and dragons, due to the knockback. However, I have less intuition with it on little enemies.
Steam Game Time: 6.1 hours (total game time) / 2.3 hours (session game time)
20181223:
Playing as Bard gives a strong understanding of enemy behavior.
 |
| Learn the intricacies behind fighting Dragons in "Dragon Lore" (using the character Bard) |
Gameplay Log:
After a couple plays, I beat Zone 2 with Cadence.
Decided to play Bard (only Zone 1 is available, but all other shop-related business is same).
Unlocked Weapon Master (with Bard). It's so much easier to get gold multiplier going with Bard.
Unlocked the Diamond Dealer (with Bard).
Completed Zone 3 with Bard.
Steam Game Time: 9.2 hours (total game time) / 3.1 hours (session game time)
20181225:
Today I played more, but my attempt to play Zone 4 with Cadence was met with the realization that this might be hard. Interestingly, I reached the boss level for it (Dead Ringer) and was able to practice against him via the Bossmaster. However, even that was difficult!
Gameplay Log:
Completed Zone 3 with Cadence.
Read about Boots of Pain: Deal 3 Normal damage to an enemy or container upon moving directly towards it. (Take 1.5 damage when picked up)
Read about Ring of Gold: WTF. Enemies only drop 1 additional gold. Maybe it adds up... But... seems like a waste.
Read about Heavy Plate and Obsidian Armor.
Completed Zone 4 with Bard. 44 Diamonds. Buy a bunch for Cadence.
 |
| Boss Stage: Deep Blues 3 |
That run I barely made it to the start of the last zone. Couldn't even make it past the little room to the boss. There were four enemies there.
Completed Zone 1 with Dove. No boss to fight. Tough though. Also Shop offers two items for free, but only take one.
Holy crap. Playing Monk is not intuitive. Wanna grab that gold!
After many tries, I finally defeated Dead Ringer. I initially fought him (in practice mode) with the dagger. Then I tried many times with the arrow. Then I tried the flail (which was promising). Then I went back to the arrow (which doesn't knock away dissuade Dead Ringer in any way). I began to suspect how to defeat him. With the flail, I almost got him to where I wanted except he was only dashing horizontally. After some more tries, I was able to get him to do what I wanted.
Having discovered how to defeat Dead Ringer on my own, I allowed myself to read on some alternate strategies. On the Wiki, I found a link to a YouTube video explaining how to defeat Dead Ringer. In particular, there are two methods depending on if Dead Ringer starts on the left or right. If he starts on the left, the player can get Dead Ringer to destroy the bells. If he starts on the right, the player rings the two left bells while he rings the two right bells, and then line up for the center.
Apparently these knights are hard to fight with a flail.
Noooo!!! I defeated the Dead Ringer, got to the cutscene, and, after the cutscene, the game froze. [Technically, it just went black.*]
Steam Game Time: 16.9 hours (total game time) / 7.7 hours (session game time)
*I learned the next day that pressing up+down together will allow the player to continue.
20181226:
Unsatisfied with having gotten so far, I played some more to complete Zone 4.
 |
| Boss Stage: Dead Ringer |
Gameplay Log:
I tried again and got to Dead Ringer once. Died.
Got to Dead Ringer and defeated him! But the screen went black after the cutscene like before. This time I searched for it and found this Steam thread. One of the comments said to press up+down together. In my head, I thought such a solution sounded ridiculous, but I tried it anyways. And it worked! Oh my goodness.
Got pretty far with the NecroDancer. I did about three damage to him. Haha.
So NecroDancer was easier than Dead Ringer (I defeated him on my second try in Practice Mode).
Encountered Blunderbuss in the shop for the first time. Unfortunately, I was unable to use it efficiently (and died).
Beat Zone 4 with Cadence (i.e., defeated NecroDancer); this was my second run after my first encounter with him. As before I had to press up+down. I also had to press up+down after the credits. In any case, I think the Titanium Bow (6 diamonds from the Diamond Dealer) combined with the Potion (must be found) are the two most important items on this run. Two incredibly helpful items are Monocle and the Winged Boots. Useful, but unnecessary items, are food, backpack, Scroll of Need, and Riches scroll.
Steam Game Time: 19.3 hours (total game time) / 2.4 hours (session game time)
20200420:
I haven't played the game in a while, but I loaded it up in preparation for some co-op gaming. In particular, I wanted to test my dance pad out. Unfortunately, the PS-to-PC adapter I bought doesn't work with it. I'm not sure if it's because the dance pad is a third-party device, but I was able to use the adapter with a PlayStation controller.
Setup: Changed resolution. Xbox controller.
Towards the end of playing around, I tried playing with some of the music from Michael Jackson's Thriller. It was fun, but I actually like the original game music more.
 |
| Winged Boots! (Immunity to all traps and floor hazards.) |
Steam Game Time: 1.6 hours (session game time) / 20.9 hours (total game time)
20200423:
Today, using Steam Remote Play Together, I played coop with my friend Avishaan.
Setup: Invited Avi with Remote Play Together. Used Discord for chat. He connected his controller (configured in the menu to digital pad and buttons for movement plus shoulder buttons for two combos); his Mac didn't play nice with his controller so he switched to PC.
Gameplay Log:
I ran a couple of solo runs while setting up and waiting on Avi.
A couple rounds of Zone 1 with Cadence and Cadence.
Some playtesting with Bard (me) and various characters.
A couple rounds of Zone 1 with Bard (me) and Cadence.
: Eventually we reflected on the experience. I originally thought Bard would be easier for coop, but it's actually harder because of the amount of coordination or understanding that's theoretically required. Note that although it's harder, it's theoretically the more rewarding gameplay in terms of coop.
: Of course, playing Bard mode is good for learning enemy patterns.
Went back to playing Cadence and Cadence. Zone 1 and then All Zones.
We finished off with messing around. I showed Avi that the Shopkeeper can be damaged (I used a bomb).
: Then we tried to synchronize hitting the Shopkeeper with two bombs and one attack.
: We were successful a couple of times. It was hilarious.
: The Shopkeeper drops a crown which increases the gold pile pickups but gold will slowly decrease. I'm not sure about the benefit of collecting gold though. Maybe it has synergy with gold weapons.
 |
| The Monstrous Shopkeeper (apparently he's rare) took me by surprise and killed me. |
Steam Game Time: 2.9 hours (session game time) / 23.8 hours (total game time); includes setup time
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Neat combination of genres
+ Tons of replayability; many hours of gameplay
+ Progress is made at a steady pace
+ Great soundtrack and sound
+ Good story
Minor Cons:
- Game takes a while to load.
- I encountered a bug where the screen goes black after a cutscene; the solution is to press up+down together.
 |
| Level Selection |
Summary:
I'm not sure what it was, but something about Crypt of the NecroDancer caught and grasped my attention. In fact, I put a total of nearly 17 hours into the game! As a reference, I've only put more than 15 hours of gameplay into about 30 Steam games (which is approximately less than 7 percent of all Steam games I've played).
If I were to form my own top twenty favorite games list, Crypt of the NecroDancer would easily be in the running.
I'll have to eventually get a dance pad and play the game that way. Regardless, I highly recommend the game to anybody who enjoys rogue-like games.
Crypt of the NecroDancer (PC) (2015)
Relevant Links:
Crypt of the NecroDancer Page (Brace Yourself Games Website)
Crypt of the NecroDancer (Wikipedia.org)
Crypt of the NecroDancer (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Crypt of the NecroDancer (Steam Store Page)
 |
| Boss Stage: King Conga |
Sunday, December 16, 2018
BATALJ (PC) (2018)
-- DEAD* --
*20191214: The game was released February 21, 2019 and there were 22 players a day during the first four days. After a month, the player base dwindled to essentially 0 players a day.
Overview: Turn-based action strategy game.
20181216:
Gameplay Log:
Tutorial
Quickmatch. Re-Linked.
: Probably playing against AI, but no idea.
: Didn't use units fast enough at first.
:: Click on top is easier to see which units still need actions.
:: Part of this was unfamiliarity with units.
::: Go to Squads from the menu and read about the units.
::: Go to Sandbox from Play! to test out the abilities.
: Spreading out to get more capture points can be good.
: Have to think about order.
:: If a unit moved, then action can fizzle.
: Was able to leave match without confirmation.
: Had to get used to using arrow keys to move around map instead of using mouse
Steam Game Time: 46 minutes
20181220:
Gameplay Log:
Quickmatch. Re-Linked.
: Took a while to find other player, so I figured this was queuing for an actual game (not against an AI).
: The wait was too long and so I left the queue and re-entered it.
: It was still a long wait so I closed the game and opened it again.
Quickmatch. Re-Linked.
: Finally the queue popped.
: And... the other player left.
: I decide to wait for my friend to play.
Quickmatch. Re-Linked. vs. Re-Linked.
: Both making several mistakes, I lucked out and won.
Steam Game Time: 117 minutes (total game time)
20191214 Comment:
As a summary of the above gameplay logs, I played a game against AI, familiarized myself with some of the units through the Sandbox, and played a game against a friend. I would have played more games, but there didn't seem to be anyone playing (I spent a long time in queue and quit before getting matched with anybody). I'm not sure how the developers went about distributing access to the beta, but accumulating a healthy player base seems like a wise decision.
BATALJ (PC) (2018)
Relevant Links:
BATALJ (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
BATALJ (Steam Store Page)
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Chime Sharp (PC) (2016)
Overview: A sequel to the 2010 music puzzle game Chime. Place blocks together to form rectangles and earn points and cover the playing field. In Standard Mode, you're racing against the clock! In Sharp Mode, use strategy to form Perfect Quads and manage block fragments.
20181212 AM Hours:
After playing Chime recently, I learned there was a sequel and that I had a key for it! So I activated the key and today I started playing it, just to see if the game was better or worse than the original.
Setup: Keyboard (for revealing) and Mouse (for placement and rotation)
Gameplay Log:
I played the first ten levels on Standard Mode.
I played the first level on Sharp Mode.
What is a good strategy for getting 100% on Sharp Mode? Perhaps trying to get the edges early and then reuse the filled space to create Perfect Quads to manage the fragments.
I stopped playing after 2.7 hours.
However, the difficulty of Sharp Mode was enticing and I ended up playing for another half hour.
First Impression: The Standard Mode in this sequel doesn't feel as fun as the game mode in the original. Fortunately, the newly introduced Sharp Mode was entertaining. This was especially the case after I was able to make my own Perfect Quad* patterns after being inspired by some examples.
Steam Game Time: 3.2 hours (total game time)
*During the game, anytime blocks fill a rectangular area greater than three in length and three in width, a quad is formed. Any parts of a block which are not part of the Quad, are considered fragments. If, when the quad is first formed, there are no fragments, then a Perfect Quad is formed.
20181212 Morning:
Having achieved 98% coverage on the first level in Sharp Mode, I was determined today to get 100% on it. I tried various strategies and got close on my last run, but didn't plan out the finish as carefully as I thought.
Steam Game Time: 5.3 hours on record (total game time)
20181212 Afternoon:
I started looking for Perfect Quads (see "The Mathematics of Perfect Quads" below). Eventually I tried to tackle the level, and despite my improved ability to make Perfect Quads, I still lost, because I didn't manage my fragments correctly.
Shapes:
Level 1: T, Ya, Yb, I, C, L.
(1, 4): i i + T; t + C; o + L | impossible Yx, I,
(2, 2): . . + CT; . . + YxYx; . . + CC; i + TL; i + YxC; . / . + SS
(3, 0): III
(3, 1): . + LC + Yx (the choice of Yx depends on placement of LC); . + TC + Yx (similar to (2, 2)'s . . + CT except second . becomes Yx); . + YxL + T (for this one, I was thinking, there must be a way to use Yx first... it's annoying to have to wait for just C's) | impossible: YxYx
(3, 3): There's quite a number of situations with (3, 3) and this is very situational. It's usage would generally be difficult. Better to reduce this to a (2, 8).
(4, 0): YaYaT + T or YbYbT + T (I came up with this one yesterday night!); II I + I; YaYb + C + T or YaYb + T + C (similar to (3, 1)'s . + TC + Yx; due to YaYaT + T, it's better to use YaYb + T + C) | impossible ST
Remark: I was thinking about a way to reduce larger cases down to smaller cases. In particular, thus far I noticed that a solution to (2, 2) turned into a similar solution to (3, 1), which in turn turned into a similar solution to (4, 0).
Steam Game Time: 7.6 hours on record (total game time)
The Mathematics of Perfect Quads
I immediately found the formation of Quads to be interesting mathematically. Essentially, a Perfect Quad can be thought of as a combination of full blocks (5 squares each) and fragments (1 square each). Thus the number of squares in the Perfect Quad are n = 5*b+f, where b is the number of blocks and f is the number of fragments. To determine possible Quads, we find possible integer lengths and widths (i.e., factor pairs) for a rectangle of size n for which both the length and width are greater than or equal to three.
For example, when there are no fragments and three blocks, the total number of squares is 15. The number 15 has factor pairs 1*15 and 3*5. Of the two dimensions, only 3*5 can be the dimensions of a Quad. Thus, to form a Perfect Quad from three blocks, the constituent blocks must fit into a 3 by 5 rectangle. Depending on the level and available blocks, this may or may not be possible, but the knowledge of the area restriction is informative to the construction of possible Perfect Quads.
Elaborating, had we considered one block or two blocks, we'd mathematically be able to prove that there are no configurations for a Perfect Quad. With one block, n = 5, the only factor pair is 1*5 and that cannot be the dimensions of a Quad. With two blocks, n = 10, which can has factor pairs 1*10 and 2*5, neither of which can be the dimensions of a Quad.
Moving towards the application, one can go through each case of n and f and determine the possible area restrictions. Then, depending on the level, consider each piece and assume that it will be the last piece placed in the area. By definition of a Perfect Quad, the pieces placed prior to the last piece must not have already formed a Quad. This consequently places a maximum size on the Quad and restrictions on the placement of the final piece.
To determine the worst-case scenario maximum size of a Perfect Quad, we can assume the final block fits into a 1 x 5, 2 x 4, or 3 x 3. Then enlarge the dimensions by four (visually, one can imagine a two-square border). Thus, for these three sizes, when the final block is in the middle, the maximum Perfect Quad dimensions would be 5 x 9, 6 x 8, or 7 x 7.
We can use the above information to form a table* of possible Perfect Quad dimensions. We also only need to check n up to the worst-case maximum area of 49.
*Originally, I create the table by first omitting values of n which are prime or twice a prime number. Then I listed out all the factor pairs where both factors are greater than three. Finally, I struck out factor pairs which exceeded the maximum allowable dimension. In hindsight, I realized that the table was more easily generated by going through multiples of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, while staying within one of the three maximum dimensions.
[20181212]
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ More levels and more modes (compared to Chime)
+ Visual upgrade (compared to Chime) and various color schemes available
Neutral:
~ The original game mode feels different (compare to Chime)
~ Medium to high difficulty
Cons:
- For whatever reason, the songs in Chime Sharp aren't as interesting as the songs in Chime. When playing Chime, I could feel the songs progress as I made progress.
Summary:
It's hard to describe, but I both disliked the game and was addicted to trying to complete one of the levels (get 100% coverage on Sharp Mode); I suppose I was more addicted to the accomplishment than the game itself.
Overall, I'd say Chime Sharp is more difficult and intense than Chime, and players looking for a more casual, relaxing game are better off getting a copy of Chime or just look elsewhere. At the very least, I would recommend downloading and trying the demo first.
20240201 Comment:
I was reading my notes above and trying to understand them. It makes sense to read "The Mathematics of Perfect Quads" section first. Then in the entry for "20181212 Afternoon" I list various shapes. The capital letters represent full blocks and the lowercase letters represent various (common?) fragments. Next, it seems for Level 1 there are 6 capital blocks which occur. For each (b, f) pair, the composition of the (b, f) must consist of b blocks and f fragments.
Just looking at the problem again today, I guess I would identify two strategies to approach determining the possible combinations. One is to list all the possible block combinations that can go into a (b, f) pair. For example, with (2, 2), one can have TT, TYa, TYb, TI, TC, TL, and so on (though not all such combinations would even fit in a 3*4). Another approach is to take the final dimension, e.g., 3*4 for a (2, 2) and iteratively remove a block. For example, first remove a T from the 3*4 and then try to remove another block. It would seem that these two key strategies would work well together, and probably could be coded.
However, reducing larger problems into smaller problems would also be a good goal.
Chime Sharp (PC) (2016)
Relevant Links:
Chime Sharp Website
Chime (video game) (Wikipedia.org)
Chime Sharp (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Chime Sharp (Steam Store Page)
20181212 AM Hours:
After playing Chime recently, I learned there was a sequel and that I had a key for it! So I activated the key and today I started playing it, just to see if the game was better or worse than the original.
 |
| Forming Quads in the upper left. |
Setup: Keyboard (for revealing) and Mouse (for placement and rotation)
Gameplay Log:
I played the first ten levels on Standard Mode.
I played the first level on Sharp Mode.
What is a good strategy for getting 100% on Sharp Mode? Perhaps trying to get the edges early and then reuse the filled space to create Perfect Quads to manage the fragments.
I stopped playing after 2.7 hours.
However, the difficulty of Sharp Mode was enticing and I ended up playing for another half hour.
First Impression: The Standard Mode in this sequel doesn't feel as fun as the game mode in the original. Fortunately, the newly introduced Sharp Mode was entertaining. This was especially the case after I was able to make my own Perfect Quad* patterns after being inspired by some examples.
Steam Game Time: 3.2 hours (total game time)
*During the game, anytime blocks fill a rectangular area greater than three in length and three in width, a quad is formed. Any parts of a block which are not part of the Quad, are considered fragments. If, when the quad is first formed, there are no fragments, then a Perfect Quad is formed.
 |
| Forming a Perfect Quad (in my notation: YaYaT + T) |
20181212 Morning:
Having achieved 98% coverage on the first level in Sharp Mode, I was determined today to get 100% on it. I tried various strategies and got close on my last run, but didn't plan out the finish as carefully as I thought.
Steam Game Time: 5.3 hours on record (total game time)
20181212 Afternoon:
I started looking for Perfect Quads (see "The Mathematics of Perfect Quads" below). Eventually I tried to tackle the level, and despite my improved ability to make Perfect Quads, I still lost, because I didn't manage my fragments correctly.
Shapes:
T Ya Yb I C i t . L o S
TTT Y Y I CC i ttt . L oo SS
T Ya bY I C i t L oo SS
T Y Y I CC LLL S
Y Y I
I
Level 1: T, Ya, Yb, I, C, L.
(1, 4): i i + T; t + C; o + L | impossible Yx, I,
(2, 2): . . + CT; . . + YxYx; . . + CC; i + TL; i + YxC; . / . + SS
(3, 0): III
(3, 1): . + LC + Yx (the choice of Yx depends on placement of LC); . + TC + Yx (similar to (2, 2)'s . . + CT except second . becomes Yx); . + YxL + T (for this one, I was thinking, there must be a way to use Yx first... it's annoying to have to wait for just C's) | impossible: YxYx
 |
| Available Songs |
(3, 3): There's quite a number of situations with (3, 3) and this is very situational. It's usage would generally be difficult. Better to reduce this to a (2, 8).
(4, 0): YaYaT + T or YbYbT + T (I came up with this one yesterday night!); II I + I; YaYb + C + T or YaYb + T + C (similar to (3, 1)'s . + TC + Yx; due to YaYaT + T, it's better to use YaYb + T + C) | impossible ST
Remark: I was thinking about a way to reduce larger cases down to smaller cases. In particular, thus far I noticed that a solution to (2, 2) turned into a similar solution to (3, 1), which in turn turned into a similar solution to (4, 0).
Steam Game Time: 7.6 hours on record (total game time)
The Mathematics of Perfect Quads
I immediately found the formation of Quads to be interesting mathematically. Essentially, a Perfect Quad can be thought of as a combination of full blocks (5 squares each) and fragments (1 square each). Thus the number of squares in the Perfect Quad are n = 5*b+f, where b is the number of blocks and f is the number of fragments. To determine possible Quads, we find possible integer lengths and widths (i.e., factor pairs) for a rectangle of size n for which both the length and width are greater than or equal to three.
For example, when there are no fragments and three blocks, the total number of squares is 15. The number 15 has factor pairs 1*15 and 3*5. Of the two dimensions, only 3*5 can be the dimensions of a Quad. Thus, to form a Perfect Quad from three blocks, the constituent blocks must fit into a 3 by 5 rectangle. Depending on the level and available blocks, this may or may not be possible, but the knowledge of the area restriction is informative to the construction of possible Perfect Quads.
 |
| Forming a Perfect Quad (in my notation: YaYbT + C) |
Elaborating, had we considered one block or two blocks, we'd mathematically be able to prove that there are no configurations for a Perfect Quad. With one block, n = 5, the only factor pair is 1*5 and that cannot be the dimensions of a Quad. With two blocks, n = 10, which can has factor pairs 1*10 and 2*5, neither of which can be the dimensions of a Quad.
Moving towards the application, one can go through each case of n and f and determine the possible area restrictions. Then, depending on the level, consider each piece and assume that it will be the last piece placed in the area. By definition of a Perfect Quad, the pieces placed prior to the last piece must not have already formed a Quad. This consequently places a maximum size on the Quad and restrictions on the placement of the final piece.
To determine the worst-case scenario maximum size of a Perfect Quad, we can assume the final block fits into a 1 x 5, 2 x 4, or 3 x 3. Then enlarge the dimensions by four (visually, one can imagine a two-square border). Thus, for these three sizes, when the final block is in the middle, the maximum Perfect Quad dimensions would be 5 x 9, 6 x 8, or 7 x 7.
We can use the above information to form a table* of possible Perfect Quad dimensions. We also only need to check n up to the worst-case maximum area of 49.
 |
| Forming a Perfect Quad (in my notation: . + CL + Yb) |
| (b,f) | n | Possible Perfect Quad Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| (1,4) | 9 | 3*3 |
| (2,2) | 12 | 3*4 |
| (3,0) | 15 | 3*5 |
| (3,1) | 16 | 4*4 |
| (3,3) | 18 | 3*6 |
| (4,0) | 20 | 4*5 |
| (4,1) | 21 | 3*7 |
| (4,4) | 24 | 3*8, 4*6 |
| (5,0) | 25 | 5*5 |
| (5,2) | 27 | 3*9 |
| (5,3) | 28 | 4*7 |
| (6,0) | 30 | 5*6 |
| (6,2) | 32 | 4*8 |
| (7,0) | 35 | 5*7 |
| (7,1) | 36 | 4*9, 6*6 |
| (8,0) | 40 | 5*8 |
| (8,2) | 42 | 6*7 |
| (9,0) | 45 | 5*9 |
| (9,3) | 48 | 6*8 |
| (9,4) | 49 | 7*7 |
 |
| Controls |
*Originally, I create the table by first omitting values of n which are prime or twice a prime number. Then I listed out all the factor pairs where both factors are greater than three. Finally, I struck out factor pairs which exceeded the maximum allowable dimension. In hindsight, I realized that the table was more easily generated by going through multiples of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, while staying within one of the three maximum dimensions.
[20181212]
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ More levels and more modes (compared to Chime)
+ Visual upgrade (compared to Chime) and various color schemes available
Neutral:
~ The original game mode feels different (compare to Chime)
~ Medium to high difficulty
Cons:
- For whatever reason, the songs in Chime Sharp aren't as interesting as the songs in Chime. When playing Chime, I could feel the songs progress as I made progress.
Summary:
It's hard to describe, but I both disliked the game and was addicted to trying to complete one of the levels (get 100% coverage on Sharp Mode); I suppose I was more addicted to the accomplishment than the game itself.
 |
| Forming a Perfect Quad (in my notation: i + L + T) |
Overall, I'd say Chime Sharp is more difficult and intense than Chime, and players looking for a more casual, relaxing game are better off getting a copy of Chime or just look elsewhere. At the very least, I would recommend downloading and trying the demo first.
20240201 Comment:
I was reading my notes above and trying to understand them. It makes sense to read "The Mathematics of Perfect Quads" section first. Then in the entry for "20181212 Afternoon" I list various shapes. The capital letters represent full blocks and the lowercase letters represent various (common?) fragments. Next, it seems for Level 1 there are 6 capital blocks which occur. For each (b, f) pair, the composition of the (b, f) must consist of b blocks and f fragments.
Just looking at the problem again today, I guess I would identify two strategies to approach determining the possible combinations. One is to list all the possible block combinations that can go into a (b, f) pair. For example, with (2, 2), one can have TT, TYa, TYb, TI, TC, TL, and so on (though not all such combinations would even fit in a 3*4). Another approach is to take the final dimension, e.g., 3*4 for a (2, 2) and iteratively remove a block. For example, first remove a T from the 3*4 and then try to remove another block. It would seem that these two key strategies would work well together, and probably could be coded.
However, reducing larger problems into smaller problems would also be a good goal.
Chime Sharp (PC) (2016)
Relevant Links:
Chime Sharp Website
Chime (video game) (Wikipedia.org)
Chime Sharp (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Chime Sharp (Steam Store Page)
Monday, December 10, 2018
Overcooked (PC) (2016)
Overview: A cooperative cooking game. Prepare orders as they arrive and serve them to earn points. Preparation includes chopping ingredients, cooking meat, and assembling the proper ingredients.
20180515:
I recently saw Twitch streamer Dyrus playing this game and it looked like a lot of fun. In fact, it looked like so much fun that I purchased the game today after asking my wife if she would play it. Overall, I'd say our first run through the game was good and the main difficulties we had were not related to the game itself. First, we had gone swimming and the chlorine was still hurting her eyes a little. Second, she isn't an avid player and some of the levels require a finesse that more experienced gamers take for granted. Her fingers also get tired more quickly.
Steam Game Time: 101 minutes
[20180515][20181210 Edit]
Dates Unknown:
Ada and I eventually played more. We definitely played some on 20180517.
The game is actually quite difficult for someone not used to the controls. With that being said, the difficulty is not unreasonably high.
Steam Game Time: 7.3 hours (total game time)
20180527:
Today I played with my friend Josh. We played from Level 1-1 to Level 3-3, moving most of them to three stars (though Level 3-2 was already three stars).
Still low (and before Level 3.3): Level 1-4 (2 stars), Level 2-2 (1 star)
Level 2-2 had these annoying rats. The level was particularly difficult be we had conflicting strategies; I proposed we each keep to our own side.
Steam Game Time: 9.7 hours (total game time)
[20181210 Edit]
20180529:
Today I played more of the game with Ada.
We played up to Level 6-3, which was tough. We tried it a couple of times before taking a break and cook some food in the real world.
By this point, Ada was getting the hang of it and together we were achieving three stars on many of the levels. In particular, she was mastering the art of moving across the tricky ice platforms.
Still low (but didn't play): Level 2-2 (1 star)
Still low:* Level 4-3 (1 star), Level 4-4 (2 stars), Level 5-1 (1 star), Level 5-4 (1 star), Level 6-2 (2 stars).
*As mentioned, we've played up to Level 6-3.
Steam Game Time: 12.1 hours (total game time)
I played Level 5-1 by myself and got 2 stars.
Steam Game Time: 12.4 hours (total game time)
[20181210 Edit]
Date Unknown:
Today Ada and I managed to achieve three stars on several levels, including Level 2-2 (the rat level), and were able to reach the boss level (Level !!!).
Still low (but didn't play): Level 4-3 (1 star), Level 4-4 (2 stars), Level 5-1 (2 star), Level 5-4 (1 star)
Still low: Level 6-3 (1 star), Level 6-4 (1 star), Level !!! (0 stars)
Speaking of the boss level, after several tries it looked like we were on track to succeed. However, somehow we failed and the level reset. While I was so focused on preparing the food, I thought there was still time on the clock. Or maybe there's a limit on the number of failed orders? [20181210: After some searching, I learned that the level will restart when the timer runs down and there are still orders left to fill (the developer replied to someone with a similar question.]
Steam Game Time: 14.7 hours (total game time)
20181209:
I've been going through and checking to see if I had any games I needed to blog and Overcooked was one of them. As such, I went into the game on my own; I normally play with my wife, but she had to go to work.
Setup: Single player. Keyboard. It took a while for me to determine the keyboard controls. Besides the obvious movement (WASD or arrow keys) and Space for action, it's Shift to switch character and Left Alt to dash.
I started off tackling Level 4-3. However, it was hard and I decided to take some notes:
After many attempts, I decided to pause the game frequently and think about what I needed to focus on next. Together with the help of my notes above, I managed to get three stars on it (114 points).
I didn't need as much planning for Level 4-4, but after several attempts, I did need to pause the game frequently. During my attempts, I focused on making small improvements and getting used to what ingredients were usually needed (e.g., dough, cheese, meat, and tomatoes; especially tomatoes because they're used in every pizzas and some burgers).
After successfully getting three stars for Level 4-4, I tried playing Level 5-1. I believe I was on the right path: focus on the meat. However, after many restarts and one complete round (on which I scored 112), I didn't feel like playing more.
On a positive note, today we managed to get three stars on Level 6-4. Hooray!
Still low (but didn't play): Level 6-3 (1 star),
Still low: Level 5-1 (2 star), Level 5-4 (1 star), Level !!! (0 stars)
Steam Game Time: 2.3 hours (session game time)
20181212:
Today Ada and I played various levels. In particular, we spent a couple tries with the boss. However, our skills were rusty as we slowly tried to optimize the first two rounds (soup followed by burgers) and was barely relearning the third part (pizzas & fried foods). For the first two rounds, we did better with me on the left during the first round and then the right during the second round.
In any case, we decided to take a break after reaching and losing the third round for a second time. Playing some other levels, we last tried to tackle Level 5-1 and I tried to improve on simply alternating, but none of the ideas worked.
Still low (but didn't play): Level 5-4 (1 star), Level 6-3 (1 star), Level 6-4 (1 star), Level !!! (0 stars)
Still low: Level 5-1 (2 star)
Steam Game Time: 2.9 hours (session game time) / 19.9 hours (total game time)
20181213 AM Hours:
I went in to see what levels we tackled today and while I was at it took a crack at Level 5-1. I was very close to getting three stars. I then realized that the number of points required was lower than when playing as two players.
Steam Game Time: 0.4 hours (session game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Easy to learn, even for non-gamers
+ Fun, even for non-gamers
+ One of the best co-op games available
+ Many controller options, including split controller for putting two players on one controller
Neutral:
~ The graphics for controls on the keyboard seem incomplete. (They are listed above.)
Minor Con:
- Playing this game with one player is possible but not nearly as great as with two (I've yet to play it with three/four)
Comparison (of Co-op Experience):
How the co-op experience compares to some of the best co-op games I've played:
Adventures of Shuggy (2012) / ibb & obb (2014): Limited to two players and more suited for those with some familiarity with platformers. Overcooked has up to four.
Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator (2012): This game can accommodate many players (3-6 per ship) but the set-up requires at least one device per person (tablet, laptop, computer) and coordination. Overcooked requires two input devices (e.g., one keyboard and one controller) and you're set for four people.
Dungeon Defenders (2011) / Left 4 Dead 2 (2009): Allows for online play (although each person needs a copy of the game) and each level (especially with L4D2) is longer. Overcooked is limited to local co-op and levels are around three minutes each.
Jamestown (2011): Very easy to get up to four people playing this shooter. Overclocked is a completely different genre and is arguably more accessible to casual gamers (defined here as persons who don't often or rarely play video games).
Trine / Trine 2 (2011): Up to three players, great visuals, and advanced mechanics.
Summary:
I love co-op games and Overcooked is one of the best co-op games I've ever played. Among the various comparisons I made to other co-op games, the strengths of Overcooked include the simple setup and the game's accessibility to casual gamers. That's not to say, however, that the game is free of argument and frustration. Of course, if that occurs, just take a nice break or play another level.
Overcooked (PC) (2016)
Relevant Links:
Overcooked Page (Ghost Town Games Website)
Overcooked (Wikipedia.org)
Overcooked! (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Overcooked (Steam Store Page)
20180515:
I recently saw Twitch streamer Dyrus playing this game and it looked like a lot of fun. In fact, it looked like so much fun that I purchased the game today after asking my wife if she would play it. Overall, I'd say our first run through the game was good and the main difficulties we had were not related to the game itself. First, we had gone swimming and the chlorine was still hurting her eyes a little. Second, she isn't an avid player and some of the levels require a finesse that more experienced gamers take for granted. Her fingers also get tired more quickly.
 |
| Making Onion Soup, Step 1: Grab an onion from the onion supply. |
Steam Game Time: 101 minutes
[20180515][20181210 Edit]
Dates Unknown:
Ada and I eventually played more. We definitely played some on 20180517.
The game is actually quite difficult for someone not used to the controls. With that being said, the difficulty is not unreasonably high.
Steam Game Time: 7.3 hours (total game time)
20180527:
Today I played with my friend Josh. We played from Level 1-1 to Level 3-3, moving most of them to three stars (though Level 3-2 was already three stars).
 |
| Making Onion Soup, Step 2: Chop the onion on the cutting board. |
Still low (and before Level 3.3): Level 1-4 (2 stars), Level 2-2 (1 star)
Level 2-2 had these annoying rats. The level was particularly difficult be we had conflicting strategies; I proposed we each keep to our own side.
Steam Game Time: 9.7 hours (total game time)
[20181210 Edit]
20180529:
Today I played more of the game with Ada.
We played up to Level 6-3, which was tough. We tried it a couple of times before taking a break and cook some food in the real world.
 |
| Making Onion Soup, Step 3: Throw the onion into the pot. |
By this point, Ada was getting the hang of it and together we were achieving three stars on many of the levels. In particular, she was mastering the art of moving across the tricky ice platforms.
Still low (but didn't play): Level 2-2 (1 star)
Still low:* Level 4-3 (1 star), Level 4-4 (2 stars), Level 5-1 (1 star), Level 5-4 (1 star), Level 6-2 (2 stars).
*As mentioned, we've played up to Level 6-3.
Steam Game Time: 12.1 hours (total game time)
I played Level 5-1 by myself and got 2 stars.
Steam Game Time: 12.4 hours (total game time)
 |
| Making Tomato Soup, Step 4: Wait for the tomato to finish. |
[20181210 Edit]
Date Unknown:
Today Ada and I managed to achieve three stars on several levels, including Level 2-2 (the rat level), and were able to reach the boss level (Level !!!).
Still low (but didn't play): Level 4-3 (1 star), Level 4-4 (2 stars), Level 5-1 (2 star), Level 5-4 (1 star)
Still low: Level 6-3 (1 star), Level 6-4 (1 star), Level !!! (0 stars)
Speaking of the boss level, after several tries it looked like we were on track to succeed. However, somehow we failed and the level reset. While I was so focused on preparing the food, I thought there was still time on the clock. Or maybe there's a limit on the number of failed orders? [20181210: After some searching, I learned that the level will restart when the timer runs down and there are still orders left to fill (the developer replied to someone with a similar question.]
 |
| Making Soup, Warning! Don't let it burn! |
 |
| Or else it'll catch fire... Quick! Get the fire extinguisher! |
 |
| Or else it'll spread! |
Steam Game Time: 14.7 hours (total game time)
20181209:
I've been going through and checking to see if I had any games I needed to blog and Overcooked was one of them. As such, I went into the game on my own; I normally play with my wife, but she had to go to work.
Setup: Single player. Keyboard. It took a while for me to determine the keyboard controls. Besides the obvious movement (WASD or arrow keys) and Space for action, it's Shift to switch character and Left Alt to dash.
I started off tackling Level 4-3. However, it was hard and I decided to take some notes:
Start: inner / outer
: Gameplan: L cut meat ; R get bread to counter, R get meat, switch ; L deliver meat to pan ; R cut meat ; L get lettuce ; R deliver meat to pan ; L cut lettuce | finish L on top left , R bottom right || need to add collecting bread at top center counter
Level 4-3. Parts of the level will move around.
Next Phase: top + right edge / bottom + left edge
: Gameplan: L finishing lettuce; R collects ingredients for (meat + bun) burger at center right; L collects
Next Phase: left / right
Next Phase: left / right
Next Phase: top + right edge / bottom + left edge
Next Phase: left / right
Next Phase: inner / outer
Next Phase: top + right edge / bottom + left edge
Timer out.
After many attempts, I decided to pause the game frequently and think about what I needed to focus on next. Together with the help of my notes above, I managed to get three stars on it (114 points).
 |
| Making a Hamburger, Step 5: Put it on a plate and serve it. |
I didn't need as much planning for Level 4-4, but after several attempts, I did need to pause the game frequently. During my attempts, I focused on making small improvements and getting used to what ingredients were usually needed (e.g., dough, cheese, meat, and tomatoes; especially tomatoes because they're used in every pizzas and some burgers).
After successfully getting three stars for Level 4-4, I tried playing Level 5-1. I believe I was on the right path: focus on the meat. However, after many restarts and one complete round (on which I scored 112), I didn't feel like playing more.
On a positive note, today we managed to get three stars on Level 6-4. Hooray!
Still low (but didn't play): Level 6-3 (1 star),
Still low: Level 5-1 (2 star), Level 5-4 (1 star), Level !!! (0 stars)
Steam Game Time: 2.3 hours (session game time)
20181212:
Today Ada and I played various levels. In particular, we spent a couple tries with the boss. However, our skills were rusty as we slowly tried to optimize the first two rounds (soup followed by burgers) and was barely relearning the third part (pizzas & fried foods). For the first two rounds, we did better with me on the left during the first round and then the right during the second round.
In any case, we decided to take a break after reaching and losing the third round for a second time. Playing some other levels, we last tried to tackle Level 5-1 and I tried to improve on simply alternating, but none of the ideas worked.
Still low (but didn't play): Level 5-4 (1 star), Level 6-3 (1 star), Level 6-4 (1 star), Level !!! (0 stars)
Still low: Level 5-1 (2 star)
Steam Game Time: 2.9 hours (session game time) / 19.9 hours (total game time)
20181213 AM Hours:
I went in to see what levels we tackled today and while I was at it took a crack at Level 5-1. I was very close to getting three stars. I then realized that the number of points required was lower than when playing as two players.
Steam Game Time: 0.4 hours (session game time)
 |
| Cooking, Step 6: Wash the dishes. |
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Easy to learn, even for non-gamers
+ Fun, even for non-gamers
+ One of the best co-op games available
+ Many controller options, including split controller for putting two players on one controller
Neutral:
~ The graphics for controls on the keyboard seem incomplete. (They are listed above.)
Minor Con:
- Playing this game with one player is possible but not nearly as great as with two (I've yet to play it with three/four)
 |
| Making hamburgers and pizzas. |
Comparison (of Co-op Experience):
How the co-op experience compares to some of the best co-op games I've played:
Adventures of Shuggy (2012) / ibb & obb (2014): Limited to two players and more suited for those with some familiarity with platformers. Overcooked has up to four.
Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator (2012): This game can accommodate many players (3-6 per ship) but the set-up requires at least one device per person (tablet, laptop, computer) and coordination. Overcooked requires two input devices (e.g., one keyboard and one controller) and you're set for four people.
Dungeon Defenders (2011) / Left 4 Dead 2 (2009): Allows for online play (although each person needs a copy of the game) and each level (especially with L4D2) is longer. Overcooked is limited to local co-op and levels are around three minutes each.
Jamestown (2011): Very easy to get up to four people playing this shooter. Overclocked is a completely different genre and is arguably more accessible to casual gamers (defined here as persons who don't often or rarely play video games).
Trine / Trine 2 (2011): Up to three players, great visuals, and advanced mechanics.
 |
| Advanced Teamwork: Two chefs, one onion. |
 |
| Advanced Teamwork: Two chefs, one lettuce. |
Summary:
I love co-op games and Overcooked is one of the best co-op games I've ever played. Among the various comparisons I made to other co-op games, the strengths of Overcooked include the simple setup and the game's accessibility to casual gamers. That's not to say, however, that the game is free of argument and frustration. Of course, if that occurs, just take a nice break or play another level.
Overcooked (PC) (2016)
Relevant Links:
Overcooked Page (Ghost Town Games Website)
Overcooked (Wikipedia.org)
Overcooked! (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Overcooked (Steam Store Page)
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Paladins (PC) (2018)
Overview: A free-to-play first-person shooter with similarities to Overwatch. (According to various sources, Paladins is not an Overwatch clone - despite the similarities).
20170907: (Early Access)
Today I tried playing a round of Paladins (Viktor).
Non-Exhaustive Comparison:
It's been a while, but I recall Overwatch's interface looking much cleaner than that of Paladins.
I liked the ability to change champions during a game in Overwatch.
The graphics in Overwatch are much better than graphics in Paladins. In particular, I like the character designs in Overwatch more. Shout out to (Overwatch characters) D. Va, Widowmaker, and Tracer.
I read some people like Paladin's gameplay better, but I haven't played enough yet.
Finally Paladins is free-to-play while Overwatch has a one-time cost (both games contain microtransactions).
Steam Game Time: 29 minutes
20181209 Part I:
Revisiting various games, I decided to revisit Paladins.
Gamesplay Log:
Dredge. Default Loadout (High Sea Ordinance). Autopurchase.
(Games 1-5: auto-matched vs. bots)
Game 1: Abyss Spike. Learned to use his Q and mouse clicks. Have a mild understanding of F. But how to cancel where it's placed?
Game 2: Abyss Spike. I got to use his ultimate once. I think he shot out a giant Kraken. [It's more like an AOE in the area of the Kraken] I enjoy using his Q (especially with Abyss Spike).
Read a Dredge guide
Game 3: Abyss Spike. Have a better understanding of his kit and purpose in the game. His F is hard to use strategically.
Game 4: Hurl. I spend these games playing around with my F. You have to move out of the way of the second one placed otherwise it'll be under him and he'll use it immediately. The one which the player pops out of will disappear. Also placing a "third" one will remove the oldest one.
Game 5: Scuttle. Hmm. Pretty good feeling with Scuttle, but maybe I still prefer Abyss Spike. In any case, I determined this game that I have to wait about a second before using Dredge's E after coming out of F.
Game 6: Dredge. Default. Abyss Spike. Loss. Much harder. Haha.
Game 7: Dredge. Default. Abyss Spike. Win. We managed to go three rounds 1-and-1, capture point, capture point, and prevent seige, respectively. Then we managed to capture the last point. During this game, I got a better hang of utilizing F to juke or escape. I also realized I had to stay closer with team to prevent Syke from killing me.
Having played League of Legends for such a long time, I forgot how hard it might be for a beginner to start a new game like this. With that being said, I decided to break down the learning process for myself. I'll try and just play one champion (Dredge) until I'm comfortable with the maps, game interface, and can play that one champion fairly well. Currently, I've only only explored the champion's talents; there's still loadout and purchases to learn!
First Impressions: Thus far, the game feels promising. The quality of graphics are decent, I mostly find the in-game UI useful, and the flow of the game is manageable. With default options and autopurchase available, I was able to quickly get into the game and learn the basics while leaving more advanced options for later. Perhaps the only thing I don't like as a new player is all the menus and purchasable items being displayed so prominently. With that being said, I have a feeling that's a commonly used interface. In comparison, League of Legends, a free-to-play MOBA, has a much cleaner client (though perhaps I'm just used to it after playing for so many years).
Steam Game Time: 2.2 hours (session game time)
20181209 Part II:
After leaving the client, I had the urge to play some more. I ended up playing for about another two and a half hours.
Game 8: Dredge. Default. Abyss Spike. Loss.
Game 9: Fernando. Default. Scorch. Win. The team was missing a frontline and Dredge was taken so I went Fernando. He's fun. He plays similar to Reinhardt in Overwatch.
Game 10: Fernando. Default. Aegis. Win.
Game 11: Fernando. Default. Formidable. Win.
I looked up a guide for Fernando and modified the loadout: Last Stand (1), Incinerate (4), Hot Pursuit (3), Launch (2), and Towering Barrier (5). Then I disabled "Auto Purchase Items."
Game 12: Fernando. (Even though I created a Loadout, I went with the) Default (because the game was Team Deathmatch). Formidable. Win. I never died and so never purchased more.
Game 13: Fernando. Custom. Formidable. Loss (Onslaught). The enemy had some sort of burn which was OP on this level.
Spent some time in practice mode (Syke).
Game 14: Fernando. Custom. Formidable. Loss. Their team output more damage and didn't really have a tank.
Game 15: Skye. Default. Preparation. Loss. Much harder to play than I thought it would be.
Game 16: Furia. Default. Cherish. Seige Training.
Second Impressions: As I encountered various character models, I had come to the conclusion that I like the look of the models in Overwatch much more than the look of the models in Paladins.* Also, it seems like various items in the client could use an update. For example, the headings about the Scoreboard table are offset from the columns. It's also possible that the maps for Paladin aren't as good as the maps for Overwatch, but I haven't played enough of both games to definitely make that statement.
Steam Game Time: 2.5 hours (session game time)
*I actually made a similar statement on 20170907.
20190527:
I loaded up the game and "closed" it for the Steam Spring Cleaning Event "Tag Contributor." Much later, while playing League of Legends, I heard music in the background and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Eventually I opened Windows Task Manager and eventually I spotted Paladins being open. The music went away when I ended the task.
Steam Game Time: 22.5 hours (session game time)
Actual Game Time: 0 hours (session game time)
Thoughts:
Major Pro:
++ Excellent implementation of practice mode. One for each game mode (Siege, Onslaught, Team Deathmatch), a "shooting range," and a tutorial. The shooting range allows
1) Access to all champions (i.e., even ones you don't own)
2) Change to any other champion on-the-fly (via the menu)
3) Four practice rooms to serve different practice needs
Pros:
+ Friendly in-game UI
+ Easy to get started
Neutral:
~ Free-to-play
~ First five games are against AI. I've encountered this feature in other games, but I think this should be announced to players.
Cons:
- Thus far, a weak match-making system.
- Graphics aren't as high quality as competitor, Overwatch.
Summary:
None at this time.
Paladins (PC) (2015)
Relevant Links:
Paladins Website
Paladins (video game) (Wikipedia.org)
Paladins (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Paladins: Champions of the Realm (Steam Store Page)
20170907: (Early Access)
Today I tried playing a round of Paladins (Viktor).
 |
| Dredge |
Non-Exhaustive Comparison:
It's been a while, but I recall Overwatch's interface looking much cleaner than that of Paladins.
I liked the ability to change champions during a game in Overwatch.
The graphics in Overwatch are much better than graphics in Paladins. In particular, I like the character designs in Overwatch more. Shout out to (Overwatch characters) D. Va, Widowmaker, and Tracer.
I read some people like Paladin's gameplay better, but I haven't played enough yet.
Finally Paladins is free-to-play while Overwatch has a one-time cost (both games contain microtransactions).
Steam Game Time: 29 minutes
 |
| Dredge's moves. |
20181209 Part I:
Revisiting various games, I decided to revisit Paladins.
Gamesplay Log:
Dredge. Default Loadout (High Sea Ordinance). Autopurchase.
(Games 1-5: auto-matched vs. bots)
Game 1: Abyss Spike. Learned to use his Q and mouse clicks. Have a mild understanding of F. But how to cancel where it's placed?
Game 2: Abyss Spike. I got to use his ultimate once. I think he shot out a giant Kraken. [It's more like an AOE in the area of the Kraken] I enjoy using his Q (especially with Abyss Spike).
Read a Dredge guide
Game 3: Abyss Spike. Have a better understanding of his kit and purpose in the game. His F is hard to use strategically.
Game 4: Hurl. I spend these games playing around with my F. You have to move out of the way of the second one placed otherwise it'll be under him and he'll use it immediately. The one which the player pops out of will disappear. Also placing a "third" one will remove the oldest one.
 |
| Using the rifle scope to shoot Syke in the Shooting Range. |
Game 5: Scuttle. Hmm. Pretty good feeling with Scuttle, but maybe I still prefer Abyss Spike. In any case, I determined this game that I have to wait about a second before using Dredge's E after coming out of F.
Game 6: Dredge. Default. Abyss Spike. Loss. Much harder. Haha.
Game 7: Dredge. Default. Abyss Spike. Win. We managed to go three rounds 1-and-1, capture point, capture point, and prevent seige, respectively. Then we managed to capture the last point. During this game, I got a better hang of utilizing F to juke or escape. I also realized I had to stay closer with team to prevent Syke from killing me.
Having played League of Legends for such a long time, I forgot how hard it might be for a beginner to start a new game like this. With that being said, I decided to break down the learning process for myself. I'll try and just play one champion (Dredge) until I'm comfortable with the maps, game interface, and can play that one champion fairly well. Currently, I've only only explored the champion's talents; there's still loadout and purchases to learn!
 |
| Fernando |
First Impressions: Thus far, the game feels promising. The quality of graphics are decent, I mostly find the in-game UI useful, and the flow of the game is manageable. With default options and autopurchase available, I was able to quickly get into the game and learn the basics while leaving more advanced options for later. Perhaps the only thing I don't like as a new player is all the menus and purchasable items being displayed so prominently. With that being said, I have a feeling that's a commonly used interface. In comparison, League of Legends, a free-to-play MOBA, has a much cleaner client (though perhaps I'm just used to it after playing for so many years).
Steam Game Time: 2.2 hours (session game time)
20181209 Part II:
After leaving the client, I had the urge to play some more. I ended up playing for about another two and a half hours.
Game 8: Dredge. Default. Abyss Spike. Loss.
Game 9: Fernando. Default. Scorch. Win. The team was missing a frontline and Dredge was taken so I went Fernando. He's fun. He plays similar to Reinhardt in Overwatch.
Game 10: Fernando. Default. Aegis. Win.
 |
| Fernando's Shield |
Game 11: Fernando. Default. Formidable. Win.
I looked up a guide for Fernando and modified the loadout: Last Stand (1), Incinerate (4), Hot Pursuit (3), Launch (2), and Towering Barrier (5). Then I disabled "Auto Purchase Items."
Game 12: Fernando. (Even though I created a Loadout, I went with the) Default (because the game was Team Deathmatch). Formidable. Win. I never died and so never purchased more.
Game 13: Fernando. Custom. Formidable. Loss (Onslaught). The enemy had some sort of burn which was OP on this level.
Spent some time in practice mode (Syke).
Game 14: Fernando. Custom. Formidable. Loss. Their team output more damage and didn't really have a tank.
Game 15: Skye. Default. Preparation. Loss. Much harder to play than I thought it would be.
Game 16: Furia. Default. Cherish. Seige Training.
Second Impressions: As I encountered various character models, I had come to the conclusion that I like the look of the models in Overwatch much more than the look of the models in Paladins.* Also, it seems like various items in the client could use an update. For example, the headings about the Scoreboard table are offset from the columns. It's also possible that the maps for Paladin aren't as good as the maps for Overwatch, but I haven't played enough of both games to definitely make that statement.
 |
| Syke's Champion Overview |
Steam Game Time: 2.5 hours (session game time)
*I actually made a similar statement on 20170907.
20190527:
I loaded up the game and "closed" it for the Steam Spring Cleaning Event "Tag Contributor." Much later, while playing League of Legends, I heard music in the background and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Eventually I opened Windows Task Manager and eventually I spotted Paladins being open. The music went away when I ended the task.
Steam Game Time: 22.5 hours (session game time)
Actual Game Time: 0 hours (session game time)
Thoughts:
Major Pro:
++ Excellent implementation of practice mode. One for each game mode (Siege, Onslaught, Team Deathmatch), a "shooting range," and a tutorial. The shooting range allows
1) Access to all champions (i.e., even ones you don't own)
2) Change to any other champion on-the-fly (via the menu)
3) Four practice rooms to serve different practice needs
Pros:
+ Friendly in-game UI
+ Easy to get started
 |
| A selection of champions. |
Neutral:
~ Free-to-play
~ First five games are against AI. I've encountered this feature in other games, but I think this should be announced to players.
Cons:
- Thus far, a weak match-making system.
- Graphics aren't as high quality as competitor, Overwatch.
Summary:
None at this time.
Paladins (PC) (2015)
Relevant Links:
Paladins Website
Paladins (video game) (Wikipedia.org)
Paladins (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Paladins: Champions of the Realm (Steam Store Page)
 |
| Furia |
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Chime (PC) (2010)
Overview: Place blocks to form rectangles in order to gain points and cover the entire playing surface.
20120928:
Some Steam Achievements completed on this day.
20121204:
Screenshots show about 20 minutes of play.
Steam Game Time: 2.7 hours
20181206 (Part 1):
I revisited this game today and started by trying to load an old save file using GameSave Manager. Unfortunately, the backed up save file was not a real back up. In other words, I had to start over from the beginning.
The first time I played, I didn't realize that an important goal was to cover the entire playing surface. I also didn't know until near the end of the first level I played that once a rectangular set of blocks, known as a quad, is cleared by the beatline (the white vertical bar that scans across the board), the playing surface that was occupied by the quad is reclaimed and can be used again.
Setup: Mouse. I started off with a keyboard but then decided to forgo the need to rotate left and right in favor of rotating only right by clicking the right mouse button.
Game Mechanics: Each level has a different layout and has a different set of blocks to use. Once the level starts, the player must place the blocks onto the playing surface and form rectangles, which the game calls "quads." When a quad is first formed, a meter begins to fill. The quad may be extended if the meter has not yet reached 100%. Bigger quads gain more points. Each completed quad increments the score multiplier. Block fragments will begin to deteriorate each time the beatline (white vertical bar) passes. A piece that fully deteriorates will reset the bonus multiplier, i.e., back to 1x. Finally, the area behind a completed rectangle is marked as covered, and the player's ultimate goal is to cover the entire playing field. (The main incentive to cover the playing field is to reset the field and continue to earn more time bonuses.)
Steam Game Time: 0.9 hours (session game time)
20181206 (Part 2):
After writing some thoughts below, I decided to dive back into the game and try playing faster.
Setup: Mouse. Today I used the mouse wheel to rotate the pieces right and left.
Upon trying out the new strategy, I was drawn back into the game as I started developing new strategies. In particular, at one point I realized that I could sacrifice getting points in favor of covering more squares by creating smaller rectangles. This is especially true near corners.
I suppose one strategy would be to cover as much center area as possible and then work on any missing corners. Speaking of missing area, I didn't use the reveal button often enough, but it's usage a key to doing well in the game.
Steam Game Time: 1.4 hours (session game time)
20181207:
As I returned to finalize this blog post, I got the feeling to play more and try to beat my scores. In essence, some amount of addiction has kicked in. Today I tried to tackle various achievements.
Overall, there was some fun trying to complete some of the achievements, two of which are a big grind (50 and 100 companion cubes).
At one point, I thought that perhaps a clean way to play the game would be to determine how to pack the pieces in different small scenarios. For example, are there ways to combine the blocks in a closed form? Are there ways to do it around a single or double single block? And so on.
Steam Game Time: 2.5 hours (session game time); 4.8 hours (week game time); 7.5 hours (total game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Challenging
+ Good music and general vibe
+ Features the Portal song "Still Alive."
Neutral:
~ Has some appeal.
~ Has about as much replay value as other arcade games: master the game mechanics and RNG in order to get a high score. If you don't care about getting the high score, the game will be a short experience.
Con:
~ There are only a small number of layouts to choose from. A custom mode would have been perfect for this game.
Summary:
If you have this game and enjoy puzzle games like Tetris or Puzzle Bobble, then I would recommend you play it; more so if you've played Portal and absolutely loved "Still Alive" (who doesn't!?!). If none of those apply to you, then don't worry, you're not missing out.
Chime (PC) (2010)
Relevant Links:
Chime (video game) (Wikipedia.org)
Chime (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Chime (Steam Store Page)
20120928:
Some Steam Achievements completed on this day.
20121204:
Screenshots show about 20 minutes of play.
 |
| A companion cube! (from 2007 first person video game Portal) |
Steam Game Time: 2.7 hours
20181206 (Part 1):
I revisited this game today and started by trying to load an old save file using GameSave Manager. Unfortunately, the backed up save file was not a real back up. In other words, I had to start over from the beginning.
The first time I played, I didn't realize that an important goal was to cover the entire playing surface. I also didn't know until near the end of the first level I played that once a rectangular set of blocks, known as a quad, is cleared by the beatline (the white vertical bar that scans across the board), the playing surface that was occupied by the quad is reclaimed and can be used again.
Setup: Mouse. I started off with a keyboard but then decided to forgo the need to rotate left and right in favor of rotating only right by clicking the right mouse button.
 |
| A blank level. |
Game Mechanics: Each level has a different layout and has a different set of blocks to use. Once the level starts, the player must place the blocks onto the playing surface and form rectangles, which the game calls "quads." When a quad is first formed, a meter begins to fill. The quad may be extended if the meter has not yet reached 100%. Bigger quads gain more points. Each completed quad increments the score multiplier. Block fragments will begin to deteriorate each time the beatline (white vertical bar) passes. A piece that fully deteriorates will reset the bonus multiplier, i.e., back to 1x. Finally, the area behind a completed rectangle is marked as covered, and the player's ultimate goal is to cover the entire playing field. (The main incentive to cover the playing field is to reset the field and continue to earn more time bonuses.)
Steam Game Time: 0.9 hours (session game time)
20181206 (Part 2):
After writing some thoughts below, I decided to dive back into the game and try playing faster.
 |
| A quad whose meter is still filling. |
Setup: Mouse. Today I used the mouse wheel to rotate the pieces right and left.
Upon trying out the new strategy, I was drawn back into the game as I started developing new strategies. In particular, at one point I realized that I could sacrifice getting points in favor of covering more squares by creating smaller rectangles. This is especially true near corners.
I suppose one strategy would be to cover as much center area as possible and then work on any missing corners. Speaking of missing area, I didn't use the reveal button often enough, but it's usage a key to doing well in the game.
Steam Game Time: 1.4 hours (session game time)
 |
| Use "reveal" to see what still needs to be covered. |
20181207:
As I returned to finalize this blog post, I got the feeling to play more and try to beat my scores. In essence, some amount of addiction has kicked in. Today I tried to tackle various achievements.
Overall, there was some fun trying to complete some of the achievements, two of which are a big grind (50 and 100 companion cubes).
At one point, I thought that perhaps a clean way to play the game would be to determine how to pack the pieces in different small scenarios. For example, are there ways to combine the blocks in a closed form? Are there ways to do it around a single or double single block? And so on.
Steam Game Time: 2.5 hours (session game time); 4.8 hours (week game time); 7.5 hours (total game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Challenging
+ Good music and general vibe
+ Features the Portal song "Still Alive."
Neutral:
~ Has some appeal.
~ Has about as much replay value as other arcade games: master the game mechanics and RNG in order to get a high score. If you don't care about getting the high score, the game will be a short experience.
Con:
~ There are only a small number of layouts to choose from. A custom mode would have been perfect for this game.
Summary:
If you have this game and enjoy puzzle games like Tetris or Puzzle Bobble, then I would recommend you play it; more so if you've played Portal and absolutely loved "Still Alive" (who doesn't!?!). If none of those apply to you, then don't worry, you're not missing out.
Chime (PC) (2010)
Relevant Links:
Chime (video game) (Wikipedia.org)
Chime (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Chime (Steam Store Page)