Kyunghoon Han

Super Mario Bros (1985)

The Game (Context)

The Granddaddy of of the platformer action genre, the Super Mario Bros. game takes the player character (Mario) through a number of levels to rescue Peach from Bowser, with a number of different obstacles and platforms that they must get through or else at the expense of their limited number of lives.

With the number of different enemy types, number of platforming sections, and even boss fights at certain intervals, there is little doubt on how far the Super Mario series have come from its origin in 1985 as an action platformer. It overall encompasses, mostly, three types of genre in total: Action, Platformer, and Adventure.

The Good

While a review of this game is quite late at this point in time, there is still reason why the nostalgia exists for replays. Having decent mechanics on movement and jumping, it allows the player to avoid pitfalls and enemies, as well as the ability of additional lives at a certain coin limit + an eventual powerup (the original fire flower) if one avoids getting hit. Also the addition of a time limit ensures a sense of tension once time becomes short. It also sets the pattern of certain number of levels (each uniquely

The Premise

As mentioned before, this game encompasses 3 types of genre: Action, Adventure, and Platformer. The player just has to get from the beginning of the stage to the end without losing all their lives, all the while collecting coins and powerup(s) for progression and points. Eventually, there is a boss at the end of each series of levels that lead up to the final boss Bowser. Otherwise, that’s all there needs to be known, since this game is ancient but revered as a major starting point of game history.

Issues?

Well, there is a reason why speed running the game involves some outside thinking. More specifically certain areas where speed runners can take advantage of the low-end coding that the game was set on that does have weaknesses to exploit. But that is very low-hanging fruit in regards to “issues”. Besides being a speed run advantage, there is the occasional “getting stuck” aspect that involves said exploits. Otherwise, there is really nothing else to complain about. Also the introduction of water levels are argumentative at most, though they do work in-game.

Strategy?

This game has been out since 1985, and whatever enhancements or executions needed can be found in its future sequels in its long-running series that Nintendo is well known for.

What made this game successful?

Besides being a very responsive action platformer, this game is very fun and repayable, challenging the player to do better each and every time, whether by time or score-based situations. Having those two factors alone at the time where video games are still under the radar, Super Mario Bros. helped open the door further to for new ideas and games.

Moreover, have fun and thanks.

Chess: Make your Move

Photo by Sebastian Voortman on Pexels.com

The Game and Pieces

Chess, in its original variant, is a 2 player strategy puzzle game that pits one another in a goal: Capture the rival king. Invented in India sometime around the 8th century, this timeless game has changed very little and yet has such a large following today. To introduce one to the game, they must familiarize themselves with their pieces: The King, Queen, Bishops, Knights, Castles, and Pawns.

Movement

The King is the most important piece, and should your king find itself in checkmate, then it is a win for your opponent. Despite its importance, its movement is limited to being allowed to move in any direction, but can only move/attack in 1 single space, that is if said space clear of a potential attack by an enemy piece.

The Queen is considered to be 2nd by its sheer range of movement, being able to move across the entire board all the while having an attack range of it’s entire area.

The Knights are the two horse-like pieces that have a unique movement/attack range of an L shape. Rather, they don’t cover the entire L-shape, but the end square of it. They also have an additional ability to jump over pieces if need be.

The Bishops are also two pieces that stand next to the King and Queen pieces respectively. Their main method of movement/attack is diagonal based.

The Castles, again two pieces per opponent, have a basic front/back and side-to-side style movement, in having the range of that of a Queen, but not being able to move diagonally. They allow an ability known as “Castling” where should the King piece never move from its original position and its open to any castle on either side, the castle then moves into that area while the king moves more inward (though this does differ with either side).

And finally, the Pawns. There are a total of 8 pawns per side, and can only move forward one space (unless its their very first move, to which they can jump two spaces forward), but can attack diagonally. The pawn’s main claim to fame is when a pawn is able to reach the end of the board in enemy territory, the player can trade in any captured pieces other than the king, with the most popular choice being usually a queen or even an additional queen.

The Endgame

Checkmate. When your or your opponent’s king is unable to escape a “check” by an attacking piece, then it is considered a checkmate and the game is over. There have been many time-tested strategies and methods to counter opponents and strategize over the course of many, many centuries, so there is little room for complaint in my case. I highly recommend the game as it is thought-provoking and entertaining to play. Do try to remember its still just a game, as tempers can still rise. Now, its your turn to play.

All fun and games . . .

Well nobody is getting hurt in this site. Hopefully. Hello, my name is Kyunghoon Han and as of typing this, I am a CS major (with minor in Mathematics) with interests in game design and programming. Now, I had my fair share of experience in regards to gaming (Team Fortress 2, Warframe, S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow Over Chernobyl, the Fallout Series (specifically FNV, F4, and a bit of 76), Half-Life 2, and etc) but I always had a nagging feeling about how the process was formed in the first place.

Shame it took me until my senior year to actual answer that feeling. (Insert stereotypical college student joke)

YOU DIED
— Dark Souls (1, 2, and 3)

This will be updated as it goes. Wish me luck!

Game Analysis: Team Fortress 2

The Game (Context)

Team Fortress 2 (or TF2) is a multiplayer, first-person shooter that was released by Valve in the year 2007. It is based on a class based system, specifically groups of Offense, Defense, and Support characters to which totals up to 9 classes to choose from. The classes in question are: Scout, Soldier, Pyro, Heavy, Demoman, Engineer, Medic, Sniper, and Spy (First 3 are Offense, and etc.) . Each of the classes have their own skillset as well different weapons that are made available the more the player plays. There are also a number of different game modes such as Payload, King of the Hill, Capture the Flag, and etc.

The Good

A good starting point is of the characters themselves, specifically Valve introduced each character through a series of Youtube videos known as “Meet the Team” that give an in-depth look at each mercenary, in a very hilarious and gory manner (the number of memes also help). The context being that there is really no “good” or “bad” in case of morality, every single player controls a mercenary and that is it. Having a feel for each character can lead to the freedom of different playstyles with a multitude of weapons and items gives way to different “subclasses” for each mercenary pick. Moreover, unlike Overwatch, teamwork is optional (though very, very effective). The maps, weapons, mercenaries, and the bloody, cartoonish violence is what often makes TF2 standout while more modern games exist.

The Bad + Ugly

TF2 has come a long way from its release date, but it has recently been plagued by scourges of bots, specifically bots that are scripted to ruin other players day, whether it be just for “fun”, just hating the game, or in general taking advantage of Valve’s lack of effort to fix these issues. The lack of developers for TF2 has been a thorn in the community, and though while the game is still playable, there will be at times servers that are 90% filled with bots that make the game unplayable. It is still uncertain when Valve will return their attention to TF2 current plague, this is no effort to dissuade you from playing the game, as the community is still strong as ever, though it does have its own set of issues just like every other gaming community (or any fan-based community in general).

Improvements?

Besides the whole bot issue, class balance still a bit stale at this point, though with certain classes such as spy having been nerfed to oblivion with his items. TF2 hasn’t been relatively “fresh” and I think the introduction of fan-made workshop weapons, items, and even maps could be the breath of fresh air needed to get Valve focusing on TF2 once more (despite TF2 still be a prosperous game for Valve).

Now?

Its still a good game, and nowhere near dead. The characters, cartoonish feel, and gameplay are still there despite the issues. So what are you waiting for? Move out maggots!