LO3 - Dishonoured review

Remember your first day of school: the fear of not having your parents there to tell you exactly what to do, but also the excitement of being able to make your own decisions and have some control for yourself. Dishonoured is like that first day of school, except with much more murdering and prostitution. The terms “ play your own way” or “choose your own path” get thrown around a lot in videogames nowadays, but most of these are just developers trying to big up their games in trailers and usually boil down to: choose option A or B, to receive weapon with colour scheme  A or B. Dishonoured is not one of those games.

In Dishonoured you play as Corvo Atono, a man seeking revenge after seeing the empress whom you were tasked with protecting, brutally murdered and her daughter kidnapped. Although this may seem cliché at first, after all revenge stories aren’t exactly few and far between, it soon evolves and whilst never becoming awe-inspiring, it becomes interesting enough to keep me invested. The writing also helps, with some funny dialogue and intriguing characters that feel right at home in the twisted world of Dunwall.

Whilst the main story isn’t something likely to stay in your mind for long after the endgame, the world and smaller side stories truly captivated me. It’s not often in games that I will stop to behold the environment, but dishonoured had me doing so many slow camera pans that I began to feel like I was filming for national geographic. That’s just the impact dishonoured’s world has on you: it’s a mesmerising mix of oil paintings and cartoons all melded together into one package that delights the eyes and begs to be explored. Each level is full to the brim of tiny details that make it seem like a real living world, and these details aren’t just designed to stand there and be gawped at, like your mum, many times players can also use these items to experiment with in darkly gleeful ways, also like your mum.

Speaking of exploration, I can now begin to talk about the core gameplay of dishonoured. Each level starts the same way, you arrive in a new environment are given an objective and then set loose. Wanna sneak across rooftops and disable alarms? wanna complete some side missions to earn a new path through the level? wanna burn guards to a lifeless crisp whilst summoning rats to chew through their bones whilst you stare and laugh at their helpless screams…

All of these options are available to the player, you’re never told which one would work best or whether or not it’s something Corvo would do. You just do it. That’s what makes dishonoured great, the game itself might not last you that long, and you could probably be done with it in about 8+ hours. But that’s not what dishonoured is about, it’s about exploring environments, finding all the different paths, choosing whichever one you want and then coming back to try the others. Dishonoured wants you to experiment with it, you can complete the game without killing a single character, does that mean you have to? No. Does it mean you should do? If you want to.

All in all I can thoroughly recommend Dishonoured. It’s a game that can be played over and over and still feel fresh each time. While it’s far from a perfect game, it still offers a great experience and the beautiful visuals and world design, make this a world worth living in.
9/10

For my background I found a image from creative commons and edited it myself, adding the clouds around the top and bottom of the image, I also added the titles and placed filters over the image

LO2 - Evolve review comparison

The two reviews for evolve I have chosen by IGN and Zero punctuation which is a part of the Escapist online magazine. These two reviews differ greatly, and both have very different target audiences. IGN try to make their reviews very professional and accessible to a wider audience.
In their reviews they also mainly create the reviews to inform, with entertainment, whilst still being important, taking a side note. The review is available in written and video format, the video review is essentially captured gameplay footage of the game being reviewed with a voiceover in the background narrating the script. This also helps the audience get an idea of what the gameplay looks like as opposed to having the reviewer describe it them. This review also states which platform he played the game on. The review is divided into two sections: presentation and gameplay with both of these having unstated subsections like graphics and story. The review also has a conclusion or "verdict" at the end, which sums up the review into a smaller section, which tells the audience briefly whether or not the game is worth buying.
The Zero Punctuation review for the game is clearly veered towards a very different audience. The review is only available in video form, which helps to some up the fact that this isn't a proper review and is mainly made for entertainment purposes. The reviewer in this often swears and uses humour that would be considered inappropriate in most other places, this could be, however, due to the mature content of the games he is "reviewing". The reviews also don't show of any gameplay instead opting to use a slew of animations that the reviewer himself has made (often for comedic purposes).

In conclusion I would say that gamers looking for a proper review of a game, which tells them whether they will like it and if it is worth their money should go to ign, and people who really care about knowing about the quality of the game (possibly those who have already bought and experienced it) would watch the zero punctuation review if they're wanting a few minutes of entertainment.

LO2 - Evolve review comparison Notes

Evolve is a competitive multiplayer game in which 4 humans play against 1 “monster” in a variety of modes. Evolve is available on PC, Xbox one, Xbox 360, PS3 and PS4.

IGN Review

·       Video includes lots of gameplay.

·       Reviewer describes gameplay and systems that work within the game.

·       Reviewer keeps his descriptions more commonplace and easy to understand

·       Reviewer keeps video fairly formal and aims at a larger target audience.

·       Reviewer makes comparisons to other games and evaluates systems alongside those of other games

·       Review created to tell users whether or not the game is good

·       Written review also available to viewers

Zero punctuation

·       Features multiple swearwords and NSFW jokes

·       Video features no gameplay footage

·       Often divulges for the sake of comedy

·       Review created mostly for the purposes of comedy and entertainment.

·       No written review available to viewers.

·       Makes comparisons to many other media outlets and projects.

·       Makes references to his own personal life.

LO1 - Game Analysis - Tomb Raider (2013)

Tomb Raider (2013)                                   (PC)

Tomb Raider is a reboot/prequel to the long running franchise by crystal dynamics, the franchise has been credited as one of the names that first made the 3D platforming genre so popular.  This new iteration whilst still being very much a platformer has elements of 3^rd person shooting, something becoming a genre convention in platformers nowadays. The game also offers players different methods of traversal as they progress through the game and allows them to visit older areas to use these to unlock new secrets. This is something that has become very common in games nowadays especially in open world and platformers. Whilst Tomb Raider is an open world game, it doesn’t offer much as one, with only a few collectable and secrets to be found, Tomb Raider instead focusses on delivering a more streamlined narrative that sets up great set piece moments. There is also a 3^rd person shooter multiplayer added to the game to try and keep players playing for longer, this too is becoming an increasingly popular method in games .

The narrative is a prequel to the popular Lara Croft game series and follows the title character in her first encounters with danger and how she becomes the “Tomb Raider”. The story involves her getting stranded on an island whilst embarking on an archaeological dig and having to rescue her friend from the cult of murders who inhabit this island. The story works to get players to explore the island and sets up several action set piece moments. The story is decidedly darker than the rest of the Tomb Raider games and is the first game in the franchise to be rated an 18 by PEGI. The game also strays in the supernatural elements that we’ve seen in previous games, however in this game the way that they are brought in doesn’t feel as smooth with the grittier narrative and could’ve been handled in a better way.  The NPC characters in this game are mostly only present in cutscenes and in the home hub that you find later in the game, this gives the player a sense of isolation during the main gameplay sequences, however it also means that these characters can sometimes feel underdeveloped and whilst the story manages to progress well with them, it’s not the games strongest point.

The game was developed by Square Enix and published Eidos Montreal, it was built on the foundation

LO1 - Game Analysis - Guns Of Icarus

Guns of Icarus                       (PC)

Guns of Icarus is a Co-op based multiplayer game in which 2 teams control up to 4 different ships and must try to take down the enemy ships. Though it is essentially just a team deathmatch style of multiplayer, the need for players to work together and the constant maintenance of the ship offers a very different kind of experience from players would usually get.

There isn’t a set story or single player for the game, instead we are given bits of lore sprinkles throughout the game via loading menus and little pieces hidden throughout the maps and menus. “Guns of Icarus” instead encourages players to create their own stories in multiplayer, and the different tone that multiplayer has in this game allows for that perfectly. There aren’t really any characters in Guns of Icarus except for the players themselves, but they can be customised and changed in different ways as you progress to offer you the chance to make your character feel unique and individual. The other main characters of the game are the ships themselves, each one has an interesting a different design and can have certain parts of them changed to fit how a player would want to play the game.  The ships also have lots of tiny details put into them, something that players can notice in match as they walk across the ship’s hull and into its other areas.

Muse games originally started working on Guns of Icarus for a big publisher who offered to fund it, but after it became apparent to them that the published wanted them to change the game into something that they didn’t want it to be.  They became an independent company afterwards and continued work on the game without having to change it to fit another company’s needs. The game features realistic physics with projectiles being affected by gravity and wind movement, there are also very little glitches in the game, which allows players a stronger sense of emersion.

In the game you play as one of three different classes with gameplay varying for each one. If you play as the captain it’s your job to drive the ship and to tell the other players what to do, if you play as a gunner you mostly have to focus on shooting down the other ships but must also fix the engines when needed. The engineer is similar to the gunner, but instead must focus more effort of fixing the ship instead of using the guns. The realistic weapon physics, mean that player must plan each shot strategically before firing, making sure to take into account gravity and the movement of the other ships.

The Games heavy reliance on co-op as well as its steam exclusivity makes it into a game aimed at players who are more experience in games and know about them more. It’s also a social game so encourages people to play with their friends. The game doesn’t cost that much money due to how it was made, so this decreased price will attract a larger audience to it and means it will sell more copies even though it’s a lesser known developer and not connected to any triple a franchise.

The game is only available to players on PC via the steam workshop, but it doesn’t require a computer that is too good to play. The fact that the game is purely multiplayer lends itself better to PC gaming than console, the controls and need to be communicating with the other team is also something that works a lot better on PC.

LO1 - Game Analysis - Dishonored

Dishonoured                      (PC)

Dishonoured is a stealth action game. It’s not a very conventional game however, while in most of this genre of games you are funnelled down a narrow corridor occasionally switching weapon or fighting a different enemy. Dishonoured on the other hand just drops you into a level, gives you an objective and just tells you to do it. It’s the kind of game that doesn’t hold your hand, there are multiple ways to complete each objective, many side tasks you can optionally complete and lots of lore you can explore and discover if you want to.

The story follows Corvo Attono, a bodyguard who must avenge the empress he was sworn to protect after she is murdered in front of his, her daughter is kidnapped and he is blamed for her death. The story of the game isn’t anything too new or unique, but it does have its fair share of twists and turns. the story’s shortcomings are also dwarfed by the brilliant look and feel of the world, the characters in it, the excellent writing and voice acting and all of the smaller elements that add to the games lore and atmosphere. A lot of the characters in the game come close to just becoming archetypes, but some clever and smart writing gives them a more human feel, it also helps that certain voices are done by celebrities; some players may find that this breaks the immersion but I personally found it helped give the characters a lot more life to them. Corvo himself doesn’t have a voice, and what little writing he does have, are dialogue options designed purely to offer clear choices that would progress the story. This may be to allow players to envision Corvo as themselves and roleplay the game slighty more, I personally don’t have a massive problem with silent protagonists but given the quality writing and characters of dishonored it’s a shame to miss out on one more of them.

The game was developed by Arcane studios and published by Bethesda softworks using the unreal engine. This allowed Arcane to create working physics whilst also letting them play about with magical powers whilst still keeping the game looking good and running smoothly.

The gameplay is designed to allow players to complete a mission in any way that they see fit. This allows players more freedom, giving them a lot more incentive to replay the game and try different methods. The two main playstyles of the game are stealthy, in which you creep around the map avoiding enemies or taking them out silently or action in which you engage enemies in sword fights and use loud weapons like pistols and grenades to gain an edge in the fight. The game also gives players the opportunity to gain powers throughout; these offer a lot of difference to gameplay and can be bought with in game currency throughout the play through. There is also a Parkour system in place, which in addition with a teleporting power you automatically get called blink, allows for quick and seamless movement around each level. All of these mechanics are added together to try and create the best possible supernatural assassin experience for players.

The game is aimed at an older audience due to its graphic violence and mature content. This is also accentuated by how the game is rated an 18 by PEGI which would stop some younger players from being able to play it. The game also is part of a franchise so it would be aimed at players who can afford to buy the next game every few years and wouldn’t become bored of it easily.

Dishonored was originally released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, it did however get a remastered rerelease for Xbox one and PlayStation 4. The game works fine on all consoles with no framerate issues that I noticed. The game feels more like it was developed for pc just because of the delicate controls, however the lack of modding capability in a game such as this, that encourages experimentation, might annoy some players.

LO1 - Game Analysis - Mariokart Wii

Mariokart Wii                                     (Wii)

Mariokart Wii is a sequel/reboot to the long running franchise that initially started as super Mario Kart for the SNES in 1992. It is a Racing game that allows players to choose different stages, characters and vehicles to customise each match. Most racing games, especially nowadays, are more grounded and go for a more realistic approach to racing. Mariokart Wii is not one of those games. The gameplay consists of racing after different players and using different randomly selected weapons that you pick up to try and gain an advantage throughout the race. The use of weapons is uncommon in racing games as there is a whole other genre based around vehicle combat. MarioKart also gives players so many options so easily, focussing more on allowing the players nearly all the control from the very start, which is uncommon in most racers nowadays. There is a sense of progression though, with new tracks, vehicles and characters being unlocked by completing the “Cups” in single player which is quite common among racers, MarioKart makes sure that this is easy enough for players though so that they can unlock most of the features without much hassle.

There isn’t really a story for Mariokart wii, with the single player consisting of completing certain groups of races in “cups”. The game instead uses the Mario characters and locations to offer players a chance to further explore a world they will have known from previous games and just have fun with it.

The game was produced and developed by Nintendo, using the Handle bar engine to build the game. Like previous games in the series the game was built as a racer, with other modes being added later on, the online multiplayer aspects of the game were added to attract a wider target audience and allow players to be able to experience the game with friends more easily.

The characters in the game are all memorable faces from previous games and Mariokart Wii doesn’t try and do anything new or different with them, just giving the fans the cast that they’re used to. The characters are split into 3 categories: small, medium and large and each category has a different set of vehicles available to all the characters.

The gameplay is quite simplistic; you are placed on a starting line and must make it around the course 3 times before anyone else. This isn’t in anyway revolutionary; it’s quite conventional within its genre. However the game’s use of weapons and its charming cast/setting make it easy to forgive. Some levels also offer slight changes, like having to avoid penguins, or going up and down escalators and over fountains. These by no means create an all new gaming experience, but they’re nice touches in a game trying to be just that: nice.

The game is extremely family friendly being rated a 3+ by PEGI, its main target audience is a younger generation of children and the long standing name of the Mario brand lets parents know that this game will be perfectly appropriate for their child and might even attract an older generation of gamers keen for nostalgia and bored of extremely competitive games.

The game is a Wii exclusive due to how it is owned by Nintendo, this will have also been to try and increase sales for the Wii as it wasn’t making as much money as the other consoles. Also, by using the Wii’s motion sensor technology the game is played by tilting the Wii remote and using a few of the buttons. Making it feel far more fun and energetic that most other racers.