Game Reviews - Quake, Mario, Limbo

Games have become a huge aspect in our lives, especially in today society. In 2008 the game industry had a turnover of £21.3 billion in a year. The video game industry was first created in the 1971.

On average 8 to 12 year-old plays up to 13 hours of video games per week, while the average 13 to 18 year old plays up to 14 hours of video games per week.  Teen (those ages 8 to 12) and teen boys average 16 hours and 18 hours per week, respectively. Teen girls average 10 hours per week and teen girls average 8 hours per week.  Now days we can play games on our smart phones, game consoles, pads and pods and other devices such as laptops ect... The gaming industry may see this as an advantage as the game industry can sell more copies of their game on android apps or game disks.

Games have been around for many years however the way we play them has changed. Such as 30 years ago computer games were controlled by the tabs on the keyboard, then controllers were  invented know days we can play games with a touching the screen. This industry is devolving with the technology and is become extremely successful.

In this blog I will be studying 3 games.

Introduction (Quake)

The first game I have studied is Quake; this game has alot of shooting and action in it. Quake was first launched on June 22, 1996. This game is a first person shooter video game. It has been released on game consoles and as a computer game. There are many improved version of the games as technology has improved over the years. The genre of this game is horror. The game contains violence, blood and monsters.

Story

The player's main objective is to survive and locate the exit which will take him to the next level along the game the character constantly keeps seeing the antagonist in order to make the game harder. The story line in this game is the character has been sent to the portal to stop his enemy “Quake” to stop using teleportation technology, as Quake (enemy) is importing death squads to earth, in order to see what happens to the humans. The protagonist is easy to spot as the game is in first person shooter which means we hardly see the protagonist as the designer may have don’t this purposely as whilst the game player is playing quake it feels as if we the game player are actually playing. This makes the game better and more addicting as it feels as the game player is the protagonist which would allow them to create feelings for the character as the character is actually themselves, this would allow them to relate to the character more. The game player can only see the hand holding the gun. This can connote that the character is holding the gun however the whole character who is not showed may be the game player.

Game play

Game play this is how the character moves through the game an interacts with the game, Game play is the pattern which describes game rules, and how the players can connect during the game, challenge other players and overcoming them. In Quake there is only one way the game player can see the screen which is first person shooter this may be so the game player has all the attention on the enemies up head in order they can focus what is in front of them.

Graphics

There are many versions to Quake however the first version lacks in graphics as it was created in the early 1996. There are many terrains, architecture and objects used within the game world. The game world lacks in graphics however when it was released the graphics were of good quality as technology was not as good as in today’s society.  However as time went on Quake released more updated version of the game which then bettered in graphics. The game world repeats such as there are nearly the same architecture and objects shown throughout the game world. Such as the rocks and the boxes this may be as it was cheaper and quicker to design.

Sound

The sound in the game world is very loud the music allows the game player to here each step and movement of the character and non playing character which allows the game player to be aware of his or her surroundings. When approaching the non player baddies which are the villains within this game. The sound within the game goes silent and out of know where you can hear the villain shout which gives the game player a fright which entertains them as they are then in a challenge. The sound of bullets may also drag the game player attention and allow them to interact with the game more as they may try playing the game to the best of their ability as the game would be challenging. This shows that sound is a very important aspect within the game.

Single player and Multiplayer

Single player is when the player plays by themselves or they play against the non-playing character which is just the computer system adding a character in the game. Quake allows the game player to play single player. Single player is good as if the player is knew to playing Quake they can practise on single player before playing online. As technology has improved Quake has released latest versions now game designers can create multiplayer as most households contain a Wi-Fi box.

Trophies

Goals, Challenges and Rewards. The main goal within Quake is to survive and get through the game world and kill the bosses after each level. There are many challenges in the way to stop the game player in achieving the goal. The game designer has created bosses in order that the goal is hard for the game player to achieve.  Along the way the game designer gives rewards to the game player such as a booster on the health and body armour.

Conclusion

This game is very entertaining and is quite simple to play. Quake is a masterpiece on every level, with its ominous atmosphere, incredibly well-balanced game play and level design, and unparalleled soundtrack. The game has continued to be better and better as technology has improved. Personally I would love to buy the full version of Quake 4 as the graphics are amazing and the game has improved over the years.

Summary

The game is entertaining.  The game gives a clear story. The game is very competitive. It is very action packed and allows the game player to always have action on screen.

 

Introduction (Mario)

Mario has alot of games, such as Mario kart and Mario brothers.  Most Mario games usually fit under the genre Side scrollers and three-dimensional plat formers. Side’s rollers are the most common type of platform game and usually allow travel in only one or two directions. Three-dimensional plat formers allow travel in any direction and usually consist of the newer Mario platform games. The game Mario was released 1983. There have been many copies of this game however Mario was one of the first came to come out.

Story

The story concept in this game is the princess of the town has been kidnapped on her birthday. The princess is kidnapped from the villain who is called bowser and his team.  Mario and his friends are on a mission to stop browser and save the princess and bring her back to home before her birthday ends. The narrative in this game is very good there are a lot of cut scenes which allows the game to show a video to the game player. The game designer has made the character Mario to automatically start paying after the video is shown such as it is up to the game player to finish of the mission as the game plays a video to start the mission.

Game Play

The game player can play with the game is very limited ion different perspectives to play the game with such as. The view we have of Mario is a side view in order we can see the full character and the Mario surroundings as it is very important in this game to be aware of your surroundings.

 Graphics

The graphics in the game have are very like life. The games have bright colours. The first ever Mario that was released had a lack in graphics as technology was not very good back in 1983. However the Mario I am reviewing is Super Mario Bros which are up to date with technology. The Mario bros graphics have improved a lot in the previous Mario games such as the game world before had pixels which can be seen however now days the whole game world does not show pixels as they are not visible. Terrains, architecture and objects are repeated in Mario as throughout the game world the same Terrains, architecture and objects were in every level.  Examples of these would be the Bins that Mario transports his way around through the game are in nearly every scene thrououht the game world. The bricks are turtles and brown bugs are also repeated as shown below.

Sound

The sound in Mario allows us to interact with the game such as we have a time limit which is 500 seconds to complete the whole level. When this time gets up to 100 seconds the sound starts playing faster to warn the game player time is running out. This creates tension and allows the game player to race with the time.

Multiplayer

Mario allows you to play single player however sometimes you can get non playing characters in to the game in order that the computer can show you a quick tutorial to how to complete the level. Multiplayer can go up to 4 players. The characters are Mario, Lugi Toad and another Toad. It is better with multiplayer as the game can be easily complete with team work.

Trophies

Mario offers many Goals, Challenges and Rewards. The main goal in this game is to collect as all the star coins which are hidden in this game world 3 in a level. However the reason we are playing is to rescue the princess. The game player must beat the villains that the game creator has put their to challenge us in order we feel challenged which would make us more connected with the game as it would be challenging.

Conclusion

The game is very addicting as it gets more and more challenging as the game goes on. The more you go in to the game the more you want to find the princess and finish the game. The Bosses are very challenging and the game loves challenges as most games are filled with challenges.

Summary

It builds team work which allows you to interact with others which makes it entreating. Addicting. Eye catching as it’s colourful. Exploring and Adventures and Missions are good. Suitable for Adults and children. However it is only 2D, and allows only one perspective.


Introduction (Limbo)

Limbo is a puzzle platform video game and the premiere title of independent Danish game developer Play dead. The game was released in July 2010 and is usually played on an Xbox.

Story

The primary character in Limbo is a nameless boy who awakens in the middle of a forest.  He meets a few characters on his journey to find his missing sister however the characters either run away or are dead or try to attack him. The atmosphere within the game is quite, spooky and very dark.

Gameplay

The player controls the boy throughout the game. As is typical of most two-dimensional platform games, the boy can run left or right, jump, climb onto objects or up and down ladders and ropes, and push or pull objects. The game player can use the arrows and the CTRL button for the character to act. Limbo is a dark atmosphere and hardly has any sound. The game is dark the dark also hides hazards in order it makes the game player be careful and create tension as the game player would not want the character to die. 

Graphics  

The graphics on Limbo are not too bad. However it is difficult to make a judgment on the graphics as the game is very dark so we hardly see anything. The objects that are in the game look very easy to make and also very cheap to make.

 

Sound 

The sound is very silent there is hardly any sound except the whistle of wind.This goes very well with the concept of a boy los in a forest and the forest is abandon and you can feel the boys loneliness through the sound of the game.

 

Conclusion 

I don’t like the game; it’s very boring and not very addicting. There are not enough characters and there it is not multiplayer which is a disadvantage.

 

Summary

Thoughtful puzzles with lots of variety and there are many secret rewards you can get and unlock.The game is not multiplayer nor can we connect to people online.

Temple Run Review

Intro:

Temple run is one of the best apps ever made for iPhone. It is very entertaining and addictive. It is a running game about, different characters running in a jungle to a never ending position. The characters are being chased after by a gorilla or a kind of evil monkey. This game is available on Apple phones, such as i Phones, it is also recently now available on Android products. It was mainly first available for apple products. It was a worldwide success, and it was downloaded by millions of people.

Story:

There is not really a story to the temple run game. It is an endless game, which main purpose is to get to the furthest distance ever. The main point is also to survive as long as possible. There are many obstacles that will come its way. Things like a gap in the middle of the floor, which will attract the player to drop to the floor, also the big evil creature behind the player running. All these things will try to distract the running man causing it to crash or be unsuccessful. This is what the story is mainly about. There are also coins that are collected why the character is running.  This will help the character earn more score. It will make them go further in the game because the score is also increasing.

Game-play:

The further the player reaches, the higher the score is. There are different characters available, there up to six different characters that can be chosen from. There also various objects that can get the player tripped over. If the player running trips over, the evil like creature comes one step closer to the player running. The game also consists of different power ups, things like boost; it makes the player running, run even faster without the person controlling having to control it, this usually last for couple seconds, before it wears off. 

Graphic:

The graphics for temple run is average, it isn’t really that good. It is playable, but can definitely be improved. there are various improvements that can be done to the graphics, e.x making the water more visible. the water in temple run are quite dull and hard to see. so making it a bit more visible will definitely increase the reputation of the game. as they will also make more sales.

Super Mario Review

Intro:

This is a game full of adventure. It evolves around Mario running around overcoming every obstacle to comes in his way. This includes enemies, objects, and everything that comes in way. Mario’s task is to basically save the princess that was kidnapped by bowser. Bowser is a very bad character in the super Mario series.  He is the antagonist in the game, and needs to be dealt with by super Mario.  Mario will set path to rescue the princess and save her, so they can both live happily ever after. In order to save her, Mario will go through so many levels and attempt to save her. The levels get harder by the higher it is. Basically the higher the level is, the harder it becomes for the player.

Story:

The story is all about the main character, super Mario. The character is trying to find his princess. His princess got kidnapped by a very bad person in the game called bowser. Bowser is the antagonist. He kidnapped the princess so that Mario can come looking for her, so that he can also capture Mario. During the story, Mario will travel through all levels collecting coins and trying his hardest to save his princess peach. All the enemies will need to be defeated in order for Mario to do what his purpose is. There are strange enemies that will try to stop Mario from going where he needs to be, but with the help of the coins and power ups, he might have a chance to overthrow his enemies.

Game-play:

The game play is full of excitement. Super Mario gets too travel around a castle. It basically consists of different levels. Super Mario will have to get past one level in order to get to the next level. Each level will consists of different enemies that super Mario will have to defeat. Basically there are also other worlds. Super Mario will need to beat every single level on each world in other to move into another world. This also means that super Mario is one step closer to save the princess peach. At the very end, I believe bowser will show up, and then they will be a very big battle between super Mario and bowser. If super Mario do win, he will get the chance to leave peacefully and victorious with his princess peach.

Graphic:

The graphics for the super Mario game is very colorful and bright. The background colour is very clear and sharp. There is no difficulty in viewing it what so ever. Since super Mario has different versions. There are 3D versions, HD versions. All these versions can affect the graphics. The outcome of the graphics all depends on the factor of the version of the game. All the characters all appear sharply and well-constructed. The game play looks really professional. The graphics actually helps motivate the players. It is so attractive to play on.

Sound:

The games soundtrack is very distinctive; it is a very funny and entertaining soundtrack. It makes the player get more involved in the game. The only bad thing about it is that it is not a very loud soundtrack, which is a very bad thing as the volume of the sound isn’t really a buzzing sound and enjoyable sound. The quality is also very nice.  Another thing about the sound was, after every stage was completed, a very entertaining sound will come right at the end of that particular level, which will then advance the player to the next stage.

Conclusion:

In my conclusion, I believe that super Mario is one of the all-time best adventurous games. It brings life in to people. It is a very fun game for family and friends. It is playable by anyone. The main target audience is kids and teenagers, but it is also playable by adults or the elderly.  Super Mario game leaves its players with a childhood memory they can never forget. It is a game that has been around for a long time, everyone enjoys playing this game because it is fun and quite addictive.

Quake Flash Review

Intro

Quake flash is a typical first person shooter game. It involves a man with a shot gun who is on an adventure. There to two game modes, a single player game mode and a multiplayer game mode. The single player is a man who runs around exploring every level. It also faces lots of monsters and zombies. There are lots of doors that get in the way of the person playing, which makes the game a little slight complicated.

The Multiplayer game mode consists of two people playing. This can be either competitive or together in a campaign mode. The competitive mode involves the two players playing against each other.

Story

The story is about a guy who runs around killing zombies. The main shooter runs around a haunted castle looking for the enemy that he was sent to kill. If he succeeds in killing this enemy, he will be let out of the haunted castle. There are lots of levels that the players most go through to the enemy that he is looking for. He has to successfully get through these levels to have a chance to get out. The levels have different magical walls, and things that may make the passage through the levels a bit difficult. Although the main thing the player should focus on is surviving and killing all the monsters and zombies that gets in its way. Without killing them, the player will die and lose the round.

Gameplay

The game-play of quake is slow paced. It requires the player to run and kill different types of monsters in a very slow way. The controls are fairly easy. The game is controlled with the mouse and the keyboard allowing the player to have a better view at the game and the playing style. Also the games allow the user to pick his difficulty, which includes, easy, medium, and hard. So this allows the player to know what level they would like to play on, before starting the level.

Graphic

The graphics of the game is not really attractive. It is boring to watch and play. It is a low quality graphic. It is not really clear and sharp. It needs more development and improvement. It cannot be better without them upgrading the graphic card. It really needs to be upgraded to the newest version so that the graphics can look way better and more entertaining to the audience and the gamers.

Sound:

The sound of the game is really motivating. It lets the player want to play the game more, because of the soundtrack. The sound is quite scary and loud. This would let the player find out what the next level of the game will be about. The sound makes me want to play the game more, but the graphics of the game does not motivate me, because the graphics are really bad and less motivating. Overall the sound does not need any improvements; it is perfect as it is. The only slight change that can be done is lowering the volume of the sound, so that it is not too loud.

Conclusion:

Quake is a really addicting game; it lets the players want to play more, due to the amazing sound and guns that are included in this game. The sound really allows the players to want to play the game more because it is so motivating. I believe that quake can also be improved in many ways. The can improve the graphics, the gameplay and the story. If they can improve all these features, it will attract more buyers, players or customers. The more players that they get, the more money the game company will make. I am positive that all these improvements and changes will take effect in the near future. This can really improve and better the popularity of the game.