Motherload Review

Introduction

‘Motherload’ is an arcade game which consist a robotic mining machine. The robotic mining machine is sent underground to collect minerals and valuables of chucks of different elements such as gold. Collected minerals and metals are worth some money, each of its own value. These minerals and metals are used to upgrade the robots performance in digging.

 

Story

‘Motherload’ starts you off with a simple robot with very little fuel and money. The more you dig down collecting both minerals and metals, the more money you get when you convert it in the ‘mineral processor’. The money is used to upgrade the performance of the drill, hull, engine, fuel tank, radiator and cargo bank. All of which provide better chance of getting more metals and minerals so that you get to go further down the ground. The further down you go the player gets to come across fossils that are worth a lot witch also contributes to your upgrading credit. The player may experience obstacles such as hard rocks witch are not penetrable, however the game provides a ‘Emendation Station’ witch provide dynamites to overcome these obstacles. This station also sells reserve banks, hull Repair nanobots and teleporters which allow you to reach the games aim.

Game play

‘Motherload’ is a good game that is fun to play especially with its simple controls and upgrades. The aim of the game is to get to the bottom, upgrading the mining robot when collected minerals and metals are exchanged for money. The game provides upgrades and other devices such as dynamite to enable the player to reach their goal.  The game has an addictive edge to it. Even though it is slow to begin with its no problem when you start upgrading and receiving rewards for reaching checkpoints and collecting more valuable items such as fossils and diamonds.

Graphics

 

The graphics of the game are fair but old fashioned and pretty boring.  Motherlaod has a dull background which is not exciting, if I was to improve the game the thing I would focus on the most would be to make it more interesting to look at. This is because it contains only one basic colour; brown, this may result to the player quitting the game without completing it due to boredom.

 

Sound 

The sounds in the game contains a repetitive music track are with a drilling noise. This is a ‘put off’ as it may distract the player. However the good thing is the game does allow the players to turn the volume of both music and drilling sounds down or completely mute them.

Conclusion

Apart from the graphics, the game is brilliant as there is lots of options and upgrades to help the player gradually get better at it. Controls of the mining robot are simple when using the arrow keys and upgrading at the shop. However the game can become boring when starting off as you have no upgrades even though the game keeps the player hooked on as it rewards the player when they reach certain check points underground. The game contains ‘glitches’ that stops the mining robot from functioning properly, this may be annoying and discourage the player in finishing the game.  Overall I think the game is okay but there are many things to improve such as the quality of the game and the removal of the glitches.

Summary

Poor graphics

The game also contains glitches which can become irritating

Fun after getting used to the game and rules

Quake review

Introduction

Quake is a first person action game set in a 3-D world; the player is able to view all elements of the game from any angle simply by using the annotation keys or the mouse. The real-time animations are also highly sophisticated showing effects like explosions and flying particles as well as hidden objects that shoot out from hidden compartments. There are rules in the game that the player must follow in order to succeed. In order to stay alive the player must collect weapons and armour as well as keeping their health and power up to survive.

Story

The game is structured in a way which is easy to understand by the user. Before playing the user has an option of selecting the help function which will show them all the controls and how to use them. The player must go through the game killing all the monsters or opponents that get in the way. The kills and wins are recorded on the bottom of the screen. There are no levels but the player must go through doors and find their way around alert of anything hidden or coming towards them. The player has the option of playing single or multi player, some players may feel more comfortable playing single because they feel they are not as advanced as other player. Furthermore the player is able customize their avatar to best suit their preference and relate to the protagonist.

Game play

Quake is a fast paced 3-D game which allows the user to attack and get attacked from any angle therefore the player must aim their weapon carefully and accurately to shoot the target. The player can choose to use the keyboard or mouse though the mouse is much preferred as it is easier and quicker to use underwater or in deathmatch situations. The game can be played single or multi-player, it is highly addictive and players can find themselves loosing track of time.

There’s simply one way to deal with the opponents: with violence. Quake gives the player weapons like shotguns, grenades, nail guns, lightning guns and rock launchers although beginners will not receive all these weapons until further along the game. A disadvantage is that the player had to quickly change weapons and in panic situations will result to them dying; this could take a lot of time getting comfortable with and may frustrate the players.

 

Graphics

The graphics of this game are quite dull and old in comparison to modern computer games. The poor graphics can cause irritation to the eyes and the colours are also very dull and repetitive.  However the close ups are much clearer and the monster animations look convincing enough to want to kill!

Sound

The sound effects are quite eerie and dark further capturing the player in the game. Quakes sound helps to bring the player into the game and make them feel as if they are actually there. It helps to create artificial reality and grabs the player’s attention.

Conclusion

In conclusion I found this game very addictive and fun to play once you got the hand of it. It raises a sense of curiosity to the player wanting to know what’s next or where you could end up. It’s exciting to use the different weapons and to choose which better suits you. Furthermore I really liked the option it gave the players of being able to customize their own avatar which makes them feel like they have more control. However I found the graphics quite distracting and they could be improved. The instructions were also hard to understand and could be made clearer.

Summary

Quack is a fun and simple game which allows the player to get lost in capturing you through its halls with its ominous atmosphere and complementary soundtrack

Repetitive graphics and colours

GAME REVIEW – QUAKE FLASH

Overall: 5.5 out of 10

Introduction

Quake is a first person shooter game and the first version of the Quake series game. The latest game of the Quake series was Quake live which has better graphics and gameplay that compared to the other versions of Quake series. The game was developed by id software in 1996. The story line of the game is similar to the previous id’s game called Doom.

Story

The story for the game is laid out well as the unnamed protagonist sent to the portal to complete the mission which was to stop the enemy called Quake. The game has four episodes which consists around 28 levels. The main goal of the game is to survive the level by killing an opponent and to reach the exit gate to go to the next level of the game. When completing the quest, the player can upgrade weapons, collect power-ups and so on.

Game play

The game doesn't have different play styles however it works fine. The controls are bit complicated but it gives options to change the controls depending on the user. The player can play either single player or multiplayer. In single player, the user search for the exit gate to reach the next level by facing monsters and finding some secret areas along the way. To find the secret areas, you need to look for walls that have something different to the normal walls then you have to shoot it. To shoot the opponent, User presses the control button and to open the certain doors, the user needs a key to open the doors. Once, the player reaches the exit, the player move on to the next level. If the player killed by opponent, then the player starts the game from scratch.

Graphics

The graphic of the game is not eye catching and the graphics are bit repetitive such as walls, doors etc. The colours are dull and the graphics are not high quality. Sometimes, it may hurt your eyes to spot the opponent due to the poor graphics. It is very hard to find difference between the walls and other object due to the texture of the game is same.  The game looks fine during the close up and long distance. The graphic is not detailed however this game gives adequate graphics to succeed the game and to satisfy the user’s expectations.

Sound

The sound helps the success of the game. In some cases sound effect can really help to immerse the player in the games environment and truly bring the experience to a new level. For example, the sounds of gunfire shatter. The sound can also distract the user from playing the game and the background sound effect can be a bit irritation for some users.

Conclusion

Overall, the game is good and fun to play however, the graphic of the game is not great. The colour scheme they have used for texts and images is not eye catching; it looks boring and simple. It doesn't allow the user to customize characters and so on. However, it does offer the player to use different types of weapons to kill varies types of monsters. The brightness of the game is dull and dark however, it does give a feel of haunted place where you can kill zombies and it creates a scary kind of atmosphere that leads the user to fight for their life in order to survive.

Summary

Pros: It is fun to play and simple. It has a good story line.

Cons: The graphic of the game and some of the sound effects could be improved. There is lack of colour schemes and rewards.

GAME REVIEW – FRUIT NINJA HD

Overall: 7.5 out of 10

Introduction

Fruit ninja is a free arcade game which available for both mobile and console platforms such as Android, Xbox 360 etc. It was published and developed by Halfbrick Studios  in 2010. Also, it is known as fruit ninja HD on the ipad devices. It also has the multiplayer mode for ipad and kinect for Xbox 360 which allows the users to keep on track with their scores and leaderboard. In this review, I will be reviewing the Fruit Ninja HD for ipad platform.

Story

The story of the game is simple and laid out well. All you have to do is to chop the fruits. The player is a ninja who have to slide their finger across the touch screen to slice the fruit before it falls out of your view. If you slice the bomb then you will out. There are up to three strikes and if you miss that, then the game is over. The more you slice, the higher your score will be. The game doesn't have cut scenes and missions. However, it will be easy to recognize the character correctly.

Gameplay

The gameplay is good and fun; it offers range of different play styles. The controls are easy. The game offers the user to play in three different modes such as Arcade, Classic and Zen mode. The Zen mode is designed for user who wants to play without bombs and lives, just to slice fruits within 90 second. The classic mode has three sticks and if you hit the bomb, then you will out. In the Arcade mode, the bomb costs points and you have to slice fruits within 90 seconds. It offers some bonus points and power-ups to increase you points before the time runs out.

In Dojo option, you will able to earn rewards based on your points. It allows you to unlock blades, backgrounds and achievement. Also, you can post your points to the online leaderboard by using Openfeint or even posts on social networking sites e.g. twitter.

Graphics

The graphic of the game is good however the graphics is not detailed as it has the same storyline of the PC game called Fruit Slasher. There are lots of graphics in the game have used frequently such as backgrounds, fruits or icons etc. The game looks fine when you play or navigate through the game. The texture is good to play the game and the backgrounds are eye catching.

Sound

The sound helps the success of the game and it makes you want to hear the sound forever. It can really help the player to get into the real gaming environment and takes them to a new level of experience. For example, when, the fruit makes a whooshing sound. Each fruit makes different sound such as thud, squish and so on. In the background, you’ll hear the birds chipping and surf lapping. In some cases, the sounds can also be a deterrent especially when you slice the bombs; it produces a hiss sound.

Multiplayer

It has a multiplayer option which is compatible on IOS devices. It allows the user to keep track on their achievements on leaderboards.  The multiplayer mode is effective and it feels fine when you play the multiplayer for one sitting. Also, it motivates them to beat scores each other and share their scores online. It has more competitive gameplay; it has enhanced graphics features and supports both online and local multiplayer. Also, it gives adequate spaces for both players to play the game like a Half of the screen.

This is how it looks when two players play against each other on classic multiplayer. 

Conclusion

Overall, the game is fun and simple. However, the graphics of the game is not detailed. It is one of the best games to have fun and play against each other. It is an addictive game and it gives an amazing experience to play against each other on the multiplayer mode to play against both online and offline users. The sound of the game is awesome when you slice the fruits and the background sound. It offers range of options in order to increase the gaming experience and want user to play not making them bored such as backgrounds, leaderboard and blades.

Summary

Pros: It is fun and free. It is a simple game and addictive.

Cons: The graphics is not detailed and there is no option to increase the difficulty curve of the game.