Golden Eye
Released for the N64 in 1997, Golden Eye is the video game version of the James Bond film released two years previously and allowed player to become the legendary spy in a first person shooter.
The game follows the movie but fleashes it out in places to lengthen the gameplay, although it still manages to stays true to the characters and storyline. There are three difficulty levels to choose from which gives the game the added option to play through again, making health harder to come by and enemys harder to kill.
The graphics added a sense of realism, not often seen in games at the time and the use of sound helped the player feel involved in the spy adventure. The music was very much in the style of the Bond film and the weapon noises were also very realistic.
The main reason Golden Eye was so enjoyable to play was the weapons and gadgets. Both the menu and health were accessed from James Bonds watch as well as there being several types of mines wich could also be detonated through the watch. There was also the ability to duel wield some weapons which was unique for a first person shooter.
The realism of the game and the well impelmented use of his famous gadgets went a long way to bring the player into James Bonds world, which had never been done before, or in my oppinion, since. Another main feature that will stick in most gamers heads was the multi-player option. Being able to play as several characters over several maps taken from the locations of the movie ment that players could challenge friends at different events such as golden gun or trip mines.
Friday, 24 October 2008
Game analysis # 9
Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart for the n64 is a grand prix style racing game which features many characters from the mario universe. The game allows up to four players to compete against each other and the main fun factor is the ability to fire weapons at your opponants which gives the game a twist and seperates it from the crowd.
The player is given the option of either competing in different levels of race across several ciruits, or entering battle or timed events. The wide variety of game style means that the game can be played again and again.
Each character from the mario universe can be selected when begining a tournament and with four players competing against several computer controled characters, the race can get quite intense. The abbility to pick up crystals, which randomly allocate you a power up or weapon, gives the game an added element of strategy and fun.
The look and sound of Mario Kart stay true to the platform mario games and so are bright and cartoon like, and in 3d it makes the player feel like they are involved in the Mario world. Although the gameplay is fun and frantic enough to captivate players who have never played any of the previous Mario games.
Mario Kart for the n64 is a grand prix style racing game which features many characters from the mario universe. The game allows up to four players to compete against each other and the main fun factor is the ability to fire weapons at your opponants which gives the game a twist and seperates it from the crowd.
The player is given the option of either competing in different levels of race across several ciruits, or entering battle or timed events. The wide variety of game style means that the game can be played again and again.
Each character from the mario universe can be selected when begining a tournament and with four players competing against several computer controled characters, the race can get quite intense. The abbility to pick up crystals, which randomly allocate you a power up or weapon, gives the game an added element of strategy and fun.
The look and sound of Mario Kart stay true to the platform mario games and so are bright and cartoon like, and in 3d it makes the player feel like they are involved in the Mario world. Although the gameplay is fun and frantic enough to captivate players who have never played any of the previous Mario games.
Game analysis # 8
Worms
Worms is a turn based 2d war game and was first released in 1995. The idea is to destroy the opponents team of commando worms with a huge arsenal of usually projectile weapons in a destructible environment. With a cartoon look to the characters and the level design it was a fun new way to play what was effectively a war strategy game.
The game would randomly generate levels, using several basic designs as a basis to work from. Either open aired or closed environments were used and depending on which one is selected would alter the way the game was played, restricting certain weapons or manoeuvres. The player has dozens of weapons to choose from, ranging from the familiar shotgun and pistol to the less familiar concrete donkey. There is also the option of creating your own team of worms, making things more fun when playing against a friend. The game is won when all the opposing team is dead, either from the health reaching zero or from the worms falling in the water at the bottom of the map.
In my opinion the game was best played with a friend as the AI was questionable at times plus it was always good to kill your opponents favourite worm or air strike the whole team in one move. There is a set time limit when taking turns which injects a sense of urgency into the game and its always funny to watch someone try to set the perfect shot up before the time runs out. The ease of the controls and the relatively short games meant it was a perfect game to pick up and play whenever you have a spare 10 mins and the colourful design and look of the game made it the perfect game for a bit of quick fun, as it didn’t take its self too seriously.
Worms is a turn based 2d war game and was first released in 1995. The idea is to destroy the opponents team of commando worms with a huge arsenal of usually projectile weapons in a destructible environment. With a cartoon look to the characters and the level design it was a fun new way to play what was effectively a war strategy game.
The game would randomly generate levels, using several basic designs as a basis to work from. Either open aired or closed environments were used and depending on which one is selected would alter the way the game was played, restricting certain weapons or manoeuvres. The player has dozens of weapons to choose from, ranging from the familiar shotgun and pistol to the less familiar concrete donkey. There is also the option of creating your own team of worms, making things more fun when playing against a friend. The game is won when all the opposing team is dead, either from the health reaching zero or from the worms falling in the water at the bottom of the map.
In my opinion the game was best played with a friend as the AI was questionable at times plus it was always good to kill your opponents favourite worm or air strike the whole team in one move. There is a set time limit when taking turns which injects a sense of urgency into the game and its always funny to watch someone try to set the perfect shot up before the time runs out. The ease of the controls and the relatively short games meant it was a perfect game to pick up and play whenever you have a spare 10 mins and the colourful design and look of the game made it the perfect game for a bit of quick fun, as it didn’t take its self too seriously.
Game analysis # 7
Track and Field
Track and Field is an Olympic themed sports game, also known as Hyper Olympics, and was released as an arcade game in 1983. The game was popular because of its fun and simple gameplay and its obvious competitive element.
The game involved up to four players and used a simple system of pushing two buttons alternately as quickly as possible to run, jump etc. And depending on the event another button would be pushed to set the angle of the jump or the thrown object. The events were the 100m dash, 110m hurdles, hammer throw, javelin throw, high jump and long jump with two players being able to compete at the same time in the race events and then individual turns for the other events.
The players won the game by beating the qualifying criteria such as time or distance. By completing all events, a small award ceremony would be displayed on screen with medals being given and then the events would reset with a harder qualifiers. This allowed players to compete at increasingly challenging levels either with the computer or up to for friends. As well as the medals awarded, there was the chance to achieve bonus points by meeting certain conditions such as player 1 and player 2 finishing races at the exact same time or throwing the javelin off screen to hit a bird. The game was successful the very simple gameplay mechanics and the challenge of going though the events to beat your personal best time or distance.
Track and Field is an Olympic themed sports game, also known as Hyper Olympics, and was released as an arcade game in 1983. The game was popular because of its fun and simple gameplay and its obvious competitive element.
The game involved up to four players and used a simple system of pushing two buttons alternately as quickly as possible to run, jump etc. And depending on the event another button would be pushed to set the angle of the jump or the thrown object. The events were the 100m dash, 110m hurdles, hammer throw, javelin throw, high jump and long jump with two players being able to compete at the same time in the race events and then individual turns for the other events.
The players won the game by beating the qualifying criteria such as time or distance. By completing all events, a small award ceremony would be displayed on screen with medals being given and then the events would reset with a harder qualifiers. This allowed players to compete at increasingly challenging levels either with the computer or up to for friends. As well as the medals awarded, there was the chance to achieve bonus points by meeting certain conditions such as player 1 and player 2 finishing races at the exact same time or throwing the javelin off screen to hit a bird. The game was successful the very simple gameplay mechanics and the challenge of going though the events to beat your personal best time or distance.
Game analysis # 6
Street fighter 2
Street Fighter 2 is a one on one fighting game. The original Street Fighter was first released in 1987 and only gave the player the option of playing as Ryu or Ken but it was the sequel released in 1991 that made the game so popular. It was the first game that really let the player choose between several different characters and spawned several successful remakes such as Street Fighter Turbo.
This was the first time the was so much demand to replay such an arcade game. The player could choose one of 14 characters each with around 30 moves, grapples and their own special moves. The controls were easy to pick up and use and the difficulty would vary wildly from playing a novice to someone who knew all the characters moves which meant it wouldn’t get boring easily as there would always be a challenge.
The game had well modelled and detailed characters and had bright and colourful backgrounds which also, depending on the stage, have moving elements such as a cheering crowd. The single player game consisted of seven fights with different characters and a final boss fight. A score would also be logged which allowed single player mode to have a competitive element. The most fun to be had with the game though was the multi player option. Playing with a favourite character and pulling off their special move doesn’t get old because of the simple controls, unique looking characters and speed of the gameplay.
Street Fighter 2 is a one on one fighting game. The original Street Fighter was first released in 1987 and only gave the player the option of playing as Ryu or Ken but it was the sequel released in 1991 that made the game so popular. It was the first game that really let the player choose between several different characters and spawned several successful remakes such as Street Fighter Turbo.
This was the first time the was so much demand to replay such an arcade game. The player could choose one of 14 characters each with around 30 moves, grapples and their own special moves. The controls were easy to pick up and use and the difficulty would vary wildly from playing a novice to someone who knew all the characters moves which meant it wouldn’t get boring easily as there would always be a challenge.
The game had well modelled and detailed characters and had bright and colourful backgrounds which also, depending on the stage, have moving elements such as a cheering crowd. The single player game consisted of seven fights with different characters and a final boss fight. A score would also be logged which allowed single player mode to have a competitive element. The most fun to be had with the game though was the multi player option. Playing with a favourite character and pulling off their special move doesn’t get old because of the simple controls, unique looking characters and speed of the gameplay.
Game analysis # 5
Resident Evil 4
Resident evil 4 is the game which rejuvenated the resident evil franchise. Edging away from the survival aspect of the previous games and focusing more on the action element, the game brought in many new gamers who would normally have avoided the series.
The story is fairly thin, a special operative for the government, you are sent to rural Spain to save the presidents daughter and along the way uncovering a sinister plot to turn people into zombie-like creatures. This is simply the premise you need to start shooting creatures but it works well because the action is so enjoyable. It’s a third person action survival horror which involves you solving puzzles, finding treasures and money to upgrade your equipment and of course, saving the day.
The AI is fairly good so the zombies will dodge your attacks and come at you from every possible angle, and the difficulty curve sits well, as your weapons get more powerful so do the enemies. The upgrade system plays a major part in what makes this such a good game. By collecting money, the player can buy dozens of different weapons and upgrade them in several ways, from the clip size to power of each shot. There is also the ability to kick or tackle zombies if they get too close, a totally new feature to the series where the action would previously be quite awkward and robotic.
Another reason I liked this game so much is that it can be played so any times. The option is there to start a new game with your upgraded weapons and equipment and there are also several extra games modes, such as survival and timed missions. Although the game does focus more on the action, the horror element can still clearly be seen and works well enough to have you jump out your seat (especially when the masked chainsaw wielding maniac bursts through a door into a room where you thought you were safe!)
Resident evil 4 is the game which rejuvenated the resident evil franchise. Edging away from the survival aspect of the previous games and focusing more on the action element, the game brought in many new gamers who would normally have avoided the series.
The story is fairly thin, a special operative for the government, you are sent to rural Spain to save the presidents daughter and along the way uncovering a sinister plot to turn people into zombie-like creatures. This is simply the premise you need to start shooting creatures but it works well because the action is so enjoyable. It’s a third person action survival horror which involves you solving puzzles, finding treasures and money to upgrade your equipment and of course, saving the day.
The AI is fairly good so the zombies will dodge your attacks and come at you from every possible angle, and the difficulty curve sits well, as your weapons get more powerful so do the enemies. The upgrade system plays a major part in what makes this such a good game. By collecting money, the player can buy dozens of different weapons and upgrade them in several ways, from the clip size to power of each shot. There is also the ability to kick or tackle zombies if they get too close, a totally new feature to the series where the action would previously be quite awkward and robotic.
Another reason I liked this game so much is that it can be played so any times. The option is there to start a new game with your upgraded weapons and equipment and there are also several extra games modes, such as survival and timed missions. Although the game does focus more on the action, the horror element can still clearly be seen and works well enough to have you jump out your seat (especially when the masked chainsaw wielding maniac bursts through a door into a room where you thought you were safe!)
Game analysis # 4
Pac-man
Pac-man was developed in Japan by Namco and originally released as Pukk-man although it only became a huge success when introduced to North America. The main reasons attributed to its success are that the game had such a wide range of appeal, not just the standard teenage boy group, and also for its originality compared to its rivals which were mostly space themed.
The game involves navigating Pac-man around a maze, avoiding four ghosts and collecting all of the dots to progress to the next level. This new concept allowed new players to become involved and widened the range groups who would typically play video games.
Pac-man was also the first game to inject humour into games as in between levels there would be funny little interactions between Pac-man and the red ghost, ‘Blinky’. The gameplay was simple and fun, by collecting fruits the gamer could score extra points and the four power pellets placed at the corners of the maze would make the ghosts run away instead of chasing and allowed the player to eat them to gain yet more extra points.
Although there is technically no end to the game, there is a bug in the programming which means that on screen 256 half the screen becomes muddled and unplayable. The game is a cult classic and is still played to this day. There are even competitions running to see who can achieve the highest score and there have even been patterns developed so that player can go round an entire level without encountering any ghosts. The fact that it is still very much in use is evidence of this games lasting fun appeal.
Pac-man was developed in Japan by Namco and originally released as Pukk-man although it only became a huge success when introduced to North America. The main reasons attributed to its success are that the game had such a wide range of appeal, not just the standard teenage boy group, and also for its originality compared to its rivals which were mostly space themed.
The game involves navigating Pac-man around a maze, avoiding four ghosts and collecting all of the dots to progress to the next level. This new concept allowed new players to become involved and widened the range groups who would typically play video games.
Pac-man was also the first game to inject humour into games as in between levels there would be funny little interactions between Pac-man and the red ghost, ‘Blinky’. The gameplay was simple and fun, by collecting fruits the gamer could score extra points and the four power pellets placed at the corners of the maze would make the ghosts run away instead of chasing and allowed the player to eat them to gain yet more extra points.
Although there is technically no end to the game, there is a bug in the programming which means that on screen 256 half the screen becomes muddled and unplayable. The game is a cult classic and is still played to this day. There are even competitions running to see who can achieve the highest score and there have even been patterns developed so that player can go round an entire level without encountering any ghosts. The fact that it is still very much in use is evidence of this games lasting fun appeal.
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