LO4: Final Game Concept pitch

LO4: Game Concept Pitch

Arnie Dillo

This is a simple platform game based around an Armadillo called Arnold. In this game you go underground or overground as you save small creatures from the death traps left by the evil mastermind 'Bob the Cat'.

Most of my other concepts were made around what I would play, because it's maybe a little bit quirky or just something generic about it. But then I kind of thought about what my little sisters would both play because one of them is really in to Barbie and Princesses and the other is more interested in Football and Pokemon. So my mind turned to the games that momentarily prevented me from killing my brother when I was younger and the main game that stood out was Crash Bandicoot. The game was simple and I loved it and after I recently began to play on the PS2 again I discovered that I love the game just as much now as I did then. So I wanted a game that you would kind of remember as a child, one that was simple but still fun.

I think the best possible hardware for this game is handheld game consoles such as the Nintendo 3DS or Playstation Vita.

The target audience for this game would be young children because it is relatively simple to play and has characters that would appeal to that target audience.

This game would be a platform/ adventure.

The two main competitors in this genre are obviously Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog, but I think that Rayman is also a very important competitor in this market particularly after 'Rayman Legends' which received critical acclaim.

Games Pitch Script

LO4: Game concept

Concept 1

My  first concept is an unconventional shooter called 'QUITS', in this game you play a worker at a DIY store who has had enough and ready to quit. Find your way out of the enormous store before your manager gets to you, you can do this by using things such as glue guns, hedge cutters and other quirky items to get past your awful co-workers and irritating customers.

Concept 2

My second concept is a platform game based around an Armadillo called Arnie. In this game you go underground or overground as you save small creatures from the death traps left by an evil mastermind.

I think the best possible hardware for this game is handhelp game consoles such as the Nintendo 3DS or Playstation Vita.

The target audience for this game would be young children because it is relatively simple to play and has characters that would appeal to that target audience.

This game would be a platform/ adventure.

The two main competitors in this genre are obviously Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog, but I think that Rayman is also a very important competitor in this market particularly after the latest release.

LO3 - Reviewing Clash of Clans

Review by Ellis JH Sullivan

Tested on iOS 6,7 and Android Lollipop

There is no denying that Supercell have done well for themselves,  the company has only been around since 2010 and have already made a profit of 378 million pounds in one year (2014)! Well Clash of Clans is undoubtedly one of the main reasons for this success, so much that the game has it's first annual 'ClashCon' just this October.

So I'm going to review Clash of Clans for you, if you've never played the game perhaps I can tempt you and if you have then just see whether you agree with what I have to say.

An essential part of Clash of Clans, or CoC (yes, hilarious), is platform choice. I discovered this after I decided to switch to Android earlier this year after the destruction of my iPhone, basically your account is connected to either Google Play (Android) or Game Center (iPhone) which means that if you do decide to switch then you lose everything. Besides that there is no difference between the two platforms (or at least anything noticeable).

If you do wish to join the CoC army (yes hilarious still...) then you will have to learn patience. Even more so if you are going to switch platforms, it is a strategy game which means you have to be... strategic! Strategy in this games alternates between various players, as it often does and as such there are three types of bases - Farming base, Trophy base and War base. Generally I decided the best option was to use a war base, though as you level up you will most probably find yourself alternating as you prioritise different items. The important thing about this is that other players base layouts will then affect how you play out your attacks and generally I found there are three ways of approaching a base in an attack:

1. Recognising what type of layout that particular player has and carefully planting your troops so you can obtain what you need.
2. Recognising what type of layout that particular player has and carefully planting your troops so you can take what they need (you will probably not make friends this way).
3. Randomly placing your troops everywhere and hoping for the best.

Though I noticed that the third option generally doesn't turn out too successful, there is something oddly satisfying in just going on a mental rampage and planting troops everywhere and until you've become used to the game it seems like the most logical choice.

As for story there isn't really much to go on, there is a little (sort of) story mode where you raid goblin villages. And when you first start the game this becomes incredibly useful because it is the only thing you can do to obtain gold and elixir when your 'shield' is active. When you start to get in to the higher rankings however there is not really any need for it because you're more interested in getting trophies and it isn't so much of a necessity to use your shield (unless you are farming).

LO2 - Mortal Kombat X review comparison

Mortal Kombat X review comparison

Here I'm going to compare two different reviews for Mortal Kombat X (2015), the first one being the Official Xbox Magazine review by Andi Hamilton (Issue 125, June 2015) and the second being the Zero Punctuation review by Ben Croshaw for The Escapist's youtube channel (video below).

The most obvious difference to it is the language used, Zero Punctuation heavily relies on the use of strong language to get his point across though I feel like a lot of his language comes across sarcastically; obviously it is very difficult to use sarcasm in a written format and it is generally appropriate as Xbox magazine is aimed at people of various ages where as Zero Punctuation is clearly aimed at an older audience.

Both Zero Punctuation and the magazine article mention the genre at the very beginning with Hamilton calling it "everyone's second favourite beat-'em-up", this shows another difference in the language as Hamilton begins with a subtle preference for Street Fighter. In the Zero Punctuation video however Croshaw states that "all you [Netherrealm studios] need to do is not have a story mode and we can leave each other alone." Not only is he showing an instant dislike for the games story but he is also showing that he thinks the game is otherwise good.

Neither reviews specify an age rating or who the target audience is, but they do both reference the amount of violence in the game which gives you a strong idea the game has a PEGI 18 rating and is definitely aimed at an older audience.

Though the Zero Punctuation hints at the lack of quality in the very beginning of the video, Hamilton compliments the the narrative on several occasion and takes a particular liking to the game's "almost endless depth",

LO2 - Forza 5 review analysis

Forza 5 

Because the writer uses second person, this makes the reader feel as though the writer is speaking directly towards them which helps get their opinion easily across as well as tempting the reader to agree with their opinion or play the game.

In particular, I like the third paragraph. I like this paragraph because of the language used, the writer is speaking to the target audience in a fairly relaxed (but dramatised) way. 

The phrase "Superficially speaking", shows us that the writer has a particular admiration for the way the game looks rather than how it plays. Which he then goes on to explain is because of the detail the individual cars have, this both enforces his opinion and entices the reader.

IGN Forza review

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