Homework 6: Analyze two games
Portal
1.
The Tetrad:
o Aesthetics – I think the aesthetics of this
game are really incredible. The attention to detail really makes sure that you
are immersed in the game world. The sound design is also a large part of it;
the buzzes of the lasers and the thumps of boxes falling on the floor seem
appropriate and realistic enough.
o Story – The storyline of portal is really interesting
because it takes place in a dystopian earth future where you are basically a
lab rat who is supposed to complete challenges and solve puzzles. When you
accomplish these things, you are never rewarded but are always promised cake.
The character you play as – Chell – never speaks but is always reprimanded by
the A.I. robot that controls everything, GLaDOS. She tries to kill you many
times and says mean things constantly but you still grow to love her as a
character.
o Mechanics – The mechanics in the game are
interesting because the game is mostly physics based. If you jump off of a
platform into a portal, then you will come out of the other portal going the
same speed and distance that you jumped in from. This can be used to travel
great distances and fly through the air if you have placed your portals in the
correct areas.
o Technology – The technology you have in this
game is the portal gun, which can construct two portals at a time. You also
have metal attachments to your legs that don’t do anything, but the developers
put them there because during testing, people didn’t understand why there wasn’t
fall damage. There are also lasers that you can sometimes change the direction
of or turn on and off.
2.
Balance
o The puzzles are balanced albeit sometimes difficult. As the game
goes on, they become harder to complete as they should. The game seems so
simple until it seems impossible, but there’s always a solution to each puzzle.
The game is pretty short but the difficulty progression seems natural.
3.
Emergent properties
o In this game, there is most of a full button layout as each
portal can be shot distinct buttons, there is a jumping mechanism, the ability
to pick up/hold items, and a jumping mechanism. As the game goes on, a few of
these are unlocked and there are more and different things to interact with.
This allows for more complex puzzles to be used in future puzzles.
4.
Interest curves
o I think this game has a relatively standard
interest curve. You start out in this chamber with a toilet and a bed and then
you get released so immediately your interest is piqued. Then you run through
the first few easy puzzles until you get the portal gun, which lets you do
something amazing. Since your robot overlord seems mean, you are compelled to
try to escape the facility. The game only ever seems to get boring when you get
stuck for hours, which is understandable or if you just don’t understand the
concept but that is a different issue. When you finally get to the boss fight,
you are so pumped because there’s a timer and you have to defeat the almighty
GLaDOS. The game ends after this fight because you are both killed in a giant
explosion. (This ending was later changed so there could be a second portal
game.)
5.
Explain the
reasons you like or dislike the game and relate this to Game Design issues.
o
This is definitely one of my favorite games.
Even though it’s relatively simple and once you solve the puzzles, you know how
the work, I have come back to replay this game and its sequel multiple times.
It provides a lot of nostalgia and the game holds up well even though it’s been
a few years since it was produced. The story is fun and develops well; you
never know what the next thing GLaDOS will say is and you want to hear it
because it’s fun to get yelled at by a robot. The art is simplistic and bleak,
but that’s part of the appeal. After all, it is a testing facility.
Candy Crush
1.
The Tetrad
o Aesthetics – The aesthetics of the game are colorful and they
immediately get your attention with all of the flashy combos and things flying
across the screen, but they are repetitive and annoying after a while. I guess
this could also be described as a puzzle game, but it is just like Bejeweled
and is comprised of switching one tile with the one next to it and causing a
set of three to disappear.
o Story – There is no clear story line to my knowledge. I think
you are just trying to clear these boards and get to the next level…forever.
o Mechanics – The mechanics are very simple and have been done
before. If a set of three or more is matched, then those blocks disappear and
the ones above take their places. This can be done strategically but there is
also a large amount of luck in this game.
o Technology – Since I can’t identify the story, I also can’t really
identify when or where this game takes place or what technology there is. I do
know that there is chocolate that can bud out of another piece of chocolate and
jelly that can entrap pieces of candy.
2.
Balance
o This game halfway balanced; sometimes the levels seam to clearly
become steadily slightly harder over time but then I hear about people being
stuck on levels for weeks or months before completing them, which is ridiculous.
3.
Emergent properties
o There are no apparent problems with emergent
properties because what the game does, it does well and people seem to like it.
I think all emergent properties are done intentionally and there are no bugs
that I know of that haven’t already been patched.
4.
Interest curves
o This is where the game really lacks for me; I can play a couple
levels but then get bored because it’s the same thing over and over and over
hundreds of times and that just isn’t fun to me. The repetition and lack of
story line are the reason there is no interest curve for me.
5.
Explain the
reasons you like or dislike the game and relate this to Game Design issues.
o Initially, this game is interesting and you pick it up because
it is so popular and everyone has it but being a real gamer, this game just didn’t
make the cut for me. I found it boring relatively quickly.
