Garrys Mod Review

 

Garrys Mod is a Sandbox physics game created by Garry Newman, and is used by modifying the "source engine" which is used in many valve games such as counter strike, Team Fortress 2 and Half life 2. This game was released on Steam on November 29th 2006 and required that the user also had installed on their steam account either, Half-life 2, Counter-strike: Source, Portal or Team Fortress 2.

The game was released by one man who had adapted the Source engine for use by anyone who wanted to create their own "game within a game". Since then millions of people have created maps, created new game-modes, and has shared this with its online multiplayer feature. A game such as this doesn't really have any immediate competition as it has a fairly non-competitive genre, as well as, this genre being very hard to replicate in the fact that the gameplay between different people will always be different.

First off, We can talk about the number one point of ANY game, "Fun Factor". This is how the game is fun, and how it keeps YOU, the gamer, interested. The fun factor of this game is that it is ALWAYS different, unless YOU want it to. The entire single player experience is built around your creativity, as it is just you in an empty map with a "spawn list" which allows you to spawn in items to create your own world. This is also supported by "Steam workshop" and other mod support, so that you can download more items for your single player experience. Online is slightly different as this is where many people have chosen to showcase their own game modes. This is incredibly entertaining with groups of friends to play with you can be stuck at the machine for hours playing games such as "Trouble in Terrorist Town" Or "Prop Hunt", there are too many different games to name for this review.

The game doesn't have any plot-line and that is part of its charm, as this means the game has no target and it is completely free. This is unless you play online and enter into the multiplayer games that people have created.

 

The audio on the game is very basic as it is only needed for sound FX on things such as guns and cars etc. However, even though it is a small and simple detail the sound is very good and it keeps in tune with the overall feel of the game, without it being overwhelming for the gamer.

The graphics for the game are very basic and cartoony, but this is mainly as this was released a few years ago using a source engine that began with very basic graphics. This can be a bad point as graphics can be seen as a big portion of the consumers experience throughout the game. But, alternatively, this is not as much a big point as in games in the RPG genre for example which needs to be very in depth and realistic with its graphics. So the graphics being basic is a bad point but not so much due to its relaxed nature and genre.

The replayability of a game can be the make and break point within a game as this can be the defining point between "rent or buy". This games replayability in its singleplayer is in the fact that it is a sandbox game. Sandbox games rely on the creativity of its consumer and so this can be a difficult point to asses for the majority. But generally being able to make any kind game for yourself will be fun for anyone and it should keep you interested for enough time to warrant buying the game. It's multiplayer has a very large variety of game modes to play and should keep you entertained for a very long time as long as you have friends who are willing to play along.

Having these will mean that your game will always be different every time you play it, so you can have hours of fun, with the online constantly updating to bring out new game-modes and new items for singleplayer it really gives you a good sense of the community.

 

In summation Garry's Mod is an incredible game for those of you who are willing to spend time and develop your creativity to its single player, or if you just want to play with its silly game-modes created by people just like you but have been developed with thousands of people online. Overall I believe this game is a "Buy" as its replayability is enough to keep you coming back and wanting more and more.

 

"BUY"

 

4.5/5 Rating

Review for: Dragon's Dogma

 

Dragon's Dogma is a fantasy RPG game developed and published by the company Capcom that was released between May 22 - 25th of 2012 (depending on your region). The game is based on a character ( designed by yourself with things such as features and "classes" etc.) who's town is attacked by a dragon. The background to this is that those who's heart is eaten by a dragon becomes an "arisen" and is destined to kill the dragon that stole their heart.

The game was announced January 2012 and was set to be the next big thing as it was rumoured to have been an MMO set for the Xbox 360 and PS3 but later into development it was revealed that this was a completely single player game with only the ability to download your friends characters as their online hook. This was not received very well amongst many potential customers.

This genre of game is very popular and so the market can be very competitive, with such big titles as Skyrim being released slightly before this game, it can be used as a comparison point.

One of the key points behind this games "Fun factor" is its Character customisation. Many would not believe this as such a big factor into the overall game, but i believe that when you are able to customise a character that is similar to yourself or is more a reflection of your ideas, it brings a creative side to the user and it also brings a player closer to the game as a whole. One of the big unique selling points of this game is its focus on having companions and being able to access the full character customisation on your allies as well as yourself is a big plus!

The control style are very hack and slash, and the fight scenes can be kind of boring as it is just basic button mashing, but in the boss battles is where this game really shines. It uses a mechanic in the game which allows your character to target specific areas on the enemies body and target weak spots, for example a battle against a Cyclops you will deal additional damage when targeting his eye!

Graphics on this game in my opinion are a HUGE let down, as with the technology we have these days they could be so much more impressive and realistic. In comparison with the graphics style shown in Skyrim which was released several months Before dragon's dogma's release. Another point (kind of) about the graphics and gameplay is that at the start of the game I was stuck at 30 minutes of cut scenes to about 10 minutes of gameplay. Now maybe this isn't the way the whole game plays out but it can sure be a way to hinder a person first look at this game.

Now down to a big part of RPG games but mostly games in general is its replayability.  One point that was specifically added to the game for this kind of point is the random generation of enemy locations, meaning that in each location that an enemy may appear can be any random enemy from a plethora of choices (excluding Bosses). But aside from that very small detail? No. This game a little replay value as the ending is the same and the choices along the way do not make any changes which means that aside from completing this on a higher difficulty there is no real reason for replaying this game, which amounts to so much in the video games industry. Another bigger point about a games main replayability is multiplayer, or Co-op. The industry has developed very far and has adapted to the new capabilities of the internet, meaning that with many games connecting with friends across the world is only a click away. This, however, was not included in the release of dragons dogma and so a huge part of its replayability is not here and this can hurt any game as it is a huge focus for many gamers

 

One final point that i believe to be not as important in games such as this, but is still a component that needs analysis, is the sound. During this game one very big problem with sound, is noted in the intro music (on the title screen). It starts off as a majestic and slow song that you expect from a fantasy RPG, but then goes into a strange almost metal song which i do not believe suits at all. Within the game however the sound effects seem strong and timed well with each in game interaction meaning that the overall flow of combat is not interrupted which can be very big with people who are looking into detail about the game.

 

 

In summation Dragon's dogma is a mixed bad of results. There are some parts of the game that can be seen as quite fun and interesting such as the character customisation and the boss battles, but aside from those points the game can be very dull and the story is not as gripping as many of its leading competitors. I feel as though this game is a "rentable" game as once it is completed there is not much reason to pick the game up again so all in all this game gets:

 

 

"RENTABLE"

 

2.5/5 Rating

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Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a PS3 exclusive released in October 2009. Uncharted 2 is the sequel to the very well received "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune"  Which is about the same antagonist under different circumstances. Uncharted 2 is an action-adventure platforming game played in a third-person view. The game was created by the company Naughty Dog who rose to fame with the first four makes of the Crash Bandicoot series, but have certainly not stopped developing as they have produced new games nearly every year since 2001.

This game largely resembles, and definitely competes with the likes of the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider series, the similarities are that they both use a form of "free running" or general climbing around, as well as the premise of the main antagonists both being treasure hunters.

The "Fun Factor" of this game is that it uses a very in-depth and compelling way of story telling. The main plot keeps you entertained as well as intregued as to what will happen next. It has a very cleverly written script and carful voice acting to keep the player immersed in this world which definitely keeps the player wanting more. Another good "Fun Factor" point is the variation of gameplay. When a game continues in the same style or path a player can get very bored if they are not truely dedicated to the game. This game tries to stray away from this by using a variation of each "mission" or "level" by changing between a mix of stealth, gun fights and puzzle solving. This is very important and is a point that many games miss out on, and can be a make or break for any kind of game especially a game that may not have as many fans as the Call of duty series which does not need to rely on story variation or story telling.

The gameplay on this game is very good in the fact that it is easy to pick up and just go into the game. The first level is slow and takes you through all of the controls ready for the main story missions. This is an effective technique used in most games today and will help more new players join in on the game. My only minor annoyance with the gameplay is that some of the animations seem very inaccurate and almost comical. In a game that has a good focus on its realism this is a bad trait to have. For example Takedowns seem very unrealistic, as a quick slap to the back of someone's head is enough to knock them unconscious for as long as you take to complete the mission, as well as animations for jumping ledges, as these are not smooth and seem to float towards the ledge if you aren't quite close enough.

Next, the sound during the game. It's title music is very good and keeps in tone with the general "feel" of the game. As for the audio within the game they are very accurate in timing with in game events and are realistic to the game itself. They also have a very quite but noticeable background music playing throughout gameplay which appear to change as you progress to different areas. I believe this is a nice touch as the music will keep in touch with the scenery of the area and is quite pleasant to listen to.

One of the major points to a story driven game is its graphics. Games that have very strong story lines need to have graphics that are rather very realistic, or just very in tone with the feel of the game. This game was released in 2009 and so i cannot compare it to games beyond that point of time, but for a game created back then this could still possibly be a contender against these more recent titles. The graphics presented in cutscenes are beautiful and really grip the player alongside the plotline. It shows superb realism which allows a player to be kept within the game, and not break thought from the game. Although the graphics are very good the animation behind them are still a little bit strange, as I have said before, with things such as the climbing animation.

The story is very compelling and in-depth, which drives this game to be known for how it is. When the game was released it was praised highly for a focus on its storyline. It uses a lot of cut scenes early on to explain the general plot for the game, which can be seen as either positive or negative depending on the user, but it does allow a very easy way to understand the game you are playing. It uses a strange system of time which flicks between two different points of drakes adventure, one point being the "big adventure" whilst the other shows more of a background to how he has ended up in this situation. This is a technique that has been used before and i think it goes well with how the game is presented.

The replayability of this game comes down mainly to its multiplayer. Whereas they have collectables within the games singleplayer, this is not nearly enough to convince many player to carry on with it when compared to a game with a strong multiplayer. The multiplayer consists of a basics team vs team game featuring characters from the story mode (Teams being heroes vs villains of the campaign). The player can choose from a playlist of gametypes feature Deathmatch, Plunder and Elimination. This games multiplayer is very basic but can do the job to support buying the game, which is the main point to it. This was definately not the focal point for the developers, but it can still compete with many titles. However, the gameplay of the multiplayer may be "enough" to satisfy but it does not do more to convince others that this game is better then other. With other titles such as Call Of Duty having their main focus point being their multiplayer unfortunately this game cannot hope to withold itself against it.

 

 

 

Overall i believe the focus of its story mode has served this game so well, as it keeps a user entertained and intregued as to how it will continue. The puzzle solving aspect of the game keeps you working to acheive those goals as well as keeping you interested in the game with its variation of differing levels. Unfortunately with bigger companies focusing on multiplayer the game appears to fall short at this stage. But overall the game is brilliant and well worth its many awards and commendations.

 

4/5

 

"Buy"