Game analysis Battlefront

Genre

Battlefront is a First Person shooter, and the style is in a futuristic setting with blasters, giant walkers etc. It shows the stylistic conventions of the genre by having a multiplayer with a levelling system, where the higher the level you are the more equipment, weapons and cosmetics you have. Also it shows the conventions of the genre by having different types of weapons, such as short range weapons, long range weapons and everything in between. Also there are different game modes such as the traditional team vs team, where two teams fight each other for kills, and the team with the most kills wins. There are also objective based modes such as walker assault and drop pod. 

Narrative

The story of the game is that the empire and the rebels are at war, and follows the story of the original 3 star wars movies. However the game doesn't go into much detail about who the characters are, generally assuming you already know the story of the Star Wars universe and its characters. This mean that although the story can inform gameplay, if you do not already know the story from the original movies you will feel a bit lost. Some things from the story that inform the gameplay of Battlefront are the hero characters. These are characters from the film that are incredibly strong and deadly, and often turn the tide of battles. These characters have abilities based on the films such as Emperor Palpatine using lighting instead of a lightsaber like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Also the narrative informs the different game modes. For example Walker assault is a game mode concept that is uplifted directly from the movie, where as the Empire you have to escort two giant AT-AT walkers, while the Rebels have to destroy them. The story affects things like the hero characters and the walkers by emphasising how strong they are. This is evident in gameplay, as one of the heroes such as Darth Vader can easily take on 5 players at once. The story connects with the audience well if you are a fan of the movies, as a selling point of the game is to "live your Star Wars fantasies". This means that if you are a fan of the originals you will enjoy the game a lot more than if you haven't.

Production Process 

The game was produced by EA Dice, and was published by Electronic Arts. The game was produced to have features such as the hero characters, survival missions to enhance gameplay as people who like the movies, it will be a big selling point for them. Also the levelling system in the game creates a sense of progression, as it gives you something to work towards. Elements such as game mechanics are produced to enhance the gameplay, for example certain weapons are better against certain enemies and are better in certain situations. For example a rocket launcher would be deadly against a slow walker, but against a fast player with a jet pack wouldn't do much other than damage him. Also snipers would be better at long range while pistols and short range blasters better in close range, with rifles being somewhere in the middle. This makes the game have a dynamic feel, where you switch out your weapons depending on your situation. 

Characterisation

To fans of the Star Wars universe the characters would have a huge impact on the player, as the announcement of Darth Vader entering the battle for the enemy team would give a sense of fear, however if you do no know who those characters are from the original series then you may get attached to the characters, but you will not discover who they are and hat they've done through the game alone. The characters have appeal to the target audience by being strong, and menacing or heroic and virtuous like Luke. Also the look of the characters has a huge impact, as the Empire uses white menacing armour. This shows them to be more of an evil force compared to the rag tag look of the rebels, where there are many different races in one group. This helps emphasise that they are a rebel force, fighting against an evil. 

Gameplay

The gameplay is the main selling point of Battlefront. The challenge presented by the gameplay is getting better at using the tools given to you to fight your opponent. In normal game modes such as the team vs team game modes you are on even footing against other players, both teams having access to the same weapons as you are at max rank. However this is only at max rank, if you are just starting to play the game at level one with no special abilities or new weapons, you will be at a huge disadvantage against a fully levelled character. On Walker Assault the gameplay is naturally asymmetrical, with the Empire having the advantage of the giant walkers, but also having to defend them. While the rebels have the disadvantage of having to avoid areas where the walkers are, but having the home advantage being able to place turrets and defend much easier. Also the objective points in Walker Assault are closer to the rebels than the Empire, making it easier to capture and hold for the rebels, and easier to call in bombers to weaken the walkers. I think one of the main selling points of the gameplay is the casual feel to the gameplay, rather than being really competitive with rankings the only progression is the levelling up and the credits you get from how well you did in the match. However you always get a base amount of these every game, so no matter how many times you lose you will will eventually max out. So the appeal comes from the gameplay itself and its what brings you back playing it rather than a competitive feeling off levelling up higher and getting better. Also since the gameplay is unbalanced as certain things are simply stronger than others, it would be hard to play the game competitively. 

Target Audience

The target audience for Battlefront would be people aged 14+, and people who have watched the original Star Wars films. For this reason people who are much older and saw the movies when they were children would want to come back and play Battlefront, so relive the story and play out their fantasies. Since it is an action FPS game, it is more likely to cater to the 14+ demographic especially without a campaign This is also re-enforced by the casual nature of the game, as certain features of the game can be exploited and are unbalanced making it unfair to people who do not have all the gear from levelling up to max rank, so a competitive environment for the game is not very possible. 

Game analysis Mortal Kombat

Genre

Mortal Kombat is in the fighting genre, a sub genre of the action genre, where you control a character that uses different moves based on what buttons pressed, and has different combos. Generally fighting games are done in a side-view style, and Mortal Kombat is no exception. It shows other conventions of the genre such as health bars at the top of the screen, a timer, super moves and combo moves. Also characters with different skins and play styles. Mortal Kombat sits well in the genre as being one of the most played modern fighting games along with street fighter VII.

Narrative

The story of Mortal Kombat is that earth has been invaded by another "realm" by a man called Shao Khan, and has killed all the heroes of Earth. However on the brink of defeat Raiden, a defender of Earth and God of thunder, sends a vision to himself in the past saying "he must win". It is then that we follow the story of the past  Raiden, who is participating in a tournament known as Mortal Kombat, a tournament that pits fighters against each other for the fate of the world. The game then progresses through different stages as you follow various different characters, as they either fight to save Earth in the tournament, or pursue their own agendas. The story informs gameplay by each character having different moves based on who they are and their pasts. For example Scorpion was killed and raised from the dead, and so has hellish like powers.

Produced

The game was produced by NetherRealm Studios, which is owned  by Warner Bros. It was made as a reboot to the original Mortal Kombat in 1992. Things that were developed to enhance gameplay was the combo moves in the game, where if you press certain buttons in a specific order it would do a special move. This makes it so there are more options than just the default High punch, Low punch, High kick, Low kick.

Characterisation

The characters are relevant to the target audience as they might have an attachment to them from before the game, as it is a reboot of the original franchise. Also they are relevant because of the stories they have and how they act in game. For example a character like Raiden would be relevant because he is the God of Earth defending it from attack and is presented as a character who is very moral and good, while they would hate a character like Shao Khan who is trying to take over and destroy the Earth and has a very brutal fighting style and even taunts players when he fights you. The characters are appealing because of how different each one is to each other, each with a different style and something that sets them apart from the others. For example Sub-zero uses ice attacks and his style of gameplay is based around that, while someone like Stryker, a police officer, would have a style based around police weaponry and ranged attacks.

Gameplay

The gameplay revolves around using the different attacks; High punch, Low punch, High kick, Low kick to defeat your opponent. Through the use of jumping an ducking, while doing these attacks in different order create a diverse combat style where you can use different moves depending on your situation. The challenge of the gameplay is that you can't mash different attacks throughout the entire game, sometimes you will have to a use a certain tactic or take advantage of an enemies weakness. For example a lack of range. Also against higher difficulties and better players you will have to learn when to use certain moves and combos as well as learning how to chain together certain attacks to get the most out of your damage. What sets Mortal Kombat apart from the other fighting games is its brutal nature and the infamous fatalities. A fatality is where if you win the fight, at the end you can do a certain combo that starts a small cut scene of your character killing your opponent in a gory fashion. This can range from ripping your enemy in two, burning them alive or just eating their face off. Because of this the series has gained some infamy with parents, as they do not want to expose their children to such extreme violence, however it also serves to advertise the game itself.

Target audience

As stated before, the game would not be appropriate for a younger audience because of the extremely violent nature of the combat. This means that the target audience would be 18+. The game appeals directly to the target audience by being a game that focuses on the gore and violence, while keeping the game competitive. This means it would attract a more competitive audience rather than a casual one, as the learning curve for the game is quite high and can become frustrating if you don't know how to play, especially against someone better than you.

Platform

The game is available on PS3, Xbox360, Ps Vita and windows PCs. The game works well on consoles as there is only 4 different attacks, and movement can be done fluidly by the analogue sticks. For PC its a little different compared to consoles, as sometimes the controls can be a little strange, as the gameplay controls do not work as well on a keyboard compared to a controller. This means it is more suited to consoles than PC, however you could always use a Xbox360 controller on the PC to play the game that way.

game analysis Hearthstone

Genre

Hearthstone is a card game, and it achieves this through a simpler and more accessible style than in other card games, as instead of complicated attacking rules and cards, there are only spells and minions. It shows the stylistic conventions of the genre by having a system where you could either buy packs of new cards with in game currency, or real life currency. Also there are different "rarities" with cards being worth more the rarer it is. It sits well within this genre as Hearthstone is one of the most popular card games, even being played by a large amount of mobile device users.

Narrative

The story that is being told through the game is that you are a traveller in the World of Warcraft universe and you happen to wander in to a tavern with an Innkeeper. They are playing a game called Hearthstone and you happen to join in. From there it plays out without much of a coherent story, mostly the game is based around gameplay and characters borrowed from WoW's universe. The story informs the gameplay by each card having a different affect based on the character which the card is based off of as well as having different classes that are from the WoW universe. Also each class has heroes that are prominent characters from WoW. This makes it so people who know the characters from WoW will have a better understanding of the game while also being more enjoyable. Also the story of the game naturally caters to fans of WoW, and will attract fans of it better than other people as its an offshoot of the story of WoW.

Produced

The game was produced by Blizzard Entertainment, the game was made with features such as things like a ranking system to enhance the game by making it more playable, as well as an arena mode, where you choose from 3 cards 30 times to make a deck and then go against opponents who did the same. You can win up to 12 times with increasingly larger rewards, but if you lose 3 times the arena ends and you gain a reward based on how many wins you have. Things such as animations and sounds are added to the game when certain cards are played to enhance the gameplay and make players want those cards more. This also means players might want to spend real money on the game to get the card quicker rather than waiting.

Characterisation

Characters are only relevant to the audience if they have played WoW, as all the characters are borrowed from it. If they did play WoW, they might have an attachment to a specific card or hero. Otherwise players won't have much of an idea who each character is. The game is not based around characters, more about the gameplay of playing cards and killing your opponent who is usually a player.

Gameplay

The goal of the game is to kill your opponent before he kills you, to do this you both have 30 cards that you have chosen to put into a given deck before starting a match. You start with 4 cards and draw a card randomly from your deck each turn. A card costs mana, and the more powerful the card, the more mana it costs. You start off with 1 mana, and with each turn you gain 1 more up to a total of 10. Each player starts at 30 health, and when drops to 0 dies. This creates a challenge as you have to make your deck well and play it well against an opponent who may have a better deck than you or is better at the game than you. Also certain decks fair better against others, as usually each deck is made with a purpose. For example a deck may have a lot of low cost cards that are there to rush down you opponent, or your deck may have a lot of large minions and spells that kill weak minions to beat someone out later in the game, while still staying alive early. The game is easily accessible but can become extremely complex as you continue to play, as you learn what cards counter what and which cards are better in different situations. Also what cards and type of decks are popular at the time is important too, as it could affect what cards you put in your deck and how you play against people. Gameplay consistently evolves by people creating new decks, while Blizzard adds more cards to the game every 6 months, keeping the game fresh. This makes it so the gameplay is never stagnant and new decks will always pop up that you will have to learn to play against.

Target audience

The target audience would be people who enjoy card games, as well as people who play WoW, as Hearthstone takes all its ideas and inspiration from it. The game caters to people who play card games by adding in different cards with different effects, that do different things when played. This keeps it interesting and different for people who have played a lot of card games before.

Platform

Hearthstone is available on PC, Mac and mobile devices. This is because card games generally cant be played that well on consoles due to the controls, and card games tend to be a casual game that suits people who paly on mobile devices.

Game analysis of Halo 5

Halo 5 is a science fiction styled FPS (first person shooter). It shows the stylistic conventions of the genre by having futuristic weapons and abilities called "Spartan abilities". This fits into the conventions of the genre by giving different dynamics to the typical shooter game play, making it more entertaining and engaging. This game sits well with other games in its genre, being rated a 4/5 on metacritic and adds new features to game play that further develops its genre and helps it stand apart from other titles in the same genre.

Narrative

The story of Halo 5 is that Master Chief has gone rogue to try and track down Cortana, who through the use of the advanced Forerunner artefacts known as the Guardians. However the UNSC views this as Master Chief betraying humanity, and send Spartan Locke along with Team Osiris to apprehend him and bring him back. The story informs the gameplay by introducing you to new enemies, weapons and vehicles throughout the story. Such as the new vehicle the Phaeton, an advanced forerunner gunship with heavy weaponry that is revealed to you through playing the single player campaign. The story affects my approach to the characters by making the online player vs player combat based around a simulation used to train Spartans. This makes the multiplayer seem more like a competition than just a casual game making the player want to try harder at the game and improve. The story connects with the target audience by the feeling of wanting to defend your home from people who would destroy it, and uses the grief of Master Chief over Cortana as a way to connect with the character and make him seem more human.

Production Process

Halo 5 was developed by 343 Industries and produced by Microsoft. Halo 5's ip is owned by Microsoft. It uses an new un-named engine that boasts the ability to change the resolution of the video to always keep the gameplay at 60fps. This was done because the game would play smoother at 60fps. Other than that, not much has been revealed about the engine.

Characterisation

The most relevant characters to the audience would be Master Chief and Cortana, as they are the fan favourites of the Halo series and have been in the series from the beginning. They are relevant because Chief was always the protagonist , a good character, but this time has apparently gone rogue in search of Cortana, who has become the antagonist of the series. A new character Sparta Locke is introduced, and becomes relevant to the audience as he is the protagonist. He is also portrayed as being skilled and being tasked with the capture of the rogue Master Chief. This gives the audience the opinion that he is strong enough to capture Master Chief while also braving any other challenges along the way, while also being trusted enough with the secret that the Chief has gone rogue.
This characterisation of the protagonist goes well with the conventions of a the FPS genre, as they would have to be strong and skilful which Locke is portrayed to be. Furthermore through the fact that Locke and his Spartan team take out an important target almost at the start of the story, a target that has eluded capture for a long time and has caused many problems for the UNSC, shows that they are strong, especially so as it wasn't the main objective.

Gameplay

The challenge of the game is to fight through a variety of different enemies which vary in number and difficulty, which naturally get harder as the story progresses. Also the challenge of the multiplayer section of the game is to defeat enemy players who control the same type of character as you, with the same abilities. Some of these abilities are:

Thruster pack - Allows the player to quickly move in any chosen direction, allowing for quick movement and dodging of enemy gunfire.
Ground pound - When at a high enough point in the air, the player can preform this ability to launch themselves at an area on the ground, causing damage to anyone to where the player lands.
Spartan charge - This ability is an enhanced melee attack that is used when sprinting. When activated the player will preform a shoulder bash into anything in front of it.
Clamber - Gives the player the ability to pull themselves up ledges that would have been previously untraversable in former halo games. Through the use of this new feature creates more fluid and natural combat while giving the player more manoeuvrability in combat.
Slide - When the player is at full sprinting speed this can be activated to slide a short distance, dodging incoming fire.
Smart scope - Some weapons such as the Assault Rifle and the Magnum feature a new scope feature, previously only available to a select few weapons. This increases the accuracy and tools available for the player. also when looking down the scope when jumping, it will activate your jetpack and allow you to hover in place while aiming.
Sprint - A change to the sprint ability that stops the recharge of shields while sprinting. This affects the gameplay by making players choose between running away vulnerable, or waiting behind cover for shields to recharge.

This challenge engages players because once the campaign has been completed the multiplayer is continuous and players will increase in skill over time, this gives the player an engaging and long lasting challenge as it creates a competitive environment to improve your skill to defeat enemy players. The gameplay engages with the narrative in the campaign by getting from one part of the story to another, clearing through enemies in a level to advance the narrative. There aren't any choices to be made that affect the narrative, such as with games like mass effect. However the multiplayer engages with the narrative by being a Spartan Training simulation, which as well as giving it more of a narrative feel rather than a shoe-horned in feature, also makes it feel like more of a competition. This means players would want to play to better themselves and defeat opponents. The gameplay changes in the campaign by adding more difficult enemies and in greater numbers, while also providing new weapons and vehicles along the way to keep the player interest throughout. However with multiplayer its different, there isn't so much of a linear progression. The thing that constantly changes to keep players interested would be your skill level and the skill level of your opponents. This makes you want to better yourself, while also changing up the gameplay as you learn new ways to play and different tactics.

Target Audience

The target audience for Halo 5 would be people aged around 15+ as the game contains violence, some gore and language. The gameplay caters to the target audience by being accessible, while still having a steep  learning curve with the different Spartan abilities and weapons. It also caters towards a competitive audience with how the multiplayer is based around small matches with only 1 life.

Platform

Halo 5 is only available on the Xbox One as it is a Microsoft exclusive. It suits the console as FPS's are quite popular on console and the controls are easy to use.

Minimum target grade

MTG = merit

Platform technology