LO1 - Star Wars Battlefront Game Analysis Sheet

Game title	Star Wars Battlefront	Platform tested:	PS2
Genre What style of game is this? What genre does it belong to? How does it show stylistic conventions of the genre? How does it sit within the genre in comparison to others titles?	This fits under the third person shooter genre of gaming as it involves the player controlling an individual person during space themed missions where your objectives in general are to collect all the command posts or to kill all of the units the enemy can spawn. The tactics come into play as you realise that your four men are specialised in different skills. Sniper, Rifleman, Heavy Weapons specialist and Combat Engineer. This game is cleverly done as the AI varies in difficulty truly making this game a game of skill or makes the game mouldable for a beginner to enjoy. But the interesting thing about this game is that it can easily change into a first person shooter game by using the R3 button on the controller making this game more accessible for more than one player.
Narrative What story is being told through the game? How does the story inform the gameplay? How does the story affect your approach to the characters and your interaction with them? How does the story connect with the target audience?	This story has a continuous plot throughout the game as it is set in the 1990s. The plot begins where your fellow team mate Paul Foley has been captured by enemy forces and it is your responsibility playing as John Bradley to make sure that you capture Foley and blow-up a bridge while doing so.  This mission you only get to play as Bradley. Other missions include rescuing a civilian called Emir of Kuwait, and taking part in the battle of Khafji. You also have to guard a scientist who helps you disarm a nuclear ICBM. The plot ends with Emir thanking you for helping to liberate Kuwait and also repelling Iraqi invaders. Throughout the story your characters go up ranks and effects how you play depending on who you would like to become the team Leader.
Production process How was this game produced? What elements of production are developed specifically to enhance the gameplay? How are elements such as game physics and mechanics managed to enhance gameplay?	Pivotal Games developed this game. To start this game off they had to do a little research into specific things about this war including the battle of Khafji which was a real battle which the writers and developers of this game had to research into, hence having to create verisimilitude to avoid offending anybody that was effected by this battle. They then had to come up with an inner game narrative to make the person playing the game feel more invested in the characters. The game physics and mechanics in this are very basic, but realistic enough to be played without any concern. Such as shooting a gasoline tank will make it blow up which is a very generic convention of a game like this.
Characterisation How are characters relevant to the target audience? What appeal do the characters have to the target audience? How does the characterisation match the conventions of the genre? How strong do you feel the characters are?	The way you play the game slowly develops depending on the game you play this game. If you use Bradley the most and kill more people with him, he will become more elite and then become more prestigious. But as the game goes on you realise and come to appreciate all the traits and special skills that each character possesses, these skills are conventional to the game as each skill that they possess is very stereotypical of an army style game due to the fact that the traits include artillery, sniping, explosive expert and heavy weapons specialist. All stereotypical of this kind of game. I feel the character development is almost weak due to the fact that after a few levels you already establish who is who and the only thing that evolves after that is the narrative.

Gameplay What challenge is present in the game? How does the level and type of challenge engage the player? What elements of the gameplay are key to the game’s success? How does the gameplay engage with the narrative? How is gameplay consistently evolving to keep the player’s attention?	The challenges in this game vary between going in to slaughter a large group of enemies or stealthy missions where you have to blow up scud rockets in a stealthy way. I would say the later of the two is the most toughest to achieve as if an enemy catches you and you let them escape   they will sound the alarm and then you will have to deal with a lot of troops after you in this game. The levels do get tougher as the game goes along. The gameplay is vital to the narrative as it sets the precedent for the entire challenge and narrative for the game. The gameplay gives you more control as you go along in the game, you learn how to launch air strikes, drive vehicles and just gradually evolves until you are fully equipped to do more dangerous missions.
Target Audience Who are the target audience? What indicators are there that this game is produced for this target audience? How does the game appeal directly to the target audience? How does the game compare to other games targeting the same audience?	I would say that the target audience for this game are people between the ages of 15 and 30 due to the wide age range that enjoy video games, the prime gender being male due to the fact that war and more violent games are aimed towards men more than other games. I would say that the age rating goes is 15 due to the fact that it is fairly violent and hence being the age rating on the case. I would also say that this game would frustrate a younger audience due to the fact that the controls can become fairly complex due to the fact that every button has a different ability and its easy to ruin a mission and can become frustrating for an older audience never mind a younger player.
Platform What platform is this game available for? Is the game more suited to any one of these platforms? How is the game suited to this platform?	PlayStation 2. This game is suited to the PlayStation 2 because it uses the conventional controls you would expect from a PlayStation 2 game. Its suited to this console as when it was released this console had the best graphics available. Xbox. Putting this game on the Xbox made complete sense because Xbox and PlayStation had two different audiences, as most people either owned one or the other. They were both similar so releasing it onto this console made sense in a financial way, rather than making it an exclusive to just one console. GameCube was suited to this the same way that the PlayStation 2 is and the Xbox. Microsoft Windows made sense based on the fact that this is a more powerful system than the other three, being released on this gave room for there to be more hacks available

LO1 - Conflict Desert Storm Game Analysis Sheet

Game title	Conflict Desert Storm	Platform tested:	PS2
Genre What style of game is this? What genre does it belong to? How does it show stylistic conventions of the genre? How does it sit within the genre in comparison to others titles?	This fits under the tactical shooter category of gaming as it involves the player controlling a 4-man team during the Iraq war. The tactics come into play as you realise that your four men are specialised in different skills. Sniper, Rifleman, Heavy Weapons specialist and Combat Engineer. This game is very similar to the Tom Clancy series with the controls and how you have to be careful with what you do and how stealthy you are on some parts of the game.
Narrative What story is being told through the game? How does the story inform the gameplay? How does the story affect your approach to the characters and your interaction with them? How does the story connect with the target audience?	This story has a continuous plot throughout the game as it is set in the 1990s. The plot begins where your fellow team mate Paul Foley has been captured by enemy forces and it is your responsibility playing as John Bradley to make sure that you capture Foley and blow-up a bridge while doing so.  This mission you only get to play as Bradley. Other missions include rescuing a civilian called Emir of Kuwait, and taking part in the battle of Khafji. You also have to guard a scientist who helps you disarm a nuclear ICBM. The plot ends with Emir thanking you for helping to liberate Kuwait and also repelling Iraqi invaders. Throughout the story your characters go up ranks and effects how you play depending on who you would like to become the team Leader.
Production process How was this game produced? What elements of production are developed specifically to enhance the gameplay? How are elements such as game physics and mechanics managed to enhance gameplay?	Pivotal Games developed this game. To start this game off they had to do a little research into specific things about this war including the battle of Khafji which was a real battle which the writers and developers of this game had to research into, hence having to create verisimilitude to avoid offending anybody that was effected by this battle. They then had to come up with an inner game narrative to make the person playing the game feel more invested in the characters. The game physics and mechanics in this are very basic, but realistic enough to be played without any concern. Such as shooting a gasoline tank will make it blow up which is a very generic convention of a game like this.
Characterisation How are characters relevant to the target audience? What appeal do the characters have to the target audience? How does the characterisation match the conventions of the genre? How strong do you feel the characters are?	The way you play the game slowly develops depending on the game you play this game. If you use Bradley the most and kill more people with him, he will become more elite and then become more prestigious. But as the game goes on you realise and come to appreciate all the traits and special skills that each character possesses, these skills are conventional to the game as each skill that they possess is very stereotypical of an army style game due to the fact that the traits include artillery, sniping, explosive expert and heavy weapons specialist. All stereotypical of this kind of game. I feel the character development is almost weak due to the fact that after a few levels you already establish who is who and the only thing that evolves after that is the narrative.

Gameplay What challenge is present in the game? How does the level and type of challenge engage the player? What elements of the gameplay are key to the game’s success? How does the gameplay engage with the narrative? How is gameplay consistently evolving to keep the player’s attention?	The challenges in this game vary between going in to slaughter a large group of enemies or stealthy missions where you have to blow up scud rockets in a stealthy way. I would say the later of the two is the most toughest to achieve as if an enemy catches you and you let them escape   they will sound the alarm and then you will have to deal with a lot of troops after you in this game. The levels do get tougher as the game goes along. The gameplay is vital to the narrative as it sets the precedent for the entire challenge and narrative for the game. The gameplay gives you more control as you go along in the game, you learn how to launch air strikes, drive vehicles and just gradually evolves until you are fully equipped to do more dangerous missions.
Target Audience Who are the target audience? What indicators are there that this game is produced for this target audience? How does the game appeal directly to the target audience? How does the game compare to other games targeting the same audience?	I would say that the target audience for this game are people between the ages of 15 and 30 due to the wide age range that enjoy video games, the prime gender being male due to the fact that war and more violent games are aimed towards men more than other games. I would say that the age rating goes is 15 due to the fact that it is fairly violent and hence being the age rating on the case. I would also say that this game would frustrate a younger audience due to the fact that the controls can become fairly complex due to the fact that every button has a different ability and its easy to ruin a mission and can become frustrating for an older audience never mind a younger player.
Platform What platform is this game available for? Is the game more suited to any one of these platforms? How is the game suited to this platform?	PlayStation 2. This game is suited to the PlayStation 2 because it uses the conventional controls you would expect from a PlayStation 2 game. Its suited to this console as when it was released this console had the best graphics available. Xbox. Putting this game on the Xbox made complete sense because Xbox and PlayStation had two different audiences, as most people either owned one or the other. They were both similar so releasing it onto this console made sense in a financial way, rather than making it an exclusive to just one console. GameCube was suited to this the same way that the PlayStation 2 is and the Xbox. Microsoft Windows made sense based on the fact that this is a more powerful system than the other three, being released on this gave room for there to be more hacks available

LO1 - Simpsons Hit and Run Game Analysis Sheet

Game title	Simpsons Hit and Run	Platform tested:	PS2
Genre What style of game is this? What genre does it belong to? How does it show stylistic conventions of the genre? How does it sit within the genre in comparison to others titles?	Simpsons hit and run is a sandbox open world game, which allows the player to explore the highly animated world of Springfield. You can tell that this is a typical convention of its genre as you can explore in a free roam mode where you don’t have to do the missions. This game stands out especially for its time as most users are probably familiar with the Simpsons franchise and therefor there is a novelty to the player as they can explore the world that they are pretty familiar with already. This game mainly focuses on driving, and you view your character from a third person viewpoint.
Narrative What story is being told through the game? How does the story inform the gameplay? How does the story affect your approach to the characters and your interaction with them? How does the story connect with the target audience?	The narrative within this starts off fairly simple surveillance vans have been loitering around Springfield. And it is your job as Homer to find out who they are, and why they are spying. You later discover that they are Pizza vans. Subsequently after this it turns out that the Cola drink that everyone has been drinking called ‘buzz’ Cola. You find out that this drink is turning everyone into zombies and it is your job to stop the alien invasion as they decided to turn everyone into zombies.
Production process How was this game produced? What elements of production are developed specifically to enhance the gameplay? How are elements such as game physics and mechanics managed to enhance gameplay?	This game was produced by John Melichoir and was funded by Vivendi Universal Games, he also helped produce The Simpsons Road Rage, so he was familiar with the Simpsons Franchise and what fans have come to expect from a Simpsons game. This game was also developed by Radical entertainment. The first thing they decided to do while creating this game was to come up with a narrative that would keep the essence of the Simpsons TV show with its narrative and humour. They then storyboarded and came up with what specific features they wanted the game to have including the driving. The people that had to come up with the narrative had to consult with the creators of Simpson’s, Matt Groening and James L Brookes, as they were too busy writing the television show. But there approval was obviously needed due to the fact that it is their franchise.
Characterisation How are characters relevant to the target audience? What appeal do the characters have to the target audience? How does the characterisation match the conventions of the genre? How strong do you feel the characters are?	The characters within this are specific to the television show as this is what people that bought the game would expect from a game like this. The characters that you get to play as all have costumes that you can buy with the coins that you acquire throughout the game as the narrative progresses. These costumes are all references to the TV show. These characters include Homer, you play as him on the first and last level. Bart, you play on him on the second and sixth level. On the third level you play as Lisa, Fourth you play as Marge and the fifth you play as Apu. The thing about each character is that they all have exclusive maps to them, and each level helps enhance the storyline from the perspective of your character. Also to stay true to the show they give the characters phrases they say while you are driving. Also when you drive around you occasionally see characters you will recognise from the television show.

Gameplay What challenge is present in the game? How does the level and type of challenge engage the player? What elements of the gameplay are key to the game’s success? How does the gameplay engage with the narrative? How is gameplay consistently evolving to keep the player’s attention?	This game challenges the player by having a selection of different missions on each level including Easter Eggs to discover and different things to collect and unlock with money found around the city. An example of a use of the money is that you need to buy the Plow King car from Barney to progress on the first mission. And due to the fact that you cant kill your character in this game means that failure to do certain things means that you lose coins, for example getting caught by the Police on this game results in a loss of 50 coins. The challenges engage the player due to the fact that they are interest3ed in how the narrative will progress. The gameplay evolves by getting more and more tough as the game progresses.
Target Audience Who are the target audience? What indicators are there that this game is produced for this target audience? How does the game appeal directly to the target audience? How does the game compare to other games targeting the same audience?	The target audience for this game are people that enjoyed watching the television show, which is quite a wide age group; I would say that the ages range from the age of 7 to 35. As the game is at a 7 plus rating due to moderate violence intertwined within the game. The game appeals to the target audience due to the fact of how true it stays to the television show itself.  This game is probably the most enjoyable Simpsons game released up to date, as it seems more like an actual video game rather than some mini game available on an arcade machine like Simpsons Road range was. This game is recognised as being the best Simpsons game available getting an 8.0/ 10 from IGN and 81% from metacritic.
Platform What platform is this game available for? Is the game more suited to any one of these platforms? How is the game suited to this platform?	PlayStation 2. This game is suited to the PlayStation 2 because it uses the conventional controls you would expect from a PlayStation 2 game. Its suited to this console as when it was released this console had the best graphics available. Xbox. Putting this game on the Xbox made complete sense because Xbox and PlayStation had two different audiences, as most people either owned one or the other. They were both similar so releasing it onto this console made sense in a financial way, rather than making it an exclusive to just one console. GameCube was suited to this the same way that the PlayStation 2 is and the Xbox. Microsoft Windows made sense based on the fact that this is a more powerful system than the other three, being released on this gave room for there to be more hacks available