Magazine Double Page Spread: Black Ops II Game Review

During this assignment we had to, firstly look at game reviews in magazines, writen reviews on websites and also reviws on YouTube. Once we had collected these reviews we had to screen Screen Grab, annotate them then put them onto Blogger. After collecting reviews we then had to write an evaluation on them which included what the writer talks about and how each source was different. After our evaluation we had a chance to play games in class to figure out what game we wanted to write our own review about. We then had to write a game report that informs you of what conventions are found within a game. I chose to base the report around Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 because I know what the game is about and it was easier to base it around a game that I have played before. Just before we had to write our review we had to create a mind map that helped us plan out what information was going to be put into our review and how it was going to be layed out. Finally our review had to be a double page magazine spread designed to attract a certain target audience. The game I chose to write my review on was Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The reason I chose this game is because I have played it before as well as it being an easy game to write about as the target audience is very clear. In my reviwe I write about the Improvements, storyline, comparisons to the first Black Ops game and also put my own opinion of the game at the end. The program I chose to design my review on was Adobe Indesign. I chose this because it was the easiest program to design a magazine spread on.                    

Game Report

Game Report: Computer Game Components

Within in this assignment we have to write a report solely based on the different video game components, these include, the visual style, gameplay, audience and the game genre. We are able to talk about a game of our choice but it has to cover all four components. The game I have chosen is Call of Duty: Modern warfare 3, I chose this game to include in my report because I have played it myself and also because it is part of a series so there is more to write about.The Xbox game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is part of a series of games. The first of the Modern Warfare series, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a spin off from the previous Call of Duty games. From the very first game we know of a war between Russia and the U.S Marine Corps, this storyline carries on throughout the series involving the same characters. Like most shooting games, Modern Warfare 3 includes characters from the previous two in the series. Throughout the game, the character being played changes depending on the level you are on, however the character mostly being controlled is Yuri. The game itself is played in first and third person. The reason for the player being in first person is so they can feel as if they are in the game. Being in the first person lets them be the hero. However being in third person differs because it lets the player feel as if he is in control of the character, either way the player is going to feel like he is the hero and that he can be part of the game.

In the game, each level you complete, achievements are unlocked. In every game you play there will be achievements and trophies that are able to be collected for every level you do. Games often give you the option to select the difficulty of the level at which you want to play. The difficulty options on Call of Duty: Modern warfare 3 isn’t ‘easy, medium and hard, they are called veteran (easy), Regular (medium) and hardened (hard). When playing shooting games, there is an option that lets you change the layout of the controls to what you feel most confortable with. The controls for MW3 are fairly simple. The buttons you’ll mainly use include the X button to jump, Y button to change weapons, RL to shoot, RB to throw grenades and RS to use the knife. The music used in games is varied depending on the genre. Shooting games usually have rock music in the background, this is used to get the player read to fight, and also because it suits the type of game it is.

MW3’s audience is aimed towards a male audience, the reason for this is because being a soldier is more of a male role, and not so many girls get involved with shooting. However although the age of the game Is 18 and over because of the violence and language, it appeals more to a younger audience, this is because younger boys tend to play consoles more than older men. The audience of a game depends on the genre, like the music. However playing MW3 could be more for a hardcore gamer, only as the game it’s self last for around 8 hours, it would take nearly a whole day to complete it.

The genre is one of the main components of a game, Modern Warfare is action as well as a bit of thriller because of certain parts that are slightly creepy. Depending on the genre, the look and graphics in the game are different, if it is a Disney/ kids game then it is going to have a more lighter less intense feel to it. However games such as Black Ops: Zombies is darker and has a dangerous feel to the game.