NBA 2K13

I am going to talk about one of the best sports games ever made, NBA 2K13. I am going to explain how the visuals and gameplay attract the target audience to the game.

 

Visual style

Visually the game is astounding, from the amount of animations on a specific player to the crowd, the graphics of the game could not be any better. The detail is so fine in the game to the level that you can see each individual tattoo etched onto the players. The playable characters of the game as you would expect are the players, there are many in the game ranging from legends like Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing to more recent pros like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, they all act and play differently as well. The NPC’s in the game are coaches, managers, fans etc. and the do what you would expect them to do. There isn’t any terrain in the game, unless you count the courts themselves which are made from highly polished wood. All of the architecture in the game comes in the form of modern stadiums and courts which are accurately detailed to represent the team where the arenas are located. The only object in the game really is the ball, it will be the only thing you will pick up and it is essential because without the ball this wouldn’t be NBA 2K13. The perspective on the game is 3-d, however, you can change the camera angle multiple times so that it fits your personal preference, the camera wall always follow the person carrying the ball or the ball itself. There isn’t much FMV in the game apart from the half-time and 3^rd quarter breaks, in which the commentators break down the current game and decide which team is doing the best, based on statistics. The interface consists of the scoreboard and which player you are currently controlling, which is critical. Many people have said that the game looks so realistic, that it looks like you are watching an actual game on TV, I agree with them because since the games visual are that good you think that what you are playing is real which is hard to come across in sports games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB1RPDrO6HE this is a link for a gameplay clip of a regular game in action, in this case the Miami Heat against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Blake Griffin performing a slam dunk. This is one of the many actions you can perform in the game.

 

Gameplay

The gameplay in NBA 2K13 is what makes the game so good. Your avatar in the game is essentially the player you are playing as, they can range from centers that are tall and slow but are good at blocking shots, to point guards who are nimble and fast, and there are a lot of players in this game. In the single-player portion of the game you will come across a number of different teams all ranging in difficulty, from heavyweights like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, to the not so good teams like the Charlotte Bobcats and the Cleveland Cavaliers. As well as this there are many game modes, which all have their unique edge to them, my favourite is myCareer in which you create your own character and start your NBA career. The variety in this game mode is amazing, one minute you could be playing a Playoff game the next you could be doing the Sprite slam dunk contest, there is literally no limit to what could happen.  Multi-player wise the game is a breeze, there is no lag or unexpected glitches and the games themselves are extremely fun to play, especially when you are winning by 10 or more points. There is a game mode online in which you play as one player on a team where the other players on your team are actual people, it is fun to play however without communication there is a little bit more complexity as you cannot speak to the other people about your tactics. The narrative of the game is to simply win the current game, there are a few exceptions however, like you might have to score a specific amount of points or get a certain number of assists. This adds a bit more difficulty to the game. The game setting consists of different arenas around North America; there aren’t any environmental changes because basketball is an indoor sport. The main goal of the game is to win your game; the way to win is to get more points than the opposing team which can be difficult depending on which team you are playing, however whether you win or lose the game is still enjoyable to play. Challenges in the game come in the form of opposing teams as mentioned before they can range from hard to rather easy. Rewards are something that you get a lot of in the game, whether it be XP and upgrades or signature skills (specific skills you can get, basically perks). Players in the game can perform a variety of actions, ranging from powerful dunks to long accurate passes depending on which player you are currently controlling. The rules in the game are the rules that the NBA follow, these are such things as double dribbling and traveling, every rule that applies to the game of basketball, applies to this game, in turn making the game more realistic. Scoring in the game is also the same as in the NBA, where a made shot inside the three-point line is worth 2 points and a shot made behind the three point line is worth 3 points. Without a doubt the one thing that makes me keep playing this game is the gameplay, it is so tight that everything you do feels responsive. It is also addictive because it is the closest thing you can actually get to the real NBA, which in turn makes more fans buy the game.

Travel guide to Arkham City

Come to…

Arkham City!

Arkham City is a cut-off region in Gotham containing all its most dangerous criminals.As you arrive you will notice famous buildings such as the Court house and Gotham museum. Watch out however, because lurking around any corner could be a killer. Arkham City itself is huge, in total you have 4 districts that you can visit and a good number of buildings for you to enter.

You’ll notice on entering Arkham City that it is very cold, mainly because of the fact that it is the middle of December, and partly because Mr Freeze inhabits this area and wherever he goes it is guaranteed to get colder. As well as this Arkham City is a very dark, gloomy place, you won’t find high end clothing stores here. The terrain here varies on one side there are long streets and towers and on the other a whole district submerged by water, this can drastically affect how you get around the city.

The objects you will find in Arkham city can range from freeze grenades to buttons and doors, most of the objects you have in Arkham city will come from your inventory so there is not much in the form of pick-ups .In Arkham City you’ll meet a lot of people some friendly some not so much. You’ll encounter some familiar faces like the Joker, the Penguin, Bane and Two-Face, however amongst these evil masterminds there are a few people you can have a friendly conversation with notably Jack Ryder, Alfred (via headset) and Robin.

 

Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 is a first person shooter game from Swedish company DICE an abreviation of EA Digital Illusions CE. The engine the game runs on is Frostbite 2 which can create a varied amount of realisation. The game focuses a lot on vehicles, whether that be air, land or sea based. The main objective of the game in the campaign mode is to complete each mission as a specific character, the missions in general range from vehicle based to on foot and so on. The main objective of the game online, depending on what game mode you are playing are to defend or attack consoles, capture and control different flags and kill the opposing team. There is a third game mode in Battlefield 3 called co-op, which is where you complete set missions but with a real person via online. Because Battlefield 3 is a current gen console game the dynamics and graphics of the game are very high, also sound and picture quality will be notably better than standard definition games since this game does support high definition. The game was released on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on October 28, 2011 in Europe. On PC the amount of people in one game can go up to 64, whereas on the Xbox 360 and PS3 since both consoles are less advanced than PC the amount of people can only go up to 24.

As you can see by the image on the right the game is expansive and highly detailed. The HUD shows things like the map, members of your squad, your current vehicle health and soldier health, your ammuntion count and in the top right corner it displays which person has been killed by who and by what weapon.

The terrain mostly consists of hilly, grassy areas although there are some urban areas. The architecture can range from anything like buildings and tunnels to antennas and bridges. The objects in the game are mostly firearms with a few exceptions in the form of grenades and knives.  The characters in the game are all soldiers either from the USA or Russia. The perspective for the game is first person as i stated before only the weapon you are carrying and your hands are visible, although in vehicles you can change the camera from first person to third person. The rewards in the game depending on which game mode you are playing include in multiplayer XP and progressive ranking and in single player more weapons. The difficulty can be changed in single player to fit your personal preference ( easy, medium, hard etc). The game, especially multiplayer is highly addictive because you are constantly gaining new equipment and weapons. The cost of the game when it was released was around £40 however over the years the price has dropped so now it would usually average around £15. Overall I think that the game is brilliant it has the right amount of action and well scripted moments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDDfPxF3EFE the video linked here is gameplay of the multiplayer map named ‘Caspian Border’ it features most of the vehicles available in the game apart from those that are sea based. The map is probably the biggest in the game although there are a few close contenders notably ‘Operation Firestorm’. This map however includes lots of trees, large rocks and foliage for cover which in some instances can provide useful. The more urban maps for example ‘Siene Crossing’ provide a lot more cover and buildings that the player can enter, also vehicles are a bit more restricted since the urban maps are more constrictive.

about me

I have played computer games from a very young age, i started with the PS1, then the PS2 before recently getting the PS3. the genre of games I mostly play are action, shooting and driving. My favourite game at the minute has to be Grand Theft Auto 4. In the future I hope to get a good job or an apprenticeship to help me get off my feet.