This is my second year in the Video Game Appreciation Intersession. I believe that the reason this should keep being an intersession is the fact that we are given the opportunity to experience things we normally wouldn't. For example how many people can say that they met and talked to a senior animator for Rockstar Studios? I mean we experience and are able to observe the transformation of video games first hand, we can play the Original Halo and then play Halo Reach and quickly observe how the industry has evolved. Also, this is an opportunity to build teamwork, where most games allow a 4 vs. 4 game via system link, you learn how to work together to succeed.
Also, the fact that we have discussions opens up our minds to others people’s opinions about certain gaming topics. For example we discussed the violence in video games, which really puts a big discussion topic up for debate. I was really able to express my ideas on the topic while also recognizing other points I had not seen myself.
All in all this intersession allows students to do something they enjoy, are passionate about, and could possibly have a future in.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Left for Dead 2
Left for Dead 2 is the sequel to the first Left for Dead. This game takes place during a zombie apocalypse. This game leaves you off in a time where you and 3 other survivors have to get to the "safe spot" in order to survive. This game keeps you on your toes with different type of zombies. The zombies are the same as the first Left for Dead; there is the Hunter, there the boomer. There’s also the jockey, the tank, the witch, the smoker, and the normal zombie. Each zombie has their own ability. Overall I would give this game a 9/10.
Graphics 9/10: I would give the graphics a 9 out of 10 due to the fact that while every zombie is different, while they are running or doing something, there is the sudden blur in the graphics, which I mean is that the game seems to have difficulties if a sudden zombie runs at you, even though it’s there for less than a second I could help but note it. This disappointed me because this game is a jewel. It will constantly keep you asking for more, and this is just a small imperfection.
Game play 8/10: While there are different options of game play from solo to co-op, to online this game will keep you entertained for hours. One of the best things is that you can play as a survivor or as a zombie. This enables you to portray any of the zombies and giving you the chance to use their abilities. I would give game play a 9/10 due to the fact that if you take the role of the zombie it is easier for you to die and it gets tiresome after a while due to the fact that certain zombies are best when killed, like the boomer. This is an excellent game to play solo or in co-op.
Replay 10/10: For replay I would give it 8 out of 10 due to the fact that there is such a big option of guns to choose from, and also the melee weapons available. The replay is also a 10 due to the fact that there is different levels of difficulty and that not the same zombies will attack you in a certain area. I would gladly replay this game whenever I get the chance.
Graphics 9/10: I would give the graphics a 9 out of 10 due to the fact that while every zombie is different, while they are running or doing something, there is the sudden blur in the graphics, which I mean is that the game seems to have difficulties if a sudden zombie runs at you, even though it’s there for less than a second I could help but note it. This disappointed me because this game is a jewel. It will constantly keep you asking for more, and this is just a small imperfection.
Game play 8/10: While there are different options of game play from solo to co-op, to online this game will keep you entertained for hours. One of the best things is that you can play as a survivor or as a zombie. This enables you to portray any of the zombies and giving you the chance to use their abilities. I would give game play a 9/10 due to the fact that if you take the role of the zombie it is easier for you to die and it gets tiresome after a while due to the fact that certain zombies are best when killed, like the boomer. This is an excellent game to play solo or in co-op.
Replay 10/10: For replay I would give it 8 out of 10 due to the fact that there is such a big option of guns to choose from, and also the melee weapons available. The replay is also a 10 due to the fact that there is different levels of difficulty and that not the same zombies will attack you in a certain area. I would gladly replay this game whenever I get the chance.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Portal 2
Portal 2 is the sequel to Portal. Portal is a first person puzzle-platform developed by the gaming company Valve. Portal is available to all systems including Xbox 260, PS3, Wii and Computers. The game was instantly a big seller, with a lot of anticipation behind it; it was one of the best games of the year. In portal 2, you are a human being that has the ability to create portals to solve complex puzzles.
Game play: 9/10
Portal 2 provides a new twist on the idea of what a puzzle game should be. Portal 2 continues on the story of the original portal, where you had defeated an evil robot that had gone crazy with power. So portal allows for a very versatile game play, where you can go around testing ideas to pass the levels. There is no one single way to do things which allow you to try different things, and timing also plays a factor at times. Depending at which time you change portals things can work out or they can fail.
Graphics: 8/10
Portal 2 doesn’t excel in graphics but it doesn’t lack in it either. The graphics are a bit above average giving the gamer a pleasant experience ecstatically. There are many components to the actual game so the graphics actually are good enough to make everything flow nicely. There also a lot of moving parts and the animation is quite excellent.
Replay value: 7/10
After I passed the game I sort of lost the interest in the game, I mean the actual game took a while to pass and even though there other possible alternatives to pass the levels and also has the difficulty settings it could allow for others to try their skills at a harder setting.
Overall: 8/10
Even though Portal 2 is a great game, the replay to me personally kills the games score because it really one of those games you pass once or twice and then you forget about it.
Game play: 9/10
Portal 2 provides a new twist on the idea of what a puzzle game should be. Portal 2 continues on the story of the original portal, where you had defeated an evil robot that had gone crazy with power. So portal allows for a very versatile game play, where you can go around testing ideas to pass the levels. There is no one single way to do things which allow you to try different things, and timing also plays a factor at times. Depending at which time you change portals things can work out or they can fail.
Graphics: 8/10
Portal 2 doesn’t excel in graphics but it doesn’t lack in it either. The graphics are a bit above average giving the gamer a pleasant experience ecstatically. There are many components to the actual game so the graphics actually are good enough to make everything flow nicely. There also a lot of moving parts and the animation is quite excellent.
Replay value: 7/10
After I passed the game I sort of lost the interest in the game, I mean the actual game took a while to pass and even though there other possible alternatives to pass the levels and also has the difficulty settings it could allow for others to try their skills at a harder setting.
Overall: 8/10
Even though Portal 2 is a great game, the replay to me personally kills the games score because it really one of those games you pass once or twice and then you forget about it.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Runescape
Runescape is a massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). Runescape was released in January of 2001. Runescape is a game that takes place in a medieval land called Gielinor. In this realm, the land is divided into many regions and cities. Runescape is the most successful free MMORPG, with over ten million active accounts active per month, and over 156 million registered accounts.
Game play: 8/10
The game play in runescape is alright, much better than most other RPGS I’ve played, especially MMORPGs. In Runescape there are hundreds of armor and weapons available. Also the availability to level up with the many skills available to train makes this game give you many hours of fun, the higher you level up the more stuff you can create, or achieve more money. There is also the availability to do Person vs. Person. (PVP) There is also the option to become a member where more land, armor, weapons and skills become available. Although the option costs 5 dollars per month.
Graphics: 7/10
I mean we’re talking about a game that plays online, so the quality of the graphics really depends on first your internet connection so that you won’t get horrible lag when you up the graphics, and how fast your computer can process it, I mean they’re your basic graphic quality, nothing superb.
Lasting Appeal: 8/10
The skills alone will keep you busy for weeks; training can become a tedious chore so sometimes you tend to take a break. I personally played the game for three years and every so often drop by to check out the new updates. It’s one of those games that can keep you busy if you’re really into it.
Storyline: NA
This game has no storyline.
Overall: 7.8/10
This game is the best free MMORPG available today, with millions of players, this game can provide hours of fun while helping you make new friends. The constant updating allows for a better gaming experience.
Game play: 8/10
The game play in runescape is alright, much better than most other RPGS I’ve played, especially MMORPGs. In Runescape there are hundreds of armor and weapons available. Also the availability to level up with the many skills available to train makes this game give you many hours of fun, the higher you level up the more stuff you can create, or achieve more money. There is also the availability to do Person vs. Person. (PVP) There is also the option to become a member where more land, armor, weapons and skills become available. Although the option costs 5 dollars per month.
Graphics: 7/10
I mean we’re talking about a game that plays online, so the quality of the graphics really depends on first your internet connection so that you won’t get horrible lag when you up the graphics, and how fast your computer can process it, I mean they’re your basic graphic quality, nothing superb.
Lasting Appeal: 8/10
The skills alone will keep you busy for weeks; training can become a tedious chore so sometimes you tend to take a break. I personally played the game for three years and every so often drop by to check out the new updates. It’s one of those games that can keep you busy if you’re really into it.
Storyline: NA
This game has no storyline.
Overall: 7.8/10
This game is the best free MMORPG available today, with millions of players, this game can provide hours of fun while helping you make new friends. The constant updating allows for a better gaming experience.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 is a game by Activision that was released in the later part of 2011. This game has changed the expectations that online multiplayer FPS games. With amazing 1080p graphics, a decent storyline, amazing and realistic online gaming, it is no longer considered a lesser version of the Call Of Duty (COD) series.
Game play: 9/10
The game play in Battlefield 3 is amazing. The major difference between this game and MW3, is that this game you have to use strategy, whereas in MW3 it mostly spray and pray or hard scoping. The guns that you use and how they impact really make the biggest difference. The guns aren’t like in COD where you can shoot 200 rounds before running out or where it takes half of that to kill a person. In BF3 you have to know when and where to shoot. Also in comparison to MW3 you don’t regenerate health, so you have to think 2 moves ahead of your enemies.
*spray and pray is random shooting hoping you’ll hit the target.
*hard scoping is when you are scoping for a long time at a single target.
Graphics: 9/10
Even though BF3 offers the best quality of graphics available, the reason it earns a 9/10 is due to the fact that the game requires you to download an additional 1.5 GB to get the most out of the game, when you zoom in using a sniper, you can see the stitching on the soldiers clothes. The graphics add to the game play since it gives it that realistic element that allows it to stand out.
Lasting appeal: 8/10
The best part of BF3 is the ability to play with other players. With all the maps available, and the different modes, it can give you more than enough reasons to play again. Not to mention that with the ability to earn different weapons and accessories as you level up, giving you a insensitive to keep leveling up not only weapons and accessories but also the vehicles.
Storyline: 7/10
The storyline seems a bit repetitive, it reminds me of the Black Ops storyline, where the main character is interrogated and tortured. I believe the campaign could have been improved by keeping the flashbacks clear, because at times you lost track of the story.
All in all BF3 is one of the best games of the year and can provide endless amounts of fun for people who have enjoyed the COD and BF series. Overall BF3 gets a 8.8/10.
Game play: 9/10
The game play in Battlefield 3 is amazing. The major difference between this game and MW3, is that this game you have to use strategy, whereas in MW3 it mostly spray and pray or hard scoping. The guns that you use and how they impact really make the biggest difference. The guns aren’t like in COD where you can shoot 200 rounds before running out or where it takes half of that to kill a person. In BF3 you have to know when and where to shoot. Also in comparison to MW3 you don’t regenerate health, so you have to think 2 moves ahead of your enemies.
*spray and pray is random shooting hoping you’ll hit the target.
*hard scoping is when you are scoping for a long time at a single target.
Graphics: 9/10
Even though BF3 offers the best quality of graphics available, the reason it earns a 9/10 is due to the fact that the game requires you to download an additional 1.5 GB to get the most out of the game, when you zoom in using a sniper, you can see the stitching on the soldiers clothes. The graphics add to the game play since it gives it that realistic element that allows it to stand out.
Lasting appeal: 8/10
The best part of BF3 is the ability to play with other players. With all the maps available, and the different modes, it can give you more than enough reasons to play again. Not to mention that with the ability to earn different weapons and accessories as you level up, giving you a insensitive to keep leveling up not only weapons and accessories but also the vehicles.
Storyline: 7/10
The storyline seems a bit repetitive, it reminds me of the Black Ops storyline, where the main character is interrogated and tortured. I believe the campaign could have been improved by keeping the flashbacks clear, because at times you lost track of the story.
All in all BF3 is one of the best games of the year and can provide endless amounts of fun for people who have enjoyed the COD and BF series. Overall BF3 gets a 8.8/10.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Home-FAIL
In 2011 A new competitors to the online FPS genre appeared. We have been accustomed to seeing the names Call of Duty and Bad Company. With Activision and Electronic arts dominating this are of the video game industry for a while, when THQ released that they would soon be joining this genre with their own major online FPS game, the anticipation was high. But what was expected to be one of the best games of the year was a failure to the expectations of the players.
“Despite being inaccurately labeled as a failure from everyone to gaming websites to industry analysts to, presumably, THQ’s own stockholders, Homefront just sold through 1 million copies across North America, Europe, and Asia in just over one week.” Video Game Writers
The key point here is that it was a failure to the players, not the stockholders. The stockholders prime interest was the revenue the game would bring, but they don’t realize that in a future they wish to release a sequel or a similar game to this, the image of the quality THQ can produce has been tarnished.
In comparison to its competitors, Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3, it lacks the realistic factor, and it graphics aren’t as appealing. This was reflected when their rating dropped and they were forced to drop the price of the game from 60 to 40 dollars.
“The impact of review scores on video game title sales are determined by the potential size of the market, direct and retail promotional spend, competition at launch, overall level of interest in the title before release and more. This helps to explain why titles such as Demon’s Souls can achieve 90+ reviews, but produce lower revenues, and why a game such as Medal of Honor from Electronic Arts can get an aggregated review score in the 70′s and surpass nearly 5 million units in sales worldwide.” Jesse Divnich
In conclusion, if THQ wishes to release a sequel, they will have to step up their game by a major amount.
Graphics: 6/10
Gameplay 8/10
Online: 9/10
Replay: 4/10
“Despite being inaccurately labeled as a failure from everyone to gaming websites to industry analysts to, presumably, THQ’s own stockholders, Homefront just sold through 1 million copies across North America, Europe, and Asia in just over one week.” Video Game Writers
The key point here is that it was a failure to the players, not the stockholders. The stockholders prime interest was the revenue the game would bring, but they don’t realize that in a future they wish to release a sequel or a similar game to this, the image of the quality THQ can produce has been tarnished.
In comparison to its competitors, Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3, it lacks the realistic factor, and it graphics aren’t as appealing. This was reflected when their rating dropped and they were forced to drop the price of the game from 60 to 40 dollars.
“The impact of review scores on video game title sales are determined by the potential size of the market, direct and retail promotional spend, competition at launch, overall level of interest in the title before release and more. This helps to explain why titles such as Demon’s Souls can achieve 90+ reviews, but produce lower revenues, and why a game such as Medal of Honor from Electronic Arts can get an aggregated review score in the 70′s and surpass nearly 5 million units in sales worldwide.” Jesse Divnich
In conclusion, if THQ wishes to release a sequel, they will have to step up their game by a major amount.
Graphics: 6/10
Gameplay 8/10
Online: 9/10
Replay: 4/10
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
About Me
Hello there trolls, my name is none of your buissness but I might as welll give you a name which you can refer to me by. My name is Ramon, I am a junior at High Tech High. On my free time I dominate noobs, newbs, n00bs, however you wish to spell it. I play games such as Battle Field 3 and Brink. Even though I am what you call a gamer, I also enjoy physical activities such as Football, Rugby, Longboarding, Surfing, etc. In this blog I will be discussing a variety of games, from RPG to FPS. Hope this opens your mind to the complex world of video games. Have a good day.
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