5* Review: Miniclip.

(Criteria of evaluation: human-computer interaction, user interface design, usability, information design, audience targeting and suitability)


http://www.miniclip.com/ is a casual games site I have used when I was much younger, it is still extremely popular.
After playing the website for a few hours it is clear from the onset that that target audience is that of children. The colour schemes and nature of the games on the site all elude to this. There is the option to create an avatar (specific to Miniclip "YoMe")incorporated into the account system. This YoMe feature is quite diverse as well as intuitive, giving the user the ability to base their avatars look on a celebrity, decorate their room, create a unique pet, as well as customizing clothes and appearance. The natural next step would be to build games in which the user could play as their created avatar. 
Friends lists and awards for completing aspects of games mean the website has some staying power. There are limited options in regards to chatting to other players. However multiplayer options mean that this is distinctly possible. In a more controlled and safe way. Games such as penguin party and (more adult) Runescape are just two examples. 

Monopoly research.

I have been given a brief which involves creating a monopoly board based on a game, some essential research is needed first.

According to Hasbro (current producers of monopoly) the following is true: In 1934, Charles Darrow invented the game of monopoly and in an uphill struggle, after initial rejection and toiling by hand to make the game he finally managed to get Parker brothers to take on monopoly.
http://www.hasbro.com/monopoly/en_US/discover/history.cfm
However other sources(http://www.worldofmonopoly.com/history/) which give a much more detailed account (and refrain from using the sweeping term 'the rest is histoy') suggest that the Darrow's version of monoploy was based on an existing game called Landlord, created by Elizabeth Maggie in 1903. The interesting thing is that Landlord was not especially popular until its second patent was issued, the rules altered and renamed; action monopoly. The reasons for the changes are said to be inspired by the people who played the game and changed it as they saw fit, altering rules and changing the names of the properties to places local to them.

The leads me to my own monopoly production: The idea of local or personalised monopoly seems quite a novel and innovative idea but in actual fact, this is how monopoly cam about, instinctively and immediately people loved the game but wanted to make it more personal and play it in a slightly different way. The game itself inspires a creativity and independence which makes my project not unique but somewhat hackneyed. Although thoroughly enjoyable there is nothing new about what I am doing.
 The game should be changed to be more relevant and enjoyable to the player, it was borne of this thinking and it should continue this way. Companies will build you a monopoly set with you choice of its appearance. The rule book suggests different ways of playing the game, when playing M with new people its not uncommon to fall out over rules which each person holds in firm belief as either correct or an improvement to the rules. For instance Free parking: Originally intended as a square that meant nothing whatsoever, just a square without a fine or rent to pay, I personally have never played a game in which money from tax and other fines were not pooled into the centre or lipped under the free parking, for the lucky individual who lands on the square to claim.With regards to monopoly this statement is more relevant then ever: Rules are meant to be broken.

I love monopoly and this project has allowed me to rediscover my love of the game and gain a better understanding in what contributes to the making or a truly great game.  
                                                                                                                     JW

LEFT 4 DEAD

With the introduction of 4 strangers, thrown together by their shared immunity to ‘zombification’ and an overactive survival instinct zombie apocalypse just got bad ass. Cracking sculls and dispatching the undeaden hordes has never been such righteous fun!

Lets do this.

Valves L4D is set in the aftermath of an apocalyptic pandemic that has caused the dead to rise and exact revenge upon the living (for what? I am not certain). L4D is a first person shooter, released on Xbox and pc. In spite of the fact that that first person shooters flood the games market as well as the zombie genera being immensely popular, in my opinion L4D offers something new and innovative. You know no more than the survivors about what is exactly going on, the story of the outbreak can be pieced together through conversation and ‘the writing on the walls’ of the safe houses.

Built on the Source engine (Half-life) the gameplay is extremely flowing, fast paced and more often than not frantic. However the game manages to maintain a focus on the importance of tactics. Closing doors, crouching while aiming, throwing pipe bombs, turning off flash lights and oodles more factors mean the difference between survival and being stomped to death under decomposing feet.

With all those zombies, how do we keep things fresh?

Good question. The AI in left for dead ensures that although the layout of a level will not change, a level never feels or plays the same. Weapons and supplies need to be scavenged for as you progress through the levels. You find yourself instinctively drawn to certain environmental objects. Backs of trucks or crashed ambulances yield reward, an extra pistol on the bonnet of an abandoned patrol car. The glorious sight of the red and white medical cabinet gives some much needed medical relief.

Atmospheric music helps to add to the ‘movie’ feel of the game. Increasing the intensity of the waves of attack. Be it the Huge muscle bound zombie (tank) or the seemingly harmless witch, the music that plays when they are near becomes a chilling reminder of their presence and danger.

All this survival getting you down?

Scraping through a level on the bones of your arse can become a little tedious. That’s when left 4 dead really keeps on giving. In 8 player vs mode, one team attempts to survive the levels as they would in single player or co-op however the other team has the doubleplusgood roll of the special infected; surrendering themselves to chaos and mindless destruction of any and all living things. However mindless is maybe not the best word; undead teamwork is essential to taking out those pesky survivors. Bring order to chaos> Ponce, choke, puke on and crush the survivors into the ground.

 Standard special infected.

The Smoker is an ambush class that can strangle Survivors with its long tongue, similar to Half-Life's Barnacle. The help of another Survivor is required to escape from a Smoker's hold (though if quick enough it is possible, though difficult, to kill a Smoker who has already grabbed you, earning an achievement). As the name implies, Smokers emit smoke when killed to impair Survivors' vision. A Smoker also will frequently cough, letting the Survivors know when he is in the area. The Smoker can drag players that he has captured with his tongue towards himself, though he remains stationary and cannot move. The Smoker is also momentarily paralyzed for a few seconds after having his tongue removed from his captive by another Survivor. (Left4deadwiki.com [online] available from http://left4dead.wikia.com/wiki/Special_Infected#Special_Infected)

The Hunter is a Special Infected that is not as mutated on the outside. The Hunter is extremely fast and agile, capable of quickly scaling walls. Additionally, he can pounce and pin down Survivors, clawing at their abdomen until either the victim is dead or the Hunter has been knocked off or killed by another Survivor. They are not the most physically robust Infected, having relatively low health, and thus it doesn't take very much to kill them. When the Hunter crouches down in preparation to pounce, it growls, giving it away to any nearby Survivors. However, whilst standing, it makes no noise. The Hunter is the only Special Infected that can remain absolutely silent. (Left4deadwiki.com [online] available from http://left4dead.wikia.com/wiki/Special_Infected#Special_Infected)

The Boomer is a Special Infected that vomits a special bile at Survivors, which temporarily blinds them and draws Common Infected to them. At a distance the Boomer isn't much of a threat; his large size and low health make him an easy target against any weapon at mid or long range. However, if within range he can vomit on Survivors, attracting the Horde. When he dies, he explodes, covering any Survivors who are close enough with bile, blinding them and causing them to stumble backwards. The Boomer is notorious on the Expert difficulty for being able to snipe Survivors. Boomers can be anticipated because of the near-constant gurgling they make. (Left4deadwiki.com [online] available from http://left4dead.wikia.com/wiki/Special_Infected#Special_Infected)

5 Stars,

5* Review - What Site to review? > Casual Games sites?

I am Choosing to review a minimum of 5 sites on these basic criteria <human-computer interaction, user interface design, usability, information design, audience targeting and suitability> as well as adding my own. I am going to review a minimum of 5 casual gaming sites. 
Kongregate - Done>Needs a review from Sally.
Miniclip
Pogo
AOL Games
MSN  Games

The Elder Scrolls V: SKYRIM

Its 10 days to until the fifth installment of the Elder Scrolls is released. My enthusiasm for oblivion (Skyrims predecessor, IV Elder Scrolls) was demonstrated through the improbable number of hours I sank into the game. This is left a furtile interest in the genera. I mean to say I cannot wait for skyrim. It looks to be one of the best games to date. Casting a huge shadow over the RPG genera.

There have been some amazing trailers released, This has lead me to question the importance of marketing in relation to games and games releases. Is marketing as influential as reviews? or does one hold sway. Certainly both are of vast importance to the success of a game. However smaller companies lack the ability to create such huge advertising campaigns as the ones seen for major titles such as Modern warfare and Gears of war.

Essentially for me a game is foremost a success or a failure dependent on the gameplay. All other elements (Aesthetics, graphics, storytelling, harmony, novelty etc.) must be considered and are important to balence, but should be secondary to gameplay.

Awe inspiring and spine tingling! 

Cinematics and voice acting that wouldn't be amiss in a blockbuster film.

What makes good design?: Toonlet.com

Criteria of evaluation: (human-computer interaction, user interface design, usability, information design, audience targeting and suitability) 
The site essentially allows you to create a comic online - or a webcomic, the site also acts as a blogging tool. The  software used for creating a comic left me somewhat wanting more. You are limited to one character per panel, one speech bubble and a box that can be used for describing location or other such contextual information. I found that upon writing large amounts of text there were issues with how small the character became. You can choose from pre-constructed characters or create your own from scratch, using a selection of anatomical parts, provided by different artists. The process of creating your own character and was extremely rewarding and enjoyable, however this was somewhat negated by the fact that the software is limiting and somewhat restrictive. There were also a few issues with characters being lost or deleted without cause and trouble accessing the site. 

An Example comic stip

In terms of the interface, after a few minutes playing around with the 'create a comic' element, all was pretty clear. The fact that the comic is kept quite simple means it is easy to pick up and relatively quick to complete. Other then a few problems encountered with loosing characters the site itself was well laid out easy to navigate and entertaining.

My comic strip - as you can see the text has begun to over lap my characters

The sites target in my opinion is quite broad, anyone who wishes to show their creativity or whit might enjoy the site. It would seemingly not appeal to any one with a real interest in comics or artists sue to the limitations, drawing a comic would be quicker and has the added bonus of unlimited freedoms.  

5* review: Kongregate

(Criteria of evaluation: human-computer interaction, user interface design, usability, information design, audience targeting and suitability)


A website I frequently use, and which I feel has good design is http://www.kongregate.com/. The website is for casual games, hosting a huge selection. The site also incorporates an account system which includes achievements, friends lists and  a leveling feature. One negative is that the not all the games include achievements, which can be an issues for more competitive players. 


The website has a clear target audience of people who do game and are relatively serious gamers this is evident from the nature of a some of the games. 'Spin offs' from less casual console or PC games are popular. As well as games that are only real cater to people from a gaming background, due to certain aspects and language of the games. 


There is an easy to use rating system for games and within each game there are chat windows to converse within each game. This along with other factors such as the leader boards and push towards multilayer games give the site a clear community focus. The menus are easy to navigate, searching for a new game is simple sue to the clear categories and refianble search.


Finally, the site is naturally kept frequently updated, with a featured games widget fixed to the dashboard. Occasional emails informing of new games helps keep players coming back and stay informed.


All in all I would award Kongregate