1. lens used: Fun

The very essence of the game involves hack and slashing hundreds of enemies at once, making it juicy and fun to play for those who like hack and slash game. At times it might be monotonous as you just need to slash those hordes of enemies again and again, but the improvement of the story telling and graphic element compared to the previous installment add variation and fuel my curiosity to keep me wanting to play it more and more.

Secondly, the number of playable characters are enormous, featuring more than 70 different characters to play, each with different specialised weapons, abilities and attack patterns. It takes time to master all those characters with their ability. This results in the huge – but not too long – amount of time spend on the game to fully utilise its features, which to me, adds the fun elements. It’s a long game with vast amount of abilities to master, each with fresh different characters, coupled with good story and juicy hack and slash element, blend together to make this a thrilling and fun experience.

2. lens used: Surprise

What i think that this game will be very similar to the previous installment series of dynasty warrior has been proven wrong. From the absence of minor things such as unintentional “bug”, whereby things like the enemy can be attacked behind a gate and the item from the enemy dropped in an unreachable place, which present in previous series, to big features such as being able to ride tiger and elephant, immediately surprised me. There are other things that i do not expect to present in such a “simple” hack and slash game, like the presence of weapon affinity whereby if used against enemy with different affinity who are weak to you, you will be able to launch a furious attack and vice versa, thus adding more strategy element to the game. From all these features and improvement, i can say, at least in my opinion, that they put in a lot of effort to improve the gameplay experience, something that i must show respect to.

3. lens used: Challenge

In terms of the game difficulty, the game adapts quite well at the beginning. There are 5 difficulty level making the game suitable for those who are new and also for those who are already experienced and enjoy challenge. The later stage is tougher than the beginning of the stage, even though it is on the same difficulty, as the player is expected to gain some skills and experience with the game, making the adaptive difficulty a good element in the game.

At later stage, or high end game, however, when the players have access to all the weapon upgrades and element enhancements and skills, the game might be too easy for those who seek challenges, even on the highest difficulty, although in my opinion it would feel just right for those “casual” players. In my opinion i feel that pushing the limit or boundary a little bit more for those who like challenges would be a good addition to the game.

4. lens used: Story

The game itself tells the story of the very famous historical event Romance of the Three Kingdom in chinese history. While i think most of the players that like this series more likely to put emphasis on the gameplay rather than the story, the story itself is presented in a way that undeniably adds interesting element and a good plot to the game. How the story is foretold in the game also affects the different gameplay mechanics such as the strategies and plans that are to be used in the certain battle, with the key figures, such as zhuge liang or cao cao, devising them.

The story inarguably affects the gameplay, as the game itself would cripple in the absence of the story, simply degrading them to a complete mindless hack and slash game. With the story, careful strategy and planning elements are added to game, which makes the game less monotonous and mindless. Some balancing of the game needs to be done though, with respect to the story. For example, one scenario requires the player to lure the enemies to the ambush point to be defeated, however, it is completely possible for the players to just go, create havoc, and kill all of the enemies by themselves without the need to lure them. A more realistic situation would be a welcome improvement in this area.

Also, the storyline is not so linear and straightforward. Those who are already very familiar with the story and chinese history can still immerse themselves in the world of curiosity with the addition of hypothetical history route. The players own choices and decisions could very well affect the course of the history itself, which in my opinion is a really nice elements to be added in the game.

5. lens used: Freedom

Last, but not least, what always excites and amuse me in the world of game is the freedom that the game offers to the players, and dynasty warrior 8 in my opinion has done a decent job to provide this element to the players. While there exists some restriction within the game, those restrictions are good-to-have restrictions that control the balance of the game and there are always some degree of freedom within that restriction. For instance, while some of the area in a battle cannot be explored before some plans is executed, the players can explore and move freely to other accessible area. The players can even choose to abandon the plans that are already devised, although it will result in a more difficult battle. Another example would be the elements that can be added to the weapon. they are limited to 6 elements, but the players are free to choose any combination of elements to customise their weapon according to their preference. I sometimes feel restricted in the past series of the game when the only thing that the players can do in the game is to choose a battle to play and play it, but this game delivers an improvement in that area, whereby the players can build their own city, upgrading the buildings to give enhancement, such as stronger weapons, mounts, and experience to level up.

All these elements combined together, i could say that dynasty warrior 8 is a pretty decent game to play for those who like hack and slash game and i totally respect the effort they put in producing this game despite some of its minor flaws.

Hay Day is a time-based, social mobile game which provides players with the experience of farming. By growing crops and rearing animals, players can trade these products for money and experience which is then used to level up and unlock more items.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED-xH_jXkYE

Lens #1:  46 The Lens of Economy

In Hay Day, gold is the universal currency for buying and selling items. Players can either purchase gold using real world money or trade items for it. Hay Day provides two main channels for acquiring gold in the game. The first is through NPCs, the other is by trading with other players through the Roadside Shop.

The constant demand of goods from the NPCs ensures that all players have a minimum amount of coins which will still allow them to purchase machinery to further their progress in the game, albeit at a slower rate. The Roadside Shop gives the players some freedom to sell their items at their desired price (though the price range is still capped). Through the Roadside Shop, players can earn coins at a much faster rate as well as get missing items to fulfil their NPC orders, thus enabling them to level up faster.

I think the existence of both two channels is a good idea. Players do not get left behind if they choose not to participate in the Roadside Shop. If they do however, they get the thrill of trading items with other players which adds another level of fun to the game.

Lens #2: 75 The Lens of the Avatar

Hay Day does not provide an avatar. The only personalization available is the farm name. In many cases however, the farm name is used for advertising instead of bringing out the player’s identity.

Although having an avatar is a nice touch to bring players closer to the game, I do not think that an avatar is absolutely necessary in Hay Day. The view focus of the game is almost always on the farm itself, and the avatar will hardly be seen. Thus it is better not to spend resources on designing a redundant avatar.

Lens #3: 53 The Lens of Control

Hay Day’s controls are intuitive. For example, the zooming in and out of the screen follows the conventional pinch-to-zoom. The other controls are swiping and tapping. These controls are familiar to the players which enable them to pick it up fast. Even if they are not, there is a tutorial at the start of the game to familiarise them with the controls. Simple controls allow players to focus more on playing the game than mastering the controls which is essential for a better gaming experience.

Lens #4: 84 The Lens of Friendship

Friends in Hay Day help players progress in the game by reviving crops or completing deliveries. These friends usually come from the player’s social network like Facebook or Google+. Players can ask for help by announcing it which appears as a post in Facebook or Google+.

I would say there is not much interaction between players since there are no chat rooms and the only form of interaction is by helping each other or trading with each other. However, I think there is no need for chat rooms since players do not need to advertise their goods through word of mouth. Their Roadside Shop does that for them. That being said, Hay Day maintains these interactions by ensuring that it is a win-win situation for both parties, for example, the helper receives game experience and the player being helped gets to complete deliveries.

Lens #5: 66 The Lens of Obstacle

The obstacles in Hay Day are the deliveries requirements. As their level increases, the deliveries get more and more difficult to complete. Thus players often have to depend on their friends for help. It could be a problem if none of their friends are able to help. Another method is to purchase diamonds using real life money to complete delivery orders. However, this is a turn off from the game if players are not willing to buy diamonds yet are unable to progress in the game. Since the deliveries are the only obstacle, it gets boring after a while. Hay Day could introduce other challenges to keep players entertained.

Game Name:

The Elder Scroll V: Skyrim

Description:

This is an RPG game. The background is built upon a virtual Middle Ages world,

of which lives different races of human, orcs, elves, etc.

The Elder Scroll has several series.

In this one, Skyrim, it tells the story of the returning of an evil dragon,

and the player’s character’s main quest is to slay this dragon and keep the world safe.

Related Lens:

Lens #32: The lens of meaningful choices

A player have many choices during main/side quests, some may totally affect the

character’s future, some may affect the final reward or story progress direction.

E.g.

1. To join Rebellion or Imperial Legion?
2. To help an NPC with his problem or just kill him for his equipment?
3. To complete a mission in a brutal force or clever way?

Lens #49: The lens of visible progress

Many things that a player does, will reward player experience/ item/ reputation/ etc.

After the character progressed, he can learn new skills, find new quests,

get better looks or simply become stronger.

E.g.

1.Use one kind of weapon/skill frequently => gain proficiency as well as experience =>

more available ability of this kind of weapon/skill unlocked

2.Level up => more spark points => add spark points to unlocked abilities to

make them enabled.

3.Complete quests => better relationship with some NPC, get reward, etc.

Lens #63: The lens of beauty
The game have excellent background music, graphical effect and modelings.

The sky, rivers, animals, trees, wooden houses…

Everything details of the game, will seduce players and make them

feeling immersed into the fantastic beauty of this world.

Besides, it even allows players to import MODs to enhance those effects.

Lens #71: The lens of freedom

There is no need to complete any quests. Hunting, pharmacy, black smithing, marriage,

thief, business man…

Whatever a player does, is always decided by player himself.

If he want, he can even just ride on his horse, enjoying the beautiful view sight

from sunrise towards sunset.

Lens #74: The lens of the world

There are many races living in a same world: Human, elf, orc, etc.

There are many interesting non-important details which make Skyrim’s world closer to reality, such as kids playing around,

chicken and vegetable in yard, cups on tables, sunset before night, funny conversations

between NPCs, etc.

You may find vampires in caves, wolf-rean in woods, fish-monster in rivers, and dragons flying over your head. They are not real, but simply create

a new world that one expect to be part of.

Game Link: http://www.elderscrolls.com/

Jacob Sartorius can prove to be past due. He got backed up from your studio, by which he deals two writers upon independent zones churning apart songs upon tunes upon tunes. the particular in partnership with either a auditions (he not long ago signed right to UTA, among the correct skill groups upon Hollywood), then a coming universe tour only to the fact that hes likely to come down his refreshing bubble-gum sole, All My friends.

When i actually get back to my hotel difference every evening, i actually account for how content material i’ve been as being doing what Ive originally imagined, statements Sartorius. Chewing gum only to tending right to his gravity-defying teen-idol coiffure, hes very much upon ease and comfort falling the particular premature october day time in a Los Angeles photo studio. Either a 13-year-old will be a pop star from your making: His debut ode right to PG courtship, Sweatshirt, hit zero. 90 on a Billboard warm 100, only to All My Friends finished up debuting upon zero. 25 on a Pop electronic tunes chart. Only to he owes all the information right to an item a majority adults have even now rarely made available of: Musical. Ly, then a video-based social push system just that tens of millions of kids all around the globe do business with, originally right to transmit 15-second clips of themselves lip-syncing right to hit tunes. Sartorius has developments upon getting an all around the globe superstar, statements Jbeau Lewis, either a tunes agent upon UTA exactly who is compatible him, with his main Musical. Ly supporters serving the source.

Musical. Ly can prove to be a majority things: then a hit cellular app just that topped either a iOS App outlet for free chart upon July 2015 only to hasnt fell of the correct 40 as; then a scorching-hot startup via a $500 mil valuation (as approximated by just TechCrunch in-may) only to more than 133 mil Musers all around the globe; as well as a promotional system embraced out of the tunes potential audience for its ability to translate song clips into channels only to product sales. Only to and at fifty percent of all west young people (based on the companys quotation) out of the app, Musical. Ly has become a bona fide social class, easy inspiring pearl-clutching among online free musically followers hack tool olds, from parents fretting more than sexualized years as a child only to over the internet predators right to traditionalists wondering either a artistic validity of lip-syncing. Information technology might not be Elvis thrusting his hips or detected Enemy speaking truth right to professional but then once again, was going to anyone whos not really a teen admit information technology if ever Musical. Ly execute stand for a fresh frontier upon pop?

Ask for any kind of youthquake, more than one savvy adults collection apart the first tremors. It was herbal class word-of-mouth, can prove to be how Alex Hofmann, Musical. Lys 35-year-old human brain of north america, teaches you either a apps leap from ten mil surface finish users a year ago right to by now, when 13 mil are all added 4 weeks. Teens upon other platforms was going to take note somebody explain then a Musical. Ly video, ask for information technology, download either a app only to ask his / her friends right to try information technology.

Hofmann, exactly who grew up upon Germany only to slice his oral upon Teutonic system giant SAP, can prove to be soft-spoken and at communicate accent only to deals plenty of authentic enthusiasm around the Musers (as Musical. Lys users are all turned on), exactly who he statements are all ask for our kids. a few days following Sartorius was snapping his gum from your photo studio, Hofmann sits from your companys as-yet-unfurnished refreshing Santa Monica digs. Either a Shanghai-based startup, and this employs 100 users all around the globe, simply shifted its west outpost from then a WeWork difference upon san francisco bay area right to right here either a hangar-like main difference will be painted Musical. Ly reddish colored ahead of the day time is out. Within the last two weeks he is being right to China, either a Philippines (among its fastest-growing deals) only to back in among. Musical. Ly debuted upon August 2014, shortly after co-founder/co-CEO Alex Zhu, 37, who were likely to run out of financial resources meant for his educational video agents, observed young people on a Silicon Valley commuter coach bobbing his / her heads right to tunes in their earbuds as agreeing to selfies only to movies. Zhu by now oversees molecules from Shanghai and at Luyu Yang, 35, the other co-founder/co-CEO. (Yang, ask for Zhu, was born upon China. )

When he was brought onboard upon 2015 only to tasked and at distributing either a apps audience, Hofmann collection in what he phone calls community activities, talking to 50 right to 100 Musers a day. It was essential to get to know them correct, he statements, to emphasis on what excites them, only to then: Lets simply execute some more of this.

Hofmann posted functions just like a leaderboard, improved friend-finding, video Q&As, duets and at other Musers only to privilege-granting Best enthusiast Forever badges. Along with the apps ease and comfort a priority Musers are likely to sluggish crop up meant for correct mouth-to-music relative, only to you will get comes back galore kids might use right to seamlessly polish his / her has shown Musical. Ly have taken apart hence very soon only to properly that many parents were in practice by just amaze, only to at times in practice aback, by just his / her childrens refreshing obsession. (according to replies, the business enterprise, and this is all about class but still getting methods to make money, deals nevertheless right to earn considerably salary or alter then a salary. )

In a way, Musical. Ly sums either a pop-culture playing field: Justin Bieber made available fame upon YouTube by just singing only to strumming guitar along right to pop tunes. A success Musers ask for charisma, but they dont ask for musical chops (or old fashioned video-editing skills, for the whole thing). Before Musical. Ly, i actually wasnt one of the most outgoing, statements Sartorius, exactly who started doing upon musicals upon 7 only to was bullied because of this. The app helped me goof apart. Its ask for no-one can prove to be viewing aside from the camera.

Game: Dragon Nest (DN) SEA

(http://dn.cherrycredits.com/)

The Lens of Economy

Three main types of currencies are available in DN.

• Gold, Silver, Copper – these can be obtained from monster drops, and from selling drops to merchants or to other players.
• Cherry Credits (CC) – these are purchased using real-life currencies, and are used to buy bonus stat-ed equipment, extra storage, fashion equipment and other luxuries available in the cash shop.
• DN Points (DNP) – these can be obtained by direct purchasing using CC, or by selecting the option to sell items to other players for DNP. These can be used in the cash shop to purchase most of the cash items, and is commonly used as a mean for players less inclined to purchase CC to obtain cash items.

The Trading House (TH) is available for players to sell their items for gold or DNP to other players. A fee is required for players to put their items in the TH, which can stay up to a period of 12 or 24 hours. The item can be retrieved by the player if unsold after the designated time limit. Most utility cash item (eg. Upgrade protection) are sold in the TH by players, providing non-cash players to buy such items using Gold, which more or less balances the advantage of the cash players.

Other types of upgrading – suffixing, for one – requires materials that cannot be purchased by any means and must either be hunted from monster drops or through running of daily quests, reducing inclination of the game towards purely cash-based items and purchases.

The Lens of Skill

Rather than the usual click-and-select-1-2-3 PC MMORPGs, DN has a more dynamic combat system that allows players to immerse themselves in the game. Dodging, jumping, and subsequent aiming, timing and positioning of skills as required are all done manually by the player with their own perception, keys and the cross hairs.

As such, real-time decision making, good reaction time, strategizing, planning and also team cooperation are all required by the players, especially in the more difficult Raids and Nests, where the boss and mob mechanisms in each stage are far more complex and any wrong move could potentially wipe out the entire party.

Players can choose to play at different levels of difficulty to suit their own skill level and enjoy the game. However, the difficulty of the instance and the speed and skill at which it is completed do affect the ranking (ranked SSS the highest and F the lowest) – and hence the rewards – that the players receive for completing the instance. Monster drops are also affected by the instance difficulty.

• Normal instances have difficulty levels Easy, Normal, Hard, Master, Abyss
• Nests start from Abyss difficulty and follow up with Hell mode
• Raid Nests have two modes – Normal and Hardcore

The Lens of Heads and Hands

Challenges are posed to the players in different forms within the game. The most common challenge for players is to overcome and adapt to the different battle mechanisms of the different bosses across the instances and nests, which can prove to be quite intellectually challenging, especially in Raid Nests, where there are special attacks that require players to react to in specific ways, or require players to device alternative methods according to their team composition. Strategic planning and coordination with teammates is certainly required in this case, and a certain level of dexterity is also needed to execute such plans.

On a scale of 1 (Physically challenging) to 10 (Mentally challenging), I would personally rate it as a 2 for normal instances whilst at least a 6 or 7 for Raid Nests.

Occasionally, mini puzzle-games are also included in certain dungeons to add a bit of quirk into the usual hack and slash. Also, other than the classic battle instances, players can also relax their minds in the Amusement Park, a special instance where players can enjoy games such as Spartan Goblins (just kill 300 of them) and Horse Racing with their friends.

The Lens of Character Function

While some of the classes in the game do have specific roles that only they can fulfill, most classes do hold two or more roles in the party compositions.

• Eg. Clerics: Guardians and their more DPS-prone counterpart, Crusaders are the only classes that can tank, with greater vitality and defense boosts and corresponding skills. Saint and their DPS counterpart are the only heal classes. All of them too hold a role as a utility class.

This multi-role-assignment of abilities in the classes aid them in finding a role in parties or raids. However, there are still occasions where certain classes are replaced by others, especially in the roles of DPS.

• Eg. Elemental Sorceress classes are preferred to Swordsman classes due to higher DPS, while both having low utility value.

Each of the classes (and their corresponding sub classes) have their own characteristics, play styles and skill sets, making them each a unique and enjoyable experience. In addition to the 5 existing classes (Clerics, Warriors, Sorceress, Archers, Academics), two new classes – Sword Dancer and Assassin – are pending addition to the game.

Characters such as the Academic, a girl who time-travelled from the future, also adds a new perspective to the happenings and plot of the story.

The Lens of Competition versus Cooperation

The joys of winning a faceoff against a fellow player, and those of a shared success with your teammates are all equally enjoyed by players. Hence, a mix of competition and cooperation can be found in DN in both PvE and PvP situations.

Other than the normal teaming up against Bosses and mobs, players can also team up and compete with other teams in the once-per-raid-nest Time Challenge Events, where the team with the shortest time to complete the Raid wins real-life rewards.

Of course, players can also choose to pit their skills directly against other players in both solo and group PvP. Ladder rankings and Tournaments serve to allow players to see where they stand amongst the masses, while different PvP Modes (Ghoul mode, Kill or Fall mode) add interesting variation to these matches. Victors are rewarded with ladder rating points, allowing them access to unique-grade weapons in the shop.

Guild Wars are also held (rather sporadically) to spice up competition between the guilds.

Name: K Durai Kumar
Matric no: A0067351H

The Game: Pro Evolution Soccer 6

Game Website : http://www.pesgaming.com/

YouTube Link of the game play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em_MhKcN-EY

Experience

–          The Game is able to accurately capture the essence of what a player or a manager gets from playing a real-life soccer. Eg.Team play, winning, Buying and selling players.

–          Most players who patronize this game want to have a realistic experience of how it feels like to play soccer at club level or internationally. The game is able to satisfy that to great effect

Fun

–          The game is incredibly fun to play due to a few factors.

–          Not ever body is blessed with the ability to play soccer and this game breaks that barrier. It allows them to play the game and express themselves.

–          Soccer being an universally popular sport the rules are pretty easy to get and players easily understand the game.

–          Club football is extremely popular and the game allows players to pick their favourite teams and players and play with them.

–          The game also allows competition between game players that can get rather addictive.

Endogenous value

–          The game recreates the footballing world infront of the players eyes.

–          One is able to manage, play, buy and sell, compete for league and cup competitions.

–          Able to play and train their favorite teams and players

Challenge

–          The game allows you to challenge yourself on various levels. Club level, International level and also on a Continental level. This allows the players to challenge themselves and associate themselves to the respective competitions.

–          There are also various levels for each competitions.

–          Players can also compete against each other and also from players around the world

Competition

–          The game gives a relatively fair measurement of the player’s skills, ability and knowledge. For Example there are areas where tactics have to be utilized such as in team formation and the type of players to be chosen. Players have to take note of their teams fatigue levels. So a player with a better knowledge and skill level is able to compete not only on the game-play but also tactically.

–           That does not mean that a player with a less knowledge on the game will lose out too much. As most of the concepts in football are rudimentary to any sports, one is able to learn it on the go.

–          Winning is a fundamental aspect of this game as a player will take great pleasure in scoring and creating goals. The game simulates certain elements like goal celebration, goal replays, top goalscorer, goal assists, best player and trophy winning sequences etc. These elements encourage a player subconsciously to score more and win.

R Ananthan
U090084X

Official Game website: http://www.footballmanager.com/?t=EnglishUSA

Game Play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgtuP3jz8pM

                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pawj0kU3fWs

The game that I love playing is called football manager 2012. The game involves managing a football club or a nation and playing their teams in the various relevant competitions. The player takes up a role solely to manage football teams.

Essential Experience:

The game was designed to give its players a sense of what football management is like in real life and I personally believe that it is able to accurately achieve that to a large extent.

The game incorporates real life aspects of football management to its finest details. E.g. scouting, press conference, team talk and also player interaction.

Further-more the game uses real time players and also their annual statistics in its game play. This makes the game extremely realistic.

The game also plays out the simulated matches in 3D and recreates the scenario of how a manager feels like from the touch line.

Surprise

They are various elements of surprise incorporated into the game which makes it not only realistic but also fun to play.

These include player injuries, Fatigue, form, Team’s financial position, Players mental ability, Players willingness to be bought etc.

All these elements are accurately placed and not forced into the game. This makes the game extremely addictive to play for someone who enjoys team management.

Skill vs. Chance

The game strives to strike a balance between skill and chance. Although the game is mainly about management it is designed in a way such that the best team is not always guaranteed a victory.

The Correct tactical formation and also the right choice of players can only ensure victory 80 percent of the time.

This helps in two ways.  Firstly it ensures that teams/players which are not that good also manage to survive against stronger teams. Secondly it ensures that players with better teams don’t get easily bored.

Triangularity

The game allows the players to exercise triangularity against other teams.

E.g. the player can choose to be attack minded and play a lot of attacking players to score goals and win or he can choose to be defensive and go for the draw. When chasing a goal during a match a player is able to exercise these similar options. This gives players the element of control and the satisfaction of success when the choice they made works in their favor.

Competition

Although there is certain amount of randomness in the game, winning mainly involves a player’s skill and also his tactical knowledge on football. This allows players who have a deeper knowledge on the subject matter thrive better in the game.

However that does not mean new players to the world of football will not be able to enjoy the game. They can still play to survive and not win the league and cup competitions. This ensures that both players with a deep knowledge and also players with basic knowledge have different motivations to play for.

There are various avenues through which the game encourages winning. Primarily a manager’s ability on management is judged based on the number of trophies he or she wins. The player has to win matches for him to improve his reputation in the game. Then only is he able to manage teams of his choice in the game.

Furthermore most players who play this game will have a favorite club that they support in real life. As such they usually tend to manage that team and they take pride in leading their favorite team to victory.

Sorry for the late post! Completely slipped my mind!

Official Website : http://www.zelda.com/tp/

Intro

Zelda as a franchise has always been a fan favourite since the first time it was ever released and it appealed to me just as much as the general populous. As such, one of the first games I decided to purchase alongside my Wii was Zelda : Twilight Princess. The game was quite a marvel overall and its high score of 9.5 on Ign.com only serves to bolster its reputation. Going into depth, I will look at the game through five out of the hundred lenses, namely

–          The lens of Fun

–          The Lens of Puzzles

–          The Lens of Story

–          The Lens of the World

–          The Lens of Freedom

The Lens of Fun

-The game has many different activities and features that are not only fun but also              provide enjoyment each time the game is played

-Notable fun activities include horse-riding (especially running over enemies and even being pursued by a bird while riding), fishing, tossing the boomerang and even general combat itself

-Even though one has to fight enemies constantly, the diversity of the enemies faced and the combat system allow for fun to be had throughout the game

– Also particularly enjoyable is being a wolf which not too many games allow the experience of.

The Lens of Puzzles

-Puzzles are found in healthy numbers in all the dungeons of the game

-They are easier at the beginning and slowly creep up the difficulty ladder

-Some puzzles are not part of a dungeon but rather simply require common sense and general knowledge (Such as when you are a wolf and need to get through a wall. Would need to think of digging or when you are faced with an arrow barrage and have to figure out that you need to dart through the field to avoid being hit)

The Lens of Story

-Twilight princess has a deep and satisfying story which is definitely needed for the game’s success.

-The story involves the transformation of Link into a wolf and also cleansing a shadow world which is really more than your everyday storyline.

-The story also has its fair share of surprises and twists (both pleasant and negative) which will keep the players intrigued throughout

The Lens of the World

-The playing environment in Twilight Princess is HUGE. There are plenty of interesting places for the player to discover and explore. Areas also stay unlocked so the world only keeps expanding as the game progresses.

– The environment is crafted to roughly resemble a real world environment so as to instill familiarity but also carries with it features (mostly monsters and other assorted evil things) not found in the real world to give that element of fantasy.

-The shadow world is mostly what sets this game apart from other Zelda games. It is frightening at times, carries even more hideous creatures and gives the player a level of challenge much higher than that found in the normal world.

-I believe the game world does honestly give players a desire to go out and explore more as players can get so much enjoyment from just wandering around smashing enemies into the ground and also looking for a variety of collectibles hidden throughout the large expanse.

The Lens of Freedom

-Players are largely free to do as they please in Twilight Princess

-The game does not force the players to advance the storyline and they can do it completely at their own pace

-The only time when players are constricted is when they are in the shadow world but even then if they willingly enter the shadow world; they are also allowed to freely exit it anytime.

-The game however almost reaches the point where it actually overwhelms the players with too much freedom, basically giving them so many choices of what to do next that they sometimes cannot decide what to do. Thankfully however, Link’s shadowy friend Midna can be called on any time after she joins Link to remind the players what the next thing to do is. Still, the level of freedom can be overwhelming to some.

Gameplay video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcnWWNM4d4k

Review: http://asia.gamespot.com/need-for-speed-most-wanted/reviews/need-for-speed-most-wanted-review-6140377/

Game analysis:

• Lens 1: Flow (number 18)

The game has a clear goal: To be the “Most wanted” in a leader chart of 15 people in the underground racing world. In other words, the game’s aim is to be the best racer possible.
As it name, “Need for speed”, suggests, when creating it, what developers had in mind was how to make a good car racing game which would satisfy the player’s need for adrenaline and speed. So like any car race, the competitive theme is crucial. By introducing the leader chart, not only is the game competitive in every race, it also makes players compete throughout the whole game.
There are some parts of the game which can distract the player. However, the development team has tied these very carefully to the main goal. For instance, there is Free Roam Mode where the players gets to go where ever he or she wishes and do what ever they want. This however will usually, if not always, lead to the player getting chased by the police because of reckless driving. Of course the whole game can be played like this, without the need of the player getting up the chart. To prevent this from happening, the game has a system that limits the player experience if they do not follow the game flow. That is, if a player is low on the chart, e.g. 15-13, there would only be normal police cars. When they go up, more and more advanced vehicles start to chase them: SUVs, faster police cars, even helicopters. Thus, by progressing on the flow meant by the developer, the player can explore more of “off-flow” features
By processing along the game, the difficulty rises, making increasing challenges for the player. Every opponent is more difficult than the earlier, every race there are more police cars interfering with actual racing…
The game starts out at the most basic driving and steering skills and helps the player learn gradually through the game. After a certain time at which the player is supposed to have learned the basic skill set, more features are introduced (better N2O, new tires…). To keep the learning curve going up, at a later stage new cars are introduced. They would usually have low steering stats, i.e. hard to control, but higher speed stats.

• Lens 2: Time (number 39)

The length of a gameplay depends on what the player is doing. If he or she is doing a race, the time to play is determined by the length of the track and the skill and willingness to win of the player (he or she can win right-away or get to 2nd place and be happy with it). If he or she is in free roam, the chase would be as long as the police stops, that is either when the player gets caught or he or she hides in a garage.
There is no need for a time limit since the activities are relevantly fast. For racing, the track is very limited. For chases, the difficulty of the chase will incline very fast and lead the player either to getting caught or giving up (hiding in garage)

• Lens 3: Progress (number 49)

As the goal is to be number 1 on the ladder, progress is clearly seen each time a player defeats an opponent in the ladder and goes up. Before being allowed to race those “bosses” they have to race a few races with some of their minions to prove that they are “worthy”.
Although by dividing the game in 15 “steps” is quite adequate, there can be more progress shown when doing the last bosses (maybe from 5 to 1) since progressing through those is really slow. This can prevent the player from getting bored at late game.

• Lens 4: Economy (number 46)

The player earns money by winning races and by successfully ending police chases.
The players can use this money to buy parts for their cars, decorations and of course, new and better cars.
At end game, money becomes quite hard to earn as the races are less, more challenging and are worth less (since at that point, most upgrades would be quite expensive). This can be fixed by Increasing the amount of money for each race as difficulty goes up.
The earning and spending of money is meaningful, since by each upgrade the player either gets better racing experience (with better engine there is better performance, more speed…) or better car looks (many of the spendings can go to the esthetic look of the car)
The single currency of money is a good idea since it represents the real life.

• Lens 5: Beauty (number 63)

The most important element of any racing car is of course the car. The developers of “Need for Speed” have taken this into account very seriously. They have bought many of the car’s copyrights and put them into the game. Without needing to worry too much about the design, they have created a huge amount of cars that would satisfy every person. There are cars from Mustangs to BMWs and of course Ferrari, Lamborghini…
However, not only the car is beautiful, the upgrades in the shop can help a player make their own creation. Different body paint, vinyl’s, hoods , etc., so many things the player can do to make their ride increasingly beautiful in their eyes.
In the context of the game, the underground racing world, beauty has a very big role. It’s not always about how fast the car is, it is sometimes about how good your ride looks so that you can boost about it with your friends.

Saints Row 3 (http://saintsrow.com/) is a “GTA-like” game, where the player can explore/conquer the city as a gangster. (The game takes a light-hearted attitude to this theme).
ESRB Rating, M17+, Content Descriptors: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language

Lenses:

1. Lens of Endogenous Value
   1. As health will regenerate automatically over time, health is never important to the player for very long; if they have been injured, they will recover the health for free (so long as they are no longer in danger).
   2. Ammunition for weapons serves as quite valuable, as the player has only a limited supply of these. Enemies will drop some ammunition if they are killed. However, enemies do not always have the most powerful weapons, so the player will reserve ammunition for the more powerful weapons.
   3. The player earns ‘money’ in the game, from completing missions, or from regions they have conquered in the city. This money allows the player to buy ammunition, more territory, or to upgrade their character. (e.g. more powerful weapons).
      The player is motivated to use the money to improve their character’s ability so they can do things more easily.
   4. Vehicles are not valuable to the player, as the player can acquire a vehicle easily by stealing it; and once they ‘own’ it, they can then retrieve the vehicle for driving, even if the vehicle has been destroyed previously.
2. Lens of Resonance
   1. Saints Row the Third allows the player to feel as if they are a powerful, violent gangster. When playing the game, you feel as if you can ‘own’ the city, or conquer those who oppose you.
   2. Part of this feeling of power involves expanding one’s influence and dominance, through completing missions, destroying hostile gang hideouts, or by buying property in the city.
   3. The city is very “open-world”, and allows the player to navigate the city however they choose; there are a variety of vehicles: the player can race about in a supercar, or ride on a motorbike, or even go on a reign of destruction in an army tank.
3. Lens of Character
   1. The game takes a very light-hearted attitude to its violence, and the player is free to entertain a reign of chaos if they want to.
   2. However, the game is not very different in character from its predecessor, Saints Row 2.
   3. The game includes media both from the real world, as well as media ‘made up’ for the game. This media can be played on the radio in the game, and is referred to in the story.
4. Lens of Visible Progress
   1. The game map visually highlights which areas of the city have been conquered. So, the player can see how much they have progressed from the proportion of the map which is highlighted.
   2. The more a player progresses in Saints Row the Third, the more powerful their player can become. They will have access to more powerful weapons.
      At the highest level of progress, the player can ‘unlock’ unlimited ammunition for their weapons, as well as becoming invulnerable to bullets and other such damage.
   3. At a smaller scale, the player can also ‘complete’ various mini-games which are scattered across the map, as well as completing available missions so as to progress in short, atomic steps.
5. Lens of Freedom
   1. In the opening scenes of Saints Row the Third, the player must follow the storyline, before they are allowed to roam free and conquer the city. However, there are still restrictions: there are certain mini-games which can only be played after completing some of the main story missions.
      There is still a high degree of freedom allowed very early on for the player; although, the game does change as the game progresses (e.g. a certain district of the city gets invaded by zombies).
   2. The player is constrained by different sets of rules when they play the mini-games. These rules may grant the player unlimited ammunition for certain weapons for the duration of the mini-game, or may give the player a tank to cause mayhem with, or may give the game an entirely different focus by having the player race to various checkpoints.
   3. When the minigames were too restrictive, this did affect the player experience. However, the game had a huge allowance for freedom, which was never so much so as to be overwhelming.
      The game is almost a toy when the player is allowed to roam the city. (And the game does not necessarily “end” when the player has finished through the story).