Task 3

In this report i will be giving a brief outline of the games i played at the Euro Gamer Expo. I will be explaining the gameplay mechanics, give a brief description of the narrative, describe the locations in which the games are set and finally compare the two games.

Kill Zone Shadow Fall

Kill Zone is an upcoming first person action shooter game. This game is set 30 years after the events of the previous game (Kill zone 3). The main themes of this game are vengeance, anger, perseverance, heroism/valour, hope and competitiveness. This game is based more solely on vengeance because as you can see in the trailer, there is some sort of war going on. This suggests some kind of conflict is going on, or some sort of uprising. The game play is absolutely superb and is enthralling. The realisticity of the game is something else; another quality, which makes this game a ‘must have’, is the technology you see in the game trailer, and the locations and area in which you fight. The weapons you use are futuristic due to the fact that it's been thirty years (in the game) since the last game. 

The game is in 3D so the graphics are going to be out of this world. As you can see, the level of detail on the gear, which you wear, is pretty amazing. 

This game has many interactive elements such as the people in the game. You can talk to the people or help them with even though it's not part of the mission or narrative. You have full control over the player e.g. customisation. With customisation you can change the suit, what rank you are, the type of guns you use and the gear e.g. night vision goggles. You can enter certain vehicles/ machines such as the hover craft. 

Assassins Creed Black Flag

Like the previous game, this game is divided two intertwined halves with one in the present day, one in a historical time period and the events of each influencing each other. So this tells the audience that this game time skips as you progress through the game. About 60% of the game will take place on land; player can explore 50 locations ranging from fisherman villages, plantations, jungles, forts, islands, Mayan ruins and exotic Coconut Islands.  Furthermore, there are around 75 beaches and sandbanks, which can hold various treasures and marooned sailors to add to Edwards’s (the main protagonist) crew.

Other activities include hunting, harpooning and exploring underwater environments. The game aims to blend between its land and aquatic experiences seamlessly, to the point where players can simply dive off Edward’s ships, swim to the shore and explore the land, as well as dive under the surface to loot underwater ship wreck. The Ubisoft company also mentioned the ‘exploration is the key’ and would be the focus point in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. The game will also include naval combat, with 40% of the story-taking place on the water, which includes numerous side missions. After checking out a ship with Edward’s spyglass from the Jackdaw’s crow nest and evaluating the information and statistics, players can launch an attack using various scenarios; one can simply shoot the opposing captain, bored the ship by leaping from mast-to-mast and performing an air assassination, or charge into the fray to cut down foes using Edward’s swords. Once the captain of an opposing ship has been killed, players will have three choices- release the crew to gain crew members, send the ship to Kenway’s fleet or salvages the ship to repair Jackdaw. Players will also be able to exploit weather patterns, luring the opposition into less than ideal conditions such as dynamic storms, to their advantage. Naval combat also features a trajectory-based aiming system that requires knowledge of distance and the speed of an enemy.

Viewpoints will also make a come back in black Flag. As in the previous games, Viewpoints have to be synchronised so as to reveal information about an area and it's surroundings. Furthur, the will also serve as fast-travel locations.

In Comparison, these two game are very different in terms of the genre, and when a genre is set you have to follow certain conventions e.g with Action games you expect some sort of fighting and with racing games you expect there to be some type of vehicle or some hi-speed movement. The games aren't so different in terms of graphics because they are both on the PS4 console.