Game Review : Deus Ex Human Revolution

I played the first Deus Ex many years ago when it first game out but have never actually got round to finishing it, despite this however I looked forward to it's prequel 'Human Revolution' since it's announcement. There is something about the artistic style, gameplay and theme of the game that got me really interested and excited about it. The guy just looks bad ass.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a science fiction based action role-playing game. Developed by Eidos Montreal, published by Square Enix and released in August 2011. It is the third game in the Deus Ex series, and a prequel to the original game released in 2000.

The game is set in 2027, 25 years before the first game and follows Adam Jensen, the director of in-house security for a biotechnology firm specialising in human cybernetic enhancement, Sarif Industries. After an industrial terrorist sabotage at Sarif's head quaters Jensen is mortally wounded and forced to undergo radical life-saving surgeries that replace large areas of his body with advanced prostheses. Upon returning to work, he becomes involved in the global politics of the human enhancement movement in the search for those responsible for the attack. The story from then on really drew me in and kept my attention, there are many different twists in the story that keep it interesting and fun. I don't normally get into games over their story but Deus Ex : Human Revolution was great.

Another thing that really made Human Revolution stand out for me was the different "pillars of gameplay", as called by the developers. You can choose how you want to play the game with choices like combat, stealth, hacking and social methods. You can switch between these gameplay types whenever you please with and types  flowing well into each other creating dynamic and fun gameplay.

In the series, Augmentations are technological modifications to the body that allow the user to use superhuman abilities. While augmentations in the first two games were nanotech, Human Revolution is set prior to both and instead features mechanical augmentations. These Augmentations cater to each of the four gameplay types and enhance the your performance in each of the gameplay types, allowing  you to craft your own method of play that you prefer. For example, you can choose to priority augmentations that either improve your character's combat prowess or his hacking abilities.

Unlike in Invisible War, weapons will fire distinct ammunition types instead of depleting a unified pool. They can also be upgraded like in Deus Ex via a variety of so-called "weapon mods" to improve their performance, such as reducing the time it takes to reload, increasing magazine size, adding a laser targeting device for increased accuracy etc.
Another change in Human Revolution is the use of regenerating health. I don't normally like the use of regenerating health in modern games but the change was made because the developers did not want players to get into a situation where they were unable to progress due to low health, and would be forced to "scrounge for med packs" and food. This scrounging behaviour would break the flow of the game when you had to search an entire level for medical supplies.

Perhaps though the biggest draw of the game for me was the overall feel and style of it. The game has a very strong visual style, one that appeals greatly to me.With good gameplay, an interesting story, awesome augmentations and a cool visual style the game was a definite hit for me and I enjoyed every minute.

The guy is awesomesauce and yes I own this.

Making a time table

I sometimes struggle during the week with getting work done and putting the hours in. A break can turn into a few hours of not getting any work done. To help me stick to a better routine I made myself a time table to stick to.

The classes of 3D, 2D, life drawing and critical studies are already in and the rest of the time I want to be working is simply labelled 'work'. I have done it this way rather than specifically labelling what I want to do every hour is because I know I'm less likely to stick to it. I might not feel like doing 3D or I might have already finished it, so if I just label it as an hour of work, it can be anything I need to do. I often work till very late every night anyway but don't feel like I use the time properly because it is often very stop - start. I'm hoping sticking to a time table will help me use my time more effectively and get more work done.

Elements of game design, part one: from Pong to next-gen…

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about 'game design' is ideas. Followed by story, characters, environments, settings, time and how the game plays. I think theres a lot involved in designing and then creating a game.

Its the job of game designers to think up games and the world they are set in and how you as the player experience it. When an idea for a game is created game designers have to think of everything about anything involved. They envision the main characters, side characters, quests, story, drive, impact, sound, style, flow and everything in between.

Games will fall into different genres which affect how the game is designed and what is most important, genres are often mixed with varying degrees of success. The game designer will usually produce an initial design document containing the concept, game play, feature list, setting and story, target audience, requirements and schedule, staff and budget estimates. Many design decisions have to be made during the development process and it is the responsibility of the designer to decide what will be implemented, based on things such as creative vision, budget or hardware limitations.

Game play is another important part of games, it is the specific way in which players interact with the game. It is the pattern defined through the game rules, the players connection to the game, challenges and how you overcome them, plot and how you connect with it. It often falls to the game designers to determine how the game is played and making sure there is consistency throughout.

Games at their basic level haven't changed much over the years, even from the time of board games. There is always a goal, always rules and always things trying to prevent you completing your goal, making it a challenge. Technology has improved making us capable of creating more and more interactive and enjoyable experiences but the fundamentals are still the same.

Using the two video games Pac-Man and F.E.A.R for example and thinking about how different, or not so, they actually are. Pac-Man is a simple top-down game based on running around a maze trying to collect all the dots on screen for points while you are chased by 'ghosts' which you have to avoid to survive. You occasionally get the power to 'eat' the ghosts while they run away from you. Music is used cleverly during game play with changes in pace and pitch to exaggerate moments of fear or excitement. The overall goal of Pac-Man is to survive as long as you can to achieve the highest score possible.



Now F.E.A.R which is a psychological horror first-person shooter. The game's story revolves around a supernatural phenomenon, which  the F.E.A.R special forces team is called to contain. The player assumes the role of F.E.A.R.'s Point Man, who possesses superhuman reflexes, and must uncover the secrets of a paranormal menace in the form of a little girl. Throughout the game you are attacked by large numbers of enemies or haunted by the ghost girl and supernatural goings on. Like Pac-Man music is used to exaggerate times of excitement or fear which adds to the games immersion and enjoyability.

Most games have the same underlining fundamentals of game design, tried, tested and improved ways of making video games enjoyable, entertaining and believable. It is the job of game designers to take all these preexisting methods and make something new and unique that people will want to play and have fun doing so.

Darksiders review

When I first heard about the Darksiders game a few years ago I was instantly drawn to it as it was based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, something that hadn't been done before. The type and style of the game also appealed to me despite it being nothing new. Not long after hearing about the game I started looking into it and found my favourite artist, Joe Mad! was the creative director behind it. This just gave me even more enthusiasm towards the game ages before its release.

So the game itself...

You play as War, the red rider of the Four Horsemen, an enforcer of the Charred Council. The Four Horsemen's most important duty is to heed the call of the Endwar and punish anyone on Earth. When you're prematurely summoned to Earth,a chain of events begin that ends with the unfortunate extinction of humankind and the victory of the armies of The Destroyer. You are charged with the crime of upsetting the balance and are sent back to Earth to find answers, or die trying.

Despite the game having good reviews all round it is too often accused of stealing ideas from God of War and Zelda. (Pffffft Zelda my arse...I've never played one, never will, moving on now) I can see why Darksiders and so many other hack and slash games are compared to God of War, it is a good game, but I think its unfair to say Darksiders has stolen bits from it. As good as God of War is, it is still just a hack and slash game that didn't really reinvent anything itself in the genre. Darksiders and every other hack and slash game generally do the same things, it just depends how well it does them and how much fun it is to play and I think Darksiders is alot of fun.

The game is based around a fairly basic but interesting story that doesn't over complicate things. The world is big with the options to backtrack as far as you like, reaching places that weren't previously accessible. This gives a fair amount of replay value in going back to collect all the hidden items, provided you can remember where everything is. I've personally played the game through 5 or 6 times and haven't been able to achieve 100% completion which doesn't so much annoy as make me want to try again!



The artistic style of the game is another reason I like it so much. Joe Mad was picked by Vigil because he had the kind of art style that they wanted for the game and I don't think they could of picked anyone better. Mad's style of big bulky characters and sharp edges give War a powerful presence and an atmosphere to match. The creature design is also very impressive with everything looking over proportioned and menacing, just how things from hell should be! Its really interesting to see just how much of an individuals artistic style can be built into a game and how recognisable his style is within Darksiders.

The combat in the game, while nothing special, works and is enjoyable. I have heard reviews of it being overcomplicated but I think this is unjustified. The combat flows well with an interesting variety of weapons that can be upgraded and swapped throughout the game. The game tends to throw big waves of enemies at you in one go and the way War can wipe through them all just emphasise the power he has. The only problem I had with the combat was there just wasn't enough enemies to get through and I was left not being able to fully upgrade everything I wanted to.

I was pleased with the length of the game as I got 40+ hours out of each play through. Others have stated it lasts only 15+ but I assume this is without playing the game to its full extent and exploring the areas properly. So I guess its range is appealing to different types of players. If you want a quick hack and slash to plough through its an awesome 15+ hours, but for the more involved gamer who wants to get the most out of it, you have 40+.

Overall its a fun game with good characters, interesting environments, appealing art style and fast paced combat. Go buy it!

89/100

Vehicle Design

I wasn't really looking forward to the vehicle design project, I didn't know what was expected from us and I didn't know how easy/ difficult it would be to design something. I went straight into the idea of doing a tank vehicle which was quite limiting. After speaking to my lecturer I took a step backwards and got more basic, working with simple shapes to help me build other designs.

I drew 80 small thumbnail designs and took around 7 of these to be developed further. I starting making the designs more complicated and detailed doing drawings of each from the top, side, front and back. One of my designs became more of a favourite as I sketched it more and more but wasn't originally the one I was going to do as a final.

I found it difficult to start trying to work my design into a drawing with perspective. I don't find perspective very easy and trying to use it on something Ive created was even harder. I used the method of drawing simple shapes that represent the parts of the vehicle but still found it hard to extrude bits from this to create detail. What I found most useful was to gather reference images of vehicles that were similar to what I wanted my vehicle to have and use these to get perspective more accurate.

After drawing my final design correctly I started playing with the image digitally. I worked in grey scale first trying to capture some of the shadows and highlights and then worked in some colour. I'm quite surprised and happy with how my design came out as I didn't think I was capable of coming up with something like that.

Inspiring Artist - Joe Madureira

I first discovered Joe Madureira (Mad!) between the ages of 11 and 12 when he did a cover for the popular gaming magazine PSM. His artwork stood out to me and I was really fond of his style. Ever since then I've been following his career collecting his artwork and comics that hes done. Since discovering him hes remained my favourite artist and the one that inspires me above all else.

Battle Chasers Artwork

Mad! was hired by Marvel in 1991 as an intern at the age of 16. His first published work was an eight-page story for the anthology series Marvel Comics Presents, starring Northstar. In the next few years, Madureira completed various assignments for Marvel's X-Men franchise. He became the regular penciller on Uncanny X-Men in 1994 and soon rose to become one of the most popular artists in the industry. He left Uncanny X-Men in 1997 to work on his own series Battle Chasers for Wildstorm Comics. Nine issues of the constantly behind schedule comic were released. The number 10 was announced but was finally never published.

Joe Mads' battle chasers artwork is some of my favourite he's ever produced. I like his style of drawing with exaggerated features like the hands, face and muscles. His drawing style is quite a unique mix of western and eastern drawing and has been replicated by many artists in the comic book industry since. Mad! uses an impressive amount of detail in his artwork with sharp bold lines.

DragonKind artwork

After cancelling Battle Chasers Mad! went onto form a game development company called Tri-Lunar with Tim Donley and Greg Peterson. With Tri-Lunar, he created concept art on a game called Dragonkind which was canceled when Tri-Lunar went out of business. He then went to work for Realm Interactive, another start-up company, on Trade Wars: Dark Millennium. When Realm Interactive was acquired by NCsoft, he continued to contribute to the game as it evolved into Exarch, and was eventually released as Dungeon Runners.


In more recent years Mad! has become more well known for his work as creative director for the video game company Vigil. He has worked on the game DarkSiders which is one of my favourite games of all time. Mad's artistic imprint is very strong on the game and the characters are recognisabley his style. I think its awesome to see just how much of someone's artistic style can be put into a game.

Darksiders artwork

I've recently found interviews with Joe Mad about his artistic history and the work hes' done for Darksiders and thought they were awesome. It's great to be able to hear about the process he uses for doing his artwork when hes been my artistic inspiration for so long. I was really interested to hear that he doesnt like his early artwork, hates it in fact and that his drawing style has changed alot recentely, especially since working in the game industry.

Mad is currently work as the creative director at Vigil, working on the next Darksiders game and a 40K : Dark Mellenium MMO.
He is also working on the new Spiderman comics 'Avenging Spider-Man' for Marvel. I'm really looking forward to the new artwork hes going to produce over the coming years.




Link to his interviews - http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/06/24/drawing-darksiders-the-history-and-creative-process-of-joe-mad.aspx