Game Logo Design

Realism & Abstraction?

A game that has realistic graphics: Uncharted 3



Uncharted 3 is an example of a game that immerses you in its world and story through its use of realistic graphics. For example, at one point you really feel like you're walking through what seems like an endless desert. These graphics are some of the highest quality and most realistic on the PS3, it's almost like playing a movie.





A game that has abstract graphics: The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker



Wind Waker is a fantastic example of a game with abstract graphics. It's clearly not out to make you feel like what you're seeing is real, but its art style is amazing to look at and can just as easily immerse you in its world as a game with realistic graphics. Characters aren't bound by realistic proportions, and therefore can be very expressive. Abstract graphics can even be more impressive than realistic graphics when done right!





A 2D game: Wario Land: Shake It!



The Wario Land series is known for its excellent 2D platforming/puzzle solving, and this game is no exception. New for the series is its entirely hand-animated graphics. Each frame of character animation, as well as cutscenes, was drawn by famous anime studio Production IG, known for their work on Ghost in the Shell, among other animations. This brings an anime style to the game that normal sprites couldn't achieve.





A 3D game: Psychonauts



From the mind of Tim Schafer and his team known as Double Fine Productions, Psychonauts is a 3D action platformer where you travel into the minds of various people, helping them sort out their problems as well as solving the mystery of the differences at your psychic training camp. Each level is totally unique and well designed. Being a 3D game, there are slight issues with the 3rd person camera, but the game's sense of humor and tons of collectibles in each world more than makes up for it.





A game that uses first person/third person: Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath



A spin-off of the popular Oddworld series, Stranger's Wrath has you play as a bounty hunter known simply as Stranger. Stranger is trying to get enough money for a very expensive operation. He won't say what it's for, but it seems bounty hunting is the only way to get so much money in a short amount of time. As Stranger, you run around a 3D world in a third person perspective, accepting bounties, helping townsfolk, and catching outlaws. Dead or Alive. When you want to shoot someone, you can press a button to switch to a first person perspective. From here, Stranger can shoot enemies with his two currently equipped weapons. Stranger doesn't like guns, so instead you must run around collecting various animals to shoot at enemies.






A game that originally was created for the real world and has been reinvented in "gameworld": Super Dodgeball Brawlers



Dodgeball is a game everybody knows. Who doesn't love a good game of dodgeball? Now imagine if you had the option to beat the ever-loving crap out of your opponents through any means necessary without any penalties? That's pretty much Super Dodgeball Brawlers in a nutshell. A spin-off of the River City Ransom games, Super Dodgeball Brawlers takes the game of dodgeball and incorporates the majority of River City Ransom's beat-em'-up gameplay. You can use items laying on the ground as weapons, you can punch and kick your opponents, and you can even preform super throws that knock an opponent flat on their face! It's incredibly fun and only something that can be done in a "gameworld".





A game that has a vivid, compelling and memorable storyline: Enslaved: Odyssey to the West





Enslaved is a modern, post-apocalyptic take on the classic Chinese fable, Journey to the West. It follows the basic structure, but quickly branches off into its own unique and emotionally engaging story. You play as Monkey, named for his ability to quickly scale structures like a monkey, and based off of the Monkey King from the fable. As Monkey you must help a girl named Trip, at first against your own will, as she attempts to make her way home after escaping from a slave transport ship. I don't want to give too much away, but let's say the story isn't close to finished when the duo finally make their way home. With well developed characters, plot twists, and a script written by the talented Andy Serkis, who you may recognize as the voice and motion capture for Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies, as well as the voice and motion capture for Monkey in this game, this is a game that should be played by anyone who loves an excellent story.

Option 2: Visual Research for a Logo Design

Option 1: Making a Pitch for New & Improved Games!

(NAME OF GAME UNDECIDED)

An Overview:

This is a board game I designed (still in very, very, very early pre-beta alpha omega class 0 stage……It’s not completely ready yet…..) which incorporates classic board game elements like dice and moving spaces around a board, with role playing elements like random monster battles and items.

Why are we making this game?:

I’ve always admired role-playing games, and felt it could easily work as a board game with enough tweaking.  If you combine the complexity of an RPG with the simplicity of a board game, I feel you can get something fun and entertaining for all ages!

Walk us through the game!:

(Rules are still being developed, may be changed)

Up to 4 players must traverse the game board, battling monsters and making their way to the bosses in order to collect 4 crystals.  Once those crystals are collected, the player may then attempt to reach the lair of, and challenge the final boss.  Once this is accomplished, the player wins!  Players are able to earn coins from defeating monsters, or each other, and use them to buy a variety of items such as extra dice, weaponry, fast-travel, etc.

Similar Games:

RPG’s: Final Fantasy 1, Dragon Quest, Dungeons & Dragons, etc.

Board Games: Candy Land, Sorry, etc.

Childhood Game Structure Type

In an earlier blog post about a childhood game I played, I talked about Mario Party.  When looking at the game structure, I'd have to classify it as non-linear.  Even though the goal is clear, the game may be different every time you play it.  For example, there's multiple paths to take on the game boards, different minigames may be played, and different spaces landed on can cause different things to happen.  You don't know what each player will decide to do to reach their goal, which can be described as non-linear!

However, this doesn't apply as much to the latest game in the series, Mario Party 9, which puts all the players together and have them move along a linear game board to the end, where they then fight a boss.  A change that some people view as a breath of fresh air, but others can't stand.

Minor Project 3 - Option 1: Examples of Good Graphic Design

Games and Genres

Rayman Origins

  

This game is a platformer that supports 4 players, starring a limbless hero named Rayman!  Along for the ride are his friends, Globox and the Teensies!  It is the 4th game in the series, and after two 3D platformers, Origins returns to its 2D roots, hence the title.  Unlike the previous games, Rayman Origins focuses on tough-as-nails precision platforming.  It's a great challenge, even for new players, as it starts you off not far from where you die, eliminating most frustration.

  


Professor Layton (series)

This game involves a series of puzzles and riddles strung together by an engaging story about an archaeologist, Professor Layton, and his apprentice, Luke Triton.  Layton and Luke get caught up in various mysteries and adventures, and for some reason constantly run into puzzles.  Puzzles can range from arranging matchsticks into a certain shape, to shifting objects into a pattern in a limited number of turns.  In fact, the vast majority of the puzzles in the game aren't related to the plot at all, which is commonly joked about by fans.  Any insignificant or unrelated thing may prompt a "This reminds me of a puzzle I once heard!" from the Professor. 

  


Star Fox 64



Star Fox 64 is regarded as one of the best shoot-'em-ups of all time.  You play as Fox McCloud, leader of team Star Fox, which is comprised of his teammates Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, and Peppy Hare.  The goal is to make it to the end of the stage, killing as many enemies as you can along the way to increase your score, and protecting your teammates if they get in danger.  At the end of each stage, the player encounters a boss, and sometimes your ship will go into "all-range mode" which let's you fly around freely in an open area.  The game is also known for having very campy dialogue that is loved by fans.  In fact, in the 3DS remake, Nintendo got most of the original voice actors to reprise their roles and re-record their dialogue in the same campy fashion.

  

(screenshots used are from the 3DS version of the game)

Everything is Rock, Paper, Scissors

     Any game can probably be related to Rock, Paper, Scissors.  Let's take the NES classic, Mega Man, for example.

     In Mega Man, you play as a robot boy who's out to stop the evil Dr. Wily and his six Robot Masters

  

     Seems like your typical action platformer, but here's where Rock, Paper, Scissors fits in.  When Mega Man defeats a Robot Master, he gains their power.  Every robot master is weak against another one's power, and since you can choose to fight the robots in any order, the key is to figure out which Robot Master is weak to which power!

     Basically, it's a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors......with ridiculously hard platforming segments.

Fun Fact: In Japan, Mega Man is known as "Rock Man", which is a reference to the Rock, Paper, Scissors mechanic of the bosses and their powers.

Rock, Paper, Scissors Rules

Rock, Paper Scissors

Players: 2

How to Win: Deliver the hand signal that beats the other player’s hand signal. Usually best two out of three.

          To start, both players make a fist with one of their hands, placing it on the other hand which should be flat.

  

 Next, both players say “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!”, shaking their fists on “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, and making one of three hand signals on “Shoot!”.

         

The three hand signals are as follows:

Scissors beats paper, paper beats rock, and rock beats scissors.

Hand signals must be clear and recognizable.  Once one player wins two rounds, the game is over.  However, you can continue as many times as you want if you really like playing Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Childhood Game Rules

Game: Mario Party

Players: 1-4

Platform: N64

           

           
            Mario Party is a virtual board game in which 4 players attempt to make their way around the board, play minigames, sabotage each other, and collect enough coins to buy a Star.  The person who has the most stars after a pre-determined amount of turns is the winner!

            At the start of the game, player order is decided by rolling a die.  Highest number rolled goes first and the lowest goes last.  After that, the die is then used to determine the number of spaces the player moves.  The player can land on a variety of spaces after their roll, such as a space that gives or takes away coins, a space that triggers a board-specific event, a space to buy a star, and many more.  

After all the players take their turns, a minigame is randomly selected.  The minigames give the players a chance to earn more coins in order to buy stars.  There are different types of minigames such as free for all, 2 vs. 2, and even 1 vs. 3.

Once all the rounds are over, the players are awarded bonus stars based on various accomplishments, such as having the most coins or winning the most minigames.  Once that is done, the player with the most total stars is declared the winner.