The last of us is a third person, Action/Adventure/horror survival game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony computer entertainment.
Content - The style of the last of us text is very bold & gritty, just by looking at box the cover for the game i can already see a few of the main features in the game.
The font is very up front and stretched to a height which is taller than the characters reach.
Their are hints of dust or dirt covering the title, this can symbolize that the characters are not going to survive without getting their hands dirty or having any harm done to them.
The look on Ellie's face is that of a person who has seen things that give her a different opinion on life, more specifically she seems to have given up hope & from this image and the weapon that we can see on her back, she thinks she is the solution to this problem.
The environment on the cover is on an angle this can can symbolize that things are out of balance and not as they should be, which seems only right considering the setting of the game and the threat which they are up against.
Finally the last key aspects i can point out from this cover are
- The buildings in this image are covered with ivy which gives you a clue as to what the infection is based off, the infection is a spore based fungus that mutates humans into unbearable disfigured creatures that eat the flesh of the remaining survivors.
- The burst of light which get's brighter the closer to the centre of the image, this can symbolize that their is a ray of light, some hope still left and that is the way Joel and Ellie.
The game places you in control of a ruthless survivor named Joel who during the early parts of the game does nothing but sell contraband for a high price.
Throughout the whole of the game the player would see very gritty & gory signs of violence and regret.
The scenes in the game are not recommended for anyone below the 18 year age limit, due to the realism put into the game to captivate the player which brings a better gaming experience.
During someones play-through of the game the times they are inside the wrecked buildings and structures, the lights tend to be very dimly lit or flickering, this is used in many games to show the events that have taken place and the damage that has been done in the environment. The darkness in the rooms are most likely due to the developers wanting you to use a small light source such as a flashlight or the darkness is used to add a sense of worry, not sure what lurks around the corner, which would typically lead to an enemy, in this instance an infected human leaping out forcing you to close range melee or shoot it.
Some of the common codes of survival horror games which are present in this game are as followed:
Camera Control - Doesn't show the whole room, focus's on certain points which limits your sense of vision causing more worry that you may be attacked at any second, example: in resident evil 6 the two beginning characters become damaged and the female wounded and need medical equipment to survive and when the main character Leon returns with the medication a triggered event happens when he is healing his comrade a zombie comes from out of the darkness and you need to quickly eliminate it with a shot to the head.
Character Control - Third person with wide view of the area surrounding you, but at the same time confined and unsure of what is not in sight. due to the camera focusing mainly on where the torch is directed, the player can quickly become unaware of what might happen next, this shows a sense of both worry and mystery.
- How someone has control of their equipment & what directions they must follow and what buttons or triggers they must press to check what weapons are available in their arsenal, example: in resident evil 6 the player presses a certain button (Which can differ depending on the layout of the controls and console which it is played on.) that brings up an equipment and weapons wheel which you can choose whichever arm you wish and then once you move the stick onto the desired weapon/equipment the wheel will close and the item you chose will be in your possession.
- Another common code of most horror/survival games are events that mentally scar the character, in the last of us this would be the death of Joel's daughter Sarah.
Multiplayer - This mode has become more common in the past 2-3 years, horror/survival games such as resident evil & uncharted follow the same guidelines.
- Like resident evil, in the last of us uses similar tactics, which is bringing elements from single player and placing you in control of a common enemy doing the opposite role of that you would in the your play-through of the single player game mode.
Atmospheric Music/SFX - One of the most common elements of a survival horror game is the sound effects which change the mood of the game and add suspense, fear or emotion, an example of this in the last of us is, between the first infected appearance and the death of Sarah, there is a constant looming wind & a sound similar to a recorder or flute type instrument which seems to become louder whenever the infected are nearby, this is used to add a sense of fear and to make the player feel uneasy and considerate about his/her next move.
Common SFX used in horror games:
Common SFX used in horror games:
- Explosion - Buildings being destroyed, Cars setting on fire, any signs of help being extinguished.
- Screaming - When they are faced with the enemy they shout for help and beg to be spared.
- panicking - people rushing around in terror oblivious to what is happening and why.
- Gunshot's or ballistics depending on the time in which the game was set.
The common way in which someone would expect things to play out in games such as this would begin with a natural sequence in which a character is undergoing a usual task, anything from waking up from a sleep to a visit to a relative, the next stage would be with someone of great importance being infected or sustaining a fatal injury which leads to some dramatic scene which affects the main character in a dramatic way.
After the sudden fatal or severe injury, the player will reach a point where they come into contacts with a hybrid or directions to a vaccine which will stop the invasion, after this there is usually a hostile leader who was behind the outbreak. shortly after confrontation with him or her, the player would continue up until a point where some would assume the infection had been cured, then in the aftermath there will be a glimpse of a surviving enemy/infected or a new kind of parasite with a unique twist.
Just Dance
Just dance is a party/ rhythm game developed and published by Ubisoft.
Through looking at the cover art of just dance i can already see this is no dreary, gloomy or violent game, instead this is full of life, bursting with energy & bouncing around all over the place.
Content - The style of the Just dance text is very lively and modern and in a way alive, this gives a sense that there is a lot of moving around and with dance in the title, i wouldn't think otherwise.
Some of the text in the title fuse with one another, which can symbolize that it is not a game to be played in solitude, and is best played with friends or family for simple get together's or used in crazy parties to lift the mood.
The figures on the cover are all very flimsy and not very still, this shows that the game is very interactive and that there is a lot of moving around in different styles.
The colours for the background are very radiant and calm, others may think different as the colours seem very bright and differ from one another.
The colours on the figures are very bright and with a bright white highlight around them, symbolizing that they're the main attraction and so they should be considering they are the avatars the player used in game.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Just_Dance_2014_Official_NTSC_Cover_Art.jpg
Genre - simulator, group rhythmic, exercise, lively, just by looking
Content - Japanese fashion pop, in your face.
Construction - colorful, font jazzed up.
Narrative Conventions - Explosion of energy, very little interaction but control
Common Codes - Bright, well lit.
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