Computer game platform and technologies cont.

Didn't get to finish my last post so here's the last part :)

So after playing Left4Dead and camping in a bathroom (which didn't work due to the huge beast called "Tank" rudely barging his way in) we started playing Counterstrike source (took me ages to remember the name of that game) which was also fun, yet I had to suffer alot of Pwnage from Chris Pedge :(

Down to the work:

Left4Dead

The game starts with an opening cinematic which immediately introduces the player to the characters and their individual personalities and attributes. The voice acting managed to capture the right emotions and personalities for these characters. The music was also a strong point taking a back seat when quiet but becoming louder and more ominous to create tension when the action starts. When playing the game used surround sound to enhance the feeling of tension and remind the players the the action is all around. It also provided a means for the players to follow the sound to find certain enemies and allies. the game also had good, sharp and smooth graphics with excellent lighting effects especially with the torch which created brilliant shadow effects to really amp up the atmosphere.

Counterstrike source

With Counterstrike source the graphics where much less detailed and smooth yet didn't have any pixelated or rough edges or muddy textures which was a plus. From what I heard the sound wasn't as good quality or convincing as Left4Dead (however I wasn't wearing my headphones while playing so that could have been the problem) the gunds sounding fairly tinny and seemed to lack any real quality sound to them. The game ran smoothly with no lag or glitches or frame rate drops which was fairly good however most of the time there was only a couple of people on screen as the map was so big unlike Left4Dead which ran perfectly even with the many zombies bolting towards me on the screen.

Counterstrike

With the original Counterstrike I wasn't as impressed as the graphics were very poor. Muddy textures, flat faces on character models which lacked real depth. The edges of the objects and people in the game were very jagged and pixelated. there was noticeable lag as certain points in the game and at one point Steph and I both could not mover for a few seconds, which lead to imminent death. I did not come across a problem like this in Left4Dead or Counterstrike source.

Overall my favourite out of the three we played today was definitely Left4Dead. The gameplay was extremely addictive and fun, the graphics never failed to impress me, whether it was the blood splattering against the walls complete with satisfying squelchy sound effects, or the teeming hordes of zombies rushing towards you without one stutter or drop in frame rate. In short it's a pretty sweet game :D