Genre Research
What is survival horror?
Survival horror is a sub-genre of an action/adventure game inspired by horror fiction. This type of game is designed to make the player vulnerable by providing less weapons and ammunition that would be expected in an action/adventure game. The usual ‘bad guys’ in these types of games are supernatural monsters such as vampires, zombies, etc. Also the setting of the game consists usually of dark atmospheres, maze like environments, where the player is required to solve puzzles and clues to move onto the next level and there are many surprise elements such as monsters popping out of nowhere.
Examples of survival horror games:
Ø Resident Evil
Ø Dementium
Ø Silent Hill
Ø Alone in the Dark
Ø Devil May Cry
Ø Obscure
Most survival horror games are based on films, for example, Resident Evil, where the game was released straight after the film, with all the scenes that the film had, being incorporated into the game. One game that does not follow this trend however, is Silent Hill, where the film was made based on the game instead of the other way around.
Audience and Purpose
There are many video games that have been released, rated 18. I will be looking at two games that have a connection to the game that I will be creating - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2.
Both of the these games have one thing in common - they both involve killing or defeating certain beings throughout the game. This connects perfectly to the type of game I want to create, as I am planning to include 'monsters' that will be trying to attack the player, and the player will have to kill them.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
In Call of Duty (Playstation 3, Xbox platforms) the objective is to complete a series of missions that involve protecting base camps, killing the enemies - most objectives that are set when soldiers go to war. The player cannot move to the next level without the current objective being completed and finalized. The player takes on the roles of various characters, which changes the perspectives, keeping the player more interested.
There was some controversy with this game however. The version of the game that was released in Russia had a mission taken out, as it was too violent and disturbing to be played - it involved the player assuming the role of an undercover CIA agent who joined a group of national Russian terrorists, who then massacre civilians at an airport.
Reviews:
Here are a few reviews from customers that have bought or played this game:
"the biggest game of 2009... the sequel to one of the most successful first person shooter titles of all time" Nick Cowen, Telegraph
"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 still manages to set the standard for online multiple player shooters. the sheer amount of content in this game is staggering, and if you can get over the hurdles of chatting with friends, you'll find an extremely polished, gorgeous and addictive FPS experience." Russ Frushtick, MTV
"The single player mode is too short and easy and the online mode is the biggest letdown. It's too much like an arcade game, and I got bored of it very quick... Ill be sticking with Call of Duty 4" Customer from HMV
Left 4 dead 2
In Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox, Microsoft Windows platforms), the objective is for the player to fight their way through zombies (people who were once human, but have been infected by a rabies-like pathogen), and find the evacuation point to be saved. There are safe houses throughout the game, where the player can take shelter from the zombies, and the player has to find weapons throughout the game to protect him/herself.
This is also a FPS (First Person Shooter) game, however the player will be working along side other characters, which makes the game more interesting as there will be heavy emphasis on cooperative game play.
There was also some controversy with this game, where it was said that the game was too violent and explicit.
Reviews:
"Under all those blood and guts and carnage is a technical ballet, seamlessly integrating a variety of elements into one great performance that any fan of the original should not miss. it's not a major leap forward, but the new content and rich mechanics make this game a hard sell to pass up." Locke Webster, MTV
"New campaigns are very well designed, new survivors have more character and new infected have fun abilities, realism mode delivers a new level of tension, however, no major leaps forward, AI allies can still trip you up." Chris Watters, Cnet.com
"Apart from new maps, there really isn't anything new to the game. Regardless of the new infected, versus and campaigns are still the same as Left 4 Dead. If you expected a brand new game, you'll be very disappointed, However the game itself is a lot of fun to play and I would definitely recommend it if you didn't have more exciting games to buy, but it wouldn't be top of my list to buy." Customer from Game
I believe that the game I am creating will be only be suitable for 18 years olds, as there will be a lot of violence involved, which may disturb younger players.




