Game Analysis Worksheet: TEMPLATE
Summary
- IN ONE TO TWO SENTENCES, DESCRIBE WHAT GAME YOU ANALYZED FOR THIS PROJECT AND WHY YOU CHOSE IT
- DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s ALL UPPERCASE INSTRUCTIONS ABOVE
Game Play Analysis
| Formal Elements | Cyberpunk 2077 is a massive open world RPG |
| The Basics | It gud game |
| Name of the game | Cyberpunk 2077 |
| The platform | Xbox 1s (DO NOT PLAY IT ON AN XBOX) |
| Time played (should be at least 30 minutes) | 5 hours (sorry) |
| If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why? | Work on the issues with it not being compatible with lower gen consoles (its a buggy mess) |
| Players | Single player |
| How many players are supported? | for now only 1 but multiplayer is coming out in a year |
| Does it need to be an exact number? | Yes you cant play the game if you are not playing the game |
| How does this affect play? | As a single player game, It is more character driven experience where you make choices not friends. |
| Objectives/Goals | Wake the (CENSORED) up samurai, we got a city to burn |
| What are the players trying to do? | Progress as a mercenary in Night city |
| Rules/Mechanics | I could spend 9 hours here but to be short, as a player you can do anything, see a tv hack the tv, see the bad guy shoot the bad guy. |
| Controls | Standard Xbox controls very responsive and comfy |
| What controls are used? | All buttons are used |
| Was there a clear introductory tutorial? | Very the tutorial is also very funny |
| Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller? | Very easy for me to understand but i have been gaming for 13 years now |
| Resources & Resource Management | Very important if you go into a gun fight without any healing or bullets ye be dead |
| What kinds of resources do players control? | Ammo weapons, Buffs, clothing, gear, cybernetics, car, ect |
| How are they maintained during play? | The player can manage their inventory by using the very easy sorting system |
| What is their role? | To provide help to the player while he burns Night city |
| A resource is everything under the control of a single player. Could be the money in Monopoly or health in WoW. Other examples are:Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames (guns, health packs, etc.)Time (game time, real-time, or both)Known information (like suspects in Clue) | |
| Game State | buggy mess |
| How much information in the game state is visible to the player? | a lot, you can even see the local politics of the game on TV which changes every day depending on your actions or the AIs |
| Sequencing | good |
| In what order do players take their actions? | how ever they want to, open world open mind |
| How does play flow from one action to another? | very well it is like a slide but with more death |
| Player Interaction | all the time the smallest choice can effect an entire mission |
| Some examples:Direct Conflict – I attack you.Negotiation – If you support me here, I’ll help you there.Trading – I’ll give you this for that.Information Sharing – If you go there, I’m warning you, a trap will go off. | |
| Theme & Narrative | Futuristic/punk like |
| Does it have an actual story structure? | yes |
| Is it based on a historical event (or similar)? | inspired at the begging but after that its all made up |
| Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play? | yes it creates important decisions |
| Does it have emotional impacts? | yes very much so, if my best friend in game dies im going to snap my xbox in half, (this is a in game character) |
| Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)? | yes |
| The Elements in Motion | NOTES |
| How do the different elements interact? | Like butter its really impressive |
| What is the gameplay like? | Beautiful I feel like im there |
| Is it effective? | very much so |
| Are there any points where the design choices break down? | yes with xbox issues and it not able to take the game |
| Design Critique | NOTES |
| Why did the designer make these particular choices? | Because the game needed it |
| Why this set of resources? | the game is built on story not action RP is this game |
| What if they made different decisions? | I would not play it |
| Does the design break down at any point? | sometimes, again lag and bugs are everywhere |
| Graphics & Sound | NOTES |
| Does the game art pair well with the mechanics? | YES ITS AMAZING |
| Did you find any bugs or glitches? | plenty |
| What about sound? | Oh my the effects are so good |
| Can you spot any technical shortcuts? | not from my research |
| Various Stages of the Game | NOTES |
| To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play: | Keep an eye out for everything the smallest thing could change an entire story. |
| What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them? | With your brain, you have to think to survive no help at all |
| Is the game fair? | No if you lack logic and the thirst to explore go back to a more liner game |
| Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience? | the game has 9 different endings as far as i know, and 3 different stories each 20 hours long. |
| What is the intended audience? | RP and true gamers |
| What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun? | My god for me the guns, very very impressive gun play it so en joyful i spent all my in game cash on ammo and wasted it shooting targets |
This analysis form was adapted from https://notlaura.com/a-template-for-analyzing-game-design/
Resources
- Playing Like a Designer – I: Examine Your Experiences by Extra Credits
- Playing Like a Designer – II: How to Analyze Game Design by Extra Credits
- Game Analysis Guidelines by MIT
- Level 3.2: Critical Analysis of Games at learn.canvas.net
Books
- A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster
- Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design by Scott Rogers
- Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals by Katie Salen