#002 GAD BA4: Game Re-Design - Brief

First week back and jumping straight in to a new project, exactly what I needed! Over the summer I've been occupied by working full time as well as fitting in some personal projects whenever I had time, so having a goal designated that I can work towards will motivate me further.

So, to put it simple, this new project involves re-designing a pre-existing game:

The objective of this project is to re-imagine an existing Intellectual Property (IP) or franchise to meet the demands of a modern audience. Working in teams, you will create a comprehensive Game Design Wiki based on a selection of games provided for reinvention.

Sounds great right? Well... It would of been amazing if it was left at this, but that would be too easy of course. Instead of having free choice of the game we wanted to re-design (dear god, if only they included pokemon!) we have been given a choice of 5 games. Below are each of the 5 games along with a quick descriptive quote from an online source (summaries/reduced).

Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor is the first title in the long-running Medal of Honor series of video games. In Medal of Honor, the player takes the role of the fictional Lieutenant Jimmy Patterson, a former C-47 Skytrain pilot in the Air Transport Command. The game takes place near the end of World War II, and the goal of the game is to complete objectives, such as destroying enemy positions, and kill enemy German forces in the process.

The Portopia Serial Murder Case

The Portopia Serial Murder Case is an adventure game designed by Yuji Horii that is an investigation adventure, sophisticated for its time, in which the player must resolve a murder mystery by searching for clues, exploring different areas, interacting with characters, and solving item-based puzzles.

Flow

Flow is an indie video game created by Jenova Chen and Nicholas Clark. In Flow, the player navigates a series of two-dimensional (2D) planes with an aquatic micro-organism that evolves by consuming other micro-organisms.

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is a survival horror video game developed by Tecmo. It is the second installment in the Fatal Frame series and is considered by some gaming magazines as one of the scariest video games ever created.

Moshi Monsters

Moshi Monsters is an online world of adoptable pet monsters aimed at boys and girls aged 6–12, with 65 million registered users in 150 territories worldwide. Children choose from one of six virtual pet monsters that they can create, name, and nurture.

I am in a group along with David Allan and Dominic Littler, who besides being great at what they do, are people that are easy to get along with. Our initial thought was to stay clear of the Medal of Honor game because so many would choose it, instead we decided on Moshi Monsters. We were told that our re-design can be based loosely on the original game but still retain some aspects. The plan is to take it from a target market of 6-12 and move it on to a 18+ age range, taking the cute and cuddly pet monsters and turn them into great big genetically mutated creatures then pit them against mechanic battle robots. Stripping Moshi Monsters down it is a social, learning, creative, game that focuses around customisation of pet monsters. We will retain aspects that the player controls the monsters and mechs, customize them, learn strategies to take down their opponents as well as social side, albeit lightly.