Unique Games: Dark Souls & Half-Life 2 - A Short Review

When it comes to games or more specifically, the visual sides of games; I have to mention Dark Souls and for the narrative aspect; a great example is Half-Life 2. Even though these games are very different from each other, they actually are very similar in how they stand out from other games in their genres.

Dark Souls presents this dark, uncertain atmosphere, filled with mystical and unknown creatures, and demons. It is a strong example of how well, a team of game artists can work together, towards creating a dark, convincing and memorable environment. The artists behind creating Dark Souls took its atmosphere so far, that on my play through I tried my best to memorise certain areas, in order to avoid dying in the game, as it resulted in having to confront some of the scary monstrosities yet again. 

I really respect the dedication and hard work that artists put into designing, and making such games. I dedicate myself to certain tasks fairly often, especially when it comes to drawing and painting. I really see the difficulty and the challenging processes that game artists have to go through with each new game. Also, maybe not all companies focus on making realistic games, but ones that are just fun to play or interesting to look at, but that doesn't change the fact that, to design good games, you have to dedicate yourself to it.

Half-Life 2 is outstanding in a similar way to Dark Souls, as it also immerses us in its vast world, which here is taken over by an unknown alien race and it is our job to survive, and try to restore peace. Where Half-Life 2 stands out the most, is in its storytelling, which is so incredibly good, that I struggle not to get too attached to certain characters in the game. I was so immersed on the first time I played, that I literally lost track of time. As I finished fighting off the alien forces, known as the Combine; I starred at my clock, surprised by how fast time has passed, I realised that it was nearly a whole day, that I spent playing it. No game has ever made me this immersed, so focused that I would lose connection with the world outside of my monitor screen and continuously play all the way to the end. Since then Half-Life 2 has become my favourite game, no matter how many times I play it through, I still feel entertained and enjoy every bit of my time in its world.