April Post: Heads-Up Displays

As you might have read in my logs, in search of research and answers, my mentor and I have played a lot of games. While it was lots of fun, the main purpose was to examine the main menus, transitions, and game interfaces. We came across one very interesting user interface in the game Dead Space 3:

We saw that the whole heads-up display (HUD for short) is all on the character himself. The blue bar on the back is health, the meter for a weapon called the stasis charge is shown using the half-circle, and ammo count is displayed holographically on the weapon. This is visually appealing because the HUD isn't distracting, unlike this one from Metroid Prime:

In this HUD, there are many distracting elements that can make it difficult to see what's in front of you. Also with the HUD in Dead Space 3, because the HUD is integrated into the character, there is a smoother transition between gameplay and cutscenes, making for a more immersive experience. This is what helps make Dead Space 3 just a bit more appealing and different than other survival shooters in the market.