Infamous Second Son review: A stellar Playstation 4 exclusive

Though the Playstation 4 console has been on the market for a few months now, there aren’t many “must-have” exclusive titles to own just yet. Other than “Killzone: Shadow Fall,” the only console exclusive titles have been smaller games released on the Playstation Network. And as good as those games have been, no one is buying a Playstation 4 to play “Resogun.” But Sony now has a stellar PS4 exclusive title in “Infamous: Second Son.”

In the “Infamous” series, there exist humans called “Conduits” who can absorb and control certain substances and are subsequently hunted by government organizations to try and harness their superhuman powers. In “Second Son,” players take control of Delsin Rowe, a guy with a bit of an authority problem who, after coming into contact with an escaped Conduit, learns he has the power to absorb the abilities of other Conduits.

When an organization called the Department of Unified Protection arrives to investigate the escaped Conduits, Delsin runs afoul of its leader, a woman named Augustine who is herself a powerful Conduit and uses her power to inflict serious wounds to Delsin’s friends. He can only help heal his friends with Augustine’s power and follows her to Seattle with the hope of gaining her power but finds himself at odds with the entire power of the DUP.

“Infamous: Second Son” is an open world, third person action game but more in the vein of superhero titles like “Prototype” and “Crackdown” and less like “Grand Theft Auto.” Though Delsin’s time in Seattle will mainly be used looking for Augustine, there are several ways you can spend your time in “Second Son.” Side missions, activities and collectibles are plentiful and acquiring new powers is also a favorite pastime of Delsin’s. But the most fun you’ll have in “Second Son” is using your new-found powers to take the fight to the DUP across the city of Seattle with some of the slickest, most visually stunning graphics I have ever seen on a console.

The city of Seattle itself is massive and painstakingly detailed to give each distinct section of the city a personality. The colors are bright and deeply saturated, making the scenery of “Infamous” incredibly vivid. But more impressive than the scenic stylings are its considerable lighting and particle effects. Working in tandem, the lighting and particle effect systems in “Second Son” create highly detailed visual effects that before now have only been possible on high-powered gaming PCs. When Delsin absorbs a power source, the essence of that source swirls around him in bright specks of light and motion.

The impressive lighting and particle effects also greatly enhance the damage and destruction that Delsin’s powers can cause. Though only parts of the environment are destructible, like cars and sections of the city set up by the DUP, the lighting and particle effects help to add detail and weight to the havoc you can wreak in Seattle.

And while blowing up vehicles and knocking down DUP structures is a big part of the game, just getting around the city is a ton of fun in itself. Delsin’s offensive powers and abilities are largely similar, with heavy attacks, projectiles and methods of nonviolently taking down enemies, his powers’ methods of locomotion are greatly varied and prompt you to use different powers to accomplish different things. For example, I’ve found smoke to have more powerful offensive attacks but not nearly as good as neon for traversing the city quickly and effectively. Though, if you really need to get to another section of the city quickly, there is a manner of fast-travel available. Delsin is also quite adept at parkour and you’ll be able to easy traverse the city and scale buildings with or without the help of your powers. The parkour in “Second Son” isn’t as complex or intricate as in the “Assassin’s Creed” series, but  it’s still top notch.


As you play “Second Son,” the choices you make and how you play affects Delsin’s karma. Whether you subdue or kill enemies and certain good/evil decisions you can make affects your overall karma. You can also create stencil and spray paint art around the city, accomplished by using the motion controls in the DualShock 4, which adds good or negative karma. It’s an interesting idea though your karma doesn’t seem to affect much and the direction of the story doesn’t seem to change whether you’re good or evil. The design on Delsin’s jacket will change and you’ll have access to different upgradable abilities whether you’re good or evil, but your karma doesn’t seem to affect much else.

Along with the relatively small repercussions of your karma, I wasn’t all that pleased with the length of “Second Son.” I was able to scour the entirety of Seattle, completing every mission, side mission and collectible in no time flat, due to the short length of the main story and the relative lack of difficulty (even on the highest setting). You can tell a lot more work went into making “Second Son” look pretty than having the story be a hard-hitting look into social inequity but you can’t fault Sucker Punch too much since the final product does look absolutely amazing and it’s incredibly fun to play.

Even if there were more AAA, exclusive titles for the PS4, “Infamous: Second Son” would still be at the top of every must-play list. Its impressive visuals combined with its open-ended gameplay mean that there will be plenty to do in Seattle as you battle the DUP and enhance your Conduit powers. With DLC on the way, “Infamous: Second Son” is a great start to the PS4 exclusive game library.

Titanfall on Xbox 360 delayed

The Xbox One exclusive Titanfall has been a huge hit since it was released earlier this month. Titanfall alone has been a driving factor in moving Xbox One units recently and it’s been getting rave reviews from almost every outlet. Though I don’t have an Xbox One, I was looking forward to the Xbox 360 version of Titanfall, which was originally slated for a March 25 release. Unfortunately,the Xbox 360 version of Titanfall has been pushed back to an April 8 release inNorth America and an April 11 release in Europe.

Ever since I first heard about Titanfall, I’ve been dying to try it but since I probably won’t ever be getting an Xbox One, I’ve resigned myself to settle for the Xbox 360 version. I’m planning on waiting for reviews of it as well. The 360 version of the game is being developed by Bluepoint Games instead of Respawn Entertainment and as far as I can tell, Microsoft hasn’t showed the 360 version of Titanfall to anyone yet. Keeping the game under wraps, a third-party studio developing it and now a delay? I may just be pessimistic but those signs make more than a little worried about the overall quality of the 360 version of Titanfall - especially now that the news has broken that Titanfall was originallymeant to be a PC exclusive.

Titanfall is a first-person shooter from Respawn Entertainment that puts slight twists on the standard FPS format. Featuring giant, bipedal robots called Titans that players can control, 6v6 gameplay alongside computer-controlled bots and some of the most fluid and fast-paced gameplay seen in an FPS, Titanfall looks to break the mold of usual shooters. The magic of Titanfall is the interplay of Pilots (human players) and the rampaging Titans. Though Titans are massive war machines, Pilots are nimble and more than capable of eluding and taking down the behemoths. The addition of bots to create a chaotic environment really helps drive home the feeling that you’re part of an intergalactic war. Titanfall focuses on multiplayer action but does tell a cohesive story that you can play through from beginning to end.

South Park: The Stick of Truth review: Something that every fan can enjoy

South Park has been on the air since 1997 and is one of the longest running shows on television and has been one of the most popular shows around since it debuted. Its popularity has spawned movies (South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut; Baseketball; Team America: World Police) as well as several video games – though most of those games were small, arcade titles that didn’t necessarily capture the spirit of the show.

The mediocre track record for South Park video games is a bit strange too, considering how big of fans of gaming series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are. Video games have been the central plot for numerous episodes of South Park and it’s odd that it took until 2014 and the release of “South Park: The Stick of Truth” that the hit show was finally done justice in the virtual world.

Released on March 4, “South Park: The Stick of Truth” lets you become a part of your favorite show about a sleepy little mountain town and the strange adventures its inhabitants always find themselves wrapped up in. You take on the role of a new kid who has just moved to town. You’re a bit quiet and your parents tell you to get outside and make some friends. The first kid you run into is the always affable Butters Stotch, who takes you to Cartman’s house.

The boys are playing a fantasy imagination game where Cartman’s human forces are battling Kyle’s elves for control of a mystical artifact known as the “The Stick of Truth,” which is just your average stick off a tree. You first align yourself with Cartman to battle Kyle’s elves but, in true South Park style, the game takes drastic turns for the second and third acts.

SP: TSOT is an open-world, turn-based RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment and South Park Digital and published by Ubisoft. At the start of the game, you get to create the appearance for your character, though it’s pretty pointless because throughout the game, you’ll collect hundreds of pieces of armor and “flair” that you can use to customize your look. The amount of customization options will allow you to create any look for your character and you’ll have no shortage of choices of the buffs and upgrades you can attach to your attire and weapons. While creating your appearance, you also get to choose a class – Figher, Mage, Thief or Jew. Each class has unique abilities but that is where the differences end. There aren’t class specific weapons or armor either, which makes each class seem a little too similar.

Battles are turn based and you have several options for companions, like Kyle, Stan, or Butters.

After meeting Cartman, you’re free to explore the town of South Park – an exciting prospect for long-time fans of the show, since this is the first time we get to see the town of South Park as a whole. On the show, you only see the parts of town where the plot is taking place and never get to see where locations are in relation to one another. Though it’s easy to navigate the town, exploration is made easier thanks to fast travel points, run by Timmy. Unlike other RPGs of its kind, there aren’t any random encounters in SP: TSOT so you’ll never be forced to battle unless you want to, making exploration even easier and more fun.

SP: TSOT is an amazing bit of fan-service and looks exactly like an episode of the show. Every moment of the game is drenched in the series’ trademark tongue-in-cheek brand of offensive humor – whether it’s being asked to put in your name only to have Cartman continually call you “douchebag,” the collectible Chinpokomon, or the incredible music like “I’ve Got Something in my Front Pocket” or “Montage” from Team America (unfortunately no “Now You’re a Man” from Orgazmo). You can earn multiple party members like Butters the paladin or Jimmy the bard and there are appearances from several of the show’s iconic characters along the way.

However, the fan-service of SP: TSOT may also be the game’s greatest weakness.

While SP: TSOT is a fun game, it’s not particularly challenging and its main strength is the comedic foundation it’s built on. The town of South Park isn’t too big so exploring every nook and cranny doesn’t take too long and is only extended by the Metroid-vania aspects of progressing with the help of acquired items. The combat system, while solid and easy to control, isn’t too deep and strategizing isn’t as necessary as timing button presses correctly to enhance your attack/defense stats.

It’s also not a very long game. I finished my first play through in about 14-15 hours, which, for an open-world RPG, is quite brief. And unlike most games, I almost found it to be easier as the story progressed. I maxed out my experience and hit the level cap well before I finished the game and with a nearly limitless supply of healing and buff/debuff items, even the final boss wasn’t a challenge – I basically just buffed myself and teammate for multiple attacks per turn and spammed my strongest attacks. Luckily, wanting to see the end of the story kept me pushing through to the end because it wasn’t its challenging nature that kept me playing.

In the end, I feel like the amazing quality of the writing, humor and aesthetics of SP: TSOT make up for the lack of depth in its RPG elements. I can’t really recommend this game to anyone who isn’t a fan of the show but come on, who isn’t a fan of South Park? There are a ton of collectibles and other tasks for achievement hunters to search out – there’s even a button that lets you fart on people, which, yes, also has achievements tied to it. The comedic elements alone make SP: TSOT worth your time and the RPG elements will keep you in the action, if not exactly riveted. I’ll be very interested to see if any DLC is released for this game in the future because I’d like any reason I can get to return to South Park.

First Impressions – South Park: The Stick of Truth

South Park is one of the longest-running and most well-known animated TV shows in the history of pop culture. Its creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, are avid video game players and references and nods to popular video games have always popped up in South Park in some form or another (Kenny and the golden PSP; the boys saving World of Warcraft; Stan and Kyle’s Guitar Hero rock-n-roll escapades). But despite the show’s affinity for the world of video games, there’s never been a South Park game that was any good – until now.

South Park: The Stick of Truth is an RPG and lets you create a character in the style of the show and join the other boys of South Park in waging an epic battle for the Stick of Truth, the most powerful artifact in the universe (which is also just a stick). You join Cartman’s human army in a fight against Kyle’ elves to see who will wield the Stick of Truth while meeting dozens of other well-known favorites from the show.

What you’ll immediately notice about SP:SOT is its visual style, which looks exactly like an episode of the TV show. Whether you’re doing battle or exploring the town, it will be easy to forget that you’re playing a video game and not watching an episode. The sound effects, voice acting and music are also all incredibly familiar, as Trey Parker and Matt Stone lent their voices to the game to truly bring it alive.

I love all the references and nods to jokes from the show that were included in SP:SOT. Every store you go in has a classic song from the show playing in the background (I heard “Montage” from Team America in one store – still hoping I hear “Gay Fish” sometime too). Collectibles come in the form of finding Chinpokomon throughout South Park and you’ll even help Al Gore protect the town from his nemesis, Manbearpig. If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll love how much attention went into every little detail of SP:SOT.

Exploration throughout the town is simple, thanks to a fast travel system, and what’s really cool is that for the first time, you get to see where locations from the show are in proximity to each other – like where do the boys live in relationship to one another, where is the school and just how close South Park is to Canada.

SP:SOT is a dream come true for fans of the show. You get to join an epic quest with the most well-known characters all while being treated to the music and humor that make South Park one of the most popular shows of all time. I’ve only played SP:SOT for a few hours so far but every minute so far has been incredible. Be on the lookout for my full review in the coming weeks.

(Image from Wikipedia.org)

Twitch Plays Pokemon - Organized chaos

To paraphrase an old saying, “An infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of typewriters will eventually produce Shakespeare.” Recently, this theory was put to the test but with a slight variation.

A few weeks ago, a stream went up on the website Twitch.tv – where people can stream video games being played for others to watch – called “Twitch Plays Pokemon” that allows viewers to control the game being played, rather than just watching. The catch is that every viewer can input a command which will then take place in the stream. Viewers came slowly at first but as word of the stream spread around the internet, its popularity exploded. As I write this now, there are over 28,000 people watching the stream (and was up over 30,000 as I continued to watch and write) and over 43 million people have viewed it in its lifetime.

It’s hard to say what makes “TPP” so popular. It could be the allure of something that’s never been done before – the same game being played by thousands of people. Or it could be the unpredictable nature of the stream, where items are collected and used willy-nilly and high level Pokemon are released to the wild for no apparent reason – even though it’s mostly just watching the main character (Red in Gen. 1; AJ in Gen. 2) walk around in circles due to the random inputs from the stream. The phrase “It was like a car wreck – I couldn’t look away” describes TPP with surprising accuracy.

It seems to me, though, that fan participation in creating lore and stories to explain the (mostly) random events of TPP is a big part of what keeps people watching and coming back to see what happens next.

Twitch Plays Pokemon Gen. 1

If you’ve been following TPP, you probably know all about the subreddit that keeps track of the action and current goals (http://www.reddit.com/r/twitchplayspokemon/) as well as several of the inside jokes/lore from Gen. 1 (the Helix Fossil, Bird Jesus and the PC/blood god) but if you haven’t allow me to try and explain.

As I said before, a lot of in-jokes and lore have sprung up around the events of TPP. The first stream of TPP followed the first generation Pokemon game, Pokemon Red. Red became the name of the trainer, since names of players and Pokemon in TPP are sometimes glossed over entirely, or names are replaced with a random string of letters as the stream tries in vain to produce something close to normal. (For instance, the Gen. 2 character’s name is technically “AJDNNW” but everyone mostly calls him AJ or AJ Downs.)

Twitch Plays Pokemon. Capped during the Gen. 2 civil war where a growing movement wanted Lazor Gator released

As the Gen. 1 game progressed, with viewers inputting seemingly random commands (sometimes there could be as much as a minute delay between your command showing up in the chat window and being carried out), somehow the inventory kept being accessed and the Helix Fossil, an early game item, kept trying to be used.

The joke eventually became that Red was so confused by the voices in his head, telling him to do so many things at once, that he would consult the Helix Fossil for guidance. As avid appreciation for the Helix grew, so did the disdain for its counterpart, the Dome Fossil. The Helix and Dome fossils in the game represent ancient, extinct Pokemon that can be brought back to life at a specific part of the game but the fossils themselves are otherwise useless. But to viewers, the Helix and the Dome became basically the Yin and Yang, the Alpha and Omega of TPP.

As the game progressed, it was decided that the constant and random nature of the inputs would counteract progress through the game. Eventually a “democracy” mode was implemented where over a period of 10-15 seconds, commands are tallied as votes and the top command is issued.

Somewhat surprisingly, democracy caused a massive rift in the viewers of TPP. Many felt that much had been achieved without it and that democracy was unnecessary and ruined the spontaneity of TPP, while others felt that democracy would ultimately help in completing the game. Eventually, followers of the Helix claimed that anarchy was the true way TPP should be played and branded democracy an evil construct of the Dome. Even today in Gen. 2, democracy is only implemented once an hour and usually, votes of “anarchy” end it before it even begins.

More stories and events sprouted up around the utterly random occurances of TPP. While there are many other stories that could be told, the story of Bird Jesus is one that makes for a nice segue between Gen. 1 and Gen. 2.

A fan rendering of the Helix Fossil and Bird Jesus

In Gen. 1, besides the Charmander that Red started with, most of his other Pokemon weren’t capable of doing much. That is, besides Pidgey, a lowly Pokemon who, somehow, against all odds, continued to improve throughout the chaos of TPP. He eventually evolved into his ultimate form, Pidgeot, and for time was practically the only worthwhile Pokemon that Red owned, winning many battles he should have lost, even throughout the chaos wrought by anarchy.

Over time, Pidgeot came to be nicknamed “Bird Jesus” by the viewers of TPP, believing him to be a prophet of the Helix, sent to the stream to guide Red through his hardships. He managed to survive being released by the PC and was even part of the team that helped Red beat the game.

The PC has its own following on TPP. In the game, the PC can be used to store extra Pokemon but can also be used to release Pokemon – deleting them from your inventory permanently, in other words. Over time, the PC has come to be regarded as a cold, uncaring god that demands sacrifices. Due to the random nature of TPP, several Pokemon in Gen. 1 and 2 have been lost because of the PC – but Bird Jesus always managed to survive.

While there are many other stories that came out of Gen. 1 (the first exodus, the Flareon divide, the trials of the ledge and Team Rocket HQ), the stream has since moved onto Gen. 2 and Pokemon Crystal, bringing with it its own stories and lore.

Twitch Plays Pokemon Gen. 2

So far, Pokemon Crystal has been streaming for (at the time of this writing), 3 days, 9 hours and 7 minutes – or 81 hours straight. A few gyms have been bested and some Pokemon have been caught but the magic that enveloped Gen. 1 somehow seems missing – and it seems to me it’s because people are trying to force these moments and stories in Gen. 2 that seemed to happen organically in Gen. 1.

One of the first instances of trying to recreate the past was Brian, the Pidgey. With the tales and exploits of Bird Jesus still fresh in the hive-mind of TPP, several Gen. 2 viewers were desperately trying in vain to elevate the new Pidgey to the heights of their former avian messiah. Thus, the new Pidgey was nicknamed “Brian,” a reference to the Monty Python movie “Life of Brian,” which was the story of a man mistaken for Jesus Christ. Eventually, Brian was deposited into the daycare (where Pokemon would level up without needing to battle) and the viewers turned their attention inward, to Totodile.

Totodile (or Lazor Gator, referring to the animation of the “Leer” attack, which looked like a laser) was the Pokemon that AJ started the game with, similar to Charmander in Gen. 1. In a weird turn of events, it seemed that many viewers would rather sabotage TPP than try to work with the madness to complete Pokemon Crystal. As Lazor Gator won battles and progressed, many viewers were actively trying to prevent him from evolving, entering the “b” command during battles to try and cancel his eventual evolution. After a long struggle, he was eventually evolved – through democracy – and reached his final form, Feraligtr, where he has proceeded to demolish most every Pokemon he fought.

But as the stream progressed, those who desired to see Lazor Gator held back diverted their efforts to other avenues. As I write this now, a civil war has begun brewing among the TPP ranks. A growing contingent of viewers/trolls have been desperately trying to sacrifice Lazor Gator to the PC, claiming he is “overpowered” and ruining the game. Nevermind the fact that if Gator was lost, TPP wouldn’t have Surf anymore (a move that allows you traverse water) or the fact that Gator could simply be stored and not an active part of the team. No, many out there want Lazor Gator released to the wild forever, never to be seen again.

For about two hours now, TPP has been stuck in-and-around a Pokemon Center in Cianwood City, flirting with the PC over and over again. Some Pokemon have been stored and others retrieved. None have been released today, and many are still grieving over the loss of Admiral (a Sentrat named ADiiiiihhh, nicknamed Admiral, who knew Cut) as the civil war brewing in AJ’s head to save or expel Lazor Gator has brought TPP to a veritable stand-still. With democracy starting in about 10 minutes, we’ll see if any progress can be made or if the PC will have the blood it demands. (Update – they never managed to release Lazor Gator, who has been re-nick-named General Gator, but later in the day, Togepi [aka Prince Omelette] and Wooper [aka Wooper Goldberg] were released.)

It’s hard to say what will happen next in TPP – which is precisely what makes it so appealing. You can never be too sure where AJ will go, what Pokemon will be captured or if the PC will ever have the blood of Lazor Gator. What’s certain, though, is it will be a hell of a fun time watching and finding out.

To check out the stream visit http://www.twitch.tv/twitchplayspokemon

To check out the Reddit page which keeps track of TPP (don’t forget to check out the Live Updates section) visit http://www.reddit.com/r/twitchplayspokemon/