InFamous 2 – PlayStation 3 Review

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Sucker Punch
Platform: PlayStation 3
Genre: Action
MSRP: $59.99
ESRB: T (Teen)
Release Date: June 7, 2011

Review By: Clarke L. Kent

Sucker Punch certainly gave us a wild ride with the super-powered Cole McGrath in the first Infamous game that made PlayStation 3 owners freely roaming a city that has just gone through a catastrophic even. It was such a success that nobody was really surprised when a sequel was announced and now the team gives us a new setting as McGarth’s story continues with Infamous 2 … a game that plays much like the first but trust me when I say that you won’t be complaining.

The original game’s story finds Cole facing off against the Beast that we learned about in the first game’s ending and the opening comic book-styled introduction that has our powered hero taking on said Beast only to lose and be forced to pull out of Empire City to the New Orleans-like New Marais to prepare himself once again. Along for the ride is her buddy Zeke and a new set of allies, two of which are connected to the morality choices that are back again and – unfortunately – handled nearly the same way as the first game. Notice I said “nearly” because there are just a few changes I will get to in a moment but don’t expect any epic changes to the story or character.

New Marais is a very visually stylish city compared to Empire City and parts of it will drive home the images we’ve seen of New Orleans during Katrina. We’re talking flooded areas that display the same devastation and desperation that came with the flooding. It also makes navigating through New Marais an interesting experience despite the fact that the map is about the same size as Empire City. You’ll still be able to follow the story missions anytime you like as well as well as take on Karma/Pedestrian missions and Dead Drops.

Thankfully, Cole begins the game with some powers and, even better, all your powers and power upgrades from the first game so you start off with enough abilities to get you through. Of course, there are new powers you’ll obtain in Infamous 2 that add to Cole’s already diverse list of powers. As I mentioned earlier, you also get morality choices that affect your Karma and that opens up different powers. Karma is linked to two new characters named Nix and Kuo … both ladies represent good and evil choices. Follow the path of evil and you’ll also get an extra set of missions. Unfortunately, the good/bad choices are still kind of lame although now – aside from the old Bio-Leech, Restrain or Heal option – there are other ways to obtain good-bad Karma such as the choice you can make with street performers you’ll find scattered throughout the city.

Cole also has a new weapon that comes in the form of a two-pronged baton that gives him a better edge in the melee combat department. The best part is that there are devastating combos you can pull off with the right tap of the button when the attack meter is full. You’ll need it too since New Marais is filled with an assortment of new enemies … human or monster. There are monsters this time around that will have Cole really stepping up the combat during the frequent skirmishes he’ll get into on missions or just roaming the streets.

In fact, this is one of the game’s continued weaknesses … the irregular number of battles the break out in-between missions. It’s still frustrating to have your exploration of the city interrupted by the enemy attacking you and even more annoying when you’re just about to grab that hard to reach Blast Shard when suddenly some monster attacks or a gunshot from your enemy has tumbling back down to the pavement. Oh yeah and don’t get me started on the camera that is still not your friend.

Still, despite these annoyances, the story-based missions are still a blast to play as are the side missions from the different sources around New Marais. Add Zeke and Bertrand to your allies you’ll find yourself once again taking care of business as well as reactivating generators to unlock various areas of the city. Best yet is the UGC (User Generated Content) creator tool that allows players to come up with their own missions whether it’s a simple fetch quests to a more intricate mission filled with an assortment of enemies and goals. You can even share your missions online much like the user-created levels in Little Big Planet.

The graphics still look excellent, although there are still a few graphical glitches here and there that – thankfully – won’t distract you from enjoying the great visual effects. New Marais is a visual treat and more so for anyone who has been to New Orleans. It’s a colorful and lively place that makes Empire City seem bland in comparison. I still love the comic book-styled cut scenes as well.

Then there’s the sound, that suffers a bit only because another voice actor is handling Cole. Other than that, the soundtrack and the great background noises bring the atmosphere and your surroundings to life and even more so if you’re playing the game with a great sound system.

Infamous 2 is an excellent sequel and, despite the fact that some things haven’t really changed from the first game, you will find yourself happy to be assuming the role of Cole once again. Add new powers, an interesting new setting and the UGC options and you have a game you really should not miss, PS3 owners. There’s definitely more than enough here to warrant a purchase right away.

GAME FRONTLINE RATING

Gameplay: 9.0
Graphics: 8.5
Sound: 8.5
Appeal: 9.0
Overall: 9.0

E3 2011 Impressions and Hangovers

E3 2011 was certainly a big show this year with many titles and surprising hardware on display. It was just a blast being able to see the Nintendo Wii U up close as well as getting to see the Sony PSP Vita. On top of that, we got a chance to see some amazing tiles such as the multiplayer portions of games like Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (with Kinect support), Gears of War 3 and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (Naughty Dog has stepped up multiplayer big time).

It’s difficult for us to pick an overall favorite seeing as there was more than enough big titles that have at least five things that make them amazing games. Whether it’s getting your hands really dirty as Lara Croft in Square Enix’ Tomb Raider game, slapping somebody around in THQ’s Saints Row: The Third or hailing the king in 2K Games’ Duke Nukem Forever. Then there’s Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 that will not fail to drop some jaws and Bethesda Softworks’ The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that already looks like it will set our consoles on fire thanks to its ambitious gameplay and open world.

Gearbox Software also invited us to see Brothers in Arms: Furious Four, which is not a direct sequel to the Matt Baker story but one that has four very unique soldiers pulling off a mission of outrageous feats to beat out the Nazis in a way that would make the Inglorious Basterds proud. There was also delicious German beer in this meeting room so I should say that by the end of the little demonstration our own Nick Valentino walked out of there a bit funny. I’m glad he wasn’t our ride home.

It was also good to see some other returning favorites in the lineup and that includes Hitman: Absolution, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and Mass Effect 3 (Sheppard is back and with Kinect voice support). Then there’s Batman: Arkham City that will also allow you to play as Catwoman (and no she won’t suck like EA’s awful Catwoman game). Finally, there’s Halo 4 with the return of Master Chief and damn is it good to see him back.

Capcom’s booth also had a number of surprises including two Resident Evil games (Resident Evil: Revelations and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City) and then Dead Rising 2: Off The Record with Frank West making his return. Then there’s Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater.

E3 2011 was a monumental success and unforgettable on all fronts thanks to all the titles and hardware coming our way this year and in 2012. There is certainly a lot to look forward to and we at Game Revolver will bring you all the news and reviews.

I mean, after we get over this massive hangover. Who would have thought that game developers party like crazy?

E3 2011 Report Extra: Game Journalist Getting Hit On

Natalie Romano was actually quite popular on the showroom floor to the point that she was hit on by a fellow gaming journalist from Italy no less! I was actually there when it happened, which gave me a Seinfeld-like flashback of that episode where some guy hit on Elaine right in front of Jerry. What if I had been her boyfriend? How rude!

Anyway, I took a picture of the very moment because her reaction to his really cheesy pick-up line classic. I never seen a girl want to end a conversation that quickly before. She tried her best to keep smiling.

His pick up line? “You fell from Heaven or something? You an angel with body of love.”

Our Natalie Romano - I know she's Italian but she hates cheese.

By the way, Natalie didn’t want me to post a picture of her so I thought I might blur it a little. Still, it was a funny moment.

E3 2011 Preview – Metro: Last Light

FIRST LOOK

Moscow is in ruins.

What was once an impressive city with recognizable landmarks is now an empty and shattered shell of its former self as the almost skeletal remains of vehicles are left in the middle of a street as if stuck in eternal traffic and buildings look like they’re about to crumble with the slightest touch. Some things have changed in the Soviet Union since the events seen in the brilliant first game, Metro 2033 but that doesn’t mean that things are better in Metro: Last Light.

As we saw from THQ’s demonstration of Last Light’s in-game action, we are back in the shoes of the first game’s hero, Artyom, and while things on the surface have improved (there are now some blue patches in the sky and much of the ice has finally melted) but the post-apocalyptic Russia has a new set of problems that come in the form of a civil war that involves a dangerous faction with very familiar values. It’s clear that Artyom has his work cut out for him as the savior of his people.

The game has certainly been rebuilt from the ground up and that just doesn’t include the visuals (that are actually quite impressive, by the way) but the gameplay mechanics as well. What we got to see was Artyom entering the sewers to infiltrate the enemy’s underground stronghold that is – naturally – dank, grimy and filled with cobwebs. Artyom even uses his lighter to burn away said cobwebs to scare off the spiders dangling from them.

Stealth is once again an option if you don’t want to alert every enemy in the area to come running and gunning for you and Artyom can quietly dispose of anyone in his way by quickly slitting their throat. Using your silenced pistol, you can take out a pesky light source or, say, shoot a kettle to call the attention of a nearby guard just so you can sneak up behind him and dispose of him.

Of course, you can just go in with guns blazing and the firefight that erupts is exhilarating as enemies go for cover and try to outflank you. The game makes it clear that everything that can be destroyed does as the bullets fly and tear away at cover, various objects in the nearby vicinity. When Artyom picked up a chain gun, the heat from it barrels caused some nearby cardboard boxes to light up on fire.

The demo shifted to a key moment when Artyom and a comrade attempt to assassinate the enemy leader in a room filled with enemies listening to a speech. Moving their way towards the speaker, the brilliant plan goes to hell when those on the platform point them out. Suddenly, an assassination mission turns into a mad dash for survival and Artyom and his companion fight their way to a subway cart with our hero taking gunning duties against pursuing enemy soldiers on the opposite tracks.

Finally, we are revealed a new kind of Dark One that is massive and fast that will surely be a challenge to bring down. From what we seen so far, Metro: Last Light is already looking to be a first-person shooter you do not want to miss.

Metro: Last Light has a release date of 2012 and will be available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii U.

E3 2011 Preview – The Darkness II

FIRST LOOK

It’s been a little over four years since 2K Games released The Darkness, a game based on the hit Top Cow Productions comic book series about a mafia hitman named Jackie Estacado who finds out, during his twenty-first birthday, that he has within him a powerful demon that is now awake. Needless to say, it is this demon that made the first-person shooter a most interesting action game so it’s definitely good news that 2K Games reveals what we can come to expect from The Darkness II.

The demo that was shown to us picks up two years after the events of the first game so now Jackie is now Don of the Estacado crime family after having eliminated his Uncle who took from him something far more precious than just Jackie’s life. Being the new head of la familia isn’t without its problems but what is weighing heavily on Jackie’s mind is a new kind of enemy calling itself the Brotherhood – an organization that was started a long time ago by a saint.

The Brotherhood’s leader, a man who will be familiar to those who follow the comic book, wants the power of The Darkness for himself in order to save humanity. Of course, to take the demon’s powers he would have to kill Jackie Estacado and this is where the demo takes us to an assault on Jackie in an abandoned amusement park. You see, the Brotherhood has armed thugs who attack knowing full well what to expect from Jackie’s Darkness abilities.

As we can see, the enemy AI not only has your foes ducking for cover but also trying to use the light as a weapon seeing as the Darkness is only useful in the cover of darkness. That means the enemy will throw flash bang grenades, flares and even weapons capable of blinding Jackie with light. The Brotherhood soldiers even sport armor and a few of the tougher ones uses an electrical whip to snatch your weapons away from you.

Thankfully, Jackie has new tricks up his sleeves because now Jackie can dual-wield weapons as well as the snake-like tendrils that can both be used as well. One tendril can wrap itself around an enemy while the other can tear the bad guy’s heart right out of his chest. You’ll gain points for collecting hearts like in the first game but also by skillful kills as well. These points are good for upgrading Jackie’s firepower as well as Darkness powers in any Talent Shrines you might find.

This brings us to the new Darkness powers such as Gun Channeling that can be used to give your firepower more of a kick and ammo relief. You can keep upgrading your powers to give you an even better edge in battle such as the ability to see your enemy through objects. This is but one of the many Darkness powers we can expect in the game.

Visually, the game takes on a different look than the first game to fit the comic book’s artwork, although I’m happy to report that it’s really not a bad look for the game and not a very drastic step away from the graphics of the original either. The Darklings still look downright creepy and comical.

We can come to expect the game sometime in 2011 for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 so we will keep you posted with more news about this fantastic-looking sequel.

E3 2011 Preview – Saints Row: The Third

 

FIRST LOOK

To us, the Saints Row games have always been considered Grand Theft Auto’s crazy younger brother. It’s Charlie Sheen to Rockstar’s Emilio Estevez. It’s the straight-up out-of-control guilty pleasure of free-roaming games that let’s you be as crazy and destructive as you want to be and it has a great sense of humor to boot.

So you can bet we are certainly excited about Saints Row: The Third, which takes all the things we love about first and superior sequel and pushes the envelope in new ways that go well beyond newly updated graphics that make everything look detailed and just plain awesome. We got to see the preview for the Xbox 360 and I have to say that it already looks amazing and outrageously insane.

The Saints Row gang is back and this time even more powerful and even popular as the Row finds themselves taking over the city of Steel Port. Of course, that won’t be easy with rival gangs in the area such as the Luchadores, a gang obviously influenced by Mexican pro wrestlers. Still, with the city wide open for the taking, you find yourself in the prime position to do a little street cleaning Saints Row-style. With various weapons at your disposal, as well as the ability to call in an air strike, causing mayhem in the streets is still a blast.

From what we seen from the in-game demonstration, The Third still relies heavily on its brilliant and twisted sense of humor. The character (the game allows you to create your character anyway you see fit) runs amok in Steel Port and from what we saw you can practically unleash a number of moves on pedestrians such as head slams, kicks to the groin and you can even slap people around with a big purple dildo! Oh yeah, we did say that the game’s sense of humor is brilliant and twisted.

We are told you can design your character to suit your tastes so whether you like to play as a hulking fat man or a sexy femme fatale. You can also dress your character up by entering a shop or you can even run in the buff (a slider will allow how much nudity you’ll get to see).

The character also has a most unusual way of stealing cars and that’s by jumping into it Dukes of Hazzard-style as you peel out and take the insanity to the streets on a completely new level. Since the Saints are popular, people will even cheer you on as you perform tricks such as doing a donut or just peeling out. There are a number of vehicles, one of which is a van that sports the face of a familiar Saints Row lieutenant from past Saints Row games. Then there’s a harrier jet complete with hover mode and heat-seeking missiles.

In fact, you’ll find many returning characters from Saints Row 2 including Shandi and Johnny as we witness in the demonstration of a mission from the game. The mission has these two characters, along with your character and a new member as the Saints rob a bank owned by a rival gang since all the bank tellers seem to be strapping heat … including the old lady behind the counter. Suddenly, the bank turns into a bloodbath as the Saints try to make off with the bank vault itself.

This is just a small taste of what we can expect from The Third and, from the looks of it already, this is looking to be one of THQ’s biggest and best Saints Row game yet.

We can expect the game to be release on November 15, 2011.

E3 2011 Report: Nintendo Reveals the Nintendo Wii U

Just as it was expected, there was a long line in the huge space reserved for Nintendo and the reason – aside from some great new titles from the house that Mario built – is that Nintendo was showing off the successor to the Nintendo Wii.

The Nintendo Wii U was finally shown to the crowds and we actually got to touch it. Well, our own Clarke Kent did as you can see from this picture and we ask Nintendo for forgiveness since I was witness to Clarke drooling on it! This really is a drool-worthy new platform.

What we saw was the pad itself with its controllers and screen as well as the console in action as it displayed graphics that are right up there with the Xbox 360. One game we saw on display was Aliens: Colonial Marines and it looked really good.

Check out the Nintendo Wii Remote next to it.

We’ll bring you more on this new console sans the drool this time.

E3 2011 Preview – Aliens: Colonial Maries

FIRST LOOK

You know things are off to a good start when Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software, says that Aliens: Colonial Maries will be a true sequel to James Cameron’s “Aliens” film.

“We’ve been borrowing from ‘Aliens’ for a long time now,” Pitchford says as he mentions the Facehugger-like creatures from the Half Life games. “So we thought it would be about time to finally do an Aliens game that is true to the Cameron film as well as nod to the Ridley Scott film. We even have 20th Century Fox onboard.”

“IT’S GAME OVER, MAN! GAME OVER!”

What Pitchford means as a “true sequel” is that Colonial Marines – a first-person shooter – will take place after the events seen in “Aliens” so we will know what happened to fan favorite characters like Hudson when a new group of Marines are sent to the familiar stomping grounds of LV-426, the teraforming colony that Ellen Ripley, Corporal Hicks, Newt and Bishop escaped from in the movie.

We got to see the game in action as we are introduced, briefly, to the situation that has a group of hardened Marines fighting a new horde of alien xenomorphs that managed to survive the blast. You’ll find the recognizable hallways, communications room and laboratory straight out of the movie and it’s actually thrilling to find it in an even more frightening than it was when Ripley and her Marine escort searched through it.

“LET ME INTRODUCE A FRIEND OF MINE.”

The Marines will be packing the same firepower from the movie as well as you’ll find yourself armed with the same machine gun with grenade launching capabilities as well as a number of other weapons that include shotguns and even a flamethrower. You’ll be able to place a gun turret ala the deleted scene from the movie so you can have extra firepower take down a swarm coming down a hallway. Even the motion tracker from the film is among your equipment so you’ll hear the familiar sound it makes when it detects movement.

In the live demonstration we got to see, we witnesses the Marines in action as they suddenly found themselves surrounded by a swarm. As Marines mow down the creatures, their acidic blood sprays and even limbs fly. We even see what they look like up close if one manages to get the drop on you. It’s quite a sight to see the creatures crawling out of vents from below and above as well as watch them crawl across the walls with their tails failing.

In the middle of all of this, we also get a peek at a new species of alien, one that seems to bulldoze anything in its path at a fast pace. Since its head is thicker and its skin a lot tougher, bringing it down by using small arms isn’t a very good idea.

Pitchford also made it loud and clear that Colonial Marines supports co-op play so you can have four-players taking up the role of other Marines to lend a hand during the campaign. Your friends can drop in and out of the game at any point as well.

Aliens: Colonial Marines will be available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC and the new Nintendo Wii U. Pitchford didn’t get into the specifics but he promises that the Nintendo Wii U version will bring new gameplay mechanics that make good use of the new platform’s capabilities.

This game has a release date of Spring 2012.

Monthly Editorial (June 2011): Pre-E3 Report

It’s June in Los Angeles as the days are sunnier, grills firing up, cold beer running down the gullet of my alcoholic neighbor and the LA Convention Center will be home to the Electronic Entertainment Expo … or, as it is better known, E3. You can certainly bet that we at Game Revolver will be attending and bringing you news from the showroom floor.

There’s a lot to see this year as Nintendo plans to unveil their Project Café secret weapon and both Sony and Microsoft have their own surprises up their sleeves. Oh yeah, then there’s the games that will make their debut during the show and so far the lineup is making our mouths water. Trust me, when that happens we look way too creepy to be out in public but who can blame us when there are some big names on our list.

So, gathering the troops before we leave for the convention center, I thought I’d get the crew’s opinion of what they’re really looking forward to at E3 2011. Here’s what they said:

Angelina Sandoval – This is my first E3 so I’m just excited to find myself being there after hearing so much about it. I bought new sneakers because they tell me your feet will bleed by the end of the day. So I’ll be the girl who will be jogging down the halls like a loon.

Nick Valentino – True story, mates. Our Editor-in-Chief is blind as an Australian bat in the near dark. So, last year’s E3, I entered the dark corners of 2K Games’ rooms with him and he cried out saying he couldn’t see so I had to guide him by holding his hand. When we finally entered the lighted corridors where the screening rooms werre, people around us gave us a strange look and some smart ass said: “Hey, no holding hands in the screening room!” I look forward to more embarrassing moments like that.

Jerry Zacarias – Seeing as this if my first E3, I am looking forward just to be there among fellow gaming journalists and game developers ready to show me what they got. Ok, my wife left the room. I’m just here to see all the booth babes. Oh E3 booth babes, you might not have anything to do with the games but seeing you there pretending you like a plethora of gaming dorks like us taking your picture is enough to make me love you all the more deeply.

Natalie Romano – Project Café is what I’m really looking forward to seeing up close and personal. I still remember waiting in a very long line just to see the Nintendo 3DS last year so I know Nintendo won’t disappoint. Well, here’s to waiting in another long line.

Clarke Kent – I’m am looking forward to seeing anything Activision has to offer, especially Halo 4 since seeing the trailer with none other than Master Chief “awakening.” I can’t get enough Master Chief. I think I might actually be having an addiction problem.

Valentina Del Toro – I’m still waiting for Bible Adventures from three E3’s ago because – true story – the people showing this game off knew they had a disaster of Biblical proportions (pun intended) and looked embarrassed when they were showing it to me. Other than that, I look forward to see which game developer is hunky. I mean, the guys have the hot booth babes so what do we girls get? It’s not fair right? So, I’ll be scoping out which game maker is hot and let you gaming ladies know.