Review: Infamous

Infamous Cover

Infamous, which was developed by Sucker Punch Productions, is an open-world action-adventure game that was released exclusive to the PlayStation 3 internationally in May and June in 2009.  This being the start of Sucker Punch's second big franchise, varied from Sly in many ways.  Infamous circles around Cole MacGrath, a bike courier who is given electric based super powers from an explosion from one of his deliveries.  This power allows him to chose whether he wants to be a hero or "infamous".  To be completely honest, this was one of my first PS3 games and my favorite game series overall, but I will try my best to not make this biased.  Now, onto the review.

Visuals                                         

Cole calling down lightning

In contrast to the very toon based Sly Cooper series, Sucker Punch took a very realistic approach to Infamous.  And what can I say?  It looks fantastic.  Everything looks simply amazing, having textures to match everything.  If you look clearly, you can see all the trash on the floor, every crack on the floor, every spark of electricity and every mark on anybody that passes.  The only time I saw something wrong was usually from the NPCs, but it being an open-world game makes you expect not character models will look great.  Empire city, the setting for this is one of this game's biggest assets.  Everything looks to refined and great.  The designers easily pulled off the post-apocalyptic look that Sucker Punch was going for.  Infamous also presents many of its story telling in a graphic novel/comic style.  As for these, they too look great.  It truly gives you the feeling that you are in some kind of superhero comic book. 

Music                                            

The music in this game was phenomenal.  The music was made to give the feeling of a destroyed world and it pulled it off quite nicely. Whether you are on top of a building hearing triumphant music, or deep down in a sewer hearing scrapes and metallic clanks, you easily felt you were truly there.  

Gameplay                                            

Cole shooting lightning while climbing

Infamous, being a game based around being a super hero or villain, gives you the ability to get around the city in an enormous variety of ways.  The most common is climbing up buildings.  Cole himself feels very floaty when he climbs, making his climbing feel very different from other games such as in Assassin's Creed games. This light weightlessness allows the climbing to get done faster and usually more efficiently.  Next is jumping.  Normally characters can jump, but Cole's floaty property allows him to jump a bit higher and farther than most games allow their characters.  If you think "well jumping is fine but its a little boring" then you will eventually find Cole's ability, static thrusters, which allow Cole to glide from building to building.  These, and many more forms of transportation allow you to get around this amazing city to do the main missions and side quests.

Cole's electricity changing from red to black from becoming
completely evil

As for the main mission, they will usually give you an objective, and often a karmic choice.  This is where the game will just blow your mind.  There are plenty of moments where Cole will simply stop to think about two choices he has.  The choices are usually based around if he wants to "take a dive", usually leading to him getting hurt, for the sake of others, or letting others take a hit so he will stay safe.  Choosing either will change how Cole looks and his powers look.  When you chose the "good" choices, Cole's electricity glows blue and he has a clean look to him.  But if you chose the "bad" choices, Cole's electricity will glow red, and Cole will appear dirtier and grittier.  This also shapes how the story line will go.  Although not by much, it is still worth mentioning.  For the side quests, Cole will be sent to do some menial task such as find a hidden package, escort prisoners, and defeat all enemies given.  With each side quest finished, another part of the districts of Empire City will become crime free and no longer have enemies inhabiting them.

Trish seeing Cole wake up from his coma

Next are the powers.  Cole will be given dozens of abilities with which, you are allowed to do with what you please.  Some simply shoot a spark of lightning.  Others will lob electric grenades.  You can even chose to heal injured civilians on the floor for good karma, or suck the life out of them for health.  Each can also be made better through a section in the main menu by using your XP you gain from defeating enemies and completing missions.  These upgrades can range from allowing your grenades to multiply on contact, to taking less damage, to even defeating and restraining enemies in a single attack.  Sucker Punch definitely gave players a full arsenal of weapons and upgrades to keep them busy.  

All 350 blast shards scatter throughout Empire City

Finally to end the game play section (which is running way too long) and the collectibles that I must mention.  In the three districts of Empire City, there are a whopping 350 blast shards.  The great thing about it, is that the creators gave you an initiative to collect as many as you can.  The more blast shards you collect, the more electricity you can hold to do more energy wasting attacks.  After finding and collecting 5 blast shards, you are given a blast core (unit of electricity you can hold).  Next you need 10, then 15, then 20.  This makes gathering these collectibles pass much faster,  And finally are the stunts.  Infamous gives you small objectives on how to take out enemies.  These provide even more XP for your power upgrades than just the usual kill but unfortunately these are you usually much harder.  An example is the stunt "blast and bolt" which requires you  to take out an enemy by launching an enemy in the air and defeating the airborne enemy with a basic bolt.  Although there are only 21, these become extremely difficult but just as rewarding.  And finally are the dead drops.  These are usually just chips found inside satellite dishes, on the roof tops.  The only good these do you, are by exposing another part of the story, outside of Cole's perspective.

Story                                                   

Zeke and Trish taking care of comatose Cole

The story in Infamous is amazing.  As previously stated, the protagonist, Cole MacGrath, was delivering a package.  During the delivery in the Historic District of Empire City, the package exploded and took out six block, leaving an unconscious Cole, alive in the middle of it.  As he awakes, he starts to discover his electrical powers, and makes it to his best friend, Zeke Dunbar's, house and goes into a coma.  In his state of comatose, Zeke and Cole's girlfriend, Trish Dailey, watch over him as the city goes to hell.  Thinking it was a terrorist strike, the government locks everybody into the city by blocking all bridges out.  With the city destroyed, the prisoners and criminals of the city come out and become the leaders of the city.  

Cole confronting a Conduit 

When Cole awakes, he tries to escape by either starting a riot at the secured bridges, or by plowing through the security with Zeke.  This plan fails and Cole is rescued by an FBI agent known as Moya who promises Cole freedom from the city with his friends, if he can find and rescue her husband, John White, who went missing while looking for the device in Cole's last package.  Inside the package was the Ray sphere, a device that kills everyone around it and gives superhuman abilities to the wielder.  With no other choices except waiting to be killed by the government, Cole follows Moya's instructions and finds the secrets to the Ray Sphere. 

Overview                              

Infamous is an amazing game with plenty to offer.  With all of its missions, side quests, upgrades and collectible, you have plenty to do in Empire City.  Unfortunately with such a great games, there are some downsides.  As expected, this immense city has plenty of glitches where Cole will either get stuck inbetween two objects of might fall out of the city.  They aren't too many but you will encounter them if you explore it in its entirety.  Next is that some of the power ups are actually missable.  If you are being good, and you decide to do an evil side quest, you will lock out the good exclusive powers out and not be able to get them without starting a different save file.  Although this is a huge let down, the powers aren't necessary, so there's nothing game breaking about it.  The final problem is about the collectible stunts and XP.  If you do all the side quests early, you can make all of Empire City crime free which leads you to a big problem.  With no enemies, there is no easy way to earn XP.  And with no enemies, it is almost impossible to do the stunts.  Although you will occasionally encounter enemies in crime free areas, they rarely appear and don't provide enough XP.  Nothing game breaking, but a big problem for those who don't see it coming.  Other than that, the game is phenomenal, and if you own a PS3 and don't have this game yet, go get it now!

I rate this game a 9.0 out of 10

Note: Sorry for the wait, still busy from school and work.  Will be starting my Infamous 2 review in honor of Infamous Second Son soon.  Til then, feel free to enjoy and previous reviews and don't be suprised by any other Retro Reviews coming up.  If you want me to review any particular game, please leave a comment or send me a quick email.  Til then, see you next time

Random Retro Review: Metroid NES

Title Screen

Welcome to Random Retro Reviews, where this time I will be doing Metroid for the NES.  The reason i am doing instead of my usual scheduled review is simply because, in between writing my reviews and playing my current game, I enjoy playing retro games, such as those on the Nintendo Virtual Console.  These will not be as long as my previous reviews and they will be posted randomly, as stated by the title.  Now let's get to the review.  Metroid was developed by Nintendo R&D1 and Intelligent Systems and was released in Japan in August 1986, North America in August 1987, and Europe in January 1988 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

Visuals                                                

Samus acquiring a missle upgrade

Metroid had very limited visuals.  Being on an 8-bit console gave it a restricted color palate, and limited ability to design.  Though I felt Samus Aran, the protagonist, had a strange walking sprite, I know it wasn't the developer's fault.  This also applied to the enemies, which some times just looked like a mess of pixels.   As for the environment, I can say that it was pretty good.  As I replayed through this classic, I could truly see what the developers were going for and I say they succeeded.  The area gave plenty of designs to the ground beneath you, the walls about you, and every pit of acid or lava you find.  This, though not much, could easily give you that feeling of exploration, and this along with the simple black background made for an amazing world to explore.  This gave the player just a sense of isolation, seeing nothing but the edges of the top and bottom of the screen.  This darkness made you feel like you are truly exploring a dark cavern.

Music                                                            

Samus Aran

The music was also mediocre but it definitely did the job.  The Brinstar theme (which plays in a majority of the game), in contrast to the feeling of the game, was generally adventurous, giving you a sense of power as you platformed from one edge of the map to the next, in search of power-ups.  As for other music such as the Norfair theme, it just gave an ambiance that easily fit the isolated feeling as well as a sense of danger.  Other themes such the item room music, simply seemed as though they did not fit.

Gameplay                                                     

Gameplay in Norfair

This is where the game got a lot more interesting.  It is a mix between a platformer and a shooter, very similar to Kid Icarus: Angel Land Story.  The biggest and most obvious difference was that Metroid was an open-world platformer, in which the world was enormous.  The platforming was usually a lot of vertical climbs, with few horizontal platforming.  While you explore the planet Zebes, you can explore almost the entire map, in which you will find power ups that will help you fight enemies and reach new areas.  Some of the power ups vary from a "Maru Mari" or morph ball, which allows Samus to curl up into an armored ball and roll under obstacles, the long beam which allows Samus to shoot beams across the entire screen, ice beam which freezes enemies, allowing you to use them as platforms, high jump boots which permit you to jump even higher distances, and many more power-ups.  Along with power-ups, you can find many useful items such as energy tanks, which give you 100 more units of energy, or health, and missile upgrades which allows Samus to carry 5 more missiles per upgrade.

Gameplay in Tourian

Story                   

The story of Metroid is completely absent in all of the gameplay.  The closest to having a story in the game is on the title screen after a few seconds of inactivity.  That doesn't mean Metroid doesn't have a story.  The story was presented in the instruction manual.  To avoid making this section excessively long, I will try to provide a quick synopsis.  The game takes place in 20X5, where some space pirates stole a life-form known simply as metroids to their headquarters to multiply them and destroy the galaxy.  The Galactic Federation, a congress of planets, sent Samus Aran, the most feared bounty hunter, to the planet Zebes to locate and destroy the metroids before it was too late.

Overview                                                     

Metroid was honest a great game and one with the biggest shocker for those who played it when it first came out.  Even in the instruction booklet, the secret that Samus Aran was a girl was kept secret until the end of the game.  Though it doesn't seem like it, it was one of the best kept secrets back in the day.  I know this is definitely not for everyone.  Many people instantly get turned off by the simplicity and the lack of instructions or any other driving force.  Those who have time and patience to explore Zebes in it's entirety will very much enjoy platforming, finding all the secret items, and even trying to unlock all the endings.  Metroid was one of the few games at the time that had multiple endings.  This did not affect the story in any way, simply the ending screen.  If the player beat the game in over 10 hours, Samus will be with her back turned.  If beat between 5-10 hours, Samus will look at you with her hand in the air.  If beat within 3-5 hour, Samus's female head is revealed to come out of her armor.  If beat within 1-3 hours, she would be in a leotard, showing her full female body.  And finally if beat in under an hour, Samus would be in a bikini, which truly made your teenagers in that time try very hard to get this challenge completed.

Samus Aran's final ending outfit

I rate this a 7.0 out of 10 

Review: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

Box Art

For the longest time, there have been many fighting games.  Very few have been in the genre of a single company exclusive fighting game.  The main that comes to mind is Super Smash Bros published  Nintendo.  If you know me, I am an extremely huge fan the SSB series, so I came to PlayStation All-Stars with very high expectations.  PSASBR has been rated good and bad by many different people all by comparing it to such a legendary series, but I believe that it is very different.  PSASBR currently has 22 playable characters and 14 playable arenas with even more downloadable players and stages in the near future.  This variety comes from many PlayStation exclusive games such as God of War, InFamous, Sly Cooper, Killzone, LittleBigPlanet, Uncharted, Twisted Metal, and many more from old such as PaRappa the Rapper to the new such as Devil May Cry.  There are few exceptions of the exclusivity, such as Big Daddy from the Bioshock series and Heihachi from the Tekken franchise.  This game also has similar to other fighters, multiple different attacks (approximately 24 different per character), a guard, a roll, and a few directional throws.  So let's get into reviewing PSASBR.

The original 20 playable characters and  their respective owners

Visuals                                                      

Spike confronting his rival

PSASBR was such a nice sight.  This game provided many different art styles varying on each franchise.  Some characters looked very realistic such as Kratos, from the God of War series, Dante, from the Devil May Cry series, and Nariko from Heavenly Sword.  Others had a much more cel-shaded design such as Sly Cooper and Kat from Gravity Rush.  Although each character has different designs, each was made to look as similar as possible from their original games.  SuperBot Entertainment did a phenomenal job at this.  Each was so specific to details that I was seriously impressed.  You could see everything, from the scars on Kratos, to the ridges on Radec's guns, even to the chest hairs of Sweet Tooth's chest.  Even the stages were beautifully done.  You could see the trash all over Alden's Tower, and every crack in the stones in Hades.

One of the few things done wrong with the visuals were from the story mode.  Although this game is on the PlayStation 3, which has very advanced software, PSASBR felt it necessary to replace any possible cutscenes, with still images and voice overs.  So instead of hearing a monologue from a fully animated character, you are stuck looking at a portrait.  The only exception is the "rival confrontation" where two characters are fully animated, but at the cost of the interesting background.  This only cutscene takes place in a dull blue crystal based background.  This was very lazy on SuperBot's part, but it wasn't too bad, just inconsiderate.

Music                                                        

PSASBR had some truly great music.  From the music at the main menu and onwards, you hear nothing but pumping music.  Each stage has music remixes based on the franchise to which the arena is inspired by.  Along with the stage music, the victory music for each character truly gave you a sense of accomplishment.  I wish I could beef up this section, but unfortunately, music doesn't play too much of a part of this game.  

Gameplay                                                 

Gameplay between Radec, Kratos, Sweet Tooth, and
Fat Princess at Sandover village

Finally we are at gameplay.  This game was truly fun, but this is no where near a perfect game.  As a big fan of the Smash Bros series, I have always been accustomed to a fighter without a life bar.  PSASBR is very similar in this department.  What separates it from Smash Bros is how the killing is done.  In PSASBR, each successful attack done on the enemy fills up a bar at the bottom of the screen under each respective player.  When enough attacks have landed, you can perform a Super attack.  Each character has 3 Super attacks from the level 1, level 2, and level 3, 3 being usually being the best.  Each Super attack, as well as regular attacks, are unique to each character.

Each normal and Super attack is based off the character in the game. A perfect example is how Kratos has an entire button dedicated to his Blades of Athena which do similar combos like in his own games.  The only real problem PSASBR has, is unfortunately the biggest part of the game.  The problem it has is balance.  Each character is good in their own way, but some are made way better than others.  Back to Kratos who uses his Blades of Athena at mid-range, has no competition again Heihachi who is almost completely close-ranged.  Another example is Radec who primarily uses guns, against PaRappa the rapper who is also a very close-ranged fighter.  Along with range is the ability to do combos.  Most known for his ability to do this is Raiden, from the Metal Gear series, who uses his mid-ranged katanas to continually slice at you, which once he starts, can only be endured until the combo ends and an escape route appears.  And even worse is that Raiden has an attack that will send him flying towards the enemies, allowing him to start his combos again.

An epic battle of blades between the new Dante and Raiden
on Sandover Village

Although being able to have combos to build up their meter is important, the ability to ensure a kill with a Super attack is just as important.  This also provides another problem.  Some character's Supers are unavoidable in the wrong hands.  Someone who shows this perfectly is Ratchet, from the Ratchet and Clank series.  Ratchet's level 1 Super seems to be a Gatling gun, which sends bullets flying in one direction for a very short range, but is continuous for several seconds.  This may seem like a perfectly fair attack, but pair with his throw is devastating.  Ratchet's throw is his vacuum gun from his series, which if you haven't guessed yet, pulls you into his gun.  In the time you are trapped in his  gun, he can run and spit you out.  Ratchet players have learned that if you throw an enemy into a corner and activate your level 1 Super from the right distance, the victim cannot escape in any way possible.

Gameplay between Spike, Radec, Sweet Tooth, and Sackboy at Time Station

Now I bet you might think I am just speaking from bad experience with other players.  Though I have been a victim to all the tactics just discussed, PSASBR is still a very fun game.  Honestly there is absolutely nothing good to get from the single player "arcade mode".  Even the final boss, who I will try not to ruin for those out there who haven't seen it, is very boring and seems unimaginative.  The only thing to be gained from the single player, besides trophies is experience and the knowledge of how attacks work. But the multiplayer is where this game truly shines.  I have found myself playing this game with friends online for hours at a time, even after I was awarded the platinum trophy for finishing everything in the game.  Unfortunately the multiplayer isn't as enjoyable after skill is gained.  This is mainly due to the fact that PSASBR loses its fun with competitive play.  But if you really enjoy this game, you can make it last for a long time.

Overview                                                 

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale has been such a great experience to play.  Unfortunately, those with little patience for fighting games should stay away.  For those who are willing to give this a try, do not expect this to be the Super Smash Bros. clone it has been put out to be.  This is an extremely unique fighter than some say is actually simpler than SSB.  I have had a blast playing this and hope anyone else who gives this game a try, will enjoy it too.

I rate this game a 7.5 out of 10







Notes:  Thank you for anyone and everyone who reads these reviews, and I hope you stick around for the next.  I have decided, in honor of the soon to be released "InFamous: Second Son", for the new PlayStation 4, I will review the 3 games from the franchise.  This includes nFamous, InFamous 2, and InFamous: Festival of Blood.  In between these review, feel free to send me an email or comment, if you want me to review any other game.  Til then, have a nice spring break and I will see you soon.