REVIEW: Sunset Overdrive

Sunset Overdrive
Open World, Third Person Shooter
Xbox One

When Microsoft and Insomniac Games announced that they were bringing Sunset Overdrive to the next gen console, I was excited. I loved the Ratchet and Clank games and knowing that it was a sandbox shooter made me even more excited to see what they came up with as I knew it would be mental.

Sunset Overdrive starts out with you as an employee for FizzCo. During the release of their new beverage, Overcharge Delirium XT's release party the beverage begins to turn the drinkers into ODs or mutants. It is your job to survive the ODs while taking them on with a large assortment of weapons and abilities. For instance, you can grind rails or jump and climb up buildings. The game relies on what it calls Agile combat, what that means to you and I is that as you combat the horde of mutants you earn combos and abilities if you can chain your actions with various stunts and items found in the world.



Due to Sunset Overdrive's open world environment there are plenty of collectibles and events that you can try. One thing that I had a love/hate relationship with was the cooking of amps, which require you to protect the cooker as it attracts the ODs to the cooker and if you don't protect it you have to start over. The amps can be used to enhance your weapons. There are plenty of weapons to choose from and you have to be wary as you can run out of ammo if you aren't careful. Some of the weapons are ridiculous. For instance, there is the TNTeddy bear launcher, that launches explosive teddy bears or my favorite named Flaming Compensator.

While Sunset Overdrive has a lot going for it, I was quickly bored and felt that the hype for the game far outweighed my enjoyment. Sunset Overdrive is fun to play for a little while but the plot was quite thin and the game play was not as challenging as I felt it should be. I have to give it some praise as it is definitely a unique game but due to its shortcomings listed above I quickly found myself playing some of the other newly released titles.

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REVIEW: THE Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-man 2
3rd Person, Action-adventure, Open-world
iOS, Android, PS4, PS3, 360, XB1, Wii U, Windows

The game starts out with a flashback of Peter Parker leaving the store that has just been robbed and Peter refusing to help, leading to the death of his Uncle Ben.  Two years later, Peter is hunting for his Uncle's killer. As he closes in on the man who murdered his Uncle, he finds his body and the initials "CK" at the murder scene. "CK" stands for The Carnage Killer, it is up to Spider-man to bring the Carnage Killer to Justice. Along the way he meets up with many of Spider-man and Peter Parker's icon allies and enemies.

GAMEPLAY

Like all of the recent Spider-man games, The Amazing Spider-man 2 is a sandbox game where Spidey can webswing to his heart's content. As you swing around the city there are occasional events that you can either choose to ignore and lower your hero rating to menace or choose to help and raise your hero rating. This moral system looks good on paper but doesn't really matter in the end. As the game progresses I found myself forced to help stop petty crimes so that the drones don't attack me and slow my overall gameplay down.

The webswinging is attained by the left and right triggers. There is no single button allowing you to swing about the city. While many reviews found this to be a new twist on the game, it wasn't anything to really tout as great in my opinion. When you are tasked with saving an individual and are to bring them to the local hospital, you end up only using the right trigger as your left hand is busy holding on to the injured person. Many times I found myself getting into a rhythm only to crash face first into a building as I made a turn down a main street. The new webswinging is more gimmick than anything else.

Combat is a bit wonky. Spidey's moves are similar to the Arkham games; Spidey punches and kicks and when his spideysense goes off you have the option to dodge or counter-attack. As you upgrade Spidey's abilities his attacks become quicker and stronger. While it works, it doesn't work as well or as smoothly as Arkham. It also becomes very old quickly. After each altercation there is a short news break cutscene that slows down gameplay. The enemy AI is also extremely predictable.

There are also mini challenges found within the game; collecting comic book covers from rooftops and audio logs in an attempt to unlock various costumes from Spider-man's past. Each suit has its own abilities that can be leveled up the longer you wear it.

Another addition to the game is the ability to walk around town as Peter Parker. While playing as Peter you are in detective mode, searching for clues or interacting with Stan Lee and his comic book store in downtown New York. You also can return to Peter's home and change costumes or replay previous missions.



GRAPHICS

While an obvious improvement over the last generation, it is not a huge step forward. The frame rate seems much to low considering the speed of the new system and there were a significant amount of glitches during gameplay.

AUDIO

I can't really think of any issues with the audio. The voice acting was decent and the sound effects were on par with previous games and the movie.

VERDICT

The Amazing Spider-man 2 has a weak storyline and a lot of glitches that could have been avoided had the game not felt so rushed. The game could have been a lot better if they spent a little more time polishing up the final product. While swinging around town still holds a certain thrill, the game itself is a dud. As a huge fan of Ol' Webhead, this game was a huge letdown. Unless you are really desperate for a Spider-man game, I would advise against purchasing this one.

OVERALL 5/10

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REVIEW: Infamous Second Son

Infamous Second Son
Action-Adventure, Third-person
PS4

I have enjoyed the Infamous series since it first came out on the PS3. When the Playstation 4 was announced I was happy to see that the series was going to continue. Unfortunately, it was the only game I really wanted when the console was announced and that game alone wasn't enough for me to go out and pick the PS4 up on day one.

However, I recently picked up the PS4 console and it was an instant buy before all other games were considered. Second Son takes place in my hometown of Seattle. We have left Cole McGrath behind and are introduced to a young Native American from the Akomish tribe named Delsin Rowe, he is a bit of a troublemaker and a constant pain to his brother Reggie, the reservation's sheriff. As the government's DUP organization is transporting a few Conduits that are deemed bio-terrorists, when their vehicle crashes and they escape. Delsin and Reggie see the events unfold and go to offer their assistance. One of the Conduits attacks and in the melee Delsin's powers are unlocked. Delsin has the power to absorb other powers. The DUP's commander arrives on the scene and confronts Delsin who refuses to tell the truth as to what transpired and the reservation is encased in concrete using her powers. Some of the tribe members are injured and dying. Reggie and Delsin choose to go to Seattle to confront the DUP head and hope to restore their home town and save their townspeople by having Delsin learn the power to control concrete.

Gameplay

The game is a sandbox type game and you can tackle many of the challenges in any order you choose, although there are linear levels that you need to complete in order to advance the story.  I found myself removing the DUP checkpoints from downtown Seattle giving myself breathing room while I found all of the power ups before taking on the story.

The combat system is similar to the previous games, only the type of power has changed. Instead of electricity, Delsin starts out with smoke manipulation and soon learns to use Neon and finally Video and finally concrete. Through the course of the game, I found myself still enjoying the smoke power best but enjoyed all of them for each of their own uniqueness.

There are various types of enemies and the DUP soldiers are all able to manipulate concrete to one degree or another allowing for more challenging combat compared to the previous games. The soldiers can hit like a ton of bricks or use the concrete to launch into the air and create perches to gain an advantage and snipe Delsin from above.

The game still uses a morality aspect and as you advance into the game you gain a area clearing power that you can use when you fill up the good/evil meter. With each new power you learn a new area of effect power. If you choose to be good, the citizens will cheer you on and take your picture as you walk or run by. If you choose the evil path they make rude comments as you pass them by. During certain levels you will also have opportunities to make choices that will affect the game.

Whichever side you choose to play you should find yourself enjoying your powers and abilities. Which helps as the combat seems to be flawless as you glide from place to place and never seem to lose your bearings.



Graphics

Being that the game takes place in Seattle, there is a lot of rain featured in the game and it allows the neon found throughout the game to reflect off the pavement. Other than that the graphics are quite clear and obviously next generation (current gen?) but it is not that far removed from where the series left off on the PS3. While everything has been boosted and enhanced it isn't a major leap forward.

Audio

The audio is amazing. it sounds like you are in the streets of the northwest. My only complaint is that when you pick up fragments the controller dings. A ding that isn't subtle by any means. I found it was rather unnecessary and did nothing to enhance the game.

Verdict

Infamous Second Son is a worthy successor to the franchise but the quick campaign is a disappointment. The new powers are an improvement and fans of the previous games should find themselves on familiar ground. Newcomers won't be disappointed either as story is new and they won't get lost. It is a title worth picking up and giving it a play through.

Overall 7/10

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