Late to Infamous Second Son

I first played Infamous as a result of the free games Sony gave its customers after the PlayStation Network outage in 2011. I loved the idea of an ordinary man given extraordinary powers and the player deciding whether to use them for good or evil. Cole MacGrath’s electric powers were amazing, ranging from shooting bolts of electricity from his hand to grinding electric wires across the rooftops. Put that in an open-world setting and it gives the player a lot of room to have fun with Cole’s newfound powers.

Three years later, Sucker Punch has created a third installation in the series. Whereas Infamous and Infamous 2 centered on Cole and his adventures, Infamous Second Son takes on a new character, named Delsin Rowe with Seattle as the backdrop for his new powers. Delsin is a Native American living in the outskirts of Seattle. Known for his mischievous actions and graffiti paintings, Delsin is suddenly thrusted into the chaos when a truck full of Conduits – the name given to people who inherited powers like Cole – crashes in front of his reservation. By accidentally absorbing a Conduit’s powers, Delsin gains various fire powers and uses it to track down the escaped Conduits. In the process, he meets their captor, Brooke Augustine, another Conduit, who is in charge of the Department of Unified Protection, or D.U.P., a group created to eliminate the Conduit, or in their words Bio-Terrorist, threat even though some of them are not evil at all. After seeing Augustine’s power first-hand and the damage she has wrecked upon his reservation, Delsin decides to head to Seattle to take down the D.U.P. and Augustine.

I didn’t bother playing through all of Infamous 2 because it seemed so similar to the first game. The biggest difference being that it was in a new setting. However, Infamous Second Son seems to completely reinvent the series, not only with a new character and world, but a different power entirely – fire. Similar to Cole’s power structure, Delsin is able to throw fireballs, bombs, and have a fire jump attack that leaves an impressive crater on the ground. But there also a few differences that stand out. Unlike Cole’s ability to use his electric powers to grind on railroad tracks and wires, Delsin is able to warp small distances by disappearing and reappearing in wisps of fire. This is especially useful when he needs to go from street level to the top of building. He can easily use vents outside of buildings as an elevator of sorts to the rooftop. Delsin also uses a long chain as for close melee encounters. Combine that with his quick moves, and combat can become really fun. As Delsin finds more power shards throughout the city by destroying Conduit scanners set up by the D.U.P., he can gain access to more powers increasing his already-powerful arsenal.

YouTube/PlayStation

Combat in the Infamous series is still the same as ever, pitting the main character against an onslaught of enemies. It might seem easy with all of Delsin’s powers, but directly attacking fireballs and large explosions can only get the player so far. It doesn’t help either when 15 -2o soldiers are bearing down on him with a hail of gunfire. As cool as it is to blow up or smash everything to the ground, combat requires some tactics as well. Instead of directly approaching an enemy, Delsin can blow up a nearby explosive ammo crate or hide behind large walls to prevent taking damage. Sometimes retreat is the best option in order to find a new way to take out enemies. The benefit of having an open world is that there are multiple ways to complete objectives, and taking down a large pocket of enemies requires knowing when and where to attack.

Part of the entire Infamous experience is reclaiming the city through good or evil intentions. This can be done by either choosing missions that can help or hinder Delsin’s public image. This can include participating in a drug bust and spraying peaceful graffiti to increase his good karma, or attacking protestors and killing Seattle police officers to increase his evil karma. It’s up to the player to choose their tendency with either side giving unique powers to Delsin.

Even though Sucker Punch mostly stuck with the same formula in Second Son, they found a way to make it fun and interesting again. Seattle is a great backdrop to the game, providing a vibrant community that is looks similar to the real thing, but also has enough elements to transform it into the fictional setting that houses Delsin’s adventures. His new powers definitely provide a twist to the game by providing new variety to the Conduit character. I was a little hesitant at first to play Infamous Second Son, but now I have a hard time getting away from it to focus on more important things at the moment.

Late to The Room

I usually don’t play a lot of physical or digital puzzle games, usually because I’m not very good at them and I get easily frustrated when I can’t solve the problem. The last major puzzle I finished was six years ago when I spent three months solving a Rubik’s cube. To this day, I still know the pattern and never miss a chance to show off when I see it at a friend’s house. But a few weeks ago I tried my hand at another puzzle on my iPhone.

Fireproof Games’ The Room places the player in front of a mysterious box in an attic. A brief letter from an unknown acquaintance suggests that he only trusts you to solve the box’s puzzles, with the help of a special eyepiece, in an effort to discover his whereabouts. Through the eyepiece, an additional layer is revealed about the game, which seems to involve some supernatural force behind the scenes and it continues to grow stronger as the player dives deeper and deeper into the box. It all surrounds the four elements – earth, air, fire, and water – and the discovery of a fifth element – null – that could potentially unlock new, but also dangerous, discoveries.

The first I noticed when playing is the level of detail. Considering that the only thing seen on screen is the box, it makes sense that the details look great. The metallic parts have a certain shine to them and the wood looks worn down in places. It’s also worth noting that the sounds made from the box are also great. The various clicking and spinning give this feeling of a giant mechanism deep in the box’s core that controls the movements of each switch and lock.

Youtube/Winning Media HD

The puzzles themselves vary in function. Some involve using an artificial light to locate a certain switch, one requires a rotating piece to raise a separate panel, and another utilizes the eyepiece to locate a certain piece to actually start the chain of puzzles for a particular section. When looking at the size of each level of the box it’s really amazing to see the depth of each set especially for a mobile game, but it also presents some challenges. For someone with big hands like myself, zooming in on certain details is very useful, but my fingers still cover a lot of surface area on the screen which results in pressing areas that have no effect or even pressing a wrong button on accident. I also found it to be an easy experience overall and I rarely used the hints to find the next sequence.

Nevertheless The Room is still a very interesting take on a puzzle game. It take advantage of a touch screen to give the player the feeling of actually opening the box themselves and the overarching mystery was interesting enough to keep me going. It also helps that the game looks great and solving each level of the box is very satisfying. Fortunately, the sequel is already out, and I can’t wait to find out more about the box and the many secrets it holds.

Late to Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

The Metal Gear Solid series has a special place in my heart. When I was growing up in the Philippines my uncle, who was living in the U.S. at the time, bought my brother and I a PlayStation. After playing the demo disc for a while, I told my mother, who was going back to the U.S. for a few weeks, that one of the games I wanted was Metal Gear Solid. The gameplay was interesting to me at the time because I’ve never been introduced to stealth action before that game, and the idea of sneaking around and trying to get past guards was a really cool idea.

Fast forward to 2014 and I’m still a big fan of the series. In fact it’s been the reason why I’ve stuck with the PlayStation consoles for so long, even though the series is no longer exclusive to the PlayStation line, and every time a new game in the series comes out I’m always going to buy it.

This year marks the series first leap into the current-generation of consoles, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Hideo Kojima, the creator of the series has decided to split the Metal Gear Solid V saga into two parts, Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain, which we can expect in the next few years. Ground Zeroes serves as a prologue for The Phantom Pain, which is unusual for the series since they usually put out a single game instead of splitting it in two. The game takes place after the events of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, a game that came out in 2010 for the PlayStation Portable. Snake, also known as Big Boss (not be confused with Solid Snake, the main protagonist of past Metal Gear Solid games), must infiltrate the U.S. compound in Guantanamo Bay to rescue two of his comrades, Chico and Paz, just as a global nuclear inspection team is headed to investigate whether or not Snake’s headquarters, called Mother Base is housing nuclear weapons.

The series prides itself in its stealth tactics, and the Ground Zeroes seems to go back to the basics – something we haven’t seen since Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Gone is the wardrobe of camouflage available to Snake. He only uses one sneaking suit and has to rely purely on cover and the movement patterns of enemies in order to stay undetected. The large scale of the scale of the compound and what it contains warrants a high-level of security. Searchlights scan important part of the area and soldiers travel in groups. One mistake and the whole place goes into lockdown. It’s this type of stealth that got me interested in the series in the first place. In the past, the game relied on different fatigues to cloak Snake in the environment. It looked really interesting at the time, but it made the whole game a lot easier. Sneaking around in Ground Zeroes feels realistic and every moment was intense since I had to make sure that where I was going next wasn’t going to lead to swarm of guards rushing to kill me.

YouTube/outsidexbox

Some mechanics that have stayed throughout the series continue to survive in Ground Zeroes. Snake can still sneak behind enemies and interrogate them for information and most of his equipment is still procured on-site. As always, he can still talk to his fellow comrades back in Mother Base through his Codec, who give him advice on what to do next and unique conversations overheard between soldiers.

Two new features have also been included. Some are interesting and even funny while others made me concerned about the future direction of the series. Prisoners can be rescued and extracted via a helicopter which Snake can call by either the map or a smoke signal. When the helicopter comes into view, it plays music, the default choice is Wagner’s “Flight of the Valkyries,” an obvious reference to the famous scene in Apocalypse Now. However, players can change the music to whatever they choose. The music can also be a factor if the compound is on alert. It can easily give up Snake’s position and might have to abort the landing if it is under fire. Another addition is the quick reaction to being discovered. Once Snake is spotted for the first time, the game slows down and the player has the opportunity to either knock out the soldier with a tranquilizer gun or kill him before he yells for help. One can argue that Snake’s impress set of skills warrants this quick reaction, but I felt that it was placed there to ease newcomers into how the game works. Fortunately, it can be turned off in the game’s settings, but it’s strange that it’s placed in this game. In past games, once Snake was spotted, everyone was on alert and Snake had to find a way to get out of sight. This seems like a cushion from that consequence, and it shouldn’t be because it diminishes the importance of sneaking across the compound by giving players a second chance if they fail.

It’s also important to note that while most Metal Gear Games provide numerous hours of gameplay, the main story of Ground Zeroes can be completed in an hour or so. At first, I was shocked by this news, but after playing the game, I found that there are ways to keep people from playing another game. There are challenges and collectibles within the main story such as finding tiny patches with “XOF” on them or seeing from how far Snake can knock out an enemy. There are also mini-missions available providing a different pace than the main story. They include missions such as escorting an escaping captive via helicopter or sabotaging the compound’s multiple anti-aircraft to allow a bombing run over the site.

Even with all of these features, there is a bit of controversy surrounding the game. As Snake is listening through audio records to find out the location of the captors, one of the recordings implies that one of the characters was raped during interrogation. Even with all of the issues involving war and nuclear proliferation that encompasses the theme of the entire series, this is still a very important issue not only in the real world, but in the digital one as well. Some argue that it shouldn’t be in the game at all and that another avenue could have been taken to show the interrogation while others were not disturbed by it, saying that it was added to show the level of cruelty that might be given to prisoners in the real Guantanamo Bay. Either way, the issue is definitely something that should continue to be discussed not only among fans, but the entire community in general. It’s unfortunate that we live in a world where rape continues to occur, and everything must be done to ensure that it stops.In the end, it’s really up to the person whether this particular event stops them from playing the game. I won’t judge the person if they decide to play it or not, but either way, I think that it does need to be discussed. I still continued to play the game but that audio scene was a bit uncomfortable to listen to as I was playing.

Nevertheless, I still had fun playing the rest of the game. It’s interesting how they set up the events of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and it definitely keep fans and newcomers excited for what’s next. Ground Zeroes also marks a new turn in the series with Kiefer Sutherland, known for his role as Jack Bauer in 24, taking on the role of Snake, which was previously held by David Hayter, whose has risen to fame as a result of voicing the character since Metal Gear Solid. At first I was skeptical of Sutherland taking on an iconic character, but he did a great job sticking to the foundation of the voice created by Hayter, but also adding his own persona into the mix. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes marks a new chapter in so many ways, and after the credits rolled it only made me more excited for what comes next in the series.

Late to Killzone: Shadow Fall

When a new console hits the market, people usually take a look at the titles releasing at launch. This and other factors, such as the price of the console, can determine which new console someone might buy. Before the launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, there was a lot of talk about the lineup of games that would be available on the first day. The PlayStation 4 took a big hit when two of its initial titles, Driveclub and Watch_Dogs were delayed. The latter was supposed to be available for both platforms, but it was Driveclub‘s delay that made the lineup worse for Sony. Nevertheless, people still bought the PlayStation 4 because it was $100 cheaper than the Xbox One.

I got my PlayStation 4 as a present during the holidays, but I still wasn’t impressed with the games available at the time. I only had two games to play, which were available to me via the PlayStation Store since I was a PlayStation Plus member. This gave me a few free games that I would otherwise have to pay to play. One of the PlayStation 4’s highlighted games during launch was Guerilla Games’ Killzone: Shadow Fall, the latest in the Killzone series, so I decided to pick it up in January.

The Killzone series provides a really unique experience with its story. Unlike the “real-world” conflicts that exists in first-person shooter games, this is set far into the future, where humanity has colonized other planets and centers around two different factions. These two factions, one of which is called the Helghast, are a group of people who live in a toxic world and as a result rise up to become a militaristic state. They attack the Vektans on their homeworld, but are eventually pushed back. The Vektans then invade the Helghast world and end the current regime only t0 give rise to a more sinister character that tries to exploit the world’s dangerous resource, called Petrusite, and as a result destroys the Helghast homeworld. Killzone: Shadow Fall takes place years after this conflict. Helghan refugees now live on the Vektan homeworld and live in their own walled-off area, which is somewhat similar to the Berlin Wall. As peaceful as it may seem, there are forces at work that threaten the already thin truce between the Helghast and Vektans. It brings up certain themes that relate to the events of the present, such as the Israeli – Palestinian conflict as well as the idea that the sacrifice of a few can benefit the masses. It’s not exactly an original story, but it’s interesting to see it in another light.

YouTube/PlayStation

As expected, this game looks really good on the PlayStation 4. The large buildings, natural environment, and interiors all look very smooth. It’s really obvious that there is a huge jump is graphics power from the PlayStation 3 to PlayStation 4. Everything has a little more detail, which adds to the immersion experience. But despite the visual appeal, I found myself being a little bored as the game went on.

Killzone: Shadow Fall borrows a lot from its first-person shooter rivals, namely the Call of Duty and Battlefield games. Every level still feels like a thrill ride, forcing the player to push forward to trigger the next big sequence. Nothing was really surprising and it was pretty easy to figure out enemy tactics as they attempted to flank me. Certain things make the game unique, such as the use of a drone as a scout, secondary gunman, or shield, and the weapons are given a futuristic coat to differentiate from today’s weapons, but it’s not enough to make a big impression.

Since the ending of Killzone 3, I didn’t think the series warranted another installment, and when Killzone: Shadow Fall was announced, I wasn’t expecting anything amazing from the game. As good as it looks on the PlayStation 4, I don’t think it was the strongest title for launch. The new elements were not very impressive and the story fell off the rails at times, leaving me to question why I was going through it at certain points. Hopefully Guerilla Games has learned their lesson this time around and leave the Killzone franchise as it is and make a new project.

Late to Eve Online

I never understood the reason why people play MMO (massive multiplayer online) games. The amount of time and dedication needed for games like World of Warcraft was too much for me because I wanted to play a lot of different games, and playing an MMO would restrict that freedom. Nevertheless, I decided to try out an MMO with CCP’s Eve Online last year. After playing it for two months and then picking it up again a few weeks ago, I’ve decided that I just might stick to this MMO for a while.

Eve Online takes place in New Eden, a vast section of space that was discovered after humanity left Earth and found a portal to New Eden. The portal allowed the masses to discover new world for resources and colonization as well as quick access to Earth. Unfortunately, the portal collapsed and now the citizens of New Eden now have to fend for themselves without an anchor to Earth.

New Eden is huge. It’s filled with many different systems, each with its own group of celestial bodies and man-made structures. Traveling across a bunch of systems could take anywhere from 15 – 30 minutes depending on a ship’s warp power and speed. In addition, each system has its own security rating. “High-sec” corresponds to peaceful system that are policed by the game’s security AI. It’s a comfortable place for new players to get a feel for the game without easily getting blown to bits. “Low-sec” has less security and more freedom for the player. These locations have stronger enemies and some experienced players roam these areas looking for a fight or cargo ship to destroy for its valuable items. “Null-sec” is where Eve thrives. Anything goes in these systems and only the most experienced players dare to travel through these areas. Large scale battles like the one below show just how crazy Eve Online can be depending on your role.

YouTube/Rooksandkings 

Players, called capsuleers, fly different ships throughout New Eden. These can range from small freight ships to massive warships that can turn the tide of battle. The large variety of ships allow capsuleers to take on different roles. It’s hard to believe, but there are some people who actually just play Eve to carry cargo or mine minerals all day instead of shooting down other ships.

Whatever role you pick, there are many skills to learn, and learning them all could take days, weeks, or even months. It’s a way to keep players in for the long haul and to ensure that no one becomes too powerful in a short amount of days. But capsuleers don’t have to stay in the game all the time to learn the skills. Even after you log off, the skills are still being learned so it’s a good idea to plan ahead for future skills.

Games like Eve require a certain level of cooperation between players. In fact, joining a corporation, a group of other capsuleers, is a good way to get the most out of the game. Most corporations join other corporations in large scale battles, mining operations, and many other missions that can reap huge benefits. When I started playing Eve again I joined a corporation that helped out new players. There were no long-term commitments or roles that I had to play in the corporation. The purpose was to have fun and ask questions. Later on, I might join a more serious corporation with a fixed goal, but that could be months from now.

The reason I’m fascinated by Eve Online is because it prides itself as a true sandbox game. You can be anything you want in this game. It doesn’t have to be a space pilot with dreams of having the most powerful ship. You can specialize in manipulating the game’s stock market or be a spy between two warring factions. The possibilities are endless, but they do take time. There are always reports online of someone manipulating the game’s market or a huge battle going down between two groups. It can attract players to the game, but be prepared to spend a lot of time formulating the plan before executing it. Eve Online has a steep learning curve, but find the right people and join the right corporation and you could easily learn its many different aspects to become an experienced capsuleer.

Late to Warframe

I’m not very good at competitive multiplayer shooter games, so I tend to avoid them. I don’t have a quick enough reaction to take down other players which usually puts me on the lower end of the leaderboards at the end of each match. However, that recently changed thanks to games like Mass Effect 3, whose multiplayer was team-based and focused on taking down wave after wave of enemies thrown at the team by the game.

But it’s been hard to find multiplayer games that pit a group of players against AI. That all changed when I got a PlayStation 4 over the holidays and downloaded Warframe, developed by Digital Extremes.

Players take on the role of alien warriors called Tenno, who are just awakening from their long sleep to take back the solar system from various hostile races, with their biggest rivals, the Grineer, among them. To get the edge in combat, Tenno wear various types of armor, called Warframes that determine their role in combat. These range from being a simple foot soldier or being a large target for enemies with the Rhino Warframe.

The game uses many combat styles to suit everyone’s play style. Skill cards gained from battle are also used to upgrade the power of each weapon as well as unlocking special attacks. The most basic and popular style is using firearms. As each Tenno gains experience in battle, they can access stronger rifles and shotguns. Tenno also swords for close range combat and can be even more deadly with the use of skill cards. Even with a game relying heavily on science-fiction, there is still a little bit of magic incorporated to certain Warframes. These are great for those who prefer to keep a farther distance from the chaos and help with containing large groups of enemies with powerful magic attacks.

YouTube/Gamespot

Each of the major planets and moons in the solar system consists of a few levels with each one having a certain type of mission. It could be rescuing a hostage, sabotaging an enemy base or simply eliminating all enemies. The maximum number of four players per level might not seem fair against a large number of enemies, but it’s amazing to see what four Tenno can do when they work together.

The game also provides a a currency for the huge marketplace not only for purchasing weapons, armor, and accessories, but also to make them. Each level gives the player certain materials which can be used to make the weapons or armor. The more powerful the item, the harder the level. Warframe even has a premium currency called Platinum. Additional Platinum can be purchased with real money, but the real-world currency to Platinum ratio doesn’t justify spending any money on it.

Overall Warframe is a fun and great experience. Even with a random group of people, the mission can still be completed, but nothing beats having a group of friends fighting along with you. There are a lot of levels and planets to go through as well as major game events to encounter to keep fans and newcomers entertained for hours. I still don’t intend on giving a lot of time to online multiplayer shooters, but Warframe might just keep me hooked for a while.

Late to Persona 4 Golden

I don’t usually play Japanese RPGs, or JRPGs for short. It’s not that I dislike them, but rather that I find them strange. Fragments of everyday life in Japan mixed with each character’s unique powers to fight against the forces of evil, in whatever shape or form, just doesn’t appeal. All of that changed when I picked up Atlus’ Persona 4 Golden.

Persona 4 Golden is a remake of the PlayStation 2 game released in 2008 for the PlayStation Vita. Players take on the role of a male high school student who has recently moved to the town of Inaba to live with his uncle and younger cousin. Once there, he is immediately thrust into a series of murders that appear after a few rainy days. The murders seem to be foreshadowed on the Midnight Channel, which can be accessed seen on a television on a rainy evening at midnight. With the help of some new friends from school, the protagonist enters the world inside the TV and battles evil forces to stop the killings.

The game works around managing actions on a day-to-day basis. During the school year, the morning to early afternoon schedule is occupied with attending school. Certain stats can be improved at this time by correctly answering questions in class. After school, the player can enter the TV world to continue the fight, spend time with friends, shop for supplies and items, run errands, or go to work. In a way, it’s really interesting to see what people do in each day. Considering that players needs to prevent the next murder before the rain stops after a few days, it’s important to juggle relationships, work, and the main mission.

In a way, combat is similar to other RPGs, but it also has its unique elements. Players can input commands to attack, block, or use items for each character, similar to the Final Fantasy games. Each character also has the power of their Persona, a spiritual guardian that can be used for their powerful magic attacks. However, each one only has a limited number of abilities. Fortunately, the main character can have multiple Personas available that can cover a wide range of tasks. There is even an option to combine Personas to make a better Persona that could be the jack-of-all-trades in any situation. Considering the large number of Personas available, there is a lot of room to experiment.

While other non-combat activities may look they’re just there to waste time, they actually help combat in a small way. Taking the time to forge relationships with friends and acquaintances creates a social link. These links can are tied to the certain attributes of each Persona, allowing more powerful combinations. Certain social links with close friends can also create special attacks in battle, dealing more damage to enemies.

Having a part-time job is one way to keep the money flowing to buy weapons and items. Depending on the main character’s attributes and how they perform in certain situations, they become eligible for certain jobs. The higher the requirement, the higher the payment. The shifts vary depending on the job and don’t take up every day of the week, allowing the player to explore other things to do after school.

There are many things to do and learn in Persona 4 Golden to the point where it might be too intimidating for some people, but it should just be a minor setback. Once players get accustomed to the flow of everyday life in Inaba, it’s easy to figure out the best course of action, but it’s also important to experiment not only with combining Personas, but simple actions. If online, a push of a button on the screen shows that people choose different things to do every day. There isn’t one right choice, but rather multiple choices that affect combat, relationships, and overall progress. Compared to more traditional RPGs in the West, JRPGs stack many facets to the main story that allows players to branch out, giving them a chance to ignore the main story for a bit and just focus on the important part of any RPG – the role-playing.

Obviously, Persona 4 Golden isn’t indicative of JRPGs as a whole, but it serves as a good entry point into the area, for me at least. I have yet to finish the game, but at the same time, I don’t want it to end. Taking on different tasks every day in Inaba is pleasant and really embodies the open world and role-playing that I really crave in an RPG. Persona 4 Golden is certainly earning its way as one of my favorite games, and more players should give it a try. The intro below is pretty catchy enough to make me want to play it.

YouTube/AtlusUSA

Late to Antichamber

One of my favorite puzzle games is Portal. With its quirky humor and unique take on puzzle solving – thus the phrase, “Now you’re thinking with portals.” – the game renewed my interest in puzzle games. So it was no surprise that I was excited to play Alexander Bruce’s Antichamber, but I wasn’t expecting just how strange and difficult it would be.

From the very beginning, players must find their way out of the game’s elaborate maze. The path is broken down into various rooms, each with their own strange challenge. Fortunately, there are multiple paths that provide easier puzzles, but even those require an out-of-the-box mentality in order to solve them.

The game does very little to communicate with the player. Aside from the home room at the very beginning and the small posters littered throughout that gives advice on the puzzle (which could also be seen as advice on life), the player is pretty much on their own. This can be frustrating at time, but it’s also part of the fun. The big contrast of color in some parts, the simplicity of the environment art, and the strange phenomena in each area give off a strangeness that can be compared to books such as House of Leaves or movies like Inception.

At the moment, I don’t even know how far I am in the game or how much progress I’ve made. There’s also a countdown timer in the main room, which I didn’t notice before. However, I’m determined finish Antichamber. It’s the hardest puzzle game I’ve played to date and I can’t wait to see the credits roll.

Late to Uplink

For some time, some movies featured a computer-savvy character hacking into secure databases using long lines of code and fast fingers. The sequences looked really cool and while I may never hack in real life for fear of imprisonment, I can still pretend to be a professional hacker thanks to Introversion Software’s Uplink.

In Uplink the player is a newly hired hacker for a corporation and takes contracts to gain reputation and money. At some point, the player must make a crucial choice to join one of two rival corporations and decide the fate of the Internet. The game is pretty easy to learn, especially since a majority of the player’s actions are done with the mouse instead of the keyboard.

Obviously the harder the mission, the bigger the payout, which can be used for better hacking software or even a faster computer. These range from installing a program that tracks any traces on your activity, a faster processor, or just more memory to store bigger files. Overtime, these upgrades become less of a luxury and more of a necessity. Certain missions require a specific program in order to accomplish the given tasks so be sure to save up cash.

What might be the hardest part of the entire game is not leaving anything behind in hacked servers that could be traced back to the player’s original computer. Not only is this the hardest part, but it’s also essential to surviving. If discovered, the game ends and the player must start over. Fortunately, there are programs that can be used to mask or even completely remove the player’s activity from certain servers. Just looking at strategies on YouTube for that area alone brings up many ways to cover tracks and successfully complete the mission.

As far as playing games for the first time way after their release, this has to be one of the oldest that I’ve played. It’s amazing that a simple point-and-click game from 2001 is still praised and has a loyal fan base. Certain mods, such as changing the skin of the display or changing the sound of certain programs are still available to new players. Granted, the music and overall look of the game reflects the design of the late 1990s and early 2000s, but look past it and players can relive their own fantasy of being an expert hacker.

Late to The Swapper

In light of tonight’s Academy Awards, specifically Gravity, today’s Late to the Game focuses on The Swapper from Facepalm Games. It’s a space-based platforming game that’s highly reminiscent of the Portal games, because of the main game mechanic, and it translates well into this game.

Players must make their way through a space station in space as an unnamed astronaut. Something has happened on the station and as the astronaut moves from room to room, various nodes are accessed that tell the story of the events prior to the station’s evacuation.

The name of the game refers to the device used by the astronaut. The Swapper device is a cloning device with a limit of four clones. In addition, the player can switch between the clones and the original astronaut as the primary character. Of course, its abilities help the player with numerous puzzles littered throughout the station, in which the astronaut must retrieve a certain number of orbs to advance to other parts of the station. Numerous obstacles, mainly different colored lights that prohibit producing clones in a certain area or switching between the clones adds an extra challenge to each scenario.

But just like any puzzle-based game, the challenges get harder and harder as you progress through the game, making think outside the box on how to solve them. For example, a big drop to reach a ledge is a guaranteed death, but if the player switches to their clone as it falls, they can use it to create another clone that might survive because it didn’t fall as high as its counterpart. It took me a while to figure it out, but it was very satisfying and interesting to know that it works that way.

One thing that stayed with me after playing the game, was the issue of seeing your clones die. It’s especially strange when you switch between clones to solve puzzles that you don’t know who’s the real person anymore because the clones have been switched so many times that at a certain point you realize that the original character died early on in the game. It’s not necessarily something that would make any player stop playing at all, but I found myself thinking about that issue throughout the game.

Overall, I think The Swapper makes puzzle-solving games interesting again, especially considering that it’s a 2D-platforming title. The backdrop of a space station with a cloning device is a great way of putting a new twist on an old formula. The big thing that I have to commend is the overall feeling of each area. Whether it’s the greenhouse or a room full of loud machines, The Swapper does a great job of immersing the player into the environment, even if you have never been there.