The Last of Us Review

     The Last of Us is a post apocalyptic, survival-horror, 3^rd person game exclusive to the PlayStation 3 made by Naughty Dog, who are known for their very popular “Indiana Jones treasure-hunting style series”, Uncharted.  It follows two survivors of the outbreak, Joel and Ellie. You play as Joel.  The two of them must survive in a world that is full of death, despair, and chaos.  The beginning of the game completely blindsides you.  I won’t ruin it for anybody who hasn’t played the game yet.  The beginning of the game is so well done, when the blindside happened, I literally shed tears.  I will discuss the story, the characters, the troubles you face along the way, the multiplayer, the graphics and the overall look of the game in this review.

     After the game’s prologue, the game fast-forward’s twenty years into the future.  Joel is surviving with his partner, Tess.  Not much is known about Tess, only that she and Joel have been working together for quite some time.  The two of them are trying to acquire a stash of weapons, when they find out they were sold to a resistance group called “The Fireflies.”  Joel and Tess make a deal with the leader of the Fireflies that they will smuggle something across the city, in exchange for the weapons.  The thing they are smuggling however turns out to be 14 year old girl, Ellie.

     Ellie at first doesn’t fit in with Joel and Tess that well, but as the game progresses she develops strong bonds with both of them.  Joel has grown to care less because he knows it will hurt if he does, but he still has a little bit of heart.  Ellie is also tough to begin with, but Joel’s little bit of heart rubs off on her and she begins to care for Joel.  Ellie doesn’t know much about the world, because she was born into the horror it is in the game.  She is always asking Joel questions, trying to learn more about the world and what happened.  While playing the game, the characters truly influenced me.  Everything that happened made me feel for them.  Speaking of the characters, their voice actors in this game are phenomenal.  Troy Baker, the voice of Joel, is known for his work in Batman: Arkham Origins, Injustice: Gods Among Us, and BioShock Infinite.  Baker is pretty young and he was able to voice a tough, macho guy very impressively.  Ellie, voiced by Ashley Johnson, is most known for her role in the TV show, The Killing.  I don’t know how she did it, but she made me actually believe that Ellie was being voiced by a 14-15 year old.  The voice acting in this game is absolutely stunning.

     The enemies in the game are almost completely fearless and relentless.  They pose very real threats to Joel, Ellie, and Tess.  You will come across humans that will do anything to survive.  Those wanting to hurt you feels so real because of how the new and dangerous world they are in has affected them.  The regular people aren’t even the worst of it. On your journey, you will come across people who have been infected by the “cordyceps fungus” virus (the virus that started it all), people who won’t let anyone or anything stand in their way.

     There are 4 types of infected: Runners, Stalkers, Clickers, and Bloaters.  Runners are the closest version of the infected to human and if you get too close, they will immediately charge you, usually in packs.  Stalkers hide in the environment and strike when you are close.  Clickers have no eyesight, but they use their hearing to find you.  Clickers are quite fast when they notice you, they also kill in one move and if you screw up while trying to kill them, you are dead.  Bloaters are the people who have been infected for the longest.  Their bodies are “bloated” and they move at a moderately fast speed.  The thing that makes them so deadly is the fact that they are very, very hard to kill.  Bloaters also kill in one move.  Your enemies in the game are not to be messed with; you must tread carefully when encountering them.

     Other characters/allies you meet along the way don’t feel so basic.  You really feel for them and understand what they are going through.  Whenever Ellie was in danger in the game, I felt myself freaking out not knowing what to do, practically frozen like a deer in headlights and I had to act fast.  I have to admit, I screamed a couple of times, worrying that something very bad would happen.  The game really just throws everything at you.  It doesn’t hold back, which is what makes it feel so real.  Countless times, I remember myself opening doors in a crouched position with my flashlight off using “listen mode", an ability you have in the game that helps you really identify your surroundings, so sure that an infected would just come out of nowhere and attack me.

     Lastly, the multiplayer.  Going into it, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it’s not bad, not great either though.  It brings many of the same elements, if not all of them, over from the campaign, and does it quite well.  There are two multiplayer modes, “Supply Raid” and “Survivors.”  In Supply Raid, your objective is to collect as many supplies as you can to insure the health and safety of your clan.  In Survivors, your objective is to basically just eliminate everyone in your path, but there are no respawns, making it much tougher to survive.

     The Last of Us’ graphics are absolutely worthy of a next gen console.  Seriously, this game could be on PS4, *HINT HINT*.  The scenery of the game is magnificent and it feels like I am watching a documentary on National Geographic.  You play through the different seasons during the game too.  The detail put into the characters is unprecedented.  You can see every hair on the characters’ heads, even Joel’s beard, every wrinkle in the shirts and pants, and every emotion conveyed through the characters’ eyes.

     With all this being said, The Last of Us is the best game that I have ever played and I enjoyed it all the way through.  The only thing that bothered me, and it’s really not even a big deal, was that the A.I. (Automatic Intelligence) in the game was a little off at certain times.  It would disrupt me from the world of the game.  Examples would be Ellie, or Tess, standing in my way, not letting me get through, characters not following my lead right away, or an enemy, (only happened once) repeatedly walking into a wall.  The Last of Us is a breathtaking and absolutely stunning game that will be remembered in the gaming industry for generations to come.  Naughty Dog, you have done it again!  I rate the game a 10 out of 10.

PlayStation Vita Review

PlayStation Vita Review

·         http://us.playstation.com/psvita/systems/ps-vita-wifi.html

·         http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/02/13/sony-playstation-vita-review

·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Vita

·         http://thekingofhate.com/forums/Thread-Sony-Announces-PlayStation-Vita-Sales

·              The PlayStation Vita was released in Japan on December 17^th, 2011.  The system was then released in Europe, Singapore, South America, and North America on February 22^nd, 2012 and in Australia on February 23^rd, 2012.  The specs of the Vita are quite impressive.  It has an ARM Cortex – A9 (4 core) CPU and a SGX543MP4+ GPU so you do not need to worry about the Vita running smoothly or not because it runs as smooth as butter.  The Vita also has a 5 inch multi-touch OLED screen.  On the back of the handheld is a rear,  multi-touch pad and on the front, the screen is also multi-touch.  The only downside to having a touch screen on any device is fingerprints!  So when you buy a Vita, make sure you invest in a screen cleaner or a screen protector. 

     The handheld also has a front and rear camera and can-obviously- take pictures, but also record video in a resolution of about 360p.  The Vita also a built in GPS system, WI-FI, and Bluetooth, too!  The GPS does not guide you anywhere like an actual GPS.  But, it does show people who are playing their Vita’s within a certain radius and what games they are playing when you have your WI-FI and GPS services turned on.  This is a promising feature, but falters when not everyone around you has a PlayStation Vita.  The Vita also has 3G mobile network connectivity, but on a separate model.  There are two basic models, the WI-FI only and the WIFI/3G model.  The WI-FI only model will cost you about $249.99, while the WI-FI/3G model will only cost you $50 bucks more.

     Another nice feature is that the Vita has a built in microphone and the addition of parties where you can chat live like on the Xbox 360.  However, you should not get your hopes up for video chat because the Vita does not have that ability.  But, it really is not necessary anyway because of all this handheld’s great features.  The Vita also has a six-axis motion sensing system for any time you may need to rotate the handheld to play a game.  But, the main reason anyone would buy a Vita is because of the games.  The Vita’s PlayStation store has digital titles available the same as the PS3.  It even has titles from PS1, PS2, and the PSP which is a great addition to say the least.  Also, “handheld” is an appropriate title for this type of console.  Imagine Games Network said, “The design is sleek and well constructed, I’ll be it larger and heftier than both its predecessor and the 3DS” (IGN).  But, they also said that, “But even with the added size, the Vita is still pocketable” (IGN). 

     But, enough about the size of the handheld.  Let’s talk about the games for the Vita.  Some titles available for the Vita now are Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, and Wipeout 2048.  These three titles look absolutely gorgeous on the Vita’s 5 inch OLED screen even with your brightness turned down.  Uncharted looks almost very similar to Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, the first game.  Gravity Rush also looks beautiful on the Vita and let’s you use the handheld’s six-axis motion system.  For anyone who feels that this may be a total “pain in the @**”, you can, luckily, turn it off.

     The PlayStation Vita had sold over 1.2 million units since its release in the U.S. and is continuing to do quite decent with its sales.  Andrew House, the President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, had this to say about the sales, “PS Vita was designed to deliver the ultimate portable entertainment experience, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the reaction we’re seeing from consumers and the pace at which PS Vita is selling” (House).  This amazing handheld is just rocking it in every way.  Hopefully, there will be many other awesome things to come for the Vita.  The PS Vita has revolutionized handheld/portable gaming in a whole new way and there is probably more to come to make it even better! I rate the console an 8.8 out of 10.

Indiana Stone: The Brave and The Boulder Review By: Dan Papa

“Indiana Stone: The Brave and The Boulder”

Mobile App Review

     Have you ever wanted to play as the enemy in an endless runner game?  Well now you can!  Indiana Stone: The Brave and The Boulder is a tilt and tap endless runner for Apple and Android Devices.  The objective of the game is to catch Indiana Jones as the boulder and smash him, while saving the golden idol that Jones stole.  The game has four different modes; Story Mode, Challenge Mode, Quick roll, and Endless Mode.   Each mode offers tons of replayability and fun.  You can also unlock different “skins” for the boulder such as a drum, an eyeball, a barrel, or even a disco ball!  You play in different locations like Egypt, China, Indiana, and Persia.

     The game’s art style is also quite impressive.  In most ways, the graphics of the game remind me of Mindcraft.   The music of the game doesn’t have lyrics but it is very catchy and makes you hum and shake your head along to it while playing the game.  There is also a power-up in the game called “POW” which basically allows you, the player/boulder to gain a super speed boost and ultimately catch up to Jones.   “POW” is charged through hitting enemies.  The enemies in the game actually resemble things from the Indiana Jones movies such as Indians, a snake, a bat, swinging axes, and pillars you have to dodge and jump over.  Other obstacles include spiky spinning pillars that go up and down and spinning saw blades.

     The game’s wonderful art style and concept are what really make it quite a gem of an app.  Indiana Stone is a beautiful 9 bit styled endless runner that deserves to be in an app museum.  This game expresses hilarity, endless running, and one of the best film series of all time.  This game just oozes with replayability too.  Going back to the modes; challenge mode is used to unlock new types of boulders mostly while other boulders can be unlocked by beating story mode on a certain difficulty, etc.  The games story mode is quite short and only took me about 15-20 minutes to complete.  While it was short and some of the different locations felt kind of repetitive, I still thoroughly enjoyed the game.  I rate the game an 8.5 out of 10.

Injustice Gods Among Us Review By: Dan Papa

Injustice Gods Among Us

Review

     Injustice Gods Among Us is a 2D/3D super hero fighting game made by NetherRealm Studios and directed by Ed Boon.  The game features 24 playable characters, as well as 4 additional DLC characters which will all be released by the end of August 2013.  So far, two DLC characters have already been released.  Those two characters are “Lobo” and “Batgirl.”  All 24 regular characters in Injustice Gods Among Us are Aquaman, Ares, Bane, Batman, Black Adam, Catwoman, Cyborg, Deathstroke, Doomsday, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, Hawkgirl, Joker, Killer Frost, Lex Luthor, Nightwing, Raven, Shazam, Sinestro, Solomon Grundy, Superman, and Wonder Woman.  The game features 15 DC authentic maps with some favorites like the Hall Of Justice, Arkham Asylum from the Batman Arkham Game series, Wayne Manor, The Batcave, The Fortress of Solitude, and Metropolis.

     Injustice has a story and multiplayer mode.  Story mode took me about 5 hours to beat.  You don’t get to walk around; you just play through 12 chapters as some of the characters in the game. Although, the game’s story mode was quite short, it was deep and enthralling with plot twists and unbelievable events.  Multiplayer is a huge step up from NetherRealm Studio’s previous game, Mortal Kombat (2011).  Almost all lag was eradicated, and matches could be found a lot easier.  Also, there were new additions to multiplayer, including rooms that could be created for specific types of players, and “player cards” and background portraits, kind of like from Call of Duty.

     An added bonus to the game was the fact that many of the original voice actors of the characters in the game were back voicing the characters.  Some great ones included Kevin Conroy (Batman) and George Newbern (Superman, Justice League).  Although, Mark Hamill (The Joker) was nowhere to be found, but the voice actor for The Joker in Injustice, Richard Epcar was pretty good.  The original voices added that awesome nostalgic feeling bringing me back to my childhood with my favorite superheroes and supervillains.  NetherRealm Studios really went the extra mile to make Injustice Gods Among Us feel authentic to everyone.

     The characters in the game obviously each have their own unique abilities, but each character has a super move that is charged by their meter throughout the match based on the attacks you land or whenever your opponent lands an attack on you.  The meter fills faster when an opponent lands an attack on you.  The meter bar can also be used to add more hits, etc. to a certain attack.  There is also a “clash” in the match where both characters run at each other using a decided portion of their meters and whoever uses the most meter and wins the clash, gets a reward like extra health for themselves or extra damage done to their opponent.  Back to super moves; each character has a “super move” that is triggered by the two back trigger buttons on the XBOX or PS3 controller.  An example of a super move would be when Batman throws a smoke bomb at you, tasers you, knees you in the chin, throws an explosive batarang at your face, then does a back flip over the Batmobile as it comes out of nowhere and runs you over.  Many of the super moves are absolutely ridiculous, but they are what add more awesomeness to the game.  For instance, an extremely ridiculous one would be Aquaman’s; where he summons the most anatomically incorrect shark ever to eat you out of nowhere.  Character’s attacks differ with light, medium, heavy, combo, and advanced attacks.

     Going back to the maps; they all have interactive objects and separate parts of arenas in them.  An example would be in the Metropolis map where smaller characters can either blow up a car, or bigger characters can pick it up and literally throw it at their opponent.  Also by hitting back and x/a at the same time on either the XBOX or PS3 controller near a certain edge of the map in the game you can hit your opponent into a completely different area of the map.  Of course if you don’t want these abilities in the match, you may turn them off.  Some of the area transitions in the game are just glorious!  I won’t spoil anything, but you can get launched off a catapult and crash through a statue on the island of Themyscira, oops.  Another awesome thing about Injustice Gods Among Us, is alternate costumes for the game’s characters.  An example would be Batman, with various skins including, Batman Beyond, FlashPoint, and Arkham Asylum.  Some of the skins are even free, but the skin packs you have to pay for cost $2.99. Each DLC character individually costs $4.99.  An awesome skin pack example would be a classic Teen Titans one containing costumes for Cyborg, Deathstroke, and Raven.  The alternate costumes in the game allow you to play as different versions of your character, some even from your childhood, which is awesome!

     I do have a couple of gripes with the game though.  There is a mobile game for Injustice, but unfortunately it is only for Apple devices.  That isn’t even the worst part though.  The mobile game allows you to unlock awesome alternate costumes for the console game when you complete certain challenges.  This is a bummer because not all people own Apple devices, many people have Android devices and it has been said by Android owners that they are quite disappointed in this poor decision, because they cannot enjoy certain alternate costumes.  Another complaint about the game is the fact that there are some amazing DC characters missing from the game.  A few fan favorites missing would include Static Shock, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman (even though the game does have Hawkgirl), Blue Beetle, Darkseid, Robin, Beastboy, and Starfire, but Ed Boon stated, “I certainly don't think I can safely say that it's four and only four.” With all that being said, Injustice Gods Among Us is an amazing fighter game with only a couple small gripes.  I rate the game a 9 out of 10.