"inFAMOUS: Second Son" Review

Warning: This Review will contain spoilers for inFAMOUS 1 and 2

Back in 2009, Sucker Punch introduced us to a new franchise on the PlayStation 3. The game was called inFAMOUS and it was innovative for it's time. An open world game where you get electricity powers and can choose to use them for good or evil. It was awesome and it quickly gained popularity. It's now been five years since the release of the first game and the third installment in the franchise is here, with new powers, a new city and a new cast of characters, how well does this newcomer hold up to it's predecessors? Let's find out. 

inFAMOUS: Second Son follows the story of Delsin Rowe, a fun-loving delinquent who's older brother is a cop. The two of them, being of Native American heritage, live on a settlement outside of Seattle. For the most part, their life is peaceful aside from brotherly feuds. Until one day, a chance encounter with a runaway conduit changes everything. Delsin comes face to face with Augustine, a conduit hating tyrant who will use any means necessary to get what she wants, including leaving Delsin's entire village in painful disarray. Now, armed with smoke powers and a thirst for vengeance, Delsin travels with Reggie to Seattle to seek out Augustine and get her to right her wrongs.

Second Son borrows heavily from inFAMOUS 2 in terms of controls, gameplay, feel, AI interaction, and karma side quests, while also adding it's own unique twist and variety of extra gameplay elements. It also takes the elements introduced in the second game and improves upon them. For example, in Second Son you can completely eliminate enemy control of the district by completing all side quests, finding all blast shards, and then making a prank call to summon them to your location and take them all down with ease. It adds variety and replayability to the game, making for satisfying post-game content as well.

Another element introduced in inFAMOUS 2 and expanded upon in Second Son is having more than one power. While inFAMOUS 2 only gave you one extra power (fire or ice) depending on which karmic path you took, Second Son gives you a grand total of 4 powers and I won't spoil what the last two are, but smoke and neon were advertised and I must say, the neon power is amazing. Especially after it can be upgraded to have endless run, you can hold the circle button and run non-stop through the city like The Flash making travel between side quests much less of a chore. transitioning between powers is as simple as finding a source in the city and holding down the touch pad to drain from it. This way you can easily switch powers even during mid battle to heal yourself and unleash a flurry of differing attacks to keep your enemies on their toes.

While we're on the subject, let's talk upgrades. Second Son has by far the most painless upgrade system of all three games. While the previous games required you to earn experience points by defeating enemies and doing stunts, in Second Son you use blast shards to upgrade powers and the blast shards themselves are extremely easy to find. All of them show up on your map and are attached to these flying drones that you have to shoot down, or, once you destroy a DUP HQ at lest five blast shards will come flying out of it for your draining pleasure. There's also just enough blast shards in the game to fully upgrade every power, so it's very possible to fully upgrade your current power, then stock up on blast shards and when you get the next power you can immediately upgrade it.

Another thing Second Son does right is implementing the Dualshock 4's nifty features. For example, one of the many side quests in the game is spraying the sides of buildings with stencil art, or graffiti if you will. During this process you hold the controller sideways and shake it up like a spray can, then hold R2 and use the sixaxis motion controls to spray the wall. Other implementations include phone calls being heard through the dualshock 4's built-in speaker, swiping on the touch pad to open doors and the controller's light bar changing color and density to match your karma level. While some cynical people may consider these features to be gimmicks and poor justifications for features Sony implemented that they might consider unnecessary, I personally found them to be fun and impressive and felt like they added to the experience.

I held off on this review until after the game's major patch mainly because I wanted to talk a bit about photo mode. Photo Mode, which was added to the game via patch a few weeks after release, is essentially a freeze frame tool that lets you pause the action and then take a lovely screenshot using a multitude of tweaks such as changing the distance, adjusting the angle and even adding filters Instagram style. It's certainly one of the better additions to a game I've seen via patch.

One of the other cool features of Second Son involving content push via internet is a weekly series of side quests called Paper Trail. It revolves around you chasing down a mysterious Origami conduit between murder sites while finding clues. The most interesting part of this however, is the online connectivity it involves. If you link your PSN account with http://infamouspapertrail.com/ you can take a closer look at some of the clues you find as well as take quizzes and learn more about conduits and you can earn karma points that transfer into the game.

Now, I can't talk much about Second Son's story without spoiling anything, but I will say it was very enjoyable and I liked both the good and evil ending. The characters that you run into however seem kind of stereotypical for the specific roles they play in the game. All the good guys (that's assuming you're playing with good karma) are delinquents, misfits and outcasts who were bullied or wronged in life in some way and now they have powers with which to exact their revenge. It's almost as if Sucker Punch wants you to be evil, of course the name of the game "inFAMOUS" kind of gives that away. But player-driven choices are an element in games I'm particularly found of, especially when they give you reason to go back and play it again. However, unlike it's predecessors, Second Son's karmic system seems less on a scale of good vs evil and more like nice guy vs a-hole.

There are few things about Second Son that bother me, but they're there nonetheless. While the story is amazing and I found myself caring about the characters and what happens, especially during the second half of the game, I couldn't help but feel it was surprisingly short. I mean, the game is jam packed full of content but if one was to play from start to finish doing only story missions, it would take a few hours at most. Of course, the game makes up for this by making it difficult to succeed without upgrading powers first and by locking you out of specific story missions until you destroy the nearest DUP HQ. So, in a way, they force longer gameplay time. The other thing that bothered me is that if the good ending of inFAMOUS 2 is considered canonical, how are there still conduits? If I recall correctly, Cole's sacrifice was supposed to eliminate all conduits and effectively put a stop to this ridiculous war. Maybe there's something I'm missing.

Anyways, overall an amazing game, arguably the best PS4 exclusive right now with a few minor hiccups.

My rating: 8/10      

The Benefits of Gaming: Science Doesn’t Lie

For decades people have used the media as a scapegoat when it comes to finding reasons for misbehavior in teenagers and children. While it is true that some games (such as Grand Theft Auto V) exist solely for entertainment purposes and are extremely violent in content and nature, these types of games are not meant for people under seventeen anyways and most of the blame lies with the parents for blatantly ignoring the video game rating system (games rated M for mature should never be purchased for anyone under seventeen years of age). Yet, due to ignorance, misinformation and misconceptions, the video games themselves are unnecessarily demonized. The truth however is that, while not all video games necessarily fall under this category, many video games—including some of the more violent ones—can be and are beneficial in many differing ways.

            

One of the most popular genres of video games is the First Person Shooter (FPS). FPS games, as the name implies, present the player with a camera angle from the perception of the character they are controlling, thus creating a more realistic scenario. The player has more limited visibility compared to that of third-person games where the camera floats behind the character the player is controlling and they can see more around them. This requires the player’s cognitive reflexes to be utilized more often. FPS games require a more heightened level of alertness due to the limited field of vision. Players must be able to focus on their surroundings so as not to become an easy target for enemies that may be lurking nearby. The player can only really see what is in front of them and therefore has to use their peripheral to pay attention to events happening in other areas of the game. This leads to a higher spatial resolution in visual processing, a more accurate attention allocation and enhanced mental rotation abilities. Due to games like this, gamers are able to utilize their neural resources more efficiently, which basically means that their brains don’t have to work as hard at problem solving as those of non-gamers.

            

When it comes to video games, there’s no shortage of puzzles. It’s actually very commonplace in today’s video games for developers to place some kind of brain teasing dilemma in the player’s path. Even action oriented games such as God of War contain sections that require the player to overcome some form of mind bending obstacle using a complex mixture of levels, movable blocks, falling platforms, rotating blades, balance beams and more. While sometimes the puzzles can be as simple as a sliding puzzle or memory matching, often times they are more complex and require high levels of logic and/or math. Some games were designed specifically for cognitive reasons; as Daphne Bavelier and Richard J. Davidson note in their article Games to do you good:

Because gaming is clearly here to stay, some scientists are asking how to channel people’s love of screen time towards positive effects on the brain and behaviour [sic] by designing video games specifically intended to train particular aspects of behavior and brain function. One game, for example, aims to treat depression by introducing cognitive behavioural [sic] therapy while users fight off negative thoughts in a fantasy world. (Daphne Bavelier and Richard J. Davidson 425).

Many games will present the player with difficult puzzles during intense situations (such as with a time limit or while being shot at). This forces the player to use quick puzzle solving skills under pressure and can be very beneficial for when faced with equally tasking obstacles in real life situations. There are also many games where the core gameplay is mainly focused around puzzle solving. A lot of the “point and click” Nancy Drew type adventure games usual have a plot revolving around a crime or murder mystery that challenges plays with both puzzles and problem solving skills.

            

Believe it or not, video games can bring out our emotional side. Many games these days are well written and could very well be mistaken for an interactive movie at times. A lot of naysayers will attempt to sully this concept by insisting that showing emotion towards, or caring for a bunch of zeroes and ones is folly. However, this is far from the case. Video game developers hire writers with movie-script level writing expertise to ensure their games have stories that are deep, intriguing, complex and engaging, with characters that are memorable, interesting, easily to get emotionally attached to and feel almost real, not like they’re just some robot in a fantasy world. On this same note, a lot of developers have included in their games, a feature that leaves much of the story in the player’s hands. In certain games players are faced with situations where they must make a choice, and most of the time this is not an easy choice to make. They are often choices that are morally difficult and have extreme consequences one way or the other. While it’s highly unlikely that the player will ever be faced with a situation where they have to choose whether or not to let their close friend sacrifice themselves to save a whole species, these simulated experiences can help prepare players for difficult decision making situations when faced with them in real life by giving them experience with difficult decision making.

            

While it’s true that video games are almost always based entirely in fantasy, a lot of them use historically accurate people, places, and events within the fantasy. There’s a dash of non-fiction mixed in with the fiction. Take Assassin’s Creed for example. The main plot of the franchise is that you’re a man named Desmond Miles who has been kidnapped by this company named Abstergo. They force you into this machine known as the Animus which is basically an extremely advanced virtual reality machine that lets you relive the memories of your ancestors as if you were actually there. All of Desmond’s ancestors are assassins, a group of skilled and stealthy hit men whose sole purpose is to defeat the Templars and protect the freedoms of the innocent civilians. During the franchise you travel to varying time periods such as renascence Italy or colonial America and you meet famous historic figures such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Blackbeard, King Richard III and Cesare Borgia. In one of the games you take part in the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Bunker Hill. Other games have also had their fair share of historically accurate events. Medal of Honor, much like the movie Saving Private Ryan opens with the boats approaching the beach during the invasion of Normandy on June 6^th, 1944. Many of the Call of Duty games take place during World War II. This is not to say that gamers should gain all of their knowledge from video games, they are after all fiction. However, players can take away certain aspects of the history and education presented in these games and may even find that they learned something.

                  

On November 19^th, 2006 Nintendo released the Wii. It was an interesting concept for its time. Mainly because it was the first system to really push motion controls. A lot of people wanted nothing to do with it. The main purpose of video games is to help people unwind and no one was looking forward to coming home from a long day of work or school and flailing their arms about like an air traffic control man covered in spiders. Well, regardless of all the initial hate and skepticism, the Wii actually was very successful, and thus began a new era of exercise games and motion control peripherals. Nintendo started pushing out games like WiiFit and Sports Resort to help encourage kids to stand up and move around while playing video games in order to get exercise. Even games as simple as Zelda were better played while standing as the player had to swing their arm around to swing Link’s sword. Years down the road PlayStation introduced the PlayStation Move controller. It was essentially a much improved Wiimote with more accurate 1:1 tracking technology and 3D realistic movement. As another stab at Nintendo, PlayStation also released their own sports game and started making the Move compatible with other games such as High Velocity Bowling. Games like Just Dance soon followed and now PlayStation and Nintendo fans alike were getting off their rears and being active (at least, some of us were). Xbox soon followed suit and tried to one-up both competitors by releasing a motion control device without a controller. Thus, the Kinect was born. Nothing more than a simple multi-lens camera, the Kinect allowed players to control games with nothing more than movements and voice commands. Players would also be able to control their entire Xbox 360 and pretend they’re in Minority Report. Much like the other two, Kinect also received sports games, party games, and games and applications meant for exercise. “There is some evidence that people who regularly play active video games can improve different components of their fitness, particularly cardiovascular fitness.” (Mark, Rachel, and Ryan E. Rhodes 2). The stereotype that video games make kids fat and lazy can be safely squashed. There are plenty of ways to play video games and stay active, it’s all a matter of taking initiative.

            

There will never be a shortage of people quick to place the blame on inanimate objects every time something bad happens. The likes of FOX News and certain religious organizations will always find ways to take something good and attempt to make it look bad instead of focusing on the real issues. When a child acts out, or a student commits a school setting, TV, movies and video games are not the first things people should look at, rather they should be looking at factors such as mental health, upbringing, and environment. While it’s true that children are impressionable, at certain ages they should not have access to these things anyways. Twelve year old children should not be playing Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto. There are ratings and guidelines for a reason. A parent would not take their pre-teen to an R rated movie and therefore should not buy them an M rated game. The problem is not the video games themselves, as we’ve seen here they are more beneficial than anything, the problem is ignorance and lack of caring. Parents either don’t know what the ratings mean or do but don’t care because video games make a good babysitter for them. Video games are technology, and it’s amazing to see how far we have come since the days of Pong and Pac-Man. Rather than fearing the unknown, we should be embracing the progression of society and the things we are capable of creating. Many people, some young, some old, make a living off creating, playing, drawing, selling, marketing, and even talking about the wide array of entertainment known as video games. Sure, it’s not for everyone, but the people with a lack of interest in it should at the very least be supportive of those whom enjoy it and not pass harsh judgment for reasons that are clearly based on falsified information.     

Works Cited

Bavelier, Daphne, and Richard J. Davidson. "Brain Training: Games To Do You Good." Nature 494.7438 (2013): 425-426. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 May 2014.  

Mark, Rachel, and Ryan E. Rhodes. "Active Video Games: A Good Way To Exercise?." Wellspring 20.4 (2009): 1-4. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 May 2014.    

My Ex-SPHERO-ence with Sphero 2.0 (And Ellipsis 7)

Recently I had the pleasure of testing out Orbotix Sphero 2.0, a somewhat self-aware robotic orb that responds to commands given via an application downloaded to Android or iOS devices. I was able to test out this device using the the Verizon Ellipsis 7 Tablet. The Tablet itself, I feel is also worth mentioning, but as this article is mainly about Sphero, I will save that for post script. 

The device itself is pretty self explanatory. A semi-lightweight ball with a weighted motor inside and the ability to light up different colors. The device comes with a charging station, a quick start guide, and two ramps with which to perform jumps once you ca get Sphero up to high speeds. The orb is also built to withstand impact on hard surfaces. I was very pleased with the design and stability of the device. It was clearly built to withstand abuse. 

Setting up the device is simple enough. After downloading the main app for Sphero (there are a lot of different apps for Sphero, each one being a different game, but not all are by Orbotix) you simply activate bluetooth on your device and wake up Sphero by double tapping him, then Sphero and the device communicate with each other, and if done right, you should see your Sphero's name pop up on the device screen (mine was SPHERO-BOB). 

Once connected, the fun begins. From this point you are given the options of free play or leveling up. Free play lets you just freely drive Sphero around, holding the tablet sideways and using a plethora of touch controls. There's a directional pad that controls much like a joystick, a direction calibrator for when Sphero doesn't want to move in the right direction, a speed control, boost, and different tricks Sphero can do, such as dance, jump, and strobe.

In level up mode, you take Sphero through different missions to earn points and ultimately, level him up. These points can be redeemed for new tricks, increased speed, abilities, etc. that can be carried over to free play mode. The missions vary in type and difficult and consist of things like driving Sphero around at a certain speed for one minute, purposely running Sphero into things so he can get a feel for his environment, and searching for imaginary drop points so Sphero can pick up supplies. Some of these games were surprisingly difficult while others were overly simplistic. More often than not, however, there was a fair balance and nothing was so extreme one way or the other that it diluted any fun I had with the device. 

Overall I was pretty happy with my Sphero experience. The setup was easy and the controls were easy to learn, however a bit clunky at times. Often times Sphero would not go the direction I wanted him to, even after re-calibration. My nephew discovered that you can change the controls from touch to tilt. Meaning you can use the Tablet's built-in gyroscope to control Sphero simply by tilting the tablet in the corresponding direction. I found this to actually be easier than using the touch screen.

In conclusion, I had fun with Sphero. It's a nice little device, with a few minor hiccups, that you can spend hours driving around and playing mini-games. I will definitely be picking one of these up in the future. Perhaps I will even purchase two so I can have head-to-head battles with my friends. Oh yeah, it does that too.


p.s. The Ellipsis 7 tablet is one of the best I have ever used. It is fast and sleek. The picture quality is amazing, and the 4G speed was flawless and worked everywhere. The only downside was that the tablet had a designated section of memory reserved for apps, and that space was not sufficient. However, a firmware update added the option to move so much of the data from certain apps to the tablet space, thus freeing up storage space in the app section. Overall, amazing little tablet. It's petite size and lightweight stature makes it optimal for travel and storage without degrading the HD quality of  video programming. This is a great tablet for those on a budget.                

   

PlayStation Announced a Bunch of Indies Today, And Here They All Are

Skulls of the Shogun
Source
Spelunky
Chasm
Drifter
Jamestown Plus
Starwhal: Just the Tip
Nidhogg
Apotheon
Ironclad Tactics
Escape Goat 2
Axiom Verge


I will keep the list updated as more games are announced.

"South Park: The Stick of Truth" Review

As a long time fan of South Park, I was super excited when The Stick of Truth was announced. Here we are now, after three years of delays and THQ shutting down and the game has finally released; but was it worth the wait? 

The short answer is "absolutely!" The long answer is this review. 

South Park: The Stick of Truth is a turn-based RPG with open world exploration, character customization, and some hints of QTE (Quick Time Events). The story revolves around the New Kid (that's you) moving to South Park with his parents, in the hopes that this "quiet little mountain town" will bring them some peace. Ha! Not likely. It doesn't take long for Cartman to catch wind of the New Kid's arrival and send Butters to fetch him so that he may recruit him to his side of the imaginary war all the neighborhood kids are taking part in. The children all don their fantasy costumes from the Black Friday Trilogy and fight each other over control of the Stick of Truth (which is, of course, just a stick). It sounds simple enough, but from there things get complicated. The story becomes a convoluted mess, the likes of which only South Park can pull off, involving aliens, Taco Bell, the government and the power of farts.

Stick of Truth's gameplay is akin to that of more classic open-world RPG. You play as the "new kid" whom you customize in the tradition of games like Skyrim and Dragon Age, and who is lovingly dubbed "Douchebag" regardless of what name you give him. Once you have met with the grand wizard, chosen you character class (being Fighter, Mage, Thief or Jew) and been given a name, you finally set off for adventure!

 During the game you spend a major portion of time wandering around the town of South Park, communicating with the locals, completing side quests, making friends on what appears to be a Facebook knockoff, and engaging in battle with random NPCs.

During your travels you will see enemies ranging from other kids, to Mongolians to even aborted Nazi Zombie fetuses. Battles are engaged when either you or the enemy attacks. Attacking enemies on the field gives a slight advantage in the beginning of battle. From there the battles play out in a traditional turn-based manner. The player controls the New Kid and their current companion and chooses from a variety of options such as Attack, Abilities, Magic, Summon and Items. What separates this game from most traditional RPGs, however is that once an action is selected, a button prompt must be successfully executed during the battle animation to ensure maximum damage. If the player fails to hit the button at the right moment, then they do less damage, sometimes the lessened damage is so annoyingly insignificant that you might as well have not even attacked to begin with. Outside of regular attacks, there are special moves each character has that consume PP (power points). These attacks usually consist of buffs, de-buffs or area attacks. Of course, most of this is fueled by the children's imaginations so certain attacks are improvised. For example, Cartman is a wizard, but his elemental attacks are by no means magical. Fire is produced by farting on a lighter and electricity is triggered by the anti-cursing V-Chip that was installed in him. You can also summon certain characters you have earned by completing side quests, but they can only be used once a day and cannot be used in boss battles. A particularly annoying setback that is given no explanation or justification. It just is what it is.  

Douchebag's power attacks are entirely dependent on what class you chose for him in the beginning of the game. However, Douchebag possesses a special ability no one else does. The ability to control his farts. This is where magic comes in. In honor of South Park's never dying cesspool of juvenile comedy, all magic attacks are some varying form of flatulence, the most powerful of which is tastelessly, yet hilariously named "Nagasaki". The only complaint I have about the battle system, aside from the unneeded timed button presses, is that you can only have one companion at a time. This means your battles are always limited to two people on your team and anywhere from 1-10 people on the enemy team. this adds an unnecessary extra difficulty to the game and can often make perfecting strategy a bit tedious. This is especially the case in boss battles.

The menu screen in Stick of Truth is worth a review of it's own. No stone was left un-turned here. When you open the menu you're first greeted by a Facebook-esque social networking site and status updates from everyone you've made friends with in town. This itself is worth hours of time wasted just reading funny status updates from everyone in town. The menu is also where players can upgrade Doucebag's abilities, learn new skills and equip new weapons and armor.  

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone had a huge hand in making the game and it shows. Everything fans love about the show is alive and well in the game. In fact, the game is so much like the show there were times during cut scenes that I forgot I was even playing a game. If it wasn't for the uncensored cursing and excessive nudity, and of course the parts that actually look like a video game, you'd hardly be able to tell the difference. Being a video game, Stick of Truth gets away with a lot more than the show ever could, while still staying true to it's roots. The game itself appears to be canon and more or less a direct sequel to the Black Friday Trilogy. There's numerous references and continuities from past episodes of the show to support this theory. This is arguably one of the best games based off a licensed franchise to date (with the exception of maybe the Batman Arkham games). All the delays were clearly worth it because the game is polished, fun, enjoyable and well executed. A near perfect experience with some minor hiccups. While the main story may be relatively short, players can get lost for hours exploring South Park and the surrounding area (I won't spoil anything but I particularly enjoyed the Canada section for nostalgic reasons), and I highly suggest doing so because the only way to truly experience all the game has to offer and to meet every character there is to meet, you must frequently venture away from the main road and take the beaten path. Even with 10+ hours of gameplay I STILL haven't met every character and done everything there is to do. I'm looking forward to a second playthrough.


My Rating: 9/10             

  

Society Isn't Ready For Smart Movies

The more I think it, about the more I realize... Cabin in the Woods was ahead of it's time, and that's why it had an even mixture of likes and dislikes. Modern society just wasn't ready for this kind of tongue-in-cheek satire. Mainly because most of us are too stupid to understand it, and that's part of the problem. Someone needed to point out what was wrong with modern day horror films, and Joss Whedon did just that.

The problem was, it was too intelligent of a film for the feeble minds of today's common moviegoer to handle. They either didn't get it, or the claim to have gotten it but hated it for other reasons, most of them not even valid reasons. Everyone people disliked about it could be easily chalked up to something done bad on purpose to make fun of how utterly stupid horror films have gotten.

The movie is riddled with cliches to make fun of cliches, it's ironic and self aware. It's a bold, daring move more directors need to take. Joss Whedon even said it was his love-filled hate letter to modern horror. He feels the old ones are best and VERY FEW newer ones are actually any good. And I agree. I haven't seen a GOOD horror film in a LOOOOOOOONG time. I've seen ok ones, I've seen decent ones, but nothing worth rating higher than a 7 or 8. No 9s or 10s in years.

Next time someone decides to do an artistic masterpiece of a commentary on screen, HOPEFULLY we will have cognitively advanced enough by then to fully appreciate it. As of right now, society just lacks the intellectual perception needed to appreciate such genius.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Review

WARNING: This review will contain spoilers for Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2

I have always been a huge fan of the Final Fantasy franchise. Ever since playing Final Fantasy X as a teenage I was hooked on the series and now own every numbered title (and their prequels and sequels) to date, as well as a few spin-offs. I even enjoy the much despised Final Fantasy XIII, and I enjoyed it's sequel even more. But Lightning returns didn't quite grab me as much as the other two. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, because I did, just not as much. Let's find out why...

Lightning Returns takes place 500 years after the events of XIII-2, Lightning has awoken from her Crystal slumber is is no longer a Goddess, but instead is "The Saviour", a personal servant of "God" (or rather, the God in their world, Bhunivelze) who has recruited her to do his bidding. TIme has stopped for everyone and the end of the world is nigh, with only 13 days to spare, Lightning has to race against the clock to save as many souls as she can before the final bell tolls. All the while having nothing to go on but a promise from God himself that he will bring Serah back to life if Lightning fulfills her end of the bargain, and they can live together in peace in the new world he creates after the destruction of this one.

At it's core, Lightning Returns is more of Legend of Zelda type action-RPG than a traditional Final Fantasy. The game consists almost entirely of doing quests to earn Eradia to extend the time you have before the end of days. The main goal is to complete all 5 story quests before time runs out, but doing so is nigh impossible without doing a ton of side quests as well, as that is the only way to increase your stats. The problem with this is that the game isn't always very clear on exactly what you have to do next and it is very easy to get lost. On that same note, it's very easy for players to accidentally stumble upon enemies, or even bosses that they are far from ready to face at the time. If you have plans on playing this game, I highly suggest a strategy guide of some kind. Especially if you want to do everything possible before the days run out.

The story of Lightning Returns is somewhat of a hit an miss. While Square Enix has always been known for making games with convoluted plots, Lightning Returns really takes the cake here. While the main focus of the plot is essentially thus: gather souls, save Serah, watch the world die; the rest of the game seems to be littered in sub-plots revolving around Lightning meddling in the affairs of people too lazy to solve their own problems. The game does revisit old friends, few of which seem to be doing well, and expands on a small story for each of them as well, but as far as plot goes, these are the only times where the story really shines. Aside from that it's basically a repetitive cycle of fetch quests. Although, without spoiling anything, I will say that the ending finally gives some closure to a trilogy that seemed to go on forever.

Lightning Returns is the exact opposite of FFXIII in terms of linearity. The game is very open world with two big cities and two huge wilderness areas to explore. The gameplay consists mainly of running around looking for quests to complete in between story missions. These quests often times consist of gathering items, defeating monsters or taking part in some awkward disagreement between friends or loved ones. All the while you have Hope constantly calling you to discuss the events you literally just saw, or to remind you that it's almost 6am and you need to return to the Ark. That got old real quick.

But where LR truly shines is in it's battle system. Lightning is a one-woman-army this time around, with nothing but a set of schemata and varying weapons and abilities to keep her alive. While you do eventually get two party members throughout the story, they are restricted to one particular area and one of them leaves after completing a certain story mission anyways. Lightning is mostly on her own, but it's ok, she's prepared.

You can equip Lightning with different garbs that have varying effects on her stats, such as attack, magic, HP and whatnot. It's like a mixture of the dresspheres of Final Fantasy X-2 mixed with the Active Time Battle system of all other entries in the series. On each garb you can equip a weapon, shield, accessory, adornment (if you're feeling creative) and 4 different abilities, one for each of the buttons on the right side of the controller. Some garbs have abilities pre-loaded onto them and they cannot be removed. The essential idea for battles is that you perform attacks on the selected garb until your ATB bar runs out and then switch to a different garb, rinse and repeat. Now, this sounds ridiculous in theory, but it actually works quite well, and battles run very smoothly. After awhile you find that there is a certain strategy to be had and learning where and when to switch schematica is the key to winning. It's essentially a simpler version of the paradigm system from previous games.

One thing I thought was interesting was that you can cause monsters to go extinct if you kill enough of them. After they're all gone but one, that Last One, as their called, will show up as an all-pink, stronger version o his fallen brothers. Defeating the Last One of any species causes them to drop a rare item, which is often a weapon with ridiculously high stats.

As far as graphics go, I'm not usually one to weigh in on this, but I've always thought the previous games looked impressive given the PS3 and 360's limited hardware, and LR is no exception. the only complaint I have is that a lot of the time during conversations, NPCs will rudely just walk right into you and your conversation partner, causing them to pace in circles while talking to you.

Overall, I was happy with LR, but if I'm being honest, it's not a game for newcomers of the franchise, and probably not one for those who are hardcore nostalgic about the older games either. But I enjoyed it for what it was, it was nice to finally see the trilogy end, and especially on a good note.

My Rating: 7/10