Infamous: Second Son (PlayStation 4)

It’s been seven years since the Beast came to New Marias.  Cole McGrath’s story of heroism — or tyranny, depending on your choices — has ended and his efforts have saved the world. The price for this salvation came at the expense of the Conduits; superpowered humans now pushed toward extinction status in the fallout of New Marias.  Still fearful and reeling from the destruction wrought by the Beast and Cole’s battle, our government has labeled all surviving Conduits as bioterrorists.

Second Son takes the series to the real world city of Seattle, Washington where players will don the role of Delsin Rowe, a twenty-four year old whose innate powers as a Conduit are triggered by an incident related to these so-called “bioterrorists.”  Delsin’s specialty, however, isn’t of the electrical variety but instead stem from his ability to control smoke.  For fans who felt like an unstoppable thunder god playing as Cole, harnessing smoke may seem like a few rungs below awesome on the power ladder.  But Delsin, who also wields chain-like melee weapon Belmont-style, is promised to have a more robust and intriguing arsenal than what’s been revealed, some tapping into powers beyond the manipulation of smoke.

He’ll need it since just being a Conduit is the same as having a big, bright target painted on the back of his head.  Your central antagonist, the Big Brother-like DUP (Department of United Protection), wants Delsin bad and aren’t too particular on whether that means riddled with holes or not.  Luckily, being a superpowered demigod means you’ll at least make for a hard target.

Second Son is one of the first attention robbing blockbusters the PlayStation 4 owns.  Supposedly a launch title for Sony’s latest and sleekest, developer Sucker Punch has yet to peg it down with an official date.  My hope against hopes?  This bad boy dropping on launch day.  That’d be mighty fine.  Mighty fine, indeed.

Shots from C2E2 2013.  Special thanks to everyone who visited the Glitch booth and allowed me to snap pics with my shitty camera; you’re all heroes (except Scarecrow and Bane…you’re villains).

Batman: Arkham Origins (PC/PS3/X360/Wii U - October 25th, 2013)

Not seeing the Rocksteady logo anywhere near this title has left many skeptical, but maybe their blessing over the prequel will quell some concerns?  No?  We’re in the same boat, old chum, but what WB Montreal has planned for the Gotham’s protector sounds too interesting to dismiss this early.

Turning back the clock on his career, Origins focuses on an unrefined, mildly brash Batman who hasn’t quite mastered all the skills necessary for Dark Knighthood.  It’s Christmas Eve and a who’s who of DC villains are gunning after Bats courtesy of Black Mask.  Spanning both Old Gotham (years before its conversion into a prison colony) and New Gotham, Batman traverses a world twice that of Arkham City attempting to learn why he’s been marked for death.

Playing off of the city’s reticence of having a masked maniac soaring over their rooftops on the nightly, Batman can win the people’s trust by completing side quests like shortening Gotham’s Most Wanted list of villains and stopping “Crime in Progress” events such as saving a snitch from certain pavement-y doom or helping a GCPD squad fend off armed thugs.  Batman’s notoriety, and the city’s perception of him, changes after every act of good grace.

Even more than his superheroism, though, the narrative and gameplay revolve around Batman the Detective.  Scanning the environments with detective vision, just as in the first two games, returns, but Batman can now also review clues and play out crime simulations from within his Batcave, piecing together evidence as he finds it.  And there will be no shortage of clues as Old Gotham is riddled with cases for players to solve.

Fans will be pleased to know what they love about the Arkham series won’t change in the third installment: the heavily polished free-flow combat remains nearly untouched and stealth is practically the same, though WB Montreal promises new tactics and moves will be available with unique enemy types to unleash them on.  The new “Dark Knight System,” which prompts players with stealth and combat challenges that increase in difficulty, also looks to cut your teeth like never before.

I really do like what I hear and word of Rocksteady’s helpful guidance over gameplay mechanics and some other aspects, though minimal, is encouraging.  The Arkham games really have raised the bar not just for comic adaptations but for any game daring to enter the action-adventure genre.  I don’t believe for a moment Rocksteady’s work on Batman can be topped — extremely tough act to follow — but I’d sure as hell like to see Origins come close.

The Last of Us (PS3) - May 7th

There’s just something magical about a dilapidated, crumbling apart post-apocalyptic landscape because the setting almost always makes for some extremely beautiful gaming environments. 

Naughty Dog’s next big game may have been quiet for a little while, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hiding just around the corner waiting to snatch you up (and, my, it’s good to see a glimpse of what ND can do with horror).  May’s fast approaching, folks.

Next-Gen Rising: Latest Predictions for the New Wave of Consoles

The dark clouds are rolling in too fast, the earth rumbling too loudly.  Faint rumors have been promoted to a dull roar, and we all know what Sony and Microsoft are about to say: new consoles are on the way.

One industry analyst in particular, a Mr. Colin Sebastian of Baird Research and Insights (I’ll save you a mouse-click: it’s an organization paid money for telling other companies how to spend money), has offered up his opinion and educated guesses as to what to expect this year when it comes to the coveted next-gen.

Speaking with both industry developers and distributors, Sebastian thinks Microsoft and Sony are aiming to announce new hardware this year, right before E3 which will, in turn, make this year’s expo the biggest since 2000 when the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox went toe-to-toe.  What’s more, Sebastian believes these new systems — utilizing the same tech found in today’s higher-end PC’s; a sexy prospect for would-be developers — will launch as early as this Fall, both likely landing between the $350 to $400 price range.

Related predictions Mr. Sebastian conjured see brick n’ mortar retail threatened by the new consoles’ penchant for digital distribution, but until download speeds and pricing catches up with demand, physical sales will remain valid and strong at least several years into the next generation’s life cycle.

Also, he sees Nintendo as goddamn doomed once competition ratchets up, thanks in no small part to the Wii U’s limp launch.  Sebastian says the company needs to deliver on their trademark first-party goods (like this rumored monolithic Zelda game), lest Nintendo suffers the same sad fate as Sega, and is forced to back away from the home console market and license out those same first-party games onto competing platforms.  A grim outlook, indeed.

So, fellow gaming connoisseurs, what are your next-gen predictions and what’s it going to take for you to jump on the new console bandwagon?