Detroit: Become Human Review

Quantic Dream’s latest IP (Intellectual Property), Detroit: Become Human is a complex and intense game with multiple branching storylines that will conform to your choices with surprisingly meaningful results. A first playthrough of the game will run an average player roughly 10-12 hours so, on the outset, that doesn't seem like a very lengthy story, however, with so many alternative paths, the game has a significantly high replay value and it's incredibly fulfilling just to see what could have occurred had one of the other protagonists decided to make a different choice in an unfolding scenario.

There are three main protagonists: Connor (portrayed by Bryan Dechart) a prototype model that acts as an investigator/negotiator whose assignment is to discover the root cause of androids becoming "deviant", Kara (portrayed by Valorie Curry, recently seen as "Dot" in Amazon’s live action revival of The Tick), a housekeeper android who must care for a little girl named Alice, and Markus (portrayed by Jesse Williams whom is well known on Grey’s Anatomy) another caretaker model who looks after Carl, a renowned painter. Markus eventually believes androids should share equal rights with humans based upon the teachings of his mentor.

In Detroit, it’s the year 2038. The CyberLife corporation (largely responsible for the events that transpire) has invented affordable, lifelike androids that perfectly mimic people in appearance and capability. They can wash the dishes, fold the laundry, cook, tend to your children...they are the epitome of working class labor. However, over time, "deviancy" begins to rise and the androids begin to acquire free will. As such, the player will interact with these characters and discover their personal journeys and role in the grand scheme of the sentience movement.

Based on your decisions, you can change each androids personalities or motivations as well as the tone of their individual stories. The plethora of options are vast and numerous between chapters and checkpoints. How much control you have over the narrative varies wildly from moment to moment, from traditional and clear branching paths to more linear sections where you’re simply providing flavour (sincere, direct, or sarcastic responses).

My favorite character by far was Connor. He inevitably partners up with a human Lieutenant, named Hank Anderson (Portrayed by Clancy Brown). The initial relationship was somewhat hostile at first, but in my first playthrough, I intended to be the best partner I could to the Lieutenant and he eventually warmed up to me. He ended up being a great ally and one that was surprisingly supportive, especially in the final act. I grew very attached to both of them as they carried out their investigation. A grizzled cop and a cheerful android.

Kara’s story is deeply personal and intimate, taking on a very materialistic tone, one that is somewhat refreshing when compared to the machismo, adrenaline-fueled, and testosterone packed stories of Connor and Markus. It's a nice change of pace that provides a welcome contrast to all the running around and explosion dodging you do with the other characters.

All of the characters portrayals show a stunning amount of non-verbal expressiveness. The level of detail you can see in their faces is simply remarkable; facial hair, blemishes, freckles, and smile lines are all rendered in captivating detail with the animation showing just as much dedication. Even the weather effects are elloquently designed, with both the snow and the rain coating the characters and environments in a delicate manner. This game's environmental effects have to be some of the best implementation of weather to date. This game truly is a great experience to partake in.

One of the reasons I enjoyed Connor's storyline so much was due to the implementation of the "detective mode" allows players to scan the environment to reconstruct crime scenes, and fast-forward or rewind possible frames of time,

Markus in particular has a different ability that allows him to ‘pre-construct’ scenarios before executing them. I would have liked the opportunity to play around with this ability just a bit more, but even so, it was a neat feature that kept the gameplay fresh and unique.

SPOILER WARNING!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Chloe at the main menu screen and it was nice that she greeted you each time you booted up the game. (In my case though, I didn't realize she would comment upon your progression. I played through the entire story all in one sitting and set her free). I was disappointed that she left and that the main menu screen would not have any replacement assistant or greeter.

My biggest gripe was that Markus gains a romantic love interest in North (portrayed by

Minka Kelly), and I felt like that was very forced. It wasn't quite as gradual of a progression as one would have hope and I honestly didn't like her character to begin with, so when the option came for me to kiss her on screen, I turned her down EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I didn't like that she was so negative and unsupportive of my pacifist approach towards gaining android freedom. As such, I was taken aback with shock and utter disgust when she attempted to swoon Markus. I simply didn't ask for any of it to happen, so it felt largely out of place.

Another issue I had was with the elevator scene at CyberLife with Connor. There were no non-lethal options and it infuriated me that up until this point I had ensured that he would not use a firearm to arm innocents nor would he disobey the android laws with regard to an unauthorized concealed carry of a handgun. Yet, the game and story would not allow me to pursue my anti-gun ideal. This even happened during the raid of Jericho and I kept asking myself "Where did he get the gun from? Who gave my RK 800 android a gun?!?" It sort of broke the immersion for me just a bit.

The characters can be quite robust and during play, gamers will grow attached to them over time, so much so that it becomes a real challenge to keep the androids away from danger and a sort of pseudo-fear creeps in during the quick time events that a character may not make it out of the scene alive with each failed button press.

The stakes were suitably high - particularly in its final act and I was adamant about Connor in particular. So much so that I was frantically trying everything I could to prevent what I would have considered to be an utter betrayal of my sanity.

Quantic Dream was extremely clever in allowing players to see the multitude of paths transparently through flowcharts introduced at the end of each chapter. This allows players to picture just how differently an intense scene could have played out if you had failed at certain points, enticing you to play through again.

Detroit: Become Human is an astoundingly interactive sci-fi drama where your choices can truly impact events to a greater and more satisfying degree than in most games of this genre.

Score:

8.5/10.0

B+ Solid storytelling with strong emotionally engaging characters

Go! Go! Go! Pokémon Go! - Augmented Fun Gets Exercise Done

Pokemon Go is an augmented reality based mobile app developed by Niantic which has surged in popularity since its release on July 6, 2016. The game is available for iOS and Android in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. (It was later made available in Japan on July 22, 2016).
Pokemon Go allows players to capture, battle, and train virtual Pokémon which appear in the real world via computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphic imagery. It makes use of mobile GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) location technology and the cameras of compatible devices.

Despite being a free-to-play application, it does support in-app purchases of additional gameplay items. Pokémon Go Plus, an optional companion Bluetooth wearable device, is planned for a future release and will alert users when Pokémon are nearby.

After logging into the app for the first time, the player creates their own personal avatars. They can choose the avatar's style, hair, skin, and eye color, and outfit. Players begin the game with a brief introduction by Professor Willow, who explains the mechanics of the game and guides you through catching your choice of the three starter pokémon — either a Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur, which should all be familiar to Pokémon regulars. If players decide that they do not wish to have the original starter Pokémon, they can bypass them and attempt to capture Pikachu as their first companion.

There are three basic parts to Pokémon Go: Catching Pokémon, visiting Pokéstops, and battling gyms.

In order to capture a Pokémon, you simply walk around with the app open on your phone, which will buzz (providing force-feedback) when Pokémon are nearby. Tap on the Pokémon on the map, and you’ll switch to the catching interface. The color of the ring surrounding the pokémon helps determine how easy it is to catch — green is easiest, yellow is of intermediate difficulty, and red is the most difficult.

Pokémon are found at different CP (Combat Power) levels, which determines how powerful the pokémon will be. To raise a pokémon's CP, you'll need two resources: stardust, a generic item you obtain with each pokémon that you catch, and the pokémon's specific candy, which can be obtained by catching duplicates of that particular pokémon.


For example, to level up a Meowth’s CP, you’ll need stardust and Meowth candies. Similarly, to evolve your Pokémon, you’ll need to use more of that Pokémon’s candies, which will also dramatically raise the CP of that Pokémon. As your character level increases, you’ll encounter higher level Pokémon in the wild and be able to level up the CP level of your Pokémon more.

Pokémon Go is unlike any other installment in the Pokémon series, as players do not battle wild Pokémon in order to capture them. Rather, the game relies on a unique capture system where the player must throw a Poké Ball with the proper force at the right time in order to make a successful capture.

PokéStops and Pokémon Gyms

PokéStops and Pokémon gyms are typically located at popular meeting places, such as memorials, places of worship, parks, and tourist attractions.

Pokéstops in particular, are places in Pokemon Go that allow players to collect items such as eggs, Poke Balls (to capture more Pokemon), or other additional items to help on one's journey. Their location is indicated on the map with blue spinning Pokéball icons.

After you've collected items from a PokeStop, the icon's color will change to purple, and you will not be able to collect items from it again until it refreshes to blue, which takes about five minutes. Players do not need to travel away from the PokeStop for it to refresh. This is convenient if you live or work on a PokeStop because you can get items often!

PokeStops typically grants players three to four items at a time. Until a player has reached level 5, PokeStops will grant them Pokéballs and Pokemon Eggs exclusively. Once they have achieved level 5 status, PokeStops will occasionally generate up to six Pokeballs, and other items such as Revives or Potions for use. Trainers can only access Gyms and battle other Pokemon once they have ranked up to that level.

PokéStops can only be interacted with once a person is within range of the stop - if you are on a bus or other form of transit, you may not be able to sync up with the servers and GPS location data in order to interact with it in time, unless the vehicle is slowing or stopped.

If a player purchases one of the Lure Modules from the in-game Shop, the player can place it at any PokeStop to increase the amount of Pokémon who will gravitate to that area thus, benefiting any other players in the immediate area.
A PokéStop is shown to be under the influence of a Lure Module on the map by a showering of pink petals, and interacting with the PokéStop will produce an icon that details who used the lure.

Players earn experience points for various in-game activities which allow them to rise in level. At level five, the player is able to join one of three teams (red for Team Valor, which uses Moltres as their mascot; blue for Team Mystic, which uses Articuno as their mascot; or yellow for Team Instinct, which uses Zapdos as their mascot). These teams act as large factions within the Pokémon Go world. If a player enters a Pokémon gym that is controlled by a player that is not part of their team, they can challenge the leader to lower the gym's "prestige". Once the prestige of a gym is lowered to zero then the player will take control of the gym and is able to deposit one Pokémon to defend it. Conversely, a team can upgrade the prestige of a gym under their control by battling their gym leader.

Battling in Pokémon Go is basically a simplified version of the classic Game Boy game. Pokémon face off one-on-one, and can use one of two attacks — tapping on the enemy pokémon to do a low-damage light attack, and tap-and-holding to unleash a special attack once your meter has filled. Additionally, you can dodge enemy attacks by swiping left and right. Battles continue until one of the pokémon has fainted. And of course, standard pokémon damage type rules are in effect: water pokémon are effective against fire types, fire against grass, etc. Pokémon can be healed or revived using potions and revives that you can obtain from visiting pokéstops.

Miitomo - The Best Nintendo App for You and Mii

As of March 17, 2016 Miitomo released in Japan. A new video in English has surfaced, courtesy of TiLMENDOMiNATiON (via YouTube, shown below) detailing the app. The video gives viewers a brief look at Mii customization, the Miitomo Shop, and many other features.

Miitomo is an app for iOS and Android devices created for people to interact with others via their Miis. Miis are personal avatars created by Nintendo first seen on the Nintendo Wii Entertainment System.

The app also has a "Miiphoto" function, which lets players create different kinds of pictures featuring Miis. These can then be shared through multiple social media network platforms (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

Miitomo will be available in eight languages which include Japanese, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, and Russian.

It will be made available for Japan, the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand.




Works Cited:

C. (2016, March 17). Miitomo Video Shows Us A Demonstration Of Its Features And How They Work - Siliconera. Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://www.siliconera.com/2016/03/17/miitomo-video-shows-us-demonstration-features-work/

S. (2016, February 02). My Nintendo’s Points Program Rewards With Discounts, Digital Content And More - Siliconera. Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://www.siliconera.com/2016/02/03/nintendos-points-program-rewards-discounts-digital-content/

S. (2015, October 28). Nintendo Reveals Their First Smartphone App Miitomo, And Nintendo Account Service - Siliconera. Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://www.siliconera.com/2015/10/28/nintendo-reveals-their-first-smartphone-app-miitomo-and-nintendo-account-service/