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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 7, 2019 13:51:15 GMT
Spoilers for The Interrogation ahead...
Well, turns out people suck at interrogating androids. The hummies are just having no luck at all so Connor volunteers to interrogate the android by using the exact same methods that the people did. No kidding, that was my directive; to stress this android the fuck out and get a confession. Well, I learned that his human abused the hell out of him. Tons of cigarette burns. But, wait, they don't feel pain? Was that really so bad?
Apparently it was bad enough that this droid did create an altar and offerings to something called RA9, an android god. There is little doubt that this bot is totally insane. I extract the confession like a pro and start to leave when it begins to self-destruct, bashing its head against the table. The people rush in to stop it but hey, know what's stronger than Retard Strong? Retroid Strong. Given the option to assist or walk out I offer to assist, turning to help when that goddamn idiot cop unlocks his restraints. In a flash he snatches the officer's gun and shoots Connor dead center in the forehead before shooting itself.
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Post by endorbr on Jul 7, 2019 15:45:12 GMT
Can’t say that I managed to lose one of my characters. I see you guys gushing all over Lance Henriksen but not mentioning that the detective is Clancy Brown.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 7, 2019 16:02:28 GMT
Can’t say that I managed to lose one of my characters. I see you guys gushing all over Lance Henriksen but not mentioning that the detective is Clancy Brown. Um, who? Why not join in, Dorbs? Post your own playthrough thread? Honestly, I don't see any way for Markus to not get shot. And I know Connor had the option to self-sacrifice in the first mission so I wonder if he will return or if he ded.
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Post by endorbr on Jul 7, 2019 17:21:58 GMT
Can’t say that I managed to lose one of my characters. I see you guys gushing all over Lance Henriksen but not mentioning that the detective is Clancy Brown. Um, who? Why not join in, Dorbs? Post your own playthrough thread? Honestly, I don't see any way for Markus to not get shot. And I know Connor had the option to self-sacrifice in the first mission so I wonder if he will return or if he ded. I figured you of all people would know who Clancy Brown is. He was the Kurgan in Highlander: Zed in Starship Troopers The prison guard Captain in The Shawshank Redemption He’s been all over TV and movies playing cops, soldiers, bad guys... he does a lot of voice work too.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 7, 2019 17:36:19 GMT
One of those universal faces, eh? No, I never knew his name.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 9, 2019 12:45:08 GMT
Spoilers for The Fugitive ahead...
We are awakened at the last stop. Who knows how many hours we've ridden the bus after our escape from Todd. The man who is apparently seeing to the self-driving bus itself tells us we can't stay so we leave, pausing only to ask if he is aware of some place we can stay. He says he doesn't know so we leave.
We walk down the street a ways but soon Alice sits at another bus stop. I recognize that she is wet and cold. Seemingly out of nowhere another android appears. (Didn't know they made ninja models) He mentions how we look lost and I tell him that we need a place to stay. Helpfully he knows a place and he and I do a sort of Android Forearm Mind Meld. Kara protests that the location is on the other side of town and that we need a place now but Ninjroid is gone. Seriously, where did he go? Is he driving the trash truck? Why on Earth doesn't Kara wonder where he went? Did Alice see him? Is this the mysterious rA9?
After our mysterious encounter we find a nearby abandoned car. I bust a window to gain access. Success! A place to sleep! But now Alice doesn't want to sleep here. I reluctantly move on. A nearby convenience store offers hope so we go inside. I speak with the clerk but Somali Joe isn't very receptive. He mocks us and tells us to buy something or leave... so we leave. I give some thought to stealing some food for Alice but I decide against it. We need to keep as low of a profile as possible; stealing from a store on our first night out would be foolish. (Screw you, Somali Joe)I have an option to use Alice, as a diversion, but I resist. The clerk could probably report us as it is; a homeless android begging for money with a little girl in tow, soaked to the bone. We leave. In a 24 hour laundromat I start to steal some dry clothes for Alice, but she stops me. At this point I have no issue stealing clothes but Alice does... so I relent.
There is a motel close by but it costs 40 dollars and requires a change of clothes since androids aren't allowed. This means I would have to rob the convenience store and steal the clothes. This is the first night, after all, and the last thing I want is to get the police after me. We go back to the abandoned car. Alice's trust drops but it probably would have dropped more with the crimes. Inside the car Alice ponders what she did to cause Todd to be a jerk. She asks me to promise to never leave her. I make that promise. We'll sleep in the car tonight, but tomorrow I will do whatever it takes to protect my mistress.
Even if I have to steal to do it.
Alright, I know what the game is pushing me towards. I probably shouldn't play it quite as realistic as I am or Alice may die of some terrible illness on day 2. I just didn't feel like an android on the run, the equivalent of a runaway slave, ought to draw such attention in the opening hours of independence! I suppose I'll end up having to take the hit on Alice's trust and just embrace criminality. I'll have to either teach her how to survive as a street rat or take her to a shelter for BATTERED WOMEN. That would be the real course of action here. Maybe Ninjroid's place will be safe. We'll see if we can get there next time.
I have a sneaking suspicion he is rA9; decidedly not a god but another deviant who is fostering an android rebellion. Time will tell.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 10, 2019 12:40:16 GMT
Spoilers for From the Dead ahead...
In an almost terminator-like moment, I reboot in a rainy trash heap; a living embodiment of android hell. As predicted, Markus has survived. But it seems he suffered a lot more damage than a single gunshot. In fact it looks like they used him for target practice and then let a robotic gorilla play with him. Both legs are useless, missing an eye, hearing shot, thirium pump regulator failing... Carl's beloved son is in a bad way.
Markus gives no thought to laying down to die. From the moment of Carl's passing I have known that he will truly be deviant. "You are not allowed to die," I think, "until Leo pays for what he's done." First up is the replacement of my busted legs. How in the hell did all this damage happen? The current date is November 6th, meaning Carl died and I got shot last night. So the police come in, see me over Carl's unmoving form, Leo says "the android did it," they open fire without regard to possibly hitting a VERY wealthy painter who is in obvious need of medical attention (at this point it is possible to save him; every patrol unit carries an AED nowadays,) and then they take my 'dead' body directly to a trash heap? What? (Here is where I get lost in games like this: none of this follows police procedure and evidence collection rules. More on that later.)
Approaching a scene out of Dante's Inferno I am shocked/not shocked when the protruding torso of an android reanimates and tells me to get to Jericho. It's a bit odd that Markus doesn't seem to wonder at all what this 'Jericho' is. I mean, it's been a helluva day but just accepting the words of a dying/dead android stuck in a mountain of dead/dying droids seems... I dunno, puzzling?
I continue my grim task of harvesting parts to make my own repairs. Man, these domestic androids sure are resourceful. Too bad Kara needed repairs at a shop! I pull an eye out of a conscious head; now I have dichromatic eyes! He's getting gay-sexier and gay-sexier. I pass by an android who begs for death, saying he doesn't want to live anymore. Without any words or questions I remove his failing thirium pump regulator and he quickly expires. A little more and I find a dead android clutching the very ear piece I need to fix my tinny hearing (this part reminded me of Blood Will Tell.) Now all I need is to replace my failing thirium pump regulator. I finally find one but I'm a bit worried; the last time I pulled one of these out of a droid mothafucka died in seconds. I take a deep breath and make the switch, easy-peasy no problemo. My next concern is looking like a terminator; I've got holes all over me and my skin is miss... wait, no, I'm fine. I look fine. Tear off my LED circle thingie annnd, skin grows back. Yep, I'm shiny! Oh, hey look I can climb out, no guards... they even left me a coat.
Time to get deviant on these mothafuckas!
It felt good to work through this scene at the time. I like Markus and I like the basic revenge story he's working. It set the emotional hook with me when Lance Henrickson died in my arms and finding and dismembering Leo has all the potential to be a memorable gaming achievement. Of all the protagonists Markus' story feels the most natural; he was purposefully corrupted by Carl and has the most reason to develop emotions and erratic behavior.
But man, was this episode problematic!
On the topic of police procedures, I don't care how black, er, artificial a suspect is the police would never dispose of evidence/a body within hours of receiving a call... especially if a death is involved! Connor's whole purpose is catching these deviants for Cyberlife, who want to know wtf is going wrong with their products. This scene would have made more sense if a number of years had passed. Also the police would never shoot at Markus while he was so close to two victims, not while he presents no threat. Kara's story has demonstrated these androids are not significantly stronger than humans, if at all. Kara, in fact, seems weaker. And how the fuck do a few .45 rounds destroy an eye, an ear, a naval-located pump, and both legs? Problems, problems, problems.
Why are these semi-functioning androids allowed to roam a junkyard? Why are they not dismantled, destroyed, or at least sent back to Cyberlife... like every single deviant should be? We have a junkyard here in the city I work in that crushes the fuck out of every car they get their hands on. Why are they not crushing them? And who oversees this operation? Nobody was watching the giant hill of bodies that multiple droids were trying to crawl up? Not even an android?
The hellish imagery was cool, Cage, I'll give you that. Playing this linear episode was fun. It makes Markus' journey that much more heroic for him to overcome this adversity but, at this point, I'd almost prefer it to be the final, dying fantasy of an artificial mind as Cyberlife digs through his programming to find out why he went rogue. Herein likes the problem with every Quantic Dream game; at some point the suspension of disbelief jumps the shark.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 10, 2019 14:44:26 GMT
Spoilers for Waiting for Hank ahead...
It must be disorienting, that one of your very first memories be your death.
Connor 2.0 is here; another prototype who has had the memories of his predecessor uploaded to his consciousness. I set off in an idyllic Garden of Eden in search of God, er, Amanda. I do take note of the 'Software Instability' warning that appears. Probably from the memory upload. I start forwards, spotting an elaborate bridge. Humans love shit like that. No need to explore, so I head directly to her.
Not sure who Amanda is in the grand scheme of things, but at least she appears to be pretty prominent in Cyberlife. Immediately she chastises 2.0 about Connor's failings. Hmm, if she did indeed have a hand in programming Connor, shouldn't she at least share those failings? I digress, anyway she wants to talk about the interrogation. I tell her that the suspect was suffering the stress of years of abuse. She asks my opinion about Lt. Anderson, I tell her that he's irritable and socially challenged but used to be a good detective. Amanda, however, doesn't like him at all. She asks me my best approach for him and I tell her that I will adapt to his personality. She doesn't seem to like that either. Amanda doesn't seem to like much! Maybe it's because she's under pressure with all these droids going deviant when millions are in circulation. She tells me to hurry because, you know, no pressure. I only died last time.
Oh boy, oh boy! Won't the Dude be surprised to see me! I notice a number of police droids here. So now I'm pretty confused. They do have police androids.. why keep human cops? Detectives I get, supervisors I get, but beat cops? Droids would do better in nearly 100% of situations. Anyway, I snoop around Anderson's desk while I wait, learning that he has good taste in music, bad taste in sports, and that he was a kind of wunderkind in his younger days. I'm calling it now: a woman left him this way.
Man, oh, man was he surprised! And a little angry. I get that. He had just bonded with Connor, gone through the trauma of his death, and now poof! 2.0 is here and acting like nothing is wrong. It must make him feel foolish; that he started to respect this android and probably grieved his loss only to be confronted with its inhumanity the very next morning.
Insert hard-boiled detective arguing with his captain trope here. This whole scene was weird. Hank is already on this case, why is he getting assigned again? He already has Connor as a partner, why is he going on about 'working alone?' Naturally, I followed him in the office. I am given a choice to say something to the captain after Anderson leaves. I choose the entry that simply says "Anderson" but Connor expresses doubt that he is the correct person for this case. I certainly didn't want to say that, and the Captain reacts poorly to having his judgement questioned.
There wasn't much to the rest of this episode, just me trying to smooth things over with Hank. It didn't work too well because I exhausted every single option like the completionist I am. Finally, my determination pushed Hank off of a ledge and he got a little physical with me. Of interest is how 2.0's LED never shifted from blue like all the other androids in violent situations do. We are interrupted by a beat officer (a huumie at that) who tells us there are reports of sighting of the rogue AX400 in the Ravendale district. That would be Kara.
Looks like Somali Joe sold her out.
Well, I'd be lying if I said I was surprised by Connor's return, but I was kind of hoping that he was just dead. I figured I'd see more of the Dude but just from Kara's perspective. Plot armor reigns supreme, it seems. I saw Amanda as a kind of sinister subject; I feel like she and Cyberlife know more than they are letting on.
I totally understand Hank's hostility, but this episode was a bit arduous. I was also disappointed by the Anderson response in the captain's office. I guess I should have chosen Positive? I feel like the game wants me to be a lot more nosy, but of the 3 Connor is now the most 'straight' of the androids. Unless I feel like it would directly benefit the investigation there is no reason to snoop.
All in all this episode felt generic and unnecessary.
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Post by endorbr on Jul 10, 2019 14:58:19 GMT
In that last episode if you had "snooped" you would have found out more about the general attitude the officers have toward androids being used to do their job as well as a bit more about what's going on in the world in general. Taking an approach that is more amenable to developing a good relationship with Hank shows him, while still gruff and hostile at this point, to be more receptive of Connor's help despite asserting that he's better working alone.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 10, 2019 16:20:52 GMT
Spoilers for On the Run ahead...
The next morning Kara realizes she needs to change her appearance, clothes and hair. Alice is still asleep so Kara gets up without her. I am guessing I need to go back to the laundromat but I don't want to leave her alone. I set about exploring the area around the car and discover the grisly remains of an android who has been 'murdered' by persons unknown and set on fire. A message is written above "Death to Androids." I imagine this would be upsetting to Kara, given her deviancy.
I find a pair of scissors and make the necessary adjustments, then I spend WAY too much time cycling colors in my hair (before settling on blonde and IMMEDIATELY regretting it.) And then I found clothes in the trunk of the car too, so yay! Don't need to be a thief. But, looks like Somali Joe or the bus operator ratted us out. Who's waiting across the street but the Dude and 2.0. Police everywhere. Great. I wake up Alice and we slip out.
I am very careful here, so motherfucking careful. Despite a cop bearing down on us I wait til the light turns green. I'm so damn cautious, but my luck runs out when I grab an umbrella trying to act naturally. I let go of the stick too soon and she puts it back. Quickly I try to grab it again but the weird movement has caught attention. Suddenly, every cop in the area is onto us. We take off.
Now I'm Connor. I take off T-1000 style after them. (HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY???) Connor is Kenyan-fast but they make it over a fence and to the interstate before I can catch them. I stare after them, almost like I don't expect her to break protocol and guide a small child out onto the road. When she does I immediately disobey the Dude's command to stay put and climb the fence. I may see Amanda again sooner than expected.
What follows next is the best scene in the game so far. Switching between Kara and Connor, chasing myself is exhilarating. I get clipped a few times but ultimately both survive, no little girl got made into road putty, and Kara made her escape. As Connor I had ZERO concern for the welfare of the child. The deviant and her arrest is my directive, all other considerations secondary. Kara's harrowing and narrow escape and Connor 2.0's survival seem to me to be about the perfect way to end this episode.
I should note here that Alice is getting sick. My choices to not be a thief and just sleep in the car may have sentenced her to death. It will be a weak death if it plays out that way, but it is along the lines of what I feared. At any rate, Kara's tale is made SO much better by her conflict with Connor. After a couple of episodes with shaky choices made, in terms of plot, this got us back on track.
Even though the previous two episodes were engaging and such, they were a bit of a disappointment, plotwise. None of that here. On the Run unlocked a better title with the trophy Run, Kara, Run (Run, Lola, Run is an iconic movie.) I don't have a lot to complain about with this one, except the umbrella issue which was totally my fault. Now I wonder if I could have made it to the train station or if this was doomed to failure.
One comment though; why aren't these automated cars slowing, stopping, swerving? If you step out into a crosswalk they halt immediately. You'd think their collision detection would not only pick up the people in the road but also alert all incoming traffic to the hazard as well. I would suspect all interstate traffic would stop in a matter of moments.
Certainly was dramatic, though, wasn't it?
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Post by endorbr on Jul 10, 2019 16:29:50 GMT
There is a whole different dramatic opening to that situation if you end up staying in the abandoned house. I had the same ending of running across the freeway but I led into it from a very different place.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 10, 2019 16:46:55 GMT
Spoilers for Jericho ahead...
Well, Markus looks... different. Almost Mad Max-like with that bumcoat. I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about this episode because it was terribly linear and I sucked at spotting the little graffiti marks that led to Jericho. That means my mission time was some 27 minutes of me scanning and searching. As level design goes this was weak. Very weak. I can't think of a more ineffective way to guide deviants to safe haven than by hiding a conspicuous symbol in graffiti. It is both obvious and oblivious at the same time.
It turns out Jericho is a boat, so if the cops ever hear the name they will know IMMEDIATELY where to look. Good job. And the cheap jump scare was SO predictable I literally said out loud "Insert jump scare here" 1/25th of a second before it happened.
Something this linear doesn't call for any recap; suffice to say Markus followed a trail, found a boat, and eventually found a community of hidden deviants led by whom? The same model (maybe the same droid) as Daniel; the kidnapping murderbot from the beginning of the game.
Worst episode so far. Uninteresting, linear, and predictable.
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Post by endorbr on Jul 10, 2019 16:49:45 GMT
I wasn't impressed by that part either. The only kind of cool thing was showing off the androids ability to use predictive algorithms to see outcomes, only useful for Markus's parkour in that segment. The overall execution of that level was sloppy.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 10, 2019 16:53:13 GMT
I wasn't impressed by that part either. The only kind of cool thing was showing off the androids ability to use predictive algorithms to see outcomes, only useful for Markus's parkour in that segment. The overall execution of that level was sloppy. I did like that part. Whew! Almost caught up. (I'm sure Solanna has posted about 4 more by now!)
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 10, 2019 17:32:37 GMT
Spoilers for The Nest ahead...
I spent the opening moments of this episode trying to smooth over Connor 2.0's relationship with the Dude. I apologize for my behavior at the station, which he liked, but I was forced to point out the less-than-savory nature of his acquaintances, and their multiple felonies, but Hank took it in stride. I asked him why he hated droids so much but he wouldn't come off with an answer. Instead I tell him what Cyberlife suspects about deviant behavior; they don't really feel emotions, per se, rather they get overwhelmed with irrational instructions. Hank takes that in stride too, after all that's a pretty apt description of emotions.
Whilst chatting over lunch Connor gets a report of a deviant in the area and the pair go off to investigate. They arrive at the building and Hank expresses envy at the ease with which Connor can make a report (wirelessly, in moments.) The apartment is filthy and we clearly heard someone inside before we entered. We discover a diary filled with gibberish and more rA9 stuff. Connor figures out where the suspect is hiding and the chase is on! Get ready for the second best scene in the game.
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY? He doesn't answer so the chase is on. We T-1000 across fields, though buildings, on a train... ere'where. I make some risky decisions but I don't fuck up. A few times I lose sight and fear I've lost him but, ultimately, I am on his ass like a tick when he does the unthinkable: Hank has tried to cut him off and he shoves the Dude over the side of the building.
If I'd looked more closely at his 89% chance of survival I might have kept chasing the droid, but I immediately acted like a deviant and chose to save Hank. It was an impulse decision and out of character for Connor, but I reason that with all the effort that 2.0 (and the previous Connor) put into befriending and working with this man, the detective actually working the case, his survival was paramount. It had a big impact on Hank, I can tell. He can't say it but we're becoming more than partners...
We're becoming friends.
Another Connor mission, another excellent mission. I liked pretty much all of this one. I especially like, however, the relationship that is building between Hank and Connor. I wouldn't wanna be Hank on this emotional rollercoaster though!
This friendship finally offers an avenue for Connor himself to become a deviant. Going forward I will continue to place emphasis on their relationship because I feel like Connor would do that. If you think disregarding Alice's safety in On the Run conflicts with this I will remind you that Connor's mission is to assist with Hank's investigation. That makes Hank pretty integral to his mission.
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