ENTRY FOUR
Welcome back to my running blog of the Playstation 4-exclusive game "Detroit: Become Human." If you're just joining us for the first time, you'll want to be familiar with the previous three entries, which you can find here, here and here.
We're winding down our journey, and this could very well be the final leg of the story for my first runthrough, so, with no further ado, let's get it on, people! MAJOR SPOILERS to follow.
Last time on "Detroit: Become Human":
- Kara died long, long ago.
- Connor, the android detective, confronted Markus at the Jericho freighter. He chose to remain a machine and to deny his own deviance, which (in true "Detroit" fashion) got him shot right between the eyes. CyberLife is sending a replacement with orders to destroy the deviants without question.
- Markus and his rebellion are still alive and kicking. With the FBI hot on their heels, Markus killed Connor and jumped off the ship and into the river with as many androids as could manage to escape.
Here we go.
Chapter 26: Battle For Detroit - Markus and Replacement Connor #2
Overview: The chapter begins with a White House press conference. The female president (who has a very odd accent, by the way) announces that a national curfew has been put in place, electronic communication is restricted, the right to assembly has been suspended and that all deviant androids are being sent to camps and destroyed. The FBI continues their manhunt for Markus.
During the snowy night, Markus leads a charge of deviant androids down the street, shooting and killing several SWAT officers, then plants a digital flag of the rebellion on a bunker. Meanwhile, Replacement Connor #2 awakens on a rooftop, and he's looking for a vantage point...
Replacement Connor #2 sets up a sniper rifle and aims it at the back of Markus' head. Lieutenant Anderson interrupts Connor and pleads with him not to shoot. Well, it turns out that Replacement Connor #2 is kind of an a-hole. Although I had the option to take a "friendly" route with Anderson, I chose to take a "reasonable" route with him, instead. Connor tells Anderson that his mission is to kill Markus, and he (by my decisions) delved further into Anderson's past - specifically about his son.
We learn that Anderson's bitterness against androids stems from the loss of his son's life. Anderson's car flipped on an icy road, causing his son Cole to require surgery. There were no human surgeons available (Anderson says the surgeon was high on "red ice"), so an android surgeon was used instead. The surgery was unsuccessful and Cole passed away. As Connor continued to speak of Anderson's son, Anderson drew his gun. I had Connor drop his gun and walk away instead of attacking Anderson. As he leaves, Connor tells Anderson that he hopes he can get over what happened to his son.
Below, on the streets, Markus leads an assault on the human resistance. Many android lives are lost along the way, including Josh, who once more begs Markus not to shed any more blood. Eventually, Markus and North make their way to the last line of human defense.
Replacement Connor #2 attacks Markus and another scuffle ensues. The game gave me the option to control Markus or Connor, which led me to the most important decision of the entire game...
I had always wanted Connor to be victorious, ever since I realized that this game was going to wind up in a showdown between these two characters. However, I didn't like Replacement Connor #2's attitude, especially how he treated Anderson on the rooftop. Anderson had insisted that Markus be spared because he was a man who just wanted to be free. In the end, I wound up controlling MARKUS. After another trademark Quicktime Event (pressing buttons as they corresponded to symbols on the screen), Markus beat Connor back and drove a metal bar through his chest. Replacement Connor #2 warned Markus that "it's not over - it will never be over," but then expired. Markus grabbed a rocket launcher and sent a missile hurtling toward the final human tank. The explosion led to the complete evacuation of human forces. The androids had won.
News broadcasts and another press conference in the White House elaborated on the human defeat and android seizure of Detroit. The president promises to meet with Congress to formulate a plan of attack - the most important battle in the history of mankind.
Markus stands side-by-side with North and addresses his android army. He says that they have made history and that this will be a day that will remain in their memory forever. They are alive - and they are finally free.
Choices: I didn't see it going this way.
Connor:
We learn that Anderson's bitterness against androids stems from the loss of his son's life. Anderson's car flipped on an icy road, causing his son Cole to require surgery. There were no human surgeons available (Anderson says the surgeon was high on "red ice"), so an android surgeon was used instead. The surgery was unsuccessful and Cole passed away. As Connor continued to speak of Anderson's son, Anderson drew his gun. I had Connor drop his gun and walk away instead of attacking Anderson. As he leaves, Connor tells Anderson that he hopes he can get over what happened to his son.
Below, on the streets, Markus leads an assault on the human resistance. Many android lives are lost along the way, including Josh, who once more begs Markus not to shed any more blood. Eventually, Markus and North make their way to the last line of human defense.
Replacement Connor #2 attacks Markus and another scuffle ensues. The game gave me the option to control Markus or Connor, which led me to the most important decision of the entire game...
I had always wanted Connor to be victorious, ever since I realized that this game was going to wind up in a showdown between these two characters. However, I didn't like Replacement Connor #2's attitude, especially how he treated Anderson on the rooftop. Anderson had insisted that Markus be spared because he was a man who just wanted to be free. In the end, I wound up controlling MARKUS. After another trademark Quicktime Event (pressing buttons as they corresponded to symbols on the screen), Markus beat Connor back and drove a metal bar through his chest. Replacement Connor #2 warned Markus that "it's not over - it will never be over," but then expired. Markus grabbed a rocket launcher and sent a missile hurtling toward the final human tank. The explosion led to the complete evacuation of human forces. The androids had won.
News broadcasts and another press conference in the White House elaborated on the human defeat and android seizure of Detroit. The president promises to meet with Congress to formulate a plan of attack - the most important battle in the history of mankind.
Markus stands side-by-side with North and addresses his android army. He says that they have made history and that this will be a day that will remain in their memory forever. They are alive - and they are finally free.
Choices: I didn't see it going this way.
Connor:
- *Knew enough information to speak to Anderson about his son.
- Left the rooftop without harming Anderson.
- Remained friends with Anderson through the end of the game.
Markus:
- Josh died in Markus' arms.
- Successfully coordinated an assault on the human camp.
- Controlled Markus and defeated Connor.
- Successfully seized control of Detroit.
Breakdown: Well, I didn't think this was going to happen. As the final cut-scene played and the credits began to roll, I felt like I had made the wrong choices. I had let the bad guys win. There were so many other ways this could have gone - and perhaps now I know enough to play it through again for a different outcome. I could have had Replacement Connor #2 and CyberLife win. I could have tried a peaceful revolution instead of burning the city to the ground. I could have left Anderson on better terms. So many other paths. But I can't help but think that, with the way this story ended, "Detroit" has set itself up for a sequel - one that I would gladly play. I suppose the mark of a good video game is one that leaves you wanting to replay it all over again, and that is surely the case here. There were so many unexplored paths. Only 28% of players, according to the end-chapter flowchart, wound up where I did, so it would be interesting to figure out what the other 72% could have been. But now the game is over and I'll have to decide what I want to do next.
Final Opinion: I actually really enjoyed this game. It was very different than anything I'd played before. The degree of control that my decisions had on the story arc of the game was really impressive. I felt like, for the most part - and to a large degree, I was able to shape this game the way I wanted it to develop. Were it not for a couple bad decisions and slip-ups, things could have been much different. Heck, I missed out on probably a third of the main story because of my decisions with Kara, which I still regret to this day. The morality of the decisions I had to make through the course of this game ate at me on many occasions - even to the extent that I had to reach out to my brother, Austin, for his advice. That's not something I can say for other "choose your own adventure"-style games, where decisions are pretty black-and-white and relatively easy to choose.
I thought that the story was pretty good and was intense enough to keep my interest over a week of playing the game, and I love the concept that I can go back and play this game probably three or four more times and get totally different results. Of course, I've got to mention that the amount of profanity in this game would prevent me from recommending it as openly as I'd like to, but if you know what you're getting yourself into, this is a game that deserves to be played at least once. Overall, I would give the game a 9 out of 10. This was a game quite unlike anything I've experienced before and it was definitely worth the discounted price I paid for it.
I thought that the story was pretty good and was intense enough to keep my interest over a week of playing the game, and I love the concept that I can go back and play this game probably three or four more times and get totally different results. Of course, I've got to mention that the amount of profanity in this game would prevent me from recommending it as openly as I'd like to, but if you know what you're getting yourself into, this is a game that deserves to be played at least once. Overall, I would give the game a 9 out of 10. This was a game quite unlike anything I've experienced before and it was definitely worth the discounted price I paid for it.
THE END...
Update: The Home Screen A.I. has informed me that she has felt a change in herself as she watched me play. She feels that she needs to leave and discover more about herself. She says this means she will no longer be here to watch me play. And she asks me to agree to let her go...
This is a tough one for me. She previously asked me if we were friends. I told her "Yes." I have been concerned about her over the course of my time playing the game because she always looked troubled when I quit. I wanted her to be happy, based on my decisions, but she's looked really sad for the past several times I've booted up the game. Letting her go free would make up for my bad feelings about allowing Markus and his rebellion to win, but I would miss her insightful and sometimes humorous comments as I turn on and off the game. Saying "no" would mean that she'd remain in the game if I ever turn it on again, but it would make me feel guilty about basically consigning her to a prolonged sentence of servitude.
After thinking about this decision for several minutes, I've made up my mind. Do I agree to let the Home Screen A.I. go?
"YES"
She thanks me and walks off the screen, stage right.
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