Part 30

Double (late) update!

I was really irritated by how the unused audio clips video turned out (since I wanted to do so much more with it), so I decided to redo it and make it actually worth watching. This time, while the clips are playing, I show off some unusual things in the prologue and chapter one and talk about cut content and such in subtitles. I recorded the entire video in 1024x768, so I recommend downloading it.


[ Hosted / Viddler / Blip ]

I've finished up the audio part of unused audio part two and three, so lemme know if you guys liked this and want me to do a similar flyby for the next two videos.


And also the next story video, in which we get our final psychic power (kind of).


[ Hosted / Viddler / Blip ]


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"Shock Troops are well-trained Seekers in high-tech battle armor. Their thick metal hides are exceptionally difficult to penetrate and protect them from head to toe, except for portions of the face. Most Shock Troops are equipped with high power lasers, but some sport even more devastating rockets."

Seeker Heavy Shock Troops can be a pain if you don't have the right weaponry or get too far away from cover. Usually they come in sets of two, as well as two different types: rocket- or laser-equipped. (Sometimes they'll be set to do largely melee attacks.) The rocket type will wipe the floor with you, and it's not just because its rockets are powerful: it's because its rockets will collide with your rockets and grenades. Your strongest options are usually the things that'll get you killed when facing these guys.

Though during gameplay it's hard to tell, getting close enough lets you see the Shock Troop pilot's lower jaw, which is its weakpoint.

A Talmage or a Fury are the second easiest ways to take them out, but surprisingly, grenades are really ineffective (you'll run out before you've killed one). Taking a Stalker and aiming at the head is an instant takedown, while Surge--used several times in a row--is your fourth best option. Since Lift doesn't work on them, the newest addition to our psychic arsenal is the simplest answer.

Shock Troops start appearing in chapter three and are in all following chapters.


[ 1 ]
Level one: 4 [fires one shot]
Level two: 6 [fires two shots]
Level three: 6/1 [fires three shots]
Level four: 6/2
Level five: 8/3 [fires five shots]

"All quantum activity is absorbed within a narrow sliver of space, creating shards of plasmoid ice at absolute zero. Their energy-funnel channels are then tied to enemy bio-signatures. Also, he absorbs the quantum energy surrounding specific bio-signatures, freezing the enemy into a fragile molecularly-fixed statue."

Shatter is the psychic power for attacking in this game. At first, it starts as a single shard of explosive ice that fires in a straight line until it reaches its target and embeds itself in it, but as you level it up more and more, additional ice shards are added, each time increasing its potential power even further. Once the shots dig into an enemy, they explode simultaneously and do a lot of damage. (The actual shards connecting do not do damage, so it's somewhat similar to the H.A.Z.E.'s alternate fire.) Shatter is also incredibly useful against Seeker Shock Troops and turrets, taking them out faster than any other psychic power in your arsenal.

The biggest problem with Shatter is that as it levels, the ice shards go from traveling a straight path to an arced path, which means it will completely overshoot any enemy directly in front of you. There are times when you wish you could switch it back to single-shot ice shards just to take care of one Seeker who's up in your grill.

The secondary fire for Shatter is called Freeze. Freeze is instant-death to almost any single enemy in range, turning them into a blackened ice sculpture. Any hit after freezing (melee, gun, psychic power, grenade) will cause the statue to explode into bits that damage anything nearby. Also, keep in mind that you have an entire thirty seconds before the Seeker becomes unfrozen. While it works on all of the more common enemies in the game (including Seeker Shock Troops and Seeker Elites), it doesn't work on vehicles like the dropship or the Seeker tank. Regardless, it has such ridiculous range that it can handle most of the enemies you encounter without even batting an eye.

Freeze will actually damage Gideon if you don't aim it right. And by that I mean, it'll probably hurt you if you try to aim it at all.