Intravenous II Review | Collateral Edition™ - video Dailymotion

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Transcript

00:00Hey hey people, Seth here. Considering I'm recording from the Balkan equivalent of City 17,

00:05the quality of this video may be just as bad as anything else I release. There's a rare

00:09coincidence that happens once and almost never. A publisher approaches me to cover something that

00:14I'm already reviewing. Developed by a single man in Lithuania, Intravenous 2 is one of the best

00:20tactical shooters I've ever played. Many of the events presume you've played Intravenous 1,

00:25which isn't a problem because he remastered the whole thing in the second engine. So we start

00:29from there by playing the first game inside the second game or else it doesn't make sense.

00:33Steve is a normal man living in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in an alternative history where

00:38Lithuania has reached the Bronze Age. Polish innovation has endowed them with working

00:43toilets and knowledge of coal-based energy. Aesthetically and thematically, this game is

00:48Colostomy Core. After a night of heavy drinking, Steve walks through a shady alleyway with his

00:53brother before being attacked by junkies. His brother goes into a coma and dies the following

00:57night. The police find nothing, so Steve decides to take matters into his own hands.

01:02Welcome to Intravenous. You're outgunned and outnumbered. Everything makes a sound,

01:07and a single unsuppressed trigger pull is loud enough to alert the entire level. So unless you

01:11want your chest ventilated, you better be quiet. Druggy Ghetto, also known as My Car Park in East

01:17England. The first level serves as a tutorial to get your bearings. Arguably, normal difficulty is a

01:2210-hour tutorial before you're ready to play the actual game. Mousewheel controls your movement

01:26speed, allowing you to instantly change across different stances. The faster you are, the more

01:31sound you make. At free notches, we're a good compromise, and able to get the jump on enemies.

01:35Don't fall for my mistake. Notches 1 and 2 are marginally better, but the only reason you'd use

01:40them is if you're wearing Kevlar in a plate carrier. In which case, you're not gonna make it.

01:44Approaching someone from behind lets you perform a stealth takedown. Pressing E chokes them out,

01:48which can transition to snapping their neck with Q, or you can just cut their throat. This is much

01:53quicker, but makes them bleed out, which is a problem, as we often have to dispose of the

01:57evidence by dragging their body, and a bloody corpse leaves a bloody trail. You could choose

02:02to leave them unconscious at your discretion, which is incredibly noble, unless things go south and

02:06their friends find the bodies. Wake them up, and undo all of your efforts. In a Steve campaign,

02:11there's no reason to spare anyone, so I usually stack up the bodies and make up a backstory for why

02:16they should live or die. He didn't choose this life. He probably has a family. He paid $10,000

02:21for a commission of Tali Zorovas Normandy, inflated larger than the solar system.

02:27Hiding bodies is a fine art. Dark alleyways conceal your wet work. Dumpsters work in plain sight,

02:32but the most functional and reusable of all is the humble toilet. You're telling me every building

02:37has a room with one door and no windows? Excellent. Ledges and fences can be vaulted by pressing space,

02:43or holding shift as you run towards them. The same goes for windows, but breaking them creates a lot

02:48of noise. They facilitate movement, but being waist-high, they give up your position as well.

02:53Ventilation shafts are completely silent and let you navigate around buildings. Doors are

02:57deceptively creaky, but don't actually make any noise when opening or closing, except when you bash

03:02them open. Timing this with a passing patrol is an instant knockout. Enemies will leave their patrol

03:07route and investigate if they hear or spot something suspicious. This can be both a nuisance and an

03:12opportunity to lure them into the open. For example, I can leave the door open, switch off

03:16the lights, and hide in the closet. When a junkie comes to investigate the open door, he notices the

03:21dark room and tries to find the light switch. As he passes by, I burst through the closet, drag him

03:26to the bathroom, and curb stomp his face. However, most situations aren't so ideal. When there's no

03:31cover to be found, press control to go prone. You can't attack while prone, but the trade-off is

03:36drastically reduced detection. Combine this by crawling under a bush in some darkness,

03:39and you're almost invisible. Provided you're right below them, you can also slide past security

03:44cameras. If you're ever unsure of how much noise you're making or how much light is on your character,

03:48you can always check the indicators on the bottom left. C is a non-lethal pistol whip. Holstering your

03:54weapon with H switches you to the best silent weapon in the game. Steve's ripped up, roided out

03:59body. Punching an enemy from behind is an instant knockout. Two, if you surprise him from the front or

04:04sides. Right-click is a kick, which you can abuse by camping doors. Just be warned, enemies can also do it.

04:09Steve searches the drug den, but doesn't find anyone who killed his brother. This marks the main

04:14structure of the mission. Enter the scene, confront your target, and exfiltrate. Revenge is expensive,

04:19and we need money. Along the way, you can find secondary objectives, such as schematics, loose

04:24cash, jewelry, compromising material, and cryptocurrency. Unfortunately, every crypto wallet is at the end of

04:30its pump and dump, and every chat log only incriminates a low-tier Minecraft YouTuber at best.

04:35You might also encounter the Mini-Uzi. If you want new guns for later missions, you have to

04:40exfiltrate with them first. Explanation, you're doing illegal shit, so you probably need an

04:45unregistered weapon with a scrubbed serial number. There's unique weapons across every level, and it's

04:50a matter of personal preference. But I do hope that one day you'll discover the joys of a Ruger MK4.

04:56Master gave Dobby the blicky with a switch. Dobby is now a free elf. This is a good time to mention

05:01that Zed automatically loots ammunition, and Tilda lets you cycle between different varieties

05:06for your current weapon. In this case, between standard 9mm and positive P overpressure.

05:11Reloading with R doesn't magically save bullets. It throws out your current magazine on the floor

05:16and replaces it with whatever you have. There's no time to hand-load ammunition. The magazine will

05:22make more of an echo to indicate how close you are to going dry. For added control, ALT cycles your

05:27fire mode. This is especially important to higher caliber rifles, where recoil will kill

05:32you before the enemy. Progress is kept by saves. These are limited permission, and you unlock more

05:37as you progress or reach a checkpoint. Honestly, I love the system. It forces you to live with your

05:41decisions and keep going. I've had some of the most fun just because I couldn't go back on my

05:46mistakes. Pro tip, I got really frustrated with how I had to manually name each save file, which would

05:52reset after checkpoints. Turns out, I'm a knuckle-dragger and had no reason to do that, because

05:57F5 quick saves and F9 quick loads. Steve returns home empty-handed and receives an anonymous phone

06:03call, which isn't very anonymous at all because I can see their portrait. They call themselves

06:07the accomplice, even though I can clearly see this is Kurt Cobain. They claim that they've also lost

06:12loved ones and the police have done nothing about it, offering Steve their assistance in tracking down

06:17those responsible, and also access to a Zhabka warehouse with enough guns to scare the ATF.

06:23This is incredibly convenient, but I'm not complaining, because now we have access to loadouts.

06:28All the money you collect from missions can be spent on tools and weapon attachments. Each upgrade

06:32is a one-time cost, so you don't have to worry about dropping them in the field. According to the

06:37accomplice, one of the men that killed his brother was spotted on CCTV. After 34 days of intense

06:42training, Steve deploys to his next mission. You can choose anything you want for a loadout,

06:47but here's a recommendation. Guns are loud, and the only thing that comes close to silent is the

06:52Bruger & Fomit VP9. It's integrally suppressed. The original use was to put down sick animals,

06:57but it works on people too. It's chambered in 9mm subsonic. The only problem is the lack of

07:02ammunition. However, we can switch our mini Uzi to 9mm subsonic as well, giving us an extra 64 pulls

07:09of the trigger. Why do I like this gun? Because it's a one-shot silent kill from behind, but primarily

07:14we won't be popping heads, just light bulbs. Because once you hit tab, darkness becomes your

07:19best friend. No matter the loadout, night vision goggles are a standard issue. Enemies might have

07:24flashlights, but they can't see in the dark. For gadgets, I take the HSREMP to glitch out cameras

07:29without suspicion. The taser for non-lethal takedowns at range, and a throwing knife, because I give up my

07:35non-lethal run halfway into each mission. Aside from this, I take a Kevlar plate. It's not that noisy,

07:40and each time you forget you're wearing it, you'll be glad you remembered. To be clear,

07:44this is the difference between dying from two bullets instead of one, but hey, every little

07:48bit counts. Additionally, armor lets you heal off damage. Red is your actual health. Getting shot

07:53turns it to yellow, which is potential health if you take a moment to recover. Please note,

07:58in the middle of combat, you do not have this luxury. The music gives you context clues to how

08:03you're doing. If you're incognito, it's calm and peaceful. It gets tense if the level is starting

08:07to get suspicious, and the moment an unsuppressed round is fired, the trap goes loud.

08:14Also, Steve knows how to pick locks now. This is called character development. It's fairly fast

08:19and silent, but you're vulnerable in the process. If you're in a hurry, you could choose to break the

08:23lock instead, making a bunch of noise in the process. Most locks are indoors, but there's also

08:28breaker boxes that let you kill the lights for an entire building. Unlike broken lights, power outages

08:33don't arouse suspicion, but they do force patrols to walk outside and flip back the breaker, during

08:39which time you can sneak inside or incapacitate them. The mission goes without a hitch. We find

08:43one of our brother's killers who leaks the location of another. First, we make sure he's telling the

08:48truth. Then, we ventilate him. We fail to find him, but stumble on his dealer, who says he's getting

08:53his supply from a serious operation by the nickname shopkeeper. Following our second lead to a port

08:58warehouse, we find the man who started all this. The one who ordered the attack on you and your

09:03brother. After a heartfelt recollection, we send him straight to hell. Surprisingly, this doesn't

09:08improve Steve's mental health. The kill sends Steve into a rage, as he intravenously injects 50cc

09:14Trenbolone acetate directly into his cock vein. This event unlocks his special perk, Die Hard.

09:20Whenever you're outnumbered in a gunfight, your adrenaline kicks in and you go into slow-mo. Usually,

09:25this triggers at the worst possible time. So, not only do you have to die, you have to watch it in

09:30slow motion. Steve is understandably traumatized. I can relate to this. When I was 15, I landed on

09:35the dark web, and I saw so many Chinese industrial accidents, but it left an impression on me. This is

09:41the equivalent of Illidan taking in the eye of Sargeras. I was awakened to things I shouldn't know.

09:46Or maybe I'm overreacting, as everybody else took it differently. My friends would see a man cook to a

09:51crisp from touching live electrical wire, and send me a one-line response on Skype.

09:56Nerve gas. Unsatisfied, Steve vows to take down as many drug peddlers as possible, with the help of

10:03his trusty accomplice. Once we pursue the shopkeeper, the game reaches its highest complexity. This is

10:08no longer low-end drug trafficking. This is organized crime. Accordingly, we don't have random goons.

10:14We have security details with Kevlar and automatic weapons. There's cameras everywhere, magnetic keycards

10:20for checkpoints, and every person on the map is radioed in. If they say a single word, the entire level

10:26is on lockdown. Stealth is heavily encouraged. In fact, it's your only option. You're playing the

10:31real game now, and there's nothing left to teach you. So let's finish up the story. Shopkeeper handles

10:36production, or at least he used to. Baker is responsible for distribution. However, he's the

10:40only one who expresses any remorse for his actions, and promises a favor if you let him go. This is the

10:46one and only choice to spare someone in the first game, and I recommend you take it. Finishing your

10:50vengeance spree, you return to the peace of your domestic life and watch slop on TV. Then, your

10:56apartment gets broken into by several hitmen sent to kill you. Despite the length of it, this is

11:00easily one of my favorite missions. Also, the song is a banger.

11:05The last one alive tips you off that he got the job from empathetic. Shopkeeper, baker, empathetic.

11:11Everyone in this game works off ridiculous nicknames. What's next? Candyman? Sugar? Quasimodo?

11:17You try to call accomplice for answers, but the phone is dead. Steve is mildly stressed

11:22from this experience, and has a quick smoke to clear his head. Baker is the only one that

11:27picks up. Grateful for your mercy, he gives you access to the black market and a new hideout,

11:31as he lies low and hides from his former colleagues. You assault empathetic's restaurant

11:36and hold him at gunpoint. He refuses to break confidentiality, but points you in the direction

11:41of someone who can. An undercover cop knows where the hit came from, but his cover is blown,

11:45and he won't spill the beans until you wipe out the mob he's infiltrating. One hand

11:49washes the other. To nobody's surprise, you haven't been receiving the support of a benevolent

11:54millionaire. Instead, you've helped a crime boss wipe out his competition. You're the only loose end.

11:59Your final objective? Kill everyone, including the accomplice. But not before injecting him with

12:05enough heroin that he can't possibly hold a firearm, and writing a dubious letter where your handwriting

12:09is visibly different from arrest. Regardless, the courts are paid off, and his crackhead wife lives

12:14happily ever after. At the very least, you've kept drugs off the street. Kids will no longer fall

12:19prey to Flintstone gummy vitamins, or the dreaded Oblivvy Cart, Booth of the Year edition. I just

12:24realized I explained the entirety of Intravenous 1 to contextualize the events of the second, when a

12:29story is secondary and doesn't actually matter. What does matter is starting the second campaign on

12:34true difficulty, which doesn't mean arbitrarily harder. It means we've intentionally handicapped

12:39the AI for every other difficulty to prepare you for playing on normal. Dropping bodies make noise.

12:44Enemies notice missing patrols, react faster, and shoot harder. Everyone dies quicker. Bleeding can turn

12:50you into a cripple, and you have almost no save files, just as it was always meant to be. Sean is a

12:56normal Bishonin protagonist, living in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Your father needs

13:01ivermectin to treat his river blindness, but at three dollars a pack for a one-time treatment that will

13:06completely cure his condition. He simply can't afford it. Out of options, he decides to become

13:11a hitman for empathetic, only taking the jobs that he feels are morally justified. Your first

13:16objective is to kill a construction contractor that keeps scamming people by embezzling their money,

13:20asking for more to finish the job, and ghosting them when no more can be paid. This is exactly like

13:26gypsies in the Baltics. And call me prejudiced, but if it was me, you wouldn't have to pay me. Next,

13:31you're told to liquidate a politician who's allegedly involved in child trafficking. However,

13:35the hit goes wrong. Confronting the man, you find no evidence of the charges. You've been fed

13:40bullshit to kill a rival politician. You back out of the job, only to find out your dad has been

13:45kidnapped. You're being blackmailed into killing people, and if you don't comply, they'll kill your

13:49father. By chance, Sean encounters Steve. Both of their names alliterate to SS, a reference to the

13:55Schutzstaffel. They form a dynamic duo. Steve is an infamous anabolic Roythog that single-handedly wiped

14:01out free mobs. And Sean has glass bones, paper skin, severe anemia, and he has an inhaler for

14:07his asthma. Together, they're gonna find Sean's dad. And maybe, somewhere along the way, they'll

14:12discover their feelings for each other. It's worth mentioning, there's light RPG mechanics,

14:16where you get better at something the more you do it. Lockpicking, load-bearing, reloading,

14:20and recoil control for differently sized guns. Steve is combat seasoned. Sean is the equivalent of a

14:26polio victim in Treblinka. Naturally, he serves to benefit from Steve's experience. But Steve has

14:31only just met him, so you have to build up trust between missions, by sparing targets and avoiding

14:36bystanders such as civilians and public officials. That's the new feature of Intravenous 2. Mixed

14:41populations. They're civilians and combatants. Some would argue they're the same thing, but Steve

14:46doesn't like you harming innocents. Wait, Steve, what exactly is your fatality rate? Dad might die if I

14:52don't comply with the kidnappers, but he's not exactly gonna train my stats. And, worst comes to

14:56worst, our medical fees have just gone down. Sean takes the blackmail contracts and fumbles them,

15:01while Steve takes side missions to investigate their identity. Between missions, you return to your

15:06in-cell warehouse, where there's nothing to do except knock out lights with a soda can and watch whatever's

15:11on TV. After rescuing your dad, he's also in the hideout, so you can continue to disappoint him.

15:26I freed you, papa. You're my captive now. We give him control of the TV, and he's pretty happy about

15:31that. However, he doesn't realize you can skip adverts and watches them in their entirety. Most

15:36parents would be like, let go of grudges. Come back, my boy. Your dad just encourages you. Honestly,

15:41he doesn't even mind that you're a hitman. Things really are different in Poland. Life has no value

15:46because death is meaningless. You just respawn at the nearest Bedronka. Anyway, we find a politician

15:51responsible for these shenanigans and put him down. Sean cries softly from realizing it's all over,

15:56but his face stings from a lip filler. Instead of planting a kiss, Steve wraps Sean in his bear-like

16:01embrace, and they get married. The end. Mechanically, there's a lot to love about this game. Every system

16:07blends in on itself, and once you understand the enemy AI, it becomes a

16:11beautifully controlled chaos. Enemies don't know where you are. Where they think you are is your

16:16last visual sighting and any source of noise. For example, I could kill the lights, shoot at a group,

16:21and jump out the window. As a second group loops around to flank me, they're hit by blind fire from

16:26a first. If they take losses, they'll become more cautious. Instead of following you into your kill

16:30corridor, they'll use their superior numbers and camp outside. There's a couple of anomalies here and

16:35there. If you turn off a light in an occupied toilet, the guy gets suspicious, turns the light

16:40back on, and continues shitting. But generally, it's incredibly competent. Both campaigns are sick.

16:44There's a reason this game is so highly rated. It's not that long and very replayable. The writing

16:49is serviceable, but it's never the focus. Although, at one point, Sean does swallow a GPS tracker,

16:54and that's relevant to the story. So that's pretty cool. I knew a guy who did something similar,

16:58except instead of a GPS, it was other men's semen. I could go on for another 10 minutes discussing every

17:03loadout, every weapon, and whether an infrared laser combined with a 9mm caliber conversion is

17:08worth the money. The short answer to which is yes. To save you the time, the optimal build is to go

17:13fully unarmed with one taser, and electrocute your testicles. In summary, it insists upon itself.

17:190 out of 10. In all seriousness, this is a game with a microphone slider, so you can attach a $1

17:24Xbox clip-on microphone to alert the entire level.

17:27It's amazing. I thoroughly recommend Intravenous 2, which will be going on a 33% sale. And I doubly

17:38recommend the Remaster DLC, which is probably on a 20% discount. Together, they come to about $22,

17:44or the price of six packs of Marlboro Red here in Bosnia. I've already put 60 hours into this.

17:50It's worth it. As always, more content to come, so stay tuned. A warm thanks to the many members of

17:55a Merchants Guild, generously funding and bankrolling these videos. You're all truly wonderful. Have a good one.

18:25Good night!

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Intravenous II Review | Collateral Edition™

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