Community College Hero: Knowledge is Power

Bem divertido. Embora não tenha como evitar o final do jogo, sem falar spoilers, você tem uma diversidade bem grande de escolhas no jogo. Não é infinito, obviamente, mas eu senti que consegui jogar de diferentes maneiras o jogo. Com quem você termina (tem varias waifus, bros), os equipamentos, relacionamentos, etc. Completei várias vezes o primeiro e apenas uma vez o segundo (vou jogar mais vezes). Recomendo. Fun. É isso.

Great story, lots of freedom, choices really count.

*I played this on the Hosted Games omnibus app*

A couple months ago, I played Eric Moser's Community College Hero and reviewed it in glowing terms. This week, I finally got a chance to play the sequel, Community College Hero: Knowledge Is Power, and it lived up to all my happy expectations.

Back for their spring semester, the young heroes of Speck Community College face challenges both old and new. Professor McCormick's class on hero law is as soporific as ever, increased security measures off-campus put a damper on students' social lives, and the death of a universally beloved classmate at the end of the fall semester weighs heavily on everyone's mind. The promised return of an old enemy in May looms even more chillingly than final exams. Meanwhile, a new villain has turned up in Speck with a jet pack, a taunting manner, and a sinister plan. As the only student in the hero-studies program without superpowers, you're determined to hold your own and prove your worth, and you have a plan that promises to change the course of your hero career forever.

I didn't enjoy Knowledge Is Power quite so much as its predecessor - the original CCH did a better job balancing college life and hero business, while the sequel feels distinctly more like a superhero story than a school story - but that's barely any criticism at all, since it's still among the best that Hosted Games has to offer. It's good to be back in Speck with this cast of characters I have grown to love, watching them mature as young men and women as they learn to make the best use of their powers. Mysteries and conspiracies that were merely hinted at in the first game are starting to come to light. With a minimum of railroading on Moser's part or conscious effort on mine, my wholesomely heroic PC (think Steve Rogers at the beginning of Captain America: The First Avenger) was developing a cynical streak and confronting powerful temptations while still striving to cleave to his ideals, and I was so immersed in the story and character that, looking back, I have a keener memory of watching him struggle than of actually being the one making the decisions.

The only thing about this game that I found particularly disappointing was the Wyvern. The new villain, although he had a lot of potential, ultimately never felt like much more than a distraction from the main plot. It's very likely that some of this is actually in there and I simply didn't make the choices that would have led me to it, but I never got any sense of who he was, where he came from, or what he wanted. The way his storyline was resolved simply felt contrived, as a character I've played as fairly sensible decided to do something monumentally stupid for no evident reason other than the plot said so. That's annoying enough in a conventional narrative; in interactive fiction it's nothing short of infuriating.

This game's Achievement list feels a little more conventional than that of the previous game, with many more Achievements focused on major story routes, plot points, or high performance. That said, there are still a few delightful ones - you can "Crash a Speck-issued vehicle," "Enjoy free burgers with your sidekick," or "Invite a classmate to pleasure you in private." In what may be my favorite Achievement of all time, you can also "Save a pug on the mean streets of New York." (Actually, there are - so far as I've seen - three pugs in this game, and even if I didn't know that one of them was based on one of the author's own pets, Moser brings the same lived authenticity to the pug scenes as he does to McCormick's law lectures.)

To sum it up, Knowledge Is Power is a worthy sequel to the original Community College Hero, and a richly entertaining game in its own right. I'm glad I have Fun and Games to tide me over until part three, All Things End, comes out (presumably) early next year. After the intensity of Knowledge Is Power, I'm looking forward to some lighthearted moments with my PC and his friends.

*originally posted on Reddit*

I would not get vested in this. Used to be one of my favorite series, but the author did 1, 2, then 2.5, then a different project, then another different project. It was good, but with no ending in sight for a 3rd part, nor any indication of any completion of the series since October 2019, I would call this dead. If a 3rd part ever gets even contemplated, I will consider changing this, but that is very doubtful.

While less control over the story path, I found the second installment to be a whole lot better than the first. You transfer your previous hero's power over so you are slightly stronger and get to power yourself up a bit more so choices feel less annoying and out of control. Villains are finally more fleshed out, you can actually feel like you're part of the hero group as you get stronger and overall a better experience than the first. I only really ever restarted twice.

Seems like a really great game, just like the first one. Definitely a recommendation!

Edit: It is simply amazing!

It's a fun superhero story featuring with quirky characters and plenty of meaningful choice and character development potential. Very well written, with an earnest and conventional style.

Great writing, good amount of choices for character building and I'd need multiple playthroughs to see what different decisions I could've made, actually makes you feel like you're struggling against the threats presented. Could not stop reading, start to finish. Very excited for Part 3.

(I am copying my review to the first one since I played the second game right after the first and have similar opinions of them)

I enjoyed it, only things I dislike about it is that 1. this makes it seem like you can have superpowers, you cannot, you are in fact the only person at the school without powers. Not that that's bad, just different than what I had anticipated.
Secondly, I have noticed that many of the games the author/dev makes are set up for a sequel, not that that's bad, I get it's easier to make a sequel than something new. But I personally find that this means each game does not feel like a proper game. The endings do not feel like proper endings, (they obviously are not since there is a sequel, but still).

Best way I can describe it is that the first game ends before you complete your final exams, you do not finish going to school before the ending. It feels more like a 10 hour game that was chopped up into 3 bits.
Don't get me wrong, every bit of it is very enjoyable on it's own, it's simply that I miss a proper ending. A proper send off, and having to wait for sequels (the zombie exodus games the dev made handled endings better IMO) is just frustrating.


All in all, I still very much enjoyed the game, and recommend it.

I felt like I had no agency in this game. Anything I did felt shoe-horned into the pre-written plot. And when I did do anything that felt like I was going to accomplish something and really make my playthrough feel different and impactful, the game didn't reward me. At the beginning of the game, I was given the options on how I wanted to pursue boosting my "powers". I decided on finding dad's old suit of armor. All game, I get little snippets, getting ever so closer to getting it. Then boom, games done, no armor for you. Like how and why did you have me go through all of those side missions then? So you could give it to me in the sequel? I don't want that. I worked for it in this game, why would it make sense for me to get it in the next one? It just really rubs me the wrong way. Anyway, if you want a light game that won't take you too much time and won't take too much input to complete, this is the game for you. If not, I've heard Just Cause 3 is on sale for $5 right now. Might be the better purchase.

Edit: Further, I really don't like professor Hedonist. In the first game, he came across as kind of a creep. Like he felt like a predator of young students. And he never pays for that because 'he's too good of a super'. Like no. He's a predator. He shouldn't be a teacher. There should be some way to get rid of him. Instead the game tries to paint him in this light of 'oh, but he's a really good super. Look, we can let him not feel guilty about leaving everyone behind to save his friend who will surely die.' Like no. I don't care, you prey on kids you aren't redeemable.
Also, I realized I forgot a perfect example of how this game robs you of choice. Partners. For what felt like every time it came time to become partners with someone for a major project, I had no say. I would always be intercepted, no matter what. I felt like a passenger for so much of this game.

One of those "If you loved the first one, you'll love this one" type of recommendations.

The stakes are higher and the risks get bigger as major powers come into play and a new 'Ouch' bar becomes a concern. Admittedly, a number of stats and details either did not carry over from the last game or hardly had any significant effect at all on this one, however it still serves as a pretty good setup for the third and probably final installment of the series with major decisions cementing your path to heroism. It provides new character stats to further mold your main character's personality and disposition.

Oh, and you get to choose what your mom is like. It's revolutionary I tell you.

Another great tale woven from Eric's endlessly creative mind. This time around, the stakes are higher, the choices are tougher to call and the consequences are bigger than ever before. Your character's powerless plight continues, as they attempt to take down real foes and protect their city. Plus, their personality and motivations can start out pure, and desend into evil, or maybe the opposite! And again, Eric's way of writing just makes each and every scene and character feel like they're really there. And that ending twist, my god that ending twist!

Eric Moser, you have gotten me incredibly hyped for the final installment! Keep creating such marvels!

Wow. I just finished the game and I can't believe how good it is. When I played the prequel, I was already hooked to the game and honestly, I thought that this game will not be as good as its prequel but man was I wrong. The events that happens in this game are intense and it feels like you see what your character is seeing even though all you see is text. For a text based game, this one is unlike the other text-based games that are predictable. I definitely recommend this game especially if you have played the prequel. It's not expensive but it delivers more content that an expensive game. If you haven't got it yet, what are you waiting for? Go and experience Community College Hero: Knowledge is Power. My rating is: 9.7/10 because this game is specktacular.

I haven't finished my first playthrough yet, but I saw enough to say that while I recommend it to everyone who played and enjoyed the first book, something really annoys me and makes me enjoy this COG much less than I would otherwise. Every decision you make is basically "Which one of your friends do you side with?" and if it's not that, it's about siding with one of the schools or your group vs yourself. Instead of letting the reader make real choices it's more about constantly influencing stats and it's annoying. There are definitely people out there who enjoy this type of COG, but I'm not one of them. Makes me feel pressured to pick the 'right' option and want to restart when I don't.

Apart from that it's what you'd expect from the second part of the series: fun characters, lots of action, sometimes messy dialogues. It's lots of fun.

It was great to be able to return to Speck and recontinue the adventures from the first game. The 2nd installment in the Community College Hero offered more gripping choices and exciting scenarios to play through than the first issue. I've only just finished my first run of the game but I am more than eager to pick up the 2nd phase of the adventure from the start once more.

Now I'll have to wait another 2-3 years for the sequel.

It's a solid game that deserves more play through. A lot of investment. In terms of 'difficulty' it feels A LOT easier than the previous games. but I am still frustrated by lack of feedback on some aspects.

I also want more opportunities to use stat checks. though I understand why they are not there. Overall, still a HUGE fan of this series and would love to see it keep going. Hopefully a little bit less wait time between games.

I felt a little too much that it was about my character more than the group. That's a weird complaint, I know, but it didn't really feel "earned."

I still very much enjoyed this game, and definitely recommend it. It is an above average Choice of Games release, and that is despite being both a sequel and setting up another story.

Despite having the usual drawbacks common to stories that are Part 2 in a 3 Part series, CCH:KIP is a solid buy for those planning to play the entire series. Not recommended as a starting point however. Anyways, CCH:KIP starts your character off getting involved in fellow hero Crook's plan to hunt down Manipulator. I found it annoying personally as I had chosen in Part 1 to stick within the law to bring Manipulator to justice. The story goes on from there. Your choices DO matter in this one more than some COYA games I've played. You will probabbly re-start several times when things don't go the way you thought, unless that is not a big deal for you.

I ended up with a surprisingly good ending I thought, all things considered. However, I plan on playing again as I had trouble with the end save and I want to make a certain major decision differently anyway. Having found the Part 3 Work in Progress (WIP) I will stop here. I found Part 3 to be depressing. But that is my opinion.

Superhero isn't just about making name for yourself and saving lives. CCH 1 showed that we needed to go to classes, take exams and do group studies. CCH 2 kicked up a notch by proving it also can be about friendship, loyalty, hope and survival against overwhelming odds. With stakes being much higher, a lot of aspects of first game being pushed aside especially deep character interactions is disappointing but understandable. Emphasis on loyalty and friendship narrative is very enjoyable, would be even better if we had same level of character interactions as in CCH 1. A great and enjoyable CYOA with good replay value well worth time and money.

9/10 Community College Hero: Friendship is Power

A decent enough game, though not as good as the first, and certainly not the best offered by Choice of Games/Hosted Games. The two biggest issues are that it makes the mistake of assuming that one perfectly remembers the events of the first game, and that it very much suffers from "Middle game syndrome", with most of the threads throughout it being started, but not finished. In all, think the second Pirates of the Caribbean. I still recommend it, but one should, ideally, play the first game right before, and presumably, once it comes out, the third game right after.