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inFAMOUS Review

EagleThorn

June 21, 2010

S

pider-Man 2, the video game, did it right. After decades of games taking superheroes and sticking them in beat'em ups, Spider-Man 2 put you behind spidey's mask and let you loose on an open-world. The game had citizens packing side missions, enemies roaming the city, and more. Of course, it also had a bunch of problems, but it at least gave the world a glimpse of what a superhero game could be. Surely, someone would pick up the idea, polish it, and run with it... right?

Five years later, Sucker Punch dusted off that blueprint and improved the hell out of it. inFAMOUS is one of the best offerings on the PlayStation 3 to date. When you pick up the controller, you are dropped into the shoes of Cole. He used to be your everyday bike messenger, but that all ended when he delivered a package and the thing went off in his hands. The blast leveled a majority of the city and left Cole in a coma. When he wakes up, everything is a bit upside down. There's a plague that's making people sick, the government has quarantined Empire City, gangs have seized control of the three islands that make up the metropolis, and most importantly: Cole finds that he's been blessed/cursed with electricity-based superpowers. Now that you're in control of a guy who can shoot lightning bolts from his hands, fall from the highest buildings without taking any damage, and throw cars into the air with his trusty shockwave, what are you going to do? I suggest party, but that's just me. You can also fight crime.

Story-wise, Cole meets with Moya, an FBI agent who wants him to track down her husband (a fellow agent in deep cover) and recover the device that might have given Cole his powers in the first place. I normally don't care for story stuff in an open-world game, but InFamous actually has a pretty good script, and the story takes some very surprising turns later on. Without spoiling, I'll just say: it's worth it to pay attention to the dialogue and the comic book-style cut-scenes early on to prepare for the crazy stuff that happens later on down the line.

Gameplay-wise, the best way to describe InFamous' feel is, "Sly Cooper, but with Jedi powers instead of thievery skills." Cole moves like Sly; his basic controls feel tight and responsive, and he basically just grabs onto whatever is in front of him automatically. For the most part, the platforming is a joy, as I spent less time feeling frustrated when Cole didn't make a particular jump or grab and more time trying to be efficient with him. Early on, navigation is limited to just running, jumping, and climbing; later on, Cole learns how to grind across power lines and train tracks, and even gains a hovering ability. Being able to cruise along a power line, build up momentum, and then use that momentum to glide across a large gap, grab onto the windows of a tall building across said gap, and then make my way to the top, just feels good.

The Karma system determines Cole's play-style and how Empire City treats him. Karma, both good and bad, comes from little things (such as draining wounded enemies and civilians of life to recharge Cole's energy meter versus healing civilians and restraining enemies) and specific Karma decisions during missions (taking a rocket to the face to protect some civilians, or dodging said rocket and accepting responsibility for the collateral damage). A good Cole looks healthy and inspiring while an evil Cole looks pale and corrupt; a good Cole shoots blue lightning while an evil Cole shoots red lightning. And while people will cheer and praise a good Cole, those same people will throw rocks and attempt to gang up on an evil Cole. When this occurs, a good ol' Thunder Drop will keep things in line.

In terms of actual play-style, the two Karma paths determine what Cole's powers are and, therefore, his general gameplay approach. Being good tends to do things like make Cole's individual grenades stronger, or turn his rocket power into a guided one. Good is about precision and control. Being evil essentially turns Cole into a person of mass destruction, as it tends to simply add more boom to his abilities. Instead of a single strong grenade for one target, Cole throws a cluster of grenades that spread their damage across a wider area; instead of a single guided rocket, Cole fires off seven unguided rockets simultaneously. Some powers, such as Arc Lightning (a basic, chain lightning attack) and Overload Burst (a stronger shot that also makes cover hazardous for the enemy) require a specific alignment. But the game doesn't allow Cole to be neutral; each path requires a maxed out Karma track (either full Hero or full Infamous) to unlock the full potential of Cole's powers.

It's how InFamous blends all of the platforming, the combat, the powers, the missions, and the Karma that makes it a playable and enjoyable experience for me. It's why I've been staying up so late for the past few days (Yeah I know, I'm late to the party). It's why I actually play the side missions. I usually don't do many side-missions in games whether they're open-world action games or RPGs. I'm usually content with focusing on the critical path. It's why I still load it up to look for collectibles like blast shards, which increase my energy meter; and dead drops, which expounds out on some extra backstory. It's why after finishing the awesome evil ending after about 20 hours of play, there's just enough replayability and difference for me to immediately start up a new game as a good guy afterwards.

It's also why I excuse things like the lack of perfection (while looking good, inFAMOUS also looks really, really jaggy at times), the numerous pop-in incidents (expect a few cars and people to just suddenly appear out of nowhere), the hyper-accurate enemies, and even the somewhat bland enemy lineup. I love the super-powered enemies within a gang and the boss battles but the rank of the dudes-with-guns wears a bit at times. It's why I forgive Cole's overly grippy nature, which is a gift from god for the most part-- but sometimes--simple actions like jumping onto a wire make Cole grab something else entirely. It's why I forgive how annoying Cole's sidekick, Zeke, sounds.

Simply put, inFAMOUS is the kind of game that when I'm not playing it, I'm constantly thinking about doing so. Heck, I already know what's going to happen right after I finish this sentence: I'm going to play more as superhero-lightning-cop Cole. Do a favor and play this game if you haven't already.

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