[Timgt5]

Infamous, A Review

Released: May 2009
Developer: Sucker Punch
Publisher: Sony
Type: Action/Adventure/open world
Genre: Science Fiction/Modern Day Setting
Platforms: PS3 Exclusive
Rating: T (Teen)

Background: What if you found yourself with suddenly waking up with super powers? What choices would you make? Sucker Punch asks this question in the intriguing game, Infamous.

Highs: Deep and engaging story, solid voice acting, huge environment, awesome mechanics, lots of content. You are able to make moral choices regarding the character

Lows: Some graphics issues (draw in, aliasing) occasional slow down. Some early missions are a bit difficult

The Plot: As our game opens we meet Cole MacGrath a bike messenger working in Empire City. One day he is given a mysterious package to deliver. When he reaches his destination he is instructed by cell phone to open the box. A massive EMP explosion occurs and several blocks of the city are utterly destroyed, hundreds of people die. Cole miraculously survives, albeit severely injured. He manages to make it a functioning clinic and falls into a coma for several days. In that time a plague has broken out throughout Empire City and the government has sent in the military to seal off the area. No can leave or enter Empire City. In the meantime, persons on the fringe of society have armed themselves and have begun taking over portions of the city, overwhelming the local police. Empire City has begun a descent into anarchy. Cole awakes from his coma with electricity-based super powers. Caught in a web of intrigue and dark government conspiracies, Cole sets out to survive his new reality as he battles the various factions, solves the mystery of the “Ray Sphere” (the weapon he inadvertently unleashed when he opened the package) and comes face to face with the mysterious Kessler. The story is well written with well thought characters and lots of interesting twists. The twist at the end of the story could have been cooked up by M. Night Shyamalan himself (I will not give it away here)

The Game Play: In Infamous you play as Cole, a messenger who by a bizarre set of circumstances (see above) develops electric powers. This game like is a “sandbox” set like the Grand Theft Auto games. The player gets to choose from various available missions throughout the cities 3 areas (Neon, Historic, and Warren) some are part of the main storyline, others are initiated by Empire’s citizens. As Cole completes the main storyline and restores power to the city, he gains new abilities. Cole’s powers include:

Static Bolts: This is Cole’s basic attack, in which he throws small bolts of energy at his enemies. This attack is particularly effective if the enemies are standing in water.

Sticky Bombs: These are grenade-like weapons that can be homed in on enemies and have a delayed effect which can take out several enemies at once.

Precision Shot: This works like a sniper weapon and can allow Cole to take out enemies at a distance

Glide: Enables Cole to jump long distances, suspended by a field of electricity.

Cole can also use his electricity to heal innocents and he can drain energy from his fallen enemies.

Cole is able to grab on to any protruding surface and use it climb buildings and can survive a fall from any height. He can also tightrope walk across cables and wire. This part of game is extremely well produced and makes getting around the areas of Empire City interesting and fun. The game’s mechanics are quite fluid and Cole can run pretty fast. In addition, Cole can perform melee’ attacks as well as electricity based ones.

Whenever Cole loses health or needs to restore his powers, he can charge himself from any available electric source (cars, transformers, neon lights etc.) In turn Cole can power electric devices with his energy (vital to the completion of missions)

Like every good superhero, Cole has some limitations as well. Because of the electrical field around his body, Cole cannot handle firearms, drive a car, or immerse himself in water.

One very interesting game play element is the player’s abilities to choose whether Cole goes down the path of Good or Evil. Many of the missions have Karma elements and depending on how Cole carries them out he gains good or bad Karma. This affects the nature of his powers and several of the games plot points. Cole’s actions also affect the attitude and actions of the city’s residents. The branching story mechanic is not new, but it is well executed here.

Graphics and Sound: Overall the visuals in this game are good, with expansive environments, and decent sight distances. The explosions, electrical powers and particle effects are handled well here. There is some occasional draw-in in the distance. The overall presentation is a notch below the likes of GTA 4, or Assassin’s Creed. The character animations are quite smooth but the game suffers from some slowdown when there are lots of enemies on the screen running around. The sound effects in the game are solid and the game sports a good sound track.

Kids Corner: The game is rated T. There is some violence here but nothing graphic. There is not really any fowl language used or nudity. The story may be a bit dark and complex for younger folks.

Overall: This was a rather interesting game to play. The branching paths made me want to play through it twice to see the different outcomes. For those who appreciate a good story I give this one a solid recommendation