inFamous 2

I was a huge fan the first Infamous and had high hopes for the sequel.  I can honestly say that Sucker Punch has indeed delivered a fantastic third person adventure worthy of the title of Infamous 2. From start to finish I enjoyed playing Infamous 2 and dreaded when the game ended. If you’re a sucker for sandbox games and third-person action titles then you owe it to yourself to get this game.

If you’re new comer and planning to start playing Infamous 2 without planning the first game then you will be at a disadvantage. The game automatic assumes that you played the first game and are familiar with all the major aspects of the game’s plot. There is also a bonus provided if you have saved data of the pervious Infamous that will grant you certain bonus within the game.

The story continues right after the first Infamous. Cole MacGrath, a bike courier, imbued with electrical powers from a device known as the Ray Sphere, must defeat a Conduit known as the Beast. Right at the beginning Cole faces the Beast and is defeated, causing him and his best friend Zeke to flee the doomed Empire City for New Marais in hope of obtaining new powers to face and defeat the Beast.

As you progress through the story the player will have to choose to make good and evil decisions. Every choice the player makes determines Cole’s relationship with each character and changes Cole’s appearance. Each choice opens new possibilities for the player to tackle certain missions and encourages players to replay the game and make new choices that differ from previous playthroughs.

The city of New Marais looks great and has a distinctive feel to it that exceeds from Empire City. It’s a living breathing city that is full of good and evil opportunities for the player to indulge into. New Marais contains many locations to explore with Cole’s trademark acrobatics and with fluid animations and a distinct art style. Each location in New Marais is different from one another and creates a sense of progress as the player moves from one location to another, which I found really enjoyable.

Infamous 2 sound design is good but nothing spectacular. Personally I enjoyed the old actor that played Cole in the previous Infamous; however the new actor does the job well enough. The soundtrack is mostly moody. Each track did create a heightened level of tension with each current scene, but it wasn’t anything compared to other games. However everything from helicopters to exploding cars all sounded well.

Infamous 2 plays almost identical to the first game, and that’s a good thing. Cole feels strong and agile throughout the game. The game doesn’t pull a Metroid and de-powers you but instead gives you enough abilities to make you feel like a superhero from beginning and get more powerful as you progress. Completing missions, challenges, and collecting items gains you experience that allows improve Cole’s abilities and choosing between good and evil actions grants you different powers, encouraging players to replay the game in different points of view.

Infamous 2 combat systems haven’t changed much from the previous game. The newest addition to Infamous 2’s combat is the AMP. This weapon is meant to be an improvement to melee combat; however it’s only a minor improvement. Cole still shoots electric blots via a third person point of view and can shoot from any position.

The newest edition to Infamous 2 is user-generated-content. The system is particularly user friendly, as oppose to Little Big Planet, but offers a lot of potential. Personally I’m not a fan of UGC but if you are then this game has a sizable amount of creative options.

Infamous 2 biggest problem is its camera. At times I would find the camera in unusual angles, unable to find Cole or know where I’m going. This becomes especially problematic during melee combat, when the camera would become uncontrollable and get stuck. However this was a minor inconvenience and I was able to look pass this issue.

Sucker Punch should be praise for what they developed for the PS3. The overall package is an incredible installment into the PS3’s library of games and a must play for fans of the first game. Despite some camera issues this game offers incredible action, a lot of replay potential, and a fantastic story. Action and superhero junkies will be pleased with this game.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
Twitter | YouTube | Facebook