One of the best reasons to own a PS3 just got even better!

I was a huge fan of the original inFamous. Though choices now exist in many games whether to be good or evil, at the time of release for inFamous, it was still a relatively unexplored element of modern day gaming. Do I want to be the selfless do-gooder or the insufferable douche? The benevolent provider or the malevolent destroyer? Yet while these choices offer a wide variety of differentiation and replayability, both older and more recent games have done it better and more consistently. Mass Effect, anyone?

That’s not to say inFamous 2 is a bad game. It’s not. In fact, it’s absolutely fantastic. I loved every second of it. But the choices you make, the endings you witness, in both the first AND second games of the franchise, tend to be cheapened by the fact that, at the beginning of inFamous 2, it truly does not matter what you chose to do in the first game. At all.

Were you a hero? Were you a villain? Doesn’t matter. You’ll be starting inFamous 2 the same way as any schmuck who never played the original: with neutral karma. It’s a bit disappointing, honestly. It’s almost like The Legend of Zelda. You work your ass off to acquire crazy weapons, new techniques and serious health boosts, but no matter if it’s a direct sequel or not, you will always be stripped of almost everything at the beginning of the next game.

 

 

 

Anywho, that’s enough bitching and moaning over one point. Beyond that complaint, I have nothing but positive feedback from my two inFamous 2 playthroughs.

inFamous 2 starts you out in Empire City (think New York City), setting sail to meet a certain Dr. Wolfe in New Marais (think New Orleans). Wolfe has promised to amplify your already awesome powers to combat the Beast, but before you can depart, the Beast himself begins to wreak havoc on Empire City. And in a pretty epic opening fight scene, the Beast ultimately whoops your ass and drains your powers. D’oh!!!

Regardless, you depart for New Orlea…Uhhh, Marais. Upon reaching New Marais, Cole is immediately introduced to the game’s primary antagonists: The Militia. Ever seen Deliverance? Yeah…

 

 

The plot for inFamous 2 is, dare I say, better than the first. With old and new friends, new, tough choices and an entirely new city to explore and conquer, gamers will have no problem dropping hours upon hours into inFamous 2. Characters are more 3-Dimensional. You feel for them. You want to know more about them. You feel the consequences of your actions through them. You can disappoint them, please them, betray them or help them. And the voice acting is top notch, believable. Eric Ladin lent himself very well to the project, as did everyone else. You’ll want to play through multiple times to hear every bit of dialogue. Interactions between you and your supporting cast vary greatly depending on if you’re being a nice guy or a dick.

The graphics are honestly nothing to write home about. Though New Marais is decidedly more “alive” than Empire City, and the colors are richer and more vibrant, the overall feel of the entire package leans more towards cartoony than realistic. Which is cool, as it’s executed very well, especially through the comic book styled cut scenes. But I’d be crazy to say that the folks at Sucker Punch were pushing the PS3′s hardware. But like I just mentioned above, it works. It’s supposed to be stylized, super-heroic, “comic bookie.” And because of that, the game manages to maintain a smooth frame rate and never dips throughout.

The controls have also been refined. Gliding over rooftops, hopping from boat to boat, showing off your parkour skills in the local park has never been easier. The new powers are easily executed and the overall mapping of the controls and even the upgrade system make you feel damn near invincible. Some would say you’re even a bit overpowered, as on the Normal difficulty setting, you will not die often at all.

 

 

 

When it came to the sound of inFamous 2, I was left a bit…confused. The voice acting and explosions and monster noises were great, but there was always something missing. Something as simple as footstep sounds in a cut scene or strained breathing, harder hitting collisions, etc. While not bad, it just never really seemed to come together to result in an audibly stunning finished product. Like listening to your favorite band without the lead guitarist.

And finally, the karma system. As mentioned above, your choices will produce vastly different results depending on whether you choose to go good or evil. Different dialogues, appearances and missions await those who decide to play both sides of the karmic coin. Starting off, neutral Cole wears yellow and black. Pretty innocuous. Progressing as the hero will tend your clothing more towards the white and gray scale, while being an enemy of the state will result in a bloody red aesthetic. Even Cole’s tattoos change depending on your actions. Being evil will result in sharper, more menacing tribal tattoos while good Cole sports more balanced,  calming and proportional ink. It’s subtle, but it’s a very cool addition to the game. Though I never remembered when Cole had any time to go touch up his body art in either playthrough. His tats just kind of…happen.

PS3 gamers are getting a great deal when purchasing inFamous 2. Essentially, they’re getting 2 similar though different games for the price of 1, and each playthrough has its own risks and rewards. Though I don’t expect your decisions in inFamous 2 to carry over to the inevitable inFamous 3, the choices offered throughout the game are a lot of fun and may evoke an emotional gaming reaction of which you didn’t realize you were capable. Sucker Punch has done a fantastic job of taking an already great formula and improving upon it. What was bad has been changed, and what was good has been made better. PS3 owners should not miss these experiences (y’know, because of the good AND bad?), and should head out to pick up a copy ASAP. And if you haven’t already utilized your PS3 Welcome Back credit, be sure to pick up inFamous 1 on the cheap [read: free]. Both are great reasons to be a PS3 gamer, and both are great reasons to be jealous if you exclusively support the Xbox 360. :p

inFamous 2, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

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