inFamous- a Sucker Punch Production

Haven't been on here in a long time... Sorry 'bout that. I've been busy plugging away over at Defenders, and haven't really thought about this blog in some time. Oh well, here goes- what has been consuming my time over the last 4-5 days? inFamous, a game by cult favorite developers Sucker Punch.

For those unfamiliar with Sucker Punch, they have a very small library of games, so I don't blame you. They made the surprisingly awesome Sly Cooper series, a trilogy about a raccoon descending from a line of raccoon thieves- the first game is all about getting back your family's book of thieving secrets, the aptly titled Thievius Raccoonus. A childish premise, but quirky and entertaining no less. SP has been inactive until recently, when they declared the development of inFamous, a superhero game in the same vein as Fable, in that you get to choose between good and evil based on what actions you chose throughout the game.

You are Cole MacGrath, a bike messenger in Empire City. After unwittingly delivering a bomb to the heart of the Historic District of Empire City, you wake up with superpowers based around electricity. Starting out, you can survive large falls (in essence, you can't die from jumping off a building), shoot bolts of lightning from your hand, cause a "Shockwave" (a concussive blast that can flip cars and send people flying) and draining electricity from any source of power- a lamp post, parked cars, or one of the power lines that litter the city. Eventually, you learn how to snipe (Precision), grind on power lines and railroad tracks (Induction Grind) and, my personal favorite, fire massive rockets of electricity that cause spalsh damage, plus an extra spalsh if the guys happens to blow up. Many more are unlockable, from offensive to defensive, and each carries it's own role in the game.

I am a man impressed by details, and one that stuck out is that they explained everything. EVERYTHING. Cole can climb buildings like Spiderman. Why? He was into "urban exploration" before the blast. He can also jump over cars, climb just about anything in the city, and sprint for miles without stopping. They provided a semi-logical explanation for his powers, and even made getting new powers a plausible experience. The city's power grid is almost entirely out, and by re-connecting high-voltage underground transformers (by hand) your powers increase from the sheer force of energy flowing through you.

Plot: 10
The story is excellent, in my opinion. Betrayal, love, time-travel- all your basic plot-points are covered. The story is told through short cuts scenes and scripted gameplay, a'la Half-Life. Appropriately, the cut scenes are more like a comic panel than movies (in most cases) and are well drawn. It has enough twists that you may not see these things coming. Also, the plot goes one of two ways, depending on the path you choose (Good or Evil).

Graphics: 10
Solid graphics, without the ridiculous amount of bloom found in EVERY GAME nowadays. Even for a 720p game it still looks great. Cole actually changes appearance depending on the path chosen, and noticeably too. The lightning powers are awesome to look at, and the explosions are nice as well.

Sound: 9
Good to see they didn't sell-out and put T.I. as the sole soundtrack. Very atmospheric, changes with the circumstances, and never overbearing. The voice-acting is good (not notable, but sufficient). Essentially, the standard you've come to expect with next-gen consoles.

Mechanics: 8
Don't get me wrong; on the whole, the game plays smoothly. There are just a few points around each district that glitch horribly. For example, you lose the ability to walk in any direction but off a building, or you might find that walking through certain walls is not a problem for the Human Lightbulb. It's more of a nuisance than anything, but otherwise the game is superb. The aiming is great, the platforming is great, just the random glitches.

Atmosphere: 10
Do I feel like a superhero when playing this- kind of. Does Cole seems to be aware of his surroundings? Yes. Are people in the city aware of Cole? Yes. Does this feel like a city where a superhero might be needed? Yes. Problem solved.

Overall Experience: 9
Worth the $60, but not without flaws. A must have for current PS3 owners, but not a reason to buy the system itself.