With the next generation of gamin consoles now being out for some months now there are only a few games that have been designed solely for them. These games have made their appearance after the initial hype has settled, bringing a testament to their ability. I'm of course talking about the first incarnation of the gaming series 'Infamous' on the next generation, coming to the heavy hitter that is PS4.
Most of you know I am a huge gamer, spending (probably too much) of my money on experiencing the gaming evolution and works from all across the board of consoles. Well, that still holds true in the next gen.
Infamous began as a series that started alongside the coming of the previous generation of systems on the PS3. Arriving in 2009, it finally gave gamers an open world accessible to the protagonist Cole McGrath. He is your average guy who, through a destructive event, receives super powers. I know, right? Superpowers. Every kid wanted them. Some of still want them. Whether it is for medial tasks or if you want to be spider-man zipping through your town and being cool and shit. Who doesn't want that? That appeal is what made Infamous great and spread from gamer to gamer like some kinda cold. What could make that better? Well let the gamers make their own decisions and let that shape out who Cole would become as well as the city he inhabits. There were decisions to be made and consequences to be taken. You would guide Cole through them all and it would describe who you were as a super-powered hero or villain. Your choice. That was the appeal. And with that who couldn't see a sequel to that? You had a character with a hinted ultimate battle in the close future. Lightning abilities only were so tough and it meant finding more power to save the Earth or rule it. Infamous 2 came about two years later in 2011. This time taking Cole away from Empire City and to New Marais. More decisions and this time more powers. Now what this game acomplished was giving us the same freedom of choice, but no longer so black and white. This, this was good. I liked it, introducing some grey area for the gamers so it made those decisions so much tougher. What fell short was the story, though. It seemed to drift from the initial joy of having powers and got sort of drawn out. By the end of the game I felt like I didn't want to make my second run through as an evil douche. The second powers choice was cool but short lived, being introduced late in the game and only between fire and ice. Sort of a let down seeing as there was this entire game world to explore, save or destroy and these powers were thrown in to spice things up on an end note. Overall, sort of made me hate where things went.
Low and behold, when talk of the next generation systems started gaining momentum, Sucker Punch Productions were in talks of another Infamous game. I was skeptical at first, but as news came out, my excitement perked back up. The artwork was well done and the images they did disclose to GameInformer and IGN were nothing short of captivating. Sucker Punch claimed they would push the PS4 to its limits and they delivered. When I was finally able to pre-order a copy at GameStop I was there in a heartbeat. I made a point to get a hold of a collector's edition while I was at it. Honestly, who couldn't resist a bunch of pins, stickers and a beanie. Davey loves his beanies.
I got home from a long week of travel this last Spring Break and went right into my soft TMNT pants and vegged out on gaming all night and the next day (no work yays). The game is beautiful, the controls smooth and the world, oh the world.
Take a step back and tell a little more about this game. Infamous: Second Son is Sucker Punch Production's response to the next generation of gaming. You are Delsin Rowe, a young man of Native American heritage that discovers his ability to leech and take on the abilities of other super beings, known as conduits. After his reservation/home, friends, and family are attacked by the D.U.P. (a government financed 'Anti-Conduit' unit run by a conduit itself) Delsin and his cop brother Reggie take leave for Seattle to take the main baddy Augustine's powers and reverse the damage.
Already this is a game with a strong opening and tie to something greater. How you carry out this vengeance is again, up to you. Salvation or Destruction. That's where I'll leave you story wise, try not to spoil too much for you guys and gals.
What made this game appealing, was how it worked so well on many levels. First lets touch on the look of the game itself. The next gen prides itself on the ability to improve game graphics ten fold and show a sort of semi-realism in it. Sucker Punch being a Seattle based company put a lot of work into recreating the world of Infamous Second Son in that city. Never been there, I looked at photos of the town and compared them to the game, despite it being a D.U.P. twisted version, it's not far off. They have a lot of perks from the actual city, big or small. The space needle, the ever raining climate and of course the little local shops or landmarks. Pink. Foot. Truck. Yep, that's what I said.
The facial capturing is phenomenal as well as the voice acting is. The character models move so fluently as any natural body. The clothes ruffle and contort along with the body. The faces steal the show though. Delsin, Reggie, and others get a lot of close up to accentuate the superb facial capturing that Sucker Punch did. If you have seen how people talk, of course you have, you're not weird (maybe). There is a lot at work in the body when you talk or make facial expressions. Muscles working and moving, the skin creasing or dimpling. I believed a lot of the time that Delsin and gang were right there talking from the TV. Not crazy. Games like L.A. Noire accomplished this and it's even better now in Infamous Second Son. Ever growing popular voice actor Troy Baker lends his angelic vocal chords for Delsin, giving (like usual) a performance unmatched in most games. You probably would recognize him for some games with some hype (Bioshock Infinite, Batman: Arkham Origins, The Last of Us; just to name some games). What he provides for Delsin is what games, like movies and shows, need: reliability and belief. He makes you feel that this is a real person with real thoughts and reactions. The bond he portrays to Reggie through Delsin is like what anyone with a brother would understand. Brothers act this way, they treat each other much like how it is in reality (in most cases). By the end the bond between brothers is tested and makes you wonder, what would you do for them?
Anyways, the main point of the game, powers. What are the powers?! Okay, settle down, internet. With a game like Infamous the powers are key, primo stuff, the cherry on top. According to Sucker Punch, nearing the game's release, the powers that would be encountered would more attune to the elements that exist in our more modern day setting. I won't spoil what they all are, but more known are the powers linked to smoke. By the end players have access to powers tied to four elements. To contain and not OP (overpower) Delsin, you can only switch between them if a source of said power is nearby. This only being done if able to get a moment to breathe in combat or outside of it. This all done by how the game smoothly utilizes all the controls of the PS4 well and doing some fun tricks with the controller's built in speaker.
The story suffering from some minor ticks still is a strong contender for the others that have been released in the last couple years. It provides mostly liked characters, gripping stakes for most of the story, and a conclusion that tests your commitment to your chosen path. With a sweet icing of the ending credits being adorned by Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box". Greatness is waiting, indeed, Playstation.
Overall I have to say that Infamous Second Son is a game worth investing in, if you own a PS4. It breathes fresh life into a great series and earns its hype. I'm not too keen to rating games on a numerical scale, but to appease anyone in great desire of such, I will submit.
Infamous Second Son
9/10
Pros: Breath taking graphics that build off taking the PS4's graphic engine to its limits, smooth control style, accessible if you never played the series before hand, amazing new powers to explore and enjoy (literal Platinum trophy "Enjoy Your Powers"), Top notch voice acting, mostly steady storyline.
Cons: Story has some tripping moments that question the importance of some acts, the occasional game stalling bugs (Delsin stuck in random spots)
So I leave you with that and definitely get this game. Now. Go. Stop reading and remember, "Enjoy your powers".
