More of The Same But Brand New.
(Please note that as of this review, I have only completed the game as a good guy. I have not played evil yet, but I plan to. If these plans happen is unknown.)
In 2009, Sucker Punch, developers of the Sly Cooper series and the massively underrated Rocket: Robot On Wheels, went the more realistic route (much like their buddies Naughty Dog and Insomniac) for the PS3 with InFamous, a superhero game. It was a very good game, but not without it's flaws.
Like most games do, InFamous got a sequel, and it's a very good game, maybe even great in some contexts, but not without it's flaws. Thankfully, the flaws are much less, and there's many improvements of the game as well.
In terms of general control, the game hasn't changed much. If you played the first game you will be right at home with the second. The way the powers control have been tweaked a bit, mainly because each power now has upgrades and alternatives that can be unlocked. The game does a spectacular job at each type of a power feeling different, whether light or heavy, fast or slow, etc. Each power is mapped to a button and there is a way to change each power in a "quick change." It is quick, but sometimes not quick enough, as customizing what powers to use can take maybe 5-15 seconds can really break the pace of action sometimes. A minor nitpick, but definitely something that may be able to be improved on.
The mission design in InFamous 2 is almost completely unique from it's predecessor, even down to some minor details. A lot more scripted action sequences take place, which is a nice change of pace from the typical open world play style. Some types of missions return, but in some refurbished ways. The missions where you defend a vehicle return, and while cool the first few times, it's probably the mission type that occurs the most throughout the game, and eventually becomes an only kinda fun escort mission that is also on-rails. A pretty radical redesign, is that now to recharge a district of the city now you go from generator to generator fending off waves of enemies then firing off a "Tesla rocket" which starts the power for the next generator, and then charging it off like the last one. Dead drops are now are now collected from messenger pigeons. The changes ranging from minor-completely new makes the game feel fresh, but still just the right amount of familiarity.
The plot, and general writing, are much improved for InFamous 2. What went on in the first was more of a good-for-a-video-game story that you didn't mind watching, and sometimes enjoyed. In 2, the story is a bit more traditionally more comic book-y, and the new characters are much more enjoyable to interact with. Even Zeke is considerably less annoying and even kinda likable now! The ending of the game was both a brave move, makes you feel awesome, and even a bit emotionally effective.
InFamous 2, while not being an achievement in the high arts, is still a game worth playing, maybe even twice. It is a great game that has what you want with an open world game (collectibles and side missions yayyyy!) and then a bit more packed in there as well. It's a great bundle, and while it may not go down as a classic, is still a memorable game that you may not forget for a while.
