Why so Infamous?
Infamous is a shining example of an atmospheric open world game that doesn’t sacrifice story or gameplay in its attempts to give the player free reign over the game world. Playing as Cole, a bike messenger turned into an energy wielding superhuman, you’ll find yourself immediately immersed in a city full of destruction, despair and danger which is yours to either save or destroy.
The first thing that you’ll notice about Infamous, are the amazing visuals which are superb technically, as well as aesthetically. Empire City looks fantastic as do the people that inhabit the city. At the same time, the world is appropriately dark and dirty as the game begins after an explosion that decimates a large part of the city and that causes riots and general chaos throughout. The streets are filled with debris, broken-down cars and people in an obvious state of disarray. Gangs such as the Reapers have control over most of the city and their presence is constant and appropriately oppressive. The sound in the game is similarly superb as ambient noises match what you would expect from a run-down city and really create a haunting mood throughout the game. Music also helps to amp up the action when the fighting starts and everything meshes together very well.
Supplementing the incredibly believable setting, the game also manages to create significant characters that have meaningful relationships with Cole. These characters play important parts in Infamous’ story which is surprisingly detailed and interesting with more than a few plot twists and tough decisions along the way. Although the story is mostly predictable, I was genuinely surprised by quite a few parts of the game in which the player is granted control over the course of the story. These moments actually affect the outcome of the game and really elevate Infamous’ story to something beyond a generic tale of a superhero.
Infamous is all about player control and freedom as the entire game presents the paradox of good and evil in the form of player choice. Cole can choose to literally save Empire City and its people, or he can choose to destroy the city for his own personal gain. These choices are actually present throughout the entire game in interesting and sometimes thought-provoking ways. All of these decisions lead to changes in Cole’s karma which can open up new quest paths and powers or close them off completely. Cole can become the hero of Empire City or he can become infamous as he gains and loses opportunities and abilities as a result.
Despite having a stellar story and setting, the game is also an incredible third-person shooter that manages to mix things up with superpowers. Cole has control over electricity, and zapping people is very much like shooting despite the convincing effects and graphics. This isn’t a bad thing however, as the game plays like a spectacular shooter with lots of platforming and exploration that is similarly excellent. Infamous gradually introduces new powers and abilities through the completion of main quests involving restoring power to the city. The pacing of the game is perfect as new powers are introduced on a fairly frequent basis which keeps things from getting stale and provides ample variety in more than just combat. These powers range from combat abilities such as electric rockets and grenades to the ability to grind on power-lines. Infamous is more than just a shooter with sharp platforming that functions well as Cole is agile, and easily controlled. He can scale buildings with ease and jumping from object to object is easy with a sort of magnetism that allows him to nearly stick to objects as he reaches for them. These platforming sequences provide a welcome break from the combat even though Cole spends a lot of time traversing the environment while under attack. However, these breaks aren’t exactly necessary as the game has a lot of variety in mission structure as well. The multitude of quests in the game have a huge amount of variety and you won’t easily get tired of them.
Sucker Punch has created a new AAA franchise with Infamous and this status is well deserved with their perfect combination of an open-world with an interesting story as well as unique gameplay. Infamous shouldn’t be missed by any PS3 owner because it delivers on all fronts and provides many reasons to explore Empire City with a huge amount of collectibles, side quests and karma events along with the main attractions.
