Being Bad Feels Pretty Good
When Sucker Punch released the first Infamous, I was torn. On the one hand, the combat and traversal felt great, and the story was intriguing. On the other hand, Cole's animations looked awkward, the characters were annoying, and despite being a so-called "superhero" (or villain) I never felt quite as powerful as the narrative constantly suggested I was. The Electric Man's second adventure targets many of the gripes I had with the first game, and undoubtedly it is the better of the two products, but a few peripheral issues still hold it back from perfection.
The most glaring flaw with Infamous 2 was one of the original's greatest strengths: its story. Or, more specifically, its ending. Without delving into spoiler territory, I'll just say that the game trips over its own feet trying to come up with a twist more shocking (ugh) than the last game's. Instead, it feels forced, and kills the strong momentum that the already busy plot had built up to that point. This is particularly disappointing because until the last act, the story of Infamous 2 is surprisingly engaging. Despite its juggling of numerous plot threads involving evangelical mutant-haters, international arms deals, and nation-killing plagues, the scattershot story is grounded by some excellent voice acting.
In spite of all of the hullabaloo over Cole's new voice actor, Infamous 2 sports far better voiceovers than the original did. Not only is its lead character more convincing, but Zeke is actually tolerable, and the new additions to the cast are mostly convincing. They help some of the crazier moments in the game's story come across as plausible and emotional, instead of the campy circus show they could have been.
Of course, all of this zany story action is wrapped up in the same great gameplay that powered the original game. Cole can still surf around on electrical wires, shoot lighting bolts from his fingertips, and hover through the air on currents of electricity, but this time his arsenal has been dramatically expanded. New electricity powers allow Cole to fling cars through the air (an immensely satisfying act, I might add,) call in devastating tornadoes of electrical energy, and more. The mileage that Sucker Punch has managed to drain from just the electrical theme is impressive, but it doesn't stop there. In a mid-game morality decision, Cole will be granted either fire or ice powers, depending on his moral alignment. These new abilities contribute to a staggeringly versatile pool of powers, allowing Cole to approach any given scenario in numerous ways.
Cole's melee prowess has also been greatly expanded since the first game. Early on, Zeke crafts a large tuning fork device that can be used to channel Cole's electricity into an electrifying beatdown. Like in the Uncharted games, basic combos can be built up by mashing the square button, while finishing moves are executed with a tap of triangle. It's a far more satisfying system than the first game had in place, but it's still not perfect. Finishing moves will often make the camera spazz out, especially if Cole's positioned near a wall. What's the point of crafting these elaborate finishers if half of the time the camera doesn't even focus on them?
Other than the new powers and melee abilities, it's business as usual in Infamous 2. Parkour is still the lifeblood of the exploration, and Cole can still scale any building in the city. Now it's easier than ever to maintain a smooth flow thanks to vertical pipes that funnel Cole quickly up the sides of buildings, much like the power lines and train tracks do when he's on solid ground. Fueled by the 305 hidden blast shards and 29 audio diaries, exploration is the most satisfying part of the package.
That's not to say that combat has gotten the short end of the stick, though. When things turn violent, as they so often will, Cole's new powers will prove both empowering and fun. Unlike the last game, which was essentially an open world cover based shooter, Infamous 2 channels that fluidity of motion that is so present in the exploration and unleashes it during combat. New enemy types can teleport and jump from building to building, making cowering behind an outcropping for too long a sure way to die. Maintaining a constant flow between shooting, jumping, taking cover, and melee fighting is a must. Enemies are also noticeably less accurate than they were in the last game, which subtly makes Cole feel more like the badass superhero he was always supposed to be.
Graphically, Infamous 2 is a huge leap from its predecessor. Gone is the rigid, gray and blue skyline of the first Infamous, replaced by the vibrant and bustling New Marias. This New Orleans knockoff feels more alive than Empire City ever did, and emergent opportunities to increase or decrease Cole's karma are everywhere. Different sections of the city all have their own unique feel, as one section is full of seedy adult theaters and porn shops, while others are flooded or completely frozen over. It's just an interesting place to explore, and it's all rendered gorgeously.
Character models have also seen a significant upgrade, which helps because there are far less comic-styled cutscenes in the game, and far more in-engine sequences. The mouths still look a little weird, but overall the characters look much better. Cole will still change appearance based on his karmic standing, so evil characters will be tattooed and veiny, while good guys will be pomp and pristine. It's not exactly a subtle effect, but it definitely works.
And that is representative of the morality system as a whole. Subtlety has never been the strong suit of the Infamous franchise, and that certainly holds true here. There is no excuse to be evil, other than just for the sake of being a complete dick. The good options are always justified, and almost always the obvious "right answer." That didn't bug me as much as it did in the last game, though, because this time around, things are taken to even crazier extremes. Want to kill an entire village of men, women, and children just so you don't have to fight the few militia soldiers contained within? Go right ahead. By the end of the game, the choices are so painfully obvious that continuously making the "wrong" decision... well, it actually felt pretty good, in a Snidely Whiplash sort of way. I was the cackling evil overlord who brought New Marias to its knees simply because I could, and in a way, that's more representative of true evil than a more balanced decision-making system ever could have been.
Infamous 2 may not be a huge leap forward from its predecessor, but it really didn't need to be. A few nagging issues have persisted, but they hardly drag down this incredible open world experience. With tons to see and collect, improved combat and traversal mechanics, and a story that stays engaging until the dumb and overstuffed ending, Infamous 2 provides plenty of incentive to revisit Sucker Punch's twisted superhero saga.
