Superheroes and action-adventure video games are two of my favorite things in life, so I happily snatched up the new PlayStation-only title, Infamous. When announced, the exclusive shouldered a heavy burden—would it deflate under high expectations, or earn PlayStation a shining gold star that would bump the console up a notch in the competitive industry? Infamous didn’t just have the concern of the gaming community to worry about, though. Reviewing a game involving two of my specialties meant my critic’s eye would be sharper than usual. So how did Infamous fare in the heat of the flames? The answer might pleasantly surprise you, or just make you angry. You decide.
Story
Cole McGrath wakes up in the middle of a disaster zone. Empire City plunged into chaos after a violent explosion tore through miles of city block, but riots and theft rank as the least of the citizens’ worries. When Cole recovers with unexplained powers of electricity, he finds the world around him falling to the whims of gangs and, as he soon discovers, the dangerous individuals behind a larger conspiracy.
Good or evil? Either path is yours to take.
When the city’s inhabitants—even Cole’s girlfriend, Trish, and his best friend, Zeke—begin to blame and isolate the once-innocent bike messenger, Cole faces a crucial decision: whether to use his powers to bring justice and order back to Empire City, or exploit the fear and vulnerability of thousands. Shortly after the fateful explosion, a woman named Moya enlists the cooperation of the headstrong “Lightbulb Man” and tells him the answers to the current crisis and Cole’s strange new powers lie with her missing husband, John.
Gameplay
The open world of Empire City offers three linked islands to explore, and each section harbors its own particular gang and dangers. Your adventure begins in the Neon District, home to the Reapers and their leader, Sasha. The mind game-loving, jealous Sasha reminds me of Prince of Persia’s Concubine … only on drugs. As you travel to the Warren and finally the Historic District, new players—like the powerful and enigmatic Kessler and the telekinetic, mutated Alden—will claim responsibility for the destruction. Of course, you can either wreak havoc of your own or fight to take back the city. I played the game using Cole’s powers for good, but the side you choose impacts the story and everything around you. Embracing the darker side of power, for example, throws you in alliance with the evildoers and alters the game’s ending.
Progressing through the three stages of good or evil unlocks new power upgrades for Cole. As you return electricity to various sections of the city, you’ll gain new skills that are obtainable whether you end up a hero or infamous. Powers of good or evil can be advanced by spending experience points earned through common thug fights and beyond; they tend to be light and dark variations on the same theme. The differences include more intriguing aspects than blue versus red electricity, however.
Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to cool tricks and badass firepower.
The stronger Cole becomes, the more ways you’ll be able to interact with the environment around you and use your powers. People are about as dependent and fragile as a thousand Mr. Bills in a bustling city, but in a few hours’ time you’ll be able to heal them to prevent an unsightly trail of bodies in your wake. Still, despite how hard you try to keep them in a protective bubble from the big, bad world, people will get injured and die—especially when enemies are lurking thickly in the area. You can either kill enemies with a final zap, or restrain them through the magic of your superpowers. Either way, taking out the streets’ terrors or spreading fear through destruction will inspire reactions from the people nearby.
Essentially, the game offers you endless opportunities to redeem yourself or turn an evil leaf if you’re sick of saving innocents. Your choices are measured in karma points, which determine your overall progress toward true heroism or infamy. Even Cole’s appearance relies on karma; people will praise or hate you depending on your aura.
When you’re not busy with the main missions that further the story, there are plenty of side quests to keep you busy and help you meet your goals. Completing side quests captures a percentage of territory as your own, so you can either wipe the vicinity of hostiles or turn the city blocks into their playground. Your radar pulse allows you to track sources of electricity drains, which restore power and health when you need to refuel. If you prefer a faster ride, you can always grind along the rails or power lines or literally hop a train. Electricity serves as a highly advantageous and inventive superpower in the grand city. Virtually everything allows for interaction of some sort, but while impressive, it also serves as the game’s major weakness.
Gun-wielding gangs and crazy bosses aren't the only foes you'll encounter.
Infamous’s AI often amuse with fun quips, but generally the inhabitants of Empire City act illogically. They’ll sometimes run away from you if you save them, and even more insulting, they may not even face you properly when they address you. At least the enemies put up a challenging fight that tends to involve strategics, but much too often they’ll wind up stuck on a dumpster or twitching like undead maniacs when rigor mortise should be kicking in. Not to mention enemies you just whipped and people whom you just saw injured will sometimes mysteriously disappear a few seconds later. The frustrating abundance of glitches and mishaps can also be contributed to Cole’s automatic grab, which prevents traversing the heights of Empire City from becoming a nightmare. You’ll frequently be jammed into tight situations with the option of climbing multiple structures, but half the time Cole latches onto the wrong one—which can screw you over during gameplay.
Visuals
The crisp graphics of Infamous impress, but the excitement ceases when it comes to the characters. Watching people speak feels strangely mechanical; while I love the story’s twists and turns, the characters themselves don’t generate much interest or compassion. For a hero, Cole exhibits an uncomfortably stubborn personality and certainly dishes out his fair share of anger. His best friend, Zeke, simply interferes and makes life miserable the whole time without any sort of redemptive change. Trish acts nearly as hard-headed and annoying as the men in her life, too. Throughout the game, I was puzzled by why the villains were even bothering me when all their real drama seemed to originate from their own club. Just because a guy develops cool superpowers doesn’t mean he wants to be dragged into your dirty laundry.
The fireworks rage on in-game, but the real magic dazzles somewhere else.
On the other hand, the intensely colorful 2D cut-scenes truly shine. Narrated by Cole—the central addition to the strong voice-acting cast—they mimic comic book art without the word balloons and flashy onomatopoeia. The health system also proves effective. Both your power gauge and health are determined in a meter on the top left of the screen, but visual effects guide you much more efficiently. As you take damage, the edges of the screen splatter with blood. Once Cole nears death, everything fades to gray and you’re swallowed by the feeling of being shoved underwater—where your senses are dimmed and noises seem miles away.
Audio
Music won’t always flood your ears while you play, but when it does crop up the experience becomes much more gratifying. The soundtrack fits the story’s mood and the city’s environment beautifully, and the end credits sound so fantastic, you’ll want to crank up the volume until your house shakes.
Lifespan
After you finish Infamous, you’ll be granted access to everything you missed or skipped along the way. There are oodles of trophies to win and sub-missions to wrap up, plus lots of extras to collect. Your handy radar pulse also helps you spot “dead drops” for information about the characters and plot and blast shards, which increase your energy storage. Find them all and earn yourself one of the numerous trophies, which you don’t have to be a gaming wizard to swipe.
Welcome to your city---will you save or destroy it?
Once you’re done, why not play the game over with different karma? Infamous lays an incredible world ripe for exploration at your feet, and the curiosity of what the other side offers might convince you to give the game another whirl. The first run-through alone plugs in anywhere from 15-25 hours, and striving to collect trophies and extras and clear areas through side missions easily pushes the investment a good ten hours above that. Overall, the game carries the potential for over fifty hours of solid gameplay thanks to Cole’s duality. How’s that for action-adventure?
Recommendation
Infamous knows its genre. If you’re a fan of the expansive, mission-riddled style of Jak 2, consider this the superior next-gen version that takes the interactivity to a whole new level and arrives built with hours of gameplay that rival an RPG. If you’re a fan of superheroes and the comic medium, the game won’t disappoint. Infamous demonstrates what it means to be a superhero (or villain) down to the very core—from the impossible decisions to the inevitable betrayal, and the solo work that accompanies the struggle. The game might be burdened by common glitches, but the good far outweighs the bad. If you own a PlayStation 3, Infamous definitely belongs in your collection.
Infamous
System: PlayStation 3
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Find: Amazon - Gamefly - Goozex
All reviews are based on final retail code unless otherwise noted.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Ugh, every time I read a review of this it makes me want it so much more. Great read.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
It sounds just about like I expected. I won’t be buying a PS3 specifically for it, but I will be picking it up when I do make the big purchase. Glad you liked it.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
This game looks so fun, and I didn’t know it was open world! Definitely a must buy when I get my PS3!
June 6th, 2009 at 2:42 am
It’s basically Crackdown with electricity, but I was strangely compelled to keep playing. The story and morality choices were especially well-implemented, even if the urban exploration wasn’t.
June 7th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
I can’t freaking wait to afford this game…I didn’t know it was an open world either. Very excited, and great review as usual!
June 9th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
I’ve been very impressed with Infamous so far. I’m actually surprised the reviews of it aren’t more raving, particularly in light of the glowing praise that gets heaped on products of the Sequel Mill like CoD 5, Halo 3, and Gears 2.
June 16th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
I’d go villain all the way!