inFamous review
By Nick Cowen
Last Updated: 2:26PM BST 22 May 2009
Format: Playstation 3
Developer: Sucker Punch
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: 26 May 2009
Score: 8/10
inFamous is a masterclass in what it takes to deliver a classic gaming experience. The latest PS3-exclusive breaks no new ground – at least in terms of gameplay – but it's an exceptional title in its own right and makes a convincing argument that sometimes a game doesn't have to be a revolutionary, artistic landmark in order to deliver a knockout blow.
It's easy to tick off the game mechanics and presentation staples that Sucker Punch has incorporated into inFamous; the moody anti-hero, the gritty comic-book story, the much touted "moral choice" feature of the game, the third-person-shooter (TPS) gameplay and the huge open-world environment complete with side-quests and power-ups are all reminiscent of dozens of other titles. But it's a rare thing to see them all presented in such a slick, enjoyable package that remains consistently fun to play throughout. Not only that, but in spite of all its obvious influences, inFamous always feels like a completely unique offering and this is a testament to the power of its visual impact and seductive superhero noir atmosphere. The game's visuals strike exactly the right balance with its story; the decaying urban environment conveys a sense of hopelessness but never seems oppressive enough to drive you away completely. It's the perfect environment to set a superhero adventure story which is precisely what inFamous is.
The game starts with Cole McGrath, a resident of Empire City and bike messenger, waking up in the aftermath of a gigantic explosion that wiped out several city blocks as well as their inhabitants. The blast also endowed Cole with preternatural agility and the ability to store and shoot electricity from his body. He also finds out that the city has been quarantined by the government, that a plague has started to effect its population and that vicious gangs now rule the streets. After an unsuccessful escape attempt, Cole strikes a deal with a shady FBI agent named Moira; if he tracks down her husband, who has gone missing while undercover within the city's criminal element, she'll guarantee safe passage out of Empire City.
While Empire City is a burnt-out crime-ridden hellhole for its inhabitants, for Cole it's a rich and inviting playground. The city environment is intricately rendered and every structure – be it window frames, rail girders, lamp posts or drainpipes – offers Cole an infinite number of pathways up to the rooftops and beyond. In short, if it looks like Cole can climb it, then he can. Unlike other parkour titles, such as the recent Prince Of Persia, players will never get the sense that they're not completely in control of Cole's progress as he traverses the city's skyline. There is an auto-correct aspect that stops Cole from falling from ledges, and at times this can feel a little intrusive, but players never feel like the game is actively restricting their movements. Also, leaping from building to building, skipping along ledges and later grinding along telephone wires and railtracks (once that power is unlocked) seldom loses its thrill.
Nor does the combat, which strikes exactly the right balance between visceral enjoyment and tactile necessity. Cole may be a walking dynamo right from the start of the game, but he is by no means invulnerable. As the plot unfold players will be able to unlock more powers and use experience points (XP) from missions and side-quests to bolster Cole's arsenal, but the difficulty of overcoming foes will rise in line his abilities. There will rarely be a time when Cole finds himself in a one-sided fight. The powers themselves are intuitively mapped to the PS3's controller; L1 brings up the targeting reticule, while R1, the face-buttons and the D-pad activate different powers. Aside from being easy to use, as well as brilliantly animated, the powers are always fantastic fun. You could certainly make the argument that, once stripped of their superhero dazzle, all Cole's powers amount to are standard TPS weaponry, but there's something immensely satisfying about using a shock wave to blast opponents off a roof or sending a column of lightning down an alley filled with enemies. Players are also encouraged to be inventive in combat as well as string together combos, as the game awards them XP for doing so.
Players can also win XP by completing the numerous side-missions; these can get a little repetitive after a while, but never so much as to impede one's enjoyment of the game. Also, since completing side-quests also reduces the number of enemies in areas dotted around the map, they feel more like an organic part of the game, rather than a means to flesh out the completion time. Aside from these side-missions, players can also pick up Blast Shards – glowing blue lightning bolts that increase Cole's power meter – and Dead Drops – messages stored in satellite dishes around the city that flesh out the game's back story.
Besides leaping across rooftops and hurling bolts of electricity, Cole is also faced with a series of moral choices throughout the game. A hero meter keeps track of how evil or good Cole becomes over time, and Empire City's residents will eventually start throwing rocks at him, or snapping his picture and cheering him on accordingly. The moral dilemmas mostly take the form of scripted events, although Cole can pick up negative karma points if the player causes too much collateral damage while on a mission. Karma points are also doled out depending on how many sick civilians the players saves and whether they decides to electrically manacle fallen enemies, or absorb them completely for a power-up.
The scripted moral events are a little bit of a let down, however, as usually the choice presented to the player is to either act like an angelic goody-two-shoes or a vaudeville silent-movie villain. There are very few grey areas offered in Cole's moral compass, which perhaps is just as well, because there are absolutely no power rewards in aiming for the moral centre. The only real nail-biting choice Cole faces comes quite late in the game, and is part of a mission too heart-stoppingly brilliant to spoil in this review. It does, however, highlight what colossal heights might have been reached if a little more thought had been given to implementing this feature.
Aside from this, a couple of the missions feel more like mundane jobs than challenges fit for a superhero, and the presentation isn't without its share of bugs. The game suffers from occasional pop-in detail and a frame rate that slows sporadically when the screen fills up with mayhem. The free-running auto correct can also be a little fickle at times. In some instances Cole will instinctively latch on to a nearby lamp post or ledge when it wasn't required, and in others, he can miss the target altogether and plummet to the ground - although luckily, Cole can fall off nearly every building in Empire City and walk away unhurt.
Perhaps the game's biggest drawback is the fact that, at its core, inFamous is a 'superhero origin' story. By the time Cole feels like a fully formed superhero (or villain, depending) the end credits are rolling and while players can explore the city further (as well as tackle incomplete missions) beyond that point, the main plot of the game is finished. In a way, inFamous has the same Achilles' heel as every movie adapted from a comic-book which aims to be the first instalment in an ongoing franchise; by the end it feels like a really long trailer for a piece of entertainment that hasn't been made yet.
But what a superb trailer it is. Leave aside the minuscule imperfections just for a moment and you start to run out adjectives hyperbolic enough to describe the content. From the beautiful storyboard cut-scenes, to the outstanding voice-work, to the stunning soundtrack (courtesy of the highly talented Amon Tobin), to the compelling plot, the classic gameplay, the incredible environment; you start to become overloaded by the praiseworthy content. It is by no means flawless, but inFamous is a compelling, incredibly enjoyable video game and an essential addition to any PS3 owner's game library.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sciencean...us-review.html
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Re: inFamous review
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