inFamous

"Power is Yours, Will You Use it For Good or Evil?"

Following the sucess of the three Sly Cooper games for the Playstation 2, Sucker Punch releases it's first next gen game for the ps3: inFamous. This game has garnered much hype and anticipation. Finally, it is out and the reviews are coming in (including this one). So, does Sucker Punch deliver a solid title or do they themselves get sucker punched? Read on to find out.

Graphics/Sound: 8/10
The graphics are very pretty to look at. They do not quite live up to the graphics of say MGS4 or Resident Evil 5, but they do just fine. The city sprawls endlessly before you and everything looks very dismal, being that the city is in ruins.

Characters are well detailed, you are well immersed in the game. The sound effects are satisfying when you use your powers on something, the screams of your enemies will ring in your ears. Playing with surround sound is quite amazing as well. The voice acting is also very satisfying.

Story: 9/10
After playing endless amounts of First Person shooters, you may want to play a game that actually has a story. Well, this game doesn't dissapoint. The game begins with an explosion in Empire City, with the main character, Cole, at the center of it. While fleeing from ground zero, with explosions and bedlam surrounding you, Cole discovers he has some sort of powers. They are electricity powers and he eventually masters them.

The game leaves it up to you how you want to use your powers. You can choose to play the hero and do good deeds and all that jazz. Or you can choose to be evil, and kill innocents and such. This ties in directly to the gameplay and adds a level of freedom to the game. Which brings me to...

Gameplay: 9/10
Sucker Punch has really outdone themselves here. The similarities to a Spiderman game might seem overwhelming at first, but the game does it's own thing very well. You have a whole city to explore (3 islands by the end of the game), plenty of side missions and extras to get.

Cole has the skill to climb around the city as he pleases. You can climb up to rooftops easily and get around by jumping from building to building or crossing wires between buildings. A bit through the game you get the ability to grind across the wires and train tracks, which helps it flow better.

The combat itself is also pretty fun. Your most basic attack will be to hurl lightning at enemies and use melee attacks. You unlock many attacks as you go, such as the grenade which is very useful and fun.

You can play at your own pace, like other sandbox games yet it sets itself apart with a unique travel system and combat. If you like open world games or superhero type games, you will probably enjoy this.

Overall: 9/10
inFamous is a great game with loads to offer. If you are a completionist, there will be lots of side missions and trophies and items to get. If you just want to play through the story once and forget it, it will still be a blast to play.

If you are unsure whether this game is for you, try renting it. But if you think you might like it, I would have to recommend buying it. It's a great exclusive, and it proves sucker punch still has plenty of tricks up their sleeve. Now if only they'd get around to sly 4...

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/29/09

Game Release: inFamous (US, 05/26/09)