inFamous

"Since when is pandering a super-power?"

Owning a PS3 has been brutal. I've had to wait forever for good games with only a few gems arising to remind me that maybe it wasn't a huge mistake not getting an XBOX 360. One such exclusive game that promised to dazzle me was inFamous, touted as an all-new original sandbox action/adventure game packed with new and different gameplay. This kind of hype led to what is, to date, the biggest disappointment I've had in video gaming. Let's take a look, shall we?

-This game is Spider Man: Web of Shadows. It's not "sort of like it" or "kinda similar". It is, in fact, the same game. Take anything that started with the prefix "spider-" and replace it with "electro-" and you have inFamous. The plot is the same, the characters are the same, the gameplay is identical, the experience and level-up format is the same. They even make up crazy elements like "urban exploration" hobbies to substantiate his ability to climb walls and other surfaces. (Not unlike a certain web-slinger, you'll note.) If you're playing inFamous and you HAVEN'T played Web of Shadows for PS3, go rent it. You'll throw up.

-The graphics, while not terrible, are underwhelming. There are games for PS3 that have been out almost since the release of the system with better graphics. Everyone who has given this a 10/10 rating... I really don't understand how. Yeah, I guess I can see what things are. That person looks like a person, that car looks like a car, that tree looks like a tree... but they ALL look like people, cars, and trees from the tail-end of the PS2 era.

-The plot is hokey. You get powers, and then the government tries to sort of stop you, and people don't understand you, and you have to win back your girlfriend and save the city. Not only is this the same as Spiderman (again), but basically the formula for EVERY superhero game ever. Nothing new here. No suprises. It's any superhero game, but your powers are electricity this time.

-The physics are moronic. If a bad guy is standing on a corrugated metal roof and you shoot the roof with 10,000 volts... no effect. If you zap a guy 3 times in rapid succession, it's no different that once... you have to wait and let him "recover" to shoot him again. Somehow electricity can both heal pedestrians to perfect health and also accidently kill them at the same time. (Which, btw, has no effect on your karma for NO GOOD REASON, but more on that later.) You can see the "echo" of human electrical signatures from days ago to review a persons actions... I mean, it's really pushing the limits of suspended disbelief, even for me. If you're going to make every single power exclusively involve electricity, at least make them reasonable.

-The Good/Evil thing is pandering. It's not a "sandbox" game like it was touted. You don't roam around and make your own choices. You get super-obvious cut-scenes that explain the super-obvious choice you make, with no real reason not to pick the good ones. Some games are more true to life, realizing that the evil options are (like life) incentivized by instant gratification, while the righteous path isn't. Not here. It's not asking if you want to steal something (and get an item) versus not steal (and be a good guy).... it's asking if you want to steal something (and get nothing useable, there are no positive outcomes) or not (same). That's not a moral choice, that's pandering to the people who liked Oblivion, Fallout, Fable, etc. Also, you can only affect your karma in those super-obvious main plotline cutscenes, and nowhere else. Wanna be a good guy and electrocute thousands of civilians? Fine. Wanna be a villain and... um... well, I was going to cite an example of something "extra" you could do to help individuals, BUT THERE ISN'T ANYTHING. You can shoot them for no reason, or you can not shoot them. This game is not a sandbox title, you have to go to markers and repeat the same fare of basic tasks over and over again. I guess you can pick the order you do them in, but since you have to do them all eventually and there's ZERO change in outcome based on the order, I think that's pushing the "sandbox" definition a bit far. I suppose in Super Mario Bros. 3 you could do level 3 OR 4 first, and skip 4 sometimes if you wanted... maybe that's a sandbox too?

Anyways, sorry this is so poorly typed and thrown together. I never write reviews, this game just made me mad that I wasted $10 renting rehashed garbage. But then again, I suppose throwing this review together last minute and calling it original is probably appropriate. We'll call it a "sandbox" review. Feel free to read from the end to the beginning. Just don't expect karma.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 06/22/09

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