inFamous

"WIth great power comes- sorry Uncle Ben, but no responsibity here"

Introduction
Superpowers, through out human history, man has been fascinated with superhuman abilities. But what if, one day, you are granted with these abilities. The catch? Your entire town is destroyed, killing thousands who live there while giving the corrupt their own powers. How will you use your new found abilities? Help the people, seek revenge, or wreck havoc. In this new Sucker Punch experiment, you control Cole, a man faced with this exact situation.

Gameplay: 8/10

-Controls: 9/10
inFAMOUS features a control layout that is easy to follow, yet difficult to master. The basic controls are similar to most games. You have your movement control (left stick), melee (square, interact (triangle), and jump (x). Cole's powers are a combination of two command buttons. This usually involves holding L1 while pressing another button. Other powers are unlocked throughout the game that fill in unused buttons. The D-Pad is more of an enhancement set as it usually is used to upgrade an already present power. Overall, the controls are very user friendly. You should have no problem learning.

-Open World Interactions: 8/10
inFAMOUS is a sand-box game. You can freely interact with people, buildings, and objects. The game does a good job in allowing you to freely explore every aspect of the city. The game allows use to climb buildings, light posts- pretty much anything you can get your hands on. Another option of travel is grinding. One of Cole's more advanced powers is to grind on telephone wires and train tracks. Really the only bad part is the inability to swim for extended periods of time.

-Karma System 9/10
One of the most unique aspects of the game is the Karma System. Here, every action you perform in the game is accounted for. Will you be a good guy, or the evil villain? The game presents Good/Bad karma moments as you advance through the game. Each of these choices affect your Karma Rank. Evil actions make you more corrupt, while morally correct choices make you more pure. The city and its people will reflect your choices, as a hero will be praised while a villain is booed. There are 6 Karma Ranks- 3 good, 3 evil. The good ranks, from lowest to highest, go Guardian, Champion, Hero. In the same order, evil ranks go Thug, Outlaw, InFamous. I highly recommend that you are strict towards one side.

-Powers: 7.5/10
inFAMOUS has a wide variety of powers. However, I felt the game could have focused more on melee abilities. With all the projectile powers, the game felt like 3rd Person Shooter. The main strategy for most of the fights was shoot, hide, recharge, repeat. The abilities themselves also felt like guns. For example, the main power, shooting lighting, felt like a pistol. The second power, shockwave, felt like a shotgun. There were abilities that did not revolve around fighting, but they were somewhat dull. Overall, the game has good powers that just didn't reach its potential.

Story: 10/10

-Storyline: 10/10
The story of inFAMOUS is one of the better ones I've seen. I mean, this story is almost good enough to be its own movie. After an explosion rips through Empire City, Cole, an ordinary deliver boy, awakes at the center of the blast. After killing thousands of the citizens, the blast has given Cole the power to manipulate electricity. Cole and his best friend Zeke, attempt to leave the city, only to be stopped by Moya, a government agent. Cole is presented with a deal; help Moya, and Cole can leave freely. As Cole gets closer to his freedom, he inches towards the origin of his powers. As the plot thickens, new characters are revealed, others change, and Cole realizes who is responsible for the destruction of Empire City.

-Characters: 8/10
The characters of inFAMOUS are unique, helpful, annoying, and entertaining throughout the story. Some of the main characters include Cole, the hero; Zeke, the jealous friend; and Trish, the angry girlfriend. Zeke is the story's comical appeal while also being a major figure. Trish serves as the object of Cole's affection as he tries to win her back. Other major characters, such as Moya, reveal themselves later; each unique and with their own goals. The villains of the story are unique in objective and personality. Overall, the game features a wide set of figures that each play their own major part in the story.

Presentation: 9/10

-Graphics: 9/10
This game looks AMAZING! The city is detailed down to the inside of shop windows. The buildings, despite being severely damaged, look incredible. Vehicles in the game look amazing as well. Explosions have flowing transitions. Fight scenes flow smoothly. At times, you will feel you want to just take in the amazing detail put into Empire City's design. One of the more beautiful features of this game is that the city will change as you progress. Evil players will see Empire City get even worse than its current state. Good players will see the city transform into almost a respectable habitat. Just great, great work here.

-Sounds: 9/10
The game sounds just as good as it looks. Characters speak clearly, so hearing objectives is fairly easy. Noises from explosions are on time. Grunts from fights and electrical zaps do not come too early or too late. Nothing you hear will seam out of place.

Overall Experience: 9.5/10

-Enjoyment: 10/10
This game was fun from beginning to end. The missions are not repetitive, a major plus. The game's story missions keep you wanting more. Even the side missions are challenging and fun. If you do want to do missions, then exploring and finding hidden objects is just as enjoyable. Do rush through this game. Take it in, cause it's just so great.

-Repeatability: 9/10
After beating the game, there are still hidden objects to find. Some enhance Cole's powers even more. Others will fill holes in the plot. Even after finding everything, there are missions that are left undone. Even after that, you can still replay the whole game, this time as the opposite prospective. For example, after a good guy playthrough, go ahead and play as the evil Cole.

-Time: 8/10
Strictly doing story missions will allow one to complete the game withing maybe 15-20 hours at most. Add side missions and exploring, and your up to almost 30-40 hours of gameplay. Even after that, you can go through the game AGAIN. You could have the potential of having almost 80 hours of gameplay.



Buy or Rent?
This game has so much to offer. You can beat the game, and not fully get what it has to offer. Take this game slowly, as the story is great and the game is fun. To fully experience the game...
BUY IT

Final Verdict9/10
This game is amazing, as close to perfect as one can get. The graphics, and sounds are amazing. The story is one of the best I've ever seen. The game is just pure fun for hours upon hours.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/15/09

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