The original InFamous was one of the best superhero games ever created. It gave you the ability to wander and shape a city to your ideal, making people praise you or fear you as well as giving you a true sense of power in combat.
Infamous 2 sets to top the standards set by the original game, a big feat for developer Sucker Punch, but the end result is proof that even the best can get better.
Set shortly after the events of the first game, Cole McGrath has been preparing Empire City for the arrival of 'The Beast', an entity that will destroy everything in its path and a being only Cole can defeat. As the beast arrives Cole vastly underestimates the Beast's power and as a result is defeated, with Empire City lost in the conflict.
Headed down south to New Marais, Cole, best buddy Zeke and new girl, NSA agent Lucy Kuo must prepare both Cole and New Marais for the arrival of the Beast. However a civil war has broken out and monsters from the surrounding swamps attack nearby civilians, meaning Cole must diffuse the already dire situation as fast as he possibly can.
Infamous 2's story is very strong, the characters are much more interesting this time round with some real depth put to many of them, this does however make Cole come off as somewhat bland but its a small price to pay for a great supporting cast.
InFamous 2 plays much like the original game. New Marais is a large sandbox for you to explore and collect the games many collectibles as well as partake in some action packed and truly thrilling missions.
Cole has access to a wide range of electrical powers, many of which return from the first game but there are plenty of new additions for you to play around with. New to InFamous 2 though is melee combat, now ok you could fistfight in InFamous 1 however now you have a melee weapon called 'The Amp'. This new combat system is probably how you will tackle the majority of foes in the game and it adds a new level of depth to combat strategy, having to mix usage of ranged and melee attacks during fights. InFamous 2 does that very well, making the combat fluid, easy to learn, hard to master and leaving you feeling like a total badass.
You can also buy upgrades and new abilities much like you could in the first game, making you even more powerful as the game progresses.
InFamous' distinct visual style returns for its sequel, but this time has much more vibrant colours to give the game some life rather than the various shades of greys that filled the screen last time round.
The comic book style works so well for InFamous because the game feels very much like an adaptation of a comic book. Animations are smooth and lifelike and the sound design is great with some brilliant voice acting from the supporting cast, with the most notable mention being Zeke who 's gone through a transformation of irritating sidekick to a developed character with their own goals and motives.
If you enjoyed InFamous 1, you'll love InFamous 2. It is much more of the same, but InFamous didn’t have any major flaws so that’s no big problem. Not to mention everything has been fine tuned and is significantly better than in the first game. The only real criticisms are that Kessler isn’t mentioned enough in the game, nor the impact of his revelation on Cole at the end of the first game. The other noteworthy problem is with the moral choice system, sometimes things aren’t always as clear cut as good and bad making decisions difficult to make, not to mention the ending being pretty poor due to it. The good storyline is significantly better than the evil storyline, however both are worthy of playing because its a great game.
Now hows about getting me a Ray Sphere for real life, I want me some superpowers!
InFamous 2 – 9/10
+Great Story
+Genre Defining Gameplay
+Excellent Visual Flair
+Good Length
-Naff Ending
