Gaming Review - inFAMOUS

(Originally written June 1, 2009)

Talk about an ending... With a lot of games today the gameplay is all that seems to matter, with a story often tacked on without being smoothed out. These stories don’t necessarily take away from the gameplay, but when all is said and done it’s forgettable. But not with Infamous. Let’s just say that as the main story line ended my jaw was no longer attached to my face, but instead resting on the floor below. Now I am sure there are some of you out there who had an inkling as to how it was all going to go down, but color me shocked.

Let’s rewind to the beginning of the game. I would say that this had one of the best beginnings to a game that I have seen in a while. Normally after pressing new game, start, or whatever the case may be, a cut scene ensues to introduce the player to the world they are about to enter. And in a sense Infamous did that as well, but I feel like it moved past this in a way. When I pressed start the ground shook as an explosion rocked the world, and that one button press put the blame for what results in my hands, and thus, I felt like I was put into the mind of the protagonist, Cole. This feeling was also supported as I maneuvered out of ground zero, learning basic controls as I went. Long story short, this game was book ended very nicely.

Now let’s move from point A to point B. Throughout the entire game, the gameplay is very solid. The controls are simple enough, but ever evolving, with new powers and enemies that become increasingly difficult as it progresses so that it never seemed boring, redundant or too easy/difficult. And if we have learned anything from this generation of gaming, it is that scaling buildings, running around on rooftops, and then jumping from them is a crowd pleaser, especially if we get to take out bad guys in the process.

But what would this be without the design work to liven up the world? Though I was slightly disappointed with the animation in the cut scenes, Cole’s character design was effectively created and detailed, and fun to watch as he reacted to the world around him while moving through it. But my favorite part is the comic book style animation used to depict some of the plot points in the game. It fit perfectly with this genre of game, especially since the protagonist is a superpowered being.

My only fret is that I wish the difference between the Heroic story and the Infamous story was greater. Sure he appears different, but the same can be said about any other game when these choices are made. However, after playing through all the good/evil side missions, Cole did seem like he had moved far enough towards whichever side of the spectrum you choose to not dwell on this little qualm. And I guess at the end of the day if it was made more extreme the basic story might have been lost.

Final Grade: 9.0