"Good or Evil? It doesn't really matter"
You assume the role similar to Zeus, the mythical Thundergod. And just like any other person with superpowers, you face a serious question: “What will you do with this kind of power?” Well, that's up to you, 5-10 minutes into the game.
Story – 8/10
For a superhero type of game, only a few people pay close attention to the story. Of course, the story still drives the game's events and missions. Sucker Punch made the story such that it's believable to say the most. It is safe to say that you shouldn't expect Cole to be a Thundergod right at the beginning of the plot. Something happened, and it isn't unbelievable, rather something that will make you wonder if it could happen in real life. Of course, you should also expect things out of the ordinary to come at some point, and the game delivers just that. All in all, the game is a combination of events that may happen in real life and ideas that just sounds too impossible. Now you must be wondering, why did I give it an 8.3 if all I say are good things? Let me ask you this: Wouldn't it be better if say, you chose to follow the evil path, and thus change your course in the story? The game fails to do just that. Basically, whichever your heart desires, good or evil, the story doesn't change. There will be differences, but so little, that it wouldn't affect the whole point of the story. So why play the opposite alignment? Well, you get to play with blue and red lightning, and also collect trophies, which aren't that hard to achieve.
Theme – 8/10
All you readers should know about what to expect is just a city in ruins. This already is a good sign that something terrible has happened to Empire City. The theme of the game is quite nicely fitted to the story to say the least – damaged cars, people losing sanity, crushed buildings, and other things you may think of. Your enemies, though, may leave you to some thinking. They aren't just ordinary people. But your questions will soon be answered as you progress the story. The game also makes use of a comics style for its cutscenes which is actually a good idea if you start playing it. It is integrated very nicely and offers more emotion and storytelling. Interaction also plays a central role to developing a good feel for the game. People in the city react towards how good or evil you are. They'll attack you if you're bullying them, and they'll say nice things to you otherwise. Of course, you're not by yourself throughout the story. Supporting characters include Trish, your girlfriend, Zeke, your best friend, Moya, an FBI agent and John, another FBI agent as described by Moya.
Gameplay – 9/10
So, as stated above, what will you do with this kind of power on the palm of your hands? Would you use it to save Empire City, or would you leave it to its demise? Follow the good path and you'll have your own set of powers, and actions that will increase/decrease your karma (alignment). These powers obviously help you reinforce your reputation as the superhero ready to help Empire City. They are designed to protect the people, whereas the Evil powers are focused on destruction. Let me use the Shock Grenade as an example. As a Hero, the Shock Grenade automatically restraints defeated enemies, and in Evil mode, it splits into several more grenades that scatter around the place and explode, obviously in a much greater radius than the Hero type. Now, don't expect Cole to be as powerful as you imagine him to be right at the beginning of the story. You have to earn these powers one by one. This is done by recharging one part of the city after the other. You will slowly gain numerous powers at your disposal. The game doesn't stop there. By performing certain tasks like defeating enemies and completing missions, you gain experience points, and these in turn help you upgrade your powers. Of course, for an open-world, one doesn't stop at just completing story missions. You are also given side missions for more experience and increasing your reputation as a do-gooder or evildoer. Then there is what you call Blast Shards, 350 of them scattered all around the 3 areas of the city. By collecting a certain amount, you will have an extra battery core, which acts as your power gauge. This power gauge decreases each time you use a skill other than the lightning bolt. How does it increase? By draining electricity from a variety of sources you find with the L3 button. Lastly, you have stunts. Stunts are unique fighting moves you execute towards an enemy which gives you more experience than what you normally get. It isn't easy to execute these feats, but they are certainly worth the time and challenge. As for your movement in the city, you have a GPS to work with. You can scale almost anything you see. While scaling, you are still capable of executing some of your skills, thus making it easier for you.
Graphics – 7/10
I have to admit, I've seen better graphics today. For a PS3 exclusive, the graphics don't impress at all. Still, it isn't bad and you'll soon forget how better other games look. When you kill citizens, their eyes are still open, and even blinking. Explosion of cars doesn't really change the cars appearance except for broken windows and such. The upside of this though, is that your lightning skills look fantastic. You will be immersed with a tremendous amount of electricity you find within the game. I already achieved the platinum trophy and I'm still enjoying the game. One other thing to note is Cole's appearance connected to his alignment. If you're following the good side, Cole looks “lighter” while if you're the tyrant of the city, Cole looks darker and has these symbols at the back of his head. The comics-style graphics can even beat the in-game ones. They may look awful to some, but they are used very well.
Sound – 8/10
Sounds you'll get tired of are obviously your skills, especially the lightning bolt, which you'll be using quite a lot since it doesn't use any energy. Cole's voice may be surprising to some, but you'll get used to it eventually. Other voices are done very well too.
Replayability – 8/10
8/10 for a game that should be played at least twice? Yes, for the simple reason that the story is too short. But it is to be expected from an open world game. Once you finish all side missions in your first playthrough, you will have fewer motives to do it again on your second run. You will have gotten your trophies already, and you just need to beat the game on a different alignment. If, by chance, you missed a lot of combat trophies such as sticking a grenade 50 times, your 2nd playthrough should be able to help you get it. Collecting shards will be a pain, but the use of L3 should be a great deal of help. Here is the game's biggest mistake to me: Once you finish everything (and I mean everything), you have absolutely nothing to do, not even have fun since all you see are people walking around, some weakened, and a few enemies to play with. You certainly can just start blowing up stuff you see, but the game is missing that piece which could make it something worthwhile every now and then.
Overall – 8/10
inFAMOUS has all the qualities it should have to be a great game, but there are just certain things that it is missing to be an epic game. No doubt, it is a good ps3-exclusive, but it is not a game worth buying for if the person is looking for more than just running around a city and blowing up stuff. The first few hours will dazzle you. And slowly, but surely, you will get caught inside a web of confusion regarding the story. Worry not, as after the game ends, everything will be explained to you. Some will be shocked at the turn of events, and some may expect it. Ultimately, this game isn't really decided by how bad or good you are, but how determined you are at finishing the game. Its difficulty may get inside your head, but as long as you stay calm and patient, you should enjoy the game as I did.
Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/12/09
Game Release: inFamous (US, 05/26/09)
