Infamous 2 - Playstation 3

Gameplay

Infamous 2 is a pretty classic, third-person open-world game with plenty of combat, quests, and powers to keep players occupied. However, Cole can’t physically enter any buildings and all of the dialogue is either done on rooftops or the streets, making the game feel a bit open at times. Cole is a master of parkour though, and the climbing, running, and jumping are the best part of the game especially when taken in combination with Cole’s “static thrusters” a power that lets Cole glide by forming electrical clouds around his hands.

The combat could do with some work since it mainly comes down to firing electrical bolts out of Cole’s hands as fast as possible at the enemies without missing or being hit by their bullets or (in the case of the monsters that appear later on) various appendages.

The game also has a melee weapon, Cole’s Amp, a glorified club that Cole can charge with electricity to whack stuff with. It’s alright, I guess? No really strong opinion there, although it’s fun to pull it out once in a while and add variety to the combat.

Quests. Being an open-world game, Infamous 2 has its fair share of sidequests. As Cole travels around the map, NPCs might flag him down and tell him about nearby bad guys that need to be shot or collectibles that have to be delivered. Pretty much yawn-worthy.

Nothing really special going on there except the need to collect experience to unlock Cole’s next power. What sidequests can affect though, is Cole’s Karma, a system that evolves Cole’s character – slightly – as a result of the actions the player makes him do.

If the player makes Cole kill civilians and do bad things, Cole becomes Evil, changing his clothes and giving him tattoos. Pretty simplistic and absolutist, but it does unlock some powers that a Good Cole would be unable to access, which does add some variety in a replay, what with different NPCs supporting Cole and, eventually, a different ending to the main storyline being made available based on Cole’s Karmic alignment.

An interesting idea overall, but not diverse enough to warrant being the main selling point for Infamous.

Graphics and Sound

Nothing too impressive, to be completely honest. Neither the sound nor the art design is particularly outstanding, and while not outwardly detracting from the experience of playing the game.

Don’t expect to walk slowly around the city enjoying the architecture or listening to the unique area themes. I will note that the lightning effects are cool enough, although that’s really a point for the story and lore of Infamous not the art direction.

Conclusion

Infamous 2 has problems, and on paper, those problems are a lot more than the benefits that make Infamous stand out. But, despite that, the things that Infamous does get right make it incredibly enjoyable and rewarding to play.

Cruising around New Marais, gliding with the static thrusters and zapping the latest monsters to come crawling out of the swamp, all as the world slowly comes crashing down around Cole with the arrival of the Beast makes for a truly enjoyable experience for the length and breadth of the game.