A sucker punch to the superhero genre.
inFamous is a game that borrows elements from developer Sucker Punch's previous Sony franchise, Sly Cooper. Exclusive to the PlayStation 3, inFamous tells the engaging story of Cole McGrath, a bike messenger sent to deliver a package that detonates and levels the majority of Empire City. On a quest to uncover the truth behind a dark mystery, McGrath must wield his electric superpowers to save the city... or rule it. The game puts choice in the hands of the player while leaning on its moral dilemmas throughout the 20 hour experience. The world looks as dilapidated and destroyed as you'd expect, and the living populace is broken, sick and on the verge of loss. The moral choices effect the story (and gameplay) considerably, adding to the immersion factor immensely. The writing is top notch and the characters are interesting.
The graphics look great too, with rundown structures, torn environments and fantastic Cole animations. The electrical powers look awesome and the art style is bleak and compelling. The sound design compliments the strong visual look, with great voice work from a reliable cast, immersive sound effects and a slick soundtrack.
GAMEPLAY
inFamous is born from the success of Sly Cooper and the platforming is evidence of this. Climbing and traversing the environment is fun and interesting, in spite of occasionally wonky combat and a couple of glitches. The AI proves a good and varied challenge, and the level design is superb. Each mission feels different from the other, and none of the missions feel like filler. The moral choices effect some of the in-game action, too, and really add to the feel of the game.
Some boss fights are simply brilliant, and a real strong point of Sucker Punch's design decisions. They allow you to make use of Cole's powers, of which there are more than a dozen. Varied and interesting side missions culminate in pockets of XP, allowing Cole to upgrade and unlock new abilities, and each of the three districts are distinguishable and enjoyable to explore. Good and evil choices affect the city's view of you, with Evil possibly making the game tougher.
REPLAYABILITY
The game has 350 Blast shards to find, which are both necessary and addictive to find, as they add to Cole's power meter and give him extended abilities. There are also Dead Drops scattered around each district that flesh out the intriguing backstory, and the two playthroughs (good and evil) could take a combined 30-40 hours, with two awesome endings.
SUMMARY
Presentation 9.0
Gameplay 9.0
Replayability 9.0
Overall - 9/10