On the 21st of March, Sony Computer Entertainment of America released its newest flagship title, Infamous: Second Son, to the Playstation 4. How does the newest installment into the long running Infamous series stack up to its 2 Playstation 3 predecessors? Will it be able to achieve the same commercial and critical success as its predecessors? Find out below.
The first thing that I noticed about this game was its graphics. While a few of the next gen games that have been released contained quality graphics, I've seen none like these. While watching cutscenes, the difference between these and an actual movie are barely visible, and actual gameplay is no different. The vibrant, neon signs that dot the city of Seattle, where the game takes place, give off the appearance of a real city, and each and every face you pass has a tremendous amount of detail, sometimes even looking more realistic than our main character Delsin, whose beanie alone contains 7,500 polygons. Literally, that's like more detail than in my entire life.
Speaking of, our hero (or villan, depending on how you play the game) Delsin is an intricately weaved character, and rather than Infamous's previous hero Cole, otherwise known as Mr. Personality, has charm, tons of humor, and, a personality, and doesn't give off the cold vibe we got from Cole in both previous installments, a nice change for the series. Delsin has an affinity for art, namely, graffiti, often using it as a symbol of rebellion against the D.U.P., the main enemy of the game, an organization attempting to contain all known conduits, including Delsin. Delsin's cocky, brave attitude often leads to harmless skirmishes with his brother Reggie, a police officer who accompanies Delsin on his journey to combat the D.U.P., which adds a fun, light side to the narrative. Once again, something we missed in Infamous 1 and 2.
The plot of this game is similar to past iterations of the series, our main character, a conduit, up against a large army set on taking him out at all costs, even if it means wreaking havoc upon the town they're meant to protect. While we arrived at the main plot point in a different way than other installments in the series, the overall story of the game starts out in a very familiar fashion. However, as Delsin continues to explore Seattle, the main setting of Second Son, the story starts to unravel, showing us rich detail, and an intricate story that while, is solid, is just, good, and isn't the main selling point of the game. However, the gameplay, is something worth looking into.
Second Son features gameplay similar to that of 1 and 2, at least, control wise. However, as opposed to the electricity powers our previous hero Cole controlled, Delsin controls fire and smoke, however, many of the attacks are incredibly similar, and the smoke almost acts as just a skin change, with the usage and effects of the attacks being overall very similar. Delsin also shares another similarity with Cole power-wise, being that Delsin must find smoke sources and recharge his powers in a manner similar to Cole. However, while Cole's recharge stations were readily available in numerous places around the city, Delsin's are sparsely found throughout the city, however, each one restores his entire power bar, rather than finding multiple sources to recharge only parts of the bar.
Another difference between gameplay of the titles are the new powers Delsin is able to obtain. Without spoiling the story, Delsin is able to acquire neon and video powers, which, while sound, strange to say the least, are very formidable, and add an new level of diversity and well, fun, to the tried and true gameplay.
And as always, choices that effect how the town looks upon you return once again, with even small details such as how you attack your opponents can change how the town looks upon you in the blink of an eye.
Another thing about this game that attracted me was its attention to detail. While in the previous installments the militia would fire upon you at first sight, in Second Son, if you act like a normal person, you can easily slip through the crowd undetected, adding a more realistic, lifelike element to the narrative. Other small details like that are found throughout the game, making for a more immersive, lifelike experience.
Overall, I really enjoyed this title. The stellar gameplay is similar, and familiar enough to earlier installments of the series to catch onto easily, but also provides a new, fun, take on the formula. Featuring a solid, yet definitely not perfect narrative, diverse, unique, and intricate characters, great gameplay, and an overall charm present though out the game, this is a title I definitely suggest everyone to take a look at. What did you think of the game? Make sure to tell me below, and I'll see you guys next time!
