Impressions: inFamous (PS3)
I received my copy of inFamous a week ago even before the demo went live on PSN so I really have no idea what to expect. Though I’ve read previews raving how good the game is, I was totally surprised when I actually played it myself.
IGN gave the game a 9.2 which is pretty impressive. Now some of you might be thinking — “Hey it’s IGN! They receive money from Sony and the government!”
Well, I’m here to tell you that I’m backing up the review with 25 hours of gameplay. Seriously.
You play as Cole McGrath. A courrier delivery boy assigned to deliver a dubious package that eventually explodes in his hands and totally devastates Empire City. Cole awakes in a crater now imbued with electricity based super-powers.
Gameplay is open-world. And when I say open-world, I really mean open-world. You can go anywhere you want in Empire City. Almost all stuctures and buildings are climbable. Early in the game it is revealed that Cole had a background in “urban-exploring” and knows the city “like the back of his hand” which explains his adeptness and seemingly masterful way of going from any point A to any point B in Empire City. And because of his powers, Cole cannot die from high falls — a perk that will encourage you to try anything. Believe me, this guy has the Prince of Persia’s number.
Controls are precise and spot-on. Though early in the game you might find Cole very “sticky” as he latches on to things you don’t want him to latch onto. But once you get the hang of it, you can do maneuvers that will make you feel like a superhero.
Flashy.
Empire City. Cole’s Gotham. I know every review out there says “Empire City is alive” or “Empire City is a breathing city”, but sorry, I am going to say it again: Empire City is a living, breathing city.
Ok let me explain:
inFamous has the karma system. Sorta like Fallout 3, things you do will either give you good or bad karma. Being evil or good is totally up to you. If you’re bad people will loathe you and fear you. The good thing is even when you’re evil, some people still view you as a hero believing that being a feared and destructive hero makes the streets safe and all that stuff. The city changes with your decisions. Blow up a gas station and your buddy Zeke calls you up and says he just heard a “loud boom” and you reply with “I blew up a gas station. As if you wouldn’t do the same thing.” — Touche.
I played a little of Cole with a good alignment and I notice the city gets a little cleaner as you advance. I’ll return to that save after I finish being bad. :P
Character advancement comes in the form of an XP system. You gain XP by defeating enemies or clearing quests and events. You can spend accumulated XP by bringing up the Powers Menu to upgrade or learn new powers. The karma system also comes into play here — as some powers are only available on certain rank and alignment.Your physical appearance changes as well depending on your alignment.
I still cannot make a judgement on the story as I am not too far into the game. What’s cool about it is the presentation. The cutscenes are delivered in a graphic novel style way with Cole narrating. Kinda reminds me of the cutscenes from Metal Gear Portable Ops on the PSP.
Combat is sometimes repetitive but mostly exciting. True to the superhero creed, you will leave an entire city block in ruins after an epic battle that involved ten enemies and six cars careening through the streets. I’ve only encountered one major boss fight so far but it was a great one. One gripe I have is the seemingly few number of enemy types though that may change once I play more.
I know I am forgetting some things but I would really want to play some more. And when it gets released this week you should, too.
BRB — In Empire City.
inFamous
| Platform | Playstation 3 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Sucker Punch |
| Publisher | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Release Date | May 26th 2009 |
| ESRB Rating | Teen |
Wow. Do you happen to know where I can buy a copy right now locally?
Your article makes me want to buy the game now. Hahaha
@mellowfel
Mr. Dynamic in V-mall got a few early copies of inFamous. You can try there.
[...] Take the disc back to the store and exchange it for the significantly more awesome inFamous. [...]
[...] 679,000 units sold; almost double of second-placer, Wii Fit. Great numbers from Punch-Out!! and inFamous as well; too bad that Bionic Commando didn’t chart this month. I’m surprised that [...]