Okay Geek Farm
Infamous - PS3 Review
Okay Geek Team
It took a while but I finally got my hands on a copy of Infamous. A PS3 exclusive about a disaster that grants a man super powers and make him, well, infamous. Check out the review after the jump…
Overview: An open world/sandbox adventure where you take control of an ordinary citizen turned super hero. Newly bestowed electric powers give you the choice of either being a hero or villain under the oversight of a karma system - all set to the tone of beautifully animated comic book cutscenes.
Plot: The Ray Sphere, described as a Weapon of Ultimate Destruction, activates at the center of Empire City (an NYC clone), and levels it to a shell of its former self - imagine if Metropolis was converted to Gotham City overnight. At the center of the “accident” is Cole, a gruff sounding guy who is injured in the blast, but soon discovers electric powers surging from within his own body because of it. Things get bad within the city as crime runs rampant, and you are the only one with the power to invoke justice - for good or for bad. And when a certain government agency blackmails you into helping them retrieve the Ray Sphere for them, well, that’s when the plot begins to twist and turn, only as a comic book could - and that’s a good thing.
Gameplay: Because it’s a sandbox type game you are given the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want. Missions are displayed on your mini-map - main quests in blue, and side quests in yellow. Certain missions will grant you new powers and others will further the map available to you. To get from place to place you’ll be doing a lot of climbing, Spider-Man style, but as you get those new skills you’ll soon be able to surf along power lines and grind on train tracks. Attacking melee style is a usual staple in games like this, but in Infamous you’ll be using your aiming skills much more to zap foes away before they even come within feet of you. I think this makes the game a bit more original than anything we’ve seen in recent memory.
Difficulty: It’s not hard, but it’s not overly easy either. There will be times where you’ll do missions over and over again because of under explained objectives, but those moments aren’t too frustrating.
Whose it for: What I enjoyed about Infamous was the ability to pick it up and play for an hour and then put it down if you wanted to. That being said there isn’t much skill necessary to play the game, except maybe a mastery of the PS3 controller. Using both analogs at the same time, as well as the shoulder buttons can be quite a task for some - exeperienced players may be a must.
Estimated time to finish: It took me a good 10 hours or so to finish, but I didn’t take much time to go through the tons of extra side missions scattered throughout Empire City. There are two sides to the game - with plot and even gameplay elements varying on what you do - so a second playthrough is necessary if you are looking to 100% the entire episode.
Rent/Buy/Pass: It’s a buy for sure. PS3 owners have long waited for a worth while exclusive, and Infamous fits that bill perfectly. It offers a rich story, believable characters, and an original gameplay experience. Buy it.
