PS3 Review: inFAMOUS

In the words of Neo, “Whoa…”

Cole, an everyday guy, sets out to deliver a package in the downtown area of Empire City. Present at the scene of a devastating explosion that rocks Empire City, he barely manages to survive the event. As riots erupt in the aftermath, the city collapses into chaos and becomes overrun by powerful criminals. The city is quarantined from the mainland, and television broadcasts link Cole to the scene of the crime.

Cole is now a wanted man, but he’s also wielding extraordinary powers as a result of the explosion. As an evolving mystery unfolds, Cole must learn how to grasp his newfound super powers as he searches for the real culprits behind the blast in an attempt to rescue Empire City from complete anarchy.

Infamous is a third-person shooter/platformer/action-adventure/free-roaming game. It manages to combine all these game types into one satisfying game that is impossible to find anywhere else. Cutscenes are usually done in an amazing comic-book style which I’ve never seen done better than in this game, then there’s the setting of a city after a huge explosion which fits the feel of the game superbly.

Cole starts picking up powers quite early and they develop as you advance through the story. You can also get certain abilities depending on what path you take in the game; you can be either good or a right nasty piece of work. You will come across choices that can affect this balance, an early example is that a food delivery is given at the start and when the crate lands down, you can choose to share it out with other people or kill a few people to scare them off and claim the food for yourself and your friends. Infamous is a game that you will definitely want to play more than once, just to set the alternate paths that you can take.

Empire City becomes free to roam after a while and it’s beautiful, really pushing the power of the PS3 to an impressive visual feat that is impossible to deny, it’s simply astonishing to look at and it suffers no framerate problems of any kind. Being almost super-human, Cole can climb buildings with ease and it almost feels reminiscent of the new Prince of Persia in the way that the game handles during climbing and platforming elements. It may not be the most original thing in the world, but it’s definitely the best take on the genre in this generation.

Cole can shoot out lightning in different ways, either as a little bolt or a big burst to knock cars flying and so on. There are much bigger things as you progress, but it is much better to find out for yourself, trust me. He can also do hand-to-hand combat, but it can become redundant when enemies are just shooting at you. Infamous may appear to be easy, but there are times where it can be quite challenging and I’m not just regarding to combat. Platforming parts can be tricky when you have to be extra fast as parts of an area can collapse.

In terms of story, Infamous gets it just right. Cole has just enough reason and determination to take either the good or evil paths that lie before him with you guiding him. He’s a memorable character, perhaps for the wrong reasons…but ultimately you won’t be forgetting him in a hurry. Voice-acting from the entire cast is just top notch, the script is great and overall…I can’t recommend this game enough. It even has plenty of trophies to nab, although they will take you a lot of time to do thanks to the many hidden collectables, multiple playthroughs.etc

The Verdict

Infamous combines elements such as platforming, free-roaming and comic-book style superpowers to make a surprisingly good and unforgettable game. If you own a PS3 and have been looking for that truly special game, then this is it.