So to get back at it, here's Infamous Second Son.
Infamous Second Son-
So I have to admit, after playing the first two I wasn't exactly the most excited person on the planet when I heard about this game.
I know i'll probably come under heavy nerd-rage fire for this, but I actually hated Cole as a character. Yeah, he had a love interest, and a friend close at hand, but other than that... He was flat. Boring.
So, knowing how I felt about the previous games, you can understand how surprised I was when the trailers for this one actually got me genuinely excited.
First, the main character, Delsin Rowe. He seemed like a good, relate-able character who DIDN'T sound like the Nolanverse Batman. He
was funny, had a real personality, and I mean how can we not love Troy
Baker? [Yes, I still love Troy Baker, and I don't see that ending any time soon.]
And one thing that really hit me was that they were finally playing at the "You don't have to lose your family and friends to be a hero" formula I've been hoping to see for years.
Second, the powers. Smoke? Well I have to say that one didn't get me too excited, because fire-based powers aren't exactly the most original thing I've ever seen, but I'll admit that Karma ability was one of the most beautiful things I've witnessed in quite a while.
No, what got me excited in the previews was Neon. Yes, add another
name to the Neon Fanboy Checklist. When I saw that ability I knew they were doing something right. The melee, the shots, the running, and that slow-mo sniping action touched me right where my bathing suit goes. [Yes, quoting Crowley. Deal with it.]
And that Karma ability? All of my yes.
Away from the previews, and having actually played the game, everything I was excited for was spot on, and then Sucker Punch just added to it with powers like Video and Concrete.
The fact that you don't get every power right away and they have their own upgrade systems made me immensely happy. I've seen too many games where the abilities are upgraded as if they're one thing. [I'm looking at you, Fable 3]
Also the fact that you can't just pick one ability and stick to it. You have to figure it out as you go, based on what sources are around you at the time, and what you have available in the immediate area. Sure, I would have loved to just breeze through the game with Neon, but I couldn't. I got stuck a few times with nothing around but Video or Smoke draw-sources. I really appreciate that they made it more challenging that way. It took away the "I'm going to spam upgrade my favorite power and forget the others" mentality of a lot of players.
I know this is something I always talk about, but I feel that it's an important aspect of every game. The characters are actually memorable, and they're not the typical retarded AI that we're used to. [Now I'm looking at YOU Halo: Reach]
Fetch really stood out to me. Her story was one that added that typical superhero aspect to the game. [SPOILER ALERT] It was genuinely sad to hear her story about how she and her brother, Brent, were homeless and hanging around with the wrong people, and how they got into drugs to deal with the issues they were facing. I felt myself choke a little when I heard the crack in her voice as she told Delsin how her brother had been killed by druggies, and now she was taking them out all around Seattle. [Major kudos to voice actress Laura Bailey. I knew there was a reason I used her in Saints Row]
And then there was Eugene, also known as He Who Dwells. He was basically the embodiment of everything the fans are. Like a silent
"Thank you" to all of us that have supported the games from the start. [I know, I wasn't a huge fan, but I still supported Sucker Punch] [SPOILER ALERT] He was a nerd. Plain and simple. He was shunned and bullied by people at school for years and found solace in a video game called Heaven's Hellfire. He was powerful there. He could stop the bullies and the trolls. One day, after having played this game for so long, he got into a fight at school, and suddenly he was surrounded by Angels. He used them as a tool to protect himself and others from bullies, but was eventually captured by the D.U.P.
Now tell me that isn't what every nerd wanted to do when they were in school.
[ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT] And I can't forget Delsins brother. A cop, working on the reservation just outside of Seattle. He followed Delsin into the city in hopes of finding a way to help the people there after they were all hospitalized by the head of the D.U.P., the royal bitch named Augustine. It was nice to see him slowly grow to appreciate the powers his brother had developed, and even help him develop them rather than telling him how "sick" he was or how much he needed help. It broke my heart to see him eventually meet his end by the same woman who doomed his friends and family back home. The emotions in that scene were so perfectly portrayed, having been fully acted by the voice cast. [As was the rest of the game, but this scene in particular displayed it best] |
| Oh look, Troy Baker! |
Apart from the graphic quality of the PS4, which is admittedly amazing, the best part of this game is the gameplay. It wasn't too terribly hard to get the hang of, but the abilities did differ in how easy they were to use. For instance, I was used to being able to use single shots in the right places to take out enemies using Neon and Smoke, but then when I got Video they changed the whole formula by making it shoot like an automatic weapon of awesome, blasting enemies with a barrage of fire.
I really have to give it up to Sucker Punch on this one. It wasn't just fun to play through this story and use the new abilities, but it was also great to be able to run around the streets of Seattle and see the little easter eggs for the first two games, such as Cole McG's Electronics store or the shoutouts to Sly Cooper, like Cooper Savings and Loan.
But honestly my favorite part of the game was the classic video game boss fights. Not another super-powered enemy shooting at you with THEIR ability. Not an enemy that was insanely easy to beat. [Lord Lucien in Fable 2 and the Didact in Halo 4, anyone?] But TWO genuinely difficult GIANT BOSS FIGHTS.
Hell, the first time you meet Eugene, you actually have to fight him as He Who Dwells when he sucks you into his Video Realm. [See what I did there?] All of these rising and falling platforms. The sources for your power spread out over a giant lake of lava. The whole fight was just beautiful.
And the second one being the final confrontation with the royal bitch, Augustine. After taking her Concrete power, you get a chance to use it against her as she summons up a giant concrete beast meant to destroy you. I can't tell you how many times I lost that fight before finally beating her, but seeing the look on her face afterward was well worth the struggle. When you grow to hate a character, it's that much more satisfying to beat them to a pulp.
From the classic video game moments and little easter eggs, to the brilliant story and cast, Infamous Second Son is a great game that I honestly can't wait to pick up again, simply to play the alternate, evil path, and finish the side missions. [For the sake of this review I only played the main story and I just always seem to go with the good route first. Sorry.]
I have to give Infamous Second Son a solid 9/10. It definitely killed all negative expectations that I had for it after the first two games, and honestly could have been a solo game, because you don't need to play the others to get this one.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As it was pointed out by one of my friends, I do need to do some posts about things I DIDN'T like that much. So next week, I'll be giving everyone a peek at Watch_Dogs from Ubisoft Entertainment. I couldn't get into that one as much.
All suggestions can be posted here, on Twitter, Instagram, and deviantART. Feel free to let me know if there is something you want me to review.
No comments:
Post a Comment