Yesterday, via the handy medium of Twitter, several people suggested that, in light of the newly improved offerings on PlayStation Plus, it makes sense to take a look at some of those games. Obviously this started last week when we looked at Darksiders, and I see no reason not to continue it. Therefore, this week’s game is the rather interesting inFamous 2, one of the games that’s available for the rest of the year.
This was the game I was most excited about when Sony announced the updates to PlayStation Plus during their E3 Conference, and the one that will (at some point) tip me over into getting a subscription to Sony’s service. I don’t know what it is that appeals to me about Cole McGrath’s adventures so much, although the Prototype series has a similar draw. Maybe it’s the pretty obvious comic book overtones that both series’ take, or maybe it’s just the ability to do something more than drive a car around an open world.
Sadly though I’ve yet to experience the inFamous series beyond the demo of the sequel they were showing at EGX in 2010. That will all change when I can afford a Plus subscription, but for now I’ll have to turn to Peter for a view on Cole’s second outing.
In his review of the game he picked out the writing as being worthy of praise, in particular he felt supporting cast were much more rounded than in the first game. He was also fond of the user generated content system, saying that it had “almost unlimited potential”. On the negative side of things he did find a few glitches in the game, and wasn’t particularly impressed by the way it controlled when trying to climb ladders or posts.
Overall he was relatively impressed though, awarding the game an 8/10. If you’re more a fan of his fancy words than his ability to assign numbers to things, here’s an extract from the review:
inFamous 2 takes the flawed brilliance of its predecessor and improves upon almost every aspect. Missions are slightly more varied and characters are much more rounded. It breeds empathy and it encourages experimentation in the ways supporting characters play off the protagonist and each other. You will feel like a superhero – or villain – by the time you have built your powers back up and some of the new abilities you evolve make exploration and combat all the more enjoyable. Add to all that the excellent and intuitive user generated content and you’ll see that what Sucker Punch have delivered is rightly deserving of its place among the greats of PlayStation 3 exclusive gaming.
So with all of that said, it’s time to ask you what you thought of the game. Does electrocuting people thrill you, or did you find it dull? Did you enjoy the way Cole’s powers are mixed into the combat, or would you rather have just zapped people endlessly from afar?
No matter where you sit on the spectrum of feelings towards inFamous 2, it’s time to share your thoughts. If you feel like taking part you simply need to write your opinions into the handy comment box below. Once you’ve done that remember that you need to add a rating on the Buy It, Bargain Bin It, Rent It, Avoid It scale.
If you do feel like taking part the deadline is Sunday afternoon. Any later than that and your comment may miss out on inclusion in Monday’s verdict article.
TSBonyman
I was enjoying this game .. right up until the bleddy mission where you’re stuck to the back of the truck and i keep getting killed before i can find who’s shooting at me…bah… before that mission i was impressed with how much this game had improved over the original… Now i’ve deleted it and haven’t completed it so i won’t rate it.
skibadee
Infamous love both the games buy it.
skibadee
better yet sign up to PS+ great value service & get it free.
mrfodder
Got my 2nd platinum on this one. Great game. Could be fustrating in parts with mission checkpoints but persistance paid off. Made big strides over the first, but concluded the story so much I can’t imagine a third one. Plus it’s fun being bad. :-) Buy it.
OnlineAssassin77
Enjoyed this one more over the first didnt really get into the first as much, only 1 trophy off the platinum unlock and purchase all powers but had finished it and couldn’t gain the monies to purchase the powers i required, plus my ps3 lost the saves so id have to start from scratch who knows i may do at some point all in all good game its a BUY IT or just plus+ it from me.
Forrest_01
Simply one of my favourite games – Not just from this gen, but i am tempted to actually say ‘ever’! :O
There is simply nothing more emopowering than running around an open world having superpowers & it being your choice who you intend to use them on. Do you try & help the populace & keep them safe from harm, or do you see them as nothing more than obstructions to your destructive power? As some gameshows from the 80’s tended to mention: The choice is yours.
Basically, if you liked the first one, you will love the second. If you didn’t quite get on with the first one for any reason, you can be pretty sure that they have fixed or improved whatever it was that you didn’t get on with in the sequel. If you didn’t get on with the gameplay on a whole though, well there simply is no hope for you!
A great example of how a sequel can utilise existing ideas & build on them to make a great game, rather than shoehorning in content that really doesn’t fit or isn’t wanted.
An emphatic Buy It from me.
Forrest_01
What the hell is ’emopowering’???
Is that the term for the direction that DMC has gone in?? XD
PA_Kid
You need a new category – Plus it. ;)
This one is a definite Buy it / Plus it to me. While the controls in the first demo fell flat for me, I picked up the first full game and fell in love with it.
The second was just as good if not better. The story was entertaining and the combat system makes you feel powerful without feeling overly complex. (Compared to the Batman games that make you feel powerful but sometimes feel like they have way too complex controls.)
These were the first two games I ever platinum’ed and playing through two play throughs was a delight not a chore.
The Lone Steven
Played the demo, enjoyed it, felt that the combat risked becoming repitive. Haven’t bought it yet so am interested to see what you all think of it. Oh and i hope Cole no longer catches every goddam ledge whenever you make him let go. As that was very annoying in I1. :)
Omac_brother
Brilliant. The feeling of absolute power given by this game was fantastic. Kept thinking to myself “this is just so cool”. Kept nudging the Mrs and saying “did you see that? Just squashed a guy with a car” A must buy (or the reason why you have to get PS+).
PoorPaddy89
If you enjoyed the first one, like I did, I’d say buy it. The karma system is improved and the story is pretty good. The good parts of the old game are still there. So yeah, buy it if you enjoyed the first one. If you didn’t enjoy or haven’t played the first one, don’t bother.
ThatMattKid
I was really impressed at how far infamous 2 had evolved from the first game. It was the environments that particularly grabbed me; the choice to base it on New Orleans was a risky one, especially with the way the media scrutinise controversial aspects of gaming now days. However it was done respectfully and intricately which overall created a real atmosphere within the game. Buy it.