Last year I traded in some old Gameboy Adance and Gamecube games in hopes of getting a $20 store credit. I wanted to get the Clash of the Titans for the PS3, but then the Gamestop guy said the game pretty much sucked. What followed was him showing me the best of the best, and then we came across Infamous. He explained that it was his favorite game on the system and went to say how great it was. I still wasn't convinced, I wanted Clash of the Titans. But it would look kinda strange picking it up without at least trying this other supposed great game, wouldn't it? I picked it up, and it was great. It is one of the best games I've ever played. Thanks to that little conversation, I had gotten a much better game worth every penny. (Seriously, it's only $27, pick it up if you haven't yet.) What's cool was that a sequel was announced beforehand, so I after I finished the first one, I got to follow the second one closely. It had big shoes to fill. Now that I've beaten it, I can say whether it succeeds as a sequel. Sorry to keep you waiting, on to the review!
The plot continues with Cole preparing for the attack.....but he soon realizes even he isn't close to being able to stop......THE BEAST. Cole is easily slapped away by its awesome power. THE BEAST completely eradicates Cole's hometown, Empire City. Now Cole is stuck in a city called New Marais. THE BEAST is coming after him, Cole has to find some way to power up if he hopes to have any chance of stopping it.
As you can see, the sequel, like the first, is a story-driven game. It's comic-book style, with unbelievable plot twists, and stellar voice acting. I've been reading comics for awhile, but there were some things I didn't see coming. That's how you tell a story, surprise people.
Like the first game, Infamous 2 is an open-world game. Thanks to the Spider-Man titles, I'm pretty much use to it. The difference, however, is that this open-world and its citizens are more life-like and realistic. No offense to the Spidey titles, (they are great games by the way) but the citizens there were like walking robots. In Infamous, you could go ahead and take anyone out if you wanted to. You could throw a grenade in the middle of the street, and watch the explosion rock people and cars alike. (Not that I do that, I'm Hero Side all the way.)
Both Infamous games put a strong emphasis on gameplay. You have street-level combos mixed in with the power of lightning. The engine is very tight, and it improves with number 2. You have satisfying combos with a finisher that is always awesome to behold. It's a good mixture of hand-to-hand combat with shooting thunderballs. What I like about this game, is that it carries over some of the moves from the first one, without having to re-learn them. I don't like it when a sequel makes you learn everything again and makes you go through some painfully easy stages in the beginning. *Cough*Legend of Zelda*Cough* (I am a big Zelda fan by the way.)
One of the few things I didn't like was that this game was a lot more mission-based. Yes, the first Infamous was also mission-based, but the story was kept at a good pace. In Infamous 2, with every vital mission moving the plot, there are two more that are just meant to kill time to prolong the game. Some missions are plain annoying, I also don't like that they added in the option to switch moves. There should be a set of moves, and that's it. Still, these two things shouldn't stop you from picking this bad boy up.
I miss Cole's old voice from the previous game. His new voice takes a little bit to get use to, but it's adequate. With that said, the voice acting is triple A class, with each character having a very distinctive voice. The soundtrack is good, it fits the atmosphere of the game well. (I would have liked some opera thrown in there.) Graphics wise, like the first Infamous, this game is a powerhouse. It boasts some really impressive graphics, and the framerate is always nice and steady. The monsters look mighty impressive, especially the Behemoth, it sports a very unique design. I would love to see that captured on the big screen. Of course, nothing could beat the imposing appearance of THE BEAST.
One of the big selling points of the first Infamous was the "good karma" and "bad karma" system. Basically, the game will sometimes give you choices to do right, or to do wrong. (Example: Save a guy from a prison cell, or electrocute him to take a Blast Core.) They said for Infamous 2, the decisions will be harder and more like "What's more wrong, this or that?" I am disappointed with the karma system in this game. If you have a moral conscience, you will always go with the good side. I was hoping for more harder decisions that would have to really make me think.
Overall, with it's cast of interesting characters, great story, and perfect gameplay, Infamous 2 is a must-own for any PS3 owner. Don't skip out on the first, which is just as good. Now that Cole is appearing in the upcoming Street Fighter X Tekken, he's making a mark on the video game world. Infamous 2 will engage from the start. I haven't really touched upon the UGC. (User Generated Content.) This concept was first introduced in the all-star game: LittleBigPlanet. It's a fun little feature, adds some replay value, but thankfully isn't a main focus or gets in the way of the actual game. (I was afraid it would be more of a focus than the story.) Still, I have to wonder how on earth everyone has Cole's cell number, people randomly call him, even the villains!
9/10.
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