inFAMOUS Review
Written By Stephen Heller
inFAMOUS has created a lot of buzz around the traps for quite some time, a superhero game in the likes of Spiderman 2 combined with the awesome powers that wouldn't look out of place in a game like Star Wars: The Force Unleased and offering you the choice to be a hero or a villain. It's good in theory, but how does it work in practice?
inFAMOUS takes place in Empire City, a sprawling metropolis that is brought crashing down by an unexpected “terrorist attack”. Players take the role of Cole, a normal bicycle messenger who is stuck in the middle of it all. While thousands of people died around him, hundreds of buildings collapsed, he somehow survived the blast from ground zero, and is left with the ability to shoot lightning from his fingertips. A virus is running rampant across the city, forcing the government to quarantine the inhabitants, and gangs rule the streets. It is your job to discover what happened, who is responsible, and either play the hero or villain in this tale.
The story feels as if it was lifted directly from a classic comic book, only to be backed up by the impressively artistic cutscenes, but that is about where the excitement ends. The plot is constantly changing, yet inFAMOUS very rarely finishes any of the stories it begins. By the end of the title it starts to feel more and more like plot lines are thrown in to detract your attention by the numerous plot holes. One minute you'll be traveling down one plot route and learning about what happened, and then another event will pop up and you'll begin following that plot, meanwhile leaving unanswered questions behind, and not in a good "I wonder what happened" kind of way, more an annoying, feels unfinished kind of way.
inFAMOUS’ claim to fame is the moral choice scenarios, that impact whether you are a hero or villain. It’s a good theory but unfortunately it is so poorly executed it might as well not exist. Doing a “good” action will boost up you moral bar a little, and make the citizens of Empire City be happy you are around. Completing an evil action will bring the moral bar down, the citizens will be scared of you, throw things at you and you will begin to look more badass. Both Good and Evil states of play have different powers Cole can use to eliminate his enemies, but there are no huge differences between them. What is more frustrating is the fact that your actions bare no real consequences. Most of the moral choices are along the same lines, and while there are a few standout moments that shriek brilliance, they are few and far between. Considering this is touted to be a major component to the gameplay it’s hard to not feel like we have been sold short. That’s not to say the mechanic doesn’t work well, it’s just not as developed as the developers would like you to believe.
The sandbox that is Empire City is split up into three large islands, and by the time you’ve shocked your way through the story missions you will be free to travel across the whole city. You will be running, jumping, grinding rails and climbing anything you can imagine. The controls work well a majority of the time, Cole can pretty much stick to most surfaces which makes traversing rooftops and buildings effortless and fun. As your skills improve you will be able to traverse the city at increasing speeds, and chaining together a set of moves is instantly gratifying.
For those who love to get their hands dirty traversing a slew of side missions and collectables that are forever present in sandbox titles, inFAMOUS has it’s fair share. Side missions are visible on the radar, which are distinguishable via green for a heroic mission or red for an evil mission. For those of you who love to find those collectables, there are over 100 energy shards to be found, along with over 30 “dead drops”, recording devices that flesh out the story a little more.
While traveling the city is a hoot, unlike Grand Theft Auto IV, cruising around isn’t fun at all. The city all looks the same, and feels lifeless and dull. The NPC AI is simply retarded, cars are set to travel continuously around blocks, citizens run for no apparent reason, and Empire City just feels like a prop.
Not that you’ll have much of a chance to explore the city in peace without being shot. Rooftops and streets are filled with gang members who are out to get you, and just when you think you’ve cleared the area and can climb this building, more will show up out of nowhere and lay a beat down. The AI is ridiculous, they have sniper pinpoint accuracy, and more often than not you’ll die not because you can’t take them on, but purely they are so far away you can’t see them. It’s frustrating not to have a few moments to collect yourself and enjoy the city at your own leisure. The only way to clear an area is to complete the side missions and gain control, but it’s a tedious task, and the pure frustration of the enemy AI might get the better of some players, even on easy.
Combat makes up a huge component of the gameplay in inFAMOUS and thankfully Sucker Punch have pulled it off well....mostly. Aim your thunderous attacks with the L1 and fire with the R1 is pretty standard, along with a few different things here and there. The shard grenades are a nice touch, and soon you will have yourself chaining together awesome attacks that are both functional and stunning to watch. The melee attacks on the other hand are fairly rigid and hard to pull off, most of the time you will get close enough and you will have been shot so many times you will die, or just as you are within reach an enemy will run away. It’s annoying, and it almost feels like the game doesn’t want you to pull off that impressive punch, punch, flip kick combo.
Graphically the game just doesn’t rate up there with others this generation. Cole is detailed and has fantastic animations, but his supporting cast look rigid and lack detail. The city is lacking texture and the pop in rivals GTA IV. Cole will often walk through solid objects, and the only real effects that look any good are his lighting attacks. This far into the generation gamers should expect more, especially from a Sony Exclusive.
The Final Verdict
Even with all these downfalls I have pointed out, inFAMOUS is still a thrilling game that has a lot to offer. It’s a superhero title that isn’t bound by comic book ties, it’s a sandbox title that features some great traveling mechanics. Combat is top notch, but annoying AI, some minor glitches and a city that feels more like a prop than a living, breathing world let it down somewhat. It’s worth a try, and I’d highly recommend checking it out
Gameplay
6.8/10
Traveling the city is lots of fun, and Cole’s abilities look stunning when performed. Unfortunately the story feels open, the moral choices don’t bare any consequences and the AI is terribly annoying.
Graphics
5.0/10
The graphics are lacking texture, the city looks the same over and over, Cole is the only character model that looks great, we should expect much more from current generation titles.
Audio
6.0/10
It’s there. It’s not stellar, it’s not terrible, it’s just there.
Value
8.5/10
If you are going into it, there are two story lines to play here, the hero and villain. The endings aren’t too different, but there are plenty of collectables to be found. After all is said and done you could spend hours just wreaking havoc on the city.
Overall
7.3/10
Another view
Written By Gaetano Prestia
I had extremely high expectations for inFAMOUS, and while I wasn't disappointed with the final product, it didn't quite reach the level I thought it would. I don't think it's been overhyped, but I do think it's been overrated. It's a solid 8.5/10 game for me, because I had a really, really good time upgrading my abilities and deciding between good and evil. I've played through it twice - once good and once evil - and the game changes enough to warrant more than one play through, which is great in my book. A game's value really shines when you feel as though you have the obligation to play through it more than once, which I had with inFAMOUS. I thought the effects of your decisions really kept the narrative weighed down and I thought the gameplay was effective and engaging, especially with the power-ups. The city lay-out disappointed me and it felt like the story dragged on a bit towards the end, and I was really expecting a bustling, more engaging city. I guess the great combat and abilities make up for that, and I never really felt the urge to get into a car when I could just hop onto the train tracks and glide through the city. I don't disagree with Steve's review entirely, but we had difference experiences overall. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge, story and decision making and because of that, inFAMOUS is a game I highly recommend.