Infamous is a free roaming platform game with a twist of Superhero/Supervillain thrown in for good measure. Can Sucker punch make the first steps into the Next gen and do justice the name that laid Sly cooper on the world. Read on to find out if this PlayStation 3 exclusive cuts the Mustard.

Story

Empire city is locked down its a disaster Zone. The Official word is that it was a Terrorist Attack, are you to blame?. They sure think so. You have these powers now after awaking in hospital, what do you do with them, become the hero the city needs or make your self ‘infamous’ and rain down your evil infamy upon the citizens of Empire city. The city is divided, bridges downed, the city’s power grid is out. It’s up to you, Cole MacGrath to make what you will of these new found powers and either free Empire City or bring it to it’s knees. Infamous marries the open world game with the comic book story style quite beautifully. The story is stellar and that fitting an AAA title.

Friend or Foe?

The world that you the gamer roams is diverse and the list of characters that will open to you as you progress will grow over the period of the game. Believe me the casual gamer is going to be here for a while. At the start you will be introduced to Zeke your loyal friend and Trish your mistrusting girlfriend. She doesn’t know what to believe at this early point. She sees you as the terrorist and it’s up to you to prove her otherwise. The game will throw relations at you, are they trust worthy or are they misleading you?

City Life

Empire City is a mass metropolis, hell on earth, people running around in distress. Wanting help lying injured, others asking why did this have to happen to them. Cars are damaged and laid bare throughout out the streets. Some even crashed right threw shop fronts. Trains have come to a halt due to no power in the lines. Overall the city has a proper gloomy feel to it and fits in nicely with the disaster zone that is Empire City. There’s always that impending sense of danger with the various enemies strung around the city, you choose like in most open ended games how you wish to tackle the city.

Gameplay

Infamous is a sandbox game divided into three sectors that represent three different parts of the city. Divided GTA style by bridges. There are different enemies per sector as you progress through the game. The more XP you get from completing the side quests killing enemies the more power you will earn to buy Coles untapped skills.

The game works with a Karma meter you do good it moves you into Hero territory. Your archs of lightning will glow a cool jedi style blue. But if you do Evil then your karma will fall and you will become Infamous, dawning a red sith style hue from your Lightning strikes.

At times you will be presented with options and to how you complete these options your Karma will be affected. One example is where I had a food crate that needed knocked down from a crane. When you get it down do you eliminate the people that need it most so you can have it to yourself.. Or do you let it be shared among the people. Another example a guy is strung up by his feet, the citizens of Empire city want him dead what do you do..leave him to the baying mobs or do you shoot the rope and help him down?

The more good karma missions you complete the more evil side quests you will lock until you decide to play through the game again. Cole moves about the world effortlessly jumping from roof to roof and climbing the buildings in much the same way Assassins Creed had shown us. Cole will look for ledges or what ever he can get his hands on till he climbs to the top of the building makes thus making the game so much more fun to play. For instance, your jumping off a roof and want to land on a power line, the games controls are precise and its easy to maneuver Cole towards an object in fact it sometimes feels like theres a safety lock on so you don’t fall.

Your missions are marked in much the same way other sandbox games have approached this genre. You have a radar in the corner that has all the way points listed. You can also push select and set your own way points. Story missions are marked by blue explanation marks encircled. Side missions are marked by Yellow encircled explanation marks, It’s straight forward and right to the point.

The gameplay is solid and it doesn’t get that repetitive feel some these sandbox games bring with them. When you die it will leave you near to the point in your progress you died instead of having to re do a full mission all the time. Some of the missions are similar, but not to the point where your doing just the same thing over and over again. Many times there may be mass enemies awaiting your arrival and at the same time many good citizens queuing at a busy hospital. Do you approach the bad guys head on with the knowing you could harm the public by accident or stay back and lure them towards you? It’s always there for you to contemplate.

Graphics

Infamous stands among the finest looking games on the PlayStation 3, it’s definately the best looking super hero style game out there at the moment. Everything in this game has been detailed on a massive level, Empire City looks alive.

There’s a host of effects from Coles lightning to the beautifully drawn city. From the night time streets to the day time hustle and bustle this game has it all. You will find yourself stopping to admire this City. Getting that Batman moment in for for good measure! The game runs in native 720p but does not suffer in the slightest for it. From the car head lights to the city coming to life every time a new power grid is regained. Infamous looks stunning to the eye.

There’s the odd glitch here and there but I expect nothing less from sandbox games, sometimes a person laying waiting for help will be suspended in mid air. Pop up is also evident as cars will appear at the end of the street buildings causing it to draw textures sometimes as you walk by.

Lastability

Infamous has easily 30+ hours in it for the average gamer. It has a great story and a wicked control system that will keep you coming back for more. The game does not feature a co-op or multiplayer mode but seldom does a game come along where the single player warrants a second run through. You will spend a load of time on side missions and collecting the various collectibles throughout the game. Earning the XP to buy stuff from the store to tap into the previously untapped powers Cole has. Goes a long way to keeping you coming back.

Final thought

We have had many a sand box hero game on the market from your Spidermen to Hulk and the newly acquired Prototype. But if your looking for a game with some proper depth and a good story and great controls plus graphics to boot, then Infamous is for you. It will drag you in with it’s story and spit you out with it’s Action

Sucker Punch has done themselves proud with there first outing on PlayStation 3. They have delivered a AAA title for Sony to add to their growing catalogue. This is a must have title for Playstation owners!

Go on its your chance to show your mammy you can be a good boy!