#107 inFAMOUS

Game Info

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Sucker Punch

Platform:  PS3

Genre(s): Third-Person Action, Adventure

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: May 26, 2009

Intro:

As you enter the game, Empire City is a buzzing metropolis.  Your finger hovers over the start button, the game prompts you to push "start" and you set off an explosion that destroys the city.  This is the introduction to inFAMOUS.  You wake up and phone prompts from your friend give you the brief back-story.  You are Cole.  Your friend is Zeke.  He's here to help.  You love Trish.  It's all layed out so concisely as you make your way through the rubble trying to find your way to safety.  The city crumbles before you.  Explosions block your path.  From the very beginning, this game is played in real-time and you get the sense that you knew this city because you can find your way around on the map, and yet, you have to find your way around and come to grips with your new powers just like Cole. 

Getting Going:

After the initial sequence, I was treated to a cinemagraphic.  inFAMOUS is told in a comic-style which adds to the super-hero or super-villain feel of the story, itself.  I never felt as if I was stuck in the game.  Zeke is on the phone reminding me where to go and helping to tell the story.  Other people will come and go on the phone to guide the path, as well. Everything was introduced in the game through the friendly prompts of people Cole knows.  The map was helpful in guiding my way and does an excellent job of pointing out key places of interest.  I found it extremely easy to get involved in this game and get playing immediately.

Fun:

I died.  Within 3 minutes of gameplay, Cole was dead.  That wasn't fun.  It was, however, brief.  He was dead, the game wasn't over, he re-spawned right where he fell to his death. No big deal.  I've played through this game once already and it's been added to my library.  inFAMOUS gives you the karmic choice of being good or evil.  Last time I was good.  This time I decided to be bad.  It's fun to be bad.  It didn't seem to change the story a whole lot to be bad, at least, not as far into it as I've gotten.  But, blasting people who get in your way without apologies was great fun. It was also very satisfying. I know, I'm sick. But, tell the truth...didn't you punch the beggars in Assassin's Creed?  Didn't you just want to? 

Visuals:

The comic styling of the art in inFAMOUS is appealing.  It's different, it's new, it just seems to add to the feel of the story.  If you are good, Cole is surrounded in a blue halo.  He draws energy in blue, the title screen has a blue halo.  If you are bad, all of those things are red.  This was appealing, too.  It appeals to your senses in an odd way.  It's true what is said about the emotional connection in color and Sucker Punch uses this to great advantage.

Sound:

Electricity, explosions, people talking to you, the Voice of Survival, gunfire, screaming people; the sounds in inFAMOUS work together well to create a crumbling city in chaos.  Many of the enemies could be heard before they were seen causing me to spin around and look for the source of the trouble.

Intelligence:

Reapers definitely seemed to have a mind of their own.  They find cover, they shoot from the right angles, and it was utterly clear that they noticed Cole.  The pedestrians of the city notice Cole, as well.  They come to him for help when he's good.  They throw rocks at him when he's evil.  They try to help him with the Reapers, but they usually get in the way.  The AI in this game is well-developed and it shows in the actions of the NPC's.

Immersion:

I can't say this is a very immersive game.  Death came easily, but it was meaningless, for the most part.  You don't lose anything by being dead, except you might have to cross the city again.  You don't seem to gain much by it, either.  In other words, I didn't feel I was necessarily learning anything from dying.  Occasionally, for a mission, however, I did.  I'd find myself searching for a better way to take out the enemy.  In the case of missions, the AI is more fixed though.  In addition to the death issue, trophies and blast shards abound in this game.  This makes the game feel more about achievements than it is about being immersed in the experience of being Cole.

Cameras:

The options menu offers ease of use with the camera.  If you don't like the way it swings, change it.  However, the camera swings a little too easily for me.  It seemed easy to over-shoot my goal when trying to look at something. 

Controls:

There are a lot of things Cole can do as you learn to play this game.  Personally, I found it much more satisfying, and often easier, to use melee fighting to take down the various Reapers.  However, hanging off of a building and zapping a gunslinger works, too.  Again, the camera swung a little too easily for me, making it difficult sometimes to line up a shot under fire.  In the end, it simply becomes more transparent that Sucker Punch was trying to create a game that offers aspects of a shooter and aspects of a melee fighting game.  It succeeds in both and the player is given greater choice in how they choose to play.  This is a nice option and opens the game up to a much wider audience.

Ideas:

I found myself thinking more about how death and dying are handled in games.  I've read articles on this before, but I feel as if inFAMOUS highlights this aspect of gaming in the way it is handled in the game.  Coupled with this are thoughts on reward and punishment.  How can it be handled better?  Where does our future lie in games that offer punishment instead of death.  Power and karmic responsibility are another theme of this game, but it lacks in true emotional grab.  Is it fun?  Of course.  But it is completely lacking in any real sense of ethical dilemma.

Memory:

This game is already a part of my permanent library.  It was fun and engaging all the way through and even though many of the missions were repetitive, I never felt as if the game got stale or boring.  I knew, even while playing through for the first time that I'd go back in and play the other karmic route, and I will.  There is much to accomplish, many side missions, all of which keep you coming back to Empire City to see more. 

*Side note: Although this game is #104 on the list, there are some games which I won't be returning to in the top 100.  I played this one now because I'm borrowing it to a friend.  And I better get it back, Scott! :)