JK Reviews: InFAMOUS 2

[Julianking93]

Platform: PS3
ESRB Rating: T
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Action/Shooter/Adventure​

I've never been a fan of the sandbox genre of videogames. The majority seem disjointed and the abundance of side missions made the importance of the main story seem diluted to make way for a random side quest having little or nothing to do with the issues presented in the primary plotline. One of the first games, however to make me rethink my opinion on said genre was 2009's InFamous, which featured protagonist Cole MacGrath gaining superpowers and fighting off an evil threatening his city. The premise worked for this type of game, allowing a true comic book style to be experienced through a videogame media. Though it wasn't without its problems, the game was one of the best of the year and InFamous 2 only improves on the formula.
 
Taking place after the events of the first game, InFamous 2 once again puts you in the role of Cole, waiting in Empire City for The Beast prophesised from the first game. Things soon take a turn for the worse as The Beast arrives sooner than anticipated and proceeds to beat the hell out of an underpowered Cole and draining him of his powers. Cole and his backstabbing friend Zeke and new pal, NSA Agent Lucy Kuo, then flee to the city of New Marais in order to amplify his powers with the help of a scientist who worked on the original Ray Sphere with The Beast chasing him down, destroying every city in its path.
 
However, now in New Marais, a setting that so isn't New Orleans, Cole faces a new threat. A religious zealot and avid hater of conduits (AKA: people with superpowers), Joseph Bertrand III who actively attempts to turn the city against any and all conduits with the help of a radical militia. With the help of both Agent Kuo and Nix, depicted as the polar opposite of Kuo, Cole must ready himself for the arrival of The Beast and defeat Bertrand before he convinces everyone he's a demon out to destroy their city.

Even though the plot can feel a bit incoherent for what is essentially a comic book story, it is all very well told and even though a few times it fails to mention things early on that are blatantly contrived and go without any form of exposition or reason for half the game, it is still very enjoyable.

Did I mention this isn't New Orleans?​

As convoluted as the game's plot can be at points, there seems to be a definite lack of characters and enemies to face. Throughout the 18+ hour campaign, there are only a total of two main antagonists whereas the original InFamous featured three. It's a minor complaint in the bigger picture, but in this regard, it feels a bit like a step back, albeit a slight one.
 
For fans of the series, the relationship between Cole and Zeke is a touching one. As Zeke actively tries to make amends for his actions in the previous game, there's a lot more character development and basic reason to care about anyone on screen. One of the bigger problems I felt in the predecessor was that I didn't particularly care for many of the central characters for a large portion of the game. InFamous 2 quickly fixes this by giving each character more personality and general appeal to the audience. Newcomers Kuo and Nix, representing good and evil respectively, are no exceptions to this as they're presented in a way to make them sympathetic and at least somewhat relatable no matter what karmic option you choose. The voice acting has been improved as well. While there are no complaints on my part for the voice acting in the previous title and I do miss Cole's original voice actor, the acting here is well done and you can tell the cast members enjoyed reading their lines and deliver them well, giving a more cinematic feeling to the game.
 
In terms of gameplay, InFamous 2 plays almost identically to the first game. During your stay in the totally-not-New Orleans-style-city, you'll spend the majority of your time climbing, gliding, sliding along power lines, electrifying unsuspecting enemies within the city and basically playing the role of Zeus and smiting anyone you damn well please. Despite the general lack of updates in regards to central combat, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Don't fix what isn't broken, right? Well, even still it would have been nice to see a bit more innovation rather than a simply improved melee fighting system. This lack of diversity poses the same problem in the original game, unfortunately. With little additions to previous game mechanics presents a horrible amount of repetition, especially when played for long periods of time. Battles for the most part, feel the same and although there are still plenty of powers and abilities to be gained through XP, every enemy encounter felt like a simple "rinse and repeat" scenario. There's still a certain charm to be had by throwing a sticky grenade at an enemy's head and watching him cower away before it explodes but after the first 6 hours of doing this, it can get rather boring very quickly.

You're going to fight this thing. A lot.​

 
The aforementioned fact of fewer characters also brings about an issue with gameplay. With only two primary antagonists in the near 20-hour game, boss fights get reused constantly. What I thought in my first encounter with an enemy was a one and only boss battle turned out to be an enemy I'd face again and again, with little variation. This isn't a game-breaking issue but it will undoubtedly turn off some gamers to the experience overall.
 
This problem unfortunately is present in side missions as well. There are a large number of extra quests that don't particularly pertain to the main story but are able to shift your karmic alignment in either way you choose. These however are generally copied from each other. Go here, fight bad guys, blow shit up, power up transformer and move on to the next one. It didn't bother me too much as I tended to avoid these side missions in general but when a player actively avoids half of the game's content due to its monotonous and repeated nature, it isn't really a good sign.
 
As much as I may be complaining here, these are really only nitpicks at the game's combat and central plot. There's a lot of fun to be had here, and even though I was slightly irked at the overuse of certain missions and the occasional boredom when fighting random enemies, I'm actually pretty hard pressed to come up with criticisms. The collectables and secret dead drop locations break up the monotony of combat while the story is well told and keeps the player hooked to find out what happens next, even if the characters are a bit too few and spread too thinly. And only adding to the game's positive side is the addition of user made levels that provide even more enjoyment than a lot of the missions in game. Perhaps Sucker Punch should hire a few of these people for level design in the future.

 
However, InFamous 2's biggest problem lies within one of the main mechanics of the game and that is its karma system. I share the opinion of many when I say that the basics of the morality aspect of the game series are borderline ridiculous. Almost all decisions are presented in black in white with next to no grey area and no reason to choose one over the other. Cole can either be a beloved saint who runs around saving people or a complete dickhead who kills people for no good reason and doing only things to benefit himself. Actually, scratch that last bit. The majority of the "evil' choices throughout the game aren't even beneficial to any character, they're just there to make Cole out to be an asshole. Sure, this is a comic book game and comic book villains aren't typically known for the brilliant exposition giving reason for their evil deeds, but even taking that into consideration it becomes impossible to relate to the main character if he's a complete and total wanker. The only semblance of a realistic moral choice comes at the very end of the story and even then, the terms "good" and "evil" don't seem to properly fit the given actions.

Pictured: Cockhead doing cockhead things for no good reason.​

 
This problem only makes the outcome of the game's story lackluster when taken as a whole. To its credit, both endings are brilliant, yet the events leading up to either finale seem to dilute the impact they would have had if there were reason behind Cole's actions. It's an issue I hope to see fixed in a possible sequel or at least improved upon in the future. Regardless, InFamous 2 is a fun and enjoyable game that can present hours of entertainment. Though I didn't play too much of the user-generated content, it does nothing but add to the already high amount of replay value to the game. Overall, if you enjoyed InFamous, there's no reason not to play InFamous 2. It's more of what you loved from the first and it is even more enjoyable than its predecessor. Sequels tend to determine a franchise's future and if this installment is anything to go by, future titles are sure to be promising. It truly is an electrifying game. Now please excuse me while I go punish myself for making that pun.

Spoiler: Rating

[HEADING=1]4 Stars[/HEADING]​

Spoiler: Other JK Reviews

Movies:
Best Movies of the Decade [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.164045-Best-Films-of-the-Decade-Warning-Extremely-Long-Review] I Inception [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.215806-JK-Reviews-Inception] I Oldboy [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.236848-JK-Reviews-Oldboy] I Thirst [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.238393-JK-Reviews-Thirst] I Noroi [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.258713-JK-Reviews-Noroi] I Ghost in the Shell [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.264848-Poll-JK-Reviews-Ghost-in-the-Shell?view_results=1] I Top 25 Favourite Films [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.273264-JKs-Top-25-Favourite-Films#comment_form] I Kodomo no Jikan [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.283845-JK-Reviews-Kodomo-No-Jikan] I Super 8 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.291002-JK-Reviews-Super-8]

Games:
Bayonetta [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.169030-JK-Reviews-Bayonetta-Warning-May-Contain-Spoilers] I Game of the Year 2009 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.163760-Celebration-for-My-5000th-post-Game-of-the-Year-awards] I God of War III [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.182952-JK-Reviews-God-of-War-III] I NieR [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.203204-JK-Reviews-NIER] I Castlevania: Lament of Innocence [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.206361-JK-Reviews-Castlevania-Lament-of-Innocence] I Maximo: Ghosts To Glory [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.212014-JK-Reviews-Maximo-Ghosts-To-Glory] I Kingdom Hearts [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.229506-As-Per-Request-JK-Reviews-Kingdom-Hearts] I Kingdom Hearts II [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.230725-As-Per-Request-JK-Reviews-Kingdom-Hearts-II] I Assassin's Creed Brotherhood [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.248762-JK-Reviews-Assassins-Creed-Brotherhood] I Top 12 Games of 2010 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.252471-JKs-Top-12-Best-Games-of-2010] I Bioshock [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.262110-As-Per-Request-JK-Reviews-Bioshock] I Fallout: New Vegas [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.266849-JK-Reviews-Fallout-New-Vegas] I Silent Hill 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.270928-As-Per-Request-JK-Reviews-Silent-Hill-2] I Dragon Age 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.276414-JK-Reviews-Dragon-Age-II]

Music:
Equilibrium's ReKreatur [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.204108-JK-Reviews-Equilibrium-ReKreatur]

Remember, that I am now taking requests for reviews, so any suggestions for future reviews or lists you may have, please let me know via PM or in the replies to this review.
 

 

[Jack and Calumon]

It truly is an electrifying game. Now please excuse me while I go punish myself for making that pun.

And rightly so.

OT: This game is awesome. This review is accurate. Truly inFamous 2 took me by surprise by being damn good, especially the good ending, which was great. As for the evil ending, well, not as good as the good, but still good I guess.

[sub]there were too many goods in that sentence[/sub]

So, goo- nice review! Summed up my feelings to a tee.

Though I now think my review would be pointless. Both Yahtzee and you have essentially said my view. Oh well!

Calumon: Does this mean it's snack time now?

Jack: No.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Nice review. The game is as amazing as we had hoped, and your review captures it quite well. Personally I don't mind the duality mechanic, it makes things kind of easy, if in a black and white way, but with how rich the rest of the game is, it makes things kind of easy. Not in difficulty, just in system. Also works great for actually playing the role, especially for some of the ways Cole just takes to the evil options with a bit of glee. Man, those are some fun recommendations for blowing things up...

 

[Julianking93]

Though I now think my review would be pointless. Both Yahtzee and you have essentially said my view. Oh well!

Not at all!
Any review would be cool to see. I'm surprised there aren't more already but another one couldn't hurt :3

snip

Thanks for the comment!
I see what you mean by that but I still was bothered by the no middle ground for a karmic alignment. You start off neutral, yes but the game only ever presents opportunities of being either good or evil. It's not bad but it still could be improved on. For instance, why can't I just be the type of antihero who only does good things when they're convenient or something like that? I know that would involve a lot of programming but still, it would have been fun to see :3
If they incorporated a Dragon Age style morality and choice systems, then I would be pushed to consider it a perfect game. I'd like to see something like that in the future though.

 

[Marter]

And since I did enjoy inFamous 2, I'll have to pick this up at some point. Good review, Jules.

 

[Zeromaxx]

Nice review there, as usual, the only thing I can find wrong with it is that it makes me wish I had a PS3 to play this game. Perhaps it's time to invade a friend's house...

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Though I now think my review would be pointless. Both Yahtzee and you have essentially said my view. Oh well!

Not at all!
Any review would be cool to see. I'm surprised there aren't more already but another one couldn't hurt :3

snip

Thanks for the comment!
I see what you mean by that but I still was bothered by the no middle ground for a karmic alignment. You start off neutral, yes but the game only ever presents opportunities of being either good or evil. It's not bad but it still could be improved on. For instance, why can't I just be the type of antihero who only does good things when they're convenient or something like that? I know that would involve a lot of programming but still, it would have been fun to see :3
If they incorporated a Dragon Age style morality and choice systems, then I would be pushed to consider it a perfect game. I'd like to see something like that in the future though.

Depends which Dragon Age we're talking about, for the complex morality argument. The first had plenty of the convenience options, of doing things because they benefitted both the personal and warden goals, but one could argue the second was just as divisive in that you would always appeal to the characters in your party, to get the bonuses and what not. I would like to see a convenience option, or at least a more defined selfless/heroic, selfish/evil, and maybe an indifferent/survivalist option. That third option of doing the least public grabbing attention, of trying not to be seen as either tyrant or savior, which would culminate in an ending that tries to put him back into a normal, pre-powered state, in this instance. Tweaking the RFI to cancel out powers without killing the conduits. But in terms of how they have set up most of the major decisions, and putting them in terms of the kind of selfless sacrifice for the betterment of billions and that kind of idiocentric selfishness that has set him as the leader among the uprising new breed is a distinction that Sucker Punch has really held to. It might be a bit unrefined, and, let's face it, asinine, at times, but that at the core of most of the decisions is that singular notion of how these new super people stand in relation to the rest of the populous is what continues to make these games stand out--they put front and center the classic option of personal versus communal. The good of the one/few versus the good of the many. A classic stance, a trope even, perhaps, but still a very fundamental issue of mankind. A fundamental issue dressed in superpowered expansions and some stylish comic book exposition, but that fundamental issue none the less. They might treat the differences hyperbolically, and I'll agree that I'd like to see a neutral option, but for the duality they have established, they still do it frighteningly well.

 

[Julianking93]

snippy

Hm. I can agree with that to an extent, but I felt that the duality problem here was just a bit too one sided. Hell, even when I tried to be evil, I would randomly get something that would make me more good, even though I was actively trying not to. There's a definite bias towards one side of things and that's something I really didn't like. Still, there need to be more options for something to have a good morality system.

The classic stance you mentioned of "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" is true but it's put too much into play here. I get the final decision at the end but my problem comes from the fact that those are neither good nor evil. Just two choices. One is for the betterment of the others while one is for the good of the majority. That doesn't make it good or evil, it just makes the choice... just that; a choice. Then the rest of the game forces you into the ridiculous one sided style of karma featured in almost all mainstream comics. Sure, it works for comic books and it would even work for this game if it hadn't been for the rather ambiguous choice at the end and the fact that other games impliment moral grey areas as well. Not really much reason this game shouldn't as well, but whatever. It was an annoyance to me throughout but didn't break the game.

As I said, I thought the two endings were brilliant but being forced into absolute good or nonsensical evil just takes me out of the game, even if it's just a little.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Snippety Do Dah...

And that's totally fair for you, that distancing from the game was something I didn't really experience. I actually felt fairly connected to the characters throughout, and tried to frame things in mind for how a really busy, superpowered man might make his choices.

The only problem is that the difference in choices, the for the people/for oneself is really the only big choice they make, and it only really reflects in a few of the choices. The most prominent are some of the achievement/trophy ones in Infamous 2 and the food/saving Trish or Doctors missions in the first. Dicking around in the Infamous world is really as much up to you as it wants, and only offers so many ways to express that very flagrantly comic style good or evil. Without an omnipresent nemesis to deal with, he is left only to voicing his powers against the people, and we only really see how he gets to deal with that. You gotta figure he gets bored sometimes, and runs around flexing his powers. Too bad there's not really a way to 'heroicly' express these traits. All he can do is roast the baddies.

 

[My name is Fiction]

Good review, I kept on thinking of ZP review when I was reading but you can only rephrase. "Repetitive" and "being a total irational asshole" in so many ways.
Now I will read moar of yours. ^^

 

[KaWaiiTSuKI]

*gasp!*
Why didn't you tell me you had a new review!?
You knew I was looking forward to this >.<
Anyway, great review as usual. I already got it of course and I agree on every aspect here though... I don't know. I guess I wasn't too bothered by the karma system as you were but that's just me. I go in expecting comic book style good and evil perceptions.
Keep it up, Jules ^_^