Infamous

Game Title: Infamous

Platform: PS3

Stars (out of 5): 4


Brief Summary: Infamous is an open-world action platformer. Cole starts out as a normal man, but through an accident acquires special electrical powers. These powers become stronger and develop as Cole progresses throughout the game, and these electrical powers can be used to great effect. Some of his powers are: glide, grind cables and rails, shoot electricity out of his hands, and more. The game includes healthy doses of both action (fighting enemies with his awesome powers) and platforming (scaling buildings, grinding rails, gliding through the air, jumping, etc. The platforming in this game is truly awesome and Cole's powers really make the player feel powerful.

Content issues: Violence is certainly present, but not overly graphic. There is some suggestive talk and one level where you have to fight a very skankily clad woman. If not for those content issues. I would have given the game 5 stars.

Like: I love the open world. You can go anywhere. I love the train that goes through the world and the ability to ride on top of it. I love the climbing and platforming mechanics. Being able to scale large buildings, grind metal cables, and glide through the air is very satisfying and are the principal contributors to the fun of the game. The combat is good. I like how Cole levels up and how he gains access to more powers and to more powerful versions of powers he already has. It makes you, the player, feel very powerful, which is a must in a super hero game. Basically, just running around town, moving from building to building via gliding or grinding or scaling and using your awesome powers is extremely satisfying.

Dislike: My main complaint against this game is the objectionable content. The woman who whispers to Cole suggestively and the really skanky woman that Cole has to battle are completely unnecessary and really hurt the game for me. I also dislike how it is possible to lose opportunities so that you can no longer free 100% of the city. I got one of the zones to 94% and was unable to do anything else to bring it to 100%.

Replayability: After you beat the game, you can continue to run around the city, gathering the remaining shards and doing whatever else is still left. This is kind of fun for a little while, but without any important tasks to complete, it quickly loses its fun. You can replay the game and be an evil character if you were good, or a good character if you were evil, but I don't like being evil, even in games, so that option does not appeal to me. Also, the revelations that happen throughout the game are a large part of what makes the game interesting, and there would be nothing new the second time through. In short, I will probably never replay this game, primarily due to the content issues mentioned.