If You Thought Only Old Movies Were Black And White…
When it comes to the actual campaign and things that surround it, inFamous 2 also still falls back on most of the elements from the first game. You have your main story missions, and those who want to charge at them head on can do so if they please. However, the game is also packed with side missions and other things to that do actually allow your character to improve or unlock certain powers, so there is at least real incentive to doing it other than just to try and squeeze more value out of the game.
A lot of modes and play types are repeated though, and can become a little repetitive after a while and making you wish for something a bit more spectacular. There is however, a new User Generated Content feature integrated into the game, and allows people to create and play other peoples missions that they have made, which is a nice addition.
The story is a little flat on the whole and it’s a real shame that the good/evil ‘karma’ decisions in the game are just so very black and white. It’s literally still a case of – pick this mission for good, and that mission for bad – and by picking either, you lose the ability to do the other on that play-through.
The characters themselves aren’t so fantastic either. Many people complained about Zeke in inFamous 1 and to be quite honest, I think he is maybe the best of the bunch in inFamous 2. Our protagonist Cole MacGrath isn’t actually the most likable guy in the world, and comes across as a bit of a douche. The same can be said for the other characters, but even more so.
Zeke, as your buddy, is doing his bit for the cause but the two main female characters in the story are both annoying for their own reasons, first of which is that like earlier, each one is distinctly linked to the good and evil sides of the games. The good one comes across as lame and annoying, while the bad one comes across way too strong and forward which furthers the story’s lack of finesse. I just couldn’t get myself to relate to any of the characters and in the end, most of them just annoyed me – and that’s no way to win over your customer.
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The visuals in inFamous 2 hold a very similar style and feeling to the first and the game really does have some beautiful moments when overlooking the large open setting. The sound is a completely different story though. The only person in the audio department at Sucker Punch that deserves a big pat on the back, is the guy responsible for the musical score, as I found it to be very atmospheric and of a high quality during the game. I know this because I’m no audiophile, but it was good enough to make me pay attention.
The big problem comes from some of the voice acting. The New Marais local that you interact with feels like an overblown stereotype, Zeke is actually just fine and Cole is now voiced by a new actor, which in my case, didn’t make much of a difference but I have seen other people voicing their disappointments pretty heavily.
The biggest issue here is not one of the sound itself, but has to bring me back to questioning the overall quality of the entire game, and that’s because of the voice acting for the character ‘Kuo”. While all other voice work seems to come across as decent enough and clear, her voice sounds noticeably worse than everyone else’s, like it wasn’t recorded on the same equipment. To make matters worse, she is voiced by a woman that has one of the worst lisps I have ever heard, making it incredibly difficult to pay attention as some low quality lisping infects your ears. I wouldn’t be mentioning it if it didn’t actually have an effect on my experience, but it did.
Blasting through the campaign at top speed in inFamous 2 will still fetch you a decent 8-10 hour campaign and we all already know that when it comes to sandbox games like this, that number can easily stretch up into the 20s and 30s by doing everything there is to do, not to mention a second play-through on the other end of the karmic scale.
Conclusion:
The inFamous formula has been improved, but I’m still not completely sold on its ability to deliver a truly fun game, especially one that is supposed to celebrate and encompass the joys of having superpowers.
inFamous 2 is still a solid title, but Sucker Punch dropped the ball on more than one occasions where decisions and quality were concerned and in the end, it dragged the game down over time, even though your new unlocked powers were supposed to be lifting it up.
Scoring:
Gameplay: 8.0
Playing as a character with superpowers definitely has its super fun moments, but some bad decisions in game design and controller layout really let down a game with massive potential for fun.
Design & Presentation: 8.0
inFamous 2 maybe doesn’t hold up with the Crysis 2’s and Killzone’s of this generation, but it’s still a damn fine looking game. Some issues with voice and a few bugs here and there unfortunately hold it back. Fantastic music though.
Value: 8.0
Sandbox games usually have a lot to offer to those who want the extra side content, so that is wholly dependent on you as the player. The same can be said for those who want to play it as good and evil.
Overall: 8.0 (not an average)
inFamous 2 is a good game, but will most likely become a faint memory in the ocean of great games out there these days.
Last Updated: June 15, 2011
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