VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Infamous 2

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Published by: SCEA
Developed by: Sucker Punch
Release Date: June 07, 2011
Available on: Playstation 3

GET THIS GAME HERE

INTRO: InFamous 2 is (shockingly) a sequel to a 2009 game that had you starring as Cole McGrath, an unlikely hero who became a superman. This sequel promises to be bigger, badder and tighter than the original, and the official description goes a little like this:

Blamed for the destruction of Empire City and haunted by the ghosts of his past, reluctant hero Cole MacGrath makes a dramatic journey to the historic Southern city of New Marais in an effort to discover his full super-powered potential — and face a civilization-ending confrontation with a dark and terrifying enemy from his own future. Gifted with extraordinary god-like abilities, Cole alone has the power to save humanity, but the question is– will he choose to do so?

GAMEPLAY:

I’m not often a guy who runs out and buys a lot of games. I know what you’re thinking- I’m a game reviewer. Well, fact is, I do pick up the ones I need to review but if it weren’t for this gig, I’d buy far fewer titles. InFamous was a game I ran out and bought on day one though. Don’t ask me why, I just have a thing for superheroes I suppose. I was pleasantly surprised by it too- I thought it was solid, fun and relatively easy to play. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to telling you about the sequel.

BE WARNED: This review may be a tad spoiler-y if you haven’t played the first InFamous.

In case you don’t remember the end of the last game, you have to face the giant beast known as uh..Beast. This is how InFamous 2 starts things off, by hitting the ground running where the last one quit. This is also how the game explains how you sort of lose your powers in order to start from scratch (and it’s done in a really cool opening scene, by the by). Anyway, the Beast hands you your walking papers and goes on a trail of destruction that will eventually lead to your city, New Marais.

It’s up to you, your pal Zeke and a government agent named Kuo to find a dude named Dr. Wolfe, regain your powers and put a stop to everything. InFamous 2 is a big open world sort of game that’s split up into three major areas, and you’re literally blazing down a dark path trying to stop the Beast, and the only way you can do that is by getting some doodad called the RaySphere Inhibitor. (in fact, when you pause the game, you can actually see the Beast’s trail of destruction!). In order to get your power back, you’ve got to get to Blast Cores and slowly upgrade through Blast Shards. As if that isn’t enough, you’ve got a crazy culty-sort of villain known as Bertrand to deal with.

It’s a lot of fun to parkour your way through the city. Our electricity-based hero glides along power lines and seems to float through the air with the greatest of ease. This is a big part of the game and the easiest way to get around and it’s really satisfying. You’ll find lots to do as you go along, as there’s tons of little missions to get through. In terms of your powers, Cole has a melee weapon in this one which helps. It’s the amp, and it shocks foes handily. As the game goes on, you get a ton of cool upgrades to your power that add to the fun. Yes, you can shoot electric rockets. Honestly, have you played a game where you can throw huge objects around that was no fun at all? Keep your power supply up by leeching from the city and you’ll be fine.

This means you have a choice to make, as this is one of those moral games. The upgrades you earn are not only based on experience but on your actions. This existed in the first game but wasn’t implemented very well. It’s better here, and it isn’t so black and white which helps. If you help people by healing them, you’ll get the “good” XP and if you’re causing nothing but chaos and destruction, well you’ll get the “bad” stuff. You can switch it up if you want to and the right path isn’t always clear. You can actually replay some sections if you don’t feel they went right, which is a cool feature. I admit, I tended to be a bit more on the evil side. Either way, the karma system in this game is huge.

Also huge is the game itself- exploration is a big, big part of this game. The city is fantastic, and you’ll get to see a lot of it using the grid to travel on. Climbing buildings when you miss can get old, but your powers eventually level up and it isn’t such a problem after awhile. There’s also plenty of combat with the three warring factions Cole has to deal with. you get Bertrand’s Militia (the standard goons), the swamp monsters (freaky mutants) and ice men (well, they’re kind of how they sound). And don’t worry, there are a ton of giant monsters and minibosses to take care of. I like the system. It works.

InFamous 2 is a huge game that encompasses thousands of side missions and an honestly engrossing story to keep you going. Cole is a really fun character to play as and when you start wielding the higher powers, you’ll have a blast. You can blaze through quickly, but I recommend taking your time- I’m willing to bet that won’t be a problem.

Gameplay: 9/10

GRAPHICS:

InFamous 2 looks even better than the last game. It has great cutscenes, and Cole is animated really well. The city is vast and expansive, and there’s weather and day/night effects that impress too. Everything isn’t perfect, I did notice some clipping issues and floating objects, but this is a small complaint.

Graphics: 8.5/10

AUDIO:

Sound is also awesome, with a fantastic musical score that is one of the best I’ve heard in awhile. Voice acting is pretty good too, although people complain that Cole has a new voice (which is admittedly a little smarmier). Sound effects are badass and sharp. I can’t complain much about the aural presentation of this bad boy.

Audio: 9/10

FINAL VERDICT:

You can play this game in a silly way where you wipe out innocent people and laugh about it, or you can make it a serious quest. I did both and found the game very rewarding and there’s a fair amount of unlockable stuff to really enhance the replay value. This is an undoubtedly memorable game that feels like it improves in almost every aspect of the already decent original. I highly recommend it.

Final Score: 9/10

GET THIS GAME HERE