Sony has been tooting their horn on how great InFamous is and how well it’s performing in sales in their E3 2009 press conference. I have to say that Sony is right because InFamous is a really fun game from beginning to end.

The story of InFamous follows the lead character, Cole, after an incident that caused Empire city to explode, leaving the city in darkness and leaving him with lightning powers. His girlfriend, Trish, hates him because she believes that he killed her friend and the people of Empire City blames him for the explosion. Pretty much the whole world thinks you’re a terrorist, so it’s up to you if you want to live up to that name, or be the nice guy (I like saving people).

Throughout the game, you’ll be tackled with many choices such as choosing to save a guy being hanged upside down or do nothing and let the mob kill him. Another example is choosing whether you want to kill a guy just to steal what’s inside his locker or help him defeat some scumbags. Later in the game, you’ll be given a tougher choice that decides Cole’s fate in the future.

Since Cole has many moves at his disposal, playing him should be fluid, and thankfully Sucker Punch delivers. You are the master of everything. You can climb almost everything and travel across the city freely thanks to your gripping powers and lightning powers (I didn’t know having lightning powers can give you superb agility, strength, and reflex). Jumping from rooftop, power lines or street lights is very easy thanks to the mechanics of the game that automatically tries to attach you to the nearest object. It can be a pain though since you’re like a magnet to almost every building, making it harder for you to just drop down without trying to grab the nearest object.

You have to power the city from darkness by powering up the generators, and while doing that, you gain cool new moves. Cole can use his electrical powers to shoot lightning bolts, turn it into a missile, grenades, a shield, a sniper weapon, and my personal favorite, a lightning storm from the sky that blasts everything in sight. He can also use his powers to grind on railroad tracks and power lines at fast speed, making games like Grand Theft Auto feel like a chore when driving.

You’ll have boss battles and three main enemy types in the three different sections of Empire City. As you get through the later levels, you’ll face newer, harder enemies. But since you have all these powers, you should have no problems.

InFamous has several missions and a variety of side missions. The game hardly feels repetitive because of the many different types of missions that ranges from disabling surveillance cameras, rescuing people, escorting criminals, spying, turning the power grid back on and lots more.

I’d like to mention some glitches in the game. I was facing some Reapers in the game and somehow they were able to shoot me and make my character go through the ground, landing in water under the city streets killing me. Another thing I noticed was when in a tunnel below the street, I was able to see shadows from the cars above.

The ending is satisfying, but it does feel like one big tease that sets up for a bigger sequel, just like Mass Effect. I was able to finish the story missions and side missions in around 12 hours or less. Once you’re finished with all the missions, there’s nothing else left to do other than collect shards to boost up your power meter and collecting satellite information. The game offers an entertaining story, lots of cool superhero moves, and a city to save or wreak havoc in.

Grade: B+

P.S. I’m digging this whole developers making mature type game with Sucker Punch going from Sly Cooper to InFamous and Naughty Dog going from Crash Bandicoot to Uncharted.

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