Simply Illustrious- Infamous Reviewed

Although the recent PSN demo of Infamous exhibited some compelling combat, we had some reservations with other elements of the game. While riding atop a moving train was mildly stimulating, stopping every few blocks to charge underpass switches felt like an artificial contrivance. The title’s decaying metropolis seemed sufficiently busy, but rooftop observations were burdened by drops in the game’s framerate. As a harbinger of the quality of the final retail game, the demo indicated that Infamous would be a competent, if somewhat flawed experience.

Luckily, that forecast was terribly mistaken- the demo did a woefully inadequate job of displaying the complete title’s charms. Not only is the framerate remarkably improved, but seeing the retail game’s powerful storytelling devices pulled us deeper into Infamous’ dystopian world.  Now, the title stands as one of our favorite Playstation 3 exclusives.

The title opens somewhat preposterously, as bicycle courier Cole McGrath unknowingly carries an explosive package through Empire City. Midway through his delivery, the cargo denotes, leveling several square blocks and creating havoc through the city. An oppressive government agency has quarantined sections of the city, while remaining districts fall under gang control. Miraculously, Cole is not decimated by the blast, but endowed with electrical superpowers. While a number of titles have used a comic book motif to frame a game’s narrative, Infamous’ story is exceptionally well-written, embedding themes of trust, alienation, and desperation. Dialog between the protagonist and other characters is well written, and wisely delivered simultaneously with on-screen action.

As gamers progress through Infamous, they are presented a number of elements that allow the title to transcend above the typical action game. Through exploration players are granted information that allows for an understanding of the events that preceded the catastrophic explosion in Empire City. This methodical plot expertly maintained our interest, and created an investment in the central characters that is absent from most action games. Throughout the game, players will encounter a number of ‘karma moments’; pivotal junctures that will determine Cole’s allegiances, powers, and ultimately- the conclusion of the game.

One of Infamous’ greatest strengths is its well-refined control scheme. While the title’s central focus is on ranged and melee combat, both environmental exploration and some platforming is required by the game. When first presented with a series of narrow pipes on which to traverse, we were initially dubious- a myriad of action games have presented similar obstacles that the results are recurrently frustrating. Within minutes we were confidently bounding from ledge to platform with an ease that recalled the precision of 2D platforming. When players must scale buildings, the title’s rarely frustrates; miscalculated jumps result in an unhurried fall where the player can grab a piece of the structure to stop their decent.  Although we’ve seen numerous cover systems over the years, seeing Cole hang sheltered under a ledge while firing upon enemies, felt wonderfully fresh.
 
As noted earlier, the final retail version of Infamous displays a much smoother framerate than what was shown in the game’s demo. However, there were still instances in the full game where the refresh rate would plummet- smoke effects frequently caused the title to chug along.  The graphically obsessive will likely notice a bit of pop-in as Cole navigates through the city; most people will be having too much fun to notice. Generally, the game is textured exceptionally well, although we wish the game would have taken a cue from Fable 2 and made the alignment of Cole more discernable. One graphical element we loved was Cole’s rope walking animation that recalled developer Sucker Punch’s magnificent Sly Cooper series.