inFamous 2

In 2011 Sony gave PS3 owners two free games as part of a welcome back package after PSN was out of commission for a considerable time.For me this was a particular pleasant surprise as I don't use PSN other than to download demo's.There were five titles to choose from.I chose Little Big Planet and Infamous.Infamous was a game I skipped on.For some reason that type of game simply did not appeal to me.However after playing the game for a few hours I got hooked into the story and the gameplay.In fact I liked it so much it got me interested in the other super hero type sandbox game called Prototype.After finishing Infamous I played the Infamous 2 demo and it seemed bigger and better and even more fun so naturally I was going to play it when I got around to it.

And finally I did.I played Infamous 2 as much as possible in one week.As in the first I did all the side missions and engaged into random crimes in order to get most out of the experience.Infamous 2 has improved the gameplay elements significantly.Much tighter controls compared to the first one.And the visuals look more polished and colorful.But I must say that I was a bit let down by the story telling.Especially since the story of the first was quite epic.Not that the coming of the Beast is not epic although it did not feel like it at the end.My battles with a random Ice Titan lasted longer than the one with the Beast.On the other hand the characters in this sequel were more fleshed out and likable.It was actually nice to see that Zeke and Cole were good friends (brothers) again and that Zeke has atoned for his sins.Kuo and Nix were nice additions and never annoying like the Trish character from Infamous 1.While in most of the missions they represent either evil or good you can relate to the reasoning behind of why they desire to have certain events played out.I personally never felt an ounce of sympathy for Trish.No matter if you were good or evil she always treated you bad even when Cole went out his way to help her.In Infamous 2 it really gets to you if you don't choose a particular side because that would mean that you have to disappoint a friend.So in hindsight it is not that big of a deal that the story was a little less compelling as the first.

Infamous 2 is a lot easier than the first one.Now it could be because of being familiar and experienced with the first and of course much better controls that it seemed that way.Although I remember dying more often in Infamous than I did now on medium in this game.Most side missions are more constrained and less time consuming as they were in the first and therefore felt less tedious.Which also might give the impression the game is easier.Overall though you really feel like a super hero especially when you gain powers that make it seem like you can fly.I only wished that you could do that in a super hero game besides Superman.But maybe technically that is difficult to accomplish.Overall Infamous 2 is just as fun as the first one and in some aspects more enjoyable.The static thrusters in combination with Ice Launch is something I never get tired off.Personally I liked the improved melee abilities as well since in close combat situations that is very useful.When upgraded it even recharges your energy if it is empty.Too bad though that it doesn't affect your health.There are more restrictions when it comes to energy like not being able to recharge when grinding but like in the first that requires you to be strategic about how you deal with your enemies.

Apart from being a little less epic Infamous 2 has a very effective ending on a good playthrough.It concludes events and leaves just room enough for a future sequel if that is in the cards.I say keep them coming (as long as Suckerpunch remains involved and it is up to the quality of their previous work).

I think that this game was one of my favorites. One of the best things about it was that I could load my saves from the first Infamous and let the game continue with my good or bad karmic path. Playing this also gave me more of an insight as to what was going on with their Play Station Four release of Infamous: Second Son. I can see I am not the only person that likes this game, even though not many have given a review. I did download it for free when they released the welcome back package, but then I also downloaded the first infamous some time after I downloaded this,seeing as how I was clueless into the back story. Now I have completed both of them and understand it, and even understand the new infamous.

Infamous 2 takes place a little after the events of the first Infamous. Cole has learned of the arrival of a deadly conduit named "The Beast" and he travels with his friend Zeke and NSA member Kuo to the city of New Marais to meet with a man named Dr. Wolfe who worked for Kessler in the First Sons. Wolfe has been working on a device to stop The Beast's power and needs Cole to collect several Blast Cores from the Ray Sphere to power it. But Cole must face more deadly apposition in New Marais, with ice-powered conduits, swamp monsters, and a fascist anti-conduit group called The Millitia led by the mysterious Joseph Bertrand.

Much like its predecessor, Infamous 2 is an incredibly fun game to play. The same karmic system is in this game except the way you choose them is different as you offered choices from two other conduits. A fire conduit named Nix, and Kuo who has power over ice. Whatever choice you make will impact the rest of the game, the citizens opinion of you, and your appearance just like the first Infamous. The climbing controls are also the same from the first game.

What's different this time around is that New Marias is much more alive then Empire City. Meaning, there are a lot more side-missions to play even after the main game is completed and they deal with whatever karma Cole has. For instance, if you're a hero you will be healing civilians, stopping muggings or defusing bombs. If you are evil then you'll be stealing from civilians, silencing street performers and taking out protesters against you. Plus, there are several objects that can be destroyed in this game, like verandas, gas tanks or warehouses.

Melee combat is also greatly improved and much more fun to use. With a new weapon called "The Amp" you can get up close and personal with the enemy which is quite useful against smaller enemies or swamp monsters. Later in the game you can even get powers from either Nix or Kuo, giving you ice or fire powers depending on your choice. With ice you can create a shield protecting you from gunfire, launch yourself into the air with a small iceberg, and even freeze your enemies. With fire you can launch yourself at the enemy dealing a fatal kick, create small swamp monsters to do your whim, and drain your enemies to give you more electricity.

Overall Infamous 2 is a sequel that improves nearly everything from its predecessor. There are still a few problems with the camera, which is most notable in melee combat, but they won't divert from the overall enjoyability of the game. Sucker Punch has delivered once again. A must have exclusive for any Play Station 3 owner.

So, I played inFAMOUS 2 from Thursday the 19th of September right after I had played and beaten the first inFAMOUS game until I had beaten THIS game on Friday the 27th of September (I'm in the middle of playing it for the second time), and it's the same thing as the first one, it's the Heroes (2006-2010) of PlayStation, it's also fun and I agree with most people that inFAMOUS 2 is better than inFAMOUS 1. That doesn't mean that I'm done with the franchise yet. I have to get a PS4 soon (depending if I got one for Christmas, who knows), and hopefully play inFAMOUS: First Light first and then inFAMOUS: Second Son because First Light is a prequel to Second Son. Yes, I want to go play the inFAMOUS video game series in chronological order. I enjoyed the second game more if only because it has more characters that have superhuman abilities, I'm not telling you which ones because spoilers. It has an interesting story that takes place where we left off from the first game and it had some cool upgrades of superhuman abilities. Yes, there are choices of both karmas depending on which side you choose to be on. I always choose the good side, but that's just me. Also, the graphics of inFAMOUS 2 are good. Like really good. On the flip side, not only inFAMOUS 1 fits perfectly for the PS3, but I thought the graphics of inFAMOUS 1 looked like something that would've also fit well for the PS2 when the game first came out, but I digress. But hey, inFAMOUS 2 is really fun, I totally recommend it.